Picnicking with Seattle food writers and bloggers. It was such a treat to spend an afternoon with them.

Teaching canning at The Pantry. I taught two nights in a row at this space and really enjoyed the experience. I hope to go back someday and do it again.

This is my nephew Emmett. He is a precious, sweet, delightful little person and it is such a joy to have him in the family.

Emmett, hanging with Lucy and Milo.

A tasty agua fresca, consumed with a favorite Portland friend.

My parents’ “pet” squirrel, Earl. He hangs upside down on screen and hopes against hope that they’ll let him in.

I spent the afternoon on the patio with Emmett, while Raina played. He is an exceedingly good kid.

Making almond butter. It’s always best to start with freshly toasted nuts.

Honey strawberry jam with thyme. It’s tasty stuff.

Peanut butter toast with my mom’s blackberry jam.

Suddenly, I’m on the other side of the country, at BlogHer Food.

Waiting for the bus in West Seattle.

The prep table at Sitka & Spruce. What an amazing lunch that was.

The demo space at The Book Larder in Seattle. I had an awesome event there.

Getting ice cream on Memorial Day Monday.

Samples at my book event at Odyssey Books. It was such a lovely night.

Iced coffee at The Roost in Northampton, MA. I think it may be my favorite coffeeshop/casual eatery/bar on the east coast.

Boxes of my book!

Making fermented radish slices.

Selling books at Greensgrow.

At the Dupont Circle Farmers’ Market in Washington, DC.

A new light over the kitchen sink has really brightened things up.

Hardboiled eggs make for easy mornings.

A whirlwind day of book promotion in Carlisle, PA. My friend Christine coordinated the day’s activities and did an amazing job.

Driving home from Carlisle, I stopped in Morgantown and a basket of jammable berries leapt into my car.

The lovely Cheryl Sternman Rule dropped by Reading Terminal Market to promote her book.

A canning class in the Greensgrow kitchen.

The light in Mass MoCA (a modern art museum in western Massachusetts).

I’m still taking daily photos. But I thought I’d try something a little different this year and post a week’s worth of images instead of trying to do it daily. Because we all know how well that works.

I truly believe this.

Put a bird on it. I’m from Portland, after all.

The cookbook promotion truly kicks off.

In Manhattan for the day, at TECHmunch. I managed to turn a frustrating situation into a good one. And also saw a dear friend. Not bad for a Friday.

Jean, my dear cousin by partnership, made me a pinch pie for my birthday. It was a most delightful surprise.

My great-aunt Belle celebrated her 94th birthday today. She is still sharp as a tack.

The new Milk and Honey cafe at Sister Cities Park. A fabulous little spot!

Franz and Eva’s wedding. She got him good with the cake.

For weeks now, people were asking me if I had copies of my book yet. Each time, I had to tell them, “Well, I’ve only got a single copy right now.” Finally, today I have many copies. It’s ridiculous how much of a thrill it gives me to look at this stack.

I’m hoping that this weekend, I have time to run into my local Barnes and Noble to see if they have any copies in stock. It’s always been fun to see copies of Scott’s books on the shelves there, but I think this may just trump that.

This morning’s breakfast. Eggs in a basket were one of the very first things I learned to cook when I was a kid. Twenty-five years later, I still enjoy them. Of course, the very best part is the circle of bread cut out from the center of the slice. I always cook it along side the eggy bread, making sure that it gets its fair share of butter. Topped with a hunk of tomato, it’s magical.

Amazon has been shipping out copies of my book to people who pre-ordered. Because I’m a big dork, I ordered one from there because I wanted to experience it arriving in that signature Amazon box.

I’m still a little uncertain how to be as this book starts landing in the hands of others. I’m anxious that people will hate it, find a million mistakes and write me off.

Thankfully, those worries don’t seem to be coming true. The bulk of the feedback has been wonderful, complementary and joyful. The only rub is that accepting praise has never been easy for me. Though I am so grateful for all the kind words, I never feel like my words of thanks are sincere and appreciative enough.

I’m working on it.