A Rainy Morning in Downtown Des Moines

A couple weekends ago, we were in the Des Moines area visiting my parents.

This was the first weekend we had the opportunity to visit them since the Downtown Des Moines Farmers' Market opened for the 2013 season at the beginning of May, so, of course, we had to go to the Farmers' Market!

However, when we woke up that Saturday, we were greeted with lightning and thunder. But we went anyway, thankful that the lightning had stopped and the heavy rain had eased up a bit, and thankful that we had rain gear, as the rain hadn't stopped for long.

While there, during a brief break from the rain (heavy, light and misty, or otherwise), I took a photo of the Polk County Courthouse with the Instagram app on my phone.

More Farm Photos - Rural Thursday

Okay, I saved a few of our farm photos (from our pumpkin picking/pony riding trip to Bart's Farm) for today's "Rural Thursday."

You may recognize the view of "Bart's Farm" from this past Monday's "Barn Charm." However, in this photo, I had Livie posing next to the barn (near the straw bales).

Of course, Livie HAD to get a pony ride (or in this case, a horse ride, as this guy was a couple hands too tall to be a pony). She loved the Palomino, and picked him because it looked like a Palomino Appendix Quarter Horse I used to have.

 The farm wouldn't be complete without some chickens! Livie LOVED these chickens because they were "bock-bocking" like chickens! Haha! (What else would they do, right?)

 Livie and I took advantage of this photo opportunity - there was an "autumn scene" all set up in the front yard of the "Bart's Farm" family house. When we got home, Livie helped me decorate the photo with PicMonkey. 

And, of course, Livie went crazy with the PicMonkey decorations on this photo. She's posing with a couple of the pumpkins we'd gotten from Bart's Farm, plus the awesome orange mums I'd gotten last week (and the sucker she'd gotten after her pony ride).

And yes, that's a spider plant holder (made out of metal parts)! We'd gotten it a few years ago at the Downtown Des Moines Farmers' Market, and usually put it out every fall; this was the first year I'd actually remembered to go out and get some mums for it. 

Rural Thursday is co-hosted by Two Bears Farm and A Rural Journal.  Please check out other "Rural Thursday" entries by clicking on the "Rural Thursday" button below:

 

The "Hodge Podge of Photos" Post

I've got a bunch of random photos from our week in the Des Moines area that I thought I'd share today.

But first, an update on that bird that was stuck inside my parents' house last week. (Check on the original post here.)

This bird found itself trapped inside my parents' house. I don't know how long it had been inside before I realized it was in there. Originally, it was in the living room (not pictured) stuck in between an inside shutter and the window, desperately trying to get outside, and not realizing that the glass overlooking a wooded area would never allow him to get out.

I'd somehow gotten him to perch on the brush end of a broom, as I held the handle. I quickly walked to the front door as Livie held the door opened. But he became confused and flew not OUT the door, but up into the window way above the door. You can't get to that ledge unless you have a tall ladder (or are a bird).

We tried shooing him out, but he was confused, and just hopped, fluttered, and flew around near the window. I thought of throwing a towel on him so I could transport him out, but I was too short and didn't have a ladder tall enough to facilitate that idea.

We'd gotten a suggestion to use a butterfly net, but the only one we own, Livie's, was at our home 140 miles away.

After a couple hours of trying, off and on, we just left him there for the time being. When my dad got home from work, he also tried shooing him away, without success. But at one point, he FINALLY shooed the thing far enough away from the window that somebody was able to gently grab it, and release it outside!! So the little thing was finally free!!

And the funny thing is that we would occasionally see him at the bird feeder in the front yard. At one point, Andrew saw him on a ledge looking inside. Livie wondered if it was trying to figure out what had happened to him!

Anyway, here are the random photos I'd wanted to share. The first three were taken at the Downtown Des Moines Farmers' Market.

Enjoying a bean and cheese pupusa for breakfast at the Farmer's Market.

This dragon is on a building on one of the side streets in downtown Des Moines.

Livie got a "fishing" balloon "hat."

And the "Instagram" photo (of a Farmers' Market goodie) I took with my iPhone:

We'd gotten a blueberry pie from the Farmers' Market. Here's the piece I later enjoyed.

