running with scissors...

to the casual observer, i likely appear from the outside to be in a near-catatonic state. from the inside, however, i feel like a super-hyperactive small child running around with sharp scissors... in both hands. this will not end well.

i attempted to make use of this burst of insanity by tackling a few tasks around my home. problem is, it is impossible to maintain the attention span necessary to actually get anything done when i am in this state. as a result, i started doing many things today... and finished none. sigh.

the balcony garden project continues on, despite a few setbacks that i am blaming entirely on Canada. we went from near-freezing-overnight to mini-heatwave then right back to unseasonably-cold-all-of-the-time all within a few weeks. fortunately, i happen to know the cure for unseasonably cold weather. savory cheesy muffins, anyone?

they are not fond of the yellow coloring that we love so much back in the States, so the cheddar is white, but trust me when i say there was a vulgar amount of cheese utilized in the making of these muffins. i threw in some green onions and cilantro for herby goodness, and a pinch each of ground cumin and cayenne. it is a proven fact that everything tastes better with a spicy kick.

so, while i am back to sleeping with my feet pressed up against the hot water bottle (in late June), the sugar snap peas are doing just fine. they are putting out more lovely little flowers every day.

i absolutely love pea blossoms. they are beautiful, and totally edible, as are the tender shoots of the plant! unfortunately, eating them would mean having fewer peas to harvest, and that would be an utter shame. speaking of which... do you see the tiny pod growing out of that dried up flower there on the right? that is a tiny sugar snap pea!

we had our first harvest last week.

we each got half a pea, thought i am certain he bit off more than his share.

the plants seem to be loving the weather at the moment, and they have put out quite a few tiny pods that should be ready for harvest before the end of the week. we may even have enough for a meal. okay... so it will probably be one of those posh meals where you get like three pods each, but it will be the three tastiest pea pods in the entire history of humanity.

as this little adventure is entirely for entertainment purposes, i have zero delusions of self-sufficiency from the proceeds of a few plants. still, it is nice to pick something every once in a while that becomes part of your next meal. so far, it has mostly been sprigs of lemon balm in iced tea...

or in a glass of water complete with lemon wedge and fresh blackberries. yes, i have too much time on my hands.

there was also the the odd violet blossom atop a fruit salad.

and, yes... i ate it. the flower tasted like nothing, but that was one seriously yummy piece of pineapple.

i am not sure if the flower is was a violet, viola, or pansy, not that it really matters at this point, as the plant is near death after the latest spell of cold. gone too are the multicultural basils, and i doubt the nasturtiums will make it through the night. part of the adventure of growing things is that you never know what to expect, so i usually approach it with zero expectations, then treat anything that actually grows as an awesome surprise. how ever did that swiss chard get there? i have no idea, but it just might be part of tomorrow's meal.

the hyperactive small child inside my head is screaming that this may be the perfect time to organize all the things. i am going to have a glass of wine and try to drown him/her out... literally. i took a ton of photos in the recent weeks, so there will likely be a few more posts in the coming days. that is, unless i am busy rearranging all the furniture or sorting all of my yarn by the number of meters in each skein. yep... definitely time to silence that voice on the inside.

oh, and i got new reading glasses. purple this time. i approve.