Liloia.com http://www.liloia.com/ Liloia.com is a weblog run by the husband and wife team of Tara and Dave Liloia. Our site covers a wide variety of topics; we frequently comment on books, films, television, technology, pop culture and local events. en-us 2008-04-27T09:18:00-05:00 Kicking Grass and Taking Plains http://www.liloia.com/archives/#001857 One of the goals that Tara and I have for living here on Isle La Motte, is to "reclaim the land". While that may sound really vague or silly, in our case it's a real thing. The previous owner(s) (I... Vermont dliloia 2008-04-27T09:18:00-05:00 The Pile http://www.liloia.com/archives/#001854 It's certainly cheaper to throw all of your household garbage into a large pile in your backyard than to pay for a trash hauling service. It also means that a few decades later, the new owners of your property will... House tliloia 2008-04-25T08:30:16-05:00 Banana Bread http://www.liloia.com/archives/#001850 I secretly love it when at least two bananas get overripe in the fruit bowl. This particular recipe calls for a sour cream/baking soda mixture that fizzes up and gives the bread some lift. I like to sprinkle some brown... Food tliloia 2008-04-24T08:08:42-05:00 Earth Day http://www.liloia.com/archives/#001853 We planted ninety trees in our backyard this weekend. Fifty are along the back edge of our property and forty are heeled in near the garage and will be moved later. The forty near the garage are a mix of... Vermont tliloia 2008-04-23T08:38:51-05:00 E-Mail Marketing http://www.liloia.com/archives/#001852 This week I am back in Boston attending some training on the email marketing tool that my company uses called Eloqua. We are doing a 201 training here at our coprorate facility for the next two days. Last year, most... Corporate Life dliloia 2008-04-22T10:07:58-05:00 Pinecone Bird Feeder http://www.liloia.com/archives/#001849 Trevor and I gathered pinecones from under our evergreens and made pinecone bird feeders. We get a lot of birds on our island -- we'll see if any are interested in this type of seed. Trevor hated the old-bacon... Vermont tliloia 2008-04-21T08:58:37-05:00 Isabella Tiger Moth http://www.liloia.com/archives/#001848 A couple of months ago, Trevor created a little terrarium in a mason jar for a scouting project. His parsley, oregano, and basil have been growing happily (if leggy) in there ever since. A few weeks later, he found a... Vermont tliloia 2008-04-18T08:35:36-05:00 Umbrella Play http://www.liloia.com/archives/#001847 Trevor had a friend over the other day after school. I said to them, "It's too bad it's raining or you two could play outside," and before I knew it, coats were on and they were out the door. I... Vermont tliloia 2008-04-17T08:29:13-05:00 Inorganic Workshop Series http://www.liloia.com/archives/#001851 Not a subject line that you might expect on Liloia.com, huh? Things at work have been going really well. I regularly tell the people I work with, that I feel bad for them since I have the "best job in... Read dliloia 2008-04-16T11:31:05-05:00 Slush Ice http://www.liloia.com/archives/#001846 Most of the ice on Lake Champlain has been melted or pummeled away by the action of the waves; however, the edges of the shore are ringed with sheets of rustling slush ice. The slush sounds like shards of glass... Vermont tliloia 2008-04-15T08:22:01-05:00 Driftwood http://www.liloia.com/archives/#001845 This is a happy piece of driftwood on Lake Champlain that will likely be gone in a few weeks when the fishermen start loading boats into the water at the lake access point. This weekend, the lake level was... Vermont tliloia 2008-04-14T08:16:20-05:00 Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town http://www.liloia.com/archives/#001839 I like Cory Doctorow's ideas. I also like the stories he spins from the raw material of his good ideas. It's his storytelling that I get a little hung up on. In Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town, there... Books tliloia 2008-04-13T18:06:27-05:00 ILM from the Air http://www.liloia.com/archives/#001841 This lovely aerial photo of Isle La Motte was taken by the McEwens as they flew over. The swamp that cuts the island in half is very photogenic from the air.... Vermont tliloia 2008-04-12T10:23:08-05:00 Root Beer Float Cupcakes http://www.liloia.com/archives/#001842 This past weekend, I tried to replicate Blondie and Brownie's Root Beer Floatie Cupcakes. It called for a cake mix, instead of a recipe from scratch, but the cake did come out moist without crumbing. (Even though it tasted... boxy.)... Food tliloia 2008-04-11T08:22:17-05:00 Airport Productivity http://www.liloia.com/archives/#001844 For those of you who are from the future and are reading this blog because you wanted to learn the teachings of the wise and benevolent Tara, but instead got a post by Dave....this week was a bad one in... Bad Customer Service dliloia 2008-04-10T14:23:44-05:00