kindred being

It just poured today; when I went out behind the house apres le deluge I was startled to discover



deciding how to proceed. I put him (I think red eyes signify a male) in the woods, in a different direction from the path he was taking. (Which is not what you are supposed to do; if you see a turtle crossing the road, take it to the other side. He/she wants to go in a straight trajectory. And please do stop and aid this ancient animal.)

At least she



didn't come across this visitor and bother him.

June 21

Happy Solstice to you.

Here is a nice link to read more about it.

Mozzarella

I'm very excited: I've been reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, only to discover she has many similar notions about eating/cooking/family/food chain as I do. AND they make their own mozzarella around there, so I just sent for a kit (of all things) to make my own, from the New England Cheesemaking Company, in Ashfield right up the road from where I used to live.

studio—shop side

Here are a few shots of the space that is the retail side of our little operation. I'll post some of the working side in a day or two. I'll be down on Saturday for B's knit-in, so I can catch up on all the gossip, especially her suddenly burgeoning social life, involving real, live men . . .

The blue sweater in the far corner is my handiwork; I actually made it years ago, but it looks quite new there, doesn't it?


Two recovered thrift shop chairs are very comfortable indeed. And the two bags on top of the shelves at left are produced by Be Sweet, a group you may want to investigate.


These hats are A's handiwork; and the little yellow felted purse was made by C. There it is; where will we be in a year, I wonder??




Have a lovely weekend.

meeting

I'm getting ready to go down to the studio for a meeting, which might become rather contentious. Some items on the agenda: who will work what days when the studio is open; do we get a television? (NO NO NO; it'll look like some of us are in occupational therapy, knitting in front of the screen; will A and I get our TV-less space? Let us fervently hope so) I'm bringing my camera, so I hope I'll have some pictures to post later/tomorrow.

Saturday, we had our "open studio," which went much better than anticipated. People flowed in all day, and signed up for knitting and felting classes. Wool and finished items were bought. I got behind in my editing, though. sigh.

I enjoyed the candy,

but we'll look forward to the Sopranos DVD of the last season. My family has been going to Holstens for several generations, and I happened to have kept this candy box from the last time my cousin came to visit, bearing a gift.

I don't feel so bad about my neck

bluebird house

new deck, partial view

lunch

Balloon flower

Herb garden

fledgling

I think I will join in on Suse's idea.

A few projects

A couple of my knitting projects. The purple sweater is nearing completion; I'm sewing up the underseam of the left side. Then I'll knit the collar and sew it down. Add a button, and it's done. I'm not the best seamer of knitted projects, but I'm learning.

The scarf is from Scarf Styles, the cabled one in Touch Me. There was just one ball of green, so I'll add some at both ends, trying to be fashionably asymmetrical.



I actually worked down at the studio on the sweater today, and it was blissfully quiet.

Pizza

Yesterday, we decided to use our pizza skills and made these two. The top one has just cheese and pepperoni, but the bottom one is loaded: kale, cheese, summer squash, broccoli, green onions, and sausage. I roasted the summer squash with a little olive oil, salt, and rosemary; blanched the broccoli for 3 and 1/2 minutes; and cooked the kale for 10 minutes, let it cool, squeezed it, and dressed it with a little oil, vinegar, and salt. D made the crust, which has a high proportion of whole wheat. Usually, pizza making is a bit of an effort, but for some reason both of these seemed to take no time. Maybe it was the early prep of the vegetables; when it came time to actually put everything in the oven, all the hard part was done.



I've also heard you can do this on the grill, but I've never tried that. It does help to have a pizza stone and some pizza pans, with vents in the bottom to let the air circulate and the crust crisp, however.

CSA

stands for Community Supported Agriculture. We are members of our very local organic farm, and received a bounty of greens:



as you can see from yesterday's lunch. This is just for me, and there is A LOT of lettuce left for the remainder of the week. In addition, we received a huge amount of arugula, kale, and collard greens, as well as radishes and green onions. We are learning to like kale and collards, because, well, we have to!

And that little red pouch? I got it here.

cookbook

I received the new Chocolate and Zucchini cookbook yesterday, or cookblook, as it arose from Clotilde Dusoulier's blog of the same name. The cover shows her reaching for a box of strawberries, and she looks charming and sweet. She writes so well, and there are unusual tweaks to some standard dishes, lots of suggestions, and wonderful photography, all produced by Clotilde. I think I'll make the Poulet Mijote a la Moutarde tonight: I'll have to pick up some red onions, though.

eye-eye, sir

D's patch is off, his eyesight is now 20/20 (up from 20/240!), and we had a most delicious lunch to celebrate, including 1 martini (D) and 1 glass of sauvignon blanc (me), soft-shell crabs (D), crab cakes (me), and a white chocolate/fruit tart (us).

