friday felicitations #11

Happy Friday!

I anticipate this weekend will be a crafty one (in the making things sense, not the sly and cunning sense). I have my May BPS postcard to make (last minute, as usual), and a project I'm involved in at the animal shelter has suddenly exploded with activity. I'll be sure to share the fruits of my labors.

Enjoy the weekend and any creative endeavors on your horizon!


(photo by ::Linz:: on Flickr)

aidan-isms

-Stargazing with Da's homemade telescope-

Aidan was a relatively late talker. We didn't worry much because he always showed steady if slow progress. Lately, he's found his words and helped to prove my conviction that three-year-olds are the most fun people on the planet to chat with. For example:

Nana [my mom]: Aidan, you're so handsome!
Aidan: No, I'm Aidan!

Nana: You're so mean!
Aidan: No, I'm Aidan!

[His response was uttered with equal indignation in both cases.]

Sachi: Aidan, come pick up your toys.
Aidan: I'm busy!

After the stargazing session pictured above:
Aidan: I want some nummies! ["Yummies," or snacks]
Nana: It's too late. It's time for bed already! [My dad entered the room.]
Aidan: Da, I'm starvin'!
[My parents caved. He ate macaroni and cheese.]

nothin' fancy, somethin' good

Yesterday was cold and raw, with wind buffeting the trees and spitting rain. I wore corduroy to work and changed into my favorite soft sweats when I got home. I drank hot chocolate and extra servings of tea. And at dinner I ate biscuits with warm, tender middles and golden-crisp edges.

I love baking biscuits because they hearken back to times and places when people used words like "hearken." As I measure out the simple ingredients, cut in the butter, gently knead the sticky dough, I think of how I'm part of a long line of people who have made biscuits in much the same way, stretching from the early days of American history to now, when I can later blog about them on a laptop over a wireless internet connection.

-Biscuits-

If you bake and you like biscuits, you probably already have a recipe. Just in case, here's mine, straight out of the red-and-white-checked Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. Because I'm lazy and generally in a hurry to eat the biscuits, I make drop biscuits (rather than rolling out the dough and using a biscuit cutter), so that's the version I've given you here.

Drop Biscuits Supreme
MAKES 12

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon cream of tartar
¾ cup butter or ½ cup butter and ¼ cup shortening [I opt for all butter. Butter is good.]
1¼ cup milk

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cream of tartar. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add milk all at once. Using a fork, stir until mixture is just moistened. [Imagine you are dressed in calico in a two-room cabin on a windswept plain.]

2. Knead dough by folding and gently pressing it for four to six strokes or just until dough holds together. Using a large spoon, drop dough into 12 mounds onto a greased baking sheet. [Don't forget to set out some of those strawberry preserves you put up yesterday.]

3. Bake for 10-14 minutes or until golden. Remove biscuits from baking sheet and serve warm. [Almanzo just came in from plowing and said supper's smelling really good.]

benevolent postcard studio: april

-Maisie with postcard-

As I made April's BPS postcard, I was still in the throes of spring bulb euphoria, a condition that overcomes me annually.

-April BPS studio, front-

The front of the card featured a photo of tulips on my kitchen table. I chose a background of pale aqua and sketched some leaves using Word. (My skills, alas, don't include use of more sophisticated graphics software: my humble tools are PowerPoint, Word, Preview, and occasionally a great little application called Acorn that I'm still getting to know. Photoshop scares me.)

-In April-

For the back, I chose a pretty poem, as fresh as spring, by James Hearst.

-April BPS studio, back-

This time the postcard was destined for Dawn, in far-away South Africa.

a dose of levity for your tuesday

I like boys and I like cats, so I share with you . . .

-cute boys with cats-

the simple but inexplicably entertaining photo blog, cute boys with cats. Anyone may submit a photo for consideration, and the blog has taken off as many people have.

What I love is the endless variety of shapes and styles of cute, in both boys and cats. Some of the boys I'd find a bit frightening if encountered in dark of night--but seeing them go mushy over a cat dispels much of the scariness. (My politics may be liberal, but my taste in boys is conservative.)

Here are a few of my favorites:

(via moderncat, source of all things cute and cool--but never kitschy--for cats)

weekend notes #11

-Roses-

1. Rosy habit. For this week, ivory edged in pink.

-Flowering tree - white blossoms-


-Flowering tree - pink blossoms-


-Flowering tree - white sprays-

2. Ah-choo. The trees are exuberantly blooming, including some I'd forgotten could even make flowers. They're lovely to look at, but my antihistamine has proven no match at all.

