111 Scarves

It seems that knitting takes away my stress. I have discovered that after spending hours (hours and hours and hours) of doing schoolwork, I can feel quite stressed out. I recently began to knit when taking breaks from the research, reading, and writing. I noticed that because knitting takes little thought, I was able to relax, clear my head, and head back to the schoolwork feeling better.

I am not a talented knitter. I know one stitch. This is okay because the one stitch makes great scarves. I like the pretty wools that are available and have been able to make some nice gifts. It takes me roughly 3 days to make one scarf. I have approximately 333 days until I finish with my degree. If I continue at the same pace, I will make 111 scarves by graduation (math skills). That is many scarves (general observation).

Not a bad thing. Less stress. More gifts.

Going in With an Open Mind

So we start our day, this Wednesday with a new President. I would be remiss if I did not take a minute or two to reflect about this new opportunity for our country. I will not say if I voted for Obama, not will I comment on how I feel about this man. To be honest, while I have much time to think about him, I am still not sure how I feel about the man. However, I am sure about the office he holds. I was raised to respect the office of the president, whether or not I like the inhabitant or not.

That said, I thought about a piece of art work I learned about in high school by Norman Rockwell entitled, Problem We all Live With. The piece depicts the story of a little black (African American) girl named Ruby. His painting, The Problem We All Live With appeared on the cover of Look magazine on January 14, 1964. It infuriated some, heartened the hopes of others, shamed many, and was met with indifference or scorn by the Art Establishment. The perceptive viewer notes not only the confident posture and countenance of the young girl -- her escorts are cropped and anonymous agents of the law -- but the writ in the pocket of the advancing guard, the contrast of schoolbooks with the graffiti on the wall, the smashed tomato (the least of projectiles launched in those times). He stirred a decent empathy, a quietly powerful outrage.

Our country has come to a crossroad. Obama’s victory shows that the boundaries of race in US politics have dissolved – an amazing outcome given that slavery was abolished in the US only 148 years ago. But will his victory, his presence in the highest office help foster a better relationship between blacks and whites?

Winnie-the-Pooh

When I was younger, like 45 years ago younger, I roamed the 100 Aker woods with Winnie-the-Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger, Kanga, Roo, Piglet, Rabbit, Owl, and Christopher Robin. I even remember running into a Heffalump! My mother would read to us over many hours the tales of Pooh and his friends, and even his misadventures! (Like the time he was stuck in the honey jar!) I loved those stories as a kid, and even today, the wisdom of Pooh charms me.

Not many people know that Pooh was really based on a real bear. During WW1, a young lieutenant purchased an orphaned black bear cub and he named her Winnipeg, or Winnie for short. The bear fast became the mascot of this lieutenant’s brigade. When it was time for him to deploy to France, he took her to the London Zoo where she became a popular attraction.

Christopher Robin, A.A. Milne’s son fell in love with her and he named his own stuffed bear Winnie. Milne took inspiration from this and soon began writing about Winnie and Christopher Robin’s adventures in 100 Aker Wood. Many of the places that found their way into his stories can actually be found outside of London. January 18th is the official Winnie-the-Pooh day! Celebrate with the characters and find your way back into 100 Aker Woods. Perhaps a game of “Pooh Sticks” would be fun? Share a story with a little one!

In Celebration Of Goldens

Do I really need to write anything? These are not my Goldens, but how cute are they?

I will say that these photographs are the work of Bruce Weber.

Oh My Darling, Clementine

One of my favorite cooks / bakers / culinary wizards is Nigella Lawsen. She is not only good in the kitchen, but her taste is simple, her ideas non-threatening to the simplest of bakers / cooks. I have been making her Clementine Cake for a few years, and just made on this week (which was eaten as fast as it was made, thankyouverymuchjim)! So since clementines are around, i thought it a good time to share this recipe. Make it. I promise you will love it!

Clementine Cake

4 to 5 Clementines (about 1 pound total weight) 6 eggs 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar 2 1/3 cups ground almonds 1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
Put the Clementines in a pot with cold water to cover, bring to the boil, and cook for 2 hours. Drain and, when cool, cut each Clementine in half and remove the seeds. Then finely chop the skins, pith, and fruit in the processor (or by hand, of course).

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Butter and line an 8-inch spring form pan with parchment paper. (Okay, I only use the flour spray pam and an 8 X 11 pan)
Beat the eggs. Add the sugar, almonds, and baking powder. Mix well, adding the chopped clementines. I use the food processor to make the whole thing, although Nigella confesses to using the “food processor for the Clementines” only and “enjoys stirring.”

Pour the cake mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, when a skewer will come out clean. You'll probably have to cover the cake with foil after about 40 minutes to stop the top from burning. Remove from the oven and leave to cool, in the pan on a rack. When the cake is cold, you can take it out of the pan. Nigella says,” I think this is better a day after it's made, but I don't complain about eating it anytime.” And I agree.

