Four Years or so

Snowy Winter

2011-02-05T11:35:00.004-05:00

We 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!

Winter weather brings an irresistable need to take pictures, and I've taken my share this winter. Here are a few of my favorites:

(Can you tell that's a picnic table?)

... and some icicle photos for my dad:

A Boston Christmas Tree

2010-12-11T14:53:00.005-05:00

For 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.

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:

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:

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.

Merry Christmas!

Show & Tell

2010-10-11T11:46:00.006-04:00

Just a quick list of what I've been up to these last two months!

- Going to one last Red Sox game for the season (one of the few they won!)

- Playing games with Brian's parents, who visited us for 10 days

- Cooking with lots of seasonal vegetables (ratatouille in my new pot from Brian's aunt - thank you, Aunt Annette!)

- Helping one of Brian's classmates move (to a fifth story walk-up)

- Attending Axon's baby shower in Maryland

- Exploring New England with my mom, aunt, and grandma, who visited for a week

- Hiking in the Blue Hills with some ladies from church

Hooray for a great end to the summer!

Progress

2010-07-31T16:08:00.008-04:00

For two weeks, our belongings set dumped exactly where we left them when we moved in:

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:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

We're still hunting for things from time to time, but we're slowly getting everything where it belongs!

Wedding Photos

2010-07-24T19:27:00.007-04:00

I 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!

The main event of our trip...

Goodbye, Little Apartment

2010-07-05T19:51:00.005-04:00

There'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:

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!

Rhubarb Crunch

2010-05-09T09:11:00.008-04:00

It seems to be what all the cooks 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:

Rhubarb Crunch

Filling
5 c. sliced rhubarb

Crust
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. thin-rolled oats
1/2 c. melted butter

Sauce
1 c. water
1 c. sugar
2 T. + 1 t. cornstarch
1 t. vanilla
pinch salt

1. Wash, trim, and chop the rhubarb.
2. Preheat the oven to 350-375*.
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.
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.
5. Pour the sauce over the rhubarb, and sprinkle with the reserved crust mixture.
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until rhubarb is cooked.
7. Let cool for 2-3 hours to allow the sauce to cool and rethicken. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Roughing It

2010-05-02T14:27:00.009-04:00

One 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.

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!

This week, though, we are roughing it in a new way. Last night, the pipe that supplies Boston's water broke, and approximately two million people were left without potable water.

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.

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.

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!

Patriots' Day

2010-04-19T15:11:00.009-04:00

Happy Patriots' Day, everyone!

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?

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.

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:

Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot, a Kenyan farmer,

crossing the finish line!

After watching people come down the road for about an hour, I walked up towards BU. There were lots more runners at this point!

And then, I went and found someone who is running his own marathon of a sort:

Happy Patriots' Day!

Brian's Diagnosis

2010-04-15T20:25:00.011-04:00

Once 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?

Hearing my sigh, Brian explained: Having all these hobbies is understandable - I merely have a meta-hobby of collecting hobbies. Thanks, Brian - another one to add to that list!

Authors Appearing

2010-04-06T09:11:00.004-04:00

One 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!

Last night, one such author, who I have followed for two or three years on her blog Orangette, made an appearance at a local bookstore. I couldn't have been happier!

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!

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.

I worked up the courage to ask her if she had a bread cookbook she could recommend. She gave me two: Local Breads and The Bread Baker's Apprentice.

How handy! My birthday is this weekend! And I even provided links!

Cooking Contest Déjà Vu

2010-02-23T18:00:00.001-05:00

Back 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.

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!

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.

Rolling cookies!

Soaking noodles!

Chopping herbs!

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.

Christmas Money

2010-01-21T22:16:00.001-05:00

In 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.

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.

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.

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.

Another thing I've been considering is how I can teach myself to do this:

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.

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.

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!

Lessons Learned in an Attempted Robbery

2010-01-19T21:28:00.009-05:00

After 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:

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.

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 was 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.

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!

Excitement of the Wrong Kind

2010-01-13T21:49:00.008-05:00

I'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.

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.

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.

However, this evening I gained a new piece of information about being safe in the city. Now I know what purse snatchers look like!

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.

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.

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.)

Mom, Gramby, Aunts & Sisters? I hope this doesn't scare y'all from coming! I'm really excited about your trip!

Signs of Christmas at our House

2009-12-20T22:27:00.005-05:00

(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!)

Rendering Leaf Lard

2009-11-22T15:24:00.022-05:00

I 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.

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.

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.

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!)

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!

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 Little House in the Big Woods. But a tasteless lard sounds good for my pie crusts, so I decided to go the wet route.

I chopped up my leaf lard

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.

One hour later, the pan looked like this:

Two hours later, it looked like this:

(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.)

Six hours later, it looked like this:

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):

Not very thrilling for $12 worth of lard! However, the strained part -

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 -

liquid seeped out of those bits. Finally, I was just left with this, which I assume is something like cracklings:

When I had finished, my jar was close to the top.

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.

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!

Things I Want to Do in Life

2009-11-10T21:01:00.014-05:00

There are so many things I've found that I want to do over the course of my life!

One of these things used to be to read a good chunk of the authors on this list. Thanks to Gutenberg, I now consider that done. Now, I want to read just about every novel on this list. Riding the subway every day, I'm working at this one!

Another thing I always wanted to do was to learn to tat. Tatting is an old-fashioned lace making technique that looks like this:

(DISCLAIMER: I did not make this. It was a winning fair entry I found online.)

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.

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.

But right now, I'm tackling another item on my wish list. I'm taking tap dancing classes.

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!

Happy Birthday, Brian!

2009-11-07T09:09:00.009-05:00

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.

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.

The Ode to Joy is sung by a full choir. I don't think I've ever been to a professional choir performance!

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.

I was surprised to learn from the program notes, that the words being sung by the choir are not those I grew up with:

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day!

but rather are a piece of Enlightenment poetry Beethoven set to music:

Joy, beautiful divine spark,
Daughter of Elysium,
We enter, drunk with fire,
O heavenly one, your holy shrine.
Your magic once again bonds together
What custom strictly divided,
All Mankind become brothers
Where your gentle wings hold sway.

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!

Lunches for One

2009-10-25T23:06:00.000-04:00

My 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.

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.

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.

Now, to be fair, I have food dislikes too. I really can't stand cantaloupe or goat cheese. Thankfully, these are fairly easily avoidable.

I was discussing this issue of not getting to eat as many different foods as I wanted to with a friend 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.

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 French Lentil Salad, brie cheese, artichoke antipasto, Red Lentil Soup with Lemon, black bean salsa, and this week's lunch:

Autumn Millet Bake.

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.

Touring a Cranberry Bog

2009-10-12T09:31:00.007-04:00

Quick! 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?)

How about cranberries!!

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 on the list.

This weekend my friends Daniel & Pauline went down to a local cranberry festival, and I got to go with them.

The generous farmers who opened their farm to visitors during harvest time allowed people to get up close to learn about the harvest process:

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...

Every berry must make it onto the truck!

The hose sucks the berries up onto a conveyer belt and dumps them into the truck.

Then they're off to be sorted. (An old fashioned sorter was on display.)

The plant pieces, the dirt, the shrivled ones, the white ones

get sorted from the good fruit.

This was a "wet harvest" which is used when the cranberries are harvested for juices, drying, and all other purposes than for fresh fruit.

Another type of machinery is used when the field is harvested "dry" for fresh fruit, such as this unflooded field:

Me with my produce - 6 lbs. of fresh cranberries!

Where We Spend Our Days

2009-10-07T21:18:00.001-04:00

The 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.

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:

a library carrell!

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.

He's been pretty happy with it!

As for me, well, this is my view from my office:

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.

And that, my friends, is our context for the greater portion of our waking hours.

...going on twenty

2009-09-20T22:55:00.009-04:00

Brian 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.

The first six years we were various stages of friends. The next four we were engaged and married.

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!)

A Rehersal

2009-09-20T09:13:00.011-04:00

Last 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.

THE DECORATIONS:

THE ATTENDANTS:

THE STAGE:

THE HAPPY COUPLE:

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.

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 spanish chestnuts 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 sister-in-law Erin's 21st birthday!

Making Do (so we don't have to do without)

2009-09-02T21:03:00.005-04:00

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!

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.

I'm particularly pleased with my latest find, though - using our toaster oven as a recipe holder. It works both with magazines:

and small books:

Large books are too heavy for it, though, so for those, I use the dish drainer.

To Maryland, to Maryland...

2009-08-26T20:30:00.010-04:00

we went last weekend!

The draw was college friends: Dave & Axon and their new (to us) baby Rowan, and Sarah & Zeb (who we just can't get enough of!).

On Saturday, we went up to an orchard in Pennsylvania and picked peaches. Then we had a picnic lunch at a nearby vineyard and tasted some of their fruit wines (made from apples and raspberries rather than grapes).

Need I say - there was a lot of laugher!

On Sunday, we canned some of the peaches, which I was pretty excited about. It's probably been ten years since I've done any canning, and I have been dying to do some this summer (and our lack of storage for supplies or finished product pretty much rules out me doing any for us).

And then, there was this little guy who loves pushing around his matchbox cars, reading his Trucks Roll book, and mimicking his dad. The whole weekend was full of playing and laughing with him!

Pictures from Last Weekend

2009-08-19T20:03:00.008-04:00

Just a few pictures -

We had a pretty full weekend. Sunday, as you know, we went up to Maine. Traffic was stop and go on the way up, so we ended up only having about two and a half hours there. We enjoyed the trip - but wow - I forgot how stressful it is to drive when there's lots of traffic!

While up there, I ate lobster, and Brian ate his one seafood dish: clam chowder. Then we drove up along an incredibly crowded beach to a photogenic lighthouse.

And all this was after a full day on Saturday. The summer is wrapping up, so we are rushing around trying to do all the things we have been wanting to do! On Saturday, we started by going to a little pastry shop I've been wanting to try. Brian had a hazlenut roll. How nice to have a husband who doesn't mind doing this sort of thing with me! Of course, it didn't hurt that he LOVED the hazlenut roll.

Then we walked down to the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum, which is a museum created by a lady who traveled the world and collected art. When she received her inhertiance, she built a museum for her collection and stipulated nothing in it could be changed.

They don't allow photography inside the museum, but it was lovely. She integrated a lot of her collection into the building by actually using the things she collected (such as arches and columns and fireplaces and rugs) to create spaces. My favorite part of the whole museum, though, was a huge courtyard rising up through the center of the building.

OK. That's all for now because I'm packing my bags this evening for another trip...

Maine, here we come!

2009-08-15T11:06:00.005-04:00

One of the hardest parts about not owning a car is that we are limited to where public transportation and our feet will take us. Also, of course, the time it takes to get there must be factored in, as we are capable of walking just about anywhere, but it would take two weeks to cross the state. In which case, we'd probably also need a covered wagon and some oxen. And where would we find grazing pasture for our oxen? See how it gets complicated fast?

But earlier this year, I finally became a Zipcar member, and so now with a little bit of money and a lot of bravery to face notoriously mean Boston drivers, we can travel anywhere anyone else with a car can go. Well, anywhere that is within our milage limits.

So, with a new-member driving credit expiring next weekend, we are for the first time taking advantage of our wheeles, and we are planning to go to Maine tomorrow. Pictures to come!

How do you make your garden grow?

2009-08-09T11:14:00.007-04:00

I love growing my own herbs. The flavor of fresh herbs simply doesn't compare to dried ones, and herbs right outside the door are always fresh and so much cheaper than buying them when you need them.

