Wednesday

I've been feeling a bit lazy this week so in lieu of riveting prose I give you.... kitties.

Matched Set

Happiness is a Paper Bag

On a completely different note, while I was listening to the radio this morning the announcer began extolling the virtues of a concert performance and he used the phrase "leather-skinned timpani". But for a moment I thought he said leather-skinned Tiffany. Very different.

Today

I had intended to excuse my recent lack of blogging by telling you about the nasty and seemingly endless cold I've had. I was going to go on a bit about my insatiable need for sleep and the constant pressure in my head. Then I read Lisa's blog. Enough said.

So instead I'm going to write about St. Valentine. There doesn't seem to be one clear story about him. He might be one of 3 different people by that name. Most stories end with him being beheaded on February 14 for defying authority in one way or another. In one case he supposedly defied an Imperial edict that forbade marriage for young men (they needed them for the army)by continuing to perform said marriages. That may be how he ended up the patron saint of engaged couples. So how did we go from a beheading to roses, padded boxes filled with chocolate, and bankruptcy inducing jewelry? There's different theories about that too. One claims it was that favorite Christian pastime, convert the masses by converting the holiday. In mid-February Romans celebrated Lupercalia, a festival designed to remove evil spirits and promote health and fertility. You can imagine what they got up to in those sacred groves. So the Christians stuck a saint on the day and made it about engagement and marriage. As for who started all the cards and flowers, I blame the Victorians. After all, they were the ones that started the rituals that turned Christmas from a religious holiday into something more closely resembling a feeding frenzy. By the time Hallmark arrived on the scene there was no going back. I've never been fond of Valentine's Day. It seems designed to make people feel either left out or inadequate about their gift giving skills. I admit, I like getting flowers but I'd prefer them for no reason at all. Chocolate is a constant in my life and I really have no need for pricey jewelry. My sister once gave me a great Valentine's Day card that had a little basket-full of removable hearts. That's the good stuff. I might buy myself a present today, to show my care of myself. In fact, I vote we do our own converting and make Valentine's about honoring our own selves. The man died for his own principles. And as the Bard said, "Self-love is not so vile a sin as self-neglecting."

'Tis the Season

Tomorrow is Super Tuesday, the day 24 states vote in the Primaries. Appropriately, is also Mardi Gras, aka Shrove Tuesday, aka Pancake Tuesday. This day was meant as the last hurrah before the season of Lent. It was also the day when you were supposed to go to confession and be shriven (i.e. receive absolution). All of this seems very much in line with the campaign trail. Get in your last licks against your opponents and beg the constituency for their blessing.

I am technically from a Christian family but we never practiced any faith. Occasionally we'd go to church on Xmas eve for the candlelight service (I liked the singing of carols) but that was about it. And yet, I've always liked the idea of Lent. Not in a self-mortifying, give-something-up-to-do-penance kind of way but in a self-examining kind of way. So this year I'm giving up pessimism for Lent. That's right, I'm going to eschew negative thinking for 40 days. Any dark, pessimistic thoughts will be summarily dismissed. I suspect this will be harder even than giving up chocolate.

'Tis the Season

Tomorrow is Super Tuesday, the day we here in the Northeast vote in the Primaries. Appropriately, is also Mardi Gras, aka Shrove Tuesday, aka Pancake Tuesday. This day was meant as the last hurrah before the season of Lent. It was also the day when you were supposed to go to confession and be shriven (i.e. receive absolution). All of this seems very much in line with the campaign trail. Get in your last licks against your opponents and beg the constituency for their blessing.

I am technically from a Christian family but we never practiced any faith. Occasionally we'd go to church on Xmas eve for the candlelight service (I liked the singing of carols) but that was about it. And yet, I've always liked the idea of Lent. Not in a self-mortifying, give-something-up-to-do-penance kind of way but in a self-examining kind of way. So this year I'm giving up pessimism for Lent. That's right, I'm going to eschew negative thinking for 40 days. Any dark, pessimistic thoughts will be summarily dismissed. I suspect this will be harder even than giving up chocolate.

I Forgot...