-Shiny and new-

3. Consultation with a genius. My very recently purchased laptop was acting oddly: in ghostly fashion, it was intermittently scrolling by itself to the tops of windows. I scheduled an appointment at the Apple store's Genius Bar and explained the problem to a nice technician named Sean. (Each technician's name tag actually lists the title "Genius"; I don't think I could wear one without laughing.) Fortunately, the laptop obligingly demonstrated its bizarre behavior. Sean decided it was too sick to be saved and gave me a brand new laptop. The original one will be shipped back to Apple headquarters for a diagnostic work up.

-Nutella-

4. Sunday breakfast. The unique deliciousness of Nutella.

-Maybe she'll go away if i don't open my eyes-


-I left it like that on purpose-

5. Funny kitties. I think sometimes they wonder why I'm laughing.

6. Spring cleaning. I worked on the hall closet. I can now see the floor and close the door--but it's still not picture-worthy.

friday felicitations #10

Happy Friday!

I'm looking forward to a low-key weekend. I've been in the mood for spring cleaning lately, and my little apartment is gradually showing the benefits. I just need to decide what project to tackle next. Perhaps the stacks covering my desk. Or the overflowing hall closet . . . .

Enjoy the weekend, whether you make it an industrious or lazy one!


(photo by Chiot's Run, on Flickr)

helpful shopping companions

-Ann Millie shopping bags-

A couple of friends have asked about the shopping bags shown in this past Tuesday's Weekend Notes post. The bags are from a company called Ann Millie, and I highly recommend them. They're available in a variety of styles and patterns; mine is the Large Rectangular Bag in a print called Green Bird.

The selection of reusable shopping bags these days is enormous, but I love these for a number of reasons. They're sturdy yet light, water-resistant and washable. They're capacious yet fold up to occupy hardly any space. They hold their rectangular shape when open, making it easy to arrange and find items within, and the handles are well-designed for carrying the bags comfortably over your shoulder. They even feature a small slip pocket inside and a snap closure.

Ann Millie distributes its bags through a few on-line retailers, listed on its website. I purchased mine from Amazon, which offers the bags in reasonably priced singles or in packs of four (an even better deal!).

quest fulfilled

-Cookie batter-

Over the years, I've been searching for the ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe. I've found pretty good versions out there, but never the perfect one.

-Butter and sugars-

Of course, what constitutes the perfect chocolate chip cookie depends on the beholder: one man's ideal is another's disappointment. If you're like me and your ideal is chewy but not too soft, crunchy on the edges but not crispy, flat rather than lumpy, buttery and redolent of vanilla, then rejoice, for I have found our ultimate recipe.

-Assembling the ingredients-

Crisp and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
from Martha Stewart Living, April 2010
MAKES 20 [or 19]

Ingredients

2¾ cups all-purpose flour
1¼ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2½ sticks unsalted butter, softened
1¼ cups packed dark-brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1½ cups semisweet chocolate chips

-On the way to the oven-

Preparation

1. Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and sugars with mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Add vanilla.
3. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; beat until combined. Mix in chocolate chips.
4. Using a 2¼-inch ice cream scoop (about 3 tablespoons), drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. [This worked great; I discovered my ice cream scoop works better for dispensing cookie dough than ice cream.]
5. Bake until golden around edges but soft in middle, about 15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack, and let cool completely.

-Big and beautiful cookies-

If you follow the ice cream scoop instructions, you'll end up with gorgeous, giant cookies (that's an average-sized cooling rack pictured above).

-Cookie plates-

I suggest sharing some with your neighbors to avoid eating them all yourself.

cubicle decor, part 4: a bit of art (plus a poem)

-A Glow-

This mixed-media piece, A Glow, was created by Melissa Crowe, whose wonderful embroidered felt portraits I've blogged about before. It's one of six works in her Little Folks series, which beautifully captures the whimsy and wonder of childhood.

I was terribly excited when she put the pieces up for sale in her shop and bought this one right away. I decided to hang it next to my desk, where it brings cheer to an otherwise blank white wall.

In one of those slightly spooky universe-aligning moments, this poem, part of the Poem-A-Day series, was delivered to my e-mail inbox less than a month after I became the proud owner of A Glow. Read it through all the way first, and then read just the italicized phrases.

Fireflies
Fred Chappell

The children race now here by the ivied fence, 

gather squealing now there by the lily border. 

