Coming Together in Arlington

2010-09-18T17:39:00.002-04:00

I just finished this book -- really -- I have to put it on the top 5 books I've ever read, and I've read a lot of books. The narration was interesting, moving from part to part under the heading of a character's name, and going from first to third person in a way I couldn't quite figure out. The plot involves the three Proctor brothers working the crumbling family dairy farm in upstate New York, and it goes back to the 1930s to meet the parents as well. The sections switch back and forth in time, and the large picture only gradually emerges. Even though it's been a long time since I read Faulkner, this novel felt like parts of The Sound and the Fury. Clinch also wrote the novel, Finn, about Huck's father, and I'm going to order that one right now from the library.

2010-09-17T08:59:00.004-04:00

And on another front....we are battling fleas at our house. Jerry and Neko are both about 10 years old, and this is the first time we've ever had this problem. So, whenever I meet another pet owner, I ask about flea solutions. At yesterday's quilting class I met a woman who breeds dogs...so over the ironing board, I inquired about her take on fleas. She was very much against the Frontline/Revolution products. She mentioned 2 things that I'm going to pursue -- one is brewer's yeast plus garlic -- at least for Jerry. You feed it to them, and it's good for them, but the fleas hate it. The other is that she said to water your lawn...a lot. Soaking the lawn will kill larvae. This makes sense, because we've been so dry...and the problem did begin with the dryness. So -- I have a sprinkler going right now out in back. This is disappointing because Doug and I have always been big on NOT watering lawns -- just not wanting to waste the water on lawns that come back when it rains. But...I'm going crazy enough that I'll try it.

Here's a photo of the basic quilt block from yesterday's class. There are 20 of these and in the end I'll have a bed-sized quilt.

See the upper corner of the block? 5 little pieces in a square? Well, as I was sorting my fabric last night I counted those little squares and there were only 19...and I knew I needed 20. So, I searched all over, went back to the car, counted and recounted several times, then wrote Charlotte to see if she had found it. Then I went to bed all unsettled about my missing square.

Then this morning, with fresh eyes, I decided to hunt again. AND THEN I saw the finished block here -- the 20th square was here in the big block. Now -- there should be a name for that kind of incident...where the solution is there right in front of your face, but not recognizable. Is there a larger message here (other than regarding the state of my brain late at night)?

A Quilting Day

2010-09-16T21:50:00.005-04:00

I've been looking forward to today for weeks -- a big day of quilting with Charlotte Angotti. I took the class, "Let Me Surprise You." She provided all of us with pre-cut (yea) pieces of greens and blues, lights and darks. We worked for several hours until she showed us what we were working on -- she calls it Palmetto, for this plant. I tried to scan the design to show everyone, but the scanner is suggesting that it needs troubleshooting. Anyway, the design is of pointy leaf fronds -- nice. I also think this is the first quilt that will stay here with us -- it will go nicely in the green bedroom upstairs.

Doorways

2010-09-09T20:47:00.003-04:00

This evening I went with several neighbors to tour a home associated with Arlington's Doorways program. Here is a photo of the home, which can accommodate something like 24 people in need of emergency housing due to domestic violence or homelessness. It's located near us, and they are giving tours in order to reach out to the larger community and let people know what they do. One thing that's unusual is that they were able to demolish the existing house on the property and build a house that suited the needs of the people who would be living there.

Wow -- I was so impressed, particularly after working the homeless shelter in Fredericksburg -- lots of cots. This is a true home for people -- they live as families in their own suites, cook their own meals in a beautiful kitchen, and have a lovely living room with an adjacent playroom for children. The staff and volunteers explained all the services they offer -- to help people move from doorway to doorway until they can live independently. After they leave this house they move into apartments that Doorways either owns or has worked on with landlords to make rent affordable as people build up savings and capacity. And all through this people receive all kinds of support -- financial planning, social work, jobs skills training, and they put people in touch with all the different services in the area.

Tomato Sauce

2010-09-05T09:38:00.005-04:00

It's that time of year -- windows open, cool enough to dig out my bathrobe this morning, and everything said -- time to make a big batch of tomato sauce. I got plum tomatoes at the farmer's market yesterday (unfortunately, I don't have a good yield of my own at the moment), and went out with my scissors and snipped oregano, parsley, and basil from the garden. I'll freeze most of it.

Yesterday Doug and I went off on our bikes to explore Potomac Outlook Park -- we didn't seem to find the actual outlook part -- it's over the Potomac but we never saw the river, anyway, it was pretty.

Thoughts on Earl

2010-09-02T12:45:00.003-04:00

Hurricanes are anticipated around here just like snow. I can't help checking in with weather sources....a lot...to see where it's heading. Basically the forecast is for it not to affect us much, but the weather people love to say things like..."but all it would take is a slight shift..." just to keep you tuning in. I still remember the "hurricane day" in Fredericksburg several years ago on the first day of school. As always this time of year, the rain would be nice, the wind not so much.

Some thoughts on books

2010-08-31T12:47:00.011-04:00

I have been meandering my way through The Great Oom by Robert Love. It tells the story of Dr. Pierre Barnard, the person who brought yoga to America. He is one of those incredible Gilded Age people who just kept reinventing himself, with a huge helping of ego, and a smaller helping of lies and delusion. He had the heart of huckster, and an an amazing ability to attract people with money to his ideas. Though I enjoyed knowing about him, I thought the book was pretty badly written. For one thing, there was quite a bit of information on what he did -- institutes he set up, properties he bought, people he associated with...and the book lets us know that he absolutely changed people's lives in the way yoga can. But this is where I was left wondering -- how exactly did he do that? There wasn't much about the way he did yoga, or much detail about his philosophy. Because I know yoga I could fill in some of the gaps, but it seems to me that his magnetic appeal was never demonstrated...only told. I think this should have been a New Yorker article instead of a book.

On the plane home from Colorado I finished David Mitchell's The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet. The book takes place in 19th century Japan where Jacob is an accountant of sorts at a tiny Dutch outpost. He falls in love with an unusually gifted Japanese midwife, and though they have virtually no time together for the entire book, their paths lead to engaging storytelling. Mitchell is a great writer -- he somehow (well, how would I really know) had a handle on Dutch dialect, and I liked the way he so easily used italics to indicate thoughts rather than speech.

I'm also reading Eat, Pray, Love. I wasn't particularly interested...I had heard a lot about it, and figured it for a quick girlie read. But Kelley read it and thought it was better than that, so before my trip I downloaded it onto my iPad. I haven't finished it yet, but I do enjoy her -- Elizabeth Gilbert. I just finished her description of depression, and felt that she captured the insidious beast quite well. And, I enjoy reading on the iPad -- the text is nice and comfortable, plus adjustable, and there are numerous ways to interact with the text, click on words you don't know, etc. I don't think I've explored all of it yet. Actually, I am using Kindle for the iPad instead of Apple's version, because they seem to have more books, plus it's just one click from my Amazon account (I know...they were counting on that).

Hot.

2010-08-30T20:33:00.002-04:00

I wish I could have bottled up the Colorado weather and brought it home with me. I've just been holed up inside with the AC.

The flea battle continues; I gave Jerry a bath in Dawn today -- that seems to be something fleas don't like. The vet recommended Revolution for the cats, but thought I should try Advanrtix for Jer. I also have a dish of Joy with Lemon on the floor at night with a lamp shining on it --supposedly the fleas are attracted to the light and fall into the soap. I wonder if I'm supposed to chant some kind of spell as well.

I'm doing this entry on my iPad, and could only compose in HTML...so I'll publish now and see what I get.

Back to the blog

2010-08-28T06:42:00.005-04:00

After my spectacular visit with Laurie in Colorado, I decided that I want to return to this blog -- glad I didn't delete it:-) I can't go into all the details of why the trip was so wonderful in a FaceBook entry -- I see the blog as more of the long letters we used to write, but shared with anyone who reads me here (I know, my vast reading public).

Laurie, my BFF from Denver, and I somehow (I don't quite remember how we worked it out) decided to set up a visit this summer. I flew into Denver and we went up to her family cabin near Nederland. This cabin is in the most beautiful location, right on North Boulder Creek (which now owns my cellphone...). The creek is bright and sparkling, strewn with rocks that make the water gurgle as it passes. The cabin has been a work in progress for years, and I have vague memories of its earlier self. It is now very comfortable for creatures, like me, who love a big kitchen and is fond of her bathroom, but it still has a rustic, cabin feel with the dark wood, stone steps, big fireplace. The porch in front, facing the creek, has room for a nice picnic table and we ate out there several times. Upstairs there is a smaller deck off a bedroom that has two comfy reclining chairs that are just perfect for an afternoon read (and of course, nap).

The weather was just what the doctor ordered (a Virginia doctor, that is). The days were warm and sunny with those incredible deep blue Colorado skies, and the evenings were cool sweatshirt-temps. Even for the day we were in Brush, it was hot, but that nice dry heat followed by a cooler night.

Our visit certainly was punctuated by events and outings, but it was mainly talking. We just never ran out of things to share and even though we haven't had this kind of time together as adults, and certainly we've both changed, we just had the time to reconnect with each other and tell our stories. Of course, with each of us having two children, we needed to cover them thoroughly (sorry kids...yes, we talked about you...a lot, and love you more than you can know). Husbands had their talk time (love you too, more than you can know) -- but current events were big (we solved no world problems, however), education was a big topic and together Laurie and I could solve the US educational challenges with ease, I'd say we tackled the broad field of human nature pretty well and with the great perspective of age, we have a better handle on why people are so wacky.

I had been looking forward to hiking, and explored the beautiful canyon and some higher land with Laurie and her neighbor, Betsy. Laurie was nursing a problem foot, but laced up her hiking boots and ventured out for one hike that didn't hurt her too much. Along the way I heard all kinds of colorful family stories associated with various cabins, and of course, no mountain experience is complete without bear stories. The canyon has had a number of bear incidents -- sitings, bears at the door, and bears thrashing around inside cabins. Of course I would have loved to return with my own embellished bear tale, but no luck this time.

One of the first things we had planned for the visit was to attend Peter Pan at the Boulder Dinner Theatre. We got good seats near the stage, and had a nice dinner with two people who had friends in common with Laurie -- lots of "small world" stuff. The play was energetic and fun -- Peter and Hook were outstanding. The flying looked effortless but was pretty hard, I'm sure.

Our last day was at Laurie's home in Brush, Colorado. We arrived to her house, which was crawling with roofing people (thanks to a big hail storm earlier in the summer). The new roof really compliments her beautiful home -- I could go on and on about this neat Craftsman house -- so spacious and inviting, with all the artistic and tasteful touches of my artistic friend. I've barely spoken entire sentences with her husband, Greg, who I've also known since high school, and it was nice to have some relaxed time with him as well. I begged him for some vegetable garden advice, and if you could see his garden, you'd know why. He is a Master Gardener, but I think his thumb was pretty green before that. I came home with a number of tips that I'll be trying next year.