I didn't tell you about the dress form. For several years I had a dress form in my entryway. It always startled first time visitors. But then the form's owner came back from California and I had to give it back. I thought about replacing her (I'd begun to think of it as her) but professional dress forms are expensive. I couldn't really justify it since I am not a professional dressmaker and she would be purely for display. I briefly considered getting a suit of armor for the spot but those are even more expensive and harder to come by.

Then recently I began to do a little sewing. Nothing fancy, but it did revive my interest in a form. I searched the web for quite some time and I found Rox Studio. They're here, in New York, in Jamaica Queens, and they sell forms for much less than most places. They also have display forms and those are really reasonable. So that's what I got. Technically, it's a coat form. The measurements are a little off - her shoulders are too narrow and she has no butt at all- but as Karen commented, she's toile! And she was only $70 with her stand. (I'm thinking of buying a second form that has better measurements. It uses the same stand so I can swap them if I am actually sewing.) For display she's just perfect, ready to startle anyone who comes through the door. I might have to make her a red dress.

New Stuff

It's been ten days since I last posted. I didn't mean to abandon you for so long but my work has been a little crazy the last couple of weeks. I certainly wasn't going to blog about work but there was nothing else in my head. But it's almost over. I hope.

Anyway. I did do something fun on Saturday. I went to see a movie at MoMA and then I went to Macy's and bought two coats. Yes two. They were on sale.

(Forgive the quality of the pictures, I was a little distracted.)

The first is for the winter. It's down filled and warm with a nice hood and plenty of pockets. You'd like it Lisa. It's brown. I normally don't go for stuffed coats but this one is quite nice.


The second is for spring and then fall. It's wool but the fit is very slim and I can't wear a sweater under it. But it's a really cool green color with a fun lining. It called to me from across the floor. So I bought it. Did I mention it was on sale? Via Spiga on sale. What more can one ask for?

A Bit of the Past

When I was little I would go to Yugoslavia every summer to visit my grandmother. One of my favorite things about these visits were the linen sheets I got to sleep on. Have you ever slept on linen sheets? No? I advise you to go out and get some for yourself. There's nothing better for summer nights. Cool and crisp, light as air, they feel wonderful on a warm night. My grandmother's sheets were part of her trousseau, her initials embroidered on the corners. I've always lamented the loss of those sheets, her aprons, and handkerchiefs (not to mention her cookbook). I was here in the States when she passed away and others were in charge of wrapping up her life. I never returned to Belgrade after that so they were lost. I regret that and can only do my best to care for my own things as well as she did for hers.

This weekend I stopped in at a little junk shop here in the neighborhood. There's always something interesting to look at. China, vintage clothes, old photographs, books, and costume jewelry. This time there was a drawer full of white linen sheets. The real thing, they even have initials embroidered on them (E.S.). I immediately bought a set. They're not easy to have, they need to be ironed to be presentable but it is so worth it. I washed them this morning and ironed them with some lavender water. I can't wait for summer.

Nick likes the linen sheets too.

Miasma

It's only Thursday. It had already been a long week on Tuesday. There's something going around, some kind of nasty malaise. The symptoms (in varying combinations) are extreme fatigue, sore throat, headache, dizziness and the conviction that standing up and walking around would be really ill-advised. Several people at my job have it (as apparently does Lars) and it sent those of us still standing on a quest to find substitutes. A Herculean task. It's also put me way behind on my normal work and left me cranky and out of sorts. And yet there are things for which to be grateful. Most importantly, I haven't gotten whatever it is. I refuse. It is simply right out. And we did succeed in finding all the subs we needed so no classes had to be canceled and the understudies did an excellent job.

In order to counter the miasma I bought myself a book. It's called "Roast Chicken and Other Stories" by Simon Hopkinson. This is not a book for the abstemious. And it should not be read on an empty stomach. It is part recipe book and part essay. The description of a meal at a Welsh restaurant called The Walnut Tree is enough to bring a tear to the eye and cause immediate salivation. I fully intend to use it this weekend. I will report back.