The evening calms the quickened air, immense
and warm; its veil is pierced with fire. The order 

of space discloses as pair by pair porch lights 

carve shadows. Cool phosphors flare when dark 

permits yearning to signal where, with spark
and pause and spark, the fireflies are, the sites 

they spiral when they aspire, with carefree ardor
busy, to embrace a star that draws them thence. 



Like children we stand and stare, watching the field 

that twinkles where gold wisps fare to the end 

of dusk, as the sudden sphere, ivory shield 

aloft, of moon stands clear of the world's far bend.

weekend notes #10

-Roses, drying-

1. Last week's roses. Still so pretty by the week's end that I decided to dry them. My hallway coat rack volunteered for the job.

-Shopping bags, under inspection-

2. Errands. Mostly grocery shopping. I follow Miss Piggy's maxim, "Never eat more than you can lift."

-Petite pink roses, ear of Maisie-

3. This week's roses. Small, variegated, and deep pink. Maisie found them as enticing as last week's.

-Gray skies-

4. April showers. Most of the weekend was cool, gray, and rainy. I can't really complain after we had so many beautiful weekends in a row.

-The Opera House-

-Coppélia-

5. Coppélia. The ballet turned out to have a very strange plot, basically Pinocchio meets Frankenstein. But it also included some great folk dance-inspired choreography; beautiful costumes; and a long segment featuring several young students from the ballet school, who were impressively synchronized and graceful.

-Cookie batter-

6. Cookie baking. I've found my perfect recipe for chocolate chip cookies (I'll post it later this week).

-Census form, ready to mail-

7. Census, done at last. Like many things I put off doing, I realized it wasn't even worth putting off doing once I did it. I hope writing in "tabby" and "bi-color" for Izzy's and Maisie's race was the right approach.

(Joking, joking.)

-Huh. On to something more interesting . . . -

-Woohoo! Snack! Veggies are better than nothing.-

8. Introduction to cat grass. Reactions were true to character. After a careful sniff, Izzy, who has little interest in plants other than catnip, has ignored the cat grass altogether. Maisie, who munches on plants and floral arrangements of all sorts, loves it. When not chomping on it, she hunkers down next to it and gazes at it adoringly.


(photo of Coppélia on footnotes, the Boston Ballet blog)

the 3rd monday in april

Happy Patriots' Day! And Merry Marathon Monday! Today it's both in Massachusetts.

Patriots' Day, celebrated in Massachusetts, Maine, and (somewhat surprisingly) public schools in Wisconsin, commemorates the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Revolutionary War reenactments take place in both towns, and (this I just discovered on Wikipedia) a mounted rider with police escort retraces Paul Revere's route, calling out warnings along the way. Forgive my irreverence, but all of these events strike me as rather funny. Someday I'd like to see them.

The Boston Marathon, begun in 1897 after the first modern-day marathon was held during the 1896 Summer Olympics, is the world's oldest annual marathon.  The city was inundated this weekend by fit-looking people in workout clothing and official blue and yellow marathon jackets.

Today is an official work holiday, a fact I'm happy to rediscover every year. Not having grown up in Massachusetts, Maine, or Wisconsin, I forget that every April includes a bonus three-day weekend. It's one of the things I like about living Boston. In honor of Patriots'/Marathon Day, I offer up nine others:

1. The T. Screechy cars, surly drivers, ancient stations, and a simple starburst layout that even I can grasp.
2. The blunt honesty and pragmatism of New Englanders. You know where you stand with these people, many of whom demonstrate equal measures of impatience and goodheartedness.
3. Lovely old buildings. It's a dream come true to reside in a place where hardwood floors are the norm.
4. The Charles River, Jamaica Pond, and a plethora of other lakes, ponds, and reservoirs.  I appreciate the desert beauty of my hometown in New Mexico, but I also love the serenity of places near water.
5. The liberal politics. Not for everybody, I know, but for me, yes.
6. The walkability. Learn to assert yourself at crosswalks, which Boston's pushy drivers notoriously ignore, and much of the city is yours.
7. Italian food in the North End. Some of my fondest eating memories, which is saying a lot.
8. The many colleges, universities, and other schools of higher learning. These give the city a perpetual vitality.
9. The Boston half-marathon. Because it winds through a series of beautiful parks. And because unless I maintain the same running speed at age 70, I will never quality for the marathon.


(photo by Loren Kahle, on Flickr)

friday felicitations #9

Happy Friday!

This weekend I'll be attending the ballet Coppélia with Celeste. It's been a while since we've gone to a performance (the Boston ballet has no winter shows other than The Nutcracker), so I'm looking forward to it.

