Winter Garden Surprise

Anson and I moved over a month ago, and though we only moved about 15 feet from our old place, into the exact same floor plan, it's been quite a challenge figuring out where everything should go. As we've been trying to organize, customize and humanize the new place, our winter garden has been patiently growing, actually doing better than we imagined it would. There's nothing like a little neglect to make you stronger, right?

Last weekend we pulled up our first batch of potatoes. Yes, potatoes! Neither Anson, garden partner Chris, nor I had ever seen potatoes straight out of the ground and they were so cool. We pulled up the small bunch of leaves that had grown from a single potato, and hanging from the roots were 5 small potatoes, plus a dozen more about the size of jelly beans.  I couldn't believe the color of the potatoes; I thought they deserved their own close up before I sauteed them up for dinner with the nearby carrot and spinach.

We've also picked a bunch of cabbages, one the size of a bowling ball which found it's way into fish tacos and a St. Patrick's Day dinner for five.

My Own Bottle: What's Old is New Again

My Own Bottle doesn't really fit into the realm of things I usually write about on the blog, but I wanted to share it with you because I think it's a great company and I really think they are filling a gaping whole in the market place for water bottles. I know, I know, how could there possibly be a gaping whole in the market place for water bottles? Well, there is. Let me explain.

About five years ago I got on board with the reusable water bottle trend, and stopped buying plastic bottles. I never really bought that many plastic bottles to begin with, but I vowed to make an effort to eliminate them totally. So I got a couple aluminum bottles and began keeping those with me, but I never could really get over the tinny water taste, the rough threads on my mouth and the annoying unscrewing and screwing of the top which I was sure was going to give me carpal tunnel. So I stopped using the aluminum bottles too and I was always thirsty.

Then one day a couple months ago, Dan and Michelle Butler came into my life and changed my water bottle habits for good. They started a business called My Own Bottle which sells Italian glass bottles which they etch with inspirational words, a custom word or a company logo. What's with the words on the bottle? First, it makes it yours, an uncommon bottle that almost no one else has. And second, well, I'll just let them explain it themselves:

"At My Own Bottle, we believe in the power of words and their impact on the world around us. Words influence how we think and act, and they have the ability to affirm, inform, and reform. With that concept in mind, we set out to create a water bottle that would inspire its drinkers using impactful words etched right into the glass."

They hired me to photograph the bottles for their new website and also gifted me with my own bottle. I keep it in my car and refill it from our PUR water dispenser. I have to tell you this bottle overcame all my water bottle objections. Taste? Clean water. Usability? Easy. Rough threads? Gone. Environmentally friendly? Of course. I'll never go back to aluminum.

You can order your own bottle from their website.