Ramp season comes to an end, but it was just the beginning for two diners

I proudly boast I have brought a few people into the fraternity of ramp lovers. And those people have brought others into the fraternity and so on. So when April comes around and ramps start popping up in this great state, we all get a little excited. The Farmer's Market starts up in Morgantown and we have our ramp guy for a few weeks. Other than that, we must rely on other sources for the tasty delicacy. Luckily, a student in my zumba class asked her husband get some of the last of the crop out of Webster Springs just in time for Gene and Marie's Memorial Day weekend visit. The patriarch and matriarch were given their first taste of the indigenous Wild and Wonderful onion. And they loved it (at least they said they did).

That is a mess of ramps with scrambled eggs and bacon served with a side of fried potatoes. We like to use maple bacon when it is available. That is the tastiest option, but any center cut thick bacon will do.

Though optional, hot sauce really kicks up the dish. We offered a good assortment from which to choose:As an added bonus, Mike fried up a side of froglegs. Does it get any better for our guests? (I'm not a big fan of the legs, I have to confess.)

There's nothing like two happy houseguests at dinner time. And we all smelled just lovely the next day while working on the porches in the sweaty heat.

On the chopping block

Many elements of Morgantown seem to be on the chopping block these days. Elementary schools, old houses, greenspace, neighborhoods in general. But since this is a happy blog about our happy existence on Short Street, I won't go there. If you want to read about certain elements of what makes us crazy in our town, Sam sums some of it up over on his new blog. If you want to know more about what comes close to home here on Short Street, then give me a call.

But some elements of this chopping-block town must be discussed here. Let's talk about our lovely catawba tree. As I write I can see a few early white blooms on it and there are several birds flying in and out of it (Lilo hates them so much). But she is laying happily in the shade underneath the tree.

Powerlines are not buried in our old neighborhood, so the ugly things are strewn about almost haphazardly here on Wiles Hill. And this is why our catawba tree now looks like this:

Thank you City of Morgantown, Allegheny Power and the tree cutting company you contract that employs people who only speak Spanish. I can't thank you enough for this assistance with our landscaping (if you can't hear the sarcasm, then I can't help you).

This is what I came home to after a week of not-fun things I won't write about here all concerning our lovely town and our even lovlier street. It was almost too much to take. The good news is, after Lilo stopped freaking out about 3 strangers randomly coming into her yard and start chopping down her tree, she realized her shade is still there and it's almost as if it never happened.

Oh, to be a dog.

Sunny Spring Saturday

Yesterday was a beautiful, sunny May Day and we enjoyed it immensely here in the 'hood. BG Al and Mama Jo were in town and we all went to the Farmer's Market downtown and then the Lucky Cafe for breakfast. For some reason we did a little cleaning of the garage (thanks, mom). Those who came down the hill on Virginia Avenue were treated to this glorious sight.

I adore Spring and azaleas are a good reason why. See that purple one? It didn't get to its full effect last year because it was choked by another weed. I made sure to tackle that weed this year to let the purple guy shine. And shine it does.

The two ferns gracing our front porch were given to us by Wes and Keri from their wedding decor. They look perfect!

Lilo acquired a new toy yesterday from the Dollar Tree and had her fun with it in the backyard. She really is too cute for her own good.

Stop by some sunny afternoon and sit on the front porch with us. Or chase Lilo and Mickey around the back yard.

Sometimes I'm Late for Work.

Can you blame me?


Sometimes I can't stand leaving our bungalow in the morning. Sadly, this probably has more to do with my four-legged lovely than my Italian lovely. Shh, don't tell Mike.

We haven't done much resting lately, so the photo above captured a rare moment. Things will be winding down soon for Mike with the conclusion of Spring Football and I will hopefully slow down after Wedding Frenzy: the Spring 2010 edition subsides (Yay Devon/Mike & Wes/Keri!). We will be working on the basement and Mike has deck plans up his sleeve. I hear we may import assistance from Manassas for that one.

Stay tuned!

Quick Side Note

While February goes by very quickly at the Bungalow, March is definitely a blur. We don't really get around to doing much here because we simply aren't home. Mike is following my 'Eers and I'm usually at a local dive doing the same ... only locally.

