tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51454676548878956082024-03-14T04:41:27.129-04:00Four Years or soIn this blog, I have no aspirations to amaze you with my striking photographs or my clever writing. I will leave that to all my talented friends (see links at right).
Living here in Boston for the next four years or so, I merely wish to have a place to share some life with friends and family scattered across the country. If you are one of them, welcome.Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15816995372527279642noreply@blogger.comBlogger93125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5145467654887895608.post-41387807792399105332011-02-05T11:35:00.004-05:002011-02-05T11:54:17.660-05:00Snowy WinterWe have been having a very snowy winter! Normal snowfall for Boston is just over 40 inches. So far, we've had 70 inches, and there's snowfall in the forecast for this evening, Tuesday, Thursday, ... We have to make it to 107 to break the record, but it looks to me like we're well on our way!<br /><br />Winter weather brings an irresistable need to take pictures, and I've taken my share this winter. Here are a few of my favorites:<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570247676123757122" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoctFd7QPkTcUcItlwmal0ODxEPGPFnv7HcAh2-wPa69itNtd3l34Xilxb1_LdjktlQkL6TCP7ZZGniUIECh6F3Ks_9N8DndDNq6cm3Yim7CYMCXgXGbM4dk14fWtMMG7OqSTaTKuqG84/s400/IMG_1915.JPG" /> <p align="center">(Can you tell that's a picnic table?)<br /><br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5eAYS1GVct5gm582c871yADmD5oYBS4DbHFLYuyf6LLcNmw12GW2vP5uksAi7sIkm_IkQaHUpGo9dL1H_hdNo8BCxLxAgtn9B6SUwcPFB6K1JphZC8Tnur3lq9ADUFed6OL1F0me3pVk/s1600/IMG_1902.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570247680927324146" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5eAYS1GVct5gm582c871yADmD5oYBS4DbHFLYuyf6LLcNmw12GW2vP5uksAi7sIkm_IkQaHUpGo9dL1H_hdNo8BCxLxAgtn9B6SUwcPFB6K1JphZC8Tnur3lq9ADUFed6OL1F0me3pVk/s400/IMG_1902.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDsRPWX1bUnMbbGn2e7BZ9yIxziWVALr9ol0KydEgh1-t5coZyTzxjMXUnTjFE1HF2NIwJJAhiuwxWaaS3Rh8kELpz63YI9AwaZEInebqygVWCIwINakWJeEXEjkN3_g3w6U_NDGOGDk8/s1600/IMG_1904.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570247684122164498" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDsRPWX1bUnMbbGn2e7BZ9yIxziWVALr9ol0KydEgh1-t5coZyTzxjMXUnTjFE1HF2NIwJJAhiuwxWaaS3Rh8kELpz63YI9AwaZEInebqygVWCIwINakWJeEXEjkN3_g3w6U_NDGOGDk8/s400/IMG_1904.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrLYu0_-u6AwbU3ynhO7PET9_9xlU79F5sF1INu1eoyk7Z61jBpOAE2IPw1gYxEtxseth0sss5Bx-F3N-tWba3lG0Oqnb-PM4EnWBPXSwwwg-ZUjPz72vZpIR-ISK70Qgy1TM7IVLaQk/s1600/IMG_1929.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570248642725324274" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrLYu0_-u6AwbU3ynhO7PET9_9xlU79F5sF1INu1eoyk7Z61jBpOAE2IPw1gYxEtxseth0sss5Bx-F3N-tWba3lG0Oqnb-PM4EnWBPXSwwwg-ZUjPz72vZpIR-ISK70Qgy1TM7IVLaQk/s400/IMG_1929.JPG" /></a><br /><br />... and some icicle photos for my dad: </p><p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYX4XXfFKStikvK0TUktIB38S2ypRETJCCDAN-ybgvKMfYrt_ivS7g-MifCF00RR_cBGzMg2OsM8AELjY6VHYdto6c7v_HE5CaDhyd8QhJup7u-aK3S1hbJOpR_Zfx7MeXP5_aSbVJqwo/s1600/IMG_1923.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570248636568251970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYX4XXfFKStikvK0TUktIB38S2ypRETJCCDAN-ybgvKMfYrt_ivS7g-MifCF00RR_cBGzMg2OsM8AELjY6VHYdto6c7v_HE5CaDhyd8QhJup7u-aK3S1hbJOpR_Zfx7MeXP5_aSbVJqwo/s400/IMG_1923.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCcBLSTsNNVq_VrDfLFoscFdVMX72I7-UAmvV13krvWLnuuvasjDZf_qnYxvZrGQBk3FnEy4GcHXZMiJ4aJ27HVmt_egZbZ-diMNniNsoHXGzMFPIp_YufRH4Xw8r9Yx1ZyPXDysECDk/s1600/IMG_1924.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570248630902504242" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCcBLSTsNNVq_VrDfLFoscFdVMX72I7-UAmvV13krvWLnuuvasjDZf_qnYxvZrGQBk3FnEy4GcHXZMiJ4aJ27HVmt_egZbZ-diMNniNsoHXGzMFPIp_YufRH4Xw8r9Yx1ZyPXDysECDk/s400/IMG_1924.JPG" /></a></p>Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15816995372527279642noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5145467654887895608.post-75464252394598025792010-12-11T14:53:00.005-05:002010-12-11T15:30:35.532-05:00A Boston Christmas TreeFor the first time since we moved to Boston, we bought a Christmas tree! The acquiring of the tree was much simpler than I anticipated given that we have no car. The local hardware store was selling them all wrapped up (no agonizing over whether each branch was in the right place!). We just put our money down and packed one up. Brian carried it onto the subway straight to our house.<br /><br />We opened the boxes of Christmas decorations we brought from Oregon but had never unpacked, and we had more than enough to trim a little tree:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQWpG7KGxGoYNwvIuwW_DArZmeBVs9SIXY42kFmfwmqIFeE2LiECKwCXXH04Gw8HqgMhbOGuHjDwErBVGuvFywyLRWR8NFHQdkE92c29-nGO9vNDJKNeC9IRPW4ktsCgwsKFXcQFEA7dg/s1600/IMG_1826.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549515715169763330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQWpG7KGxGoYNwvIuwW_DArZmeBVs9SIXY42kFmfwmqIFeE2LiECKwCXXH04Gw8HqgMhbOGuHjDwErBVGuvFywyLRWR8NFHQdkE92c29-nGO9vNDJKNeC9IRPW4ktsCgwsKFXcQFEA7dg/s400/IMG_1826.JPG" /></a><br />Between Brian & me, we probably have enough ornaments to trim three trees, since both our families have a tradition of giving ornaments each year. But this year, Brian let me use my fragile set from my Great-Grandma. I love these ornaments! I think this blue one with the flowers on it is my favorite:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLzLSDkLmhUSt3bqAWy2_Df_WpKUsTs4a75tvp3uJgfINPAVOVyEBzB7eTBJbUpTzgVLEH1rfvVwdS3CwA1HuO6fHfhTn5xMeu2VLys0E8nbIcak4nAfTHEcbzcH7fcs5WmrLQTXifWyQ/s1600/IMG_1823.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549515708252076482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLzLSDkLmhUSt3bqAWy2_Df_WpKUsTs4a75tvp3uJgfINPAVOVyEBzB7eTBJbUpTzgVLEH1rfvVwdS3CwA1HuO6fHfhTn5xMeu2VLys0E8nbIcak4nAfTHEcbzcH7fcs5WmrLQTXifWyQ/s400/IMG_1823.JPG" /></a><br />In the background windows, you can see the newest set of ornaments I got from my mother-in-law last year. So many pretty things this time of year.<br /><br />Merry Christmas!Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15816995372527279642noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5145467654887895608.post-32274537452362475922010-10-11T11:46:00.006-04:002010-10-11T12:01:33.252-04:00Show & TellJust a quick list of what I've been up to these last two months!<br /><br />- Going to one last Red Sox game for the season (one of the few they won!)<br /><br />- Playing games with Brian's parents, who visited us for 10 days<br /><br />- Cooking with lots of seasonal vegetables (ratatouille in my new pot from Brian's aunt - thank you, Aunt Annette!)<br /><br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXTKn_0Q7lELnOZYRh5WdcJ_lH_MvZFG-ch4CVQvXsm2b_333iDZocyN5y_tYM3O2W1GwJ8gi0VLQayqiHbi66eOkPZmldMoGf1okxG9zUjwYLL4RtXhd71RtLtWEetpebUAkpDv7ZVWM/s1600/IMG_1633.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526817195980861746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXTKn_0Q7lELnOZYRh5WdcJ_lH_MvZFG-ch4CVQvXsm2b_333iDZocyN5y_tYM3O2W1GwJ8gi0VLQayqiHbi66eOkPZmldMoGf1okxG9zUjwYLL4RtXhd71RtLtWEetpebUAkpDv7ZVWM/s400/IMG_1633.JPG" /></a><br />- Helping one of Brian's classmates move (to a fifth story walk-up)<br /><br />- Attending Axon's baby shower in Maryland<br /><br />- Exploring New England with my mom, aunt, and grandma, who visited for a week </p><p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfVotcvVZDoo3a-TcXajrFrB6EfYLec8K7qY4M_JfTEfaWukX6EOxVuALRC9EE_Lvi-gILlDO_oCh5Fg_QlI0j6mF2irmm4dZvM_kFDCHbVNOAjvkOHdq1OsTrn6MnxWqtGR66YBxL4VM/s1600/IMG_1646.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526817208520796418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfVotcvVZDoo3a-TcXajrFrB6EfYLec8K7qY4M_JfTEfaWukX6EOxVuALRC9EE_Lvi-gILlDO_oCh5Fg_QlI0j6mF2irmm4dZvM_kFDCHbVNOAjvkOHdq1OsTrn6MnxWqtGR66YBxL4VM/s400/IMG_1646.JPG" /></a><br />- Hiking in the Blue Hills with some ladies from church<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyXqE2p4tLwFqEWH4Mb9fpdHUKWmKpE2_kUk8PALBur_tzDDYlndgCC1XgVk9JrpveLnobryklAyDWJBbOP5MelP_CTrVU7e-wAqPzo4PU_3UH1-zxUfRPQMTCVJNQF_q4hx00eOfxjT4/s1600/IMG_1692.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526817215153455522" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyXqE2p4tLwFqEWH4Mb9fpdHUKWmKpE2_kUk8PALBur_tzDDYlndgCC1XgVk9JrpveLnobryklAyDWJBbOP5MelP_CTrVU7e-wAqPzo4PU_3UH1-zxUfRPQMTCVJNQF_q4hx00eOfxjT4/s400/IMG_1692.JPG" /></a><br />Hooray for a great end to the summer!</p>Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15816995372527279642noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5145467654887895608.post-70660932901658528192010-07-31T16:08:00.008-04:002010-07-31T16:25:00.518-04:00ProgressFor two weeks, our belongings set dumped exactly where we left them when we moved in:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOCyaIH5tx2s_AUGnwT5ibMm4bzBUVx6dv0iZVwTNLWBWt-z5klTkGfI_veTfGOpln4cITpISACY82oIRNdNjCjtZhWPD7cPSv3NLqaBJCUXt7mfDeRhcqV1clBof9ywrtElsxxC9vLqg/s1600/IMG_1574.