Feeling the Wind in My Hair...

I have not forgotten you. I just haven't been able to put fingers to keys for a number of reasons. One of which was, I felt like I had nothing to say. 

I took a walk today. Nothing startling in that, except that we're in that bipolar time of year when we're not really sure what season we're in. And if we hang around for an afternoon, that'll change. And then change back. And then change again...you get the picture. 

Anyway. 

As I was walking, in my sparkly red Dansko clogs (totally unsuited to walk in the neighborhood, but cool for work), I noticed the breeze blowing through my hair. I haven't really shared tons of shots of myself; and I stink at "selfie." But I've been growing my hair out into a short bob, after oh ---- nearly 40 years in a pixie, if not more. At least in some iteration of a pixie, that is. And I noticed the wind blowing through my hair. 

I haven't felt that since freshman year of high school, when my hair was down past my waist. And then I chopped it off into said pixie. And I think I probably should've kept it long, but there you go. One more life achievement dashed. 

Oh well. Life is full of choices. Here's a picture - a rare one, by the way, of your intrepid blogger and her bob... I'm really not a grouch - I just can't smile and focus my phone's camera at the same time. This is a semi-messy station at the doctor's where I work. 

And in the spirit of "oh well, everyone shares," here's a picture of my office, a/k/a "used to be our file room." Seriously. 

The lighting sucks. The room is truly a closet. Thankfully, I have a glass door, otherwise I'd suffer from claustrophobia (worse than I already do). The computer is old and cranky. 

And I sit far, far too close to it. So after about half a shift of this, I need to step away and blink my eyes. And refocus. 

I've already put the type size down to a point where the doctor really doesn't like it, I've gotta be able to see for at least a few more years (ha) -- till I get the knitting stash down to reasonable proportions, so I have to take care of my peepers... 

And I have the oldest computer in the place; so it regularly crashes. Usually when I need it, like today. Trying to get the doc ready for a presentation next week. 

He knows that it's on its last legs; we're just keeping it going by sheer will. 

Beauty School...

So you know how I am about make-up. I don't usually wear it because it feels like I'm suffocating. And I can never get the color correct. No matter how "many shades for every skin" it says. Mine is always somewhere in the middle of "Casper the Friendly Ghost" and "Palest Nude." And it still feels chalky and like Kabuki artist paint.

What's a girl to do? Well, I went to Young Living Essential Oils Beauty School. It was in Lisle, and it was a weekend. And believe it or not, it was fun. That there is my book, along with my beauty kit. 

Lest you think I've gone over to the "girly side," rest assured; I'm still getting the hang of it all. 

And there was the hotel, with the requisite "five down pillows, all of them flat." The mattress was amazingly comfy. The room's fan was adequate (I love my ceiling fan). No, I was a "bad oiler" and didn't bring a diffuser. I did bring my current knitting project and was able to get a nice bit done, all things considered. 

But please, someone, tell me why there are never any firm pillows in a hotel room? Seriously, that bunch there? That's how I had to sleep just to feel like I had my head and neck supported. And then, the pillows tried to kill me. They rose up along the sides of my head and tried to smother me. 

On a good note: for the most part, I was able to stay on my detox plan and had plenty of food to eat. I brought my stick blender and breakfast shake supplies and was able to get that made every morning, though I never did get the fridge quite cold enough to keep the berries from thawing. 

Small beans, considering. 

I got a photo of myself with a special camera that detects vascular damage and sun damage. I was pleasantly surprised that the sun damage wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I got burned badly a couple of times as a kid, and I thought it might have caught up with me. But it was better than I had any reason to hope for. Now to keep it protected. 

I didn't get my make-up till after I got home. Yes, I purchased the bare minimum: foundation, blush and a setting powder. I've managed to get it on to go to work a couple of times, though my blush skills are not good. Bad, actually; gotta work on that. 

It stays on; it doesn't feel like I'm unable to breathe. And it washes off like a dream. 

I'm not sure about the color of the foundation when summer comes, though. Even with sunscreen, we do ride our bikes outside a lot and I do have a slight change in my skin color. But I could just...skip make-up in the summer. 

There's an idea!

The Knitting...

The project I set myself to, a Close to You Shawl by the end of this month, is coming along. I won't quite make it by the end of the month, but first week in April definitely. I've got about 3.5 more repeats of a 14-row pattern. With a 1-stitch increase every row, that means... A LOT of stitches to get through. But I'm mindlessly blowing through it. 

The picture to the left shows the first ridge. The picture to the right shows about 9 ridges; I'm a little over 2/3 of the way done, so it's bigger. I will have to break into that second hank of the MadTosh; just not sure what I'll do with the remainder. Maybe some socks? It is sock yarn, after all...anklets, maybe?

My friend Deanna would love the stitch marker I'm using; it's a set of flamingo markers that I'd purchased from Sonda's shop ages ago. I wanted to use something fun; the functional one I'm using to mark the right side of the shawl.