Last year I planted herbs on our back porch. It's not an ideal location. I have to move our computer printer cart to get to the door, and the porch is full shade. Nevertheless, they were out there for my enjoyment until they withered up and died mid-summer. I've never had much of a green thumb: things I grow are probably better described as surviving.

Not one to give up without trying, though, once again this year, I planted basil, cilantro, and parsley on the porch. However, given the mid-season death of the plants last year, I haven't tried very hard to keep them alive. In fact, I've completely forgotten about them a few times. All in all, I think I've watered them five times so far this summer. The other day I remembered them with a start and went out to water them, and this is what I found:

Wow! They're alive and they look great! Except for the cilantro, which I think died the day after I planted it.

On the other hand, I have no self-illusions about the sudden acquiring of a green thumb. This summer has been particularly cool and rainy, which I think has compensated for my inattention.

Summer Reading

2009-07-22T20:42:00.001-04:00

Typically, any time of year, you will find me with a novel in my hands. This summer, though, it seems that I have taken on all the non-fiction from the past year and piled it onto my plate at once. Here's what I've picked up so far this summer:

Nourishing Traditions

This book has been on my "to read" list for about a year because it has convinced many of my friends in Oregon that a new revolution needs to be staged in our kitchens. Technically, this is a cookbook, but I read the first 70 pages where the author explains her philosophy of eating. Essentially, her theory is as follows: Indigenous people instinctively knew how to eat well, and thus they suffered from no diseases. If we were to return to pre-industrial ways of cooking, we too would be healthy. I'm sure she's right on some counts, but I just can't get away from the fact that we live in a fast-paced, industrialized society. Also, given my husband's aversion to, oh, let's see... vegetables, fish and seafood, pickled things, organ meats, eggs, and legumes, we would be left eating sourdough bread. Not a bad thing... just not what I want to eat everyday!

(A funny side story: While I was in Oregon, I went out to breakfast with my sister-in-law, and we started talking about this book. She hadn't read it, so I tried to sum it up for her. Meanwhile, this stranger unlocking his bike nearby, finishes unlocking his bike and walks it towards the street. As he passes us, he turns and says "Nourishing Traditions?" and I nod and think... only in this town would any given person be familiar with this book!)

Status: Finished.

The Omnivore's Dilemma

This book has been on my "to read" list for about half a year, after one of my good friends read it and began raving about it. I am interested mostly because of lectures my grandma has given me about supporting local farmers. (She and my grandpa have been farmers all their lives.) The book examines four sources of food: the industrial conventional farm, the industrial organic farm, the wholistic farm, and the hunter/gatherer. While I'm not quite finished with the book, I'm guessing he's going to be advocating for the wholistic farm to the greatest extent you are able.

Status: Just a couple chapters left & gotta finish it tonight because it's due tomorrow!

Paul Revere's Ride

This book was recommended to me by a National Park Service Ranger when I went to the Shot Heard Round the World reenactment in Concord, Massachusetts this spring. I constantly am thinking that I need to read more history, but I never know where to start. So, when this ranger recommended this particular book, I decided I might as well jump in here. And you know what? It is fascinating! The author gives vivid descriptions of the scene - both overarching explanations and specific details such as the style of the army issued shoes - such that the revolution cannot help but come to life.

Status: Over halfway through.

James Beard's Simple Foods

(hmmm... I'm sensing a theme here!)
This book is one I picked up on a whim because I like to cook. It is a collection of essays written by James Beard on how to cook. These tend to be, as the title would give one to expect, fairly elementary; and yet, I've found some of them, such as the one explaining the difference between simmering and boiling, poaching and blanching to be more enlighening than any cookbook I've ever read. Plus, their short size of three to five pages makes them perfect for squeezing into those five minutes in the kitchen when the steak is frying. (Or is it browning? Or searing?)

Status: Almost halfway through.

Nonetheless, despite all my best laid plans of working my way through all this non-fiction, I laid my own trap when I picked up a novel to take on our trip to New York last weekend. My reasoning was well justified - every ounce counts when you're carrying around a backpack, and I didn't want to carry one of those big hardbacks around! Thus, I picked up a book I had setting on my shelf, and I confess, I haven't put it down since. It's one of those great gripping novels that I always fear I've read the last of.

The Moonstone

Considered by some to be the first English detective novel, this is the story of a diamond gone missing, told by those who were around when it disappeared.

Status: Tearing through it to find out what happens!

I'd love to know what you're reading this summer! Anything you'd recommend?

Comings and Goings

2009-07-18T14:30:00.000-04:00

It has been so long since I've posted anything, it feels a little overwhelming to put up a post covering everything we've done lately. But not to worry - I'll try to keep it brief! In summary, we took two big trips back to back, and then have been recovering from them ever since (and are still recovering~ travel toothpaste is still setting next to me as I type). My goal for our first weekend at home in July is to finish cleaning up from being gone.

First, we went to Oregon to visit family and friends. The week began with a big family reunion on my mom's side. It was fun to see people I've known for so many years, and great to get pictures of our own family - although many are missing from this picture. These days, we virtually need a family reunion to see everyone in our own family!

Aunts and Uncles and Cousins (Grandma & Grandpa in the middle):

I also got to spend a little bit of time holding and playing with my nephew, who is growing up!

After a few days with my family, we made our way south to the town where Brian's family lives and we went to college. Many of our college friends have moved away by now, but we enjoyed visiting with those who are left, including our old professors.

Breakfast with my sister-in-law:

Brian's parents had just bought a Wii, so we spent quite a bit of time playing the basic sports games with them. I was so happy to win our last game of golf!

Then, almost as soon as we got there, we were scheduled to leave again. Thankfully, we have another trip back to look forward to already, with my brother getting married in September.

So, what did we do when we got home? We did a load of laundry, worked for a couple of days, and then were off again!

Our impetus for going to New York was to see Twelfth Night - New York City's Shakespeare in the Park production starring Anne Hathaway and scoring by Hem.

But with a line like this in front of us, what were the odds of getting tickets? Not good, I'm afraid. Despite the fact that we arrived at 4:30 in the morning, they told us we were only in the standby line - we could stand by until the performance to see if any tickets went unclaimed. Thank you, but no! We were off to see New York!

Views of the Statue of Liberty from the Staten Island Ferry (with zoom):

Fellow travellers:

Sarah & Zeb, Brian, and Valerie

We traipsed all over Manhatten, covering Wall Street, Ground Zero, High Line Park, Times Square, Central Park, and Top of the Rock. I ate the yummiest bialy I've had since we moved away from the west coast. And we trekked all the way to 2nd & 86th to eat "the best cheesecake in New York."

Man, were our feet tired by the end of the day, but what a great time!

6 and counting...

2009-06-28T08:49:00.005-04:00

Last night, we had friends over to play games. Six people were here, pushing up our record number of adults in our apartment by one. It worked great, and I think we could have fit two or three more. Y'all will have to come back and bring a friend!

Just a Little Jaunt Around Town

2009-06-06T23:48:00.008-04:00

Today, Brian and I went for a walk. Brian's back has been hurting him lately whenever he sits down, so he has been spending most of his time either lying down or standing up. And standing up gets kinda boring, so mostly, he has been walking.

We left at 2:30 pm (um, not exactly early risers here!) with a list of various places we wanted to hit: Goodwill, Cheapo Records in Central Square, Christina's in Inman Square, and Union Square. At Goodwill, we got rid of two bags of various items. Cheapo Records was not exactly cheap. Christina's, as always, was amazing. And Union Square was unremarkable. However, we did stumble across a few fun things on the way, not the least of which was a Target!

But more interesting to you may be this graveyard of radiators:

Then, I spied this castle tower, and wanted to go exploring.

Lucky for us, it was on the top of a hill in a public park with lovely views of the city:

We stepped onto a subway at 9:00, and when we got home, we measured our path: 5.75 miles! And Brian thinks the walking is helping - his back feels a little better each day.

Lost at the Library

2009-06-01T14:00:00.000-04:00

Saturday morning I got lost at the library. I walked over to return a few books that were overdue, and figured that while I was there, I would look for some books on a few other subjects I am interested in: running and gardening. I walked into the non-fiction section, starting at 796.42, but shortly abandoned what I had come for. I moved left into word games, around the corner to cooking, over to container gardening, down another aisle to health and wellness, and over to back pain. An hour and a half later, I left the library with two books, neither about running or gardening.

The hour and a half lost in the library made me reminiscint of visiting the library as a kid.

Our local library was a Carnegie Library, with a comfortable childrens' section in a half buried basement and a mysterious adult section upstairs. The entrance was a landing between the two, and upon passing through that door, you had to decide to which class you belonged. The feeling of importance and daring when I decided to go up rather than down was a marked point in my childhood.

Later in life when I read Annie Dillard's chapter on her childhood library in An American Childhood, I felt like I had met myself. Only, at the top of the stairs, we parted ways: she turned left into the non-fiction books and I turned right into the fiction. I would walk among those rows, picking out all the books I wanted to read: Dickens, Thackary, Eliot, Hugo, Dumas, Stevenson, Austen. Finding them was pretty easy: if it was published by Dodd, Mead & Co. in the "Great Illustrated Classics" series, I wanted to read it. One year when I was in middle school, I decided that all those books weren't going to get read if I didn't take them home, so I went through and pulled them all from the shelves. I lugged them all home and lined them up on my windowsill: they nearly filled the five foot span. How many did I read? Zero. How much did I pay in fines? About $35 - a minor fortune to a middle schooler who was currently earning $2 an hour babysitting.

When I got into high school, I lost my time to read and my visits to the library became more rare. Also, the library moved to a much more practical but much less romantic building. Nevertheless, the feeling of potential when I walk through those doors remains.

Spring Lettuce with Sweet Cream Dressing

2009-05-24T22:30:00.000-04:00

Winter is officially history with the start of Boston's farmer's market, but with a temperature of 88 on Friday, I hardly think this can be called spring.

This year, I purchased a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm share that I am quite excited about. Year after year, I've looked enviously at the share boxes, but the situation never seemed quite right for us. We don't have a car to pick up a box of produce, we aren't that adventerous in eating, and we don't have a large refrigerator. But this year, one of the Boston farms was offering a share that is essentially a credit at their market stand. Perfect - I can buy as much as I want of what we'll eat. On Friday, I bought myself basil, parsley, and cilanto starts to plant on our fire escape. I also bought some rhubarb and a head of spring lettuce.

I am so in love with spring lettuce - those floppy, sweet, tender heads. Hardly anything can improve them, but the tradition in our family is to toss them with a sweet cream dressing. I happily comply; it makes for a dreamy thing to eat. So, if you find yourself staring at a gentle head of lettuce this season, grab it and toss it. You'll wish it was spring all year.

Sweet Cream Dressing
2 T. real mayonaisse
1/4 c. half & half
1 T. white vinegar
dash of salt and pepper
1 T. sugar*

Put all the ingredients into a container and shake it. Set it in the refrigerator for 5 minutes to allow the dressing to thicken. Meanwhile, prepare the lettuce. Add the dressing slowly to the lettuce while tossing until covered as desired. Serve immediately. Makes enough for at least two heads of lettuce.

*This dressing can be tossed with cucumbers, lettuce, or any other mild spring vegetable. Vary the sugar according to taste. I like the sugar on lettuce but not on cucumbers.

Old Friends

2009-05-21T14:27:00.032-04:00

One might think that moving 3,000 miles away from where one grew up would not be conducive to reconnecting with old friends. However, I have found the opposite to be true. The east coast is a magnet of people, and over the last two years, I have gotten to see several who were close friends at one point in my life.