My flight home was uneventful and I was greeted at the airport by Kate and Rob. We came home and Rob and Doug tried (and approved of) the beer I brought home, and Kate liked a scarf I picked up at the Katmandu shop in Nederland. While I was gone, Doug worked really hard doing a big upstairs rearranging that we had been talking about in vague terms before I left -- he's great at this stuff, and it all looks great...but I think it was pretty hard work (every piece of furniture changed rooms).

I also returned to more flea problems -- despite Frontline right before I left, Doug said that Jerry started scratching again a couple days ago and upon inspection, he was crawling. I also noticed Neko scratching, and he had Frontline pretty recently. So, given that I did not sleep a wink last night, I was again on the Internet looking for suggestions, preferably not all that toxic. I tell you -- I read about Borax, moth balls, salt, lemon detergent, eucalyptus leaves, and more -- I think I'll be trying a good combination of those, along with vacuuming every day. The downstairs vacuum doesn't have a bag, so I'll throw that outside after each vacuum, but one suggestion for vacuums with bags (like we have upstairs) is to get a flea collar, cut it up, and put the pieces into the bag -- otherwise they recommend throwing out the bag after each time.

I haven't done justice to the trip here -- one of rejuvenation (helped by the massage I had with Laurie and Greg's masseuse in Brush), reflection, and laughter.

2010-02-25T17:31:00.002-05:00

I made these pretzel rolls today -- just as wonderful as they look. The recipe is from the Dinner with Julie blog.

2010-02-25T17:27:00.002-05:00

You've probably heard that in some parts of the region, they had to get snow into trucks and move it elsewhere -- there just was no place to put the stuff. Not to be outdone, Doug also moved snow with his truck.

55 and Green

2010-01-15T14:25:00.002-05:00

Wow -- it's 55 today, and the sun was out in the morning. So, it was one of those days (as in, I wasn't working, dinner is already made, there isn't a protest....) that there just was no excuse not to run errands by bike. Biking is like going to the gym -- hard to get there, but when it's done you say..."that wasn't so bad." So, I dusted off the bike, found that my helmet, glasses etc. were are there where I left them, put on a saddle bag, and headed to Whole Foods -- I know -- so Arlington. It was nice to be out.

We're in the process of getting estimates to have our roof replaced. After living in our old house, it's amazing that home repairs on this one don't necessarily require a second mortgage. We got one estimate in, and we can actually afford it:-) We want to get a nice light-colored roof that will reflect more sun, and it looks like we'll be able to get a tax credit on one that's a light grey.

In housewife mode

2010-01-08T10:47:00.002-05:00

It's been a while since I was in this mode, and it's great to have these big lists of things to do and just keep checking them off. One thing I did today was to call a farmer I heard about who will deliver fresh eggs and chickens to your house once a week -- I hope I can get on his schedule. I have some poultry shears on order -- Amy said they work best for cutting up a fresh chicken, which I figure I'll be doing a lot of pretty soon. I can hear the crying from the girls -- no more chicken! But, I'll make it tasty if I serve it to you:-)

SPED class

2010-01-06T08:37:00.004-05:00

Nothing like a group of kids to kick you in the butt:-) I subbed yesterday as an assistant in a 3-4th grade SPED class. The teacher was great -- Mr. S. -- he had such a calm and nurturing manner, quiet, very respectful...those are some lucky kids. I guess they didn't kick my butt as much as make me feel fortunate -- there they are each day fighting much bigger hurdles than I ever will. If all they had to complain about was gaining a few pounds over the holidays... one little girl from Bangladesh was just so cute -- she hardly speaks any English, had virtually no teeth and had some kind of facial deformity -- but all she could do was smile and yack and engage with Mr. S who was so sweet with her.

First Week of January Funk

2010-01-04T14:31:00.002-05:00

Wow, I'm such a mess. I can barely move, all I want to do is eat sugar and sleep. I've been searching for motivation to move, and can't find any. The Christmas decorations are all down and the animals have all found little corners to sleep in and all I can think about doing is making brownies. I've been good about using the SAD light...can only think that I'd be at the bottom of a hole somewhere without it:-) I also went to my fav cardio class today, but no relief. It's not supposed to get above the 30s all week. I tried to meditate, but just fell asleep instead. Somebody please -- kick me in the butt.

Amahl and the Night Visitors

2010-01-03T11:03:00.004-05:00

I took Mom to church with me today and we saw Amahl, postponed from a couple of weeks ago when the snow brought everything to a close. I hadn't seen it before, and it was great. Our church has so many talented people who like to perform for us. Mom sat with a friend from The Jefferson and had as good a time as she can have in a church:-) (The hugging your neighbors at the end kind of put her over, but she endured it then escaped).

I finished Her Fearful Symmetry last night -- I enjoyed it -- couldn't be sure where it was going, but it was a fun ride.

Oh my poor heart

2010-01-01T22:48:00.003-05:00

Well, after both and Emily and I had long sessions of calling all over the neighborhood, and I had given up, in strutted Neko this evening. He was out for 3 cold days and nights. To me he seems skinny and tired and hungry. He did let me hold him and we had a longer than usual purring session. I can't believe that he has many lives left. I went though all the stages of grief with him, particularly when I was out today looking for him and instead I saw the local fox. We know that the fox's den is pretty close to the place Neko hangs out across the street, and I figured, well, foxes have to eat, etc. Plus, the fox was fast, and big, and I just looked at it and said, well, that's what happened. I'd like to say we'd never let him out again, but I know that he'll sleep for a couple days straight and then yell to do it all over again. And, I'll feel the same way the next time too. But, at least for tonight, he's safe and full (and I hope happy). I guess I'm all those things too:-)

December 31, 2009

2009-12-31T16:41:00.002-05:00

The first thing about today's date is that it's Kate's birthday -- yea! As a kid, and maybe as an adult as well, being so close to Christmas seems like a bad day for a birthday, but it will forever be a party day as well, and a big celebration is certainly in order. This evening we're going to Kate and Rob's friends, Brian and Amy's, for a nice party to honor Kate and the New Year.

Kate got me a SAD light for Chrstmas -- 10,000 lumens of joy. I always wondered about these lights, and today is just a great candidate for trying out the effects -- about as grey and dreary as you can get. So, I plugged it in and read for several sittings with the light. I can't see that it hurt at all -- who knows. It's a good light for reading, so I'll certainly use it well.

Our cat, Neko, has been gone now for almost 2 days. He does go away for spells, but never this long. He has a favorite hiding place across the street under a neighbor's back porch, and he almost always comes out if you go over there an shake treats. But, not this time. Maybe he's elsewhere. He spent 5 days inside when we were gone, so maybe this is his little rebellion, but we are worried about him. The weather is cold and wet, but I guess his fur and general bulk will help him there. You always worry that they get caught somehow. He's a pretty good crier when he wants to be found, so I have wandered around calling for him.

When I took Jerry out for a walk today, I thought...jeeze, I need to get to sunshine. But then remembered, we were in sunshine in Florida yesterday -- the effects don't last too long, evidently. Our trip was great -- saw lots of relatives and it was nice that Doug, Richard, and Susan could get together. We all agreed that Minor was doing well and enjoyed his party. Long term questions about Minor's decline and future care didn't come up as much as maybe we'd hoped, but we were able to agree on major points, and were also able to touch base with Melissa's daughter, Jan. Despite a wet start, canoeing with the manatees was a highlight of the trip -- in our canoe, we were able to actually pet them.

For me, 2009 has been a wonderful year. I can't say that it was full of accomplishments (if any kind of list was made, it's now long gone), but I have found a serene and stress-free life that allows me to look forward to each new day. I hope that 2010 is just as good.

Poor Doug

2009-11-22T08:25:00.002-05:00

Poor Doug -- yesterday morning I noticed that his voice was several octaves lower than usual, and sure enough, he was sick....again. He was out of work almost a week about a month ago with something that wasn't swine flu, but was nasty. This time he has fever, throat stuff, and doesn't want to eat -- now that tells me this guy is seriously sick. The Michigan loss to Ohio state was just icing on the cake (that he doesn't feel like eating).

Yesterday the girls and I went to Tyson's to do some shopping, and I think we all came away feeling that we'd made some progress. There were crowds, but not as bad as they could have been. I found something for Doug, which is always a relief to me.

On Friday I went to our neighborhood "article group" and Joanne, the hostess, had a woman there who gave us all upper body massages. OMG -- it was so wonderful, but we're mad at her for upping the ante!

I have a recurring dream about a master's thesis that I have to finish on a deadline but just can't. Well, last night I went to visit the professor because I had finished it and wanted to see if I passed -- and I got a C. Then she handed it to me and said she needed a copy, and Doug and I ran from office to office trying to find an open copier that worked. Such a boring dream, but I guess I'm making progress because the paper is finally done and maybe I can move on to more interesting dreams?

In the kitchen

2009-11-10T12:53:00.002-05:00

On Saturday I worked the kitchen shift at church during their annual fund-raising auction. They do a big dinner -- cash bar, appetizers, nice meal, dessert for around 200 people. They have the room -- set up tables with nice tablecloths, silverware -- we're not talking plastic and paper here. One of our members is a caterer by profession, and she volunteers for a number of events like these in any given year. I always wanted to work with her. I'd hear about Erica does it this way, or Erica taught me that...she knows a lot about presentation as well as food preparation.

I have to say that I think I worked well with her -- found her pace and kind of fit in. It was pretty ambitious to serve 200 people at the same time. We had volunteers waiting on 2 tables each and taking orders. They had a choice of a vegetarian torte (very beautiful with pumpkin, eggplant, spinach, couscous and more), a pretty chicken roll with sauce, or beef that could be individually ordered for how rare people wanted it. Then there were side dishes on each plate. Erica and I were on the stove side of a long work area, and I sliced chicken into pretty medallions and put it in a little puddle of sauce, and Erica was working the stove with big hunks of beef that were finished with a beautiful currant sauce. Before the event she said she was a little worried about the beef -- how to get everyone what they wanted in a hurry. Luckily she knows her beef -- she was just slicing and grilling and had lots of pieces that needed to be handled all at once. When I wasn't on chicken duty I found a way to help her, and it seemed to work out well. I guess the kitchen did have the flavor of one of these TV shows, and Erica did get animated here and there:-) But I was really impressed with how she could get that many volunteers to work as a team -- she had to teach all of us how to do things.

She called to thank me and said she'd like to work with me again. I have to say, I don't ever want to be a caterer, but I liked that work environment. I liked the fast pace and coordination and problem solving. I think when I finish my Amnesty quilt, I might call and ask if she ever needs extra hands for a job -- I think I'd enjoy doing more of that.