You can, technically, wear this either way because everything's knitted. But there is a right side for the purposes of knowing when to bind the thing off. The bind off is a picot and it pretty much has to be, just so it finishes the echo of the ridges on the opposite side.

I hope this helps Kristin and Blair raise a lot of money for their IVF treatments. Here's a link to the auction. This shawl will be part of it as long as I get it done in time...

I'm honestly thinking this weekend will see it finished, though, because the weather is going to be crummy and I won't be tempted to go outside much.

It needs to be done. End of discussion. So with a lot of help from some lovely lattes I got turned on to by my friend Lulu, I'm knitting my fingers to the bone. This one is called Red Velvet Latte, and yes, it's on my "ok to consume" list. The Lunar Latte I just had is going to be sweeping me off to dreamland soon.

Here's another link. And no, I'm not being compensated for these. It's just stuff I like that I want to share. This is a company out of Australia, and that's where you'll get your stuff shipped from. Shipping is a tad pricey. But it's all great organic products. And the blog and photography are lovely!

Would I like to be compensated? Who wouldn't? But I don't think I need to chase that particular rainbow; y'all would have to share my blog a lot for that to happen... And so would I.

In the Kitchen...

So this happened: I bought watercress. I have no idea what, actually, to do with watercress. I know I can add it to a salad. I know that at High Tea, you might have watercress sandwiches.

And that's about it.

I didn't want to add it to a salad because when I bought it, unfortunately, it snowed like the dickens that week. I had to use it up, so I made a watercress sauce/dressing.

Recipe for Watercress Sauce

1 bunch watercress, trimmed of most of the stems
Good quality olive oil to cover
Salt & Pepper to taste

Wash the watercress; pat it dry. Pack it into the beaker of your stick blender (or a tall jar if you don't have the beaker). Add olive oil to cover, add salt & pepper, sparingly. 

Whiz it up...add more oil if you need to. Taste it. It should taste of watercress (green and slightly peppery), not oil. Adjust seasonings. 

Use as a dip or sauce. 

And then, at church, Pocket Priest has invited us to all use our Instant Pots...we've been cooking lunch every Sunday after the service through Lent. On St. Patrick's Day, I made a Dublin Coddle. Yummmmmmmmmmmmm-yyyyyyy.... And then I made Guiness Stout Bread (top) and Irish Soda Bread (bottom). Nope, I didn't eat either of them.

I will find you the Coddle recipe and put it in another post. I can't find the one I used; when I was given the bottle of stout, I chose to not use it, but instead, used it in the bread.

That was a better choice, I think. Everyone loved all of the food and we marvel at how hungry people are after church!

See the eggs?? Cool, huh? From a friend of Hubby's who keeps 17 chickens.

They're on the small side, but they're all lovely, and I can't wait to crack these babies into some scones or even just plain fried eggs!

Home-grown eggs are delicious, the yolks seem richer somehow, and I just appreciate someone giving us these treasures.


And just to finish  out the section, a picture of our altar at church; this is the Lenten arrangement. It's lovely and simple.

Our church is well over 150 years old and we love the way it feels, sounds, and kind of embraces us. That altar holds a columbarium. Many of our older members are in there, being cremated and put into little boxes.

FYI, it's not creepy at all. Kind of like they're watching over us.

Random Pictures...

Two of them. First is Quinn, dressed for St. Patrick's Day. The older she gets, the more she looks like Tippi. It's hard for me to tell them apart in the dark, lately.

She's my little snuggle bunny still, and is always smiling when I'm home. Makes me feel wanted, right?

And I finally managed to get a picture of mother and daughter, more or less together. Of course, they saw the phone and ducked...

I tried to get a shot avoiding the little pile under my table...But I failed. It was either that or fake them out. And it's darned near impossible to fake out an Elkhound.

Time for bed; the morning will come early. I have more pics to share and a few more items to discuss, but they'll have to wait for the next time.

I Habe a Cowd...

As I sit here watching the leaves blow off the front maple tree, "The Good Earth" is on the television, and I'm brewing my "umpteenth" cup of tea, as well as diffusing Young Living Essential Oils "Raven" blend. Hubby says it smells like menthol rub - it does, but not a lot. Just enough.  I've got a cold. Now, it's been brewing for a few days, so it's no surprise. It's just better to stay home from church (and the peace sign/hugs) when one has been up coughing in the night. 

Watching Paul Muni and Luise Ranier play Chinese characters...Nothing like Hollywood cultural appropriation. Looks like Chinese folks were extras. Nice of them. 

Anyway. I got someone to sub for my Yin class just so I don't cough my way through that. I'll be at work Monday, but I may as well give myself another day (was home yesterday, too). I swear, I'm normally healthy as a horse, but I'm not sure why I've been smacked with this mess. 