Exhausting

We all arose at 4 a.m., to get D to the ophthalmologist by 6, so he could be in cataract surgery by 8:30. When I called at 10, to find out how everything had gone, I found out he had just gone in! Apparently, his blood pressure was elevated (gee, I wonder why?), so they had to wait for it to drop, which they hastened along with the aid of a drug. The nurse gave me quite a lecture on getting him to get bp meds, etc.; I replied that all this was up to him. Hmph! she replied.

Now he's back, with a patch over one eye, but not too worse for all of it. He's got a "Patient Lens Implant Identification Card," which I guess he is to carry in his wallet. We return tomorrow to have the patch removed. I remember seeing "old people" with similar patches, and didn't realize what they were for.

Tee Vee

I haven't really blogged about television shows. However, I've been watching Dancing with the Stars every iteration since it started here in the U.S., and this round is down to the final three: Apollo, Laila, and Joey. I've got to say, I'm with Apolo all the way, especially after his "raunchy" dance with partner Julianne Hough, who is very cute herself (almost as cute as Apolo).

The other show I watch, ever since Rosie O'Donnell has been one of the hosts, is The View, otherwise a tedious and annoying show. Now that she's announced she's leaving, however, Rosie will be sorely missed. I don't think I'll be watching it, as it's been her spontaneous, well-informed, and sometimes outrageous commentary and opinions that have kept me watching. Besides Joy Behar, the others, including most "guest hosts," have been pretty uniformly dull (and did I say annoying?). The other side to this, if you are at your computer a lot (like I am), is the video she does on her blog every morning before going on The View. She and two others, one of whom is her hairdresser (I haven't been watching this long enough to know who the other one is), answer viewer questions "on the air."

Finally, I've never, ever seen even one episode of Survivor; what does this mean about me?

two ends of the spectrum . . .

We've got a big week coming. Poor D is having the cataract on his left eye removed on Tuesday; he's absolutely frantic that he doesn't acquire some kind of sepsis while in outpatient surgery. In the meantime, it's been my duty to drop two kinds of eye drops into his eye four times a day. This brings up all the usual rants against health care in the United States, but when it is his own eye, and he writes and edits for a living, I am as worried as he is.

At the other end of the tunnel, so to say, L got her driving learner's permit Thursday. D and she have been going out daily for a slow drive around the neighborhood, and she's gotten stellar reviews as a driver. I wonder if she could get some pointers here? I haven't driven with her yet; D is much more patient, and he's already taught two or three other teenagers how to drive, so I'm out of the loop for now.

It is disconcerting to have her start to drive; wasn't it just last year I was strapping her into her car seat? It certainly seems so; it's true how quickly the years go, even as the days seem to drip by like molasses when they are toddlers. I remember wishing for just an hour for myself, and now that I've got it, I wonder what all the frustration was about.

This week Yarn Works is supposed to be getting working, so I'll have lots to do with cleaning, moving things down, and finding out if all the paperwork is in place.

this morning

I'm spending time finishing up Sarah Dunant's In the Company of the Courtesan, riveting, great writing. Now I want to read everything she's written!

Our new deck and pergola are finished, and I can't believe how much better the entire back of our house looks. I put together a pot of flowers especially to attract hummingbirds from P. Allen Smith's Container Gardens, which I got out of the library. It was very helpful to have this as a guide, as I'm more at home with perennials and herbs that with big, showy annuals. I've also got parsley, basil, cilantro, and an heirloom pepper, Fish Hot Pepper, which I've never seen before, so I hope it produces!

L is being industrious and working as a volunteer at the library; I hope she picks up a few more hours during summer vacation, which begins in two weeks. My editing project starts in at the end of next week, so we will all be busy.

the talented ms. kinglette

Just a quick thank you to Stephanie for my great crow!

mothers

I've had a truly great week. We got our keys for our Yarn Works studio space. L was GREAT in the upper school concert. I had a wonderful Mother's Day; starting off with a Krystal egg, bacon, and cheese biscuit; proceeding to church; and just ordered myself an iteration of a pair of these, so I can finally see what I'm doing when I'm trying to sew something together.

my quilt

This is the quilt I swapped with Lynn; it was quite a challenge for me! I quilted on the machine, but hand-bound it all around. I don't know if you can see, but I added a button with an "L" up near the corner. Anyway, mission accomplished!

quilt swap!

Yesterday, when I was mailing my quilt out to my swappee, I got a package from Bonnie (who doesn't have a blog, otherwise I would link there!), containing this little gem:





I love the fabrics she chose; and she hand-quilted the top, so it feels very 1930s/1940s authentic. Bonnie, if you could see my decorating, especially my kitchen (where everything is in vintage blue Ball jars that I can possibly put in them), you'd see that this is just my style. How did you know? I'll look for the proper place to display this quilt. Everyone I've showed it to has oohed and ahed over ti.

And if that weren't enough, inside the package was a journal, including papers, letter stickers, and other cool embellishments to decorate it with.

I've really learned quite a lot about fabric, color, sewing, my Bernina, and how generous people can be.