I've finished a couple of books

2009-11-05T18:19:00.008-05:00

I listened to J.G. Ballard's Empire of the Sun. It had been on my list of things to read for so long, and I certainly think it's earned all the praise. It was hard to listen to parts of it, and I guess he had some kind of imagery going with the flies because he spared no opportunity to tell us about where flies landed, what they ate...and ate. I started to even hear the buzzing.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith was just brilliant. I was a little disappointed to read the history of it -- seems like someone went looking for a copyright-free book to add zombies to -- my impression is that it didn't arise from a mutual love of the material. Here's what Wikipedia said:

Quirk Books editor Jason Rekulak developed the idea for Pride and Prejudice and Zombies after comparing a list of "popular fanboy characters like ninjas, pirates, zombies and monkeys" with a list of public domain book titles such as War and Peace, Crime and Punishment, and Wuthering Heights.^[4]^[5] He turned the project over to writer Seth Grahame-Smith.

EW called it a literary mash-up. About 70% of the book is original Austen.

The first line is: “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains will be in want of more brains.”

I certainly know nothing of the zombie literature, but I do believe that putting it together with Pride and Prejudice created something that is much more than the sum of its parts.

I never knew...

2009-11-02T12:37:00.004-05:00

Wow, about 5 people have said they'd miss this sorry old blog...I didn't know I had all those lurkers. I had run Google Analytics for a while, but then it messed up and I never bothered to fix it. Well -- I feel so challenged to do a better job now:-)

I don't know that I have any deep thoughts worth imparting. I do think that FaceBook is a fun way to keep in touch with people, but it doesn't replace the complete sentences of a blog. Must be the English major in me....(yes, I noticed that sentence).

Neko and new kitty Miki are not really friends -- Miki likes him a lot, but there is no reciprocity on that point. Neko has taken to spending lots of time outside. We'll have to see what the winter brings. Winter reminds me of Minnesota which reminds me of Richard, and we asked ourselves yesterday, "I wonder what Rich thinks about Bret Farve?" The Green Bay fans made their feelings pretty clear.

I'm feeling extremely unproductive lately. I marvel at how much time you can spend on the everyday tasks of life, and I remember when they were only done in my spare time. When I worked I did those things until I ran out of time, but now that I do have the time, I feel that they should all be completed thoroughly...and they still aren't. I mean, cooking, doing dishes, ironing, laundry -- I do that stuff and the day disappears and I didn't even work 8 hours. I don't have this balance figured out yet. Maybe that's why I'm working part time now -- to justify all the stuff I don't complete! I know people who would have lists and tasks to complete on certain days -- well, that just isn't me, though I've tried that:-)

Moving to Facebook

2009-10-27T11:03:00.001-04:00

Well, I think I'm going to move to Facebook here. I realize that I can write more things in depth on the blog, but think that I'll save that for email. If my vast public really objects, I'll reconsider!

2009-10-13T10:07:00.002-04:00

I feel all cast about lately, a little lost I guess. Before Kate's wedding I had all kinds of direction, doing things for that. And after I was busy doing all the things I had neglected. Now I'm working for Amnesty -- helped put together a newsletter and a survey, and have 2 quilts to complete for our prisoners. I go to an Arlington Schools sub orientation tomorrow, and after that I'll be all set to start working. I guess there will be lots of choices about when to work, which schools, etc. I think I might get a little more focused if I start to work a few days a week.

For example, I have my whole day free today. When I was working, I could only dream of such a day. And what should I do with this day? Clean? Cleaning is always there, but should I do it? Bake bread? Yes, always a good idea. Do some ironing? Yes, that's always there too. I have the luxury of asking, what would be good for my soul today, what would be good for my family. I feel that I need to do good this day, but I'm frozen by all the choices. I'm also so grateful for all the choices -- not many people get to live this way. It's also a pretty day outside -- jeans and sweatshirt weather -- and I must take that into account because beautiful days have to be acknowledged.

I'm definitely not bored -- I'm amazed by all that life offers and that I'm in a position to experience. I'm totally amazed by the lack of stress in my life -- just about nothing can stress me at the moment. So I think that shows that stress wasn't inherent to me -- because I can see that you could create stress from anything; but I don't - -stress to me was work, and without it, the stress has gone. Everyone should be so fortunate:-)

2009-10-09T21:30:00.003-04:00

Well, here I am today. I needed a face shot for some Amnesty publication, so I curled the hair, put on make up, put a decent top on over my gym shorts, found necklace and earrings -- whew -- I don't do this much any more. So, here I am. I look so old -- I don't say this to elicit comments...it just is. Now I'm wondering, will this be my obituary photo? I mean, how many photos do most people have hanging around? As you get older you say things like, will this be my last car, my last washing machine, my last mammogram (oh please, yes), so, will this be my last photo? Well, I guess I'm not all that happy with it -- need to get a better one -- so, this will not be my last photo.

2009-09-28T22:09:00.004-04:00

Here's a pic of the main house at Capon Springs -- this is where the game room, library, living room, and dining room is, plus a nice big front porch where everybody hangs out.

2009-09-28T16:56:00.004-04:00

OMG -- too funny.

Doug and I just got back from our little 4-day retreat to Capon Springs West Virginia. It was organized by the Arlington UU church, and I guess there were 30 or so people there from the church. It was a beautiful place -- like time-traveling back to the 1950s or so. There were no clocks, radios, tv, phones in our rooms and no cell reception. There was a big screen tv in one area and we watched the new Ken Burns series on the National Parks, and some people watched the Redskins game. The food was from the 50s as well -- white bread, fried chicken, macaroni, spaghetti...they did come through with some decent dark greens for salad so I piled up on that. But, that's not a criticism -- seems to be part of the charm. They have a spa which is about 3 years old and it was the only 21st Century part of the place (however, it had spa elements before with the springs). I had a facial and massage -- both really good. Doug found a golf partner and played all four days, including one day in serious rain. His game was evidently pretty good until the final day. I seriously relaxed, did some reading before naps, watched the sky from a hammock -- all very nice. I took a couple of long walks and went to visit the pigs/cows.

I'm listening to Richard Ford's Independence Day -- had always heard about it. I'm really enjoying it.

Blah

2009-09-23T12:22:00.003-04:00

So I woke up with a headache, and after 2 doses of pain reliever, it's still there. So, I'm thinking it's another migraine, but the pain isn't as bad as I know it could be. I have to think it is sugar induced. Yesterday I was just totally focused on sugar -- it was such a craving. It started the day before, and I kept trying to make it go away. Yesterday I tried to talk myself out of it, but couldn't. Since we don't have enough sugar in the house, I finally ran to the grocery for my fix. Then I finished it off with a really sweet orange soda -- that we did have but I never drink those. Then last night I could feel the headache coming, and woke up with it. It feels a lot like a hangover, but already I can see that it's not going away. I wonder if knowing what the sugar does will help me the next time I must have it. I even tried sniffing peppermint oil, which is supposed to help. Oh well -- I don't get a craving like that very often. I've kind of felt that you just have to feed it and move on. But, what causes these? It seems very chemical, rather than emotional. I was like a junkie. I wonder what I could have eaten for the last 2 days that might have helped...like, only protein?

My big summer migraine started after a vacation that included eating too much, more carbs, etc. So, it does make sense that at least for me, they're food induced. I hope this one doesn't last as long as the last one. Maybe I can start to really associate sugar with feeling bad?

Enough about the Claudia/Carb saga. I'm moving slowly, but plan to take more meds and then head off to the AI office to meet with a woman who was a professor in Indonesia with both Filep and Yusak. We've felt that as part of our effort to publicize the case we need to know more about them as people -- so I'm hoping she can help us with that.

More Miki

2009-09-16T23:16:00.002-04:00

More of the new baby. We're all quite smitten:-)

I think the worst has passed

2009-09-15T09:25:00.003-04:00

Last night we spent lots of energy trying to let Neko know that we love him. I.e., treats, ham on my lap. He ended up on a chair in the dining room with his wagging tail over the edge, and of course Miki couldn't resist that and started batting. Neko started to play with her, obviously enjoying real cat play, batting at her from above with his paws, etc. So, it took about 10 days, and things are looking better.

Can we say that Neko is pissed?

2009-09-13T14:22:00.003-04:00

Yes we can -- literally. He evidently peed all over Emily's bed sometime yesterday, which was disconcerting when she tried to go to bed last night. I guess in cat behavior that was supposed to deter Miki from invading his space, but so far, it hasn't worked. Miki continues to pursue Neko -- she's determined to make friends. Em and I spent some time at the Laundromat today. Before we went Emily checked online for cat pee solutions, and we sprayed her bedding with a mixture of peroxide, baking soda, and dish detergent. Everything is outside drying in the breeze at the moment.

I hope he gives up on this method of coping:-)

Miki Update

2009-09-12T09:20:00.004-04:00

Sorry, I still can't get a very good picture of her. And, I have to just sit down and spend time with my camera -- I don't know why everything is so grainy...

It's amazing the delight this little orange ball can give -- well, Neko has another take on that I guess. She has moved out to explore the entire house and is very single-minded in her determination to win over Neko. Neko has taken himself to the basement to sulk, but within days she found her way down there and just sits somewhere near him as he glares. She approaches him from time to time, and just yesterday we saw a nose-to-nose without Neko's hissing; however, it's far from a love fest.

Jerry, on the other hand, has been better than we would have thought. We introduced him to Miki with fresh grilled tuna in our hands, and he quickly responded to "good dog -- here's tuna -- don't kill the cat." She's still apprehensive about his big black bulk, but he's very gentle with her and approaches her to touch noses (then looks right to us to make sure we noticed).

Little Miki

2009-09-06T12:33:00.005-04:00

Here's the new baby -- we've named her Miki (I think) -- Japanese for beautiful story, and Emily says it's also a popular girl's name. (It's not Mickey, like the mouse, but me ke...long e sounds). It was hard to get photos because she moves so fast -- very playful.

We went up to Lancaster yesterday to get her from Jackie, the woman who has been fostering her. Lancaster is a pretty old town -- we'd like to go back and spend more time there. On the way we stopped by the Iron Hill Brewery and picked up a few specialty beers for Doug and Rob.

Miki spent about half the ride home in Emily's lap, then came up to our spare bedroom upstairs. She hid in a corner of the closet, of course, and at one point I got worried and fed her some water through a dropper. But, within only a few hours she was out and about, investigating everything, playing with toys, eating, drinking, using her box. She's so cute! She runs to us when we walk in, but isn't into lap time yet - -too much to explore.

We brought Neko to the other side of the door to meet her -- he didn't pick up on her scent at all, and only noticed when her paws came under the door to play. Neko hissed and ran to the basement. So, I guess the introduction to the other animals might take a while. Jerry, with all his olfactory abilities, has not even noticed...amazing.

Can't Wait for Alice

2009-09-03T09:11:00.004-04:00

On Saturday we're going up to PA to pick up a Hemingway kitten, Alice. I've been feeling the kitten/puppy urge here for a while, and it came to a head in Florida when I saw a shelter ad for an orange polydactyl kitten. I considered how I could get it on the plane with us. So, from there it was a quest -- and with the Internet it's easy to find yourself just about anything you want. Emily got on task as well, and within hours we located Alice. She is a shelter kitten but a nice woman has been fostering her. She got spayed on Monday, so she'll be all set to go on Saturday. Yea! More, plus photos, soon.