At least I'm pottering around the house. Though I did go out yesterday for a haircut and -- finally - a pedicure. I've only been trying to plan that for 6 or 7 months. Yeah, I know - real "First World" issues. But because of my insane schedule, I usually don't schedule them. I rely on the ability to get a last-minute appointment at my favorite place. Second-favorite, but quickly becoming first on the list if the other place doesn't get its act together and finish its remodel!

This is an OPI color, called "Teal the Cows Come Home." It matches my flip-flops, and looks more blue in the bottle. More teal on the toes. I usually buy the ones I want and bring them. I don't know why, but it just makes me feel better knowing that I'm the only one who's used that particular bottle. I've never had a problem, but I know people who have, and I don't want to start having any issues. Of course, I go to a regular salon and they're pretty strict on their sanitation protocols, but still - you never know. And I'd rather be safe than sorry. Don't need an infection to slow me down --- when I've got a cold that'll do the same thing!

Knitting...

I'm doing Christmas hats; I was just thinking that perhaps I should have made a blue one for Kid #1 - he loves red, but his coat is blue. Maybe I'll just make two of them and let them figure out which one each one wants. 

It's coming along - about another row, I think, then starting the purl ridges. The remainder of the red yarn will be stuck into the "Prayer Patch" bag and we'll do more squares - a nice Episcopal red!

I stuck the "October" cross stitch banner on the front door. Inside, though! This is a Lizzie Kate design, done in the hand-dyed floss. I created the pillow out of my own head; the backside is a Halloween-orange and the ribbon is orange gross-grain. I have a few more of these. One of these days, I should do the other ones - for the holidays. 

I haven't really made any progress on the Monkey sock; I've been pushing to get the hats done. The socks are for me, so we can wait on those. 

I should pick up the Grapevine Lace scarf; it's almost done. It would be nice to have it done for when the weather finally settles into the cold. I'll see how much I can get done with the red hat; maybe switch off with that before I start the other hat. 

The Latest Shooting...

I'd like to think we could go a month without a shooting. But we can't. And that maniac in Washington doesn't think he's to blame. 


Let's see. 

"Fake news."
"Fake media."
"I'd bail you out if you hit him." 
"He can body slam you."
"Lock her up!"

Get the picture? In his latest rally (because, you know, there's nothing else he's got to do), he thought about moderating his hate-speech, but his rabid hordes shouted "NO" -- so he didn't. 

Kid #2 made this stencil for me a year ago. I don't even remember which shooting. A school, I think. It's amazing that it's still relevant, isn't it?

Maybe it's not so amazing. 

I'm voting in the November 6th election. Everyone needs to. Someone needs to temper the baser instincts of humanity in this country. It's got to be us. 

Reading This...

I asked a friend of mine about how one learns more in regard to church. I've only been an Episcopalian about 5 or 6 years. And honestly, I know a lot more about the Catholic church, having been born & raised in that religion. So I've just kind of picked up stuff as I've seen it. But I'd like to know more. She recommended this book. I've been reading it, and it's cool - I understand more of what we do and why we do it. 

She loaned me her copy, and then I bought one of my own. I found that I wanted to underline and highlight! Not that I'd do it in her copy, of course. 

And I'm reading a Kinsey Millhone book (Sue Grafton's Alphabet Series): "W for Wasted." Sue Grafton died recently, and she almost got to "Z" - her last book is "Y" and her family said that she didn't leave any outline or manuscript. 

I'm actually hoping they do NOT find anything - or they do NOT hire a ghost writer to complete the series. They did that for VC Andrews, and I'm sorry; it's crap. 

Sometimes, the stories just have to die with the authors. I loved her writing (Grafton's I' mean). And now she's gone. And that's why "the alphabet ends in Y..."

Random Picture...

While home sick, you may notice all kinds of things. I noticed that the neighbor's car just about matched the leaves on my tree. Which have thinned considerably, given this morning's wind. It's cloudy and the wind is blowing. A great day to stay inside and make chicken soup. Hopefully, we have enough garlic. Maybe I'll add orzo and grab some carrots out of the garden in between the raindrops. And if I'm really lucky, I'll have some mushrooms and leeks frozen. Or even chopped kale. I'll take it. 

I like to make soup when it's real "fall" weather. And when I feel like crap. It not only makes the house smell good, but it feels good as well. And it gives me stuff to eat for lunches. I freeze it in portion-controlled containers and take it in a thermos (no microwave at work). 

The other night, I did a chicken and quinoa dish in the Instant Pot. I have to branch out...one of these days! I know you can do a lot with it; I just never think about it till it's just about time to eat. It's not that quick - still takes about 10 minutes to prep, 5 - 10 to get up to pressure and then however long it takes to cook. So "instant" is relative. It's quicker than baking, in many cases, and quicker than using a crock pot. 