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOCyaIH5tx2s_AUGnwT5ibMm4bzBUVx6dv0iZVwTNLWBWt-z5klTkGfI_veTfGOpln4cITpISACY82oIRNdNjCjtZhWPD7cPSv3NLqaBJCUXt7mfDeRhcqV1clBof9ywrtElsxxC9vLqg/s400/IMG_1574.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500166780893140738" /></a><br /><br />But we returned from our trip to Oregon Tuesday night; and ever since then, we've been moving in. Here is a time lapse series showing our progress:<br /><br />Day 1<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ipIebW0J1VeQdjrRl9TeOd4M7QEwuBEImG9H9lqfgZ9UCq4L6QbEMUmTSposObm2do9sqWO7IKu0ptJva9T0Tdw_BRhMOcWHwohgLhvcW8QD9a43nRXo5gkQuniQRHOXtM9hVGgwWS0/s1600/IMG_1592.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ipIebW0J1VeQdjrRl9TeOd4M7QEwuBEImG9H9lqfgZ9UCq4L6QbEMUmTSposObm2do9sqWO7IKu0ptJva9T0Tdw_BRhMOcWHwohgLhvcW8QD9a43nRXo5gkQuniQRHOXtM9hVGgwWS0/s400/IMG_1592.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500166790337384914" /></a><br /><br />Day 2<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMRfVamSZ1NCP1qhifqR2Pdiw8ZTjFVZIme6ELZqh3rfCaFPJ89WkFy0gaU0bYYZYb88bKLA4jG1iavfYy0zVSqF_RRi_MlEqhaGCtizKK5slFThu-jvjvPBF1CN1S99r-CpCY3PVZCu4/s1600/IMG_1595.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMRfVamSZ1NCP1qhifqR2Pdiw8ZTjFVZIme6ELZqh3rfCaFPJ89WkFy0gaU0bYYZYb88bKLA4jG1iavfYy0zVSqF_RRi_MlEqhaGCtizKK5slFThu-jvjvPBF1CN1S99r-CpCY3PVZCu4/s400/IMG_1595.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500166794910858418" /></a><br /><br />Day 3<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLuX9eyZ1e0nR2Thv4shQyfEmGZe61sghcE0tgkD3fpyMbf9-1uQzM1xJCDD_ZOZGKZO7ReaybTKcWZhO3jP8isSIspZQdHcAerU-X3jrekf6aao-zBnamu_RFqpvl47BHEijR4rTJyjQ/s1600/IMG_1597.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLuX9eyZ1e0nR2Thv4shQyfEmGZe61sghcE0tgkD3fpyMbf9-1uQzM1xJCDD_ZOZGKZO7ReaybTKcWZhO3jP8isSIspZQdHcAerU-X3jrekf6aao-zBnamu_RFqpvl47BHEijR4rTJyjQ/s400/IMG_1597.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500166799713169170" /></a><br />We're still hunting for things from time to time, but we're slowly getting everything where it belongs!Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15816995372527279642noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5145467654887895608.post-22989073238059383662010-07-24T19:27:00.007-04:002010-07-24T19:36:29.386-04:00Wedding PhotosI completely ignored my camera yesterday, so I have to send you elsewhere to see photos. But the pictures are far more beautiful than I would have taken anyway!<br /><br /><a href="http://ourfotovitae.com/blog/2010/07/erin-gil-2/">The main event of our trip...</a>Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15816995372527279642noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5145467654887895608.post-58384139871782951212010-07-05T19:51:00.005-04:002010-07-05T20:21:08.047-04:00Goodbye, Little ApartmentThere's been a lot to celebrate these past few months, and we've been busy celebrating it all! In the line-up of this blog, I'm letting go of sharing about all of those events; but there's one thing I don't want to pass undocumented. We're saying good-bye to this little apartment next week:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigBmo07VZbBER2AENNgyg-YCzbL8x_ZNQPLidvnIe4B_tf11gzD_HCnZSYNIxrMcRsZ_DXMXaNOJGh9pHb_BUCznkRSUu9V_kID_f1XZsxPN6RQJbKs0Z3q2Xa4pUvXuZX3ccc7svOopk/s1600/Living+room+1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigBmo07VZbBER2AENNgyg-YCzbL8x_ZNQPLidvnIe4B_tf11gzD_HCnZSYNIxrMcRsZ_DXMXaNOJGh9pHb_BUCznkRSUu9V_kID_f1XZsxPN6RQJbKs0Z3q2Xa4pUvXuZX3ccc7svOopk/s400/Living+room+1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490574847196380962" /></a><br /><br />Next week we'll be at a new place, and once we have it all set up, I'll invite you in. But between now and then, hopefully we'll get to see you at another celebration we wouldn't miss for anything - Brian's sister's wedding!Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15816995372527279642noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5145467654887895608.post-68713441476788803752010-05-09T09:11:00.008-04:002010-05-09T09:40:29.503-04:00Rhubarb Crunch<div>It seems to be what <a href="http://www.thewednesdaychef.com/the_wednesday_chef/2010/05/rhubarb-raspberry-betty.html">all</a> the <a href="http://orangette.blogspot.com/2010/03/lot-of-rhubarb.html">cooks</a> I read are blogging about these days - but who can blame them? Rhubarb is just SO YUMMY! And I have my own recipe I crave every spring, which comes from the cookbook put out by the Mennonite church I attended as a child. However, don't follow that recipe, because it has typos that will cause your crunch to fail. Rather, bake it from here:<br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>Rhubarb Crunch</strong></span></div><br /><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmWx09SCVhcUlaTIZ3sdp6KxIQt-wSAObm11g5D9Ogj0UdDai5XjulCUgbiHVfJN-thoiwAjQWzzfJjhCCAKLv0WAe45zs6o_9c3grMhZ6xz4GB2yP_qWO50B0WD2RhoJkNV6ESub-YE4/s1600/IMG_0547.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469263964158068594" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmWx09SCVhcUlaTIZ3sdp6KxIQt-wSAObm11g5D9Ogj0UdDai5XjulCUgbiHVfJN-thoiwAjQWzzfJjhCCAKLv0WAe45zs6o_9c3grMhZ6xz4GB2yP_qWO50B0WD2RhoJkNV6ESub-YE4/s400/IMG_0547.JPG" /></a><br /><u>Filling</u><br />5 c. sliced rhubarb<br /><br /><u>Crust</u><br />1 c. all-purpose flour<br />1 c. brown sugar<br />1 c. thin-rolled oats<br />1/2 c. melted butter<br /><br /><u>Sauce</u><br />1 c. water<br />1 c. sugar<br />2 T. + 1 t. cornstarch<br />1 t. vanilla<br />pinch salt<br /><br />1. Wash, trim, and chop the rhubarb.<br />2. Preheat the oven to 350-375*.<br />3. Mix the crust ingredients. Press 3/4 of this mixture into the bottom and up the sides of an 8x8 baking dish. Dump the rhubarb into this crust and shake the dish to even it out in the crust.<br />4. In a small saucepan, whisk together the water, sugar and cornstarch. Set over high heat and bring to a boil, whisking until thickened. Add the salt and vanilla.<br />5. Pour the sauce over the rhubarb, and sprinkle with the reserved crust mixture.<br />6. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until rhubarb is cooked.<br />7. Let cool for 2-3 hours to allow the sauce to cool and rethicken. Serve with vanilla ice cream.</div>Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15816995372527279642noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5145467654887895608.post-67934636770838564982010-05-02T14:27:00.009-04:002010-05-02T15:24:43.012-04:00Roughing ItOne personality trait of mine that differs greatly from my husband's is the enjoyment of doing things differently. I love to try new foods, have new experiences, mix things up a little! Brian, on the other hand, is perfectly content to eat peanut butter and jelly every day for lunch.<br /><br />One way in which this trait manifests itself is that I love power outages. Suddenly, the everyday way of living life - flipping on a switch, cooking a soup, vaccuming the floor - has to be changed. Sometimes, the same task is accomplished a different way, and we pull out candles and flashlights. Other tasks just get set aside for the time being, and we ignore the vacuuming to play a board game. Now, I'm not sure if this enjoyment would continue if we lived in Kamchatka and our fuel supply was shut off for the winter; but the few and far between times that service is interrupted, I love it!<br /><br />This week, though, we are roughing it in a new way. Last night, <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5geDUvZfc7dzGJd8oa6hV7msLnuEwD9FEPS0O1">the pipe that supplies Boston's water broke,</a> and <a href="http://www.mwra.com/02org/html/whatis.htm">approximately two million people</a> were left without potable water.<br /><br />Now this is an interesting situation! I have lived with no water before, as my parents used to have a low-yield, electric pumped well. But here we have no shortage of water. It's just that the water is coming from a reservoir I have seen the ducks swimming in, and thus it's not suitable to drink or with which to sanitize dishes and hands. So we are boiling water and queuing to buy bottled water.<br /><br />I'm sorry for those of you out there with personalities like Brian's - who would rather have life be essentially the same from day to day. <br /><br />That said, what fun! I wash the dishes in our house (at least, during the school year), so I am enjoying this challenge of washing and rinsing with boiled water. The trickiest part? Let me just say, having water flow out of a faucet suspended above a dish is a very handy thing!Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15816995372527279642noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5145467654887895608.post-17644631896093961362010-04-19T15:11:00.009-04:002010-04-19T16:13:51.936-04:00Patriots' DayHappy Patriots' Day, everyone!<br /><br />What?!? You've never heard of Patriots' Day? Patriots' Day is a New England holiday commemorating the battle at which "The Shot Heard Round The World" was fired. You know which one I'm talking about, right?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-951fKIUy9SMdElDbHOeX1jeK5Mx8lVYDGlRWCHhUlVSJsqEaHxJL6Wo8-RTJAcid4yt2GGa4Cp85jS0vc_yROdA7iUEShgU3G_SskK8yIxd_zMgIcx6n7o2-Pldfsa0GfK5gVp6OyU/s1600/IMG_0283+b.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-951fKIUy9SMdElDbHOeX1jeK5Mx8lVYDGlRWCHhUlVSJsqEaHxJL6Wo8-RTJAcid4yt2GGa4Cp85jS0vc_yROdA7iUEShgU3G_SskK8yIxd_zMgIcx6n7o2-Pldfsa0GfK5gVp6OyU/s400/IMG_0283+b.