Dinner last night

About a month ago I spied Tyler's Ultimate in the library and, having seen him on the Foodnetwork, decided to take it out. Nothing to lose with a library book. We watch some of these food shows regularly, although D always gets Tyler and Bobbie Flay confused, Tyler being the "nice Bobbie Flay."

Anyway, we made several things from this book, and sadly had to return it. We ended up buying a copy, and last night we made Scallop Saltimbocca, which tasted amazing.
We followed the recipe, which included sauteing apples at the end (what?) and had a very tedious prep of wrapping each scallop in a piece of prosciutto and then tying it on with a string. If you have a spare half hour during which you don't mind doing this, I heartily recommend this recipe.

doll quilt

I'm posting a closeup of a portion of the front of my doll quilt, which is 18" x 24" (approximately). This is the first time I've ever done this (quilt, that is). I have rarely used my sewing machine (Bernina 830, got on eBay), which I've discovered I LOVE! I did have a quiting friend helping me this week. Her work is amazing, and I'll try to get some of her things to post here.

I'm lucky I had a walking foot, which is necessary to keep the bottom and top of the quilt moving along at the same rate. The things I've learned this week! I'm glad I cleared the decks work-wise, as I really needed the time. The photo makes it look a bit greenily murky; it does contain fabrics with lots of greens, but there are red-purples, too.




Here's a bit of the back. When it's done, I'll post a picture. I thought I'd cower in shame over this, but frankly I think it will look pretty darn good! Hope my swappee thinks so!

More blogs

More recently discovered blogs I've been reading and enjoying finding out about:

News from a farm in the French Alps from Mountain Dweller.

News from New Mexico from Pecos Blue.

And my crafty doll quilt swap organizer!

blogs

Lettuce kindly tagged me the other day, to give 5 blogs I read. I've been busy with my quilt (I stress about these things so much! should I post a picture or not? My first one may be too unlovely to see).

Anyway, I've been reading Angela's blog about her expat life in the South of France and learning about family life there. Carolyn keeps me apprised of her life and doings in England. Motherpie always has some interesting commentary, political, media, or otherwise. The Accidental Hedonist is very political, from a food/agriculture perspective. Stephanie has a wonderful blog, full of color and crafts.

art for art's sake

The other day, someone gave me two "Patron Preview" tickets to this weekend's art show. We went to the show last night, at which patron ticket holders were treated to wine, beer, and something called "heavy hors d'oeuvres," as well as looking around without The Public.

Artists were treated to patrons who had consumed quite a lot of wine or beer and who therefore peppered the poor artists with pointless questions, while the artists were trapped in their booths. However, I saw some red dots on some pretty pricey pieces, so maybe they didn't mind so much.

We looked around at some of these Patrons; our tickets would have cost $50 each, had we been so inclined to buy them; some people paid $1000 (extra perks, of course, but still)! What would such a person look like? Besides one woman with a tremendously large hairdo, everyone looked pretty much the same.

D graciously bought me a pair of earrings from someone who specializes in wire jewelry. I was most interested in a group who was doing floorcloths.

Stopping to peruse our program, we saw that there was a photographer exhibiting from the next town over to the one we had moved from. We hied ourselves over to see him, where he was trying to eat his dinner behind a screen. He was very engaging, and told us all the things that have happened in our absence: what dirt roads are now paved, how the preschool (on whose board I once sat--an excruciating experience) is doing, and so on. We asked him if there was anything we might know about the area that would help him. "The name of a good dentist!" he replied. And we were able to give him the name of the one we went to, and wish we still could! He looked genuinely relieved! You never know when you can brighten someone's day with the simplest information. We would have like to buy one of his photographs; maybe one day.

A new decade

Today starts the beginning of a whole new decade!

As you can see from the button on the side, I'm participating in a quilt swop. I've never made one before, so I hope that my swappee won't be too disappointed. A friend of mine, who is truly a master, has been helping me. But it won't get in the mail until the last possible moment on April 30.

Our yarn coop met today; I think we'll be in there to start to set up sometime in the next two weeks; I'll post some photos then.

Sadly, I witnessed, almost in slo-mo, a mini-van, driven by an elderly woman, back into the side of a two-seater BMW sportscar, belonging to my expert quilter friend. I was too far away to do anything, but that was the first time I've ever seen anything like that. The woman was naturally upset with herself! Oh dear.

It was cold enough

to require one of these. Well, maybe not require, but it is surely wonderful to sit next to it, alternately reading the Sunday paper and doing some work, hearing it crackle and hiss, while the wind blows the maple seeds out of the trees. It is cold enough that many of the tender azaleas, among other plants, have really born the brunt.





Today is Sunday, and our seminarian gave the homily at church. Since he's been with the church, he has been a rather quiet, circumspect individual, so we were wondering just how, hmm, boring he would be. Well, not at all! He was funny and on-the-mark, and we wanted to tell him how much we enjoyed it, but he disappeared.