Either way. Soup. Yum! What's your favorite cold-weather, turning-fall recipe? Share, please!

You Thought I'd Forgotten...

...Well, I haven't forgotten. I've just been nuts. 

I'm back. It's 2016. I'm making a promise to be here more frequently, and hopefully with content that will make you want to share this blog with friends. Selfishly, I'd love to grow my readership, but realistically - you gotta write to get readers!

Christmas And Post-Christmas Sick...

Well, I managed to make it through Christmas without getting sick. I mean I just managed to make it through Christmas. 

My mother called me 2 days before Christmas and told me she'd injured herself, and it was up to Hubby and me to cook Christmas Eve dinner for 20 people. Oh, ok. No problem. Except that I was already starting to feel something coming on, but I wasn't going to freak her out. 

Christmas Eve dinner this year was as follows:

• Roasted balsamic & garlic chicken
• Pierogies
• Roasted potatoes
• Salad
• Glazed carrots***
• Parker House Rolls
• Cookies and Potica

***There's a story on the carrots...***  So as I'm in the kitchen at my mom's house, I mentioned to my sister that "the last 3 hours have been the most insanely crazy of the season." A relative who shall remain nameless (we have a small family) looks at me (from a seat on the couch...) and says, "Why? What have you been doing?"

Yep. I looked at this relative and paused for a nanosecond and then said, "Only cooking the entire dinner. That's all," and then I stomped into the kitchen to cut up the potica. As I'm wielding the knife, I'm muttering something along the lines of, "For God's sake, does that idiot think this all happens with unicorn farts and fairy dust???" As Kid #1 comes in and hears me, he tells me to chill. He's right. Said relative is a moron. 

As we're at the table, I say to Hubby, "We forgot the carrots." Of course, there's enough food to feed an army. Life goes on. So does dinner. When we're packing the car up to go home, we find the carrots - still wrapped in their lovely bundle and relatively warm.Oh well. We were able to parcel them out to various folks who wanted leftovers. 

I started to feel crummy the Sunday after Christmas. That Wednesday, I went to the doctor. Lucky me: double ear infection, sinus infection and swollen glands. I've been living on squishy food and lots of tea. I'm floating in tea, actually. I'm on an antibiotic that had (let's just say for politeness) "adverse effects" on Hubby's digestive tract, but so far, other than a tiny bit of tummy upset, I'm ok with it. 

I spent part of the night on the couch, hacking up a storm, and I'm valiantly trying to stay awake. Hubby has run out to do some errands; I'm on a doctor-imposed (and honestly self-imposed) weekend of "rest, drink tea and shut up." 

So after Christmas but before I got really sick, my mom and I talked about it. Let's face it - she's near 80 and for the past 20 years, Hubby and I have been carrying the load. WHICH WE DO NOT MIND. Except that all the nephews are old enough and I do have siblings. And as my niece-in-law AND my kids have said, "It's really now time for us to do more." 

Next holiday, we're going to try a new system. And people are going to have to get off their duffs and pitch in. I really don't mind doing the cooking, but I can see that it's like learning to make potica: this year, the boys and the fiancee did more of the process because that's how you learn. 

Oh, recipes!!

                                  ROASTER CHICKEN:

Marinate your chicken parts (we used thighs, drums, and breasts) in a basic Balsamic Vinegar + olive oil + garlic + parsley marinade for 24 hours. 

In one of those ancient roaster thingies (seriously, this is what ours looks like - it was my dad's) -- or a large crock-pot, put the chicken and the remaining marinade. 

In the roaster, arrange as much as you can on a rack and with the pieces mostly in 1 layer. 

Add about 1 cup of water. Clamp the lid on and leave it at about 325* for about 1.5 - 2 hours. 

Our roaster is ancient. So we put it in the bathroom so we wouldn't blow a fuse. That's the best the bathroom had smelled in a long time...

The balsamic almost "pre-browned" the chicken. The garlic got sweet in the roasting, and the parsley gave it a bit of a peppery bite without being overwhelming. 

Of course, you use a bit of salt & pepper to taste. It came out tender and juicy, and unlike a crock-pot, it didn't fall off the bone. 

                                    ROASTED POTATOES:

Take the appropriate number of baking potatoes and, after washing them, slice them lengthwise into something resembling wedges. Toss these wedges with salt, pepper, olive oil and Italian Seasoning. 

Spread them on a foil-lined rimmed baking pan. Cook at 375* till fork tender. About 15 minutes into the cooking, move the wedges around on the pan. 

                                    MAPLE GLAZED CARROTS:

I used garden carrots for this and I did it in a large saute pan.  Melt about 2 T of butter in a saute pan on medium-high heat.

I used about 2.5 cups of sliced garden carrots - you can substitute baby carrots, halved lengthwise, if you prefer. Put the carrots in the pan, and add about 3 large pieces of candied ginger, diced. 

