cocoon yourself in cashmere during these chilly days.  rachel thompson has created a beautiful line of wool and cashmere cowls, fashioned from re-purposed sweaters from our local thrift stores.  these cowls are wonderfully soft and warm with delicate stitching in soft colors.

in the coming weeks, readySET will be adding clutches made from kimonos and recycled wool slacks…zippered pouches from silk trousers…and perhaps a few other types of totes/bags/purses made from the seemingly limitless supply of luxury apparel available in Charlottesville-area thrift stores.

check out some photos from the tour here:

after wandering around for a few hours we were treated to a feast of homemade bread, goat cheese from a local farm, and fresh vegetable dishes. i hope to collect all the recipes and get them on the site.

a big thanks to pam, joan, cheryl & laura for sharing your gardens with us, and to guinevere, mike, and rachel  thanks for creating a beautiful day , it was perfect.

Dear Friends

I am writing to all of you who love WTJU and the Rock this stations provides everyday from 2-4pm.  Most of you are in C-ville (like me) and listen at work through headphones or your  office stereo, but some of you are listening from very far far away- and still keep the rock from Charlottesville in your hearts by streaming it everyday on your computers.

Last week, the program manager of WTJU decided to take Rock off the Air from its regular spot at 2-4pm.  The station will only play jazz, classical, and folk during the day.  Rock will only get a limited time slot in the evening- a time that is hard to get underwriters and support from listeners like you. This could possibly end up dissolving all Rock at the station – most of the Rock DJ’s shows are now gone.

The Rock DJ’s have been creating huge exposure for the station and for rock around town- with the WTJU Dance Parties at the Tea House and numerous other events.  These DJ’s are all volunteers that give their time every week to make something special for our community.  They are devastated due to the notice that was given and the reasons behind this change. We as listeners and supporters will start to feel the huge whole that will be left.

Please help support all the Rock DJ’s by taking the time to write a letter to the programs manager, Burr Beard bb3vx@eservices.virginia.edu and copy the Office of Public Affairs nancy@virginia.edu with the subject line “Please keep Rock alive at WTJU!”

If you don’t want to write a letter, just copy this letter,  sign the bottom with your name and email, and send it to the programs manager and public affairs office. Along with your letters, if you can please make a donation to one of your favorite rock shows- maybe we can keep rock on the air from 2-4pm.

Thanks to all the ROCK DJ’s over the years!

~Liz Rhodes

i love picking strawberries in the warm sun and being rewarded with a strawberry donut from Chiles Orchard.  their berries are ripe and ready to harvest and will be going through june.  remember to support our virginia farmers, and buy local.

just in this morning…the cherries are ready!

here is a fizzy drink recipe made with strawberries you can enjoy after picking in the sun…

Strawberry Basil Spritzer

recipe

1 – 1 ½ cups chopped strawberries
1 ½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
750 ml Prosecco sparkling wine or 3 cups sparkling water

add some zing…

½ cup sugar
½ cup water
4-5 basil stems
½ cup minced basil

from a cozy kitchen.

i am: rational, assertive, traditional and relaxed = expanded antique

try yours here.

aubergine, melongene, brinjal…  call it what you will, i love eggplant.  this berry, yes- it is a berry, has a wonderfully complex taste and soaks up any flavorful thing you marinade it in.

here is a quick recipe for stuffed eggplant that is easy to remember and cheap on the pocket book.

preheat the oven to 400 degrees

cut 2 eggplants lengthwise (you will have some for leftovers) and lightly oil, salt and pepper them.  add some thyme and lemon, then place them cut side down on a lightly oiled baking sheet. put the eggplants in the oven for about 25-30 mins.

while that is in the oven, grab a glass of wine and start chopping and dicing some onions (i like red onions) and 2 small green peppers.

throw the onions in a pot with a little olive oil to start them caramelizing, when they are almost done put in the green peepers to get them tender.  at this point, put on a kettle on water on the stove to get it boiling.

almost finished, the last couple steps are quick and easy.  remember that kettle? add equal parts couscous and boiling water in a bowl, about a cup of each.  after it has set up, add in the onions and green peppers, spice it up with cumin, coriander, nutmeg, turmeric, and salt and pepper to taste.

next, take the eggplants out of the oven and  spoon out the the insides into your couscous mix.   mash and mix the ingredients together, restuff the eggplants, and crumble some feta cheese on top.  turn down the oven to 350 and place the stuffed eggplants back in the oven- just long enough to start browning the feta and enjoy!

this dish goes really well with a basil bruschetta salad, red wine, and people you love.

the most fashionable gardens had hermitages-complete with a live in hermit!  notable families would hire a man to sit and contemplate for 5 to 7 years in these utopian settings without cutting their hair, nails, or speaking.  their hermit reminded them of the contemplative life and the poems of John Milton.

“And may at last my weary age
Find out the peaceful hermitage,
The hairy gown and mossy cell
Where I may sit and rightly spell
Of every star that heav’n doth show,
And every herb that sips the dew;
Till old experience do attain
To something like prophetic strain.
These pleasures, Melancholy, give,
And I with thee will choose to live”

the past few weeks i have been planning architecture week for the aia central virginia chapter.  guessing you did not know i am the chapter’s program coordinator.  i get to plan, track, email, call, bug and sometimes even draw in the name of love for architecture.  so, i have been in a cave planning for this big week.

today, we got out to the community chalk board and brightened up the lives of the downtown community.

inspired from drawings by students from clark elementary cchool and a few of albemarle county’s elementary schools, the renaissance school’s 9th graders came to help us color and add in the finer details to this vibrant collage of our community.

playing with elements, the drawings peek in and out of dogwood trees and a colonnade, made famous in virginia by T.J.

starting off in the rolling hills of the county, the river snakes past  the rotunda and the corner; stops at the farmers market and downtown; passes through our neighborhoods; and it finally stops to look at mr. jefferson’s home from a far.

i hope you will enjoy my posts of an exciting week chalked full of events! haha

wow, something so beautiful! got to do this at home.

kokedama has been traditionally called the poor man’s bonsai, small varieties of flowers, trees, and grasses grown inside these little moss covered balls.

i can’t wait to try this out, and hang plants around my porch- i am thinking of some edibles, and maybe a hellebore or two.  i really wanted  to think up something different this year than my typical hanging flowers in a basket. i will enjoy the whimsy and sweetness of the kokedama, much more than a plastic bin with pansies in it!

here is a how to for making your own, and here for inspiration.

after spending almost 9 months with my fine feathered friends, i must say backyard chicken farming is rewarding, fun, and more enjoyable than that pet hamster when i was 10.

however, the 2 eggs a day  has become more than i can eat, and thinking about my ever growing sprouts- i may have too much food.  so, why not give it to those without?  i found out about the local food hub’s champaign called “plant a row for the hungry“. add an extra row to your garden and donate the veggies & fruits to the local food hub, and they will distribute to area organizations who help the less fortunate.

plant a extra row of non-leaf veggies (tomatoes, eggplants, and squashes will hold up better and last longer); and if you have extra eggs to spare, then do a good turn and fill someone else’s tummy.

ps. here is how to put a chicken to sleep, thanks martha!