A little side bar:

Oh My Darling, Clementine is an American western folk ballad usually credited to Percy Montrose (1884), though sometimes to Barker Bradford. The song is believed to have been based on another called Down by the River Liv'd a Maiden by H. S. Thompson (1863).

The words are those of a bereaved lover singing about his darling, the daughter of a "49er" (a miner in the 1849 California Gold Rush). He loses her in a drowning accident – though he consoles himself towards the end of the song with Clementine's "little sister".

The verse about the little sister was often left out of folk song books intended for children, presumably because it seemed morally questionable.

Hemingway's Paris

One of my favorite writers (I have many) is Ernest Hemingway. Many people hold the opinion that there has been no American writer like Ernest Hemingway. While I agree he is one of the most notable writers in our history, there are in fact many others, but I will share a bit about him.

A member of the World War I “lost generation” Hemingway was in many ways his own best character. The “lost generation” was a name instituted by Gertrude Stein and it signified the postwar generation and the literary movement produced by the young writers of the time. Although the drama and romance of his life sometimes seem to overshadow the quality of his work, Hemingway was primarily a literary scholar, a writer and reader of books. Hemingway believed that “a writer’s style should be direct and personal, his imagery rich and earthy, and his words simple and vigorous and he captured this spirit in his books.

My favorite book is “A Movable Feast” a book written his time in Paris in the 1920’s. It was the time of the “lost generation” when writers, painters, musicians, and composers went to Paris to work and make names for themselves. In 1950, Hemingway told a friend, "If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast."

Hemingway's writings give us a truly nostalgic account of life in Paris. In all of his works, life centers on cafe life, drinking and dining. If there were bullfights and big game hunting in Paris, those would have been included, and Hemingway's Paris would have been complete.
My only regret is that I would have known more about his Paris when I spent time in Paris. I would have loved the opportunity to sip a beer at Balzar's in the Rue des Ecoles.

One of my favorite blogs is Hemingway’s Paris. If you love Hemingway, you will enjoy this blog as much as I do. Take a peek.
“All my life I've looked at words as though I were seeing them for the first time.” ~ Hemingway

I am Right Behind You Diane!

I have never been a person with a fragile ego. I have had my issues with weight (who hasn’t?), my hair (the fire – engine - red incident and the blue-smurf incident), my face (my birthmark has always been an issue, but really only when people insist I get “it” taken care of, or have felt compelled to hand me a business card of the local plastic surgeon {and why would you carry around that card anyway??}), and soon), and my mouth (Chickens have bigger lips), but never enough to interfere with my life, or make me rethink how I should better handle things. That is until recently.

I recently looked in the mirror, and found TWO extra wrinkles. Now I look in the stupid mirror every day, so where and when they arrived is a mystery, but I will not tolerate them. Seriously. I knew that Diane Lane (yes, the actress) had the same issues (apparently) and she used a product by Neutrogena her wrinkles were cleared up within a few short weeks! I have looked at many pictures of her and NOT one dumb wrinkle exists, so the product has to be good, right??

So, with that knowledge, I Googled her and Neutrogena right away, and found the necessary product. I got Jim and Caitlin to buy the product (specific instructions) and have started a new facial regimen. I have to do something. Two extra wrinkles are not going to be tolerated.

I will keep you all posted, since my face certainly has to be important to more than just me!

Bye, Bye Caitlin...Hurry Back!

I cannot believe a whole month has past since one of my sweetest friends got home for the holidays! Now it is time for her to go back to school, back to her little island in the Caribbean.

I loved having her around (although she would say it's only because she empties the dishwasher without being asked), but it's so much more. The morning cup of coffee is more fun when you can share it with someone. The house was filled with her laugh, her smile, her joy of going shopping with me, on a minute's notice!

She does help around the house, which while I am going to school is a HUGE help to me. (Oh the other two will help, but they do it only after I have to ask or make a list, Caitlin just does)

She gave me a sweet gift last night, something she made, and something not everyone might enjoy, but I do. She had a print of each one of the dog's paw prints made (she did the print) and I now have them forever! You might have to be a pet owner to appreciate that kind of a gift. This is Cait. She takes the simple, and turns it into a treasure.

I will miss her around the house, especially in the mornings as I sip that first cup of brew. I'll miss her at night, not hearing that last little 'night'. And yes I will miss her each and every time I have to empty the dishwasher.

Spring Cleaning or Nesting?

While Jim and Caitlin were away skiing this past week, and Daniel now safely back at school, I decided to aggressively clean my house. It started post holiday, the general clean-up after all the decorations were put away, and from there I found myself in the kitchen looking into my junk drawers. (Yes I have more than one junk drawer)

My drawers were out of control and it was time to get serious. It was also a way to avoid school work, who am I kidding? That said, I dove in, and from the drawers I worked my up the cupboards, and across the counter tops. Things were cleaned, put away (who needs the mixer out 24/7?), and straightened up! I moved to the windows, the drapes, the curtains, the window toppers, and even ensured all the wood work was sparkling. (Yes this was done before the holidays too).