No one reader will recognize all these faces (since Brian does not read my blog), but still I have been so happy to reconnect with these people that I wanted to share them with you all who are my new friends.

Therese

Two years ago, Therese and her husband were God-sends when they drove to Boston to help us move into our apartment. I met Therese at a summer music camp when I was a junior in high school, and we wrote letters for many years, but then lost touch during college. However, about a year after we got married, right before we found out we were moving to New England, she pursued a current address for me and found me again. We have since enjoyed their hospitality at their home in the country.

Chara

Chara is my oldest friend in the world. My earliest memory of her is, as a five year old, hiding with her in a closet at church while our parents walked through the halls calling for us. She had a fabulous imagination, and I was more than willing to follow. Unfortunately, I have spent far too little time with her since we have grown out of our childish ways. She has become wise and sympathetic as a loving wife and an energetic mother of three. Last year while planning a trip to the DC area, I wrote her to ask if I could introduce her to Brian and if she would introduce me to her boys. She graciously invited us over for dinner.

Lisa

My closest friend at the high school summer music camp was Lisa, but we only kept up a friendship by letter for a year after returning home. My memories of Lisa are of laughing until my stomach hurt and of being so impressed with how smart she was. It seemed like she knew something about everything we talked about (sort of like that guy I married). I got to see her again last week when she and her husband came to Boston to attend the performance of a piece of music her husband wrote. And she's as smart and funny as I remember her being!

Flavia

Then yesterday, I jumped on a bus to New York for a chance to see my dear college friend Flavia. It was wonderful to see her and to get to catch up on what she's been doing for the last three years in Brazil, but this friendship is too close to be merely a sweet reunion. The short hours made me deeply miss the days of being roommates when the everyday brought out her enthusiasm for life.

I'd love to live in the same town as any of these people again, although I don't foresee that happening. But, who knows? Given where my life has gone so far, surprises may be in store for me. But more likely, I'll just go on meeting new people who I will enjoy reuniting with in the future.

Do I Have the Greatest Husband Ever, or What?

2009-05-16T10:12:00.002-04:00

On Birthday Presents & Turning Thirty

2009-05-02T14:16:00.006-04:00

I try to help out my husband every year by giving him wish list ideas for Christmas and my birthday. This year everything seemed to fit into a specific category: exercise clothes, small weights, and a pilates mat.

However, I didn't know it, but Brian had another idea he wasn't letting me in on. He had been educating himself and scouting out a place to buy me a set of these, and both the recession and their being vintage made this idea actually possible:

Getting a classic for one's thirtieth birthday is much better than getting exercise equipment. How depressing would that be?!?

(But to all those who gave me money - thank you! I bought exercise clothes and a pilates mat.)

All Fixed Up

2009-04-25T14:38:00.021-04:00

My parents visited us a week ago, and if you know my dad, that means that pretty much everything around our house is presently fixed.

There was one project I asked him if he could help me with before they came: I have an old wooden chair that was coming apart at the back/seat seam, and I asked him if he had any clamps he could fit in his suitcase. : ) Brian was shaking his head at me for asking (as if there was any chance the answer would be yes), but that's understandable: he's only been in the family for three years. I had a feeling my dad just might have some innovative tool to put it back together again. Well, he did. He risked bringing his band clamps in his carry-on, we bought some wood glue (a definite carry-on no-no), and the night they arrived my chair was back together in one piece again.

One evening, he was almost walking around looking for things to fix. Our counter has been lifted (it was sagging), our faucet aerator has been replaced, our toilet seat has been tightened, our air mattress has been patched, and our chronically plugged bathroom sink assessed (he told us what had to be done to fix it, but didn't take it on himself).

When I married Brian, I knew for sure that he was not a handy-man. He's pretty good at fixing computers, but I would either have to do the plumbing and gluing myself or hire someone. I guess I now know another option for getting our home projects fixed. Thanks, dad!

Packages

2009-04-11T09:43:00.003-04:00

Today is my birthday. I'm thirty. Aaugh!!!!

Look at these beautiful packages! My husband knows me well - he went to some extra effort to find packaging I would like (and I do!), and then he wrapped them all up last night and set them up in our living room so that I could look at them for a day. (I'm not one of those people who wants to peek.)

He says he is excited to have me open them. It is always a good thing when the person giving you a present is excited about it!

Play Ball!

2009-04-08T19:05:00.001-04:00

Some Old Pictures (doesn't that sound exciting?)

2009-04-05T21:45:00.000-04:00

It's Sunday, and if you've been keeping track, Sunday seems to be my day for putting up a blog post. However, there hasn't been anything forming into a blog post in my mind lately. Not to say there hasn't been a lot rattling around in there. Just nothing I'm ready to let come out yet. I know, Sarah - one of my faults.

Friday night, Brian took me to hear the Tallis Scholars. They are an a capella choir that sings Renaissance music. If that doesn't mean anything to you, you can watch them perform here:

They were amazingly beautiful sounding. We were in row Z, on the side behind a row of big marble pillars, so we couldn't see them at all. It didn't really matter, though, because I couldn't keep my eyes open. I wasn't falling asleep; I just didn't want to see anything.

OK, on to my old pictures.

When Tyler and Wendy were here, we went up to the highest point in Boston open to the public - the 50th Floor of the Prudential Tower. Brian and I love to look out over the city when we fly, but something about being up there was different. Maybe it was that we got time to look, and it was a little bit closer than being in an airplane.

When we first got up there and I ran around looking out all the windows, I was really struck by how big of a city we live in. Maybe the fact that we walk around it so much makes it feel small, but when you really look out over it all together, wow.

So, here are two - the first looking toward the bay and the second looking west. (I always have to think twice about cardinal directions here. The water being on our east side throws me off.)

And lastly, one at night (also looking .... west). We went at the perfect time - just before the sun set.

A New Obsession

2009-03-30T12:54:00.008-04:00

Meg thinks I'm addicted to tea. However, that was sooo yesterday.

My newest time consumer is reading Nero Wolfe books. Written in the 1950's by Rex Stout, these books describe cases of the New York private investigator, Mr. Wolfe. Mr. Wolfe is an eccentric fellow. He has expensive tastes: gourmet food and exotic orchids feed his fancy. He weighs 300 pounds and hates to leave his house. Really, he is quite obnoxious, except in his uncanny way of piecing together a murder scene. The cases are described by Archie, Mr. Wolfe's observant, witty assistant who does all the legwork for Mr. Wolfe.

I was first introduced to these books by my father-in-law, and I was a little skeptical at first. A great detective I haven't heard of yet? I mean, as a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes, Lord Peter Wimsey, Poirot, Miss Marple, and Father Brown, surely if there is another great detective out there, I would know about him. And I hadn't heard of Nero Wolfe.

As a reader, it is always so comforting to find once again that you are ignorant in this way.

However, there is one thing that makes reading the Nero Wolfe books difficult. They are hard to find. Most of them were printed in the 50's, and they aren't quickly being reprinted. The main branch of the Boston Public Library has ZERO circulating copies. Our local branch is a little better, with a few paperbacks and a foot of hardbacks. But with 50 published books, that leaves a lot of holes!

Hence, my recent impulse purchase. The other day while wasting time online, I decided to go to ebay and see if I could find any Nero Wolfe books. In the ebay fashion, a listing popped up at the top of the screen: Lot of seven Nero Wolfe books, closing in 4 mins 32 seconds. Current bid: $0.99. WELL! Seven books for a dollar? I can do better than that! I logged in as fast as I could and placed a bid for $5. Yeah - against all my better judgement about ebay. Read the product description carefully! Check to see how much they're charging for shipping! Look around to see if it's really a good deal! Etc! Etc! Fortunately, the whole situation didn't turn out too badly. My books came in the mail a few days ago, and five of them really were Nero Wolfe books by Rex Stout.

And, in my defense, my obsession is cheaper than my husband's latest:

Exploration #2

2009-03-15T09:35:00.008-04:00

Yesterday, I spent the day exploring. It was our second weekend with temperatures over 40, and there are a couple of stores I had heard about that I wanted to go see for myself.

My destination was north Cambridge/Somerville, so I hopped on a bus. First stop was Inman Square. Some local friends had recommended I visit Christina's, an ice cream shop with a little spice shop on the side. The spices were what drew me there.

Christina's was an odd little shop, but a creative cook's dream. It was sort of grimy and felt unorganized, with little packages of spices in sawed off cardboard boxes. But the selection was amazing. I saw things I've never heard of before: baharat, quatre spice, and galangal, as well as a few that I'd heard of but never seen: juniper berries, annatto, chervil, and unground mace. (Interesting side note: did you know mace comes from the nutmeg?) I left with a package of Vietnamese cinnamon and mild curry. Unable to go away without trying the ice cream, though, I went next door and got a scoop of ginger molasses ice cream. Yummy!!

After finishing up at Christina's, I took the Route 83 bus up to the corner of Elm St and Somerville Ave. I had read on yelp that there was a great little tea shop there - The Tea Zone. It too was an odd little place: it had lovely shelves with tea jars on them, but the entrance of the shop was cluttered with shipping supplies and empty boxes. It felt like a warehouse that let customers walk in.

Nevertheless, from reading online, I knew that the shop let people buy samples of any tea for 99c each, so I loaded up on everything that smelled good: Cherry Blossom Green, Pear White, Cinnamon Apricot, Almond Rooibos, Tropical Rooibos, Dragon Well Green, and Yunnan Black. The shop attendant didn't care how many samples I bought; he concurred that the best way to know whether you like a tea is to drink it, so I was welcome to take home as many as I wanted. I'm hoping to find some favorites amongst these and have a reason to go back!

The Price You Pay for a Cheap Apartment in a Nice Part of Town

2009-03-13T20:12:00.011-04:00

It's 8:15 on a Friday night. Our kitchen is dismantled with the sink and counter top clean and the under-sink cupboard cleared out. Our kitchen faucet runs like a circulating water fountain.

We have been waiting for nearly two hours for our landlord's repairman to show up and stop the dribbling. But I guess the fact that he is late should come as no surprise.

Our first encounter with repairman George* was shortly after we moved in. The toilet was continually running and the shower faucet was dripping. Thinking ourselves good tenants, we called up the landlord and told him of the water going down the drain. He sent out George.

He entered our apartment on a Saturday morning with the stench of cigarette smoke and an unending stream of words ("Urgh" "Uh-huh" "Okay" "There's that" "Now" and on and on...). After assessing the problems, Brian accompanied him to the basement to find the building's water shut off. He came up a few minutes later with wide eyes and a frightened look on his face. "I don't think he has a clue what he's doing down there," he told me. "He's just turning any knob he finds." However, a few minutes later, George returned, saying he'd found it, and proceeded to attack our plumbing problems. Every few minutes, he would call us in to show us the cracked washer or the flushing mechanism. Or to ask "You gotta rag? I need a rag!" Uh, we just moved 3,200 miles. We didn't bring our rags with us.

Not about to spend my whole Saturday looking over this guy's shoulder, I decided to take some laundry down to the washroom. I walked down with my heaping basket and groaned. The floor was covered in 1/2 an inch of water.

I ran upstairs and yelled "George, we've got a problem. The basement is flooded."

He looked up and said "Urgh - I must have turned the wrong knob."

Ya think? He accompanied me back downstairs.

"We gotta get this water outta here. You gotta broom?" he asked, looking at me. (Didn't bring my broom with me either.) But no problem. Other residents were wandering in to do their Saturday laundry, so George turned to them. "You gotta broom?" he asked each person who walked in until he found someone willing to sacrifice their broom to the cellar floor. So nice to meet you, neighbors! I was thinking.

