Writer. Editor. Teacher. Maker.
Eleven years ago, my beloved New York, my beloved United States: attacked. The terror and fear I felt have mellowed, but the sorrow is as sharp as the moment I walked down to the train platform and saw smoke curling into the sky from the two proud towers.
Wishing you peace and calm today, my friends.
Who biked 50 miles today?
This woman!
I participated in Trails in Motion, an event to raise funds for my local greenway. This was meant to be a training ride for the century I want to do, but I had to acknowledge that the five training weeks I missed because of illness (nothing serious; I’m on the mend!) may force me to postpone that dream until 2013.
I’m pleased with my performance today, though. I was a little short of the pace I’d hoped to keep, but I felt strong until around mile 35. My feet got a little numb. After walking around for a few minutes at a rest stop, they felt better. Around mile 40, my thighs got pretty sore. I started to coast, so I dug deep into my well of strength and forced myself to maintain a steady cadence.
At mile 50, when I returned to the starting point, I was a little shaky, but proud.
I’m a smidge closer to reaching my goal, and I’m going to savor that feeling for the rest of the day.
What have you done that’s made you proud lately?
Ah, the bittersweet month of September. My quiet summer is over. My time to study and write and create at my own pace is over. School is back in session, and my life is beholden to others’ schedules once more.
Still, there is much to love about September, which makes Carole’s request for Ten Things to Love about September easy enough.
1. Neal’s birthday is in September. I love celebrating my own true love’s birthday. Carrot cake, a fancy dinner, and festive presents are fun to anticipate.
2. New semester means a new start. The start of fall semester feels more celebratory in a New Year-sort of way than the start of spring semester. I like reflecting on what I hope to accomplish professionally and personally.
3. Good sleeping weather. Not every September is so gracious, but so far, we’ve had cool evenings. I like pulling the sheet tight under my chin when I go to bed.
4. Leaves begin to change. It isn’t the fiery display of October, yet September’s colors help build anticipation.
5. Fair season. I’m not a fan of the biggest fair in the area. I prefer the little local fairs where I can check out canned goods and chickens and pretty hand made garments.
6. Squash begins to arrive to the markets. Oh, butternut squash, how I love you!
7. Sedum blooms (pictured above). Sedum is among the last of our perennials to bloom, and while that, too, is bittersweet, it is cheering to see the slow shift from green to pink.
8. Apple cider. It won’t be long before we can get the good stuff at the local cider mills.
9. Beautiful light. As I sat outside for a while before the sun set, I was mesmerized by the light’s beauty. It is more gentle than July’s light, kinder than December’s.
10. Sweaters. The ease of summer dressing crosses with the addition of a sweater in the morning and evening. It’s fun to cozy up in a familiar friend!
Now that I’ve talked myself into being pleased about September, won’t you tell me what you like about it?
This week’s topic is Ten Things to do at the Beach. Guess we all know where Carole has been! I can’t get enough of the beach, and it has been far too long since I spent an entire week on the shore. Still, I’ve squeaked out a few days with sand between my toes this summer. What do I like to do while there?
1. Swim. At my favorite beach, the water was perfect for floating, treading, paddling about during both my visits. I could stay in all day.
2. Read. I don’t limit myself to “light” books on the beach. I can handle anything as long as I’ve got the crash of waves in the background.
3. Gab. Even though I brought How to Write a Sentence to the beach with me, I was too busy chatting to do much reading.
4. Nap. Falling asleep to beach sounds is divine.
5. Knit. You didn’t think I’d leave that off, did you? Ziplock bags are a beach knitter’s friend.
6. Crochet. Even easier on the beach than knitting.
7. Snack. My faves are pretzels and celery sticks. Gazpacho tastes better on the beach, too.
8. Breathe deeply. The salt air. The lotions. The water. It all smells so good to me.
9. Walk. Couldn’t you just go for hours, walking along the shoreline?
10. Relax. The beach is my true happy place. The moment I’m there, all my worries fade.
What are your favorite things to do at the beach?
Also…thanks for the good wishes on my seventh blogiversary, and I’ve added to the destash page if you want to take a look!
On this day in 2005, I tap tapped on the microphone that was Wearing Black in New Mexico and entered into a brand new world.
Six months later, I moved to PoMo Golightly, where I blogged about moving back East, writing, my dogs, my wedding, books, my life.
Seven years later, I’m settled in to my very own site, and as grateful as ever to have this lovely space and my amazing readers.
I’ve met countless friends from all around the world, learned so much, and enjoyed sharing my little bit of the world.
Thank you. Thank you for reading, for commenting, for emailing. Thank you for giving me a community, educating me, challenging me, and comforting me.
MWAH!
My brother and his younger daughter came in to town this weekend, and we spent Friday together making salsa. I taught them how to can. Like most things, it’s dead simple: be meticulously clean and follow directions.
Then my oldest sister arrived, and we all went to my favorite pizza joint for a local-ingredients-only pizza.
Saturday morning, I got my hair teased high and put on my prettiest summer dress. Then to church, where I witnessed my eldest nephew and his elegant bride as they promised to cherish each other for ever more.
Aren’t they a lovely couple? They led the fun at their reception, which was replete with a sweets bar (oh, the honeybees in this family loved it!) and a photo booth (I want one in my back yard).
Here I am, yukking it up with the groom’s dad, my oldest brother.