I Put In An Application

2009-08-31T18:29:00.003-04:00

I turned in an application to sub for the Arlington County Schools. I've talked with the library director for the county, who I've known for a long time, and suggested that I'd like to specialize in libraries -- I'm just not up for subbing in a high school gym class! I know too much:-) I feel like I have some time that could turn into income, and subbing at least appears to have so much flexibility. So, time will tell, and if it doesn't work, it's not like I have to quit or anything...

Party At Our House

2009-08-29T09:28:00.007-04:00

Last night we hosted one of the neighborhood's Friday evening get-togethers. They happen on front lawns when the weather is good. Everyone kind of wanders over sometime after work and brings a little something to share -- snacks, wine, etc. We went from about 5:30 to 9:30. The weather was iffy, and it started to sprinkle at one point, but then it cleared up and turned into a beautiful evening. I thought this morning about how you could spend so much more time and energy planning a party, but it would be no better than this one was. During the day on Friday I did a little cooking for it -- because I was up early, I made some crackers (used the pasta machine to get them flat), a great hummus with toasted walnuts and a pepper oil, a plain sour cream dip, cucumbers from the garden, a bunch of grapes, and some brownies out of a box. Doug had picked up nice beers at Westover the day before. Later in the evening we had some pizza delivered.

Then during the day we had a neighborhood trip to the zoo, so I didn't have time to fuss around with anything. We got home from the zoo about 3:30, I went to the store to get ice, and rushed around a little pulling out the cooler, chairs, tables, and Doug was home early to help too -- but still, the effort was way less than we would have put into any other kind of entertaining.

You couldn't have had a better gathering -- everyone just mingled, and the kids had a great time. I worried that we didn't have any toys, but they just ran around and totally enjoyed themselves with absolutely nothing extra. Not one of them melted down. These new baby monitors are so great -- people can put kids down to bed and then come over and have a good time and hear if babies wake up.

Back from Florida

2009-08-24T19:00:00.006-04:00

We arrived home from our four-day trip to Fort Myers this afternoon. It would be hard to describe it as a fun trip. Doug's father is having more and more memory problems -- perhaps Alzheimer's, maybe some other dementia, but anyway... It's come on slowly with him, and to me it seems like the personality I've always known just being even more selective about what he wants to pay attention to. He hasn't had a big change in personality at all. He's almost 90, and for the most part, seems pretty happy and healthy. The problem seems to be Melissa. She is upset by the changes she sees and feels very responsible for his care. She is is also nearly 90, and I think she feels exhausted by it. Actually, it doesn't seem to me that he needs that much care -- he needs reminding about things like medicines, but for the most part he's very slow and can't do much. But, she feels very closed in and burdened. She worries about leaving because he might fall, etc. -- actually he gets a kick out of all the times he's fallen -- he just gets back up.

Anyway, we suggested that she try to get away more, to go visit friends, etc., assuring her that she doesn't have to feel that responsible -- if he falls, he falls... She suggested that he come stay with us for a week or so to give her a rest, but then she changed her mind on that. So -- we felt that there wasn't much we could do until she lets us.

Here and There

2009-08-17T10:52:00.004-04:00

Last week we went to DC9 to see Austin Lucas. Doug and I went with Kate, Rob, and Amy. There were different people performing, but when Lucas was by himself he asked the audience if we'd mind if he just unplugged and got on the floor with us. So, we made a little circle around him and he sang. Very cool.

Tonight we'll go to our second concert of the week -- we'll see Caravan of Thieves at the Iota Club in Clarendon. They've opened for Dan Hicks, and feature a husband/wife plus other musicians. They're described as Americana/Gypsy/Rock -- so sounds like there will something for everyone. I tell you, we've turned into real party animals this week:-)

On Friday we head off to Ft. Myers to visit with Minor and Melissa.

2009-08-07T21:59:00.004-04:00

We got the documentary, Harvard Beats Yale 29-29 from Netflix. It's certainly worth watching -- the game itself was amazing, but it's also a trip back to the 60's.

I'm reading the book Columbine, by David Cullen. I know that I read a review of it that made me want to read it -- it's kind of out of character for me. I certainly don't feel that I want to know more about it, but on the other hand, the book shows that if all you did was rely on media reporting, you wouldn't know much of the truth at all. It was all kind of like the old game of telephone, with a scattering of prejudices, knee-jerk conclusions, fears all throw into the soup. It's not a book about what a bad job the media did, per se -- it's more about the human reaction to such events. The police blew all kinds of things but had to make so many decisions in the heat of the moment and were working with little to no information, the media find a story that resonates and stick with it even if it's proved inaccurate, and "witnesses" started to parrot what they heard in the media rather than what they really saw, so inaccuracies all of a sudden became witness testimony. I'm not finished with it yet, but I think it's an interesting read.

Back to Technology

2009-08-03T16:29:00.003-04:00

I have to work big time on my paid job this week, so I'm back into the world of educational technology. When I did this full time it was inevitable that I'd stumble upon things virtually every day that just rocked my world, so now that I'm back I feel like I have to make up for lost time. Like today I came upon VocabGrabber -- from the Visual Thesaurus folks. You really have to use it to understand...but I took my post from yesterday and copy/pasted it into the box. You then get lots of different ways to look at the words you used -- like the two graphics on top. The first graphic includes tons of ways to define "head." Here's another view:

migraine vertigo dizziness disconcerting aftermath headache scan disconcert weird turn over feel like bending Jerry involve checked spin glad driving get it go with dangerous check today come out bend usually bed period news except world feel play fine happen drive feeling sure get answer night put but head also found turn every just too people never tell down find over very other day like now out come

Speaking of heads -- I think this site could make yours spin!

CT was OK

2009-08-01T22:10:00.003-04:00

I got news that my CT scan came out OK -- I'm glad I got it checked, and am glad that the answer to the headaches was NOT found in the scan. I'm feeling fine except for the vertigo -- it's something I've never had, and now in the aftermath of the headache, I have these weird periods of dizziness every day. Today I put my head down to play with Jerry and the world just did a 360 -- it usually involves bending, but also at night in bed if I turn over the world spins too. Other people have told me that this goes with the migraines...but it's very disconcerting. I don't feel like they're dangerous, or would happen when I'm driving or anything, but they sure are there.

Article club

2009-08-01T10:55:00.005-04:00

Last night the ladies on our street had our first meeting of the "article club" -- a book club but shorter. We read a chapter from Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation by Olivia Judson. Also check out her blog on the NY Times. She is an amazingly accessible scientist writing for all of us.

The chapter we read had to do with insects and mating, so I found a good drink to serve: The Praying Mantis. I didn't have any, but reports were that it was good and strong. It's made with equal parts of brandy, green chartreuse, and heavy cream -- shake with ice and strain into a glass. I also made an almond cake from David Lebovitz's blog -- it's very plain, very almondy, very yummy. I served it with spiced peaches on the side, because I think that spiced peaches made with fresh summer peaches is just a staple...right there with milk and veggies and bread.

Beer

2009-07-31T10:17:00.003-04:00

Thanks to Rob, my interest in the Rose Garden beer diplomacy has gone way beyond the racial dimensions -- this was a HUGE beer event. Little did Obama know that there's no such thing as just knocking back a few beers with the boys -- the beer community has been on fire analyzing the choices they all made. And, Obama with his Bud Light could only be called "stupid" -- he could have made such a statement, well, and I guess he did. What beer do you think he should have chosen, Rob?
The Racial Politics of Beer

It Wasn't One for the Guinness Book

I worked hard today

2009-07-28T14:32:00.002-04:00

Since I'm feeling better, I worked hard on my class today -- I'm updating a few online courses for a consortium I've worked with in the past. Actually, I'm updating classes I designed. It's amazing how much has changed in those few years -- so the classes really did need updating. I am enjoying the work and getting back into my field, but also feel so removed.

I'm still a little dizzy -- not enough to fall over or anything, but it's just there. Kind of annoying...but other than that, I have lots of energy and hope I never ever have that kind of incident again! I wish I knew how to prevent it...that's the million-dollar question, I guess.

Yummy Sunday Dinner

2009-07-26T20:21:00.006-04:00

I thought tonight's Sunday dinner came out pretty well. It featured lots of things from our garden. The centerpiece dish was a zucchini souffle rolled with an eggplant/tomato/cream mixture, and topped with a Mornay sauce and toasted pine nuts. That was a recipe that Doug and I used to make decades ago, before kids, when we were vegetarians. Because we have so many of those ingredients in our garden, we decided to try it again; but, we looked all over and couldn't find the recipe. It seems that you can usually find anything on the internet, but I tried so many combinations and came up empty. So, I made it from memory, and it turned out really well.The first part is the zucchini souffle -- pretty simple with zucchini, eggs, flour, baking powder and a little seasoning -- baked in a jelly roll pan lined with parchment paper. Then I made a mixture of eggplant, juiced tomatoes, onions, and heavy cream -- all simmered until thick. Spread that on the cooled souffle and roll up, then warm in the oven. Slice into pieces and top with Mornay sauce (white sauce with gruyere and parmesan).
Then I harvested some of our swiss chard -- by the time it all cooked down we each got about a tablespoon, but it was fresh!
Mom brought over a fresh peach cobbler and I had made some fresh peach ice cream to put on top. All in all -- it was one of our better dinners, I think.

I was relieved to be part of the living today -- the headache went away Friday evening, came back a little last night, but has been gone since. I felt a little dizzy and foggy today, but am better this evening. I have an appointment for a cat scan on Thursday. The doctor said I should cancel it if my head is better, but I think I'm just going to do it anyway. I don't think that in general I chase down needless medical tests, and I hope it's not unnecessary, but one of my neighbors said she felt it was so unusual that this would start with me at my age...that I just think I'll get a brain baseline here while I can; and if everything's OK, well, that's good to know. I do know that this headache was no sissy pain -- it made me stop and consider. Of course, I told Doug that if in the meantime I turn into a vegetable, he's to (with all your support) find a way to kill me!