Add just a dash of salt. Swirl this around in the pan, keeping everything moving so nothing scorches. Make sure that the heat stays high enough to caramelize things, but not burn the butter. 

When the carrots are fork-tender, shut the heat off. Add about 1/2 tsp. of Saigon Cinnamon and about 3 T of pure maple syrup. Stir all of this to coat. Serve warm. 

Don't leave them in the car... Just a little piece of advice...

So I mentioned that we did potica, right? Well, we ended up with 5 loaves. Here they are. One was sold. We did a single batch of dough, and a double batch of filling, so it was a bit more "wet" than we're used to. I think we've just about got the ratio right. We're not sure, but maybe Hubby and I will do another single batch for Easter. 

I brought some to work, and everyone proclaimed it "really good" with another person saying that she might have me make her one for next Christmas. 

The thing is, the dough is fickle. You really have to have the right conditions, and you really don't know how it will react till you're in the middle of it. But that's part of the challenge. Now that I've done it for a number of years, I'm not sure how my dad managed to do it. Every. Year. For years. We sold them out of our house, and I think we sold 30 or 40 of them a year. It was insane. 

The Knitting...

I had gotten so overwhelmed that the knitting went to the wayside for a number of months. Too many months. I have a few projects on tap, and a resolution to myself for 2016: to knit more. 


I have a baby jacket on the needles; my "standard" easy jacket that I use almost every time. It's in Cascade 220 hand-painted, and yeah, it's not exactly "typical." Picture this with the huge red buttons I bought. It's going to be classy. The person who's the mom-to-be is kind of an edgy person - she's far enough along that I feel safe in knitting this for her, and I think she'll like the more sophisticated look. The yarn is wool, superwash, so it's good for a baby with a mom who's both fashion forward and a crunchy-granola kind of mom. 

Kid #2 got a few more rows on the afghan. He's pleased and he's anxious for it to be under the tree next Christmas. It could be done...

And I started a new pair of socks. I have 2 singletons and THE DREADED TEAL SOCK to finish, but "Bowties are Cool" is on the leg, I believe, and Opal's Watermelon is started. This one is in Sweet Georgia, Tough Love sock yarn, colorway "chai spice" and it's a Vanilla Latte pattern available on Ravelry. It's a simple rib. The yarn feels "busy" to me, so I didn't want to have a complex pattern that would be buried, but Opal Watermelon is plain, so I wanted a little something spicy there. This suits the yarn, I think. I wasn't sure how the colors would lay out. There's no pooling going on, as far as I can see. It does look fall-ish, but I'm going with it. The 6-row curl on the top actually seems to be too much this time around, but I'm going to make the second one to match. 

My goal is to have 4 more pairs of socks - PLUS finish the singletons and THE DREADED TEAL SOCK. I'd like to do more, but we'll see how it goes. A pair a month isn't going to happen with my schedule. 

Tippi...

Tippi and I have worked out a schedule with my former employer to continue to visit the folks at the university. It's bittersweet. I'd love to be back there, but life goes on. We're now visiting the library, and it's a great place to meet everyone. 

This is how Tippi rang in the new year. I wasn't too far behind her last night. Hubby cashed it in and hit the hay about 8:45 p.m. (which is what happens when you get up at 3 a.m.) and I was up till the fun hour of 9:30. But then I was up at 1 p.m. and "sleeping" on the couch, as my cough shook the house... 

She's going to be 9 years old in a few days. I look at the grey she's acquired on her muzzle. I look into her eyes and I see how she moves a little more slowly. And it scares me. But I have to breathe and enjoy her. Elkhounds, barring illness, live up to 15 years old. We have no real idea if she was 2 or 3 when we got her; we have no idea of her bloodline - any hereditary problems or the like. So we have no clue. 

But if you think about it, that's like us. As humans, we've got a fair idea of how our family's chronic ailments will or might affect us. But still - none of us has the number of our days. I guess that's our clue to live each day mindfully. You'd think as a yoga teacher and practitioner I'd already do that? Well, I'm as human as everyone else... Sometimes I do, sometimes a week has whizzed by and I couldn't tell you how. 

Random Picture...

This is an old abandoned church in downtown Joliet. I snapped the picture on the way to a meeting. And then I played around with the phone camera's features and did some sepia tinting. 

My goal is to bring the "big camera" to work one day and take a walk at lunch. The city has some architectural gems. You just have to give it a minute and look. 

Of course, the local preservationist wags would say, "Look quickly because they're tearing things down." And to an extent they're right. But there are still some good old buildings left, if you use your eyes. 


May your 2016 bring you health, happiness and joy. May you find the joy in unexpected places. And may you find the happiness in yourself. Every day. 

Almost 100%...