But with this life away from the Bungalow comes wonderful experiences such as this past week's Big East Men's Basketball Championship tournament. My local dives were forsaken when I joined Mike in the Big Apple for four days and nights of Big East Basketball. * Sigh * we have been living the good life. The 'Eers brought home the trophy and I brought home dark circles under my eyes. When in New York you have to go hard or go home.

Which brings me to Saturday. It was almost a bust because of torrential downpours and gale-force winds. Undeterred, I set out to have a good day.

How does this relate to a blog about our house? In a very loose way, my dinner Saturday night brought feelings of warmth and hominess that some often find hard to find in the big city. Eli and Chris were kind enough to take me to chef Marc Forgione's Forge. I sat and gazed around me until I finally decided the place looks like it belongs in a Pottery Barn catalog. It was wonderful. I'll just link the restaurant's site here and let you see for yourself. Check out the menu page. I started with the Watercress & Endive Salad with beets three ways, goat cheese carpaccio and walnut oil. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Then I moved on to the Beer, Butter and Bacon Braised Suckling Pig with red cabbage and smoked whipped potatoes. All I could think of with the first bite was Irving Berlin singing "Heaven .... I'm in Heaven ...." Then I finished with the Affagato Hazelnut Ice Cream Sundae.

Here is a pic of the main dining area in Forge. Eli, Chris and I sat at the table under the big mirror. Poor Mike. He couldn't join us for the meal because he worked his fingers to the bone in Madison Square Garden all week. I made sure to order something I thought he would like to salute his efforts.

Our fabulous meal was wedged between this at 2 pm:

and this at 9 pm:

I dare you to describe a better Saturday spent in New York City!

Warning. This one might make you think Mike is sweet.

My husband is awesome. Sometimes he pays attention to me. And sometimes he actually pays attention to me during basketball season. I know. All the ladies just swooned.

Remember back in November when we started messing around with the guest room? Mike paid attention. Fast forward to January 9 when WVU played Notre Dame in South Bend. No, I'm not going to talk about the outcome of that game. I'm going to talk about my husband. He had some free time in South Bend. While walking around town he came across a storefront with an item that caught his eye. He walked in and asked if he could buy it.

WVU may have lost, but I won! This was Mike's birthday gift to me.


How cool is it that he found the exact dress form I was looking at for the guest room? And how cool is it that he walked into a quirky shop and asked them to box it up and ship it to Morgantown for his wife's birthday? If that's not romantic I don't know what is.

Take note of the print on the right. It looks very "Home Interiors" because it actually is a Home Interiors print. Miss Whitney, or "my boss" as I call her, gave it to me when she saw my ideas for this room.

As for the rest of the room's decor, it's a work in progress. The little print below was a Christmas gift from the fabulous in-laws and the Eiffel Tower was a day-after-Christmas cheap-o find at Pier One (I confess. Sometimes I buy myself things there.)


These prints were purchased online sometime after Christmas. I was inspired to get things on the walls. The one on the left is a French advertisement for hairpins. The one on the right is, noticeably, an advertisement for perfume.


The Vogue print below is somewhat disappointing. The online store didn't have the one I originally purchased. This one was a consolation prize I got for free when I agreed on the hairpin advertisement print above. Two for one! Score! Notice the little white dress form on the chest of drawers. That was a TJ Maxx find from Melissa.



The room still needs some finishing touches. And, well, don't forget I still hate the ceiling, trim and light fixture. But it's coming along nicely a little at a time. Maybe for my next birthday my wonderful romantic husband will install a new ceiling, ornate crown moulding, and a white chandelier light fixture (hint hint).

A Sunflower in the Snow

The weather is warming up around these parts. The temp has hovered in the mid 30s lately and next week should be better. I snagged a deal a week or so ago in the midst of all our snow and grey skies that brightened my day and our living room.

While shopping for Devon's Bridal Fiesta I couldn't hold myself back from Pier One's incessant pleading for me to walk through her doors. I can't help myself. I love that store. It's rare I buy anything for myself, but I always have to take a look around when I'm close by.

In the never ending quest to fill up our living room walls (you can read about that here and here) I was eyeballing Pier One's sunflower mirror. At $50 it wasn't a bad deal. But the Bungalow could wait a bit longer. Imagine my glee when I saw it on clearance for $29.99. Not sure why because it is $39.98 online. Maybe it was mistagged? No questions were asked as I paid for the Bungalow's new jewelry.

Our mirror sits above my special table in corner of the living room. Doesn't it look spiffy?