I'm also planning to finally fill out my census survey. Unlike my efficient friends who did it a month ago, I've been procrastinating, and the guilt is starting to get to me. Plus I don't want the census people to come looking for me (and they really will, you know—at least, they did back in 2000).

May your weekend include both beauty and grace and the chance to cross an item or two off your to-do list!


(photo by wet behind the ears, via we heart it)

two of a kind

-Screen fiends-

My dad and Aidan on Easter weekend. Dad was surfing the web, Aidan playing a game. My sister, who took the photo, says it proves her theory that gadget love is genetic.

april bliss

Bliss equals . . .

1. leisurely Sunday mornings. (April 4)

2. resumption of water delivery to our office! We've reached the oasis. (April 15)

3. having such a poor memory that books seem like new upon rereading.
(See, every cloud does have a silver lining.) (April 25)

4. learning to do something new (in this case, transferring files
between computers over my local network). So satisfying.

(photo by annkelliott on flickr)

cubicle decor, part 3: creature comforts

My philosophy: If you're going to spend hours and hours in a place, working, and with no kitties to keep you company, then it should be both beautiful and comfortable. My cubicle is therefore outfitted with certain items that, while not strictly part of the decor, add greatly to its coziness and and my happiness.

-Fleece throw-

These include a soft fleece throw, a Christmas gift from family friends. Our office has its own microenvironment and achieves arctic conditions in the summertime due to overzealous air conditioning. Folded up, the throw also doubles handily as a pillow for quick cat naps when I'm overwhelmed by medical journal-induced drowsiness (shhh, don't tell anyone).

-Tea things-

To further combat both chills and somnolence, I indulge my love of tea. Our office water dispenser provides hot water (when there's water to be had, that is), and we keep a selection of tea bags on hand. To bring a touch of civility to cubicle life, I took a cup and saucer to work, together with a sweet little spoon and miniature bottle for cream. I found all of these at Crate and Barrel for about ten dollars total. Perusing their kitchen section is almost as thrilling to me as browsing a bookstore.

To go with my tea, I confess, I have snacks. In fact, I have a snack drawer. I know some people believe that keeping food in one's desk is a bad idea because when food is around, one tends to eat it. This is true. In my case, however, the clamor of my near-constant need to graze only grows louder if there's nothing to eat, so I stock a few munchies to avoid making even more trips to Starbucks.

Other useful items I've learned to keep around are a small stock of ibuprofen and Band-Aids and a Tide to Go pen. I can say from experience that the latter is essential if you're accident-prone and make a habit of eating at your desk.

What things do you tuck away to make work life more comfortable?

benevolent postcard studio: march

-Button stamp-

The inspirations for my March postcard were a button stamp from Paper Source (an image from which is blown up to ginormous proportions, above) and the fact that for the first time, my BPS postcard recipient was a guy.

-March BPS studio, front-

I created a simple paper collage on the front, depicting part of a green Oxford shirt and a dapper striped tie embroidered with a monogram--a J for my penpal's name.

-A light exists in Spring-

On the back, I wrote out an Emily Dickinson poem, contemplative and a bit melancholy as her poems often are.

-March BPS studio, back-

I hope the card made its way safely to its destination--this time a village on the coast of Nova Scotia!

parched

For the past week or so, we've been without water in our office. We have one of those coolers that dispenses water from five-gallon bottles--the kind upon which you invert the bottle, often with much splashing of walls and carpet--but due to some glitch involving accounts and delivery addresses, the Poland Spring guy has not delivered for some time, and it seems the mix-up won't be untangled anytime soon.

Ever since the water from the last bottle ebbed to a trickle and then to nothing, and I looked at our bottle rack and realized we had no more water, I've been afflicted with a deep and abiding thirst while at work. I've been buying individual bottles of water (I keep forgetting to bring any from home) and hoarding the leftovers in our mini-fridge, feeling like I'm on a desert journey with miles before the next oasis. (This condition magically resolves as soon as I'm home in the vicinity of my Brita pitcher.)

Today I thought of this book by Natalie Babbitt:

I first read The Search for Delicious long ago; I remember checking it out from our elementary school library. The hero is a twelve-year-old boy who is sent off to travel around the kingdom, seeking the best food to define the word "delicious" in the Prime Minister's new dictionary. Of course, no one can agree, but ultimately he discovers . . . [spoiler alert!] . . . that delicious is a drink of water when you're thirsty. Brilliant, no?

I think of the book often, particularly during the last mile of a run on a hot day. Or, these days, every time I walk past our bottle-less water cooler.