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461932021960545410" /></a><br /><br />Last year, my parents were visiting over Patriots' Day; and they were troopers, taking the bus with me up to Lexington to see the re-enactments put on by various local militia and regiments.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSKlcqe_zwfBtZMpHISHAtPlu5WGuv30D9m0TzlSV9fJyFzqTMEHg0tNyVaGSc3YVOJ-_41qmtiGKDpO_sKb8Wc7-61Ell90QHiXloCSAXzrjrhOlVd4hcJYouMpV4tSuYRIcyH7sbPTU/s1600/IMG_0330.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSKlcqe_zwfBtZMpHISHAtPlu5WGuv30D9m0TzlSV9fJyFzqTMEHg0tNyVaGSc3YVOJ-_41qmtiGKDpO_sKb8Wc7-61Ell90QHiXloCSAXzrjrhOlVd4hcJYouMpV4tSuYRIcyH7sbPTU/s400/IMG_0330.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461934030951832306" /></a><br /><br /><br />The other big event held on Patriots' Day is the Boston Marathon. Our first year, we checked it out by walking out to the point nearest our house to watch the people running by. This year, though, I decided to go downtown and watch the runners cross the finish line. The office where I work is a perfect vantage point: <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNvhjgMy8iAqoVPxBSe-XByEeZoiQUoepFqD5Y_-8ou_NAYy5urxSGpD4iYT5qw00MwOeIJQtuD3p3Wr9XToPInj-HNX9vhUPK_5APo3LtRKLg2Bx1FQiBn24IwoDfRR27hSlw4wOfNDI/s1600/IMG_1317.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNvhjgMy8iAqoVPxBSe-XByEeZoiQUoepFqD5Y_-8ou_NAYy5urxSGpD4iYT5qw00MwOeIJQtuD3p3Wr9XToPInj-HNX9vhUPK_5APo3LtRKLg2Bx1FQiBn24IwoDfRR27hSlw4wOfNDI/s400/IMG_1317.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461940837945781170" /></a><br />Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot, a Kenyan farmer,<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Uy571evhjNh21MKIeT7MDZqE_hsHmuWDBY6Ey40aSIw9bKUbItOXyEs6k3a3X0b7Pq8iYFjjfyZn6l6-sBkWXn0TnL9Hz1Sl5IRhiVicNn9Z3w06NoYS9PTcYbgvDeRNgo-u8l9VTSE/s1600/IMG_1318.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Uy571evhjNh21MKIeT7MDZqE_hsHmuWDBY6Ey40aSIw9bKUbItOXyEs6k3a3X0b7Pq8iYFjjfyZn6l6-sBkWXn0TnL9Hz1Sl5IRhiVicNn9Z3w06NoYS9PTcYbgvDeRNgo-u8l9VTSE/s400/IMG_1318.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461940849478142082" /></a><br />crossing the finish line!<br /><br />After watching people come down the road for about an hour, I walked up towards BU. There were lots more runners at this point!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBI4RuFenmAoVTSjYXAeBck8jWob6BGejDX7U1_5ll_KhxWb_fEC9-hj0S6iCeebAnBBAZvesg8-6PAipxK2NTLtxvKf5UzOFUyai-sZZQF5MHSnOX3IXUAASS7zUJDf-qzRWmHesAOgM/s1600/IMG_1365.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBI4RuFenmAoVTSjYXAeBck8jWob6BGejDX7U1_5ll_KhxWb_fEC9-hj0S6iCeebAnBBAZvesg8-6PAipxK2NTLtxvKf5UzOFUyai-sZZQF5MHSnOX3IXUAASS7zUJDf-qzRWmHesAOgM/s400/IMG_1365.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461943700191103426" /></a><br /><br /><br />And then, I went and found someone who is running his own marathon of a sort:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP_T6eM4tl-oncVRPd5aWFXxjnP8vEAZg3jB_it3FAM1_33r_hQilFR2bNEDgMoloVUicVDDyw-gmrvazGLpS-1MCQ6gbCSFBMew6-bHuA3odfX2UrlvBWwWbHF3lXjGClZY_UxVSDVwU/s1600/IMG_1374.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP_T6eM4tl-oncVRPd5aWFXxjnP8vEAZg3jB_it3FAM1_33r_hQilFR2bNEDgMoloVUicVDDyw-gmrvazGLpS-1MCQ6gbCSFBMew6-bHuA3odfX2UrlvBWwWbHF3lXjGClZY_UxVSDVwU/s400/IMG_1374.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461940859203401538" /></a><br /><br />Happy Patriots' Day!Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15816995372527279642noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5145467654887895608.post-25296236358640525042010-04-15T20:25:00.011-04:002010-04-15T20:49:46.933-04:00Brian's DiagnosisOnce again this year, my birthday has come and gone, and my generous family and friends have showered me with gifts related to my expressed interests. Yesterday, I was looking over all these treasures, and sighing to Brian that, while I am excited about all these gifts, they all contribute to new hobbies: bread cookbooks, a pastry mat, and a picture book of wholecloth quilts. Don't I have enough hobbies - cooking ... stamp collecting ... tatting ... tap dancing ... tea ... crosstitching ... reading literature ... growing herbs - already? I haven't mastered these old hobbies yet! In fact, I've hardly put any time into them lately! What am I thinking embarking on new hobbies?<br /><br />Hearing my sigh, Brian explained: Having all these hobbies is understandable - I merely have a <a href="http://www.yourdictionary.com/meta-prefix">meta-</a>hobby of collecting hobbies. Thanks, Brian - another one to add to that list!Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15816995372527279642noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5145467654887895608.post-54081781100307452212010-04-06T09:11:00.004-04:002010-04-06T22:10:28.144-04:00Authors AppearingOne of the fun things about living in a big city is having the opportunity to see famous people in the flesh. Now for some, this excitement surrounds actors and directors shooting movies; others stand in line for hours for concerts and broadway show tickets. But Brian and I? We get excited when authors make appearances!<br /><br />Last night, one such author, who I have followed for two or three years on her blog <a href="http://www.orangette.blogspot.com">Orangette</a>, made an appearance at a local bookstore. I couldn't have been happier!<br /><br />I arrived fifteen minutes early and got one of the last seats in the house. Looking around, I had to laugh - even America's Test Kitchen staff come out to hear Molly Wizenberg!<br /><br />She started off talking about what draws her to food - not just the taste or the creative aspect, but the memories that are made through the acts of preparing and eating. Then, after reading a chapter from the book, she humored us by answering questions. <br /><br />I worked up the courage to ask her if she had a bread cookbook she could recommend. She gave me two: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Local-Breads-Sourdough-Whole-Grain-Recipes/dp/0393050556/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270599924&sr=8-1">Local Breads</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bread-Bakers-Apprentice-Mastering-Extraordinary/dp/1580082688/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270600024&sr=1-1">The Bread Baker's Apprentice</a>.<br /><br />How handy! My birthday is this weekend! And I even provided links!Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15816995372527279642noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5145467654887895608.post-80786176542745301852010-02-23T18:00:00.001-05:002010-02-23T18:08:22.328-05:00Cooking Contest Déjà VuBack when I was in junior high, one of the biggest events of the summer was on-site 4-H cooking contests at the county fair. The premise of the contest was to show a judge that you could safely and sucessfully produce an appetizing dish for your guest (the judge) in a set amount of time. So much preparation went into those contests! The menu had to be chosen and the recipe written out on a poster. The dish had to be prepared several times at home to make sure you knew all the steps and how to accomplish them. The timer had to be set to make sure you were done chopping and assembling in time to get your food cooked. The equipment - every last piece you would need - had to be packed up and taken down to the fairground. In reality, it was an ordeal; but mastering it, along with many "tricks" judges loved (like a paper bag for scraps taped to the edge of the counter) netted both blue ribbons and meals my mom felt comfortable letting us make unattended in the kitchen. Was there anything else learned in these events? Maybe so.<br /><br />This last weekend, our church group committed to baking a meal for 20 for our local Ronald McDonald House, and I took on the planning. Suddenly, I found myself in a very familiar place: considering oven space, plotting out timelines, listing ingredients and equipment. Never did I realize what I learned doing those contests!<br /><br />On the menu was baked manicotti, sauteed broccolini, garlic bread, and chocolate chip cookies. Of course, the big difference between making this meal and those contests was that this time, there were many hands working together.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioQq7u6je39aGqd1P4Y7obiXpF0yEIxVGDJSjhG2V89QlCl7veZ2ZHII0hqZiY1q_x7FFGTyhpVqbXKxyRV_ra-aXyoyhDIwxxm6hz-DafV4rLmjHbguV2teVut2dQgETJdiC3ebXZf-A/s1600-h/IMG_1283.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioQq7u6je39aGqd1P4Y7obiXpF0yEIxVGDJSjhG2V89QlCl7veZ2ZHII0hqZiY1q_x7FFGTyhpVqbXKxyRV_ra-aXyoyhDIwxxm6hz-DafV4rLmjHbguV2teVut2dQgETJdiC3ebXZf-A/s400/IMG_1283.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441573085903448706" /></a><br />Rolling cookies!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjCn_XJgG_-UMnEBESI3izipvheNN4qB2BfYbkGodAbD2rr26_rVUIOBsW8TD256c0HGDj8ZU9HRTXV5Ik_dAX_JXBx2Jbptby2ZpmmamuUvItuulvs8V7h8jtkhgb6_WSx43STIAduk/s1600-h/IMG_1284.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjCn_XJgG_-UMnEBESI3izipvheNN4qB2BfYbkGodAbD2rr26_rVUIOBsW8TD256c0HGDj8ZU9HRTXV5Ik_dAX_JXBx2Jbptby2ZpmmamuUvItuulvs8V7h8jtkhgb6_WSx43STIAduk/s400/IMG_1284.