Spring is for walking along pretty streets.
Summer is for biking and running.
Fall is for hiking.
And winter is for yoga.
Tonight I went to a free yoga class Ashtanga Yoga Charlottesville taught by a soon-to-be new yoga teacher. There are a handful of these free classes throughout the next few weeks, and I hope to hit up a few. The studio there is very cool, and today it was packed! I was lucky, too, to get to do yoga next to Faith and Tate, who showed up at the last minute!
After yoga, Matt, Andrew and I went over to Karen’s for dinner to join a pair of her friends for chili, salad and toasty bread.
I sipped on a glass of Italian red
***
OH MY GOSH A GIAGANTIC CAMEL CRICKET JUST APPEARED UNDER MY DESK NEXT TO MY FOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I THOUGHT THIS NEW HOUSE WAS CAMEL CRICKET-FREE. TERRIFYING. HE ALMOST CRAWLED ON ME.
***
Karen’s chili is the best! Perfect blend of tomato and ground beef. Topped with greek yogurt and cheese.
But this salad was also great – raspberries, goat cheese, hazelnuts and almonds dressed in lemon juice and olive oil. Simple and stellar.
And the Parmesan Pesto from the bakery wasn’t half bad either 
For dessert, we had Pumpkin Oh! It’s so convenient to own a food production factory.
Just got home and after the whole camel cricket thing just a minute ago…EL LEON aka PUMPKIN just stuck his face in my desk window!! Scared me to death!!
Matt is sad he didn’t want to play more.
I am just being attacked tonight!
Goodnight y’all! Busy week ahead.
{ 61 comments… read them below or add one }
Glad to see the post was finished and you were NOT eaten by the cricket!
Bahaha… real time cricket reaction. I’d be traumatized!
So when you first talked about camel crickets, I was like what is she talking about?? Now, we have the same issue in my house and I scream bloody murder whenever I see one. They are like mini dragons! AHHHH!
Dragons!!! SO true!
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a camel cricket! Are they mainly in your part of the country?
I would think so – they like damp humid areas, so they probably aren’t in the west as much.
I have never seen a camel cricket here in Texas, but I could only imagine my reaction…I cannot stand regular crickets! I am glad you were not attacked!!
would you mind sharing karen’s chili recipe? not sure if you have done so previously, so my apologies if you have! i am always on the lookout for a good chili recipe
thanks in advance, kath!!
I found it in my email!
Karen’s Chili Recipe
2 pounds ground beef
one chopped onion
one chopped green pepper
30 ounces canned tomato sauce
2 15oz cans kidney beans
2 TBL. flour
2 TBL. canola oil
Brown ground beef. When almost done, add onion and peppers. Add canned tomato sauce.
Mix flour and oil well, then stir in beans (undrained). Add to above.
Flavor with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, splash of sugar, and chopped jalapeno.
Simmer for 4 hours in crockpot.
Serve with corn chips, sour cream, grated cheddar cheese, olives.
Geeze, it just isn’t your night to be graced by peaceful animals. They are wanting to scare you apparently! Yikes! ……I think that calls for tea and bed!
http://www.ehow.com/how_5747820_rid-camel-cricket.html
I’m sure the big piles of porch wood sitting in our yard are not helping!
Crickets have always creeped me out! I’m grew up in South Carolina and they were like mammals there!
Regardless your dinner looks so perfect for a winter night…your glass of red doesn’t look so shabby either
OMG…I just googled “camel cricket” and almost jumped up from my seat. That thing is no joke! Anywho…your food looks amazing per usual.
LOL. Post cracked me up as it was interrupted by crickets and cats.
The salad and chili look yummy. Now that I think of it, would be great for my rainy night over here.
“Winter is for yoga” I can agree to that!
Kath, you HAVE to teach these little intruders to have more manners and warn you that they’re coming ahead of time! Tigre is so cute!
Awww, EL LEON aka Pumpkin is so cute! LOL @ him scaring you. Awww. <3 kitties
Karen's chilis always looks so warm and comforting!!
I love the cat. Not the cricket.
Oh my gosh- you just made me LoL about the camel cricket!
. Hope you have sweet (and cricket-free) dreams!
Camel crickets have nothing on the Parktown Prawns in South Africa….be thankful one of those wasn’t by your foot! They smell awful too!!
Gah! Just Googled that… yikes!
~
jimminy crickets!
hahah!
Winter is definitely for yoga- especially as it can be done without leaving the warm indoors of your own home!
I am so sorry about you cricket attack. Greek yogurt+chili! I love it.
Cat scares and cricket scares…it’s been an eventful blog posting session!
Ashtanga is my true love and passion. That is my yoga. That is the yoga that speaks to me. I love mixing it up, power, vinyasa, flow-based but it’s all derived from ashtanga. I am glad you said you went to yoga, not only yoga, but ashtanga. Namaste! Hope you had a great class.
I love that you included greek yogurt and cheese with your chili. That sounds delicious! Also, yoga is amazing and I’m so glad you were able to do it tonight. I hope you had a great time.
