Pistil's Nursery

This place is wonderful. You know how you go in a place and your soul can't help but sing? This is that place for me. They have everything to please your senses (with the exception of taste, but we got our fill of that by stopping at Monsoon Thai aka Thai Laundry as the local Mississippians call it).

The ladies at the front know their stuff and are more than willing to impart their wisdom on a listening ear (or two). I wasn't looking for anything in particular, just a few plants and some edibles. She asked very specific questions about where we were planting, the sunlight exposure, the type of soil I was using, fertilizer etc. I loved how much she cared. She genuinely seemed like she wanted to help me find the right plants. She encouraged using organic soil, fertilizer, etc. (which I already do), but she did it in a way that wasn't forceful or shaming, and I really appreciate that. Both that she encouraged the use of organic products, and did it in a way that was helpful, not forceful.

Soap box second: I believe in being nice to the earth too, but there is no need to shame people about it. That seems to be a lot of peoples tactic and I don't know about you, but when I feel guilt or shame I want to resist it, not go along with whatever message they're trying to sell.

Back to the review: We came out with a few kale, a couple lavender, some swiss chard, and two autumn sedge plants (or beach grass-as I like to call it).

We almost got out of there with a free chameleon that hitched a ride in on one of their plants. Danny and I are not ready for a reptilian commitment. But if you're wanting a free chameleon I'd give them a call. It was four days ago, but they might still have him/her.

They have chickens walking all around, inside and out. They are so fun and entertaining. They're all different types of chickens too, some of the funniest chickens I've ever seen. They do a great job with upkeep, while maintaining a creative environment. What I mean is it's the perfect balance of creativity and organization. The two rarely go hand in hand in my life. The organization doesn't like to stop by for visits often enough.

The snow has melted

Hey guys,
It feels pretty good to be back. With me being me there is always reflection. And with that comes some feelings of loss and feelings of thankfulness.

I miss the excitement people get when they haven't seen you for a couple days. I miss hearing Castilian spoken everywhere (when I first arrived in Cordoba I never would have thought that would be something I would eventually miss). I miss their passionate spirit, their grace, patience, Cordobes really know how to have a good time, and take life easy. There's not much anxiety. I miss their generous hearts. Their willingness to take a risk (even when they might look a little silly), and just their all around love and affection they have for one another.

Christmas went well. It was cool, because I felt like this year it was less about presents, and more about family. I like that. There were several contributing factors. The weather- a lot of family members were unable to make it to their desired destination because of the snow, so people became more thankful if their loved ones were able to be there. There was a new level of gratitude to be with our families this year because we haven't been with them for almost 4 months. It seemed like most people got a little more creative with gift ideas this year because of the economy taking a bite out of people's bank accounts. Several people just eliminated giving gifts all together, and some made their own gifts by hand. I like the simplicity.

Danny and I got a chance to hang out with our best friends Marcus and Angie last night. It was great to see them again. We would have seen each other sooner, but the snow wouldn't permit it. We got to see their adorable cat, Wilson. I think he is the cutest cat I have ever seen (Cover the ears of all the other cats in my life, so they don't hear that). We went to Vivace on NW 23rd, and had their amazing crepes. We had the number 7, which has nutella, chocolate, whipped cream, bananas, and toasted almonds on it. It was pretty amazing.

Danny and I were looking for apartments and we were in Portland all day, so we ate out 3 different times in Portland, and I could not believe how much I missed the food here. We went to our favorite Mexican restaurant on Hawthorne, Cha cha cha. I had the Big Mama Burrito with their special enchilada sauce, and freshly sliced avocados...mmmmm. There is so much variety. I can understand a little more about part of the reason why Americans are obese. We have such easy access to food, it's incredible. It's so simple to get food here, with little effort on your part.

I like looking for apartments. It's sort of sad when you get see one that's amazing, and you fall in love with it, and then someone else gets it before you do. That happened to us a few times already. I guess a lot of people are out shopping for places to live right now. I know we'll find a place that suites us. We saw one place that was incredible, but it was a little out of our price range. We might be able to cut a deal with the guy. Since being in Argentina the highest priority for Danny is good grill/BBQ access so he can start having more asados. He's so thrilled at the idea of retrieving our grill from storage and firing that baby up!

Well, I better get going. I have to help make Christmas dinner for our extended family. They were unable to make it here before Christmas because of the snow, so we are celebrating today.
If you're in Argentina reading this- I am giving you an imaginary hug right now. There was a guy at Cha cha cha who was speaking in Spanish, and I got the biggest urge to go up and hug him, because it reminded me of being in Argentina.