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441573085305730114" /></a><br />Soaking noodles!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPSeAJ3LN-kZ85QjrddPa0uJ0RgSYmwmUHEF4Rm_arboSJvOSHFfiiDWRKAZw_X1a4FG0QBG1pirx1Jix7duA8C1SU6wwQ80KvNKPCNReXQWW-AfxEMhsbu0GgxZH6bI-D9_ixwzWHD_g/s1600-h/IMG_1286.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPSeAJ3LN-kZ85QjrddPa0uJ0RgSYmwmUHEF4Rm_arboSJvOSHFfiiDWRKAZw_X1a4FG0QBG1pirx1Jix7duA8C1SU6wwQ80KvNKPCNReXQWW-AfxEMhsbu0GgxZH6bI-D9_ixwzWHD_g/s400/IMG_1286.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441573096403606930" /></a><br />Chopping herbs!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9UIRl2YZ0LpoJULtACZUbVUJCYHMvfccJKgXWv-UgvWCEp0TsMCIMwKoEpRh3CI01Ipy67NxY897ydPyo-Ff7c7WsmHHxETVnSrCoFHz2Q6jCT0YrHWfSxX7LfstcEF-2IEJJAKplV2o/s1600-h/IMG_1288.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9UIRl2YZ0LpoJULtACZUbVUJCYHMvfccJKgXWv-UgvWCEp0TsMCIMwKoEpRh3CI01Ipy67NxY897ydPyo-Ff7c7WsmHHxETVnSrCoFHz2Q6jCT0YrHWfSxX7LfstcEF-2IEJJAKplV2o/s400/IMG_1288.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441573100539914114" /></a><br />And the meal comes together! Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures at the Ronald McDonald House, but we made twice as much as necessary so that we could eat dinner together as well.Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15816995372527279642noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5145467654887895608.post-64781194449296862642010-01-21T22:16:00.001-05:002010-01-21T22:35:09.062-05:00Christmas MoneyIn our house, there are two styles of dealing with money that is given to us as Christmas gifts. One of us sits down at the computer and pulls up a fresh spreadsheet. Then, each gift listed on one side of the page and ideas for spending it is listed on the other side. Columns are made to record what was bought with each gift, what part of it has been spent, and what part remains for dreaming. The other one of us deposits the money in the bank and half forgets about it until it becomes useful for justifying an occasional splurge.<br /><br />Now, at the word spreadsheet, you might think the first was me, but it's not. The one who meticulously plans out how his Christmas gift money is spent is Brian.<br /><br />However, after looking back over how I spent my Christmas gifts from last year (Did I? Oh yeah - new Danskos were bought in the name of Christmas!), Brian is converting me to his way of doing things. He even copied his spreadsheet for me.<br /><br />So now, what to spend it on! A few ideas have been rattling around my brain. First, Brian and I have been talking about whether we'd like a Wii, and I think we're going to take the plunge.<br /><br />Another thing I've been considering is how I can teach myself to do this: <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgO1sYb2ZGDX-x4qYhodKYUu-wrPt_jx7ZztwlPwxLDFtKjk3l2DqOfxLKHMhah7Y86PFPDba4NENRbGjkmE43-8yGZkZT5BUV1ONtwQ6La2Xx7IeSRI4oyazcQP-Kxb99t7XBBhQFuw/s1600-h/webquilt.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 246px; height: 280px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgO1sYb2ZGDX-x4qYhodKYUu-wrPt_jx7ZztwlPwxLDFtKjk3l2DqOfxLKHMhah7Y86PFPDba4NENRbGjkmE43-8yGZkZT5BUV1ONtwQ6La2Xx7IeSRI4oyazcQP-Kxb99t7XBBhQFuw/s400/webquilt.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424205467202364226" /></a><br />It's called wholecloth quilting, and while I appreciate many types of quilts, this is the only one that I've ever wanted to try.<br /><br />And lastly, I've been thinking about replacing our cd player. My old one has started to get opinionated about what cds we listen to - sometimes, it just stops playing in the middle of one.<br /><br />So, I'm curious - what type of Christmas money spender are you? Do you save it carefully for just the right thing, or do you tend to stick it in your wallet and forget about it? For a quick answer, vote in the poll to the right; or you can vote and also leave a comment if you like!Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15816995372527279642noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5145467654887895608.post-80687793650157551782010-01-19T21:28:00.009-05:002010-01-19T22:02:59.588-05:00Lessons Learned in an Attempted RobberyAfter last week's little incident, I went in and made a formal report at the police station, and I learned a few things I thought I'd pass on:<br /><br />First, robbery of any kind - even if there's no weapon and it's not successful - is regarded as a fairly serious crime. I was a little surprised by that. I mean, I'm not particularly fearful each time I go out; but I do know several people who have been robbed once in their life. I kinda figured - you live in a big city, they're probably going to get you some time. Which may be true, but the police still take it quite seriously.<br /><br />Which leads me to my second lesson. Don't hesitate to call the police. And if you don't have their number, call 9-1-1. This one really surprised me! My judgement of the appropriateness for the use of 9-1-1 is probably a combination of hearing "9-1-1 IS ONLY FOR EMERGENCIES!" so many times and of believing "Emergencies are when someone is at risk of dying or losing a major asset (crashes and fires, etc.)." But actually, 9-1-1 is appropriate if there is a crime in progress (the assailant is still around) or if you feel you or someone else is in danger (such as the next person walking down that street - who I <em>was </em>worried about!). And if you still feel uncomfortable calling 9-1-1 for less dramatic incidents such as these, well then, Go! Right now! Put your local police headquarters' non-emergency phone number into your cell phone! It's in mine... now.<br /><br />And thirdly, the officer who took my report told me that even in direct confrontations like this, you should take note of any potential get-away car, as the robbers usually work in pairs and a man walking around with a purse looks mighty suspicious!Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15816995372527279642noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5145467654887895608.post-17985737029412854322010-01-13T21:49:00.008-05:002010-01-13T23:26:34.733-05:00Excitement of the Wrong KindI've been thinking a lot lately about the dangers of living in a big city. It has been on my mind because my mom is planning a trip to bring my grandma out here to visit us and the big city of Boston. However, one thing I know she worries about is being safe here in the city.<br /><br />Of course, this is somewhat justified - there are evil people out there who want to do bad things to us. But mostly, I consider her fear as coming from being in an unfamiliar setting. (And legitimately so – part of culture shock is not being able to read the cultural clues to determine what is a threatening situation. And she has never lived in a big city.) But the thing about being in a new culture is that once you live with it for awhile, you become more comfortable in it. We have found that our standard of a “safe neighborhood” has changed even since we moved here.<br /><br />I do take precautions, though. I always zip up my purse. I never talk on my cell phone while walking (you may feel safer, but you're less aware of what's going on around you). I try to walk confidently and with purpose towards a destination. But yes, mom, I go out after dark by myself.<br /><br />However, this evening I gained a new piece of information about being safe in the city. Now I know what purse snatchers look like!<br /><br />Tonight after visiting a friend, I walked down to our neighborhood Whole Foods. On the way back, I passed one or two people, but the third one was a little odd looking. Usually when passing people on the street, I try to look at their faces; but I couldn’t make out the face of this one approaching me. It looked like he had a scarf covering his whole face.<br /><br />Then, suddenly, he lunged at me and yanked down hard on my purse with both hands. I was only holding in my hand (rather than under my arm, which I’ve heard is better), but I was holding it tightly. I growl-screamed and looked behind me to see whether or not he had my purse. It all happened so fast, I wasn’t quite sure where I stood! But his hands were empty, and he was running on. <br /><br />I've heard it said before that bad things are always worse in your imagination than they are in real life. And I think that was true in this case. I had an adrenaline rush for the next few blocks, but by the time I had gotten to the T station, I was laughing and thanking God that I didn’t lose my id, my cell phone, my T pass, my keys, my money, my bank cards, and everything else I carry around with me in that purse! And I was thinking that I will never again carry a purse with a breaking strap. (And Brian says I should say that I won’t ever go walking after dark by myself again too; but well, we’ll see how long that lasts! At least, I won't go walking down that street after dark again.)<br /> <br />Mom, Gramby, Aunts & Sisters? I hope this doesn't scare y'all from coming! I'm really excited about your trip!Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15816995372527279642noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5145467654887895608.post-76088811625735295172009-12-20T22:27:00.005-05:002009-12-20T22:35:09.517-05:00Signs of Christmas at our House<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6NL1nGA6g_qgoodkDX5y4WHryS09VkCjK8ydDUFAfDNLahMKO0QatHSodhzbCw10_rCl2-qOD2O-NRCI1DKlfeZZFsWD3nZKzQxWOnpaTOUANi1Yt-fv0yjsHYbEBqPf1pnbiZ1R94_8/s1600-h/IMG_1171.