Cherry Blossom Fail

Call me silly, but I always have to post pictures of flowers and nature in the springtime. Last April I posted pictures of trees blossoming near our home in Minnesota. It was truly a glorious event, because Minnesota winters are long, cold and depressing. Every year I feel like the winter just might last a full 365 days.

The winter of 2009-2010 here in Seoul was quite bitter. It snowed at least four times. Not Minnesota-style knee-deep snow, but we actually had to *gasp* cancel classes because of snow one day in January.

That said, I feel like the winter here lasted longer than it should have - or at least longer than I was expecting. So maybe you can imagine my elation when the Golden Bells started blooming last weekend:

Believe it or not, but I used to hate these flowers. They were just too bright for me - not dainty enough.

Now I welcome them with all my heart.

There were plenty of Golden Bells decorating the National Assembly Building. They make a lovely fountain of gold against drab white concrete.



There was plenty of lovely green foliage, as well.



While in the area, we visited a park on a hill that was full of all kinds of strange, bizarre, and inappropriate sculptures. We also saw at least three kindergarten classes walking around the park and/or picnicing there, also. Probably the least strange sculpture was this one, which I happened to really like:

I have no idea what the significance of this statue is, but I thought it was lovely.

There was plenty of running around, waving hello to anyone who was not made of metal or stone, and chasing magpies to be had. TheFry has been up to his same old tricks, but with some new habits, as well.

He has started covering his face while laughing, which is pretty common here. Most of my students laugh this way.

However, there were no cherry trees in bloom as far as we saw along the road where the cherry blossom festival will be held this week. It's been just a little too cold the last few weeks probably. However, there were a few shrubs here or there who offered a little bit of hope.

We're going back on Saturday night after I get off of work. We'll probably take some snacks with us and mingle among the throngs of people who will likewise be enjoying the graceful loveliness of these flowers as well.

Happy Cherry Blossom Viewing Season, everyone!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Happy Mothers Day, all you wonderful Mamas out there! Enjoy these beautiful apple blossoms, found not five minutes' walk from our home!

Spring has truly arrived "in full bloom"!

We even saw some cherry blossoms:

They are my favorite flower as far as blossoming trees goes (Tiger Lilies are my favorite of all flowers) - and it was the perfect gift for Mother's Day to see these flowers as I walked with TheFry on Saturday evening.

While we were walking at the park, we spied this bench with what looked like a bouquet of flowers on it...

But it wasn't a romantic gesture from a guy about to propose to his girlfriend, as I had hoped. Then again, I am a sap sometimes. But the flowers were pretty anyway, and I love the big shiny building in the background. There's something quaint about a city park.

We spent a lot of time watching these two birds. They kept singing and chirping and TheFry would just smile and laugh and kick his chubby little legs. Eventually, they flew off and we headed home.

TheFry has been eating a lot of spinach lately. We make our own baby foods at home, and he is afraid of the food processor. Therefore, I tend to prepare the foods after he goes to bed, and sometimes it takes several hours (like if he keeps waking up every hour). Such is life in an apartment. But I think a messy face is a cute face.

Lately, TheFry has been pushing himself up on his hands. Sometimes he forgets to unclinch his fists.

Here he is, chubby and happy and dressed like a mime (that one was for you, Mom ;) ).

This one's my favorite. That's not a tooth - it's just his gums. He really likes to play with his tongue, including turning it sideways (which I myself cannot do), chewing on it and the like.

In other news, I have a romantic husband! He made chocolate ganache-covered blackberries for Mother's Day! Aww...

Yes, those are slices of candied kumquat zest adorning the little nuggets of blackberry deliciousness!

A blurry close-up because I only have a P&S...

That's better! Mmm...ganache was a little melty, so it stuck to the paper instead of peeling off like plain chocolate. The blackberries were savory yet subtle - not overpowered by the ganache and yet now overpowering it, either. The kumquat added a little bit of zing to the overall feel, and a much-needed crunch. The sugar coating on the kumquat zest kept it from being bitter (which is how I remember kumquats from my childhood).

To be honest, I was skeptical about the kumquat zest because the only time I've ever had kumquats they were extremely bitter. However, this was an amazing dessert and I have a wonderful husband who stayed up after work buying and preparing the ingredients for me! He even made chocolate-covered pecans (also with the ganache - sadly, no pictures), and pecans are my favorite kind of nut!

Well, happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there, and here's hoping you had a relaxing day with good food and family who loves you! Until next time!

Spring Has Finally Sprung!

That's right - it's finally spring in Minnesota! Not all the trees are budding quite as much as this shrub, but the grass is getting greener, the birds are chirping, and the ducks are getting twitterpated!


Almost every night The Fry and I take a half-hour walk around the neighborhood. There is a small pond that has houses built all around it, and we walk along the streets by the houses around the pond. On our walk we see all kinds of creatures: squirrels, robins, mallards, Canadian geese, puppy dogs, house cats and even the occasional muskrat! We usually go in the evening so that it's just getting to be dusk around the time we get home. The Fry loves our walk and is completely mesmerized the whole time.

Lately our fridge looks like this. We make our own baby food for The Fry, and I've finally finished pureeing the fruits and veggies we bought two weeks ago. I am wondering if we will use it all up before we start giving foods to The Fry in chunks, but so far his chewing ability isn't so adept. He is not very developmentally speedy, but he seems happy at the pace he's set for himself, so I can't complain.

Anyhow, shown in the fridge is: milk, squash, green beans, pears, apples and breakfast cereal (a combination of barley, pears and milk)! What treats!


In other news, we've been trying the Cry-It-Out method as a result of going nearly insane with the lengthy and complicated nap- and bed-time procedures required to get The Fry enough rest. Our normal protocol involves getting just the right accessories: sometimes a blanket and sometimes not, sometimes a blanket and a stuffed animal, sometimes a TV or computer screen, sometimes singing but sometimes complete silence, and basically a lot of squirming, thrashing and screaming no matter how much cuddling we give or withhold. It's impossible to tell what he wants, but what he needs is sleep.

As you can probably guess, CIO isn't working. The score so far is:

Fry: 3
MamaFish...1

So I guess I'm just a bleeding-heart MamaFish. But I remember that my youngest brother went through the procedure of having to have an adult lay with him while he fell asleep until he was at least four or five years old. I suppose that day is imminent, but perhaps I'll figure something out in the meantime.