Planting daffodils

It is a beautiful fall day here in Seattle today. Clear sky and 70F/20C.

I bought a bunch of daffodils that are going into the ground today. Yes.

Since we moved here to Seattle, we have updated our house quite a bit and maintained it well above average. House should be happy:)

However, the garden has not been so well looked after, and I have decided that our garden will be updated early next spring. We need a small new tree or a couple of bushes, maybe some herbs or salad, and some flowers in pots. I would also like to put lights and decorations in the garden.

At the moment, I am enjoying what is left of the dahlias that I planted in the pots for the summer.

How does your garden grow?

It's raining in Seattle

With dropping temperatures and moderate rainfall this morning, Seattle has definitely said good bye to summer. 


Time to start cooking good stews and making apple pies:)


But while were at that, let's kill the myth once and for all.


Seattle receives less precipitation then New York, Atlanta, Houston, and most cities of the Eastern Seaboard of the US.


Personally, I think the weather is pretty pleasant here:)

Sights in Seattle: Ballard Locks

Having friends visiting is not only fun, but can be educational. This summer I spent a few days sightseeing in Seattle while we had friends visiting.

One of the places we went to was Hiram M. Chittenden Locks or Ballard Locks to which they are more frequently referred.

Ballard Locks are situated in the Ballard neighborhood in Seattle. Apart from the locks, Ballard is also known for its Scandinavian inheritance. Many Scandinavians came to Ballard to settle and fish salmon and work in the milling industry. Ballard has several Scandinavian food stores and bakeries, although some has closed since the recession in 2008. The Nordic Heritage Museum is located here, and Ballard still celebrates the Norwegian Constitution Day (May 17).

The locks were built in the beginning of the 1900s and named after one of Seattle’s district engineers.

Hiram M. Chittenden:

The locks are being built:

The locks are ready for boats and fish:

The three main purposes of the locks are:

1. To maintain the fresh water level at 20-22 feet above the sea water level.
2. To prevent the mixing of sea water from the ocean and fresh water of the lakes.
3. To move boats between the ocean and the lakes in Seattle.

What I found most interesting is the fish ladder. The fish ladder is built for the pacific salmon. This salmon hatch in lakes, rivers, and streams, migrate to sea, and then return to fresh water to spawn at the end of their life. Can you imagine what a challenge it must be for a fish to go from fresh water to sea water and then back again. The fish ladder serves the purpose of helping the fish to adjust to the change of water.

If you want more information about locks, see Ballard Locks.

Ballard Locks also has a Visitors Center with an exhibition and a store, and you go for a pleasant stroll or have a picnic in the botanical garden within the locks surroundings.

Bedroom finished

I finished updating our bedroom, but things changed at the last minute. 

I spent some time helping a friend, who was moving, to pack some boxes and found a catalog with a much nicer bed than the one that I had ordered. So I cancelled my original order and bought the one in the catalog instead. And I am so happy that I found this bed. Thanks A for having all those catalogs:)

Also, when the bed was in place, Christer thought the picture that we already had over the bed was fine, and so I did not need to spend more time looking for a piece of art to replace the picture.

All happy, and here is our new bed.

Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite.

It’s Friday and I am making allergy-friendly pizzas

With all the allergies in our family, it can be tricky, if not impossible, to go out for pizza. I want to look on the bright side of things and think that many pizzas that are served in restaurants are really unhealthy. So if we want a good and quick-to -make pizza, we’ll just make one.

These are the ingredients that I use for four people:

4 tortillas made of teff flour (you can use any kind of tortilla of course)
4 tbs of tomato paste (optional)
1 cup of Kicki’s special tomato sauce (tomatoes, garlic, basil, sea salt, and pepper)
4 slices of ham
6 mushrooms
1 chopped green pepper
A bunch of olives
4 handfuls of shredded (raw) goat cheddar or 16 slices of buffalo mozzarella
4 tsp oregano Olive oil

1. Set the oven to 437 degrees F or 225 degrees C.
2.  Place the tortillas on oven trays.
3. Spread the tomato paste on the tortillas.
4. In a mixer or food processor make Kicki’s special tomato sauce by mixing chopped tomatoes, a couple of cloves of garlic, a pinch of sea salt, a little pepper, and some fresh basil.
5. Spread the tomato sauce on the tortillas.
6. Add the ham, mushrooms, chopped green peppers, olives, and cheese.
7. Sprinkle oregano, and then a tiny bit of olive oil on each tortilla pizza.
8. Put the tortillas in the oven for about 10-15 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

This is how our Friday pizza looks like:

Yummy!

Summer is over

I am sad to say it, but summer is over as far as I am concerned. I felt and smelt that fall wind coming in, and it kind of made me sad. Summer is my season and now I have to wait nine months until the next one.

To sheer myself up, I think about all the books that I will read and all the book club meetings to come. And fall is full of concerts (I do want to go and see Blue Man Group), plays, movies, and events.

And I can take long walks among colorful autumn leaves and then go for lunch or dinner at Volunteer Park Cafe.

But right now I am planning for Irene's 6th birthday next week. She has just started Kindergarten and so is now officially a big girl:)