A few months ago when we had our kitchen painted, I had my painter-man do the top of the pantry door in chalk paint. Can I just tell you how much I love this? Sometimes we leave notes to each other, but the main function of the board is for menu planning. (And making me look über-organized when guests come over, which lately has been practically ...
It’s Not Easy Being Green – Avocados from Mexico
Growing up Cuban meant we didn't eat many salads. And by "many," I mean, "none." For the most part, the only time green things appeared on our plates were the tiny, diced pieces of bell pepper in our sofrito. (For the uninformed, sofrito is at the beginning of most Cuban dishes. Sauteed onion, garlic, and green bell pepper ...
That’s Entertainment!
I feel like I owe some kind of explanation about my lack of usual blogging over-sharing here in this space. So here goes: I'm tired. Just plain tired. Deep-to-my-very-bones tired. Or, to borrow a great Cuban phrase from my mom. Estoy agotada. (Which is awesomely descriptive. It means completely wrung out. Like a sponge. Not a drop left. ...
Lessons from the Garden
My roses are blooming.All of them. All at once.And although they look very beautiful,and some are quite spectacular,they require my attention. Right now.And it feels like quite an overwhelming task. But I'll grab my pruning shears and go through each bush, dead-heading as I go. It's quite a big job when they're all going ...
Mrs. Darby Goes to Washington.
Today is the celebration of my 57th year on this earth. I'm in Washington DC, at the White House. I'm holding a reminder that it's only "90 Miles to Cuba." I think that IS important right now. Happy Birthday to me. ...
The Circle of Life
Some (very simplified, don't judge me) Cuban History for today: In 1902, a bloody war had been fought between Cuba and Spain for Cuba's independence. The Cuban's won. It was quite a crushing defeat for the Spanish. They never quite recovered from it. The president of the United States at that time was Theodore Roosevelt who had ...
On the stage of the Hollywood Bowl (Pinch me.)
I'm going to write about the Hollywood Bowl today. Just as a warning - this post may get all emotional and gushy (<--is that a word?) because I LOVE the Hollywood Bowl. I love it so much I want to marry it. There's going to be gushing. And photos. And videos. And more gushing. Yes. It's uber-nerd heaven. The Bowl is just so ...
What Mom Taught Me
In case you missed last year's surprise Mother's Day post, here is the link. Also: Mom. You really should change your password once in awhile...- - - Mami taught me how to have great adventures. We have driven to Vegas together more times than I can count.Today, I love driving and am always ready to take a road trip. We saw the ...
Where in the world is Marta today?
I realize I haven't been posting as often as I like and I apologize, but that doesn't mean I'm not around. In fact, I seem to be all over the web today. I'm guest posting in a couple of places: I have an essay about Mother's Day over at the Tiki Tiki. I tell you a lot about Luza. It's titled "My Mother. My ...
KIA “Fun and Forty” Challenge – Miami to Key West – Part 1
[Disclaimer: I'm going to be posting about my trip to Miami and Key West in installments because there's just too much to tell, and because the awesome can't be contained in just one post. Also, please excuse the blurry photos that may or may not have been taken from the passenger side of a fast-moving car.] Last week I had the pleasure of taking ...