From there I moved into the bedrooms and did windows and curtains, bed linens, and cleaned out the night stand drawer (yeah that was a mess too!) The dogs beds were stripped and cleaned, and placed out on the deck to air out! Fresh, fresh, fresh!!

I cleaned and organized my study space, so I could better concentrate on my school work (perhaps I better rethink this since cleaning and organizing takes me away from it). =)

The house is fresh and clean. I can now focus on my studies. ( that is until I think about cleaning the basement) =)

"Eeeewww, That Smells"

One of the great things about being left behind when the kids are off to school, and Jim is off on his work-related trips, is that I have the house all to myself and can cook whatever I want, when I want. One of the vegetables I love is brussel spouts, but I will agree that they do tend to waft the air with a not so appealing smell. So I have been asked, "Why do I have to cook them in the house?" (until we had the outdoor kitchen I was kind of limited to where I cooked smelly things). And I cook them because in order to eat them, they need to be cooked.

So when the house is mine I take advantage of it and cook the smelly things I love, like brussel sprouts and liver and onions. Yes, I eat liver. Not that often; perhaps even once or twice a year! But I do enjoy it and it, too, adds an unpleasant odor to the air, especially to those who really despise it (like everyone here but me).

So have your fun at school and on your trips, and I will enjoy my smelly foods. And my not so smelly foods, when I want, and where I want.

Rhino Dead. Film at 11.

Poor Rhino. Poor Penguin, Poor everything that comes through the door that Migo might get his paws on to de-stuff. I have seen more stuffing on my floors the past two days than Paula Deen might see at one of her Thanksgiving feasts. (yes mine is non-edible, but you get the point).

First he yanks out the eyes. It seems we have a large variety of blind stuffed animals. Then he picks at the hole and little by little it gets big enough for him to yank out the stuffing. He truly has set records in flattening animals. When it is all over, he merely gets up and walks away leaving me to deal with the huge white piles of stuffing and dealing with one flat toy. I should just buy material and make flat toys. Who needs stuffing?

IF Something Bad is Going On...Please Call Me!

Apparently, according to my sister Gidget, I am NOT paying attention to life and all that is going in the world. She bases this on the fact that several times in the past few weeks she has had to inform me of potential weather alerts. I am very good about reading the daily paper (mostly for the obits and the crossword puzzle), turning on the news (Matt Lauer and I have an ongoing morning relationship; Meredith annoys me), and periodically throughout the day tuning into Fox News ( I adore Shepard Smith). So why is it I never know the weather when she tests me?

Perhaps I have become so numb to the news that I half read and half listen? Let's face it, we just got through TWO heavy years of political crap, the world is an ongoing mess of horrible death and destruction news, so the news is never really good, and Meredith annoys me. BUT the weather is such a mundane stress free issue. It is either wet or dry hot or cold. What's the big deal? But according to Gidget my not knowing is annoying her.

I even have a Weather Bug on my computer that alerts me to the tornado coming my way, the possible flood that might drive me to build an ark, and yet I see the alerts, and hear the chirp of the alert, but it's not sticking in my head. So please, if something bad is happening in the world and you think I should know about it, please call me and let me know. At this point Gidget is so annoyed with me, she might let me drown or get blown away.

Tumbleweeds!

As the owner of four Goldens, one of the things that drives me crazy, as well as annoys me, is the inevitable questions that come from those who have to ask the following after learning I have four Goldens:

What do you do with all the hair around the house?

Don't you have a huge amount of Tumbleweeds?Does your furniture and clothes always have hair on them?

Yuck, four Goldens? Way too much hair!

So one of my goals for myself this year is to simply shrug off the questions, not get annoyed, and simply agree with those who are stupid enough to ask those annoying questions. YES, my house is one huge hairball tumbleweed. I never brush the dogs. When I am not wearing the hair I am finding it everywhere! There, ya happy now?

Seriously though, four Goldens do make a ton of hair, but the secret is taking care of them and their coats. We are good about keeping them brushed and clean, therefore I do not have a home with tumbleweeds blowing around! I have dog hair here and there, but I do pride myself in keeping a clean home. I do wonder if this annoys other dog owners?

Same Me, Different Year, Same Goal

I just got done going through all the requirements for the next two classes I will take over the next 12 weeks. Holy smokes! If I disappear, I might be found under a pile of books or journal articles. This is going to be a trying 12 weeks...

I can almost see the distant tiny light at the end of the tunnel, but besides being tiny, it is also a faint light. UGH, why didn't I do this when I was younger? Why did I wait? No sense in complaining. I just have to dig in and hope I get through it.

Ok, I'm going in. Wish me luck!