"Oh, deer!" Guess who was enjoying the spilled bird seed in the front yard?

Oma (Liv's great-grandmother, my grandmother) and Liv are enjoying caramel sundaes one evening after dinner at the local DQ.

Polk County Court House

Here's a photo of the Polk County Court House, in Des Moines, IA.

This building sits at one end of Court Avenue in downtown Des Moines. Every Saturday, from May through October, the Downtown Des Moines Farmers' Market is held down Court Avenue, and along various side streets (Des Moines' "Historic Court District").

Livie and I were at the Farmers' Market a couple weeks ago. After we'd spent some time enjoying the foods, sights, and sounds of the Market, we headed back to the parking garage (which is across the street from the Court House). I noticed that the sky was so blue (and that the Court House looked really cool against it) . . . well, I just had to take a photo of it, so I could remember what a beautiful day it was.

Our Last Farmers' Market Trip of the Year

I've been laying low, so to speak, for the past couple weeks because I had a big bad, scary midterm yesterday. Now that it's over, I have a bit of time to post something at my poor, neglected Under the Desert Sky.

So . . . a couple weeks ago, we were in the Des Moines area visiting Abuelita and Nonno for a long weekend. Since we knew we wouldn't be back to Des Moines again before the end of October, we decided we'd better get in one final trip of the season to the Downtown Des Moines Farmers' Market. (The season is typically the first Saturday in May through the last Saturday in October.)

Well, every time we go, we always have to get a bean and cheese pupusa (made from a dough of corn masa, cooked on a skillet with beans and cheese stuffed inside; click here to read about Salvadoran pupusas).Then they put either mild or hot sauce on it (we always get the mild, red sauce for Liv) and then they serve it with a kind of "cole slaw."

Liv's ready to dig into her pupusa!

There's a reason she's smiling! Those pupusas are SO GOOD!! There's almost always a line at the pupusa stand; they're that good!

We were lucky to find an empty table nearby, so we could sit and enjoy the pupusa.

Here's our view of downtown Des Moines, from where we were sitting.

Our stop at the pupusa stand is always the first. Then, with full tummies, we can take our time and look around.

Check out those peppers!

And we just had to get a cute little "pom pom" flower!

One final stop at Reichert's Dairy Air cheese stand for some chive chevre and chipotle chevre, and we were ready to head "home" (back to Abuelita and Nonno's house).

Memory Lane Friday - Earth Day

Somehow with all my schoolwork piling up as we head towards the final month of the semester, I completely forgot about writing a Memory Lane Friday post last week.

But this week I'm here! It's partly due to procrastination, partly due to my needing a break from the mountain of reading that's making me feel cross-eyed!

Anyway, this week's topic is "Earth Day."

We don't do anything specific for the Earth on "Earth Day." But we do try doing things every day.

For example, we try to recycle on a regular basis. Our community has limits on what they'll accept in our recycling bin every week (they collect the stuff in the recycling bin every Wednesday morning along the trash). But we make sure to put what they do accept in our blue recycling bin so they'll collect it every week. They usually accept paper/cardboard, aluminum cans, plastic (like bottles, but not plastic bags). They don't take glass, so Andrew has to take that separately to the recycling place on Saturdays (usually every 2-4 weeks). 

We also like supporting local farmers' markets, buying fresh, organic produce, or buying organic stuff at the grocery store (like organic milk, yogurt, and certain fruits, like apples or grapes).

Our favorite is the Downtown Des Moines Farmers' Market. 

Downtown Farmers' Market sign, 2010

  Check out these great flowers!

Flowers, Downtown Des Moines Farmers' Market, 2010

We usually come home with some great produce from the Downtown Des Moines Farmers' Market.

Whether I'm buying stuff at the farmers' market, or at the grocery store, I do my best to bring reusable bags to tote my groceries home. I'd say I'm good at remembering to bring the reusable bags most of the time. But once in a while I forget.

Livie and I also have a few reusable, BPA-free plastic bottles that we try to use on a regular basis for our drinking water.