The chilli looks amazing! The cat is so cute.
the cricket thing is so funny, I had to google camel cricket though, they are cute! But I wouldn’t want to see one under my table
. That meal looks absolutely delicious, seems like the cooking streak runs through the whole family.
Interesting post, I am so glad that I have visited your site. Such a wonderful time reading this.
I couldn’t agree more about winter being for yoga.. especially Bikram. I always have a HUGE itch to get into the studio and get my yoga on once it gets chilly!
Never heard of camel crickets before…you learn something new everyday! Yoga is on my list of things to do on my Girls’ Getaway!
Haha I loved that part about the cricket!
Also that’s awesome that the studio is offering so many free classes this winter. I’m going to look into some of our local studios and see if they’re doing the same!
Ahahahaha love the interjection about the cricket! I would have freaked too!
Love the yoga dates! We need to find a regular class to meet at!
We do!!!!
If the chili had been vegetarian that would have been the perfect meal for me! The pumkin Oh! really does look delicious! You’re right, it’s nice to have dessert at your fingertips…or maybe not
I am the same way about lizards and geckos. I know I know sounds so stupid since lizards are actually GOOD for your yard, eat bugs, etc but I HATE them with a passion. They really freak me out. We had one in our house recently and I ran to my bedroom, got on top of the bed, and sat there until my husband proved to me that it was gone. Yes I am 29 and yes I am a wimp.
Poor Kath…you are seemingly a magnet for creepy critters and neighborly cats!
p.s. I noticed that Brad P. authored a new memoir of sorts:
http://www.amazon.com/Diary-Player-Musical-Heroes-Guitar/dp/1451625529/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1321880064&sr=8-3
I need to read that!!!
Just bought it on my Kindle app!
I placed it on my Chanukah wish list myself
I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a camel cricket, but I’m too scared to look one up! I can’t even stand regular crickets. They’re so spastic I always worry about them jumping on me. Ick!!
That pumpkin roll looks delicious, as per usual.
Ahhh, that cricket sounds scary! I’ve never heard or or seen a camel cricket. (knocks on wood).
That pumpkin roll looks amazing!
Eeek! That cricket would scare me too
Never heard of a camel cricket but it doesn’t sound good! Get Pumpkin in there and he’ll take care of the crickets
CAMEL CRICKETS ARE THE WORST. I had an INFESTATION in my house when I moved in – I was killing between 3-5 every day!! The first night in my house I found about 5 in my kitchen, and I thought they were massive spiders. I think I remember googling, “Is there such thing as a spider grasshopper.” I was so scared that night I tried to barricade the entrance to my kitchen with boxes and towels, to contain them?? One morning I walked downstairs and saw one the size of my palm crawling up my curtain. I almost had a heart attack. We did not have these alien bugs in Tennessee!!!!
Ahhhhhhh!
Thank you for posting Karen’s chili recipe.
That is the perfect wintry night!
LOVE that picture of the yoga studio.
And bahahahahaha – i literally laughed out loud at the interjection of the internal cricket dialogue!
I love all the talk about the crickets..I had no idea what they were either until one day they showed up in my basement. I told DH to take care of some type of spider cricket, and he looked at me and said do you think there is only one! I almost feel over thinking there could possible be more than one. I found out what they were a few days later by accident..talking about them to a friend. I guess they are common in my area also..NJ, but now I have the ultimate weapon…yearly exterminator, as soon as I see one they are called in…They seem to be worse fall and spring..when it gets damp out..I was told because of the leaves coming down from the trees..and we have a lot of trees on our property. At least it’s only twice a year we see them! Best of luck..BTW..the food looks amazing as always!
Cheers to a great sale week at Great Harvest Cville, and also a wonderful time with family and friends for Thanksgiving!!!
http://faithfulsolutions.blogspot.com/
You should take a picture of the cricket next time
I scare easily too and I’m sure I would have reacted the same way to the cat visiting by the window.
That cricket thing sounds scary! I am SOoooooooooooooooooooooooo not a fan of bugs. Yuck! I hope it’ll get better!
Btw I love the breakdown of seasonal exercise activities. I definitely agree that winter is a GREAT time to do yoga. But I’m still on hiking for fall– not ready to admit that winter’s almost here!
We have a stray kitty that acts like a window cling on our screens sometimes when he wants us to come out and play. He’s lucky he’s so cute or I would be really upset about the damage he does!
Karen’s dining room looks so inviting. I’m envious. My apt is tiny.
Bugs should just not exist. Period. We keep randomly finding crickets (not camel crickets, but still annoying) in my dorm suite. Where the heck are they coming from?!
My boyfriend and I were house sitting for his parents for the past 2 weeks and upon arriving home, I walked into my kitchen to find not one, not two, but TEN camel crickets who had taken up residence on my floor! Needless to say, I went right back out the door and refused to re-enter until my boyfriend disposed of them haha…those things are GROSS!
Ahhhhh!!
Have you ever been in a crawlspace or outdoor cave-like place? There are sometimes hundreds!