Freaky Friday

I am naming it that, because for many hours now I have been photographing and blogging about a 5 Alarm Fire that struck my little burg less than 24 hours ago - you can visit here to see what has happened.

But, in fact I should say that this is really a day of seeing my community rally together to help one another and to put the best face on a big loss to our historical downtown. The building that burnt, while not the prettiest, was still 100 years old and a part of our town's heritage. I hate to see it go.

On the bright side is all of the sharing that this financial foment and crisis has shown up in stark contrast. People have been so giving and caring in my town. And on a more personal note, I have had some good luck as well. My neighbor has gone on a last minute business trip - and I am one of a couple of guardians of the sugar pea vines. Oh heavens - how divine!

Another dear friend has a plot at the pea patch down the street, and I happily traded peas for a handful of just-picked lettuce. Earth still warm and pasty on the lower edges of the leaves - meal right there in the making.

I harvested sooo many sugar peas that I happily had enough to try pickling them in this great recipe that I found over at another one of my new blog crushes, The Smitten Kitchen, here. I am tucking right in to the batch that I somehow got made last night - oh yum.