We try to also save energy, which is not only good for the planet, but good for our wallets. So we make sure that the lights and/or TV are turned off when we leave a room, and make sure the thermostat's set at a reasonable level based on the weather.

I'm sure there are some other things we do that I'm just momentarily forgetting. But you get the idea . . . 

Please come back next week when the topic is another "No Theme."

Memory Lane Friday is hosted weekly by Lisa at Two Bears Farm. Please click on the button below to read her post for the week, as well as other participants' posts:

A Brisk Autumn Morning at the Farmers' Market

We went to the Downtown Des Moines Farmers' Market this morning. It was supposed to be about 50 degrees, which we were dressed for, but when the wind picked up, it was downright chilly!

I dunno what the windchill was, but I ended up in a short-sleeved t-shirt with chilly arms; Livie said her legs were cold, and ended up using my sweatshirt as a blanket.

Of course, it seemed chillier than it actually was, not just because of the wind chill, but because we were in the shade.

We found a parking garage just off the main vendor area and stood out of the wind while Andrew got a couple pupusas for us, and a breakfast sandwich for himself.

After we ate, we walked around, looking at all the October fruits and veggies, people watched, listen to live jazz, petted dogs (HUGE Mastiffs, little Pugs, and breeds in between, like a Collie), and just enjoyed ourselves.

Oh, here's what's in season here in central Iowa, this first weekend in October.

Veggies:

• Broccoli, 
• Brussels Sprouts, 
• Bunching Greens, 
• Cabbage, 
• Carrots, 
• Celery, 
• Collards, 
• Garlic, 
• Head Lettuce, 
• Kale, 
• Kohlrabi, 
• Leeks, 
• Lettuce Mix,
• Onions, 
• Oriental Greens, 
• Ornamental Corn, 
• Parsnips, 
• Potatoes, 
• Pumpkins, 
• Snap Peas, 
• Snow Peas, 
• Spinach, 
• Sweet Potatoes

Fruit:

• Apples, 
• Raspberries

Just before we left, Livie and I shared an apple cider donut. It was delish. (Okay, it wasn't an even split; it was more or less 75%/25% but Liv didn't notice. So shhh . . . don't tell her.

Here are some shots of the great autumn stuff for sale:

We came away with some garlic, sweet potatoes, and carrots.

I really, really wanted to get a pot of rust-colored Mums, but I figured I'd better wait 'til we get home; I didn't want to accidentally do some damage to it during our 2.5 hour drive home tomorrow afternoon.

Tomorrow morning's adventure? Liv's going to ride a horse.

Latest trip to Abuelita's house

A couple weekends ago, we spent the weekend at Abuelita's and Nonno's house. We were actually there at the same time as my Uncle Ralph. It's been a long time since Andrew, Livie, and I have seen him. We last saw him in the winter of 2006 in El Paso, when we were all visiting my grandparents.

Here are some photos from a couple weekends ago, finally . . .

Stormy night! Our first night in town:

There was a tornado warning that evening. As a matter of fact, Abuelita sent Andrew and me out to get Dairy Queen ice cream for the whole crew; we actually heard the Giant Voice sounding the tornado warning just as we pulled out of the neighborhood!

The next day, it was partly cloudy, but a good day to go to the Downtown Des Moines Farmers' Market.

Daddy want to show Livie the swollen river in downtown Des Moines.

Later on, Livie spent some time with Uncle Ralph.

They're obviously enjoying the conversation!

They talked a lot about the bunny in the back yard. Hard to see it in the photo, but he was around for a while!

The next morning, we all went out for breakfast, per Livie's request.

We're waiting for a table. 

A-ha! We got a bit of a smile out of Oma!

Okay, I snapped a photo just in time to catch a laughing uncle.

And now's the time to get Oma's laughter! Abuelita has a nice smile, too!

Here's a smiling Oma, who is being entertained by Livie.

Okay, that's about it for the photos from that weekend. I posted a few of that weekend's Farmers' Market photos earlier, and you can find them at the July 25th "Random Farmers' Market photos" post.

Random Farmers' Market photos

We were at the Downtown Des Moines Farmers' Market yesterday. Here are a few random photos from the Market.