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6NL1nGA6g_qgoodkDX5y4WHryS09VkCjK8ydDUFAfDNLahMKO0QatHSodhzbCw10_rCl2-qOD2O-NRCI1DKlfeZZFsWD3nZKzQxWOnpaTOUANi1Yt-fv0yjsHYbEBqPf1pnbiZ1R94_8/s400/IMG_1171.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417527418248694162" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSUAg_phxiyVCAtSCGO7N9VQdP2BB3Dio5gFbYiLpbKqHLAp1zkZf_FZWf1KHXKbXQQFCoSymgWL7aigtY65gNTtwdBhkPmEQc0QT2UeZASgc9mj9OkHVm1X2aKJAnBGThA2fQ4rJ536s/s1600-h/IMG_1180.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSUAg_phxiyVCAtSCGO7N9VQdP2BB3Dio5gFbYiLpbKqHLAp1zkZf_FZWf1KHXKbXQQFCoSymgWL7aigtY65gNTtwdBhkPmEQc0QT2UeZASgc9mj9OkHVm1X2aKJAnBGThA2fQ4rJ536s/s400/IMG_1180.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417527412774373010" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhR5KwzRRo4pQfbYSk64XCYq7vC_RBeYP7l0jvWqypRreQlBb3CGJO1DV6RaI6KB7s7t9Qzy26EO-5ZLVS2A12fke9CqqykDSXk69boTPR_vPjQ5ubwpsswQ-bK3MnXLQ2GCOh1nNAUX4/s1600-h/IMG_1200.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhR5KwzRRo4pQfbYSk64XCYq7vC_RBeYP7l0jvWqypRreQlBb3CGJO1DV6RaI6KB7s7t9Qzy26EO-5ZLVS2A12fke9CqqykDSXk69boTPR_vPjQ5ubwpsswQ-bK3MnXLQ2GCOh1nNAUX4/s400/IMG_1200.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417527404812416242" /></a><br /><br />(And a quick tip for all of you perfectionists out there frustrated with your bow tying abilities: turn your package upside down and then tie the bow. I've found this works every time and saves me much agony!)Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15816995372527279642noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5145467654887895608.post-78575894474449902112009-11-22T15:24:00.022-05:002009-11-22T17:24:25.041-05:00Rendering Leaf LardI really enjoy baking pies. I won't go as far as my mom, who says "Pie is the easiest dessert ever!" But I'm sure my comfort level with them comes from her entheusiasm for their ease.<br /><br />Growing up, we always used Crisco to make our pie crusts, and they were easy to handle and flaky. However, in high school, my grandma started telling me about the evils of Crisco, and I have been searching for a better ingredient for pies since. I've tried the olive oil pie crusts, the all butter pie crusts, and the non-hydrogenated-shortenings-from-Whole-Foods pie crusts. However, nothing is quite as good as Crisco. Which leaves me with one last thing to try before I either give up on a perfect pie crust or give up on holding out on Crisco: Lard. Specifically, leaf lard, the least meaty-smelling lard found on a pig. And the ingredient my great grandma used in her pie crusts.<br /><br />I eagerly bought two slabs from our farmer's market a few weeks ago, asking as I slipped the packages into my bag, "Now, this is rendered, right?" (Rendered fat is ready to use.) And she said ... No.<br /><br />So, this weekend, in preparation for holiday baking, I took on the rendering. This is what it looked like. (Warning: Pictures ahead. If you are grossed out by fat, do not go on!)<br /><br />First, I did some "research" by trying to find someone online who could explain the process to me. Unfortunately, everyone seems to have a slightly different opinion of how it's done, and no one sounds very authorative. And yet, the basics are pretty basic: melt the fat off, strain it, cool it. Other things I read were - low heat, long time, smelly, greasy, outdoors. Hmm... outdoors is not an option for me, but I really don't want a smelly, greasy house either!<br /><br />I started by chopping up the pieces. I had found someone who mentioned two ways to render the lard - wet rendering and dry rendering. The difference between the two is how much water you put in with the lard. With dry rendering, you just put in a few tablespoons to cover the bottom of the pan until the lard starts melting. With wet rendering, you fill up the pan to cover the lard. Supposedly, the water in the wet rendering helps to keep the fat melting at a low temperature and the resulting lard will have less of a meaty taste. However, with this process, you don't end up with cracklings - those mysterious things referred to in <em>Little House in the Big Woods</em>. But a tasteless lard sounds good for my pie crusts, so I decided to go the wet route.<br /><br />I chopped up my leaf lard<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjarRe_K7pIDtdpFdJFePtd0C1AdTKjcP0vNYQyzqWfbCDjrUC0ny-k8gRWy8qcA-MF044FPir_s1yD1KJKNU9xUhI915nf1s4a6yk9HDpzpXfptm3GTPEUa69CSCL-QbGLT7o1n5xXap8/s1600/IMG_1135.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407042576831292274" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjarRe_K7pIDtdpFdJFePtd0C1AdTKjcP0vNYQyzqWfbCDjrUC0ny-k8gRWy8qcA-MF044FPir_s1yD1KJKNU9xUhI915nf1s4a6yk9HDpzpXfptm3GTPEUa69CSCL-QbGLT7o1n5xXap8/s400/IMG_1135.JPG" /></a><br />and added water up to the top of the lard. Then I set the pan on low on my electric stove. Then, fearing greatly those terms "smelly" and "greasy," I set up a fan to blow over the top of our stove out the kitchen window.<br /><br />One hour later, the pan looked like this:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtyGnfKiB6vTheTppgaCU1uZZd0XADBTSE1FO-N_cLFfYFPl0qV8J08Bm8F5bL0YFg5vC4C2lQCjZf5JuO_XXUSgkROAusNL0UyssnK8fFOqjcT9Vz4WSKRQc325CfKBAukXQXDeetGRM/s1600/IMG_1136.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407042584818744722" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtyGnfKiB6vTheTppgaCU1uZZd0XADBTSE1FO-N_cLFfYFPl0qV8J08Bm8F5bL0YFg5vC4C2lQCjZf5JuO_XXUSgkROAusNL0UyssnK8fFOqjcT9Vz4WSKRQc325CfKBAukXQXDeetGRM/s400/IMG_1136.JPG" /></a><br />Two hours later, it looked like this:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJKQYlx2KW7OeQROPOZYKS2zSCPlWQKmOZFJOErbge02FmdJhNRr4EPEPU5cSIcQjD55pYa-dwH0P5cObDSfG9pYY2GNcgFO2RlMMSvRpH7nNJtL7VqnQtLp20-yb-AsuLQLjB0kat2YM/s1600/IMG_1137.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407042589369651746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJKQYlx2KW7OeQROPOZYKS2zSCPlWQKmOZFJOErbge02FmdJhNRr4EPEPU5cSIcQjD55pYa-dwH0P5cObDSfG9pYY2GNcgFO2RlMMSvRpH7nNJtL7VqnQtLp20-yb-AsuLQLjB0kat2YM/s400/IMG_1137.JPG" /></a><br />(It was smelly while it was cooking, but I was pleased that I didn't notice any lingering smells this morning when I came back to the kitchen.)<br /><br />Six hours later, it looked like this:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXWYGTPrkzYMX3ZPx_14hirrPHb0iTs08xke0Lsk5UIfPGTQE365NdfiyxC_nNHF8BiWODYNfs3HtOHFVT1v0Dy9v4blteWMltv-7zfP3fiQjBfTEAOOvuVIqJgVXXpRWjNEwboIAo_Kg/s1600/IMG_1138.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407042596340520290" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXWYGTPrkzYMX3ZPx_14hirrPHb0iTs08xke0Lsk5UIfPGTQE365NdfiyxC_nNHF8BiWODYNfs3HtOHFVT1v0Dy9v4blteWMltv-7zfP3fiQjBfTEAOOvuVIqJgVXXpRWjNEwboIAo_Kg/s400/IMG_1138.JPG" /></a><br />One source I read had said the process would take six to eight hours, but it didn't seem like we had made much progress in the last four hours, so I decided to quit and to strain off what I had. This was the fruit of my labor (the top part is the fat; the lower part the water):<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_HWNqgXdK9kGQqiqJKHmHL2w8b85ED98XYcFltihw-o24rccvPXjOJ3BXKDDv3o0HvKWiCMeSL2h02-aesPuP68ABxBupESrSG7rc7kIbjgBvLqTCUDsL6UttEr5Jjq1_u-NYLK8Ih4/s1600/IMG_1142+straightened.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 295px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_HWNqgXdK9kGQqiqJKHmHL2w8b85ED98XYcFltihw-o24rccvPXjOJ3BXKDDv3o0HvKWiCMeSL2h02-aesPuP68ABxBupESrSG7rc7kIbjgBvLqTCUDsL6UttEr5Jjq1_u-NYLK8Ih4/s400/IMG_1142+straightened.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407054344868281522" /></a><br />Not very thrilling for $12 worth of lard! However, the strained part -<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGB0IQKoossU-ISZRXlfoADAyzhrHpJ1Wbvk5orr_5u5i4SInyTXGbVIuJdo6OW8az2XRK2ki7afC2p3gV8G8qf-VWeDKBXXEugnndRafaKj_vjpPYV-yQp1ilQcyMrc26hCUDkG9NkU/s1600/IMG_1140.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407042599199890882" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGB0IQKoossU-ISZRXlfoADAyzhrHpJ1Wbvk5orr_5u5i4SInyTXGbVIuJdo6OW8az2XRK2ki7afC2p3gV8G8qf-VWeDKBXXEugnndRafaKj_vjpPYV-yQp1ilQcyMrc26hCUDkG9NkU/s400/IMG_1140.JPG" /></a><br />still looked awfully fatty, so I decided to throw it back into a pan to see if it gave off any more fat. I skipped the water this time, essentially doing a dry rendering. Soon, my lard had doubled. Once again, I threw the strained part back into the pan to see if it gave off any more fat, and again -<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP8Dae9hBbaWpWMa8DJ-96-RZqrVwdqUZ5aRNm6W12gev6dIdcYY6eOvTiQIfVlj-TosLfc3OQVyvJElWdkf928TFlsrIfFk_ToHGVoDkRi-FvRZKPOWKACeoHYc4UAEOe9a_pf6E5eTg/s1600/IMG_1146.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407043394582316818" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP8Dae9hBbaWpWMa8DJ-96-RZqrVwdqUZ5aRNm6W12gev6dIdcYY6eOvTiQIfVlj-TosLfc3OQVyvJElWdkf928TFlsrIfFk_ToHGVoDkRi-FvRZKPOWKACeoHYc4UAEOe9a_pf6E5eTg/s400/IMG_1146.JPG" /></a><br />liquid seeped out of those bits. Finally, I was just left with this, which I assume is something like cracklings:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIuc93NaAPYjIXXs-iOgk0qc2kX-ekIVr4LNurenXnnOKoss404m7U79ZjTe6fJJs_qevTddvSyiRFdGaC2TNG3YytAULkVtlKW-g5qTAGPXk5gX9G6v79yYxigChujlQQsORN_UBSoxI/s1600/IMG_1150.