Headache returns

2009-07-24T15:06:00.003-04:00

By last night the stabbing in the head was back, and the pill that seemed so miraculous was doing nothing. I tried it several times, but nothing helped. So, I had a pretty bad evening -- I did sleep even though I knew my head hurt all night. This morning was even worse, so I called my doctor. Basically I guess I'm in the migraine hell that so many people know. There just isn't a magic bullet and everyone is different. Allison, my next door neighbor who is a PA, came over and we talked quite a bit-- I have such a wonderful neighborhood. She felt that I should keep taking the meds on schedule plus add Aleve morning and evening, so I took one of them as well. Right now -- mid afternoon -- I feel better -- kind of a dull thud with little twinges, but nothing like the morning. My doc wants me to do a cat scan next week if it isn't better. Since I've never been here before, I have no idea what to expect. Since I'm doing better now, I plan to get busy around the house -- my feeling is that sitting still and thinking about your head probably isn't good medicine, and I'm not convinced that anything I do can make it worse (well, with some obvious exceptions like deciding to jackhammer the driveway:-)

More headache

2009-07-23T13:18:00.003-04:00

Well, this morning I woke up to the worst headache ever. I even threw up, but there was nothing there so it was just warm bile...and I felt really sorry for myself. So, I called my new doctor and wow, they answered, and wow, told me to come in at 9. Fortunately, I can walk...so I put on dark glasses and walked over. They gave me a pill and a blankie, turned off the light, and told me to rest. Well, that didn't do anything. She said the pill is usually most effective at the beginning of the headache. So, she wrote a prescription for Butal -- I stumbled over to CVS and they filled it right away. I came home and took one....and felt soooo much better in less than 1/2 hour. Health care can be such a pain -- but today worked out so well, which is good, because I needed it to! I feel human again. I'm so grateful that I have insurance and that I didn't have a job and kids and a full day -- I could just take care of myself. I would love to feel that it's gone...but time will tell. The Butol isn't giving me any side effects -- she said I might be drowsy, but I don't feel that. I just feel good:-)

2009-07-22T22:12:00.003-04:00

I searched google images for migraines, and found this image -- seems about right. I had a headache from Sunday until mid-day today -- about 4 days. I guess for lack of a better term, I'll call it a migraine. Sometimes I felt nauseous, light didn't feel great. I took every combination of pain reliever in the house and nothing worked. At night it seemed worst -- just full out pain, and during the day it was there, sometimes less painful for a few hours, then back again. Actually, lying down and resting made it worse. I did some exercising in a class and with my trainer, and those didn't make it worse -- I didn't feel it at those times. But I couldn't sleep very well, tossing and turning more than usual. I tried some ice last night, which didn't do anything either. It finally went away when I was in the dentist's chair today -- some cure:-)

2009-07-20T13:23:00.007-04:00

We took a 3-day mini-vacation to Baltimore and Philadelphia. We stopped for cheesesteaks at Geno's in South Philly -- an institution known for the kind of customers it doesn't want. There were anti-foreigner slogans all over, English-only statements...I guess they do OK despite the attitude...I mean, WE went there along with others in a big line....but felt a little creepy. It's part of the experience, I guess.

Here are a couple pics from the Rittenhouse Hotel in Philadelphia. I don't think I've ever stayed anywhere nicer -- the room was spacious and pretty, and the bath was roomy and luxurious.

While we were in Baltimore there was an Asian anime/something conference -- it was huge and people were running all over in great costumes. I don't have any pics...but everywhere you looked there were characters from a whole media that's escaped me:-)

Claudia 0 Birds 3

2009-07-16T08:21:00.003-04:00

OK -- I will not be defeated. I'm now wrapping the almost-ripe tomatoes in foil and hope that they continue to ripen, but that birds are thwarted. But, do the tomatoes themselves need sun to ripen? Not sure about that.

2009-07-15T19:30:00.001-04:00

Rob, this one's for you! More from Niemann.

2009-07-15T15:41:00.001-04:00

Another NYTimes graphic essay -- Abstract City by Christoph Niemann.

2009-07-14T22:26:00.002-04:00

Oh, I did figure it out...kind of. I used another app for the code. I don't think it looks all that great -- you can get it bigger if you click on it. I think I'll keep trying..

2009-07-14T22:17:00.002-04:00

I found a little app to make a cloud out of my tags. You can arrange it different ways, and they gave me some code...but I can't make it active. I'm too tired right now to fool with it. It's from this site: http://www.wordle.net/..

2009-07-14T21:58:00.002-04:00

Time for the duct tape. A sassy mockingbird went up under the netting to peck at a tomato -- I caught him and made a big fuss, and he/she flapped all over, not being able to get out because of the net..but eventually did. I wonder if he'll try it again, but then, it's a mockingbird, so I think, yes.

2009-07-13T09:49:00.003-04:00

Well, the Arlington bird population got a good laugh out of my sorry attempt to scare them. The next ripest tomato was tasted yesterday some time. So, step 2 is this netting -- you can just see it in the pic. Emily and I kind of draped it over the plants, and I'm not sure it will be enough either. Keep you posted!

2009-07-12T22:51:00.006-04:00

As part of our unusually busy weekend, Doug and I went to Nationals Stadium to see Elton John and Billy Joel (the pics aren't mine). I thought the two of them gave a great performance, singing tons of stuff you'd want to hear, but the stadium really isn't a very good venue. The sound was bad and the jumbotrons weren't jumbo enough -- but, everyone had a good time. Elton's piano had a stuck pedal and they rearranged things until somehow that got fixed -- and Billy Joel was totally flexible about stepping in and making sure the show went on. I read a review that said that Elton stormed off stage, but I didn't see it that way. The piano is his instrument, and it has to work for him -- I think he tried to work through it, but it was clearly not functioning properly. In several songs (on the fixed piano) he did long piano riffs -- which required...a good piano.

2009-07-12T22:34:00.005-04:00

We had a pretty action-packed weekend. On Friday night, Doug had a boys-night-out poker party next door -- Ken's wife and kids were away so he hosted an evening for the neighborhood guys plus a few other friends. Its been a looooong time since Doug did anything like that, but he reports that it was fun.

Mom and I went to see the movie, The Hurt Locker -- excellent. The girls got together and had a big label-making/organizing session at Kate's apartment and I can't remember what Rob was doing.

Then on Saturday morning I got up way early, and went to the Pentagon at 6AM to help with an exercise -- a test to see what would be the best way to remove airborne biological agents. We all had special tags indicating where we should be, and they gave us certain accessories -- I had two blingy rings. Then we went to the Pentagon and walked around in a parking lot while the truck sprayed a harmless powder into the air. I never felt it or smelled it.

After the plume settled we were tested on various parts of our bodies -- they tested the rings I wore, plus face and parts of my clothes.

Then we went into two lines and they had different ways of washing you off. We all had swimsuits under our clothes, so the clothes were bagged and here is a pic of my line -- big fire hoses! That's a powerful spray! Fortunately, the weather was great. Then after that they took more samples. I think the other group did some kind of shower with soap.

I was home before 10, and it was fun to help in the exercise. They were super organized -- the Red Cross was there most importantly with hot coffee, but they also had a counselor in case anybody got stressed out. Always thorough, the Red Cross. I'll let you know if I find out any of the results.

2009-07-10T22:42:00.001-04:00

Ha -- here's my scary bird weapon. I'll keep you posted!

2009-07-10T09:38:00.007-04:00

Garden update starts on a tragic note -- see the tomatoes? I'd been watching them getting ripe, planning on a great salad in a few days..and it looks to me like birds ate them! There were tell-tale white globs of poop on one of the ravished tomatoes. Well, this will not stand. My job today is to make a little scarecrow -- I have lots of fabric and a sewing machine -- I'll try to do something scary.
Swiss chard is lovely.
Jalapeno peppers seem to be untouched.
Beautiful purple eggplant -- I bet we can harvest this in a few days.
Beginnings of a white eggplant.
Cucumbers -- we have three vines and I bet we'll get at least 50 -- they are amazingly prolific.

Overall, I think the garden has been a big success. The planters have worked out so well. Some things have done better than others -- peas started out strong, and then just gave up. Green beans made for one dinner, but now they're gone -- I wonder if the plants will make more...not sure. The tomatoes have turned into beautiful lush plants, just hope we can protect against varmints. The herbs have also done pretty well -- chives are going strong, along with basil, parsley, thyme, marjoram, and cilantro. Rosemary grows like a weed around here, but mine was in a pot that wasn't draining, so I've replanted it in a better location.

2009-07-09T09:34:00.004-04:00

News flash for Kate -- her beloved Peeps is opening it's first store soon, at the new National Harbor.

2009-07-04T11:26:00.003-04:00

Yes, today I'm pondering the use of the term douche bag. Of course, I googled it, and took the above pic from an article in Esquire. The gist of the article is that it's a term that has some use, but has been overused. The article asked that we stop using it in order to save it -- for those who really deserve it.

I thought about the word today as I pondered Sarah Palin. I could so easily be that knee-jerk east coast liberal who vilifies her, but I kind of like her. It's taken a while, and all I know is what I read or assume from the media which means that I'm sure I don't really know who she is. But I was rooting for her in confronting that true douche bag, David Letterman. How dare that arrogant not-all-that-funny old man go after her young daughter? She reacted appropriately -- she deserved to go totally ballistic on him. He holds himself up as sophisticated New York...that joke was sophisticated?...and that anyone who doesn't "get it" must be one of those pathetic yokels from elsewhere.

I don't know why she's resigning, but I feel sorry for her. She was thrown into the shark pool and came out bloody. I don't know if I'd ever feel aligned with her political views, but I can see what a tough year she's had and even though this might not be the best political move, I think she deserves a rest and some time with her family.

2009-06-28T14:22:00.002-04:00

I'm at the 7 day mark (again...ha ha) of a detox -- basically South Beach Phase I -- which means lots of protein and green veggies, skim milk/cottage cheese, legumes, and nuts. It has meant no processed anything -- no white sugar (or brown, or honey, or molasses), no flour at all, nothing packaged. No breads, crackers, frozen treats. I still have my Diet Coke -- a girl's gotta hold on to some vice, and yea, my coffee. I know I should ditch those as well, but I'm not perfect.

I have to say, other than feeling kind of lethargic, it's going well. I'm being careful about potassium and water so I don't get too goofy. I can say that:

1. I do not have cravings for sugar or flour

2. I'm tasting my food more

3. I'm not hungry

4. I can see that planning meals around green veggies, having them as the focus, opens up a new world

Also, Doug and I had fresh green beans from the garden last night for dinner -- about 15 minutes from vine to table. They were very delicious -- yep, you could taste the difference.

2009-06-26T17:09:00.003-04:00

Here's another great graphic column, or graphic essay...not sure what to call them -- but the NYTimes has them from time to time. This one is about Jefferson and Monticello, called Times Wastes Too Fast, by Maira Kalman.

2009-06-25T21:10:00.003-04:00

I swore to myself today that I'd work on the online curriculum I'm updating for my little consulting job. I had my nose to the computer for 2 hours (working for 2 hours is major to me in my nice new life), finished one of the 4 courses I'm doing, and then Emily and I took Jerry to a dog park in Arlington that features this nice stream. He used to love "playing sticks" at Alum Springs Park in Fredericksburg, and this was just as nice (except I think the stream bed is rockier -- he couldn't run as fast in the water). Nevertheless, he adapted and had a great time.
It is a beautiful location -- no fences or gates, just a nice area for dogs to run, play, and swim. We noted that this is so close to the White House that Obama and family should bring Bo over to play -- I mean, he is a Portuguese Water Dog! It was a beautiful afternoon -- warm but shady with all the trees -- and a wet dog.

2009-06-21T22:24:00.003-04:00

I've been a bad blogger, but no one except for Doug has complained!

Today Emily and I saw Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal at the movie theater in Georgetown. The kids took Doug and the rest of us to see the movie Up -- it was sooo cute. Emily had to go back to argue about our parking fee, and the two of them were in line behind her. I had gone looking for Em, and caught a glimpse of them -- I guess it's always fun to see stars, kind of like seeing the rare fish when you're snorkeling or something...Emily smiled and said hi to them, but they ignored her:-( She thought he seemed like a jerk...in that whole 2-minute encounter!