So I'm chipping away at Mt. Washmore... And I have to say that the washing machine is just about 100%. I'm missing one sock, but I think it's in the other batch of towels. So far, so good, and I hope I haven't jinxed it. 

I will now publicly admit that Hubby is a saint. I'm taking over now while he's been at his mom's house. I've done nothing but run back and forth trying to keep the zoo under control. 

He does that. And he works full time from home, plus a part-time gig. 

Thanks Hubby, for doing it all. So I can be an atypical wife; I don't have to do most of what I don't want to. You take care of the inside and the outside of the house. I've been doing that, and getting ready for Dolly's visit - and it's a pain in the rear.

OK, I'm still not in favor of cleaning the bathrooms... But I'm impressed that the rest is not exactly chaos. And good grief; it's like I can't turn around but there's another dish to be washed. How do they do that??? Do they multiply when your back is turned??

So for every chore I've completed, I'm knitting. As soon as I finish this, I'm going to watch "Endeavour" - a young Inspector Morse, and knit more on the Nephew Afghan.

Happy New Year...

Happy 2014 to everyone! I've thought about it and I don't think I need to make "resolutions." I always break them, then I feel bad. What I will try to do is keep an affirmation.

An affirmation is like your own personal mantra. It's something you do for yourself or to help you get through something. For example, when I had a test a couple of years ago, I had a full face mask on, my head was in a brace and my arms were overhead... I am VERY claustrophobic. The tech told me that this test would cause panic attacks, especially if you were prone to claustrophobia. 

It did. 

But my mantra was, "It's going to be over in a minute." I just kept repeating that. And looking at him. That helped. 

So my mantra for 2014 is something I found in the YOGAChicago magazine, and it's from Swami Kripalu:

The highest spiritual practice is self-observation without judgment.

That's my inspiration for now. 

Snow...

Snow 2014

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..." Oh, wait. It's January. So I've been enjoying the snow. Seriously. I love snow. 

I have been shoveling, and this is what it looks like. Ten minutes after I shoveled. I ran out to the grocery store and gassed up my truck. The city has been by with salt + plow. We are forecasted to get 5 - 8".... I'm hoping we get closer to 8" but I don't know if that'll happen. 

The birds are enjoying the seeds and I was going to try to get a video of the critters, but the junco birds are really chowing down on the cracked corn I put out for the squirrels! So no cute video today. Maybe tomorrow. 

Food...

Clam chowder (New England, thanks) in the crock pot. I also bought some 9-grain bread. I was thinking of making casserole bread, a no-knead recipe, but I thought about cleaning up the kitchen and decided that we didn't need that much bread, nor did I want that much mess!

This recipe is from the Betty Crocker's Cookbook, copyrighted 1969, and I got it in 1979. I had also given an updated edition of this book to Kid #1 when he first moved out. He lost it. Yeesh. This cookbook is like a totally basic "yes, you can cook" kind of book. I still refer to it, and I've got it post-noted for all kinds of things.

CASSEROLE BREAD from Betty Crocker's Cookbook (c) 1969

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/2 c. lukewarm water (about 105-115*)
1/2 c. lukewarm milk (don't need to scald...)
2/3 c. butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
1 t. salt
3 c. all-purpose flour (NOT self-rising - just my preference)
Extra butter

Dissolve the yeast in warm water in a large mixing bowl. Add mil, 2/3 c. margarine, eggs, salt and 1 c. of flour. Beat on low speed, scraping bowl constantly, about 30 seconds.

Beat on medium speed, scraping occasionally, for 2 minutes. Stir in remaining flour till smooth. Scrape sides of bowl. Cover. 

Let this rise (see my rising notes below) till double, about 1/2 hour or so. Batter is ready if indentation remains when touched with a floured finger.

Stir down by beating about 25 strokes. Spread evenly in a greased 2-quart casserole. Cover, let it rise till double, another 40 minutes or so.

Heat oven to 375* and place casserole on the low rack so that the top of the casserole is in the center of the oven. The casserole should not touch the sides of the oven. Bake till brown and sounds hollow when tapped, about 40-45 minutes. Immediately remove the bread from the casserole and place on a rack. Brush with the extra butter if you want. Let it cool. Cut into wedges or slices to serve.

RISING NOTE: Dough is a stinker - or it can be. If it's too hot or too dry or the moon's not in the correct phase, your dough can act weird. First off, you CAN kill the yeast if the water's too hot and the milk's too hot, so be sure to have a decent thermometer handy. 

The way I raise my dough is to put a large-ish stock pot on the stove, with 3 or 4 cups of water in it. Bring that to a boil, and put a cooling rack on top. Turn off the burner, put the bowl of dough on top of that rack, put a towel over it and then put a larger towel over the whole thing. 

Believe me, rises like a treat every time!