Tuesday is tax day, and, yes, we do owe, so the form is not being sent until the last possible moment. Working for yourself is not something the federal government encourages. Frankly, I wish I could have thrown the entire business into the fire, but that would probably call forth all kinds of demons for not filing.

Next Tuesday

I'm dreading.

What's going on

with our food? I couldn't give a more thought-provoking and link-packed post if I tried. Go here to read an incredibly well-researched piece on what's going on with our dairy (among other things). The blog the Cleaner Plate Club is an amalgam of well-written pieces and recipes.

In which I find out that

I'm a size 0 (short)!! Yes, according to the sizing gurus at Chico's, that is what I am. Chico's is a never-never-land, where no one can be larger than a size 3 (or 3.5, maybe).

My yarn shop group seems to swear by this chain, especially its Traveler series of clothes, so I went in and had a look after buying Lucky Jeans for L in the mall. Yes, it's a small, small world at Chico's. I feel quite model sized, though of course, unfortunately, short. . . .

Easter

Easter is almost here, and in this week I've been pondering why I'm an Episcopalian, or why I go to church at all.

I didn't start out as anything, really. Once in while, growing up, we would go to church, but not regularly and not to the same church or even the same denomination each time.

D and I were married in a Unitarian meeting house outside Boston, with a very smart, liberal minister (is there any other kind of UU?). Her sermons were some of the best I've heard. The congregation, though, thought she wasn't motherly enough and there was a faction itching to oust her. And there was Someone missing, too, for me. An assistant minister, who was giving a very good sermon (about what, I don't remember), brought me up short by saying, ". . . and our Christian friends, who believe in Christ . . ." Well, hmm, I guess I do, too.

We moved and didn't really do much in the way of church, until L surprised everyone by declaring when she was 4: "I need to go to Sunday School!" Yes, she really, really did. And we were not living in an area of the country that could be called overly religious by any stretch of the imagination, so where did she get that notion?

I don't know, but, after giving the Congregationalists a go, we found a beautiful little Episcopal church with the most loving vicar, and settled in. I found that I really needed the weekly rituals to hang onto, that the symbols and the repetitive prayers, calls and responses were deeply soothing.

Coinciding with our move southward was the fomenting of a faction in that church who wanted Rev. B gone; and so she went, and I hope to a factionless parish who loves her. What is it about groups of people that they must create antagonism? Sometimes I find it difficult to square my peace in attending church with these inside groups, looking around every corner for a slight, or political motivation, to start in on an argument.

So, even though she's now a teenager, L is still happy to attend church, and is looking forward to the glory of Easter Sunday after the dark of Lent. And so am I.

Reading II

Thank goodness for libraries. My stack as been superseded by my newest library book, The Secret of Lost Things by Sheridan Hay. I snuck (yes, better word than "sneaked") a look inside, in between pages of my accounting book editing, and I'm hooked. A Tasmanian girl is whisked to New York City to live, and discovers a bookstore that sounds suspiciously like the Strand of my younger days. That's as far as I've gotten.

And Netflix! I signed up for a temporary free membership, and I have 6 films in my queue. One already arrived: 49 Up, the latest in the Michael Apted series, and since I'm about the age of the participants and I've seen all the previous ones, I'm really looking forward to this one.

Reading

I just finished Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin. A mystery set in Cambridge in 1171, wherein a woman doctor has been summoned to solve the disappearances and subsequent murder of several children. I would say I've never read a book so able to make that period come alive for me. And the author has a great ability to describe very real and realized characters. That being said, there is quite a bit of 21st century sensibility in here. I'm not sure the characters would be thinking along some of the lines that the author sets for them.

Someone gave me In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant, set in Venice in 1527. So that is awaiting me, as is

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, by Patrick Suskind, set in 18th century Paris. This was made into a movie recently, and I see it was published some time ago, but it is new to me. I've read a few pages, and I know I won't be able to put it down once I really start.

I'm still reading Will in the World by Stephen Greenblatt; there is quite a bit of detail to take in here.

Finally I have Lost City Radio, by Daniel Alarcon, to start, which is set in a nameless South American country after a civil war and about which I've hear good things.

Reading things as I do for a living, it's getting harder to sit down to read for pleasure!

What are you reading?

A cooking lesson in progress

A very curious cat teaching a lesson to or taking a lesson from a disheveled D.

Sunday + work

We highed ourselves to church this morning (20 degrees above normal out), where Mother J's homily was especially good and pertinent, hymns all singable AND familiar, and fellow parishoners in a good mood. L sat with other girls and focused on "Ben Franklin," somone new with long, flowing grey locks, petty wife, and several children.

So it was with heavy heart that I returned to the office and my desk, laden with the dread accounting text and other such tomes, requiring me to get down to business. Here is where I spend a considerable amount of time:



Wish it were, I don't know, more CREATIVE! Which is what I overheard a college-age student say on the subway quite a while back: "I don't care what I do, as long as it's creative." Sigh.