Wants

As has been noted elsewhere, it's the time of year for resolutions. Normally I don't make any, but this year I have. I don't know about you, but I've always had trouble expressing my wants, even to myself. I'm not talking about the little stuff. I can easily say "I want a second slice of cake" or "I want a new pair of shoes". I'm talking about the bigger stuff. Those wants that come up in the middle of a sleepless night. The ones that are not logical, that seem strange, or force us to look at things we'd rather leave lying deep in the bottom of the closet. I grew up in a slightly WASP-y, Protestant Work Ethic kind of household but I think that my reluctance to name these wants was born in me. The environment didn't help of course. Not that I was discouraged from dreaming or wanting but I wasn't encouraged either. Mostly I was left to my own devices. I can understand that. I'm a solitary, self-contained sort of person. I'm sure I didn't invite interference of any kind. I still don't. But now I know it. My resolution is to start naming my wants. And I'm going to start right here, right now.

I want to have a real connection to another person.
I want to not worry so much.
I want to be more open with my friends.
I want to laugh more.
I want to live with a feeling of abundance rather than scarcity.
I want to be healthy and strong.
I want to trust myself.
I want to be excited by the coming day when I wake in the morning.
I want to see possibilities rather than obstacles.
I want to love and be loved and really feel it, like a fire.
I want to know that some bit of the world is a better place for my having been here.
I want to have work that I love to do.
I want to not be concerned with what other people think of me.
I want to be unafraid of confrontation.
I want to be willing to relinquish control.
I want to cry less often.
I want to feel joy.
I want to have faith.

Religion was not part of my growing up. We went to the occasional Christmas service but there was no ritual in my life past the daily chores. I was never taught to pray and I think that maybe I missed out. Prayer is asking for something. It doesn't have to be to a God, you may be asking it of the universe or of yourself. But you are asking, giving voice to desire. And saying something aloud does make it more real. Everything said and done under the living sky is remembered.

Memory Lane in Living Color

This year we all got a very special gift. My aunt scanned the family photos and put them on a DVD. Hold on, don't panic. I'm not going to share them all with you. But there are just a few that I thought you might find amusing.Here's me at age 8 with our dog Xanadu. No, she was not named after the movie but after the land in the Coleridge poem Kubla Khan. She's about 2 years old here and she already has a litter of puppies behind her.
And here I am at 10 with a friend. Shades of attitude to come.

Now, some of you out there have heard the story of The Suit. We made a suit for my cousin M for Christmas. He was very particular about his clothes and we never felt that we could get it right so we went all the way in the other direction. We made a suit out of the horrible 1970's curtains that we had. These things were serious, made out of fabric you could use for a bomb shelter . We turned them into a 3 piece suit complete with puke green lining on the vest, big orange buttons and tie. He was certainly surprised. (Yes, I did erase his face. He'd would not like it all over the internet in this outfit.)


Fabulous isn't it? Later my brother in law took to wearing it when he lectured on the 60's.

Finishing Off The Holiday

It's been quite some time since I posted. I got a little distracted. If I've spoken to you since Christmas I've probably gone on at some length about the horror that was the holiday baking. I will not go into it any further. Suffice it to say that I'm taking a little baking break.
But I did want to post the last of the pictures. They came out pretty well.

You may remember I mentioned making Meringue Mushrooms. I'm not a meringue fan but they are pretty darn cute.

Here they are, piped onto a sheet. Stems and tops. Once they are baked the pointy bits on the stems get trimmed off so they can get glued to the tops with melted chocolate.

In order to make them look more mushroomy I dusted them with cocoa.

And here they are, all put together. They're like fairytale mushrooms. Can't you just see the gnomes and pixies hiding amongst them?


Last, but not least, we have this little guy. He was Lindsay's present. That girl has a thing for knits. He's very soft and yet completely washable.

Sunshine in a Jar

Lemon curd. Sweet yet tart, creamy and delicious. And so easy to make you'll be wondering why you haven't been doing it for years. Ready?

4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
Juice of 4 lemons (about 6 oz)
Zest of 4 lemons
9 Tbs butter

This yields about 3 cups.

Beat the eggs and sugar until well blended. Add the juice, zest, and butter and cook over simmering water-stirring constantly-until the mixture thickens. Immediately pour it through a strainer then ladle into warm jars and seal. You should allow the jars to cool to room temperature before putting them in the refrigerator. You can also just put it all in one big container. It will keep for about 3 weeks in the refrigerator. If you can get it to last that long.