Then Rob brought over some pork chops he had marinated in a special beer, and we had our usual Sunday night dinner. I made fresh blueberry ice cream -- pretty and yummy.

Emily and I have been baby-sitting quite a bit for our neighbors across the street who just had baby number 3 -- so at home there's a 4, almost 3, and now newborn. I think we'll be over there some more in the weeks to come:-)

Emily is about 95% certain to start a teaching job in the next few weeks, but it's only part time. It's teaching adults English through Arlington County. The good news is that she's decided that teaching is what she really enjoys doing, and the people in the program all seem very nice. It has the potential of expanding, or she might add another part time job to it. Kate is also doing well, but I need to save that for next week.

I'm still working with Amnesty -- we had a protest on Thursday at the Indonesian Embassy that worked out well. There weren't as many people as last time, but we had a good police presence including a paddy wagon -- that always creates interest on the street! Then I spent Saturday at the AI regional office as part of a new committee I'm on -- the Regional Planning Group -- advising the office on policy, planning...etc. It's too soon for me to know what that will all mean, but I'm working with motivated people.

This week I'll be home on two afternoons to get quotes for a new heating/cooling system -- ugg...we knew the system was old, but you always wish it would hang on longer than a few months. We have air right now, but it probably won't last for even the summer, so we need to bite the bullet.

2009-06-01T17:10:00.004-04:00

I know I've read about this thing called "spring cleaning" -- and I think Emily and I did it today! Here are the windows we cleaned -- all the downstairs windows! It was the most beautiful day -- sun, mid-70's, dry...just perfect.Before that we gave Jerry a bath -- here's the post-bath tub. I gave it a does of Draino -- just as a precaution. Then Emily brushed him and got at least this much off again on the brush. He doesn't care about being a clean non-shedding dog, but we appreciate it.

2009-05-30T22:02:00.003-04:00

I haven't been very good about updating my vast reading public here. What's new in my life?

One big thing is that my sewing room is put together and Emily and I are working on a baby quilt for our neighbor, Trisha's, "Sprinkle" (vs. Shower) next weekend. A "Sprinkle" is what you get for your third baby! We'll need to hustle to get it done, but I had the house to myself this evening and I got the whole top pieced -- so, that's a big milestone.

Then, we got word that my Aunt Nici in California had a big surgery -- heart -- but is coming through it well. I think Mom and I will go out to visit in a month or so, and hope we can help out when she gets home from her weeks in rehab. We're playing it by ear right now. If we do go, a beach visit of some kind will be on the agenda -- Mom has been begging us to take her to a beach, but East Coast beaches leave a lot to be desired when you grew up in California. So, I told Mom that she could rent us a convertible when we're there and we'll at least hit Santa Cruz. I kind of doubt that Nici could do that kind of outing, but who knows.

I've also decided that I need to do yoga every day -- going to a class once or twice a week is wonderful, but daily is even better. So, I've been disciplining myself to set the alarm earlier and get in some mat time before everything else begins -- seems to be a good plan so far. The pic above isn't mine -- but I do have a purple mat.

This evening we had a salad with our own lettuce -- finally. I think it was very tasty, but we wiped out a lot of our crop for just one salad:-( I think I need to replant, pronto. Today at the Farmer's Market I got beautiful strawberries, cherries, and raspberries from the Westmoreland Berry Farm -- yes, I decided to stand in line. They also had asparagus and a big head of garlic that you grill and then press out the insides onto bread. So, I guess the line was worth it.

2009-05-18T11:16:00.004-04:00

On Saturday morning I got to the Arlington Farmer's Market when it opened -- since I was still feeling sick, I had been awake since forever. Well, I certainly wasn't alone at the market! There were already tons of people in line at the Westmoreland Berry Farm stall which had fresh asparagus and strawberries. I don't know, but I just can't stand in lines like that even if the stuff is good. It's certainly not anyone's "fault" that everyone wants good produce, and maybe I should stand in the line and meditate on my feet. But, my sense of being rushed and time-stressed hasn't totally left me, so I can't do it.

But, fortunately, there were lots of other stalls without the lines. I got some beautiful Swiss chard that I sauteed with olive oil for dinner, 4 pints of fresh strawberries for a pie Sunday night, and some hot house tomatoes. There are always seductive baked things and I didn't resist -- got cookies and a loaf of sourdough bread. The cookies (apple glazed and loaded oatmeal) talked to me the whole ride home, and I got back and put out 1 of each for me and Doug. I ate mine, slowly and with total enjoyment, and Doug ate half of one of his and was done. He just doesn't have the sweet tooth thing...Emily saw the cookies on the table and we both urged him to bag them and hide them.

2009-05-14T13:57:00.002-04:00

I've been sick for the past couple of days -- just a cold (everyone waits to see if they might have the flu..). I was good and stayed away from public places -- just infected my family! Emily has been a great nurse -- she made dinner last night, yells at me to cover my mouth -- it's amazing to have a life where I can get sick and not spend hours canceling stuff....or, doing all the stuff while sick. I finished two books, watched Weeds and a movie....napped. No wonder I feel better today!

2009-05-09T21:51:00.009-04:00

Here are some pics from the rally AI held today at the Indonesian Embassy. I guess 50 people or so passed through...maybe a little less. Thanks to Kate and Rob for coming by -- I know Kate is so tired, but she made it anyway! We had been afraid that the Saturday date might not generate much traffic, but the embassy next door was having an open house, so lots of people came by and heard our noise. I think as rallies go, it was pretty successful.

2009-05-09T10:41:00.005-04:00

On Thursday I went with a couple of AI staffers to visit Michael Tene, First Secretary at the Indonesian Embassy. Isn't this a beautiful building? It had been a private home at the turn of the century -- of Evalyn Walsh McLean, born in Leadville, Colo. (photo above). She was the last owner of the Hope Diamond. I found the middle image on Google, and don't know who those people are, but you can see how ornate the grand staircase is.

So, I began our visit as a tourist, just happy to see the space. They had a beautiful ornate mask/costume from Bali and all kinds of dark carved wood furniture. Then we met the First Secretary, Michael Tene. We went up the staircase to a pretty room with a long conference table. I was with a young AI staffer, Laura, who just got into law school so she'll be leaving soon to continue her studies. AI's Washington office legislative guy, Kumar, was the leader of the group -- he goes all over Capital Hill talking with legislators, embassy people, etc. He definitely had a gift for this kind of talking. Michael was very pleasant, didn't say anything too unexpected, but indicated that the people of Indonesia don't sympathize with our prisoners, feel they are wrong to be protesting the way they do, and therefore there isn't any kind of pressure on the government to change its stance. That was something I didn't know...but it may or may not be true. The meeting was very businesslike -- we sat down at the table and he knew our point, and we knew his, but it was still interesting to have the discussion...very civil.

2009-05-06T16:23:00.008-04:00

My good day -- Actually, it began yesterday when my iMac froze. Why would this be good? Two reasons: 1. With the move and all that, I could actually FIND the boot discs that came with the machine. So, I put them in, and the machine was still frozen. 2. In the found bunch of material I located the Mac help number, dialed it, got a person immediately who worked with me to unfreeze the machine -- and didn't charge anything. So, all this took maybe an hour. Yea Apple!

Then today Emmie and I went shopping at Tysons -- I'm going to the Indonesian Embassy tomorrow with a group from AI to bring up the two prisoners of conscience we're focusing on...and I need to wear something other than my yoga clothes. And, I've lost enough weight that I don't have any of my former work clothes that look good -- actually, Goodwill has most of them. So, I wanted something professional, but also something that looked liked me, and that I'd actually wear again. A suit with pumps would be good, but I'd never wear it again (except maybe to a funeral). So, I didn't want that. I also wanted something that didn't need dry cleaning -- I just can't see paying that much every time you need to clean an outfit. And I actually found a great outfit that I like and will wear again -- at J Jill -- comfy top, pants, sweater and I also got a necklace that pulls it all together. In pic above, I got the gold top, beige sweater, and white pants. Wish it would have been cheaper...but I do really like it and it looks all coordinated, but not too old-lady.

2009-05-03T15:58:00.004-04:00

On Friday Emily and I cooked for 50 at church. Well, 50 people didn't show up, but I cooked for that many anyway. It was for our First Friday dinner -- on the first of May. The UU Arlington church does an informal evening of dinner and then a service on a theme -- this month it was earth Day. So, I went to MOM's Organic grocery in Alexandria to get the ingredients for potato/leek soup, home made pizza, and strawberry spinach salad. It was nice to have Emily home as my assistant, but by the end of the evening we were both exhausted. The most difficult part is figuring out how to delegate to the volunteers who "might" show up -- if they do, you want a good task for them, but if they don't, you might have to hurry to do it. I did it because the person who usually does it was out of town -- and I'm glad I did, because if I were to be asked to take this on in any way, I'll know to say no!

All in all, I enjoyed the planning for the meal, but not the execution. Everything turned out well, particularly the spinach salad -- a big hit. Here's the recipe:

Strawberry Spinach Salad

1 tablespoon butter

3/4 cup slivered almonds

1 pound fresh spinach

1 cup sliced strawberries (can substitute dried cranberries)

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1/2 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons minced onion

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Saute almonds in butter until lightly brown. Remove from heat and cool.

Combine spinach, strawberries and almonds in salad bowl.

Mix the rest of the ingredients for dressing, and pour over salad.

2009-04-29T07:52:00.004-04:00

Here we are on the lanai in Fort Myers. Doug and I spent three days with Minor and Melissa. Melissa had some things she wanted to accomplish while we were there, primarily dealing with Minor's condition. She was really hoping that we'd be the ones to tell him that he can't drive any more, but we couldn't do that. We set up a "driving test" but he passed -- he actually did quite well. Unfortunately, the test really didn't test a lot of important things...so next time we go we'll devise a test that he'll fail! Because, in all fairness to the population of Fort Myers, he really shouldn't be driving! It was amazing though that he did so well -- the mechanics are like riding a bike, I guess. He was good at signaling, stopping at stop signs, he did an OK job parking -- we went to Target. On the one hand, he's not going to get into the car and try to go someplace new -- he'll only go to a handful of places that he knows. But, we'll get him next time!

On our last evening there we had Laurie, Bruce and Barb over for a simple dinner. Bruce has been a rabid government-hater for the last several years, and now that Obama is president he's just over the top. What surprised us, though, is how much Barbara has joined in. Laurie just rolls her eyes and tries to change the subject. It's sad because you wouldn't have seen this in them earlier -- they were never hate-filled people. Bruce in particular was always just happy and easy-going, and now so much energy is going negative for them. They eat up Rush and read his and other crazy people's books. Bruce thinks that we need to nuke the whole Middle East, starting with Iran. He also says that the flu is going to be overblown by the evil government as a way to force us to nationalize medicine. Heck, if that's what it takes to get our health care system fixed, I say overblow away.

