countdown to Friday

This is a picture from my Paris trip last year that I was experimenting on with filters. I miss that place and go back often in my mind. 

The past few days have been a whirl of moving prep. I know I've been yammering on about my daughter's impending move for what seems like eons, but we are in the countdown to liftoff. She leaves Friday: in two days. I am learning that one needs many, many things to move to Rio. Like a suitcase for a bicycle, nightstands, shoes and more shoes, throw pillows, a trainer for the bike to run on indoors, several pencil skirts, maple syrup, an air mattress, to name only a few. Luckily, she is buying it all, adult that she is, but I am her partner in crime when it comes to shopping for it. Hey, I know my skills. And they are bargain hunting. Tomorrow, we hit the road at seven am for an adventure to White Rock Lake. I will walk around it, she will do loops with her bicycle, then we will go to see a woman about a nightstand. Next, I will drop her off to meet her friend for tea while I zoom home to get ready for my little neighborhood buddy to come for crafts and games. I almost feel like a mom/chauffeur again, instead of an empty nester/trophy wife. (Hee hee) Aaah, the many hats we wear. Each holds its own joys and mysteries.

reunion ● baby ● coleslaw

Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh - it is so fun to see old friends after years and years apart. It's the best. The years between seem to evaporate like magic, pulling you back to your twenty-year-old self hanging with your bestie at the D.Q., playing Ms. Pacman.

On Saturday, QG and I got to see my old college roommate Kathy, who I last saw twenty-seven years ago, when her oldest child, Chelsea, was one. Chelsea now lives not too far from Dallas and had a baby daughter less than a week ago, so Kathy came down with her husband and youngest son for the birth. It's their first grandchild - how exciting! 

They were nice enough to let us crash their family gathering, which included both sets of grandparents and Uncle David, Kathy's youngest son. What a treat to spend the afternoon catching up, reminiscing about our college adventures, getting to know the other family members and holding baby Charlie (for Charlotte) for over an hour!!! Honestly, the last time I held a four-days-old baby was fifteen years ago, when my nephew was born, so holding Charlie was a huge thrill. She did lots of cooing and stretching and my heart melted. What a darling. Here's Kathy with Charlie - doesn't she make a perfect grandma?

We got to the house in time for lunch - smoked brisket. It was so tasty. I brought the coleslaw. I made up this recipe that morning because I wanted a sweet and sour type of slaw to go with barbecue and thought the apples and honey would go well together. It was nice and crisp, just right with the meat, so I thought you might like the recipe.

Sweet and Sour Coleslaw

 

1 large head of savory cabbage, thinly sliced 

1/2 of a small head of regular cabbage, thinly sliced

1 bunch (about 9) green onions, thinly sliced

1 cup thinly chopped red, and/or yellow peppers

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped

Juice from 1/2 of a fresh lime

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/3 cup honey

1 Tablespoon yellow mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

1/3 cup canola oil

Put the cabbage, onions and peppers into a large bowl. Sprinkle the lime juice over the apple pieces, mix well, then add that to the cabbage. Mix the vinegar, honey, mustard, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly add the oil while whisking. Pour this onto the cabbage mixture and toss well to coat. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve. Best if made at least a few hours ahead, or even the day before. You can use all regular cabbage if you can't find savory cabbage. Serves 12. 

After making the slaw, I was cleaning up and noticed how pretty all the scraps were, so I zoomed upstairs to get my camera and started snapping away. QG comes in while I am standing on tiptoe with Agnes balanced on a roll of paper towels over the discards and says, "What are you doing?" I answer, "Taking pictures of the scraps, of course." He just shakes his head and goes, "You do some weird stuff." True enough.

simple beauty

I love finding beauty in simple things around the house. Saw this dishrag, which my buddy Caorlyn made, on the windowsill beside the white curtain yesterday and it was so lovely, I had to run for Agnes, my camera, to capture it. The photo gives me a feeling of calm. I also caught Jamiewoo's paws while she lay there being entertained by me taking a hundred pictures of a dishrag.

art jars

These jars were an art piece at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection museum in Venice. Yes, I am still working on my photos from our trip back in October so that I can make a photo book. Oy. The bad part about being a detail person is that getting things "just so" takes sooo much time. Whatever. Today, I finally mailed my Christmas cards. No joke. I had to turn them into pre-Valentines Day cards, but they're done. Big yay!