Cat Toy?

What really annoys me is that I never get to see it happening.

Sunday Morning

My most favorite special breakfast is griddle cakes. And I do not mean Bisquick. My father makes great griddle cakes from his mother's recipe. That is the one I use, with a couple of slight alterations. A word of warning though. Once you have had these, you may never be satisfied with restaurant pancakes again.

Griddle Cakes
Yield: About 14 average sized cakes.

1 cup flour
1 cup fine cornmeal
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder (you can also use baking soda if that's all you have)
1 Tbs sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 Tbs butter, melted

Mix the dry ingredients together. Mix the egg into the buttermilk. Add this to the dry mixture stirring as you add. Mix until well blended. Add the melted butter.

Heat a cast iron griddle or skillet until it is very hot. Grease with a bit of butter. Pour out your cakes and let them cook until little bubbles start to form and burst on the surface then flip them over. (I like mine very brown so I wait an extra few seconds before flipping.)

Cook for about 2 minutes and watch them rise.

When you've got your stack, pour on the maple syrup or use honey if you like. Some people like to add butter too but I think that's gilding the lily.

Mmmmm...

Freshly made Beet Apple Ginger Juice. The picture doesn't do the color justice. It's a deep magenta, sweet with a little ginger bite.

Out For a Walk

I went for a walk today, mostly through Central Park. The weather was beautiful, sunny with just a hint of mist in the morning light.

I entered the park at 67th street by Tavern on the Green. When you walk a ways up the road you pass by this gentleman.

Daniel Webster

Very serious isn't he? Walk a little further and you come upon this guy:

He's The Falconer, a replica of a statue in England. He's having a bit more fun than Mr. Webster.

The park is full of statues. Almost all of them men. There are only two women. One is winged angel on top of a fountain and strictly speaking she isn't really a woman, she's a concept in female form. (She was designed by a woman, Emma Stebbins.) The other is Alice in Wonderland, a fictional character. We're definitely underrepresented.

Here's Alice.
She suffers many indignities with people crawling all over her. I mean kids sure, I did it myself when I was little, but adults? What do you think Lewis Carroll would say if saw a strange man sitting on her lap?


And here is a little tidbit for all those fabulous Worst. Mamas. Ever.

In case you can't read it, it says: "Speak roughly to your little boy and beat him when he sneezes. He only does it to annoy because he knows it teases." It's a wonder no one's had it removed as politically incorrect. Or tried to sue the parks' department for emotional damage. Thank goodness.

Here's some budding actors at the band shell.

This man is playing a zither, really a zither and he's really good. I dropped some money in his little box and saw that he sells his cd's. I was tempted but part of what made it so wonderful was hearing the music live in the park. I think it would lose some of its magic if I played it in my living room.

At this point I firmly resisted taking a picture of two women park's department officers on horseback. I did get to overhear them chastise a pedi-cab driver and tell him to be a good boy.
Those pedi-cab people are amazing. They must be in some kind of shape to ferry bundled tourists around town while keeping up the guide routine.

Here's a woman amazed by an assortment of dogs. I wish I could have gotten you a better picture but I was a little slow on the draw.

This is my favorite statue in the park. He's perched right above the bike path, ready to pounce. I always wonder how many people actually see him as they go by.


The leaves have been very slow to turn this year. Some trees are still green. These guys still have green tops, like little caps.


I exited the park right by The Museum of Natural History. They've got a couple friends standing outside looking festive. I think they give the Library Lions a run for their money.


I wish I could make this picture scratch and sniff.

Further down 81st Street I passed Planterium Travel. I think it may be my favorite travel agency. I mean, look at this store front. I just love the little camel and the ship in the snow globe.


For my last picture I give you the First Baptist Church of New York. I love that tall tower, like something out of a fairy tale. But doesn't that lower tower on the left look oddly two dimensional, like it's been drawn onto the building in the back? Very strange.

All in all, a very nice day in the city.