OPTIONS: You can add cheese to this bread, onions, your favorite herbs -- it's kind of a blank canvas. Have fun with it. This is a very easy recipe if you're a newbie to yeast breads. Though I prefer the kneading, this no-knead recipe is a good one to bring to a potluck, and it's just a nice, relatively quick bread, as yeast breads go.

Random Picture...

Norway Cemetery, Illinois

This is a picture I took on the way back from a Zonta conference. It's a town called Norway, IL and they have a very old cemetery. Don't ask me why, but old cemeteries kind of fascinate me. 

I took this at the entrance. I have a bunch of other pictures, and I'm sure that if any locals passed by (it's a very small town), they might've thought I was a bit weird.

But then, maybe not. There are several gorgeous pictures of monuments that nearly predate the founding of the cemetery. Some were taller than I am, and some were even quite a bit more modern, and still in that "old style" of decorative memorials. I'll have to dig them up (ba-dum) and post a few. 

It makes you kind of sad; or at least it does me. There used to be a whole art of monuments. Now, for the sake of efficiency, most cemeteries have those flat monuments that they can just mow over. 

Anyone got any plans for the New Year? Any goals? Anything you're looking to change?

Working Apace...

No, that's not a misspelling. "Apace" is just a fancy way to say "I'm still moving forward." 

We did not get "snizzle." Not even ice. Which is good, I suppose, since people here are still befuddled with the fact that it's snowing. In Illinois. In December. Yeesh.

Right now, it looks like most of the crummy weather has moved way north - even more north than Chicago. They "say" snow for Christmas, but we shall see. 

This is the winter weather that's depressing. It's just dull and makes you think of February or March - when it REALLY gets sloppy. I've just brewed up some Republic of Tea herbal tea. Maybe that'll make me feel better. It's one of their limited-edition varieties: Hot Apple Cider Tea, to be precise, from their "Herbs of Autumn" collection. Yes, it's nearly winter. Technically, it's not WINTER till tomorrow. So it's technically still autumn.

Who writes their copy? It's very evocative and makes you want to dive right into the tea. 

Anyway, this is caffeine-free, and it's about the time of day where I have to go herbal otherwise I'll be a jittery mess and up all night. Amazing how long that stays in your system! 

Video...


Ok, this is a test. This is a quartet from the Midwest Chorus of Sweet Adelines, doing "Santa Baby" at a gathering. 

They're an a capella barbershop group - all women. They sang at a party and were very good. I think you'll enjoy this little "sound of the season." 

I took this with my phone. My camera also takes video, but Hubby had the camera at that time, taking still pics. I'm hoping that when we upgrade to the new Nokia the video and the whole camera apparatus will be better. So far, from what we've seen, it'll be spectacular. 

I'll still use my nice Canon, but this will be nice for us to have for those instances where I'm not hauling a camera bag. Heck, I haven't figured out all the stuff my Canon does yet! 

Irene Dunne...

Queen of the "weepers." Yep, that's our gal. Today is her birthday and I'm watching the movie channel. Today I have nothing to do (outside the house, I mean) and I'm just going to have an honest-to-goodness vacation day. At least till later, when I have my guitar lesson.

Look her up in IMDb if you 'd like. Right now, we're watching "Showboat." She's a singer and actress and yeah, the movies were corny then. The stories had rather predictable endings. The boy always got the girl. The costumes were spectacular.


And everyone spontaneously broke out into song - at least in her musical movies. She did a lot of drama, too. 

Anyway, it's her 105th birthday, if my math is correct. 

In terms of "Showboat" I love the baritone "Old Man River" singers. So far, in most of the versions I've seen, they've been spectacular. 

Funny enough, I could just turn the TV off since Sirius has all its Christmas music on. That's what's on my car radio. But I like these movies. 

Chicken...

So this morning, I read this in the Chicago Tribune: our chicken supply is rampant with bacteria. Yummy.  And of course that's what I have pulled out for dinner. 

I'm doing crock-pot BBQ chicken. So as I'm rummaging in the fridge looking for BBQ sauce, I find we don't have any. After a nano-second of "Oh, crap - do I have to go out and get some?" I realize that I have ketchup. Mustard. Brown sugar. Garlic. Worchestershire Sauce. 

Voila - home-made BBQ sauce. You just kind of whisk all that together, heat it up and you have ready-to-serve sauce. I didn't heat it. 

I cut up 1/2 a white onion and layered that in my crockpot. Added the chicken breasts on top. Spooned the BBQ sauce over that. Also added a little dried lemon peel (about 2 tsp.) just to give it a little pop of flavor. Covered that with foil, put the lid on the pot and stuck it on "High." In about 4 hours, I'll put it on "Low" and then we'll have dinner. You can shred this like pulled pork and make sandwiches. Or you can serve it over rice or noodles. 