He found the source of the water and turned it off (the steam boiler was leaking from being overfilled with water.)

Ready by this time to get him out of our building as soon as possible, I offered to work downstairs pushing the water over to the sump pump. He went back upstairs to finish the job he had begun.

Needless to say, we were not eager to have him back. However, a year later, when the ceiling fan chain broke and the bathroom sink would no longer drain, we decided to call him in again. We could never have imagined the result.

By the time he had finished, not only was our bathroom sink not draining, but also our bathroom sink faucet was steadily dripping. Long before the time the hardware store opened in the morning, the basin would fill with the water and run over onto our floor. To buy ourselves some time, Brian and I rigged up a device with a plastic bag, a rubber band, and a stick to divert the flowing water over to the bathtub. We finished up that job ourselves the following weekend. To his credit, George did fix the ceiling fan chain.

*************************************************

Well, George has come and gone, and it appears that he managed to fix our flowing kitchen faucet as well as a leak in the drain. As he walked out, we breathed a sigh of relief, and Brian said "That was remarkably uneventful."

Amen and thanks be to God!

*Names have been changed to protect the identity of those being insulted.

Old Friends

2009-03-12T21:15:00.003-04:00

Brian & I said goodbye yesterday to a couple of old friends. Our friends, Tyler & Wendy, came to visit us and the great city of Boston last week.

While they were here, we explored Salem and Charles Street on our 60 degree weekend.

We also caught up on our friendships. We probably knew Tyler and Wendy best before they got married, and they got married eight years ago. Thus, we had a lot of catching up to do. We cooked dinner for each other, talked about our dreams, and explained how we've gotten to where we are. And yet, I did not find them much changed. They are still very much the same people we loved in college. It's so good to find old friends still friends.

Goodbye, Whittard

2009-02-28T14:02:00.007-05:00

A year ago, I wrote this post about a new British tea shop I had found. This year, I am sad to report that they have closed their [American] doors. Between the economic climate and the failure of the Iclandic banks, they just couldn't make it here. Trust me, though, it wasn't for lack of me crossing their threshold!

*Sigh.*

I guess we really do have to go to England now.

Photography Inspiration

2009-02-28T13:38:00.003-05:00

It's pretty fun to have a camera for whenever inspiration strikes. I'm loving that mine has a "Macro focus" option, so I can get up close!

Ash Wednesday

2009-02-25T13:03:00.004-05:00

This was my first "blog post," written a year ago before I had a blog. I posted it on facebook, but wanted to add it here. My apologies for boring you if you already saw it there!

*******************************************

My eyes were drawn to the face of the man across the room. I intentionally pulled them away. He was too far away to tell for sure, but it looked like he had a giant scab on his forehead. But maybe it was a birthmark.

Brian and I sat down for lunch. As we were eating, he leaned over and whispered, "At BU today, there were these people with black T's on their foreheads. Do you know if that means something?" My mind darted from election turnout to religious ceremonies, but came up empty. "Muslim holiday?"

Curious to know what it might be, I turned to Google. Well, it turns out that some people in this world are Catholic, and that means more for them than going to mass! All day long, we kept seeing people with black smudges on their foreheads, a reminder that "from dust we came, to dust we will return."

And all my life, I thought Ash Wednesday had something to do with trees.

Snow, Snow, and Snow

2009-02-07T14:30:00.000-05:00

There's a legend that the Eskimos have 28 different words for snow, each one describing a little different type of the precipitation. Having now lived on two sides of the country, one of which gets a lot of the stuff, I can now see why!

On the west coast, for our annual snowfall, we usually had big, fat, heavy flakes that fell softly and covered the ground quickly. It was beautiful to watch coming down and ideal to play in - it packed for snowballs and snowmen and held its shape for snow angels and fox and goose trails.

When we moved here, I was so excited about living in a place where it snowed a lot. However, our first snowfall was quite disappointing. Flakes that were as small as dust started falling. I waited for the big, heavy ones to develop, but they never did. Rather, this powdery stuff so fine that you felt it would never build up kept coming down. Of course, there was enough of it to build up to several inches, but its powderiness kept it from packing well. The only thing you can do in it is kick up the freshly fallen stuff into white powdery puffs in front of you and listen to it squeak like cornstarch when you walk in it. "Dry snow" sounds like an oxymoron, but it's a good way to describe most of the snow that we get here.

However, earlier this week, we experienced a third kind of snow. When I saw it, I remembered it fell once last year too. This snow is the most beautiful snow I've ever seen. It has flakes about an eighth inch wide, which seem very flat because their whole surface reflects light. The effect is that when you look out at it, the flakes at the right angle to a light source glisten like crystals. As you walk, the falling and fallen snow sparkles from all directions. Walking home from work, I felt like I had stepped into a Disney movie. I didn't want to stop walking, except that I was so cold!

The effect is so dazzling that I wanted to share it with you. This picture sort of shows it, but, of course, being there yourself is so much better. Click on it to see the flakes better!

What I've been doing lately

2009-02-03T20:25:00.009-05:00

It's been awhile since I've posted, but it's not because nothing has been happening. Rather, there have been Superbowl parties and everyday work and weddings. Well, one wedding. But we went all the way to Oregon for it.

Two weekends ago, my sister got married in the Portland area. Brian and I both flew back to attend the wedding - and that's about all we did there, except for going out to dinner with Brian's family Friday night.

I arrived late Thursday night and spent the night at my sister's house. Friday morning, I got up, and she was making rice krispie treats. She wanted a rice krispie treat cake, and apparently the person who was supposed to make it for her backed out. So, since I had come a day early to help out with whatever needed to be done, I offered to take over. Of course, I didn't think ahead to the fact that I was offering to make their wedding cake. When she pulled out five Hershey bars and the cake topper, it slowly dawned on me. But at least they knew what they wanted: a rice krispie cake that sorta looked like a snow covered mountain. No prob!

I figured I'd better begin with the easy part. I spent the morning mixing marshmallows and cereal and pressing it into cake pans. That's not as easy as it sounds! When you start setting pans of rice krispie treats on top of each other, different proportions of ingredients and pressing pressures are obvious. Pretty soon, though, we had a good selection to choose from.

On to the chocolate topping. Now, anyone who has tried dipping strawberries in chocolate knows the perils of pure chocolate. I've tried enough times to know it rarely turns out the way you want it to. Never having successfully tempered chocolate myself (the process of melting and then rehardening chocolate) made me a little nervous about experimenting on my sister's wedding cake! I broke one bar in half, and experimented with each half. One came out looking horrible but having great structure. The other looked shiny and flowy but never set up. Call me a wimp, but I decided to go with fool proof "chocolate flavored" almond bark. And you thought I was such a purist!

Thankfully, Brian arrived Friday night to help with the overall design of the cake. Saturday morning (ceremony at 2 pm), he recommended square, round, square layers to make the whole thing look cohesive and spooned the melted "chocolate" while I encouraged dripping.

And in the end, it actually turned out looking pretty good!

Oh, and the couple looked pretty good too!

Snowstorms

2009-01-18T14:35:00.005-05:00

Both last weekend and today, we got big snowstorms here in Boston. Having just gotten a new camera for Christmas, I've been eager to take pictures of everything. So, here are a few pictures of snow in Boston:

Snow here is quite a different experience than snow in Oregon. The streets and sidewalks are cleared relatively quickly, and buckets of salt are in every entryway. However, having lots of snow around is not quite like you might imagine. Oh, it's glorious and white and clean and beautiful the first day, but then the plowers come and push it to the side along with all the city dirt and trash, and then the sanders come and spread gritty dirt all over the streets, and soon, it is quite a mess.

Last year, by mid-winter, I was really getting tired of the dirtiness of snow. Sand and water everywhere!

(I told you I was taking pictures of everything!)

Hooray for The Kiva!

2009-01-11T09:45:00.007-05:00

Over Christmas break, Brian & I travelled back to Oregon for a little family time. While we were there, I spent one afternoon wandering around town with an old friend. She wanted to go into a little grocery store downtown, so I followed her. A few steps inside the door, I ran into their bulk herbs, which was perfect, because I had wanted to pick up a few spices while we were in town. (You'd think that a large city like Boston would have one store where one could get a decent selection of herbs and spices in bulk, but I haven't found it yet.) After packaging up a few tablespoons of turmeric, dried thyme, and dried parsley, I scanned the labels to see if there was anything else I wanted. And lo! My eyes travelled to the display beside the herbs and spices. There was a whole rack of bulk tea!

Now, you know I like buying loose tea because it's more compact and less expensive than bagged tea. But even still, usually when you buy bulk tea, you have to buy one or two ounces. Here, you could measure it out in tablespoons! I began pulling jars off the shelf and smelling them. Some were classic blends by unrecognized companies. However, they also had a good collection of Republic of Tea blends. This was quite exciting, as I've wanted to try Republic of Tea teas, but could never shell out $7 for a tin.

So, I stocked up. (Some might say I went overboard, but I think stocking up is a better description. I was limiting myself from taking a sample of each!)

In all, I decided on eight teas based on their smell or their interestingness:

Jasmine
Oolong
Lapsang Souchong (I know this is a classic, but I haven't tried it yet.)
Twig (this one scored high on interestingness)
Black Currant
Cinnamon Plum
Wild Blueberry
Gogi Raspberry Green

The last three are teas by Republic of Tea. I've tried the Cinnamon Plum and the Gogi Raspberry so far. (The Cinnamon Plum was great, but I didn't care so much for the Gogi Raspberry - it reminded me of raspberry Emergen-C.)

And take a guess at how much all these samples cost me.

$4.78! All right - I guess that's kind of a lot if you look at how much tea I got. At $25-$30 per pound, it's probably not the way to go if I want just one kind. But getting to try two or three cups of each kind for 60c each is awesome!

My old favorite place to buy tea in town has now gone out of business, but it appears that I now have a new reason to go back to town. Other than the relatives, of course!

A New Excuse

2008-12-30T22:48:00.003-05:00

So, if anyone out there is looking for a new excuse for being late to work, I have one for you:

First, you must go on a trip. You needn't be gone long, but you must go far, far away. And the distance must be east/west, not north/south. Also, you must take a battery-run alarm clock with you and use it at least once.

Then, when you return from your trip, you must pull your alarm clock out of your bag and set your alarm clock to get up for work the next morning. Never mind what the time hands say. Just focus on the alarm hand.

Then in the morning, wake up to your alarm clock, and listlessly walk around the house getting ready for work until you look at your living room clock and wonder why is it WRONG!?!

Wait! Oh, crap! You're THREE HOURS LATE for work!

....

Note: for this excuse to work, you must do the math carefully to calculate the time difference correctly. Otherwise, no one will believe you. Also, you'll risk being perceived as totally air-headed by your co-workers. But it might be worth three extra hours of sleep. Just so long as you're not so dumb as to be incapable of doing your job.

Roll the Movie of my Life

2008-12-14T20:50:00.004-05:00

This chilly, Sunday morning, I walk to our "T" stop. It's already 9:00, but the streets and sidewalks are quiet.

One guy stands inside the shelter. He is obviously a young professional but not as put together as his fine clothes might allow. Half his suit collar stands up crazily. A strip of tie silk shows around his neck. He looks like one of those characters in the movies who wakes up in a room they don't recognize and throws on their clothes to leave before the house's owner wakes up to find a stranger in their house.

I nod as I enter the shelter.

He takes the opening: "Which way is inbound?" Ours is a pretty small station, so things aren't marked as clearly as they could be.