Anyhow, I really loved this jar display. It is magical. Art is like that. These jars reminds me of all the little pleasures in life, which we record in our minds to pull out and savor whenever need them. It also reminds me of the illusive goals we seek. Like, sometimes your soul is yearning for something which you can't quite define. That thing is represented by these jars. That thing is beautiful, yet beyond words: almost like hope. Take a break. Look at these jars for a little while. Maybe their glow will cheer you.

a pleasant pause for poetry

Years ago, I picked up a book of poetry called Songs for Comfort by Grace Noll Crowell. It surfaced amidst my unclutterring yesterday, so I spent some time getting to know Grace through her poems. She lived from 1877 to 1969. Though she is now considered to be a minor poet, in her day she was widely read. She was the Poet Laureate of Texas for three years. What a lovely, wise soul.

Grace dedicated herself to writing poetry during a period of grave illness, which she fought to recover from over a period of years. Best known for her words of comfort and inspiration, she strove to find words that could help others who might be suffering as she had done during her illness. And she did. Her husband even had to quit his job to help manage her career and all the letters she received from thousands of people who wrote to let her know how much her poems had meant. I love the poem below, called "The Gleaner." I can especially relate to the part about sunset and dawn, because I get thrilled and freak out over the colors in the sky on a regular basis. I call those vibrant skies free art.

The Gleaner

Life closed about her in strange baffling ways.

Her house was bleak, her heart was sore bereft,

Yet she learned to glean from ordinary days

The golden grain that the passing hours had left.

She stored rare beauty deep within her heart

To hold against the coming winter cold:

The colors of dawn and sunset were a part

Of her deft gleaning from the fields of gold.

A letter from a friend was her delight.

The coming of a neighbor to the door,

Her long communion with the stars at night,

Her daily tasks―these added to her store.

Remembering her, face-skyward, standing there,

One learns life never leaves its fields too bare.

                -Grace Noll Crowell

the Vegetarian Stew recipe

Here's a recipe for a vegetarian stew. It was inspired by a recipe I read recently, only I changed a few ingredients to what I had on hand, altered the proportions, threw in the spices, added the apple, and deleted the chicken. I guess cooking is like science and so many other arenas: we stand on the shoulders of those who came before. Anyhow, this conglomeration turned out pretty good, which isn't always the case with my culinary experiments, so I thought I'd share it with you. It is fast, easy to make, and warms the tummy nicely on a winter evening.

Hearty Vegetarian Stew

½ large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1½ teaspoons dried parsley

1½ teaspoons dried oregano

1½ teaspoons dried basil

5 cups vegetable broth

½ pound small potatoes, thinly sliced (I used a mixture of red, yellow and purple)

1- 15 ounce can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

Half of a small cabbage, core removed and sliced paper thin

1 apple, cored and sliced

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil on medium-high heat until translucent add the spices and mix to coat. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the cheese. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down and simmer for 45 minutes. Top with the cheese and serve with crusty bread. Makes about 4 servings. Enjoy!

pansy

To me, there is something relaxing about looking at flowers. They are so brash and vivacious, staring out at you in effortless elegance. I got this shot the other week at the Dallas Arboretum. This pansy looks old-fashioned and rather demure and I'm glad that I captured it on its best day. Tomorrow, I'll have another vegetarian recipe to share. This one is a hearty stew that I made yesterday. Who knew meatless dinners could be so legitimately satisfying? Life is full of surprises.