Corn

My friend Gerald, who spontaneously threw some corn on the ground and now has a harvest, brought me two ears of freshly picked corn.  His only request was that I eat it the same day it was picked, and to take a little bite of it raw.  Apparently raw corn doesn't taste like corn, and he's right, but I'll get to that later.

After visiting and having a great conversation (we always do), I began to shuck the fresh corn.  Peeling back the layers of green sheaths reveals the musty smell that accompanies fresh food straight from the garden.  I was immediately transported back to Grandma's porch, my tiny fingers trying to hold the corn firm enough to pull the sheaths back, but lightly enough to keep from bursting the juicy kernels.  My dad's parents lived in Robstown next to what I remember as a small house amongst acres of corn stalks.  We had fresh corn every night of our vacations there.  A boon, but any treasure comes with grueling work, and in this story it comes in the form of shucking corn (it was a difficult childhood).  The silky, creamy-white strings glisten and cling and hang sparsely from between the yellow and white globes, reminiscent of a pale bald man's attempt at a comb-over.

I pluck the delicate tinsel and rinse the final product.  I take a bite.

It's like... vanilla cookies.  Pure sugar, with a little layer of gristle.   I take another bite.  It's intriguing.  The kernels burst with a gentle pluck, leaking sweet liquid onto my tongue, leaving the unchewable skin balling up between my teeth.  And then the itching started.

I try to get Mark to try a tiny bit of this fantastic new find.  He refuses.  As a kid, he burst a kernel into his eye and ended up in the emergency room as the white of his eye swelled over his iris.

The itch worsens.  It's like when you eat cantaloupe, or a not-quite-ripe banana.  It itches INSIDE my ears.  I decide to cook it.

Mark cut the rows of glossy kernels off and piled them into a bowl with sour cream, mayo, butter, parmesan, and sriracha sauce.  Delicious.

DELICIOUS.

I love that my friend brings me the fruit of things he planted with his own hands.  Things he has brought to life with a little care.  I love that he has tiny requests that, when accomplished, give us something to talk about.  And I LOVE corn.

Pictures to come!

Golden Days

It's so nice outside I want to cry.  I have a day off AND it's good weather... who could ask for more, right?

Me.  I could.  All the things I have to get done before Monday require me to be inside, mostly sitting in front of my computer, looking longingly out the window.  I know you know what that feels like.

That's okay, though, because when I'm done I'll feel almost as good as if I'd spent the day frolicking amongst the rays of sunlight bouncing of the garage door.  Hmmm.  On second thought.

Actually, I'm more than thankful I have this time to catch up on things that make it possible to frolic in the first place.  If I play my cards right, I'll have paid off my car in enough time to still be able to call it new,  and be in prime position to knock the 8 ball into the credit-card-debt pocket.  I'm lining up my shots, so to speak, and it feels really good.  I'll be debt-free, enjoying cocktails in the summer heat.  So I win.

My foot is healing after almost 3 years of this Plantar Fasciitis BS.  I'm actually considering training for another sprint tri, thanks to my ambitious sister-in-law.  She's kicking so much ass it reminds me how good it feels to set my sights on a physical goal and do whatever it takes to get there!  She's made huge strides where she could have been taking baby-steps.  Or maybe we can still call them baby steps since she just had  one.  Either way.

Then there's my sister, who is so close to reaching her goal she can taste it.  No pun intended.  Not to mention that she did the majority of the work while planning her amazing wedding and starting her own business.  Nothing short of miraculous.

It's so fantastic having strong women in my life.  I love being able to find inspiration everywhere I look!  People who machete their own paths get a standing salute, a weeping ovation.  It's freaking beautiful!

As if I didn't have enough to keep track of...

...I go and decide to make my life public. Meaning, I have to keep up with sharing information on a somewhat regular basis. What was I thinking!? I can barely check my RSS feed, much less remember to feed the dogs... and now a blog?

The picture you are looking at is affectionately called "my room". It's where I paint and sew and keep all of my extraneous habits. "Mark's room" is much more organized and something he could really be proud of. This? Well, this is just embarrassing. Believe it or not, this is actually a collection of tiny organized piles. One day it will be visually pleasing and functionally productive. Two days would be a huge leap for me.

Let's make a line-up of all the things I'm working on or expect from myself, just for fun.

• Study for and pass my ACSM exam for national Personal Training certification
• Attend at least one Pilates Reformer class/week to prepare for certification of the same
• Attend at least one Yoga class/week, outside of the class I teach
• Sew one item a week, later to be upgraded to "design & sew" one item a week
• Attend any SmugMug, Women in Business, Amazing Women We Know, Girl Friday, or fitness related event
• Get at least 5 cardio workouts and 3 strength workouts per week
• Paint 2 hours/week, including finishing the painting that's been on my easel for almost 4 years now, and a commissioned portrait (my first) 4 mos in the making (in my defense, I was dealing with my sister's fabulous wedding, and he was warned ahead of time. I suppose I should finish it now that the wedding has passed.)
• Spend some time everyday with my camera, which may include learning it's functions or actually taking pictures
• Keep my photos updated in terms of editing, storage, and sharing, like on Flickr.
• Spend any free time with Mark, the boyfriend of 3 years come October
• Miraculously keep my clothes washed, dishes clean, house organized, and get to work on time (Mark actually does the majority of this, but still.)
• And oh yes, sleep.

I have that feeling I get every time I go on a trip...   I'm sure I forgot something.   Hopefully, I've put you in the same state of anxiety I'm normally in.  Now, that would be good writing. Which reminds me, I tell a much better story on "paper" than in person.

I'm working on that, too.