"This side is inbound; that one is outbound," I gesture.

"Okay." He looks around a little. "What line is this?"

"This is the "C" Line - the Cleveland Circle Line." I answer.

Whew! This guy has no idea where he is!

"Sorry," he says. "It's one of those mornings."

"Uh-huh," I respond, trying to sound understanding.

"Usually preceded by one of those nights," he says, giving me a knowing look.

"Uh-huh," I say with half a laugh, not exactly knowing but imagining pretty well.

He pulls out his Blackberry. "What street is this?" nodding to the one in front of us.

"Beacon Street," I answer; and then, thinking another approach might be more helpful, ask "Where are you trying to get to?"

He holds out his Blackberry toward me. A teardrop marker points to an intersection on a google map. "My car is parked there," he says.

Well, at least he was smart enough to know he was going to need all the help he could get the next morning. I explain to him how to get there from where he is.

"Where are you going so early in the morning?" he asks.

I smile, "To church."

"Oohh - church," he moans and winces, as if remembering something his dear old grandma once told him. "That's probably where I should be going on a morning like this."

We stand together for another minute, making small talk. My train pulls up, and I wish him luck.

"Thanks," he says. "Say a prayer for me!"

I laugh. "I will!" I say sincerely and jump onto the train.

Christmas is a Comin'

2008-12-07T09:57:00.006-05:00

I don't know if you've realized this yet, but there are three weekends left before Christmas. That includes today and, for us, one during which we will be on our way to visit family. That leaves one full one between now and then to finish Christmas projects and shopping. Aaugh!!!

To put us all in the holiday mood, though, we are getting our first snow of the year. I knew it was in the forecast, so when I woke this morning, I looked excitedly out the window. But I didn't see anything. So when I had made it up, I checked weather.com to see about what time they were expecting it to come, and it said it was currently snowing! So, I jumped up to look again, and sure enough, if I focus very closely on a dark object, I see a white speck from time to time. Doesn't look like it's going to be piling up any time soon.

But that's ok, because for Christmas cheer, we also have two new Christmas cds, both of which we are very much enjoying.

One is Mary Chapin Carpenter's Come Darkness, Come Light.

It is about half traditional but less known songs and half her own songs, but the two blend surprisingly well. Her deep, husky voice paired with clear and straightforward accompaniment makes for very enjoyable listening.

The other cd, though, has admittedly gotten more play time; I think I can say Loreena McKennitt's A Midwinter Night's Dream is our favorite of the two.

Between her choice of songs and her celtish style, this cd brings to mind scenes of Seventeenth Century Great Britain. (Songs include The Holly and the Ivy, Good King Wenceslas, Coventry Carol, and Gloucestershire Wassail.) Most of the songs are traditional Christmas songs, but where staleness might enter, she rearranges the tune. The chilly edge of her music and mysteriousness of her voice definitely make one feel like wrapping up before a crackling fire ... or gazing out onto falling snow. Good thing we've got some coming down now!

Sunday-Sunday: A Week in Review

2008-12-02T19:42:00.008-05:00

Reflecting on last week, it's hard to believe it only consisted of 168 hours! We have been so far and done so much.

It all began last Sunday when Brian's mom called to say his grandma had died that morning.

Although he is incredibly busy with end of the semester papers, he wanted to travel back for her funeral, which I was glad about. That afternoon, we bought him a ticket to fly to California.

Monday, I worked a full day and explained the situation to my office manager who was of the opinion that it's always nicer to go to such things together. So I bought a ticket that afternoon taking all the same flights. When I got home, I packed my rollerboard.

Tuesday morning we left at some ungodly hour. I don't remember when we got up. I just remember that I debated with Brian about what time we had to get up (I was taking the later position), and then I realized he was right. It was really early.

About noon, we arrived at San Jose International Airport, where Brian's mom met us. We proceeded to Terminal C where his dad and sister were arriving.

A few hours were spent visiting with family (some of whom I had never met). Then off to the hotel to shower and dress for the memorial service.

The service was sad and informative. There is always so much more to a life than the sliver you see.

We all slept well that night, exhausted.

Being one who doesn't like to miss opportunities, I contacted an old friend who had moved to the Bay Area about three years ago. She drove down to our hotel and we spent two hours Wednesday morning catching up on married life.

But one event we had travelled for was still to come. After Hannah left, I rushed upstairs to put on my party clothes so we could head toward the Los Gatos mansion where Brian's aunt was getting married.

After the ceremony and a very yummy dinner at a local Italian restaurant, we again retired to our hotel to spend the few remaining hours in one another's company. I beat Robby at Lost Cities (partially because she forgot some of the rules) while the others gave commentary that evening's episode of Deal or No Deal.

Once again, way too early in the morning Thursday we were back at the airport. We ate lunch in the O'Hare Airport food court and then boarded a 160 seat airplane with 27 other passengers. Apparently, Thanksgiving afternoon is not a popular time to travel.

We arrived home late Thursday evening. As we rode the T through deserted streets, we felt a little like we were missing something. After depositing our luggage, Brian walked out to find a little Thanksgiving cheer. Unfortunately, 7-11 carried neither cranberry jelly or egg nog.

Wanting to get in on a little Thanksgiving food, Friday I planned and shopped for a Thanksgiving meal.

Saturday I baked two pumpkin pies and cleaned house. I had invited a few Boston friends over to eat the pie in the evening.

Sunday, I went to church, and then came home to cook a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

When Brian asked me if we could do a full Thanksgiving dinner sometime during the weekend, I agreed - as long as he would help me wash dishes.

He held up his part of the bargain.

And that was our week in review.

What I'm Thankful For this Year

2008-11-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

Given all the ups and downs this world has seen this last year, it feels a little silly to say what I'm thankful for in 2008. But the truth must be told, and this is the truth.

This Thanksgiving Day, I'm thankful for no big bugs in our kitchen.

That's it. Doesn't take much to make me happy, huh?

Last Thanksgiving, I was having a much harder time being thankful. Oh, I had a wonderful husband and a warm house and food to eat. But what I really wanted was to be with anyone who we had known longer than six months. Family! Sarah & Zeb! Mike & Therese! I would have taken any of them! But Brian was terribly stressed out with all his papers coming due in a few weeks and didn't feel like giving Thanksgiving more than about eight hours. And so, he refused to travel to be with any of these people. And I guess I wanted to be with him the most, because I wasn't considering leaving him behind just to spend Thanksgiving away from Boston.

We did have people with whom to spend the day. Our small group from church was composed of similarly extended-family-less people, and we were coming together for a Thanksgiving potluck. I was bringing the pies.

Thanksgiving Day, I rose early, trying to have a good attitude and genuinely looking forward to the pie making. I walked into the kitchen and flipped on the light. And there, staring up at me from my empty sink, was a big ol' cockroach. Ugh. Talk about ruining the cooking mood.

I screamed, and Brian, being a dear, jumped out of bed and did the honors of squashing it. I trudged to the closet and pulled out the Lysol and paper towels. After all, the pies had to be made.

It wasn't the first time. Shortly after we moved in in August, we found these creatures particularly liked our bathtub. I didn't mind them too much there, but I wasn't against caulking them out. Then they started showing up in our kitchen. And that was too much.

I caulked the backsplash. I stuffed steel wool around the pipes. I placed roach bait in the corners. I scoured the kitchen for any place they might be coming through the walls. And I thought I found them all. But they kept greeting us in the morning.

Discouraged, I started looking on craigslist for a new apartment. Brian, however, kept thinking. And finally, he taped the one remaining hole above our counter: our one electrical outlet.

It's hard to believe these cockroaches could climb through one of those holes, but it seemed to do the trick. We have been large bug free for exactly one year now.

The small ones still come in from time to time. But it's the big ones that I really couldn't stand. And it's the big ones I'm thankful are gone.

Bread Dressing

2008-11-22T14:12:00.008-05:00

Growing up close to two sets of grandparents, the challenges of spending holidays with two different groups just became too difficult and an agreed upon division of holidays was established. Thanksgiving days were spent with the Schierlings.

This seemed appropriate, as my Grandma Schierling loved to cook - and loved to see her family eat. One could hardly visit without hearing "Are you hungry?" or "If you open that oven door, you'll find a pan of (brownies, pie, cinnamon rolls...)."

She wasn't an experimental cook, though. Oh, from time to time she'd try a new recipe or play around with an old one. But for the most part, she had her standards. Thanksgiving dinner consisted of the 1950ish menu of turkey, mashed potatoes (bowls of both instant ones because they were easy and real ones for those hard-to-please people), flour-thickened gravy, pistachio pudding, store-bought rolls, and homemade pumpkin pie. And her bread dressing. This was her signature Thanksgiving dish, quite distinct from any other stuffing I'd ever seen or tasted. As a youngster, I never much cared for it. I preferred the sweeter, stickier, straight-from-the-box stuff. But as I got older, I began to see the beauty in her dressing.

It's nothing fancy. Just some onions, celery, bread, and seasonings. All together, it comes out rather dry. But served with a little good gravy, it's rather tasty.

Two years ago, I called her and asked her for her Thanksgiving dressing recipe. She explained to me how she made it, and I jotted down notes, trying to get some specifics as we went. But after we hung up, she worried that she might have forgotten some things and decided to write it out for me:

I loved getting her card in the mail with the recipe written out in her distinct handwriting. However, I must confess - comparing it to my notes left me a little confused. One t. poultry seasoning and 1/2 c. butter are a far cry from the amounts called for in her recipe. And I have down to bake it at 325 (for an hour ... just in case you were wondering). However, my notes concur that all should be done "till tastes right."

This year, she's not here to make it for us, so we're going to have to give Grandma's bread dressing a whirl on our own. Hopefully, a year hasn't been too long to remember what tasting right tastes like. I have a feeling, though, that we're just not going to be able to get it exactly the same.

A Quiet Afternoon

2008-11-16T16:35:00.004-05:00

This afternoon has been a quiet afternoon.

I have the candles lit and James Taylor's October Road on. The sun has just sunk, but enough light remains for me to see the wind blow around the last few leaves clinging to the trees.

I thought about making myself a cup of tea but haven't gotten around to it yet.

We're having dinner with some new friends this evening, so I'm not even worried about what we're eating this evening.

I baked a cake to take with us and the dishes are done. I put in a few loads of laundry, and they are almost done too. Maybe I'll pull out the ironing board and iron my husband's dress shirts. But maybe not.

I know that partly, this lack of activity comes from the fact that we are relative newcomers to this city, and thus we have fewer connections to make.

But I think it also comes from not having a car. I remember the noticable change to my life back in college when I got my own car. Suddenly, there were errands that had to be run and places that had to be visited. There was a new convenience to having a car. When something had to be done, it could just go be done. But there was also such an obligation. Because all that was required was jumping in the car, it all had to be done. When one must walk or take a bus, it all suddenly seems so unnecessary for living.

I look forward to the day when we will again have a car and also have family and friends in town, be that here in Boston or back in the northwest. But for right now, I am enjoying this change. I know the quietness that comes from change never lasts long.

The Hunt for Puréed Pumpkin

2008-11-09T09:07:00.005-05:00

I had forgotten this scene from last year:

It is early November, Thanksgiving is approaching, and Brian and I are getting in the mood for fall foods. Pumpkin pie being a favorite of Brian's, I decide to bake him one he only has to share with me.

I walk into the grocery store to buy the ingredients. One of them is pumpkin purée. Where DO they keep that stuff? Well, no worries - I'm sure they'll have piles of it in a holiday baking area. I find the seasonal display. Boxes of stuffing and cans of cranberry sauce form a festive mosaic. But no pumpkin. Well, at least there will be a stack of it in the baking aisle. I walk down the baking aisle. The aisle is free and clear of stacked cans.

