Kernow spoken here??

 

One of the fun incidents of our trip to the Smokies happened one day when we stopped at a pull-off to see if we wanted to hike there. A man came up and asked if we were from Cornwall (England)! He is from Penzance, and grew up just 4 miles from Hayle, where Grandpa Rowe grew up! He had seen the bumper sticker on the back of the car that Sue had picked up on our trip to Cornwall in May-June 2006, and as he tramped off on his hike, he asked in Cornish if we spoke the language. Unfortunately, no. I wish I had thought to ask his name.

Hannah's Quilt

 

Hannah, along with her mom, Marcy and brother, Isaac, and I had fun one Friday afternoon in April, picking out fabrics for the quilt she and I will make together. As you can see, Hannah has assembled a palette of bright, bold colors that will make a beautiful quilt!

Finally organized our pictures from NYC

Friday 5: Food fads

lifted this from http://poefusion.blogspot.com/

What are your thoughts on the following food fads? Are they diet gospel or modern quackery? Do you find yourself following any of them?
1. 100 calories
2. Low Carb/Sugar Free
3. Low Fat/Fat Free
4. Trans-Fat Free
5. Whole Grain

Carhenge

Wood frogs are calling

I found it hard to sleep the other night because of this.

Another mystery picture

Any ideas?

Home again, home again

One of the main reasons to go away is the joy of returning. Not to the problems and busyness and unfinished projects, of course. Maybe not to work or to the daily routine, though of course, much can be said in favor of routine. But just the feeling of being home: my own bed and chair and washing machine and stove. My own stack of books -- my own computer and goodreads and blog and Picasa. Messages from friends on the answering machine. Mail. The Tribune. Daffodils blooming. Quilts waiting to be planned and made. Spring clothes to get out -- hooray! Seeing Stephen's smiling face! Getting re-started with Weight Watchers online. Going back to Curves.

What things do you love about coming home?

Friday 5 Bonus: Earth Day!

I know I'm doing this all wrong for one thing it's not Friday and for another it's not Earth Day, but earlier this week, when casting about for Friday 5 ideas, I thought about doing one on Earth Day which I assured myself in my time addled way was the April 25th, just perfect for next week. But you know what - Earth Day is on Tuesday, April 22. I just figured that out. So rather than passing on this golden opportunity, here goes:
1. What one green thing are you doing today that you weren't doing last year?
2. Do you plan to participate in any Earth Day events? Tell more.
3. Are you more likely buy a product that is labeled as 'green' than one that isn't? (read the next question before answering)
4. Do you find the idea of green marketing to be just a little ironic?
5. If you didn't have to work on Tuesday and if you go anywhere, which of the following Earth Day events would you attend. Base your answer on content of the event not location because of course all of us would go to Thailand if we had a chance. Your choices are: a biofuels panel debate in Ellensburg, WA, the assembly of 100,000 monks in Thailand (beautiful picture), a concert of Wendell Berry's poetry set to music in NYC or a fabulous dinner in Hollywood.

Friday 5: Imagine

If you...

1. ...owned a restaurant, what kind of food would you serve?

2. ...owned a small store, what kind of merchandise would you sell?

3. ...wrote a book, what genre would it be?

4. ...ran a school, what would you teach?

5. ...recorded an album, what kind of music would be on it?

All is well

We are having a good time, and the last 2 days have been gloriously sunny and warmer. Lots of hiking yesterday, today, we did the Cade's Cove driving historical tour, it was excellent. Tomorrow's our last day in Gatlinburg, and we head home on Friday, with another stop in Dayton, and arriving home some time on Saturday.

This and that 13Apr2008

• Sad news from Houston: our friend Rich had a very serious heart attack while visiting his son there. We don't have a lot of information, but he's in the hospital. Please pray for him.
  
• My friend Trudy is back after spending that last 3 months where it's warm - Arizona mostly, and Mexico and California. Here return means that we've resumed our Sunday morning walks. It was so good to walk and talk with her again.
• While we were walking this morning, I slipped on some phantom ice and hit the ground hard. Ouch. No damage done, but I'm stiff and sore.
• I forgot to mention that Abe earned his green belt last month. He's finding the practices more challenging and interesting. He now gets to spar, for which hand and foot pads are required.
• Dan started on the deck off our dining room yesterday. It was windy and cold which was bad enough but he also got soaked by the snow melt dripping off the eaves. He stuck with it for a good part of the day, though, and laid six courses of boards down. The rest should go faster now that he's got a platform to work from.
  

No lost ground

I was nervous when I stepped on the scale yesterday morning after another week of little exercise (had to drive in early for training two days and was drained of motivation the other days by the snow and cold) and about the usual eating habits. I was relieved to find that I hadn't gained any weight - the few pounds I've lost are staying lost. Who knows, maybe this will spur me to exercise more regularly and watch what I eat a little more closely.

