I wish I'd read this Cleaner Plate Club entry before I made rice and random greens (bok choy, spinach and swiss chard) casserole:
It was edible, certainly. The earth didn't move but it was fine -- and more than adequate the next day.
The homemade yeasty rolls, however, were divine.
Why Florida scares me a.k.a a review of Blechman's Leisureville in the Baltimore City Paper.
Plus, pictures of Maddy with two of her favorite birthday gifts:
Busy day. Must take Diva to Dr for her 6-year check-up, at which he'll probably tell me that she's shorter and thinner than average. Then I'll be spending the afternoon manning the desk at the local yarn shop in exchange for my pick of products at some later date. And so, a list:
* If you've ever wondered what's in a Magic 8-Ball, wonder no more. Don't eat the blue liquid.
* Can. Not. Wait. (Links to Joss Whedon's new project. With Neil Patrick Harris!)
* It never dawned on me to get large blocks of text as a tattoo. This one is my favorite.
* No, it's not ironic.
* N is for Nantucket. There's also plenty here for cross-stitchers, too. This is what happens when a librarian knows how to knit.1
* Maddy has been watching this non-stop: Where the Hell is Matt?2 People are just awesome sometimes.
* Does anyone have experience with Listen and Type? My tape transcription system is, at best, archaic. It gets the job done but there has got to be a better way.
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1) Disclosure: Union Pearl is one of the reasons I drove to Ithaca. How can you not interview a woman who created a fair isle artichoke?
2) Stolen from making light.
Sometimes, treasures fall into your lap.
My father-in-law brought this on Sunday. Ostensibly, it was for the Diva's birthday. Because he is a sensible man, he handed it to me first to see if it passed muster. She's welcome to read it, of course, but I've gotten far more delight out of paging through it. It's like a time machine.
The copyright is 1961 and the story is mired in its time. A little girl, Jane, adopts three dolls and a dog and moves into the family's shed, where she makes a home for them. Mother -- the actual Mother, not Jane -- comes to visit and share advice.
An example of the two-page spreads:
Shortly after this, Tom, the neighbor kid, comes over to help Jane paint her house because she finds the interior drab. "At last," goes the text, "the playhouse was a gay and happy place."
Sadly, there are no illustrations of Mother kicking back with a cocktail because she's finally gotten Jane to do something outside so that Mother can have 15 minutes of blessed quiet. Or maybe I'm projecting.
My FIL found this at a library sale at the school where he taught second grade. Stamped in big black letters on the front and back flyleaves is "DISCARD." Wonder why?
Other page scans if requested. It might be that I'm the only one intrigued by this sort of thing.
"Pundits were surprised by McCain's clumsy rhetoric, by his lack of teleprompter skills, and by the fact that he stood in front of an ugly green backdrop. "Content better than delivery," said Karl Rove. "John McCain," said Mort Kondracke of "Roll Call," "sounded old." A messenger delivered a handwritten note from McCain to Obama's Chicago offices inviting the Democratic presidential nominee to a series of Goldwater-Kennedy-style debates. Bill Burton, an aide to Obama, told the messenger, "You know, you could have just emailed this."
-- From the Harper's email news round-up, which is still one of the funnier news round-ups going. Which might be damming with faint praise, come to think of it.
BTW - the Gen-Xer in me just wants to say, "Goldwater? Kennedy? You mean Ted, right?"
I finished some socks.
Generic sock recipe from, well, I can't remember anymore. Lorna Laces in Miata, which isn't a colorway that I'd ordinarily pick up but was a gift. I like the jazziness of them, frankly, and think they will make the cold dark of March easier to take.
Now I'm making some socks for Maddy in a colorway that could easily be referred to as clown barf. She picked it. I just work here.
Barney, on the other hand, does as little work as possible. Unless it's shredding the chair, in which case, he's all over it.
CSA Arugula Update -
Because I had some pine nuts that were getting long in the tooth, I made arugula pesto, which was tasty out of the bowl. Also included are two garlic scapes. I've chucked it into the freezer for a night when I need something quick to throw on pasta.
I've mused over my love-hate relationship with The American Life before. I'm in a love phase right now and stories like this week's "Duty Calls" help woo me. Just a note - don't listen to the middle part, which is where the speaker starts talking about how he and his mom both wish things were different, when you are walking to school to pick up your own child because you will burst into tears and make the crossing guard wonder if he ought to call the cops. Ask me how I know this.
Yesterday was kindergarten moving up day.
I'm generally not one for rituals like this and tend to always remain unmoved. Turns out, what it takes ot move me is a ritual involving my own child, especially when said child gets up on stage and sings all by herself *and* volunteers to read a long thank you poem aloud to one of her teachers in front of 75ish people. She always amazes me, that kid.
The pictures we took weren't the best. You'll get the idea.
There was a short play, during which the Diva played a singing dog trainer.
Then, YMCA was sung.
Yes, really. The kids loved it. Some adults couldn't help but snicker a bit at all of the double entendres. And by some adults, I mean me.*
A bagpiper lead the procession when it came time to get certificates.**
Maddy and her best friend, processing.
The Diva (in flip flops) gets a hug from her teacher (floral dress) and the principal (guy).
Maddy read a poem in honor of one of her teachers.
Songs were sung. Happy tears were shed. Moments were captured.
Like this one.
Hard to believe how quickly we went from this little excited girl to this remarkably confident first grader.
It's all just a kick in the head sometimes.
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* I'm sure there were other adults snickering silently. I just know what was going on in my head.
** Oneonta seems to be a bagpiper hotbed. No, really. Every now and again, on clear summer nights, I'll hear the strangled sound of the 'pipes rolling out of the hills.
Short one today. We had Kindergarten Moving-Up Day and it has been a whirlwind. More on that later.
* Julie Taymor on theater and the imagination. (And if you ever just want to think/be inspired, randomly watch the TED talks clips. Gods bless the internet.)
* The Old 97's have a new album out! Great is my joy!
* What I will be this Halloween. I'll have to carry around a phone, by far my favorite of the Yip Yip oeuvre.
* Amazing how much Lucifer looks like Trout. Same look of blankness, even.
* The last sign in this post made me choke on my coffee this morning. In a good way.
* Anyone have any great arugula recipes? I'm not sure I can just eat it straight in a salad -- and it was this week's green o' plenty from the CSA.