OK. Worries are back. Now I have to figure out where it would be on the shelf.

I begin searching the edges of the canned vegetables and crawling on the floor to see the bottom shelves of the baking supplies.

Ah-hah! There they are! Ten little cans on a lowly shelf!

Does no one in Boston bake pumpkin pie?!?

Don't try to tell me they all use fresh pumpkins.

Election Day Results Math

2008-11-05T12:13:00.004-05:00

Seven presidential election result days ago (each election being four years apart), a little boy was born in California. The story he says his mother tells is that she heard how the results were shaping up and, from disappointment that her preferred candidate was not winning, was sent in to labor.

That little boy would shortly thereafter move to Oregon, grow up, go to college, fall in love with me, and marry me.

Happy birthday, Brian!

A Farmer's Market Dinner

2008-11-02T17:24:00.004-05:00

Brian gathered dinner for us on Friday. He went to the farmer's market and bought everything that looked good to him: apple cider, baguette, smoked cheddar cheese, applesauce, and a brownie. Yumm! My husband has good taste!

I haven't cooked since. Three nights now, this has been our dinner, along with a package of salame from Trader Joe's. Maybe I'll get back to cooking after the weekend.

The Glove Seasons

2008-10-28T19:33:00.003-04:00

Today we passed from wool-glove-season to leather-glove-season.

Yesterday, it was nippy in the morning, but it warmed up in the afternoon. I ate lunch outside with a friend, and we were basking in the sun. Today, the sky never brightened above grey. It's snowing in upstate New York.

There is one benefit to living in a place that has five months of cold: one learns the different variations of winter. And one has good justification to buy multiple pairs of gloves.

When we moved here, I really wanted a pair of wool gloves. I found a pair and happily wore them all through the fall. But come November, I realized wool gloves do not keep out the wind and the rain. So I gave up the wool gloves and bought myself a pair of leather gloves, although I really dislike leather gloves. Maybe I just didn't spend enough, but I find them cold and stiff. This winter, though, I'm looking forward to a third glove season.

When the rain turns to snow and the temperature drops below 30, I'm going to pull out my new moss green down gloves. These gloves are wind and rain proof, and they have a cozy fleece lining and down fill.

Ohhh - my nose may be cold, but my hands are going to be so happy!

Our Bedroom

2008-10-26T13:48:00.011-04:00

Continuing the tour of our apartment, I took pictures of our bedroom today. There were no clothes piled anywhere and sunlight was streaming in the window, so I figured it was the perfect opportunity.

Here is the room with me standing just outside the doorway:

Once again, I have on the wide-angle lens, so this room looks a little bigger than it actually feels. But for some perspective, our bed is a queen sized bed, and there is a narrow walkway on each side - about 12" on the left and maybe 18" on the right. To the left you can see just over half of our 5' wide closet (where there used to be a second window. I guess I'm glad to have the closet.)

As for what is between me and the bed, take a look at this picture from the other direction:

Here you can see there is a walkway between the doorway and our bed. The door on the left leads to the fire escape. I know - it probably shouldn't be blocked. I console myself with the fact that at least it's only being blocked by a lightweight cart on wheels and not by a dresser, which is what the last tenants had in front of it. (!) And yes, that is a bookshelf on top of Brian's dresser. We ran out of bookshelf space in our living room, so we picked up that bookshelf on Craigslist a month or two ago. The only place to go is up. And with 10 foot ceilings, we have plenty of space up there!

If you click on the picture, you can see through the bedroom door. To the left is the kitchen, Brian is sitting at our dining table (you can just see his elbow) correcting essays, and behind him is a sliver of our front door.

That makes two rooms down, two to go!

Unexpected Benefit #3

2008-10-25T21:36:00.008-04:00

There have been several unexpected benefits from beginning this blog. The first one was that I finally learned how to set up the internet so that I could be notified of breaking news on friends' blogs. The second has been having friends read my blog and sometimes leave comments, bringing a sense of connectedness to people who live farther away than I like.

The third unexpected benefit of having this blog has been finally having a reason to learn how to use a digital camera. As a teenager, I bought myself a moderately fancy point and shoot. It served me many years, but when digital cameras finally started getting fairly good, I realized what a drain on the pocketbook a film camera was and quit using it. Problem was - I didn't pick up a digital camera as a replacement. Rather, I just stopped taking pictures.

Then along came my husband who brought some very nice belongings into our marriage, and I finally had at my fingertips a digital camera. However, the complexity of the settings and the processing skills necessary to turn out good pictures were still hindrances to my doing anything with it.

However, now with a place to share any pictures I might take, I feel more compelled to learn how to use this camera, as well as to process the pictures afterwards.

And thus, I leave you with this frame of New England color:

I Give Up

2008-10-19T17:33:00.003-04:00

That's it. I didn't think it would come to this, but it has. I'm giving up.

I got one thing done: my freezer once again has full capacity. For some reason, Brian and I always choose the apartments with refrigerators that have an internal freezer. You know, like the ones from the 60's? That means no self-defrosting function. So, every few months, I have to go reclaim the space in my freezer from the ice that never seems to care that I have other priorities for that space.

My fingers are so cold, I can barely type.

This finger freezing is on top of the fact that it's 47 degrees outside and heat still hasn't begun to course through our radiators. I'm not sure what our indoor temperature is. My meat thermometer says 69 degrees. Can those things read air temperature?

Which brings me to give up on my other to-do items.

Well, sorta.

It didn't make my list, but watching Foyle's War has been on my list of things to do for about 5 weeks now, ever since I got it from the library - and every time I renew it.

I think it's time to tackle that task, accompanied by a blanket and something hot, of course!

This Post is About You

2008-10-17T23:02:00.002-04:00

Well, maybe. At least, it's about those of you who I know are there.

I just want to take a moment to say Thank you! to all of you who leave comments on my blog. I love hearing from you all and getting interaction when I write. And it is so much more motivating to write for someone than for, well, who knows who? So, if you read this blog and have anything to say, say it! I love hearing it.

Now to those of you who read but don't comment, well, thanks for reading! I don't want to pressure you to comment. But if you've just been feeling shy, well, just say hello. It's nice to know you're out there.

"Garage" Sale Finds

2008-10-12T16:20:00.013-04:00

As some of you know, I have recently become obsessed with loose leaf teas.

In case you have not yet discovered loose leaf tea, let me explain the obsession. Good tea is VERY GOOD, in fact, even tastier and more interesting than coffee. It is also better for you, in that it is not dehydrating, it has less caffeine, and it has touted health benefits.

However, there are a few disadvantages which have always restrained my desire to try more teas. Almost all pertain to pre-bagged tea. First, there is the problem of quantity. When one buys a box of tea, one is stuck with 15-25 bags, which one must then find a place for. I know - how big is a bag of tea?!? But get them all together and you have to find a shelf for them all. Admit it - you have half a shelf taken up by tea boxes. Then there is the cost. Pre-bagged tea costs about $5 per box. With 18 bags in there, that's 28c per cup. And who knows if you'll even like it? Usually the boxes are so tightly wrapped in plastic that you can barely even smell it. Now, I have no qualms about spending money on good tea, but I don't really like to fork over $5 for a tea I have no idea whether I'll like.

Compare this to loose-leaf teas. First, in buying loose leaf tea, you ditch the boxes, the paper sleeves, the mesh bags, the staples, the string, the tabs. It takes you down to just a handful of tea leaves. You do have to find yourself a workable strainer - I recommend a submersible mesh cup like mine. Next, cost: 1 oz of tea leaves will make 10 cups of tea. At $7 for 4 oz, that breaks down to 17c per cup. Lastly, if you buy your tea from a local shop, you are free to open the jars and smell the tea, and you will quite often find the attendent more than happy to brew you up a sample to make sure you will enjoy that tea once you get home.

Thus, you see why I'm now only buying loose leaf teas.

However, there is still one issue with the tea: although it is less bulky than bagged tea, it still must be put somewhere. The tea usually come in a little ziploc plastic bag. I piled them all into my Bundt cake pan to constrain them, but that was beginning to look messy. So, I began looking for a new solution.

I came up with the first solution: I found these jars to hold the tea. This left me with glass jars piled up rather than the plastic tea bags. Next I looked into buying myself a shelf to set them all on; but when I looked online, they all seemed expensive and hard to determine if they would really work.

So, it was handy last Sunday that I walked past a "garage" sale (no garage involved) and happened to spot something that might work. For $2, I could take a chance.

I brought it home, and sure enough! The jars fit perfectly.

Now, if I can just get it hung, I will be all set for winter tea making.

An evening at Harvard

2008-10-11T09:35:00.004-04:00

Last night, I did something I haven't done for about 25 years. That's right, I was pretty young last time. So young, in fact, that mostly my memories from the first time consist of wanting what all the vendors were hawking - the glowy sticks and the cotton candy. I can't remember if my parents bought us any of it. Probably not. But I think our cousins, who we were there with, got it all.

The common experience separated by 25 years? I attended an ice skating show! It was An Evening with Champions at Harvard's hockey rink.

This time, I went with a new Boston friend Kelly. The event was a little more casual than seeing Disney on Ice in Portland, so she brought her three month old baby. And there were no vendors.

The skaters were very good, but at first when I read down the program list, I was a little disappointed. No Kristie Yamagutchi, Bryan Boytano, or Scott Hamilton. I didn't recognize any of the names! But then the program started, and the skaters were introduced, and I realized that for the most part, these are champions we should be looking for in the coming years, not already made household names. There was seventeen year old Brittney Rizo. There was national junior champion Adam Rippon. And there was something I've never heard of before, but was very cool to watch: synchronized skating.

It was a fun evening, spent holding Kelly's baby and cheering on skaters of all ages.

The Task for the Day

2008-10-04T16:31:00.003-04:00

Growing up on the west coast, I never really understood the concept of packing up one season's clothes and pulling out another's. I mean, is the wardrobe really that different? And why go to all the trouble when it all fits in your dresser?

That was before I moved to Boston where two things changed:

1) The seasons became drastically different. In the summer, one definitely wants sandals and spaghetti straps. In the winter, one cannot do without the down coat and wool socks.

2) Space became very limited. My dresser cannot hold everything. Not to mention that our closet is five feet wide - total.

So, the task for the day is to open my drawers, decide what should be kept for next season and what I'll never wear, pull out those boxes in the closet and under the bed, and make the switch. All with a cup of tea, because let me tell you - it's cold here!

My Grandpa

2008-10-01T21:35:00.004-04:00

Well, it's looking like all this financial turmoil might not turn into the Second Great Depression after all. Which is really too bad, (only!) in that I had a perfect antidote up my sleeve.

Meet my grandpa.

My grandpa remembers the Great Depression; he was about ten years old at the time. And if you get him reminiscing, he will be glad to tell you stories from those days. One of the most amazing to me is this one:

Even if you've never planted a garden before, you probably know that to get a crop, you must plant a seed. With potatoes, the "seed" is the combination of an eye along with some flesh to feed the plant before it produces leaves and can get its strength from the sun. Well, during the Great Depression, my grandpa tells me, that was a hard call: to give up a potato to have a seed to plant for another crop. So, they didn't. They peeled their potatoes, ate the starchy flesh, and then went out and buried the carefully collected peelings. And they grew! That fall, they had a crop of potatoes, just from planting their potato peelings.