2009-04-29T07:50:00.001-04:00

Look at this nice pic from Julie -- doesn't she look like she's just where she wants to be?

2009-04-24T16:03:00.002-04:00

Follow this link to a neat "article" in the NT Times by illustrator Maira Kalman -- it's called "May It Please the Court" -- kind of graphic journalism. I loved it.

2009-04-24T11:16:00.002-04:00

Doug and I will be heading off to Florida tomorrow. Emily and I were talking about how people mainly don't seem to enjoy being with their elderly relatives. Of course, I don't want to think that that's down the pike for us! But, we're not particularly looking forward to the trip. I guess a lot of it is about lack of mobility -- that anything you do gets done so slowly with elderly relatives, and that's just going to happen to all of us. I hope the yoga and exercise make a difference. It's also about all the "just sitting around" - not something we enjoy. But I feel bad, because these should be treasured times. Older relatives won't be around that long, so why don't we really enjoy the time we have? Sad...

2009-04-21T16:33:00.003-04:00

We have been having a nice time with Emily at home. Parents are torn with the desire to see their babies fly away and never letting them leave. Well, Emily has certainly done her share of flying, and we're glad that we have a home in an area where she can live and look for jobs (when she came back to Fredericksburg a few years ago, it was harder with the commute, etc.). Today she and I were shopping at an organic market in Alexandria called Mom's, and Kate called to see if she could do lunch. We were only 10 minutes away, so the two of them went to a Japanese restaurant for lunch. It's so nice that we're all close.

Particularly after Em's being so far away, I'm loving the time we can have together. I know that it's special -- likely won't happen again. Today we ran over to the Air Force Memorial to look around. It's close, and after our passport errands we just ran over and enjoyed the memorial and the pretty view.

2009-04-16T11:59:00.002-04:00

One of the worst things about moving is changing all the doctors, etc. But, I'm working through all that. Today was the trip to a new dermatologist. I saw Dr. Michelle Rivera in Arlington -- wow, she was really good. She was much more thorough and educational than those I've seen before. But jeeze....the bright lights and close mirrors on all these things on my body -- not pretty. I told her that I just took for granted that my skin would have all this stuff...but no, that wasn't going to be acceptable. She took me on a tour of all the bumps, freckles, moles, warts...and lots more, and I mean, we looked EVERYWHERE. Her basic diagnosis was that though I was basically OK from a cancer standpoint, my skin was a mess. She did freeze off one place, and had to biopsy another on my leg. So -- -here is what she wants me to do to improve my skin:

Use Retin A every evening on my face and neck -- this will peel off all kinds of scaly scabby junk

Use Neutrogena 45 moisturizer every day on my face (I'd been using 15, which she said was way not enough)

Use Neutrogena Body Wash -- Body Clear -- with 2% salicylic acid instead of soap in the shower

Use Eucerin Plus Lotion as after-shower moisturizer

Once a week use Trader Joe's or Bath and Body works Salt Scrub with Grape Seed Oil on whole body

So -- though this will be somewhat of a change from my usual routines, she didn't sell me thousands of dollars worth of stuff...it's all from the drug store. The Retin A isn't covered by insurance, but is about $50, so it could be worse.

Another thing she said was that I should brush my hair for several minutes a day -- like just brush in front of the TV or something. I remember as a kid there was this idea that you should brush your hair 100 strokes a day, and in high school I just brushed all the time. But, she said that it's a good way to spread moisture through your hair, particularly as you age. I haven't really brushed my hair like that for ages...just enough in the morning to tame it. So, that will be a change too.

All in all, it was an exercise in aging...blah...but I really liked her.

2009-04-14T12:26:00.002-04:00

We had a nice Easter with the Fouries, plus Kate, Rob and Emily. Dinner was traditional and yummy -- honey baked ham, scalloped potatoes, my blowout buttermilk yeast rolls, strawberry-sour cream jello, and a sesame spinach. Mom made an orange almond layer cake.

Our neighborhood arranged a little egg hunt for babies, but we made a more cut-throat one for our kids and the Fourie kids in our back yard. I think Rainier got the most eggs, but Rob was right in the contention as well.

2009-04-10T17:56:00.003-04:00

Check out this eagle cam. It' s from a farm in New Jersey and there are two new chicks. I haven't seen them yet, but I just love my baby animal cams! I swear, when the baby panda cam was going I was just hooked on that thing. Of course, Julie in Ketchikan can just look out a window for her own private eagle cams...but this is thrilling to me even if it is...ughhh...New Jersey! (Sorry New Jersey....but this place, Duke Farms, looks really nice!)

2009-04-08T13:49:00.002-04:00

Yea -- Emily is home from Japan. I love going to Dulles to wait for international flights -- because you get to see reunions among people who haven't seen each other for a while. The flight arriving before Emily's seemed to be from Africa, and there were big groups of families waiting in the lounge. I got to watch all kinds of happy greetings, and several people from the plane met babies they hadn't seen before-- it's so nice to watch. Emily finally made it through, slogging all kinds of heavy luggage with her. She's now vegging in front of the TV and we'll wake her up when everybody comes over for dinner this evening.

2009-04-06T08:10:00.003-04:00

Neko was a brave boy today. He was out back early in the morning and I heard cat-fight sounds. Indeed, Neko was all fluffy and yelling at a cat that was beside the house. I've only seen him fluff up once or twice, but there he was. I think the other cat is Wolf, who lives 2 doors down. Our expectation has always been that Neko would run rather than fight -- he's just such a wuss. But, he chased Wolf all the way home, and then sat out front to brag. (Poor Wolf -- his family just got a Goldendoodle puppy and he's all confused anyway, then to be chased by the likes of Neko..ahhh)!

2009-04-03T12:23:00.005-04:00

Today I went to my last Friday yoga class until the next session begins, and my yoga studio seems to have a tradition that the last class is restorative. OMG, what a treat. In restorative yoga you use gravity rather than muscles for poses. This means that you fold up blankets in all kinds of ways and then let the blankets hold you up while you drop over them and let gravity pull you down. The poses are all super comfortable -- you just want to go to sleep, and when you come out of them, you've stretched the parts that were dropping. The big thing (well, besides breathing) is that you don't try...you just are. I found two pics on Google images that show a few things we did: the top one is "legs up the wall" -- just put your butt against the wall and throw your legs up. The second one is child's pose on top of blankets -- I used more blankets than this and it was like being a baby in a crib again.

I'm so lucky to be able to do these things -- every day I just have to pinch myself...

2009-04-01T05:46:00.010-04:00

Look at all the different cover art for Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. Emily introduced me to him, and he never disappoints. I downloaded this book from the library and burned it onto CDs to listen to in the car. That process is pretty cumbersome, since I don't have the right combination of iPods, etc., it works out.

One thing about Murakami, you never quite know where he's going, and I love that. This book features a runaway 15-year-old boy who finds a quirky library with people who just naturally take him in. Then there is an old man who is "not very bright" who lives on a government stipend and makes extra money by finding lost cats. He's good at this because he can talk to cats. I'm not sure if Murakami loves or hates cats, however... At one point he walks into a police station to confess to a murder -- and it reminded me of Emily saying that people would just do that in Japan. At the police station he mentioned that the next day the police officer should bring an umbrella because fish would be raining from the sky, and sure enough, down came the fish (but the old man had disappeared by then.) Well, I'm not finished, and have not idea where these characters will find themselves, but it will be an interesting ride.

2009-03-31T07:17:00.006-04:00

I went to a GMU event last night -- the Amnesty chapter there brought in Ann Wright to speak. She's a former State Department employee and retired US Army Colonel who quit in protest of the war in Iraq. She spoke about the need for a full accounting of US torture policy and that we need to not just stop it, but bring people who ordered torture to justice. She also said that we must actively assess the mental states of those involved in the torture and make sure they get the counseling they will need to rejoin society.

Today I wrote to President Obama asking that he call for a full accounting of those who tortured in my name. You can write to him too:

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW

Washington, DC 20500

Or call him: 202-456-1111

She was in Gaza recently and described her experience of getting through the Egyptian check point and the devastation she saw. Her feeling is that Israel was indeed being shelled by terrorists, but that the response was to level an entire area, most business and industry is destroyed, people are homeless and without jobs.. If the answer to terrorism is to demolish any area that hosts terrorists, then we might as well blow up the whole world, because that's the nature of terrorists -- they can live anywhere.

2009-03-30T11:46:00.003-04:00

So, I officially have the most wonderful husband in the world. While I was at the Amnesty AGM in Boston this weekend, Doug killed himself making raised bed vegetable planters. He built them, hauled dirt from the front driveway all the way back to fill them, and even put mulch around them. Aren't they beautiful? And this was all in one weekend. He made an extra one on the back patio because he had more dirt and wood. That's a really sunny place, so I'll have decide which veggies need the most sun.
But not only did he do all this, but the kitchen was clean, trash and recycling put out...good grief! I feel like such a lowly slacker.

I'm planning a REALLY nice dinner for him tonight... He also made an appointment to get the massage I gave him for his birthday -- so his muscles deserve that for sure.

Boston was great -- very energizing conference. I learned about AI's new campaign to address the way immigrants are treated/detained every day in the US -- shameful.

I also have a question for Julie. One session highlighted sexual abuse of Native American women, and talked about some kind of US law that means that a non-Indian man can assault an Indian woman on Indian property and totally walk away and not be charged. They also said that 86% of assaults on Indian women are by non-Indian men. Does this seem right to you? I kind of feel, based on no real knowledge, that Indian men aren't exactly heroes in this regard, but wonder what your experience has been.

2009-03-26T11:38:00.003-04:00

I'm to off the the Amnesty International AGM in Boston today. Actually, this evening -- a bunch of us are taking a charter bus up there -- at $45 round trip, we were willing to put up with it. We'll get there early tomorrow morning (it's the red-eye bus) and I think at least for me, I'll have most of the day to sight-see. Other people have meetings...but I'll just poke around the town. I think the weather will be uninspiring, but at least dry. I've been drafted to help with two presentations on Saturday, but I may decide to just drop in rather than stay for all of both of them -- I don't want to miss other things.

Hope everyone has a nice weekend!

2009-03-25T19:12:00.006-04:00

How pretty is this meal? Orange roasted shrimp, braised red cabbage, and quinoa. I really liked the shrimp -- here's the recipe for serving 2:

1 large orange

salt to taste

About 20 shelled, deveined shrimp, depending on size

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 tablespoon curry powder (or mix your own curry spices)

Fresh ground pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400.

Finely grate the zest of the orange and mix in a bowl with the shrimp.

Peel away white part of orange, then slice orange into about 6 rounds. Place orange on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment, sprinkle with salt, and roast until the oranges are slightly dry, about 12 minutes.

Add the oil, pepper, and curry power to the shrimp and toss. When the oranges are done, add the shrimp mixture on top of the oranges (I did a single layer) and roast until the shrimp curl.

This is easy, pretty, and I'd say it would be a good entertaining dish. If you come to my house, you'll probably get to taste it soon!