Have a good Sunday and a creative week.

our new space!

This is the outside of our new space! We're very excited about our fiber arts co-op (I think that's what we've agreed to be). We have the arts council next door, an art gallery down at the end, a yoga studio, and many artists' studios.















And here's the inside, all 1200 sq. feet, being used as storage right now for several entities there. But one of our group's husband is an architect, and he was there yesterday making drawings for the bathroom to be installed and the various sinks and outlets to be installed. Those plans should go to the building's owner on Monday; we hope work starts in there in early April.

We're going here to look at furniture and fixtures, as a group. I'm not sure what I'll be doing, because someone has just alerted me to the greatest second-hand furniture store that imports stuff from England! (Why here? I'll ask next time I'm in, which should be soon.)

I bought a great chair for $20, which I'm dragging in there to sit and knit. I'm not concerned about what someone else things. It's pretty plain (someone of our group has already decreed, "No chintz"!!)

Saturday, someone else went out and bought a 10cft refrig, on sale; it has a very important component--a freezer for ice.

So, one chair, one refrigerator.

I haven't

been in front of my screen as much; meetings with nine of us take up some time. But I will say that we have signed our lease for our knitting coop space, and we're talking decorating, sinks, areas for classes, areas for ourselves to knit. I can't quite believe it's happening.

I'll try to post some pictures of our building and of the way it looks now in our space in the next few days.

Happy Spring!

I'm really worried

about my tooth. You see, I had a crown put on almost three years ago by a dentist who turned out to be most incompetent. This crown has come disattached twice since it was installed (an appropriate word). This caused much distress on my part, but on HIS an almost accusatory manner. This dentist had been recommended by a neighbor who should have known better, too.

I've since switched dentists, but today my gum is somewhat uncomfortable under that tooth, and I'm getting obsessed with the idea that the tissue there is harboring bacteria. This tooth is on my heart side, so I'm getting convinced this is all leading straight down into a sepsis involving internal organs. ARRGH.

But in happier occurrences, we visited our soon-to-be leased site for the knit-coop. We're getting psyched!

Various

Spring is here; I'm in shorts and a T shirt, getting down to basics on the business end of a sponge and BonAmi in the bathrooms. I can't stand looking at L's anymore; her notion of clean and my notion of clean seem to be quite divergent.

Leaves need raking; the herb garden has woken up and is starting to go. Chives are up, oregano is flourishing, thyme is creeeping all over the place; the mint is rearing its rhizomal head everywhere, looking to take over. I'm not sure about the pineapple sage and the lemon verbena. No shoots next to either bare bones of last year's stalks. Of course, it's too soon to put in the very tender annuals: basil, dill, parsely (although last year, my parsely wintered over), and others.

Cooking tonight something from the Whistlestop Cafe, but I did alter the recipe just a bit. It's already made and in the fridge, awaiting being popped in the oven later! I feel very organized today.

I was away overnight the night before last, taking in the big city with three other women. We saw a great show featuring Matisse and Picasso at a museum I had never been to. Then, after our knit-in, which was the reason we went, we took over one room, had a port tasting, drank lots of wine, and gossiped away. It was quite liberating to be away, let me tell you. The next morning, we consumed a most delicious breakfast in a very lovely setting and set out back down the road to home.

And tonight, I have a meeting to go to concerning this yarn shop/knitting coop. I'm hoping we stick to an agenda, because anyone who has been on a committe knows that these things have a way of expanding to include asides, descriptions, remembrances, a sudden good idea that requires lengthy explanations. We'll see what happens. I hope it happens soon.

we met

today to talk over our yarn shop idea, which has become a yarn cooperative, and I think we are committing to renting space in an old factory building that now houses an art gallery, yoga/massage studio, local arts council offices, and some artists' studios. I'm feeling that this is a firm step in a direction; we've pulled back on some of the more grandiose plans, and this is good. The smaller the steps, at this point, the more firm our footing will be later; at least that's the way I'm feeling. I'm very interested to see how things shake out over the summer.

We are also gearing up to go back to the library knit-in and again stay overnight in a great hotel next week. From this vantage point, all looks positive.

We got

new specs today; and mine are, hmm, bifocals.

"Watch your step. Stairs may seem to rise up at you when you look down," said the very nice and vivacious eyeglass receptionist. "It may take two weeks to get used to these." (?)

I so hope not! My greatest trouble is arms-length sight. I've been having to take off my glasses to see the person I'm talking to properly. And even then, I have to bob and weave to keep them focused. It's become a kind of dance; I lean back; they lean forward. I move back; they move forward. You get the idea.

And I have to renew my drivers license this month. In person. Which means an eye test. Which means frazzled nerves beforehand. I don't deal very well with bureaucratic type situations. I tend to panic. Not good.

Will let you know. Now I've got to reach out and find my glasses.