Not only does he love to tell stories, but he also loves to share information. If you want to know how to graft and prune apple trees, he'll be happy to tell you. If you want to learn how to build yourself a smoker, he'd be glad to explain - and he'll even tell you some little tricks for free. Almost anything related to growing and storing food, he can tell you.

In the picture above, he was explaining to me that to get a good harvest of pears, the fruit must be picked while it is still green and on the tree. If it is left to ripen, it will be mealy. Good to know, as I love pears! If my brain could remember everything he has said during my growing up years, I'd be set to live on a few acres for life.

Well, hello there!

2008-09-25T20:23:00.005-04:00

Look who showed up in my mailbox today! A little critter from Seattle.

Pear Pie

2008-09-21T21:44:00.005-04:00

My to-do list has been completed, and I was even able to start dinner for tomorrow night. In just about half an hour, I'm going to find that reading time too. But first, I wanted to give you my recipe for pear pie and tell you - EAT THIS!

I have no idea where this recipe came from. My mom made it, my grandma made it, and I was told that her mom made it too. But usually when I tell people about it, they raise their eyebrows in disbelief. Pear pie? They've never heard of such a thing!

If you were here, I would try to be unselfish and invite you over for a piece. But since you're not in town, unfortunately, all I can do is tell you: it's sooo yummy! Here it is.

Pear Pie

1 9" unbaked pie shell
5-6 c. peeled, sliced Bartlett pears (5-7 pears)
1/2 c. whipping cream
3/4-1 c. sugar
3 T. flour
sprinkle of cinnamon
1 T. butter

Make the pie shell. Prepare the pears. Mix the cream, sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Pour over the pears and mix gently. Pour pear mixture into the pie shell. Sprinkle with more cinnamon and dot with butter. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, then turn down the oven to 375 and bake for 45 minutes longer. Makes 1 scrumptious pie.

OK. I'll bet you can guess what I'm going to do next!

The Day Before Us

2008-09-21T13:13:00.004-04:00

I sit at the computer having read the new entries on friends' blogs. We are back from church, lunch has been eaten, the dishes from the past day have been cleaned up, Brian is off to the library to study. I have goals for the afternoon: make a menu, go grocery shopping, bake a pie, and maybe squeeze in a little reading time with a cup of tea. Usually about this time on a Sunday afternoon, I would look up and the clock would say 3:30. Ugh. Just an hour or two until I have to start putting together some dinner, after which it will be growing dark. Maybe I can squeeze in three good hours toward my goals into this late afternoon, but I probably won't get everything done that I want to. And on top of the lateness, nothing makes me feel more defeated before beginning than getting started on my weekend to-do list after 1:00 pm.

But now, I look up and the clock says 1:00. ONE O'CLOCK?!? How could this be? This totally feels like a regular Sunday!

And it is, with one exception. We went to the early service this morning. Early being ... 9:15.

OK. If this is the reward for getting up at 8:00 rather than 10:00 on Sundays, I'll take it!

A day of unexpected joys

2008-09-18T21:27:00.006-04:00

Today was a good day because it contained a few unexpected joys. One was something I've wanted to do for awhile, and the other was something that happens quite frequently, but still makes me happy.

The first unexpected joy was that I got to go to a stamp unveiling ceremony. I know - it's an esoteric dream. But as a stamp collector, I've always wanted to go to one. But the problem always was that I lived on the west coast in a small town where nobody ever famous enough to get on a stamp was born, so they never staged one out there. But now I live on the east coast where they occur like clockwork. And what's more, this one was happening at BU, so Brian found out about it and called me and I ran over on my lunch break to get in on a piece of history. Too bad I couldn't stay for the whole thing - I could have told my grandchildren I saw Lauren Bacall speak. And since I'd never heard of Laren Bacall, I would probably have then had to go on to explain to them who she was. Except that they will have grown up with a movie-buff father. So they'll probably know who Lauren Bacall is (and be able to tell me more than I can tell them).

The second joy was a result of the first. Brian was in a class while I was at the unveiling of the Bette Davis stamp, but he called me after he got out. And there he was - standing on the other side of the street from where I was waiting for the train. He was planning to go home, but given that he had the opportunity to hang out with me for five minutes, he changed his plan and rode downtown with me. Then he studied at the Boston Public Library, one block from where I work, and travelled home with me. It's always nice to have a companion in the mundane.

Think this'll fly?

2008-09-13T22:32:00.009-04:00

Recently, I've gotten into my mind the idea that I ought to have a tea party.

This idea came about because I've been thinking that I ought to have people (as opposed to persons) over to our house. Other than three occasions, two of them being visiting family and one nearly so, we have only had one 'non-Brian or Melanie' person in our house at a time.

Specifically, I've been thinking we ought to have the people in our small group over, because we've enjoyed their hospitality so many times. However, the idea of having over the whole small group is ludicrous. There wouldn't be enough room for anyone to turn around. So, I was thinking I should just limit my people to the ladies in the group. That brings me down to about seven.

And what to do with them? Share some tea, of course!

However, several of the ladies in our group have babies under six months old, and from what I understand about little babies, they don't take to being away from mom for long. So, I decided I should invite the ladies with their babies.

This idea came to me a few weeks ago, but today, I was thinking more about the logistics of this idea - about how I could fit everyone into our living room. Then I started thinking about those baby carriers! Where would we put the babies??? Immediately, this scene from Little House in the Big Woods flashed into my mind:

Think the modern mother would go for this?

The Project Dresser

2008-09-10T23:04:00.001-04:00

The last six boxes are finally out of our living room with the purchase of the project dresser. Those last stubbern boxes held "unnecessities": projects I moved to Boston with us, because 'they're not going to get done in Oregon!' and 'Brian's going to be in grad school; I'm going to have a lot of free time.'

The drawers sort the projects, in order of apperance,
1) my ungodly amount of stationary,
2) my stamp collecting supplies,
3) my scrapbooking supplies,
4) all the pictures from my lifetime to put into those scrapbooks, and
5) my sewing supplies.

This past year, I wrote a few letters and worked on my stamps a couple of times. But those boxes were such a pain to get into! Now whenever I want something, I just pull open a drawer. Don't ask how much I've done since we got the dresser. No need to get all discouraged just two weeks into the school year!

A Handy Thing About Boston...

2008-09-09T00:49:00.003-04:00

is that you rarely see the same person twice.

I take comfort in this thought on days like today, when while riding to work, the train rounded the corner between Kenmore and Hynes in a particularly rude fashion, and I lunged forward with a grunt, nearly giving mouth-to-mouth to the stranger in front of me. I was quite embarrased at the time, and am now quite sore from my wrist to my shoulder (I was holding on to a strap); but at least I'll be riding with different people tomorrow, and they won't fear me.

I know, I know, Obama said the kids were off limits

2008-09-04T19:59:00.008-04:00

but since most of you are either not interested enough in politics to watch the conventions or have made it perfectly clear that you're voting for Obama, I figured you probably didn't see this and wanted to share this with you.

Last night, I confess, I was a curious American, and I turned on the television to watch Sarah Palin introduce herself to the world. I know, I could have waited until today to read how awful the Democrats thought she was and how much the Republicans loved her. But I wanted to see her myself and get my own impression.

And I have to say, I'm so glad I did. The speech was good. But even better, we were treated to an unexpected but delightful shot of Palin's youngest daughter holding her new brother:

Brian was falling off the couch laughing, and I was laughing too, and then laughing harder watching him laughing.

Head Lice Demystified

2008-08-29T10:00:00.000-04:00

It's a rite of passage I never had to pass through. However, during my trip home, I had the opportunity to learn a little bit about head lice; and you know what they say: scientia potentia. Now I know just how bad - and not bad - they really are. But no worries. I'm not planning to keep all this information to myself.

In case you too never had them, here are a few facts about them:

Lice are parasites: they feed on human blood.

Take away the blood source for somewhere between 24-55 hours (sources differ), and the lice will die.

Heat will also kill the buggers. They cannot live above 140 degrees, so a hot blow dryer to the head (not always tolerable to children) or a hot dryer (not always tolerable to dolls) will kill them.

Lice cannot jump or fly. Thus, you must get close enough to an affected person or their items in order for them to crawl onto you.

Head lice carry no diseases. Unlike ROACHES! But I'll save that for my post about roaches (a pest that does NOT get more tolerable with information).

Lice are not particularly drawn to dirty heads - and cannot be dislodged by shampooing the hair.

The itching associated with head lice is from an allergic reaction to the bug's saliva and feces.(See now, don't you feel better?)

The eggs (nits) must be incubated close to the head to hatch.

The modern louse is becoming resistant to chemical shampoos designed to kill them (which is actually good news, given how bad the chemicals in them are). Thus, your best bet at removing them is to go back to the old fashioned method of "mechanical removal." To translate: oh, never mind. You probably get the picture.

Also, anointing one's head with oil may help suffocate the live ones. (Sorry, PETA. But I read your thoughts on roaches.)

And lastly, while everyone is sitting around scratching their heads, some cultural items of note:

Lice were found on the heads of Egyptian mummies.

We have lice to thank for the coined phrases 'nit pick' and 'going over something with a fine-toothed comb.' (This one is courtesy of my husband: I knew this, but he didn't make the connection until last week.)

Of course, even knowing all this, I'm not saying "Bring them on!" I really dislike bugs and knowing there were some crawling around on my head would keep me from sleeping at night, resulting in other problems. But given the option of lice, bedbugs, or fleas, I'll take lice first, fleas second, and bedbugs third. Just please don't make roaches an option.

The Spell has been Broken

2008-08-26T22:29:00.000-04:00

I am pleased to report that we are back "home" in Boston, and that our trip went relatively smoothly. This is wonderful because Brian pointed out a peculiar fact to me earlier this summer:

Since we have moved to the east coast, I have flown 5 times, round trip.

Three of these times, I have flown by myself and have always made it to my destination as planned, give or take a few hours.

The other two times, Brian has been with me. The first of these times, we were headed home for Christmas; and there were weather delays causing us to miss our connecting flight in Las Vegas. Result was the airline put us up in a hotel and we were re-booked on the next flight from Las Vegas to Eugene - 20 hours later. The second time we flew together was to visit Sarah & Zeb in DC. Our flight headed back to Boston was delayed, then we boarded the plane, then we were informed the flight had been cancelled. Result was the airline put us up in a hotel and we were re-booked on a flight the next morning. Notice a trend here?

This trip, however, broke this trend. I am happy to report that, fun as it is to stay in a hotel for free, we arrived where we wanted to be relatively close to the time we planned to be there. Maybe I won't have to start leaving him behind after all.

Goodbye, Boston

2008-08-15T10:00:00.000-04:00

Hello, Oregon!

This weekend, Brian and I head back to Oregon for some catching up on what we've missed there.

While we're not quite as desparate for McMenamin hamburgers and Sweet Life cheesecake as when we went back in December, we still have quite a list of things we want to do. Here is our list:

Tour Nate & Janelle's new house

Eat Nancy's cream cheese

Party for my grandparents' harvest being (mostly) in

Go to the dentist

Attend a baby shower for Jacob

Play games with Grandpa

See Angela one last time before she becomes a college student!

Listen to Reformation Fellowship in person

Whew! And this is supposed to be a vacation? But don't consider me complaining!

See you in a week!

Gourmet Zucchini? Yes!

2008-08-12T20:36:00.000-04:00

If you grew up like I did, with gardens overflowing with zucchini, you've probably had zucchini every way you can think of - fried, stuffed, pancaked, breaded, caked, lasagna'ed, yah, yah, yah...

But now that you've tired of zucchini in all these ways, I'd like to introduce you to ... simple zucchini, which comes out surprisingly gourmet.