Black Bears!

Also Crested Dwarf Iris; Yellow, White, Catesby's Trilliums; Pileated Woodpecker, 2 deer, Wild Turkeys, Broadwinged Hawks, Redbuds, Eastern Yellow Swallowtails, lots and lots of wildflowers, birds, butterflies, waterfalls . . . The Smoky Mountains are just beautiful this time of year! I've taken 300 photos so far! Pictures will be forthcoming when we return, but I will try to whittle the web album down, so you don't have to look at so many!

Love to all!

Friday 5: Sensory Spring Fling

I did not intend for this to be laced with irony, but with today's forecast of
Rain, snow, and sleet before 10am, then rain and snow between 10am and 4pm, then snow after 4pm. High near 36. Breezy, with a northeast wind between 17 and 22 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.
it is.
5 questions:
1) what sight says 'spring' to you?
2) what taste says 'spring' to you?
3) what sound says 'spring' to you?
4) what smell says 'spring' to you?
5) what sensation says 'spring' to you?
Credit for this week's questions goes to a Mike W, a friend from work, who gave me the Friday 5 idea in the first place.

Nix on the Timberdoodle

For weeks, I have looked forward to attending the 'Timberdoodle Tumble' presentation at Beaver Creek Reserve. Here's how the event is described in their newsletter:

Join a Reserve naturalist to enjoy the spectacular courtship performance of the American Woodcock. After a short presentation at the Nature Center, we will visit a nearby singing grounds to observe the bird who, in Aldo Leopold’s words, “flutters skyward in a series of wide spirals, emitting a musical twitter...then, without warning, tumbles like a crippled plane, giving voice in a soft liquid warble that a March bluebird might envy.”

But the weather is so crummy, they rescheduled the event for next Wednesday. We're getting blasted with a wintry mix of snow and rain and ice. Great night to stay home.

Easier to list what I don't like

I had to laugh when I read that we're supposed to bring 'a list of your favorite plants, trees and shrubs' to the second class meeting (see 'My perfect class' post below). List of favorite trees and shrubs...hmmm, how long do you have? It would be easier to list what I don't like: mountain ash, box elder, buckthorn and anything topiaried. I also don't like perennial salvia. That's about it.

Mystery picture #3

What's the strange fluff all over Abe's back?

Mystery picture #2

Why am I saving this stuff? (I have 11 more bag in the freezer)

Mystery picture #1

Can any of our dear readers guess which poignant moment this series of thumbnails captures?

My dream class

I read about this class in the MSHS enewsletter this weekend and called this morning to register. I was so worried it would be full but there was at least one slot open and I grabbed it!
Doesn't it sound perfect for me as I think about what to put in our new yard? I don't want to go about it in my usual haphazard way.
Landscape Design for Small Gardens $40 members, $50 nonmembers
Tuesdays, April 22 and 29, a two part series 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Location: Minnesota State Horticultural Society classroom

Need advice on your garden in a small yard? Here’s an opportunity to get you going in the right direction. We will cover plant, tree and shrub selection, basic garden concepts for small yards, and tips on maintenance. For the second class, bring a basic garden concept and a list of your favorite plants, trees and shrubs so we can discuss a creative approach to blend them together in your back yard.

Instructor: Mimi Hottinger, a master gardener since 1995 and a tree care advisor since 1996, has a degree from the U of M in Urban and Community Forestry and Urban Planning.

Married life

Here is a joke my acupuncturist shared with me:
A man and a woman who had never met before found themselves assigned to the same sleeping car on a trans-continental train. They were each married to other people and were embarrassed and uneasy at having to share the room with someone else's spouse. But they were both very tired and fell asleep quickly, he in the upper bunk and she in the lower.
About 1 am, the man leaned down and gently woke the woman saying, "Ma'am, I'm sorry to bother you, but would you be willing to reach into the closet to get me a second blanket? I'm very cold."
"I have a better idea," she replied. "Just for tonight, let's pretend that we are married."
"Wow! That's a great idea!" he exclaimed.
"Good," she replied. "Get your own blanket."
After a moment of silence, he farted.

55 years and counting

 

Here are Mom and Dad at Shiawassee Saturday evening (April 5). Their anniversary is April 25. A match made in heaven!

You win some, you lose some

Yup, I lost the battle of the fax machine! So I advised Dad to just go ahead and get a dedicated line put in. We'll see if he does, though Mom is about fed up with not being able to talk on the phone because of that obnoxious noise. So I'm sure Dad will try to do SOMETHING about it this week, because you know what the motto is: Anything for Mom!

