I love The History Channel so much.

I just watched an episode of Modern Marvels about Nikola Tesla.
Right now I'm watching Einstein, a two-hour special about another brilliant man.

The only thing better would be a special on Twain.He was pals with Tesla afterall; the photo above is Twain in Tesla's laboratory.

These three men have forever intrigued me. It goes beyond their science or literature. These men were all misunderstood amidst their genius. They were all forward thinking and knew the world to have no boundaries. I admire that to no end.

I have a habit of buying spices and speciality rice/noodles that I keep around for days like today. I was just cooking dinner for myself. Nothing sounded good. I didn't want to spend an hour making a meal and I definitely didn't want take-out. So, I saw I had udon noodles...and peanut butter...hmm...why not make udon with peanut sauce? Awesome!

Ingredients

• One bundle of Clearspring Organic Wheat Brown Rice Udon noodles
• 2 tablespoons of Tree of Life Organic Creamy Peanut Butter
• 2 tablespoons of Eden Organic Tamari Soy Sauce
  
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1 tablespoon of Florida Crystals Organic Brown Sugar
• juice from one organic lemon

(you can also use 1-2 cloves of garlic, but I didn't have any...nor did I find the dish lacking because of its absence)

Noodles

There are three bundles per package; one bundle makes a 1-2 servings.
Boil 8 cups of water
Allow noodles to boil for about 6-7 minutes (they begin to twirl in the water when they're done)
I removed the pot from the burner and kept the noodles in the water until the sauce was done, don't strain it!

Peanut sauce

Mix peanut butter, soy sauce, water, brown sugar, lime juice, and optional garlic in a saucepan until peanut butter melts.

Toss in the noodles and stir into sauce.

Yum! Eat!

I took K to Bok Tower Gardens for Symphony & Sunset, where we set out a blanket and organic snacks to listen to the Orlando Philharmonic perform.Struthers' Honey is on the way to Bok Towers in the middle of Highway 60, it works on the Honor System. You walk into a small room filled with bottles of honey and a wooden box to place your money. The honey is super yummy, though!

The orchestra performed pieces by Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong, among others. I have to say, it was really cool to walk back downhill in the dark with only flashlights and lanterns to light the way. It was 63 degrees and we saw a few shooting stars along the walk back to the car. It was a fantastic night!

A few black & white shots I took at McKee Botanical Garden.

I didn't take advantage of early voting, so I did my part this morning.

I found this in K's backpack last night, hehe (She just learned to write in cursive this week!) She voted for Obama in her school election! Surprisingly, she has been showing a lot of interest in the presidental race.

We decided to have a small election party tonight, so we made campaign posters...

...and cupcakes!
(I made my parent's the "Mc" for McCain, because I'm a good daughter. haha)
And we wait...well, I do. However, she wants me to wake her when we know the president. :)

Honestly, I can't wait until this is over. This country is in dire need of change and it's going to be a rollercoaster ride for the next four years regardless of who is elected. I just want hope for the future of my daughter's generation. I feel the man I voted for is innovative enough to provide that.

That's about as political as I'm going to get here. I have a cupcake with my...uh, Obama's...name on it. ;)

My weekend in review:

I took a long walk at Normandy and found a lot of neat things.

Then I came home to find this opossum trying to eat Charles and Ray Eames! I actually picked it up and put it outside. Yes. I really did. (Other people I know would've hit it with a broom until it ran out, but it was scared enough as it was.) He didn't bite; he was all talk.

We went to Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales.

Where we fed and petted squirrels. (Do you see a repeat pattern of naive behavior with wild animals lately, or what?)

A gigantic female orb weaver.

My BFF's son looking cute!

I didn't realize I had taken a photo of the water-bearer until I got home; Aquarius is my sign!

If swans could have myspace, this would so be his default. (He kept biting our feet when we were petting the giant koi...which is another story in itself...)

Bzz.

I was so excited to get a cutting of this succulent at the gardens! It is really hard to come by!

My starfish cactus cutting and a few living rocks! I have looked for living rocks for months without luck! I was giddy when I found them in the gift shop at Bok. (Yes, I'm aware that I'm a nerd.)

I dug this little cactus up on the side of the road in Lake Wales.

We came home to watch True Blood and I finally opened my bottle of saison.

It was a pretty decent weekend. Next weekend will be better, though! :)