021: Barred Owl

Hoot hoot!

365 Days of Animals
021: Barred Owl
Pen/Ink/Digital

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. day and Happy Inauguration Day! It's no secret that I love our president, so I watched with great pride and happiness throughout the Inauguration this morning. I can't believe it has been four years already!

We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths – that all of us are created equal – is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall; just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great Mall, to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone; to hear a King proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth.  

-President Barack Obama

xo,
Michelle

Inauguration Day 2009

It was a bit cold (i.e. REALLY FRIGGAN COLD), but I did manage to snap a few pictures.


An awesome satellite image from CNN


So many people!


In the wee hours of the morning, walking around. View of the big house.


Trying to reactivate those handwarmers.

brrrrrrr


Waiting. They were showing sunday's concert on the jumbotrons, in the mean time.


Hee-hee, "Cheese"


After Inaugural speech.


Trying to get out!

Blog-cation is over!

Okay, so I took a little blog-cation after VeganMoFo finished, but I'm back now! I got wrapped up in pre-election stress and worry and paranoia and excitement, and then have been floating on cloud-nine the last couple of days. Seriously! I don't get sick of reading/hearing about the election either. I'm just eating it up. I hung up the newspaper in my office at work and drew hearts and stars all over Obama's face, so I am constantly smiling all day. The republicans in my office just don't talk about the election at all, but the rest of us are all happy/huggy/smiley. I kind of feel like a huge weight of fear for the future has lifted off of me. Pure relief and pride of living in this country. I called my senators and reps and requested tickets for the Inauguration!! I've been stalking Megabus' site, waiting for tickets to go onsale for Jan. 20 (and hopefully they will be the minimum $2.50 roundtrip price that they do!!) Don't know where I'm staying yet, but I don't even care!

Even though I have been blog-cationing, I have been eating some yummy food in the last week:


So I agree with Herbivore Creations, and this is THE BEST mac 'n cheeze ever. Like, no joke, serious. I made it last week and have occasionally daydreamed about it this past week.

I made some YUM pumpkin-chocolate-chip ice cream in my ice cream maker the other night. Super creamy, even though it doesn't look like it. I love the combo of pumpkin and chocolate. Super-Fall time. I actually ate a fair amount of the mix before it was put in the ice cream maker, as it tasted like pure pumpkin pie. I have to make a pie soon! I'll pick up some pumpkins at the market on saturday.


I made Kale Chips for the first time and they are surprisingly DELICIOUS. The BF devoured them, which was even more surprising. Super-easy too, in fact, I'll prolly make some more tonight for the weekend. Just mix some cut-up kale with some apple-cider vinegar, olive oil, sea salt, and pepper and then bake at 400 until crispy.

I love Sweet Potato Fries so so so much. Anytime I'm in a restaurant, I always default HAVE to order them. I made the VWAV version (that added cumin is ACE), and ate it with some garlic bread and a salad of pea shoots with raw veggies and sauteed tofu. mmmm

Happy New Year!!!

To say I'm ridiculously happy today would be a complete understatement. Happy new year!!

VeganMoFo Day 7: Risotto

I made up some Risotto, using leftover broth from my Vietnamese Seitan Baguette the other night, to watch during the Presidential debates tonight. I threw in an onion, leek, carrots, mushrooms, garlic, arugula, and leftover seitan. I forgot how spicy the broth was that went into it! I'm such a wuss. Super yummy and creamy though! I usually take the lazy way out with risotto and use Orzo, so that it cooks super-fast, but I lose out on the creaminess when I do that. Arborio rice all the way!

Did anyone else feel like McCain just doesn't know what the hell he is talking about? I felt myself cocking my head in a "baroo" fashion for much of his answers. I thought this was a very sharp contrast with Obama's specific points, civil attitude, and you know, actually answering the question.

Tres

First off, my view of all of tonight's speeches:



and a big wtf to Hillary's "no decision" yet speech. Adios already!

Second off, I made a treasury yesterday (link will expire tomorrow) and it only has one more day to sit and be pretty, but look! it's pretty and cute! Maybe I'll try again to get a big Treasury, and not just Treasury West. Not so many people venture over there and this cuteness needs to be SEEN! :) Look, you can even see my alternates, which are just as fabulous.



Third off, I had a lovely farm-fresh strawberry mojito at my CSA open house tonight. Yum! I can't wait for it to start! Hello awesome and fresh veggies and fruit and knowing where they exactly came from! Walking back, I stopped at the bookstore and bought The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales, by the Grimm brothers and Underground, by Murakami. Such great finds! Illustrating some of the 'ol Grimm bros stories has been added to my ever-growing project list. Something different; illustrating from a story. And I adore everything that Murakami puts down to paper and this is one I haven't read yet. Hooray on all accounts! I love walking home through McCarren Park at night, when all the flood lights are on and people are still playing baseball. Beautiful night out also.