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407043402340092930" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIuc93NaAPYjIXXs-iOgk0qc2kX-ekIVr4LNurenXnnOKoss404m7U79ZjTe6fJJs_qevTddvSyiRFdGaC2TNG3YytAULkVtlKW-g5qTAGPXk5gX9G6v79yYxigChujlQQsORN_UBSoxI/s400/IMG_1150.JPG" /></a><br />When I had finished, my jar was close to the top.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPxujA7RUybrnRLAto2YQD8cs87xtNINDl1P8Ry-tJ2ZMYCWmcWEYrZ0saWOvlOQxYjuvB6Rr7XRurHMIgedfZFTnqLiAnQLrVIiBAfQh8ODTl3CpJvha2VDowP4H2vKlCx1TfQwlVCLg/s1600/IMG_1151.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407043408081445266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPxujA7RUybrnRLAto2YQD8cs87xtNINDl1P8Ry-tJ2ZMYCWmcWEYrZ0saWOvlOQxYjuvB6Rr7XRurHMIgedfZFTnqLiAnQLrVIiBAfQh8ODTl3CpJvha2VDowP4H2vKlCx1TfQwlVCLg/s400/IMG_1151.JPG" /></a><br />However, you can see in this jar, there is a line of water in the middle of my lard from one round of straining. Wanting a pure product for my baking, I melted it back down this afternoon, restrained it, and put it into a clean jar to be refrigerated until next week.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp6sw8zfddncO07ZzRbiXn5KWPiyshntinwvvvWvltc_xMy75FMirTw8wdKD7l86QOSAaRRdGl-Rb2puU1jnzL2f2dbbqHmiU8V6g652sIwpxhQa_yA2Ok9xglGVhYXjJlCDOfmZPhVN8/s1600/IMG_1153.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407050472918613522" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp6sw8zfddncO07ZzRbiXn5KWPiyshntinwvvvWvltc_xMy75FMirTw8wdKD7l86QOSAaRRdGl-Rb2puU1jnzL2f2dbbqHmiU8V6g652sIwpxhQa_yA2Ok9xglGVhYXjJlCDOfmZPhVN8/s400/IMG_1153.JPG" /></a><br />I've also done a little reading online of people's opinion of it in pie crusts, and my plan is to use it for half to two-thirds of my fat and butter as the rest. I'll report back on how the baking goes!Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15816995372527279642noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5145467654887895608.post-5323496186413216722009-11-10T21:01:00.014-05:002009-11-10T22:09:12.928-05:00Things I Want to Do in LifeThere are so many things I've found that I want to do over the course of my life!<br /><br />One of these things used to be to read a good chunk of the authors on <a href="http://www.interleaves.org/~rteeter/gbww.html">this</a> list. Thanks to Gutenberg, I now consider that done. Now, I want to read just about every novel on <a href="http://www.thebest100lists.com/best100novels/">this</a> list. Riding the subway every day, I'm working at this one!<br /><br />Another thing I always wanted to do was to learn to tat. Tatting is an old-fashioned lace making technique that looks like this:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-_6R4cyudGlqMZA9BqFxiSLUgUJcddptIpQ7qhZbjJIUybkkungx_kez-hNuU4hpCpCghVfuLHfUtwp79H4R9tNgnErqYsQaI8ICCDPIlzkWAykqCjtQbJBiDJwfCdFRbcUJTWw9t1pw/s1600-h/tatting.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 124px; height: 91px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-_6R4cyudGlqMZA9BqFxiSLUgUJcddptIpQ7qhZbjJIUybkkungx_kez-hNuU4hpCpCghVfuLHfUtwp79H4R9tNgnErqYsQaI8ICCDPIlzkWAykqCjtQbJBiDJwfCdFRbcUJTWw9t1pw/s400/tatting.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402673546594634578" /></a><br />(DISCLAIMER: I did not make this. It was a winning fair entry I found online.)<br /><br />Tatting can be learned from books, but having someone show you is much easier. And most of the people who knew how to tat were of our great-grandmas' generation. So, I feel quite fortunate that a friend of a friend gave me lessons right after I graduated from high-school.<br /><br />Then there is the math. Someday, I want to work all the way through Euclid's Thirteen Books of Geometry. And I also want to teach myself Algebra II.<br /><br />But right now, I'm tackling another item on my wish list. I'm taking tap dancing classes.<br /><br /><object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/VNEq9D3-ibY&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/VNEq9D3-ibY&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object><br /><br />Two classes in, I'm realizing I may not ever be the next Ginger Rodgers, but I'm hoping that I might sound good enough to do a little choreographed piece. So far, though, I feel like I'm all left feet!Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15816995372527279642noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5145467654887895608.post-74321988017981586902009-11-07T09:09:00.009-05:002009-11-07T10:05:06.585-05:00Happy Birthday, Brian!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgge4zFAHAwgSFvcvYMVdqnDE85AO6dgl9nHuAVJ4YBGdDOaUQwXM1NZJ6Lz3Y9rmqZh8Szd5FJe03TN8iutlpDdZlorTlIrVylSsB0189EZ0H0Sd7hecLOt_lqtb8_XzxynwXZmsKOAAs/s1600-h/IMG_1118.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgge4zFAHAwgSFvcvYMVdqnDE85AO6dgl9nHuAVJ4YBGdDOaUQwXM1NZJ6Lz3Y9rmqZh8Szd5FJe03TN8iutlpDdZlorTlIrVylSsB0189EZ0H0Sd7hecLOt_lqtb8_XzxynwXZmsKOAAs/s400/IMG_1118.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401366490730410066" /></a><br />Thursday was Brian's birthday, and we celebrated in full style! Brian bought us tickets to hear the Boston Symphony Orchestra play Beethoven's 8th and 9th Symphonies.<br /><br />For those of you who haven't begun humming yet, the 9th is the one that ends with the Ode to Joy. And you've probably never heard the 8th before.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFOv31E9DDHlTYNUQ4UKPSzHBwe_Zj2gCjCg8X40hJu4Zu5UnCyjwqVhx2_gMAq1STZcBi9zHMYCaDOI2gLDJw7hps_gGN4rStGjNn2bxHFzYr0fJGDaASU9ut9z7clKRtQdvHlg-fy4/s1600-h/IMG_1131.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFOv31E9DDHlTYNUQ4UKPSzHBwe_Zj2gCjCg8X40hJu4Zu5UnCyjwqVhx2_gMAq1STZcBi9zHMYCaDOI2gLDJw7hps_gGN4rStGjNn2bxHFzYr0fJGDaASU9ut9z7clKRtQdvHlg-fy4/s400/IMG_1131.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401366497392911842" /></a><br />The Ode to Joy is sung by a full choir. I don't think I've ever been to a professional choir performance! <br /><br />The other thing I really enjoyed at this concert was the pre-concert talk. During a pre-concert talk, a musicican will give a little background to the piece being played and also suggest things to listen for during the performance. Our teacher suggested we listen to the orchestra "discuss" what theme they are going to play in the 9th's fourth movement: various melodies from earlier in the piece are "suggested" until they break out into the familiar Ode to Joy.<br /><br />I was surprised to learn from the program notes, that the words being sung by the choir are not those I grew up with:<br /><br /><blockquote><a href="http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/j/o/joyful.htm">Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love;</a><br />Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above.<br />Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away;<br />Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day!</blockquote><br />but rather are a piece of Enlightenment poetry Beethoven set to music:<br /><blockquote><a href="http://bhabha.name/">Joy, beautiful divine spark,</a><br />Daughter of Elysium,<br />We enter, drunk with fire,<br />O heavenly one, your holy shrine.<br />Your magic once again bonds together<br />What custom strictly divided,<br />All Mankind become brothers<br />Where your gentle wings hold sway.</blockquote><br /><br />Brian really likes classical music. He grew up attending performances and pre-concert talks at the Oregon Bach Festival, he reads about the lives of musicians on his school breaks, and he seeks out the best recordings at used cd stores. I enjoy classical music, but I'm not nearly as interested in it as he is, so I wouldn't go to all the effort to learn about it as he does. I love being a sidekick to his interest, though! <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuE_0n0WuH8sA_67n3-brJDfmvmY_nRCKXoxRR0gmX6q-kX4t3OQp8KEijllOsORACI63pc3Da3XXyLUGypoJVp917aMLRbYIkCDjRPrthYpHH2zBZHGY_v9vnrZCAUz5NHkNtZZnl5_I/s1600-h/IMG_1104.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuE_0n0WuH8sA_67n3-brJDfmvmY_nRCKXoxRR0gmX6q-kX4t3OQp8KEijllOsORACI63pc3Da3XXyLUGypoJVp917aMLRbYIkCDjRPrthYpHH2zBZHGY_v9vnrZCAUz5NHkNtZZnl5_I/s400/IMG_1104.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401366484451317650" /></a>Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15816995372527279642noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5145467654887895608.post-28510100387063949522009-10-25T23:06:00.000-04:002009-10-25T23:11:23.150-04:00Lunches for OneMy husband and I have very different approaches to how we choose what we eat. Brian would be perfectly happy eating peanut butter sandwiches or Subway's parmesan chicken sandwiches every day for lunch. I, on the other hand, would prefer to eat something different every day, with the favorites rotated back in every once in awhile. Given the choice, we rarely choose to eat the same thing.<br /><br />Of course, when it comes to meals at home, we compromise. The restaurants can fix us two different meals, but I will not. Sometimes, I make us safe meals - things I know we both like; and sometimes I make us experimental meals - things I think might be a stretch. And sometimes, Brian likes those experimental meals.