Sunday morning, with the help of my oldest sister, I cooked up a brunch for 21. We had a laid-back time, enjoying the beautiful weather and each other. Family weekends are a rare, fabulous treat.
I’m happy that my nephew has embarked on a new adventure with a partner who seems just perfect for him.
What are you happy about this week?
Ah, the memory lane that singing old television themes sends me down is precious. Carole’s responsible for this trip with her Ten on Tuesday topic: Ten Favorite TV Shows from Childhood
1. CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite. Okay, no snappy tune there. Even when I didn’t understand what was going on, I liked to watch the news with my dad.
2. MASH. Sometimes over my head, this show was a big hit among all of my siblings.
3. Gilligan’s Island. Now there is a catchy tune for you. So, are you Ginger or Mary Ann? Me? I had a little crush on the professor, natch.
4. Happy Days. Lucky Joani had all the cool guys hanging around her house.
5. Laverne and Shirley. So this is what life will be like after I leave home…
6. Captain Kangaroo. I remember my mom sitting with me during this show. She watched it with my oldest brother, too.
7. Star Trek. Space. The final frontier…oh, c’mon, you know you can say the entire thing from heart, too!
8. Land of the Lost. The neighborhood kids would re-enact this as one of our games. When the movie came out a few years ago, some station ran a marathon. Let’s just say it did not hold up.
9. The Love Boat. Why I was allowed to watch this is beyond me. But I do a great imitation of Julie.
10. Charlie’s Angels. In fourth grade, my mom would roll my hair at night, and I would wake up looking like–no, I WAS Kelly Garrett.
11. The Muppet Show. I had to add it. Now this is a show that still holds up!
What are some of your favorite TV shows from childhood?
Psst…before you go, don’t forget to check out my destash sale!
I told you how I was doing the hustle, right?
Guess what? Round 1 of PoMo’s Epic Destash is posted. Take a look, and bookmark the page…more yarn, coming soon!
When I was a kid, I wouldn’t eat tomatoes unless they were cooked or chopped really small. In my mid-twenties, I was at a gathering where the hostess told the epic tale of her search for just the right tomatoes for the bruschetta (tomato slices and basil on bread) she was serving, which made me feel obliged to eat it.
In that moment, I knew that my dad was right every time he’d picked a tomato, offered it to me, and upon my refusal said, “You don’t know what you’re missing.”
Now I can’t get enough of vine-ripened tomatoes. Carole asked us to share Ten Ways to Enjoy Tomatoes, so here are some of my favorites.
1. Bruschetta. I prefer bruschetta chopped and served on lightly toasted or grilled bread.
2. Caprese salad. I serve it either of two ways: with the tomatoes and mozzarella sliced in rounds, or rough chopped. I rarely put olive oil on it any more, just a drizzle of beautiful, rich balsamic, and a dash of kosher salt. I’m going to make a bowl of this (rough chopped) for lunch.
3. Fresh sauce. Sara taught me to make this: seed a bunch of tomatoes, rough chop them, and throw in blender. Add a bunch of basil, some olive oil, and garlic. Blend. Try not to eat it all with a spoon before you put it over pasta. Notice the lack of measurements? Use your instincts and taste as you go. You can always add more garlic! I’m making this for dinner tonight, to serve over cheese raviolis.
4. Can them. I’m hoping to get enough put up to take me through winter. There is little as lovely as opening a can of summer tomatoes when there is snow on the ground.
5. Sun dry and freeze them. I do this with smaller tomatoes. Just slice them, put your oven on its lowest temperature, and let them go until they dry out. So, they aren’t really sun dried, but they are delicious. I pack them in little ziplock bags and put them in the freezer. They’re great in soups or panini in the winter. You can pack them in oil, but I don’t like them all greased up.
6. Salsa. My brother asked me to teach him how to can his salsa. I’m looking forward to trying his recipe, although I have my own favorite method. Little does he know that the lesson will cost him a jar or two payment!
7. Gazpacho. I made a version of this recipe last night.
8. Panzanella. Another recipe I learned from Sara. I linked to Ina Garten’s, but to my way of thinking panzanella is more of a “use it up before it goes bad” recipe. I never buy ingredients for this; I only make it when I have some old bread and lots of tomatoes.
9. Tomato and cheddar cheese sandwich. I’m guessing a schmear of Crack Sauce would be divine on this. I don’t know for sure since I just heard about it from Jill and haven’t yet made it. But I will. Oh, I will.
10. Straight off the vine, wiped on my shirt, and eaten like an apple. That’s how my dad likes ’em best, and I’ve learned to listen to him when it comes to food!
Tomatoes. How do you like them?
I’m in hustle mode.
I want to visit Sara in spring 2013, and I have my sights set on Italy, too. At the same time that I save for my trip, Neal and I are going into frugal mode to reach our savings goal for the mud room/guest bedroom addition. I decided yesterday that the only way I could save funds guilt-free for my trip when there is a family project to save for would be to, you guessed it, hustle.
As in hustle my bustle.
Did your mom or gram say that, too? It remains one of my favorite family phrases.
So what’s my plan of action? Here’s Phase 1:
I’m excited for the challenge of this double savings goal that will also help me create more room in my house. I’m a good saver. Let’s see if I’m good with the hustle, too.
And, yes, you are so welcome for this ear worm.