L got very trendy ones, by the way, and certainly not bifocals.

Second in a series:

Dinner: broiled salmon, rice, green beans, bean and celery salad, lime pickle

I sure didn't feel like cooking,

last night, so imagine my delight when D bustled about the kitchen for an hour, to produce this:





homemade chicken potpie, with homemade biscuits, from scratch, on top.

AND he cleaned up!

Well, at least

I've gotten out and about. Saturday, L and I and a friend went to see The History Boys; how many movie premises are built around the subjunctive case?? We all liked it a lot. It's always great to see NO HOLLYWOOD MOVIE STARS emoting. This cast is just amazing--so talented on all fronts.

Sunday, we went on downtown's open house tour, looking at new construction in an area being revitalized. Lofts, "townhomes" (lots of stairs, there; not for the weak of knee'd). Can't help wondering where the displaced residents are moving, though. In a town near where I went to college was a famous bit of graffiti: "Gentrification Is War!" The local arts association is installing a series of sculptures (!) along the sidewalk. How soon will they be graffitied, I wonder.

Today: yoga workshop with a teacher from California. Very intensive lower body work; lots of great toned women in there (one lone man) from all over. Right now, I'm feeling quite stretched out, like a gumby with old joints. Great to do some yoga asanas from a different perspective; it makes me think about things in a new way, which is what is expected of all this.

Blah

I'm feeling very blog-blocked, short of ideas, and waning of interest level. Perhaps proofreading an accounting text has something to do with it. Maybe it's February.

I did order a very lovely book that arrived today: Twelve: A Tuscan Cook Book, by Tessa Kiros. I had read a really wonderful, in-depth interview with this author on another blog, one that seems to have just stopped in mid-tracks about a year ago. I wonder whether that blogger was feeling a similar sense of ennui, or if something happened. (Do YOU know?)

Twelve is filled with absolutely beautiful photographs of food and a few of the Tuscan landscape and people. So, looking at it I'm feeling a bit less creaky and crabby than I did earlier. In fact, I'm thinking of making something from it right this minute, something involving chickpeas. Hmm.

I'm also not looking forward to getting my eyes tested this afternoon with L. I called to find out how long it's been since we had a real test, not just the one in the doctor's office covering one eye alternately and looking at the chart at the end of the hallway. I don't even want to admit how long it's been, but I'm guessing we'll both end up with new specs.

I traveled

to another city on Monday to participate in a knit-in at the downtown Library (a beautiful building, very grand; I wish I had brought my camera). What is a knit-in? A more-or-less two hour period in which (in this case) about 30 women and one seven-year-old boy sat around and knitted on their various projects and gossiped. The boy was quite a good knitter; his mother had taught him. I have to say I had a great time, getting away from home (I spent the night in a posh hotel with turn-down service, something I've never experienced), but it was very VERY tiring to be with four other women who, unlike me, love to shop.

Sitting knitting was one thing (plus meeting and talking to the author of one of my favorite knitting books was a great treat), but standing around in two (and it was going to be four, if we hadn't gotten lost; small favors) yarn shops for an HOUR AND A HALF in each one made me nearly tear my hair out. I can now understand how D feels when I spy a bookstore and disappear for, well, an hour and a half (small letters, because it's me; after all, how bad can waiting for me be?)

Saturday afternoon

we decided to go and see the Sandhill cranes (I'm not sure what subspecies these were), migrating to Florida and north Georgia. Last year, over 15,000 of them stopped over. We were kept back quite far from the birds, who spend several days in a sheltered area on the river; it was difficult to see them.






Luckily, in a farmer's field right next to the road, a lot of them were feeding on the hay seeds. We scrambled up a steep bank to get this picture (along with many other birdwatchers). Watching them land, with their feet outstretched, dangling beneath them, I felt a catch at how vulnerable they are. And indeed the entire group of whooping cranes (actually 14 of 15) that had accompanied the sandhills died in the tornadoes in Florida last week. That represents the whole population born this year, I believe. (Speaking of weird weather patterns, anyone seen An Inconvenient Truth? we watched half of it in Sunday school; one of the group was in tears, and the rest not far from it. We'll watch the second half next week.)





After watching them for I'd say 15 minutes, we were interrupted by the "chirp" of a patrol car, and the officer advised us to "move your ve-hick-als" so we scrambled back down, and away.

pantry

Sandy's post suggested a view of other people's pantry's. I don't have a room devoted to storing things; I have an old jelly cabinet that I got in New England that gives a surprising amount of room. I keep lots of dried beans, baking stuff, chips chocolate and vanilla--just lots of essentials










And I have cupboards full of nonessential essentials as well. Even marshmallow fluff . . .

Snow!

Yes, we did get snow, which shut down everything! This is the South, after all, so we do have our milk and bread, just in case we're here for the duration. Luckily, it didn't start snowing until the wee hours; if it starts snowing while people are shopping, carts of groceries are often abandoned as people run out to flee home.