2009-03-25T07:23:00.003-04:00

I caught the last part of Oprah yesterday, and Dr. Oz was on. After seeing him I'm always compelled to wipe out everything in the frig and do it his way -- fresh food, lots of veggies, limiting fat and animal products...nothing really new. In fact, the South Beach Diet is very much in line with what he's saying (but it has the bad "D" word in it so I had to rebel). Yesterday he talked about living to 120 -- and that we know how to do that. Some of it will be the result of new research and technologies, but he's also been talking for some time about calorie restriction as a key to long life, as well as a greater quality of life. He says that cells are healthier, don't die as fast, and don't have to deal with so many toxins if you reduce calories. Research on animals shows that restricting calories extends both the years and the quality of life.

When I think about how long I'll live (and I don't spend all that much time thinking about it!) I guess I have something in the 90s as my guess. I mean look at Mom -- jumping (that's a little generous) up off the sidewalk after her fall in her 80s. So, let's say we find a way to live an extra 20 years -- for Doug and me this would mean that more than half our lives are still ahead of us. I welcome the thought that it's still not all downhill from here, but in this economic mess, can we afford to live that long? Don't old people have to just move on at some point? And at 110, will they find a way to go to 140? People are seriously talking about those possibilities. Isn't the world just waiting for the baby boomers to get the hell out?

2009-03-24T18:14:00.001-04:00

Here's a link to Kate and Rob's wedding announcement in the Free Lance-Star.

2009-03-24T09:46:00.007-04:00

As some of my readers know, I have had some (well, complete) success over the past several months with taking my alcohol consumption down to zero. It is certainly the best choice for me. But part of me misses the fun of drinks, as reported in this NYT article called Your Signature Cocktail. All the pretty colors, glasses, garnishes. However, I can have just as much fun with food, which still has limitless options for experimentation and fun. So what would my current signature drink be? Ha -- probably a milk shake made with home made cinnamon ice cream garnished with caramelized apples. And whipped cream. And a cherry. With a Diet Coke chaser.

What is your signature drink?

2009-03-24T07:12:00.004-04:00

I have to say, not working is truly just as good as I thought it might be. But after so many years of it, coupled with the feeling that I'm obligated to pay for toys, well, I've been trying to figure out how to do some work with no pain! One thing I told myself when we moved here is that if I am patient, things will come to me. And yesterday I got an email from people I've kept up with...and they wanted to know if I'd review/rewrite some online courses they're getting ready for the fall. I've taught and written some of these courses, so it's something I can do well, I think. This certainly seems to fit the bill of having work come to me! Though it won't mean all that much money, it will be professional work that I can do at home. I don't know yet how many actual hours it will entail.

I also contacted a woman I've known for years who is now the head of libraries in the Arlington schools. I think one thing I could do is to be a sub for librarians in the county. I go today to get my TB test, and wrote off to get some recommendations. I'm thinking that I could so some number of days a month, but I might also be able to do some long-term things, like a pregnancy or something. So, we'll see how that goes -- not sure.

But as I do these things, yesterday was a day I was glad I wasn't working. I got a call from a neighbor who needed a quick hour of babysitting, and that's always something I've wanted to give back (actually, it's not giving back, because it's something I never had, but wanted so much!)...so I had a nice time playing dinosaurs with a most precocious 3 1/2 year old girl!

Then, I helped Mom get her passport updated, and we went to Tysons to do a few errands. As we were leaving, Mom was really careful going down the stairs to the parking deck, but missed one last tricky step -- and she fell. Jeeze -- I was right next to her, but she fell away from me and I was just grabbing at air. She landed pretty softly, but on her bad hip. She kept her head up, so her shoulders took some of the fall as well. She was on the cement like a little rag doll, but told me that nothing was broken. Sure enough, she got up and said that nothing hurt! Wow -- how many 84 (is that right) year old women could fall and get themselves up? I told her that it's a testament to all the exercise she's been doing -- her walking, yoga, aerobics. I called her last night and she was in pain -- I guess that's to be expected. I hope that it's just a bruise and that nothing chipped or something...I guess time will tell. I've felt that I want my work to be flexible enough to allow me to help her if she does end up with a broken bone...but we dodged it yesterday!

2009-03-22T16:49:00.008-04:00

Today Doug (mainly) worked on the vegetable garden project. I planted this little rosemary bush on the patio, but he was busy clearing brush and digging. I hauled a couple of wheel barrow loads of dirt from the patio to the back yard and exhausted myself! I think I better get good at that process, and it is definitely good exercise.
Here is the first part of the vegetable garden project, and Jerry took the opportunity to play ball with himself.

These gloves are a birthday present from me -- Doug's hands have been pretty bashed up lately from all the gardening.
We know that Emily is now an experienced vegetable gardener, and she's coming back just in time to jump right in.

2009-03-21T13:19:00.004-04:00

So, today is Doug's birthday and for those of you who know him -- it looks like the big elements have been covered. He's here with his truck loaded with dirt. The sun is shining. It's going to be a great day. This is all in preparation for the raised vegetables gardens we're (well, we is a little generous) building in the back. We took a little trip after yoga today to a nursery that I had heard about -- Merrifield's. Wow -- it is a super nursery....remember the first Wegman's we saw and how we acted like grocery tourists? That's how we were, but we came home with a load of great soil (and more fun is in store, because even with his kick-ass truck, we couldn't bring home everything we bought!)

2009-03-21T08:10:00.005-04:00

Doug and I received such a generous gift from Kate and Rob -- a card to use at the elegant restaurant 1789 in Georgetown. We went last night -- the night before Doug's birthday, so it seemed like a nice occasion. We arrived and were greeted by two valets -- so nice not to have to park in Georgetown. You can see how inviting the entrance is in this pic:I forgot my camera, of course, but we were in an elegant colonial-flavored room with a raging fire in the fireplace -- and it's still so cold around here, that it was welcoming. The restaurant has several levels with different rooms, but we were on the first floor. The service was as you might expect -- very nice but unobtrusive. Doug had Big Eye Tura Tartare to begin, and I had Wellfleet Oyster Gratin. We tasted from each other, and enjoyed both. Then we split the Beaver Creek Quail Saltimobocca -- cute little pieces of quail on bones, plus wild rice and baby hedgehog mushrooms -- everything was kind of miniature and pretty...very tasty too.

Doug had the rack of lamb for his main course and I had river trout...but the trout seemed thicker than I ever saw coming out of a river...anyway, very good. The thing I liked most about my meal was the horseradish -- not what you would expect, but a little slice of the root without all that pickling. I'm going to look for it at Whole Foods. Then we didn't really have room, but we did dessert -- Doug had a pretty chocolate mousse thing and I had apple strudel with candied walnuts and ice cream. Doug also enjoyed a few wines, including a dessert wine coupled with this mousse.

Thanks for such a nice gift, Kate and Rob!

2009-03-19T17:11:00.002-04:00

Mom, Doug and I went to the 'burg today to visit the CPA who does our taxes. It's always such a RELIEF to know that it's in someone else's hands. Still don't know if/how much we'll owe -- last year had me only working part of it, plus the house sale and all that...who knows. Mom liked the accountant too, and she has all this stuff with trusts to consider. She keeps saying that she doesn't know anything about taxes, but that's not entirely true...she was very organized, had all her papers in a way that he quickly understood them. In truth, I think she knows quite a bit. He was helpful in showing her at least a few ways to make next year better, so that's always good.

We always drive by the house when we're there -- I bet people in the 'burg talk about it! "I see them driving by and just staring..." etc. Ha -- glad to provide fodder for the mill. Today was the same -- house empty, nothing being done, porch lights on, but one thing was different -- the pretty bulbs we planted last year are up and a couple bunches of daffodils were blooming and cheery. It's nice to have left something pretty:-) We also had to go have lunch at the cafe on Caroline St. -- Mom loved the garlic burger! I have to speak at Georgetown this evening for Amnesty, and I didn't want them talking about that nasty old woman with the bad breath, so I compromised and had a bacon cheeseburger instead. Yummy. We completed the trifecta with Dad ordering the Southwestern burger.

2009-03-18T15:05:00.002-04:00

As you can see, we have sun -- yea. This is a photo of our pretty little back patio and the new table/chairs we got for it. I ordered it all online in the fall and like it -- but when they delivered it, there was no top to the table. I probably spent 5 hours on the phone figuring out if I should accept delivery with no top, and they assured me that top would come. A couple weeks ago they credited me for the non-delivered top. Anyway, Doug and I went out to a pretty garden shop in Great Falls and found this stone top there. Two guys hauled it off to my car and wedged in in...and Doug and I muscled it from the car to the back yard. All in all, I think it's nice for the space. The seat cushions go well with the top, and it's very comfortable. After so many years in the 'burg, working with our house colors, it's fun to be in a new place where I don't have to think about shades of pink all the time! This table and patio will be nice until the heat of the summer and the mosquito onslaught -- but that won't be for a few months I guess.

Thank you to my wonderful family who made me feel better after yesterday's piss poor day:-)

2009-03-17T22:09:00.003-04:00

It had to come, right. Claudia had a bad day. I know, after all the perfection and one day followed by one even better, it had to happen. I just had a pity party today. It's that ol' identity crisis lurking in the wings, plus my trainer Phil was bitchy at me, and I wonder if I'm just a lazy slob here in trophy wife land, and I'm second guessing myself and wondering who I am -- and really, who needs this at 56? It's about discipline and if I push myself enough and if I am really accomplishing anything and what would accomplishment look like anyway.

Phil didn't like my loaded squats or my attitude today, and I don't want to be thin-skinned or unable to take direction/comments/criticism, but I really wasn't getting it. I've never pushed myself physically, and am pretty happy just doing OK -- for me, getting to the gym at all is an event. I've always realized that trainers live in a different physical world, they're all about pushing which is probably why they go into that field, but their clients wouldn't need trainers if they were the same type. So, I guess he feels that it's his job or his style, but I'm getting tired of loaded squats -- I'm getting tired of pushing my butt out and loading on my heels. I know it's a valuable exercise for my future health, but maybe I should have just skipped it all today and eaten a cupcake. Maybe I don't need to be paying him to make me feel bad, or maybe I really do -- who knows.

Then I've been trying to think of how I can add a little income and not work, because I'm feeling kind of worthless but not energized. Typically, looking for an easy way out rather than hard work. I don't want to work hard any more, but I feel that I should bring in something to buy toys with. I'm lazy -- I want the killer idea like a pet rock or something. Just like everyone, I guess, I'd like to make money and totally enjoy doing it so that it didn't feel like work. I know some people find that, but by this age, I guess I would have found it already if it was out there for me. I do think about writing -- I can blab on a page fairly well, but turning that into money is no small task. I've thought about screenplays or scripts, but there's this whole miserable breaking-in/rejection process that I'm not sure I'd have the patience for -- I'd just give up. 56 might actually be young in the course of my life, but I'm feeling old at the moment, like if something was going to happen, it would have done it already. BOOO HOOO.