<br /><br />However, there are some things that Brian refuses to eat. For example, beans - as in black beans, refried beans, and garbanzo beans. To name a few more, there's squash, eggs, cheddar cheese, avocados, fish, lentils, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, and risotto rice. Now, in his defense, I have learned there is an exception to nearly every item on his list. For example, if the cheddar cheese is smoked, then it's good. And if the eggs have sugar and lemon juice on them (like a Dutch Baby), they're okay too. <br /><br />Now, to be fair, I have food dislikes too. I really can't stand cantaloupe or goat cheese. Thankfully, these are fairly easily avoidable.<br /><br />I was discussing this issue of not getting to eat as many different foods as I wanted to with a <a href="http://www.thebansheetree.blogspot.com/">friend</a> a few weeks ago, and she told me her strategy: she makes the things she wants to try and her husband refuses to eat for herself for lunches. Two problems solved: a cheaper, probably more healthy lunch than takeout, and an opportunity to not feel deprived of all those recipes.<br /><br />I thought it was such a fabulous idea, I implemented it immediately. Gone are boring dinner leftovers and (gasp! yes, I bought some of them) frozen microwave meals. In their place are <a href="http://orangette.blogspot.com/2007/05/spring-clean.html">French Lentil Salad</a>, brie cheese, artichoke antipasto, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/09/dining/091arex.html">Red Lentil Soup with Lemon</a>, black bean salsa, and this week's lunch:<br /> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0fh5I4qL-4w0ab4Fx6bP1oqDqxM0pH_AeS2CgREtQZyZiP8R6E9zGdD7OHEIL2hyvIoc8mAw7ekqJPGz932Zaj1wjiTHwUQB8Ff6nanMAgHz3_dVq8AKuVvK7obyASMX-DMNTiZkKFaU/s1600-h/IMG_1081.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0fh5I4qL-4w0ab4Fx6bP1oqDqxM0pH_AeS2CgREtQZyZiP8R6E9zGdD7OHEIL2hyvIoc8mAw7ekqJPGz932Zaj1wjiTHwUQB8Ff6nanMAgHz3_dVq8AKuVvK7obyASMX-DMNTiZkKFaU/s400/IMG_1081.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396737731439421442" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/mark-bittmans-autumn-millet-bake-recipe.html">Autumn Millet Bake</a>.<br /><br />I guess I should say, "Thanks, Brian, for being so picky!" and "Thanks, Sarah, for a solution!" My lunches have definitely improved because of both of you.Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15816995372527279642noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5145467654887895608.post-69328551191874243902009-10-12T09:31:00.007-04:002009-10-12T10:26:18.476-04:00Touring a Cranberry BogQuick! When you think of Massachusetts, what do you think of? Boston? Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower? Harvard & M.I.T.? Brian and me? (You DO think of us, don't you?)<br /><br />How about cranberries!!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJAK0hHmvYLsrhalhjKa_CTj3hJY4OT9c6OehrCH7dsupCi34WWnqCKLQhC_MbQmycnmwhj40_VtUJvOvhk3B_E__5iL0VTIKRQk1yiQD_Xw3w5UXi8vFaHglSVt_7vMLTHSIz_Y_CEcQ/s1600-h/IMG_1038.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJAK0hHmvYLsrhalhjKa_CTj3hJY4OT9c6OehrCH7dsupCi34WWnqCKLQhC_MbQmycnmwhj40_VtUJvOvhk3B_E__5iL0VTIKRQk1yiQD_Xw3w5UXi8vFaHglSVt_7vMLTHSIz_Y_CEcQ/s400/IMG_1038.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391706974720549346" /></a><br />Cranberries are also a link back to the Pacific Northwest: Massachusetts is the second largest producer of cranberries in the states, and Oregon ranks fourth <a href="http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/Cran/Cran-08-18-2009.pdf">on the list</a>.<br /><br /><br />This weekend my friends Daniel & Pauline went down to a local cranberry festival, and I got to go with them.<br /><br />The generous farmers who opened their farm to visitors during harvest time allowed people to get up close to learn about the harvest process:<br /><br />First, the field is flooded just a little bit, and a machine passes over the field to comb the berries off the plants. Then the field is flooded more to raise the berries up off the field. A giant, ropish thing corralls the berries so that the harvesters can push the berries into a giant underwater vacuum pipe... <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIJ1zhCfPjyWCJua5NX5V5CH4m_Ka76wB2iYH6GB2w1PaoZX14sLyqOPyLilzb1qr3h3ICwJBxpKDgb2Qt_Z8WKl4EYhrwhXqAtQfJI1xY4LvsPvyIEx34IhjOnn2HMtAsXlglg2hKXcw/s1600-h/IMG_1052.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIJ1zhCfPjyWCJua5NX5V5CH4m_Ka76wB2iYH6GB2w1PaoZX14sLyqOPyLilzb1qr3h3ICwJBxpKDgb2Qt_Z8WKl4EYhrwhXqAtQfJI1xY4LvsPvyIEx34IhjOnn2HMtAsXlglg2hKXcw/s400/IMG_1052.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391706989720789730" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx9XZ9X68GdREZ0OxBk6OKPfkHTSapJiloDMY_FD0yyqUglmDkpRXFlr8DCCfCU_EIXU-JmgxOOjIspL8zjzeyezJRC0kSaabWhv8WPeAilVPuJhj56lH60yci1zI-OuBS-ejQW_c8Ah4/s1600-h/IMG_1055.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx9XZ9X68GdREZ0OxBk6OKPfkHTSapJiloDMY_FD0yyqUglmDkpRXFlr8DCCfCU_EIXU-JmgxOOjIspL8zjzeyezJRC0kSaabWhv8WPeAilVPuJhj56lH60yci1zI-OuBS-ejQW_c8Ah4/s400/IMG_1055.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391708196301163154" /></a><br />Every berry must make it onto the truck!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYy3kmIbiQxZRrYnewZL8rYnJAP-SmWJw1yVhapWeWCTMQze_IR0mxu8mnkC8jsq4MglG9XC2wc_KjWn46Oz-SBnMmN7p6kMiRkALwd2plWLOQwU7Dtln9Fr_rhhKkgotS_Ig7QI5U_88/s1600-h/IMG_1049.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYy3kmIbiQxZRrYnewZL8rYnJAP-SmWJw1yVhapWeWCTMQze_IR0mxu8mnkC8jsq4MglG9XC2wc_KjWn46Oz-SBnMmN7p6kMiRkALwd2plWLOQwU7Dtln9Fr_rhhKkgotS_Ig7QI5U_88/s400/IMG_1049.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391706979409115986" /></a><br />The hose sucks the berries up onto a conveyer belt and dumps them into the truck.<br /><br />Then they're off to be sorted. (An old fashioned sorter was on display.)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyV0UIvddSj23wgsLJqZxyQoKkjm_enbhCEJzp3ExOFVTI7a8DbNWVr_1M8xoZcb8U7tzI3UH9lRgpiHmVD5cx2EBU-OWjNmWoIGHBfEuNpzxAs0INUIfsrpxJEhXrkHXhjs7I950-mds/s1600-h/IMG_1031.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyV0UIvddSj23wgsLJqZxyQoKkjm_enbhCEJzp3ExOFVTI7a8DbNWVr_1M8xoZcb8U7tzI3UH9lRgpiHmVD5cx2EBU-OWjNmWoIGHBfEuNpzxAs0INUIfsrpxJEhXrkHXhjs7I950-mds/s400/IMG_1031.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391706964803430450" /></a><br />The plant pieces, the dirt, the shrivled ones, the white ones<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-aK3IT20oVT3Wj38f3Cj_8CXyVtj7D9IGS3GQ41Fp7I-bw3G9HzC5QP3-GKIYxdiny2kaA-rorzhxw7G9fDfLPwx1IqbOk0lsV2CcQO7YUuUnIqaYJpCASaMzNhJ68-IXogbiU76u4ok/s1600-h/IMG_1030.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-aK3IT20oVT3Wj38f3Cj_8CXyVtj7D9IGS3GQ41Fp7I-bw3G9HzC5QP3-GKIYxdiny2kaA-rorzhxw7G9fDfLPwx1IqbOk0lsV2CcQO7YUuUnIqaYJpCASaMzNhJ68-IXogbiU76u4ok/s400/IMG_1030.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391706959159210786" /></a><br />get sorted from the good fruit.<br /><br />This was a "wet harvest" which is used when the cranberries are harvested for juices, drying, and all other purposes than for fresh fruit.<br /><br />Another type of machinery is used when the field is harvested "dry" for fresh fruit, such as this unflooded field:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaWHJ3Z7lsTvHRGFIB-ONV4syicQpCIVI37bI3Di-GCl9AhtA8uKBS_WYMCECUaJSBKcBqU5Am0rbf7I4mHx8tTzyWDiRskmENRfP50t8P7S6rkd_WR_gLZx0Hy1oBLqdD8IRTeYcdhtE/s1600-h/IMG_1061.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaWHJ3Z7lsTvHRGFIB-ONV4syicQpCIVI37bI3Di-GCl9AhtA8uKBS_WYMCECUaJSBKcBqU5Am0rbf7I4mHx8tTzyWDiRskmENRfP50t8P7S6rkd_WR_gLZx0Hy1oBLqdD8IRTeYcdhtE/s400/IMG_1061.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391707785110105154" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1gZ6n4R7lnWs9Mkqh8IqUYgs-wJ6LOKQVJJEqETt0YBBegIiCmGaGIAs2SCe2hrhfFBcR3H7RnmJ__TA4k50S2cQa_ZQusXfwrFG8gHAIA-gkumBGwOQgxr41uw6UnTRvh0Ul60GX0eQ/s1600-h/IMG_1066.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1gZ6n4R7lnWs9Mkqh8IqUYgs-wJ6LOKQVJJEqETt0YBBegIiCmGaGIAs2SCe2hrhfFBcR3H7RnmJ__TA4k50S2cQa_ZQusXfwrFG8gHAIA-gkumBGwOQgxr41uw6UnTRvh0Ul60GX0eQ/s400/IMG_1066.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391707795479156370" /></a><br />Me with my produce - 6 lbs. of fresh cranberries!Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15816995372527279642noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5145467654887895608.post-82137462331691050692009-10-07T21:18:00.001-04:002009-10-07T21:19:58.136-04:00Where We Spend Our DaysThe school year has begun, and we have settled into a routine: I go to work in the morning, and shortly after Brian leaves for classes. Most days this semester, he has classes until 4:00, and then he goes to the library to study. I get home around six and make dinner for us. At seven, he comes home and eats dinner with me. Then he goes back to the library for another study period and finally returns around 11:30.<br /><br />This routine may sound pretty bad, but it is actually much better than in past years. Mostly, this is because of a new space Brian has to study in:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPqSek1yL6o1ng2Z7pZHD-adJ72_uaQh61hkIhxHdbT2TQVjpc7pS_4WmkwQIqK0gBkysOs53DJzx4unU8EIdYEG9kfmVPe6T-bwv5djv3waA0W4_nCrA3K5wE7vofk2pkOYjlsssMimM/s1600-h/IMG_1004.