L stayed home from school, and we all got to sleep late.



But Soul is taking advantage of the fireplace, which you can't see in this picture, glowing behind him. Bear is enjoying looking out at the snow but won't go out, as we've seen a vulture out in the woods. Soul here is a heavy-weight, and unlikely to be carried aloft.

This morning

This is what we saw:



But tomorrow, we hope to stay snug in our beds, at least for a bit. There is a snow advisory for tonight!

Saturday

we loaded the cello into the car and took off down the hill, so L could audition for the spring orchestra workshop and concert. Naturally, we got there very early, but L kept practicing the two lines she (and everyone else) had to play as part of the audition. Let me tell you, she and I are pretty sick of those two lines of music. She had to play the G scale and sight read a piece (and probably something else--I never listen, you know). We also saw some old friends from her old school, the one we tried to hang onto going to, it being a public magnet school, but academics just weren't there (sigh).

Finally, her group was called and they filed away into the bowels of the school. These auditions are blind, and the participants may not even speak, so the judges are sure they won't recognize anyone. She came out, sighing that she had "zoned out" on the audition.

Later, her music teacher called to say she got 4th chair, and there was not much point difference between 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, so she is feeling pretty happy! We know S, who is the principal, and she blows people away with her playing--not to mention she can do a 3-octave scale!

Then, L got ready to go to a school dance and spend the night at a friend's house, so we watched the movie Cache, which had one shocking scene, but which really brought up some issues in France. I know I've seen the main actor in other things, but what?

I'm a winner!

A sweet little package . . .

A dear card . . .

and a super Dear pouch. What shall I put into it? Stephanie has a much more artful photo on her post.

*****

We are oh-so-close to committing to opening our shop, but some of us keep our feet quite cold. I hope we do this! We keep meeting around cups of coffee or Coke; I think we need to jump in.

Taking a break from work

to ponder what we can afford.

We have to take down the dead tree that was, until this summer, provided shade for the deck and the back of the house. Taking down the tree, which came up THROUGH the deck, means replacing the deck (which is old, decrepit, and not very well made) and also putting up some kind of arbor-ish structure to provide shade and for some kind of easy-to-grow yet attractive vine to attach itself to, thus providing more shade.

Then there is the bathroom sink that is to be replaced next week, which really should mean the bathroom gets redone, but I don't think that will happen, much as I'd like it to. I don't want much, really—just to get rid of the 1970s yellow tub and toilet, which sports a white toilet seat now, as there aren't any yellow ones anymore. Maybe paint it; that would be nice, but that means taking down the wallpaper, which, if the kitchen is any indication, was not sized and so takes away some of the plasterboard with it when removed.

Will all this mean there will be sufficient funds for the trip to France we are all counting on in June?? I sure hope so. In fact, I'm counting on it!

Wooooooo, indeed!

I just found out I made the 1000th comment at Ruby Crowned Kinglette, and something is coming my way as an unexpected prize for doing so! If you haven't visited her site, your inspiration factor will increase 1000 percent.

Food

Beans

Lunch

Six degrees of weirdness . . .

I've been tagged by Sandi at the Whistlestop to come out from under my shell and tell six weird things about myself. Well, I don't know whether they'll be weird:

1. In elementary school, I began and ended each year attending a one-room schoolhouse in New England. The middle of the year I spent in a giant many-classroomed school in suburbia. It was quite a transition every year. One of my teachers (which one?) blamed the fact that I had trouble with number lines on this back and forth.

2. Large animals make me nervous; I'd rather have a cat around any day. They won't step on you accidentally.

3. I'd rather read a cookbook than a novel (at least at the moment). Especially a cookbook that is episodic and evocative of a certain place or time.

4. Novelty yarns drive me crazy.

5. We moved to our present location after visiting it on vacation. We went home, put our house on the market (thinking it would take a year), and sold it within a week. Kaboom. Here we are.

6. I've yet to finish a Kaffe Fassett needlepoint pillowtop of Swiss chard—and I began it about 17 years ago. This might tell you something about my pile of UFOs. And why my closets need sorting out.

And now I'll tag Angela, Carolyn, and Mimmu and leave it up to any other three who happen by here post six things and let me know!

This morning

I cleaned up a sink full of dishes, including the oatmeal saucepan, emptied ALL the wastebaskets, entered the disaster area that is L's room, stripped her bed, started a hot wash, put away malingering Christmas decorations (plus some shoes that I KNOW will strectch), let the cat in out in out, retrieved yoga stuff from bowels of closet (am determined to do this every day, not just on yoga class day—practice yoga, that is, not just retrieve stuff), made firm resolve to empty all closets and turn them into pristine gems in which a person could retreat and live, just like on TV (!), remade L's bed, threw away quite a lot of junk which will never be missed from L's floor, and it's only quarter to eight!

Also pondered this: can 6 or so women run a business collectively? More on this in future. We are going as a group to a knit-in, in another city, and staying overnight! Much excitement brewing.