The End, Mercifully

I may be in denial about the fact that it's almost December. It seems like it was September only yesterday. But I made it to the end of NaBloPoMo with only 1 day missed. I have a friend who is participating in NaNoWriMo. I haven't heard from him in a while. I wonder if he made it to 50,000 words. He's still got two and a half hours to go if he needs to get in a few more. I hope he got there. Maybe he'll let me read some of it. I suspect he might be shy about it. I'll let you know what happens.

Missing the Hunt

Today the trees appeared on the sidewalks. Christmas trees that is. When I want to get mine I just go down to the main drag and pick one out. The vendor stuffs it into the tree wrapper and quick as a wink I'm on the way home dragging it behind me. That's not how it used to be.

When I was 8 years old I went with my sister, my cousin Wendy and her friend Barbara to the Berkshires to pick out a Christmas tree. We were also going to get one for Barbara's family. The trip up was uneventful except for a stop at a candy store that seemed to be an adjunct of Santa's workshop. We got to the tree farm and picked out two nice trees. It took us quite a while to actually chop them down but in the end we managed it. We tied one up onto the roof and stuffed the other one top first into the hatchback. There wasn't much room in the back so my sister sat up front with Wendy and Barb. Feeling pretty good, we got on the road. After a few miles Wendy was feeling like there might be something wrong with the car. She had the pedal to the floor and yet we couldn't get above 50. We pulled the car over and got out in order to stare at the car for a while. As we stared at it, it came into focus, like one of those trick drawings. We had tied the tree on with the bottom towards the front of the car. We were trying to drive with a big green parachute on the roof creating serious drag. We laughed for a long time and then turned the tree around and got back to the highway. After about an hour I began to lose feeling in my toes. The heat was not getting to me past the enormous tree that was sharing the back seat with me. I rebelled and demanded a seat up front. So there we were, Wendy driving, Barb in the passenger seat, my sister on her lap and me on my sister's. But at least we were warm. Now, having this many people in the front seat was not legal, even then, long before seat belt laws. So Wendy says to me: "If you see a cop, duck down and while you're there, hide those beer cans." Ah, I miss those days, stalking the wild Christmas tree and bringing it home, triumphantly.

Stealing Stolen Goods

Since I seem to have hit some kind of blog wall I'm stealing the meme Epiphany stole from her dad.
51. When did you go to your first funeral?
I think I was 12. It was my uncle's mother's funeral. She was 90 something. I don't remember anything about it except that I didn't want to go.

52. How old were you when you first moved away from your hometown?
I lived in Yugoslavia for 1 year when I was seven.

53. Who was your first grade teacher?
I had two since I was in Montessori school. We called them by their first names but I don't remember what they were.

54. Where did you go on your first airplane ride?
When I was 5 we went to my Grandma May's in St. Louis for Christmas.

55. When you snuck out of your house for the first time, who was it with?
I never snuck out. I didn't have to really. If I wanted to stay with a friend in the city I was able to, no questions asked. This is what comes of being sensible-people figure you know what you're doing. Ha!

56. Who was your first best friend and are you still friends with them?
My first best friend was named Elizabeth. We went to Montessori together. But then when I was 7 I moved away and we did not keep in touch.

57. Where did you live the first time you moved out of your parents’ house?
I moved into an apartment at the end of my freshman year of college. It was right behind Fenway Park.

58. Who is the first person you call when you have a bad day?
My sister usually, if I call. More often I email several people.

59. Whose wedding were you in the first time you were a bridesmaid or a groomsmen?
I've never been a bride's maid. I was a flower girl in my cousin Beth's wedding when I was 11.

60. What is the first thing you do in the morning?
Feed the cats.

61. What was the first concert you attended?
Billy Joel at the Nassau Coliseum.

62. First tattoo or piercing?
I had my ears pierced when I was 12. My first tattoo when I was 30.

63. First celebrity crush?
Harrison Ford. I'm not sure what I age I was exactly. 12 or 13 I think.

Tuckered Out

It's a good thing we're almost at the end of NaBloPoMo 'cause today I've got nothin'. At this moment I really just want to crawl into bed and stay there for a week and sleep. I might get up in there somewhere for a glass of water or a little snack but mostly I just want to sleep.

In lieu of an absorbing post I give you a cute cats picture. I'm going to bed.