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPqSek1yL6o1ng2Z7pZHD-adJ72_uaQh61hkIhxHdbT2TQVjpc7pS_4WmkwQIqK0gBkysOs53DJzx4unU8EIdYEG9kfmVPe6T-bwv5djv3waA0W4_nCrA3K5wE7vofk2pkOYjlsssMimM/s400/IMG_1004.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389689399781101106" /></a><br />a library carrell!<br /><br />This has been wonderful not only because it gives him a designated study place, but also because it gives him a place to stash his books. And with the recent back problems he came down with over the summer, that is wonderful in that he does not have to carry them around on his back and in that he does not have to pack them up every time he wants to take a break and walk around a little.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWO2r50O9Q_uVyR1Wat_W24ms6opb0oB3hRn9L_oWnNjh2XWJLrn2IBBjE8731yLf7ihx88fXuD-NsMwpD4Q9gMSbjVZpwwVtd4oMN4lsC5aus_JjJ0xgk-p5uzsyWS_stf9-xWqeyWBw/s1600-h/IMG_1009.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWO2r50O9Q_uVyR1Wat_W24ms6opb0oB3hRn9L_oWnNjh2XWJLrn2IBBjE8731yLf7ihx88fXuD-NsMwpD4Q9gMSbjVZpwwVtd4oMN4lsC5aus_JjJ0xgk-p5uzsyWS_stf9-xWqeyWBw/s400/IMG_1009.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389689393681767842" /></a><br />He's been pretty happy with it!<br /><br />As for me, well, this is my view from my office:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1lP4V_rwD_Ls4YqDHDP6ivY1GV4h4VXjR8PDzu6s1xpcQ2uF9n0cC3YCATSm09sPgcvq5ZSqShnb8e_To8hJvJxmQ0Ydfgw5IXwlTJrfTNUJksSq3SUoAWM2-SDm341ZRSLqO5_J8RDw/s1600-h/IMG_1011.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1lP4V_rwD_Ls4YqDHDP6ivY1GV4h4VXjR8PDzu6s1xpcQ2uF9n0cC3YCATSm09sPgcvq5ZSqShnb8e_To8hJvJxmQ0Ydfgw5IXwlTJrfTNUJksSq3SUoAWM2-SDm341ZRSLqO5_J8RDw/s400/IMG_1011.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390030320796482002" /></a><br />Now, for those of you who live in wide open country, this may look pretty bleak; but I am pretty pleased with it! (Don't tell my co-workers, but my personal opinion is I have the best placed desk in the office.) First of all, it is not foam grey walls three feet away on every side. Second, this window is directly to my left - perfectly placed for daydreaming. And third, really now, the view isn't half bad! I can see the sky and the weather. There is a little rooftop garden with small trees in the distance that I can watch the wind blow around. And every once in a while, a seagull perches on the roof next to me, reminding me that we do live in a coastal town.<br /><br />And that, my friends, is our context for the greater portion of our waking hours.Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15816995372527279642noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5145467654887895608.post-41238683365672639512009-09-20T22:55:00.009-04:002009-09-20T23:06:50.263-04:00...going on twentyBrian just reminded me that as of yesterday, we've known each other for ten years. We met as freshmen at a welcome to college dinner.<br /><br />The first six years we were various stages of friends. The next four we were engaged and married.<br /><br />Given that all of the next ten we will be married, I expect them to be better than the last. (Oh, the agony of dating! So glad that is past!)Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15816995372527279642noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5145467654887895608.post-73409291198881181742009-09-20T09:13:00.011-04:002009-09-20T10:35:43.886-04:00A RehersalLast weekend we flew to Oregon for a wedding. I'd love to show you pictures from it, but I was so rapt that I didn't get any. However, the night before, I noticed that no one was taking pictures of the rehersal, so I ran and got my camera and took some pictures of the preparations. Their location was my grandparents' farm, a place that we all love to visit.<br /><br />THE DECORATIONS:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP_Np-31S_zZVIczDgzHeK2bn9rO3VRiPoHpfarBfQGd2ZnAS5NNT0oAWKdNcX4SRuMsy5QPwr3ufaU-JWb7odZUY04F2hV8eScRY-qioHvWqBy1afO1UNtxmjfmJ3gzBgs2mGXDkJc1Q/s1600-h/IMG_0930.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP_Np-31S_zZVIczDgzHeK2bn9rO3VRiPoHpfarBfQGd2ZnAS5NNT0oAWKdNcX4SRuMsy5QPwr3ufaU-JWb7odZUY04F2hV8eScRY-qioHvWqBy1afO1UNtxmjfmJ3gzBgs2mGXDkJc1Q/s400/IMG_0930.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383552152121256338" /></a><br /><br />THE ATTENDANTS:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaaT6lbJTREpiDcEfqNH3JF062bA57sTOnEHCTA2BZ5j42ugNsf_qTJrXeRpwx84dHziljSyoW2MBC-zkaTBcRqs2GZFIVg2oRsXLkKCnU3-DFRsHK8UsKjTta-YQyw_F18hPD84moCtQ/s1600-h/IMG_0941.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaaT6lbJTREpiDcEfqNH3JF062bA57sTOnEHCTA2BZ5j42ugNsf_qTJrXeRpwx84dHziljSyoW2MBC-zkaTBcRqs2GZFIVg2oRsXLkKCnU3-DFRsHK8UsKjTta-YQyw_F18hPD84moCtQ/s400/IMG_0941.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383552162229221986" /></a><br /><br />THE STAGE:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikoxXrcdjk7g8Jmn9W4hpcP5b7nr52Mg4Aco6TVFw9DOZKkxeJ9I4aWZHxDzBwn7rFif8mv-jMmYRssSE1rG_iR6LCdBm52nFI_nYHy9l9_69Jl2mLspOddy1KdjiGk7CNF7Xz3KImg30/s1600-h/IMG_0893.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikoxXrcdjk7g8Jmn9W4hpcP5b7nr52Mg4Aco6TVFw9DOZKkxeJ9I4aWZHxDzBwn7rFif8mv-jMmYRssSE1rG_iR6LCdBm52nFI_nYHy9l9_69Jl2mLspOddy1KdjiGk7CNF7Xz3KImg30/s400/IMG_0893.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383552145792888802" /></a><br /><br />THE HAPPY COUPLE:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8lggCUW2306KTqLE8Rx46jTYNF6BFv9dWYm-2tRBYTAGV6H3LRQAbVT2W8UQBuFr8So2-GUjPfAnw_lhGaEZGjs0sJ1qy6C1IgrSn0_xHi3y9ca4-eRDZrGIWlwm-j353_dVE7e9RZc/s1600-h/IMG_0945.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8lggCUW2306KTqLE8Rx46jTYNF6BFv9dWYm-2tRBYTAGV6H3LRQAbVT2W8UQBuFr8So2-GUjPfAnw_lhGaEZGjs0sJ1qy6C1IgrSn0_xHi3y9ca4-eRDZrGIWlwm-j353_dVE7e9RZc/s400/IMG_0945.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383552136165251410" /></a><br /><br />My aunt got some great pictures of the wedding. If you want to see them, you can go to my facebook page and look for the picture I was tagged in by AJ.<br /><br />Sunday was fabulous too. My friend Camille was in town for a different wedding, so we met for coffee at the crack of dawn before she flew back to Texas. Then another friend dropped by to say hi and bring me an awesome gift she knew I'd love - crazy looking <a href="http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/932/55072335.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.dkimages.com/discover/DKIMAGES/Discover/Home/Plants/Ornamental-Groups/Trees/Broadleaves/Fagaceae/Castanea/Castanea-sativa/Castanea-sativa/Castanea-sativa-7.html&usg=__AwnA_qjDGDvu_CW1wB4H69bgbIo=&h=512&w=520&sz=34&hl=en&start=26&sig2=MJxQ-2j_NxUmA5olkDyyRg&tbnid=fb-Dr3BbL1qgAM:&tbnh=129&tbnw=131&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dspanish%2Bchestnut%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26start%3D20&ei=sju2SpLLLcXllAfw57iFDw">spanish chestnuts</a> from her back yard. At church we briefly visited with so many people with whom we wish we still lived in the same town. And then to top it off, we had lunch with the family to help celebrate <a href="http://lylium.org/">sister-in-law Erin's</a> 21st birthday!Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15816995372527279642noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5145467654887895608.post-24023225682547369862009-09-02T21:03:00.005-04:002009-09-02T21:24:05.690-04:00Making Do (so we don't have to do without)One of the challenges of living in a small space is finding the room to do ordinary things. Amazingly, when you're faced with such a situation, you manage to find all sorts of ways to make your space multi-task!<br /><br />For example, I always set up our drying rack in the bathtub. It's a perfect fit! And for the summer, the living room radiator makes a great shelf for baking pans.<br /><br />I'm particularly pleased with my latest find, though - using our toaster oven as a recipe holder. It works both with magazines:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifMpB4lB4_z-f7cmuG1HditbQTzTa7rdjR7ExWBWR446Wqj8a9ceXVVVFX3_eKajBXqLra1HlgZBRL-EGI0o3zlXWf_H2xzEThlVtB0cA9rJRQXwBCT7kDcyMcx1C0oIbstsDiEzQil_Q/s1600-h/IMG_0826.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifMpB4lB4_z-f7cmuG1HditbQTzTa7rdjR7ExWBWR446Wqj8a9ceXVVVFX3_eKajBXqLra1HlgZBRL-EGI0o3zlXWf_H2xzEThlVtB0cA9rJRQXwBCT7kDcyMcx1C0oIbstsDiEzQil_Q/s400/IMG_0826.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377041691102722866" /></a><br />and small books:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVy0wqJZps6e0NX0aH2dR1Nibslrx2E50cS8SArWToL3hpTqNF6Z4NJE3c0ZYGet8x92qev3mkGRtVOix2x-0DbsetHZ91IJZj9n0hptl1ANp5kNVu7h9XLmZlZd1rSO0vovJ-ZeRDb2s/s1600-h/IMG_0825.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVy0wqJZps6e0NX0aH2dR1Nibslrx2E50cS8SArWToL3hpTqNF6Z4NJE3c0ZYGet8x92qev3mkGRtVOix2x-0DbsetHZ91IJZj9n0hptl1ANp5kNVu7h9XLmZlZd1rSO0vovJ-ZeRDb2s/s400/IMG_0825.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377041681087477602" /></a><br /><br />Large books are too heavy for it, though, so for those, I use the dish drainer.Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15816995372527279642noreply@blogger.com9