Little Kitty

would like to knit along (or at least grab the wool and wrestle with it). She is recovering nicely from her spaying, though the day after she looked as though she would not recover and an unscheduled trip to the vet was necessary.

There, they took her temperature and whisked her away to an unknown surgery room, where she was hydrated subcutaneously (she had a kind of "bag" of water under her skin on her back; I had never heard of this) and was given some pain medication.

After she got home, she slept for several hours, and woke up much much better than she had that morning.

We lost power today; a tree fell on the lines, so unfortunately I was unable to work on the computer and so took up my needles instead. Also looked at Spin to Knit; I'm eager to begin learning.

today,

L and I went to Sunday school. This was the second of three overviews of scenes from the Bible in Renaissance art, presented by a teenager and his dad. This boy is quite a good artist, himself, already, having shown at a gallery. And for L and the other kids, it made everything more interesting to have a peer up there. Anyway, it was great to see all of this art that I'd studied in college, back in the Stone Age (I have my Renaissance art book by Creighton Gilbert, costing all of $15.95!!). Looking at the art made the whole much more present, and the homily much more immediate. I'll spend the afternoon looking through my art history books, trying to find the images we looked at this morning, and reading Will in the World, a great book about Shakespeare.

I liked getting out with just L, today, too. Sometimes having a "just us" jaunt give me a little breathing room, and I can focus more intently on what's going on with us and around us.

Yesterday, I passed up an opportunity to get out and begin to learn to spin, which is something I've been wanting to do for some time. I even have a spinning wheel, sitting waiting for me. My knitting group is coalescing into more of a fiber group; it's getting me very excited again about all my UFOs!

beautiful concept/photographs

here is a very nice link . . .

cats and crocs

Today poor little kitty, who is just about 6 months to the day, went in for her shots and to be spayed. She's back, nodding in the sunlight, and very reluctant to be patted, even on her head. It's too bad—I really hated to put her through all that—but there are so many, many animals out there, unwanted. She herself was part of the litter of a feral cat, who was captured and spayed, before anyone realized this litter existed. She could no longer feed them, so B raised the kittens, feeding them with a bottle, and helping with all the bodily functions that the mother would have. This was an extremely taxing, especially given she was running her own shop, by herself, but all kittens were given away, and this one has an especially winning personality. Only cat lovers will understand this!



Other excitement: I also purchased a pair of these Crocs the other day, even though I swore they were too ugly EVER to wear and privately made fun of anyone I say wearing them (somone even came to my house wearing a pink dress and a pair of pink Crocs—someone who should have known better . . .). BUT they were on sale, so I tried them on. Like walking on the most comfortably padded surface ever. So, here they are.

cookbooks, again

I'm half-writing this, half-listening to The Splendid Table over the Internet. Lynne's talking to someone who's de-cookbooked her library to focus it on what she's really interested in. Hmm. I'll have to give this a deeper listen.

They discussed Jamie's Dinners (which I have and use), and a book I haven't thought about for years, though I used to take it out of the library when I was in high school (!), My Favorite Things, by Dorothy Rogers, which is/was a kind of pre–Martha Stewart lifestyle/decorating/cooking book. Why, as a high school student, was I interested in this? I guess I wanted that oh-so-modern house . . .

They also mentioned was The Balthazar Cookbook; I'll have to take a look at this. And a publisher who's reprinting some interesting French and Australian books, Ici La Press. Then Michel Richard came on to talk about his newest book; darn, I de-cookbooked him last year.

***

Church was rather full today. Mother J in quite a good mood. We had a great art history lesson in adult Sunday school, given by a teenager and his father, so L, having studied some of the paintings, had a better time than she would have normally. Two more of these sessions, then on to a viewing/discussion of An Inconvenient Truth.

A blogger who has a wonderful spirit, Britt-Arnhild, has a new food blog, which I will be visiting on a regular basis.

Any food related links you'd like to share?

Cookbooks—

yes, I have too many. These shelves show only some of them. It's one of my resolutions to cook something from each one this year, so perhaps my posts will develop a theme. Right now, I have Nigella's How to Eat next to my bed, and I'm enjoying her toothsome prose. She can pack a lot of visual and sensual sensations into a sentence.

Laurie Colwin, whose books you can't see here, is another great writer who knows her way around a kitchen, whether it's her own or in a rented summer house. I can imagine her fishing around in a foreign kitchen drawer, coming up with implements to figure out what to do with. She really evokes an entire long-gone decade, one that was somewhat happy but also somewhat troublesome, for me.

I love my pickling and putting-aside books; my mother taught me to make pickles twenty years ago and I still like to haul out the canning equipment an rustle up some jam, preserves, and pickles. It seems more of an undertaking here in suburbia than it was when we lived in the country, though. I wonder why?

We're having turkey noodle soup tonight, but tomorrow, I'm not sure!