Spring Sprang '09

Ah, Saturday. A break from the usual grid is always good, but this weekend was really great. The weather's finally beginning to act like spring (although they're predicting snow for Monday). Early Saturday morning, I prepared the new garden beds before we ventured to the farmers' market to pick up some herbs. It was the market's opening weekend, so there were only a handful of sellers compared to the peak summer months. While there, we were also able to pick up a few pounds of 100% grass-fed and finished beef from Lick Creek, our favorite local provider. They're just down the road, so we hope to visit the farm soon. Later, we planted the herbs in the livestock tank. I had to drill holes in its bottom to provide proper drainage. It was awful; I felt like Emmet Otter ruining the washtub. (Did anyone else see Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas when they were a kid?) Josey had a great time digging in the dirt, playing with worms, and helping to plant the herbs. Finally, we capped off the afternoon with free food at the Schlafly tasting at Kindling in Carterville, which will be our new stop for all things wet and spirited. Kindling (website under construction) has been getting quite a bit of positive buzz around here. Their recent Belgium Beer pairings dinner seemed to be well received on several blogs, including the Beer Philosopher. (Here's the menu.) A lot of folks around here were excited to see that they're carrying Dogfish Head beer (a favorite of ours, too, when we lived in Boston). We bought a pack of Breckenridge Brewery's agave wheat, which is quite good. As they say out in MA, "We've got ourselves a great packy, now."