I've made this recipe three times this summer, and all I want to do is make it more. Each time I take a bite, I fall in love again. It is amazing. And the rice recipe that goes along with it is a little fancy, but a perfect compliment.

Enough talking. Here it is.

Sauteed Zucchini
1 lb. zucchini
table salt
2-3 T. butter
1 T. minced green onion
freshly grated nutmeg
1 T. lemon juice
lemon zest

Grate the zucchini - you should have about 3 1/2 cups. In a colander set over a bowl, layer half the zucchini. Sprinkle with salt. Layer other half of zucchini. Again salt. Let set for 20-30 minutes to allow bitter juices to drain.

Gently squeeze juice out of zucchini by handfuls. Rinse with cold water and again squeeze.

In a saute pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the zucchini, green onion, and nutmeg. Cook, tossing until tender, about 4 minutes,* adding lemon juice toward the end. Garnish with lemon zest.

*Do not overcook the zucchini - preferably, the zucchini will be a bright green and not turning brown.

Coconut Jasmine Rice
1/2 c. coconut milk, stirred well
1 1/4 c. water
1 t. peeled, grated fresh ginger
1/2 t. salt
1c. jasmine rice, rinsed & drained

In a heavy saucepan, stir together the coconut milk, water, ginger, and salt. Bring to a rapid boil and gradually add the rice. Reduce heat to simmer for 15-20 minutes until the rice is tender. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff with fork.

Thanks to Williams-Sonoma for originally publishing this recipe, and to Janelle for introducing it to me when we lived together on Walnut Street. I think it clinched my place in the Julian family when I had them over for dinner at the Walnut Street apartment: I showed them that I could get Brian to eat vegetables.

It's going to be a good winter

2008-08-09T10:00:00.001-04:00

This past week, I have discovered a new tea house. Surprisingly to me, it is a fairly large chain with its own standard blends.

This is surprising because so far in my experience, it has been the small tea shops that have delivered the tastiest tea (Savouré in Eugene, Capitol Teas in Annapolis, and Timeless Teas in Boston) and not the chains (Tealuxe and Teavana). But, I'm willing to give each tea shop its fair chance, so I stepped inside Whittard of Chelsea. It didn't hurt that when I was looking online for a good tea shop in Boston, their "Sticky Toffee" tea kept popping up on everyone's "where can I find?!?" list.

Now, I'm both a snobby tea drinker, as well as particular. I've tasted some really bad teas that are - uh, really bad. But I've also tasted a lot of high-quality teas that I just don't like. And I've discovered that while viewing and smelling the teas are a good start to finding a tea I love, one's nose is not a sure-fire way to find a favorite tea. Thus, I've begun to resolve that I will not buy a tea without tasting it (Sticky Toffee being the exception).

But back to Whittard (take note Americans: singular, pronounced Whit-TARD).

Off and on over the spring, I have gone into Whittard, and while I'd tried several great teas, I hadn't found anything that would get me moving out the front door and through the blustery streets to the Green Line train stop. Which was all right - I have Lemon Sorbet Rooibos from Savouré to fill that place in my life.

But last week changed all that. I came across a perfect tea - one that I do believe I could drink every morning as I walk to the train. It is Almond & Orange Chai Rooibos. Doesn't it just sound wonderful?

A little spicy, a little sweet - it is a perfect blend of, well, almonds, orange peel, coriander, peppercorns, and rooibos. And it's beautiful too:

It's what I'm going to be drinking this winter. You should too. Only, you'll have to come visit me to get your hands on some - Whittard stores are only in Boston and England. (And who wants to go to England?)

Our Kitchen

2008-08-05T19:38:00.002-04:00

Last weekend, Brian and I packed up our kitchen and moved it to our bedroom so we could use a fogger to try to rid our space of some pesky little creatures that show their heads from time to time.

As a result, my kitchen was looking particularly clean, so I decided to take some pictures to show you, since most of you have never been here and probably never will.

Here is one from the doorway, looking in:

And another from the pass-through (right next to the doorway) looking in:

(These pictures amuse me because I am using a wide-angle lens, so the room looks quite large. It is surely adequate, but by no means spacious! The room is seven feet wide from wall to wall and five and a half feet deep. Thirty-eight square feet. I challenge anyone to beat that!)

For the most part, I really like my kitchen. The pass-through makes it feel open and a part of the rest of the apartment. Everything I want in it fits nicely and is fairly well organized and easy to reach. I love having the dishes setting out, and I love the combined handiness and beauty of that silver wire rack on the back wall. I love the spice cabinet from Janelle, and the colorful aprons hanging in the corner. I love that there is a bookshelf in my kitchen with the bottom shelf full of cookbooks. I also love the pink ribbon tied around the brown curtain (which I point out here because you can barely see it).

However, there are a few things that this kitchen skimps on. For example, did you see our fridge? Oh, you didn't see our fridge? Look again:

It's on the right - peeking out from under the counter.

I plan very carefully when going to the grocery store. There is no "What a great sale! I'll buy an extra [enter refrigerated item here]"! And need I say it? The freezer inside this thing is wimpy. Even if the freezer door wasn't falling off, I don't think anything would stay frozen.

The other thing I'd take in my kitchen is a little more counter space. Like, enough space to roll out a batch of cinnamon rolls or a pie crust on.

Now, in the interest of fair disclosure, having a small counter does have its advantages! For example, one always has to do the dishes before starting a new project, so the mess never becomes overwhelming. On the other hand, though, one always has to do the dishes before starting a new project; and by the time one is done with the dishes, one doesn't really feel like starting a new project. Thus, overall, a small counter is disadvantageous: because it cuts down on inspiration. And because it keeps us from eating pies and cinnamon rolls.

So, that's our kitchen, along with what I like about it and what I don't. Thanks for visiting!

Stay tuned for next week, when we'll visit: The Living Room.

Or maybe not. It's a mess.

We now have pictures!

2008-08-03T14:13:00.001-04:00

His mother said he was the most beautiful baby she'd ever seen. But, you know, that's mother-love.

After seeing these pictures, though, I have to say - he's pretty cute!

Maybe that's just aunt-love, though?

Meet my nephew

2008-08-02T10:37:00.001-04:00

as I have met him, so far:

They say they are sending a picture someday.

Perfectionism

2008-07-27T21:46:00.000-04:00

I am a perfectionist. Those of you who share this affliction will know how overwhelming it is to always try to be perfect. Luckily, I am able to limit my perfectionism to certain areas in my life. I do not attempt to be perfect in relationships (good thing, huh?) or in day-to-day tasks. Rather, ironically, I limit my perfectionism to my hobbies. Yeah, I know - because I enjoy it so much?

Sewing - if there's a single thing wrong, it must be ripped out.
Writing letters - the paper must be just perfect, the pen must flow easily across the paper.
Stamp collecting - I have to make sure I've found the finest stamp available to me to fill that space in my book.

That's why stamp issues such as this one nearly drive me crazy.

It looks so innocent, hanging out there on the corner of nearly every envelope. However, behind all those stamps hide a horrible secret, which only perfectionists who become stamp collectors learn. And since I've never met another perfectionist stamp collector, I'm assuming you haven't heard this secret.

There are almost as many different issues of this stamp as there are post offices.

OK. I also exaggerate. But today, I went through the pile I've been collecting from work and found over a dozen different versions of this stamp. And, of course, when you're a perfectionist stamp collector, you have to own one of each, and that one has to be the best one available to you. That's the rule.

The slightest little difference makes it a different issue. These differences occur because the post office contracts with different printers to produce all the stamps required to supply America. Each printer may do things a little differently, so things like the paper and perferations differ. And then there are different years, and ones marked "41" and others marked "First Class". And different flagpole colors. And different type colors. And ones that must be licked (yes, they still make those) and ones that are self-adhesive. And then there are coils, and booklets, and sheets, which all make a difference. Here are the different issues I found in my pile:

(To see if you can tell what differentiates each of these, click on the picture.)

I am pleased with my toil. Two of these stamps I only had one copy of. Just think - had I not sorted through them all, I might have tossed that one! Oh, what agony to have that one space blank in my book. But even worse, to think - what if I HAD that one, and I tossed it away?

But I must say, I am glad to be done with this task. It is not the most thrilling thing about stamp collecting to me. So, if you have copies of this stamp, please do not send it to me. I do not want to see another one.

But if you notice you have one that I don't, please DO send it to me! Because my collection must be complete.

Oh, never mind. Just send it to me and I'll check it myself.

Saturdays

2008-07-25T22:06:00.001-04:00

I think that Brian and I are finally beginning to take on some of those day trips I wanted to be a part of this "moving to Boston" deal. I understand that September thru May is reserved soley for that degree. But it's been summer for eight weeks now! There's less summer left than we've lived through so far! (Breathe, breathe, it's not over yet...)

Last weekend, we took our first day trip. We went out to two of the most accessible Boston Harbor Islands: Georges Island and Spectacle Island. The ferry ride was refreshing; the flora was unlike anything I've seen on the West Coast; and the hiking was not worthy of being so called. Overall, though it was just so fun to be someplace other than Boston!

In fact, it was so much fun that we're doing it again. This time, though, we're going to be a little more ambitious - we're leaving the state. Ever since Brian found out that the commuter rail (which is much cheaper than Amtrak!) runs all the way to Providence, Rhode Island, he's been saying we should go. So, tomorrow it is. He has printed out maps and bus schedules; and should you happen to be on the 10:05 Train to Providence, you'll find us on board.

Unexpected benefits

2008-07-23T21:29:00.000-04:00

I began this blog on Friday night. While setting it up, I decided to add the Blog List tool, which displays the latest post on the blogs on a list of blogs that I read. Unbeknownst to me, this is a very new Blogger tool.

I began this blog because I love reading friends' blogs. However, as much as I like to keep up on them, sometimes I forget about one or another and have to spend an evening catching up on a few weeks of posts. It's always nice to find one has something interesting to read; but still, something that notifies you sooner, like that thing they call RSS is supposed to do, would be nice!

Well, now with this tool, I can take 'figuring out RSS feeds' off my 'to do' list! I just have to go peek at my blog to see if anyone else has found it yet, and when my face becomes downcast from no comments (but not quite none no more - thanks Sarah!), my face is suddenly brightened when I look to the right and find a new post from you. So, please, keep on posting!

Dinner

2008-07-18T19:58:00.001-04:00

Tonight, I am eating dinner by myself. This does not happen often; and when it does, it is a little overwhelming. There are so many things I like to eat that Brian does not share my enthusiasm for.

I bought a bagel today at the farmer's market, and after searching the fridge (which takes all of two minutes, as it is a snack-fridge), I decided to top it with brie and Trader Joe's ginger jelly. If you missed this sampling at Trader Joes, let me tell you, you really missed out. The tangy jelly pairs perfectly with the savory brie. Put it on crackers, put it on fruit, put it on Melba toast. It's yummy! Everyone I have served it to loves it.

Everyone except Brian, that is.

First Post

2008-07-18T19:45:00.001-04:00

Well, to all of you who have been asking and asking, here it is. My blog. It's a little intimidating! What does one say when the whole world is listening? Ok. So, only 30 people are listening. But still! Those are some of the greatest 30 people in the world! And ok. No one has been asking. So given that I haven't told anyone about this, most likely, no one is listening.

I am an avid blog reader; I love hearing what is going on in the lives of friends and a few random people across the country. So, since I am now living far, far away from most of these friends, Brian has been encouraging me to start a blog. So, I finally did it - almost exatly one year after moving here.

Well, I don't have much else to say. But you'll hear from me when I do!