OK, BBQ sauce recipe, with actual(ish) measurements:

1 c. ketchup; 3 T. yellow mustard; three or four shakes of Worchestershire Sauce; fresh ground pepper; garlic powder (1 T); about 3 T of brown sugar; a splash of water. Whisk that. Taste. Adjust. I don't use extra salt because to me, the Worchestershire (jeeze that's a pain to type!) has enough salt in it. 

You can add red pepper flakes if you want but I don't like it that spicy. You can also dice up the onion and put it IN the sauce, but I don't need to do that because (a) I don't like cooked onions; and (b) I cut slices to lay on the bottom of the pot - I can pick them out if I don't want to eat them. 

You could probably also add red or green pepper if you wanted to go nuts. I have that in the freezer, but I'm not interested today.

Knitting...

I'm 1" past the first buttonhole. I've had to pick out a row here and there because I wasn't paying attention. The yarn splits a tad if you aren't paying attention. It's coming along. The Nephew Afghan is staring at me from the corner. 

And the second Pink Sock is moping next to my chair. The second Teal Sock is no longer speaking to me. I have to get to those, too. It's easier to wear a pair that matches. At least for me...

The Before And After Scarf is just hanging there. I'm not in a particular hurry for that. That project is my "waiting" project - for when I'm going somewhere and I know I'll be sitting. It's mindless and endless. Just perfect for something you don't really need to concentrate on. 

Cookies...

The first cookie tray gets delivered today. I can also run one over to the next door neighbor, once I see his daughter there. He's up-and-down - if he's napping, he won't hear me at the door, and I don't want to just leave the tray on the porch. Lord knows the squirrels will enjoy it! 

I'm glad to get this stuff out of here. I've been invited to two parties: one on Christmas Eve and one after - called a "Leftover" party! I'm bringing cookies. To both. 

Don't get me wrong. I love to bake. I enjoy people enjoying my bakery. And I also enjoy eating it myself. THEREIN lies the rub. The rub of my thighs together and the rub of struggling to get my jeans on. 

Soooooooooo - out the door they go. The cookies, I mean. 

I have a couple of lunches to go to, and I have to just watch myself. The scale this morning was not pleasant and I thought about avoiding it. But it's a discipline I need to keep up with. Reality checks stink, but it is what it is. I'm over 50 and it's way too easy to just coast. 

I have a "dread-mill" and an "eliptiKILL" in the basement. I have a yoga mat, weights, exercise bands and all kinds of stuff. I just have to get off my butt and use them. Too bad I can't knit and walk. 

I know people who can. But I prefer to avoid impaling myself or having the yarn ball up in the mechanics!

Double-Speak...

So the right is up in arms (what else is new?) about the Duck Dynasty thing. The man spoke and it was ugly. A & E suspended him. 

Hey, folks. Martin Bashir got FIRED for speaking. 

You can't have the First Amendment only cut one way. Either we ALL have "free speech" or we don't. It's free speech no matter who agrees with you. It's NOT free speech if it's only one side who gets to have it. 

There are some that say the DD thing is PR so that the Repubs can "gin up the base." Urgh, I detest that phrase. But it fits. The faux-outrage. The fake "War on Christmas." The whole pile of swill whereby the Left doesn't get to say what THEY want but God lets the Right say what THEY want, 'cause we all know that the RIGHT are more "righteous." 

'Scuse me. Gotta go grab the barf bag. 

And no, you can't say some things. Employers, especially a corporation like A & E, are just as much a "brand" as those idiot reality stars. The A & E people are protecting their brand. 

It would be the same thing if I spouted something hateful - here or on Facebook or in an e-mail - and it reflected badly on my employer. Which, by the way, is a Catholic university. 

They would have every right to discipline me and that discipline could be anything from a suspension to a termination. That's the way it works in most places. My friend, who recently quit her job, told me that they were required to have a social media presence, but that she had to be extremely careful that whatever she posted reflected positively on her company. I've known her for a while. Her social media posts were downright banal. And they had to be. She's a truly funny, quirky individual with a scathing sense of humor. That would not have gone over well in her corporate persona.

Crimeny - my teacher-kid is always telling his juniors and seniors that colleges will look at your social media presence. And so will employers. And many employers monitor it. Particularly if you're a highly visible (and in this case, profitable) face - you're associated, for better or worse, with that brand. And they're going to protect THEIR rear ends. 

They can always find another reality show star. 

Random Picture...

Lace ornament

This is one of the lace ornaments I picked up a while ago. It was a kit; three different kinds of lace, a cord to gather the middle, and a stiffening mixture. You gathered, glittered and stiffened. They're pretty. And yes, that's a pierogi ornament next to it. 

Our little tree is laden. And I just added some knitterly ornaments: some yarn balls and a small felted mitten. Kid #1 is asking for his ornaments, so he's got some of them. I have to dig out the rest for next year. When Kid #2 gets his own place, he'll get his own ornaments too. 

Maybe then I can stop making them every year for the boys. But somehow, I doubt that.