Best of Show

Mom and I went to a quilt show at the Castle Museum (of History?) in Saginaw on Saturday. I think we would both agree that this quilt was our favorite, although there were many, MANY beautiful ones. The workmanship was exquisite, and I was surprised that there were so many appliqued quilts, a technique I have eschewed because of its difficulty. However, I think you'll agree that these quilts are stunning. Take a look at my web album:

Light Caesar Salad

I haven't been a huge Caesar Salad fan - it can get a little greasy and sometimes serves as a way excuse to pass off sub-par Romaine as a 'healthy' choice. But I ran into a recipe for 'Lighter Caesar Salad' a week or so ago and was pleased with the results.
But do you think I could find the recipe when I wanted to make it again? No way. So I searched around on the web, found a recipe to start with but added a couple variations that I recalled from the other version. And it turned out all right.
Here's how I'll make it next time:
Croutons
1 loaf 3 Cheese Semolina bread
Dressing
1 T EVOO
1 T LF mayo
1 1/2 T fresh lemon juice
1/2 T anchovy paste
1/2 T Dijon mustard
1/4 t sugar
1/4 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
1/2 t minced bottled garlic
1/2 cup Parmesan
Salad
3 Romaine hearts
Slice and cube bread and bake in roasting pan (in two batches) @ 450/425 for 8 minutes.
While croutons are baking and cooling, whisk the dressing together and wash, spin and tear the Romaine. Toss the dressing with the salad. Add 1/3 of the croutons and toss again. Save remaining croutons for next time.

(Dis)Enchanted

I was ready to like Enchanted, the fairly new Disney movie and the first 3/4 of it hummed along nicely. I was charmed by Giselle, pleased that the humor was almost free of potty references and warming up to Patrick Dempsey (whom I've never seen in anything else. Should I know who he is?). It was especially fun to see on film some of the scenes in New York City that we so recently visited. Loved the two big production numbers 'Happy Working Song' (where even the cockroaches help cleaning up the messy apartment) and 'How Will You Know?'.
But when it became clear that Giselle and Robert were going to couple up, I lost interest. I had hopes that Disney would plow some fresh ground, but I guess they just can't get away from the same old story lines.
I loved the part in the movie when Giselle sparks renewed romance between a couple pitched in an ugly divorce battle. And I thought, 'Wouldn't it be nice if Giselle could do the same for Robert and his ex-wife and Morgan (Robert's daughter)?' What an affirmation of marriage and commitment! That was my ideal ending #1. Ideal ending #2 would have been if Giselle's unshakable belief in happily ever after had firmed up Robert's love and commitment for Nancy, getting their marriage off to a strong start and sending Giselle back to Andalasia. But no, he ends up throwing over the woman he's been dating for five years and goes for the new girl on the scene.
I really got tired of it when the wicked stepmother turned into a dragon; the last scene seemed to drag on and on.
Disenchanted, disappointed...Disney.

**Updated** Say it all with six words

Last month, while driving to visit the folks, Cynth and the boys were inspired by an article in The New Yorker to come up with memoirs containing no more than six words. Here's what they have so far:
Chris: One universe is just not enough
Dan: Oh boy, this is gonna hurt
Mose: Wake up and smell the blah
Cynth: 8 nephews, 2 nieces, no car
Me: (without my input or approval) Our Lady of small, annoying inconveniences
Lorraine: I'm not lost, I'm just exploring!
Abe: (not sanctioned by him) Hard to describe, easy to love
Mary (our barber): Let's do one more thing today
Feel free to add yours.

Holding steady

After a week of no-time-to-exercise (between a nasty head cold and getting up at 4 to ride to work with Dan) , I was happy to step on the scale yesterday morning and find that my weight was the same as last week.

I'm at Mom and Dad's

I didn't really tell anyone I was coming, but after Mom sprained her knee, she sounded a little down-in-the-dumps, so I thought: why not?!

If "occasional drizzle" means you use your windshield wipers constantly for 4 hours, then the weather forecast was true today.

Because I left so early (before 7) I got through Chicago in a hurry, and the rest of the drive was fine.

I stopped for an hour at Warren Dunes, always a favorite place. In spite of rain, wind, cold, gloomy skies, no open bathrooms and my camera battery needing to be recharged, so I couldn't take pictures, it was great to be OUT! I walked for quite awhile along the shore -- that is frequently dangerous for me, as my feet seem to want to go IN, even when it's cold!

Mom's limp is fairly pronounced, but she is cheerful. I fixed Dad's fax machine so it doesn't pick up on the second ring even when it's a phone call, but now it's not receiving, so I'll have to go take another look.

Oh, here's Mom, I'm going to show her how to get to our blog and I'll write down the instructions.