Here are a few flowers adorning Court Avenue:

Here's a pupusa on the griddle. This one is stuffed with frijoles y queso (beans and cheese):

Here are the finished products:

Liv's is in the foreground with the mild chile "cole slaw" and mine is in the back, with the hot chile "cole slaw."

"Hotel Kirkwood" just off Court Avenue:

Here's an alley mural that we see when we exit the parking garage:

Farmers' Market fun easily leads to fresh baked yumminess!

Over the 4th of July long weekend, we were at Abuelita & Nonno's house, visiting Abuelita and Oma.

Since we were there Friday - Tuesday, we were able to go to the Downtown Des Moines Farmers' Market in downtown Des Moines, held every Saturday from May through October.

Here is the Polk County Courthouse. 

 It's at the intersecting point of a T intersection - Court Avenue begins here and runs perpendicular to the courthouse. Court Avenue is the "main drag" that the Farmers' Market occupies each Saturday. On the smaller side streets, there are also plenty of vendors set up. You could easily walk a couple miles simply ensuring you try not to miss any vendor.

Going to the Downtown Des Moines Farmers' Market is always an experience we look forward to - the fresh produce (especially since it's now blueberry season), artisanal cheeses, pupusas made from scratch and hot off the grill, breakfast burritos, fresh cut flowers in brilliant colors, flavored popcorns, fresh lemonade, artisanal breads, the bands and their various types of music, the people-watching, the dog-watching, handmade gifts, homemade pies, BBQ . . . it's like this every Saturday 7:00 AM - Noon. It's a blast!

 Here's the opposite end of Court Avenue, facing the Polk County Courthouse.

 You can see how packed with vendors and market-goers it is on this particular Saturday, July 3rd.

So we had an exciting moment while we were there . . . we actually ran into one of  Iowa's US Senators - Senator Chuck Grassley. It was a great moment meeting him in person. He was happy to talk to us, and it was nice to see him mingling at a fabulous recurring event like the ever popular Farmers' Market.

At 4-years-old and too young for politics, Livie was much less impressed by what it means to meet a senator. However, since she's always happy to talk to a friendly person, she was polite and eager to have a quick conversation with Sen. Grassley.

Anyway, after our brief visit with the senator, we continued on with our browsing around at the market. We had to get pupusas, lemonade, popcorn for Liv.

We also stopped at a flower booth to get a flower for Liv.

 I got her a rose.

This is the same kind of rose I had when I graduated from Culver. Check Memory Lane Friday - A Ceremony for that story, and a picture of me with my bouquet of roses.

All festive, for the July 4th holiday:

And since it's blueberry season, we just had to get blueberries.

First, Liv LOVES blueberries in her cereal in the mornings. Second, she and I both love snacking on the little nutrient-rich berries.

Well, as soon as I saw the booth with the blueberries, I knew we had to get some right then and there. So Andrew bought a pint.

It was like we'd bought gold. Liv was so excited. I was excited, too. Mmmmm . . . I was thinking blueberry pancakes.

But when we got home, I was suddenly worried that I wouldn't be able to use all the blueberries before they went bad. But . . .one of my good friends, Sara, whom I've known since our Culver days, mentioned on Facebook that she'd recently made blueberry buckle. And she'd made it with fresh blueberries she'd gotten from an Indiana farm down the road from her house.

That gave me an idea. I wanted to make blueberry buckle, too. Plus, since Livie is taking cooking classes and thoroughly enjoys helping me in the kitchen, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to bake something together.

So I asked Sara to send me her blueberry buckle recipe. I made sure I had all the ingredients. Livie and I washed our hands. And then we got to work.

And this is what we made:

Here's the famous, tasty blueberry buckle that quickly disappeared. It's especially good served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

It was seriously good! Wow! And because a few of us posted comments about it on Facebook, a bunch of Culver friends are now passing along the recipe and raving about it, as well. So thanks to Sara, CGA Class of 1988, for starting the hype!

And thanks to my little cook's helper, Olivia! It was fun baking with her and I look forward to doing it again. Definitely blueberry buckle, but probably other things as well.

Of course, now I have to make sure Santa gets Livie that cute little kids'-sized pink apron with her name embroidered on it for Christmas.