Summer Pasta Picnic Salad Pasta Picnic Summer Salad Good outdoor eatin'

I hate winter. So much so that I still complain about it in the summer. Its gloomy, isolating, quiet, and bone chillingly cold. It doesn't help that I've never had a tremendous amount of "insulation." When spring rolls around I'm a whole new person; I smile at people on the street and am thrilled to leave the house. When summer rolls around, I revel in the season in which laziness is a celebrated quality. Being unemployed has definitely added to my allotted lazy time this year.
Now I finally have a constant companion for the joys of summer--the beach, the pool, golfing, the park, and the ultimate in summer dining:

the picnic.
One inspired and sunny day, I decided a cold pasta salad was in order. Armed with farmers market produce and some free time via Hudson's nap, I threw in some random ingredients and whipped up this:

what I'm calling Summer Picnic Pasta Salad...or Summer Pasta Picnic Salad...or Pasta Picnic Summer Salad...
this is why I don't make recipes. I also didn't measure anything, but I'll surely tell you what's in it.
The secret is, it's best stirred by a tiny yet chubby hand. In vintage Pyrex.

Okay here we go:
Boil some Penne pasta--I like the Omega-3 or Whole Wheat kinds because I'm a hippy. Go with what you feel.
Roast some asparagus in olive oil.
Chop up some green onions and the asparagus. I like only the top two or three cuts from asparagus because I'm picky. Nicky.
The saucy/wet stuff: olive oil, a squirt of honey mustard, some 100% orange juice, a bit of basil, and perhaps some parsley all whisked into a fantastical vinaigrette.
Toss it all together plus some Romano (or possibly some Farmer or Havarti or Fillintheblank) cheese.
Chill in the chillerator til it's chilled to your chilliking. Or eat at room temperature. You're free to decide.

You. must. eat. this. outdoors. Take a blanket, find a table, or use a tailgate. Just enjoy the breeze, the birds, and yes--the bugs. Also absolutely necessary? Run around like a banshee and do a happy dance afterward.

Because this is what non-winter is all about.

Twirl your groove thang

Let's just say that someone is coming in to his inherited dance abilities.

And that's all I have to say about that.

There ain't no bugs on me...

Many great minds are arguing that kids these days don't get enough unstructured outdoor playtime. Kids are supposed to be out climbing trees and eating wild berries, but somewhere along the line parents' fears have taken over. Instead, we're all cooped up inside, completely disconnected from where our food comes from and why it matters to keep habitats intact.
We need to give kids more opportunity to do their own thing and get bitten along the way. However, I'm not saying you shouldn't help them identify poison ivy when given the chance.

Encourage your kids to be adventurous, like these kids terrorizing exploring the wildlife of the the great outdoors.

Pry your kids away from the screens and eschew fears of poison plants and vicious plague-spreading insects.

Just look how much fun Hudson is having frolicking in the grass.


Oh wait, what's that behind his ear, you ask? Let's take a closer look.

Hmm, appears to be a bug...

%$@!*&^
Oh yes, that, my friends is an Ixodes scapularis, more commonly known as a tick. Right there on my baby's head.

Funny thing is, I didn't notice until the thing had attached itself to his cheek. A pause for flashbacks to an outdoor ecology lesson that had me fighting ticks like Mike Tyson and we were outta there. Being a camp counselor gave me the experience necessary to remove said tick without a panic. Many thanks, Wildwood.

Good news is Hudson wasn't bothered a bit, and it appears Lyme disease hasn't set in--as it is pretty unlikely to do. Many more outdoor play sessions and terrorizing of wildlife ahead, just maybe with some natural bug repellent.

Our day at the air show

When we lived in Missouri we lived 10 minutes away from an Air Force base--home of the B2 bomber "2B" exact. We also lived with the worlds greatest female aviator, well as far as I know. This means that I was immersed in more aviation geekery than I ever hoped for...which really isn't very much.

One day at the beginning of June, Hudson and I were planning on going to the botanical gardens when Roomie Allie swooped in with a suggestion.
"I think Hudson should go to his first air show."
(as if there would be many more)

I rolled my eyes, of course, but along we went. After over an hour and a half in traffic (unheard of 'round those parts), we arrived inside the walls of the base. A fun scan by some Air Force peeps with guns, and we were in.

To be truthful, it wasn't just Hudson's first air show; it was mine too. For those who don't know (or care), different types of crazy planes fly in from all over to park and look pretty. Much like a pageant for airplanes I suppose. Some planes are super special and are on the schedule of events to perform. Did you know Jelly Belly jelly beans has a stunt plane? Now you do. Stunt planes from all over were there to do stuff you never ever want to think about when you're flying cross country.

In fact, as we arrived a WWII plane was having landing gear issues and had to make an emergency landing. Who said an air show couldn't be exciting, eh?

Anyhoo, we walked around and looked at the pretties (air force pilots in flight suits) and some planes too. Did I mention it was the windiest day EV-ER? Allie knew a little something about these planes. I still don't.

We saw the big kahuna

Ooh, a guy in uniform with a gun.

I mean, look! Missiles!
and some "smaller" big kahunas as well.

And just some crazies in general.

In fact, I have no clue which way these photos are supposed to be oriented.

We learned so much that day. Mostly that Hudson is terrified of loud noises, such as those made by various airplanes in the sky. We had to bail early since the big guns were slated for later in the afternoon. All in all, it was a great experience--just a little windy and noisy. It appears that Allie's dream of turning Hudson into a pilot are a little far off but not hopeless.

Thanks, Wings Over Whiteman, for being slightly more interesting than the botanical gardens.

A sneak peek at the old girl

So a lot of work has been done to Midge-y poo in preparation for Huddy Buddy and I's move-in date. Ignoring the fact that I still don't have a bathroom floor (but will be getting CARPET in the bathroom soon..wtf?) and it still smells like a musty old camper, I have a clearer vision of the cute little cottage she was meant to be. Unfortunately, my limited funds will not allow me to do much to the old girl, but using your imagination is fun, right?
On that note, I thought I would give you a preview of a few things going on at the chateau as of late.

Kitchen curtain, anyone? The background turquoise is reminiscent of an accent wall color in the living room. The green of the pear is reminiscent of the "Sweet Olive" shade of half the kitchen. The tan is reminiscent of my counter top and terribly unfortunate apartment-size gas stove. The yellow, my gorgeous 1950s Formica dining table. The fabric is called Scandinavian Kitchen--and whaddaya know, I'm Scandinavian! If only she were blonde.

No, I don't overthink design choices, I don't know what you're talking about. Moving on...

Hudson's curtain.

Vintage fabric for my room.

These may have something to do with the living room and kitchen curtains...
Can't forget my obsession with these. Heavily-painted cabinet hardware may or may not have been removed in the effort to suitably display my growing neurosis collection.

I can only imagine the mental picture you must have. Truth be told, I'm a little fearful myself. As soon as I retrieve my computer from the robbers computer repair folks or buy an SD card reader, I will further illuminate you with the progress of my "dream" home.

You're on the edge of your seat, I know.

{ Visit ApartmentTherapy.com for an idea of my quirky design style if this is really offending your home interior sensibilities. }