We're having a Texas storm tonight, the kind that keeps you glued to the TV--only my Dish connection went out. By then, though, I knew it was a severe storm, and almost immediately the hail started. I worried about my windows--single-paned with the old glass that is bound to be fragile (the house was built in 1922 and most of the windows are original). Apparently it's all okay, and the hail has now been replaced by thunder. Scooby is at my feet but is remarkably calm for such a stormy night. I actually enjoy a good storm (as long as I feel pretty sure there's no tornado). I went out on the porch before it hit to watch it approach, forgot I'd already set the alarm, and set it off.
Maddie, my oldest granddaughter at almost nine, is coming to spend the weekend with me--it's a first. Just Maddie and me. We talked about it last week, and she said she really wanted to do that. Edie, at five, was put out but Jamie explained it as a rite of passage thing. What five-year-old understands that language--only one who would holler, "Juju, a little help here please!"
I've been thinking of things to do with Maddie--the Main Street Arts Festival is this weekend, but that means thousands of people and miles of walking. Scratch that. We'll go shopping for her birthday present and a little consolation prize for Edie, and I'd like to go to the nursery--I think she'd enjoy choosing plants for my yard. And then Central Market, to plan our dinner for Saturday night (Maddie loves to cook and says she's going to be a chef). And we'll have to go play with Jacob.
And then Monday Jordan, Jacob and I are going to Austin. I don't know the grandsons down there--Sawyer, almost four, and Ford, about a year and a half--as well as I'd like, nor do they know me. We'll spend two nights, and I'm looking forward to it. So I'm having a grandchildren spell, which I love.
Not doing much work. I find it's easy to busy myself with reading for the office and neglect my own writing. It's a kind of inertia, and I need to overcome it. But since I'm without a defined project right now, that's hard--the Scotland book is shapeless (I could probably go to work and give it shape), the mystery sequel holds no interest until I get a nibble on the first one, and I have no assignments for children's books. So it's a dry period, as though I am waiting for something to happen that will give me a project. I do think--and this comes clear to me as I write--that I need to take myself in hand and make something happen! Pro-active--that's the term. Probably tomorrow . . . no, Maddie will be here. Probably next week. See how easy procrastination is?
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Mysteries and various musings
Susan Wittig Albert, author of the China Bayles mystery series, came to TCU today to talk to a luncheon. She was entertaining, erudite, and informative--in short, a terrific speaker. She talked about her own career, but she put it in the context of the genre and traced the development of women writing mysteries, from P.D. James to Sue Grafton's A is for Alibi to the present when there is a real explosion of women writing mysteries, so much so that they have an international organization, Sisters in Crime. I'd met Susan before and was pleased that she remembered me. When we chatted briefly, I mentioned that I'd written a mystery and didn't know what to do next. Her instant answer wa Sisters in Crime, so tonight I've joined, written a check, and am expecting miracles to happen. Albert's story is one of great luck--an editor who just happened to look at her proposal and liked it--but also one of incredible hard work and of believing in herself. Back to what Jamie said: if you believe it will happen, it will. Okay, I really believe my mystery will sell, and I just have to find the righ path. Maybe Susan Wittig Albert set me onto that path today. Meantime, I'm a big fan of her books. She passed out a bookmark with all the China Bayles books listed, and I realized I have a lot to read.
Oops. I don't know what I hit, but the above posted long before I was ready. I wanted to muse a bit on things tha puzzle me. Tonight I watched the Pennsylvania Clinton/Obama debate. I'll be darned if I can tell their basic positions apart, and I'm glad I'm no longer called on to vote for one or the other. I listen to all the arguments about which one could win for the Democrats, and I don't know what to think. I do know that John McCain is about the scariest man to come along since George W. Bush. Josseph Galloway's column the other day described Bush as not just a disaster for our country but one of Titanic proportions, and I certainly agree. And, unfortunately, I feel McCain would follow the same path and is as unpredictable and unreliable as Bush.
But other things puzzle me too--the seizure of all those children from the ranch in West Texas. I am torn. I probably really think those children were not living healthy lives--abused or not. But is it the state's business to take children from their mothers on such a mass scale? And as a mother, I sympthize with those mothers. On the other hand, I long to protect the children. I wish life came with easy answers.
And then there's the case of those teen-age girls who savagely beat a classmate. How have we raised a generation of children who could even think of that? I am appalled. I watched those videos with horror, and I wondered how I would feel if my child had done that. Except I have perfect confidence none of my children would have. How is the victim going to go on with her life? And what kind of future do the girls who did the beating have? It's almost too frightening to think about--and yet, as the grandparent of young children, soon to grow into teenagers, I have to think about it.
One a lighter note: I'm watching what I eat. Had salad plates for lunch and dinner yesterday, a small quiche and salad today at the Albert luncheon, and tonight I cooked a really good dinner for Jordan (Jacob ate his own things). I floured and sauteed chicken in wine and lemon, then sauteed a stir-fry of sugar snap peas, haricot vert, and sliced mushrooms. The peas were especially crunchy and tasted green and fresh. The big thing is that I sauteed them in a small amount of butter and added olive oil--as opposed to the tons of butter I usually use. And I haven't had a chocolate sundae in four days. Of course I expect the weight to have melted away, but I know that's not true.
Oops. I don't know what I hit, but the above posted long before I was ready. I wanted to muse a bit on things tha puzzle me. Tonight I watched the Pennsylvania Clinton/Obama debate. I'll be darned if I can tell their basic positions apart, and I'm glad I'm no longer called on to vote for one or the other. I listen to all the arguments about which one could win for the Democrats, and I don't know what to think. I do know that John McCain is about the scariest man to come along since George W. Bush. Josseph Galloway's column the other day described Bush as not just a disaster for our country but one of Titanic proportions, and I certainly agree. And, unfortunately, I feel McCain would follow the same path and is as unpredictable and unreliable as Bush.
But other things puzzle me too--the seizure of all those children from the ranch in West Texas. I am torn. I probably really think those children were not living healthy lives--abused or not. But is it the state's business to take children from their mothers on such a mass scale? And as a mother, I sympthize with those mothers. On the other hand, I long to protect the children. I wish life came with easy answers.
And then there's the case of those teen-age girls who savagely beat a classmate. How have we raised a generation of children who could even think of that? I am appalled. I watched those videos with horror, and I wondered how I would feel if my child had done that. Except I have perfect confidence none of my children would have. How is the victim going to go on with her life? And what kind of future do the girls who did the beating have? It's almost too frightening to think about--and yet, as the grandparent of young children, soon to grow into teenagers, I have to think about it.
One a lighter note: I'm watching what I eat. Had salad plates for lunch and dinner yesterday, a small quiche and salad today at the Albert luncheon, and tonight I cooked a really good dinner for Jordan (Jacob ate his own things). I floured and sauteed chicken in wine and lemon, then sauteed a stir-fry of sugar snap peas, haricot vert, and sliced mushrooms. The peas were especially crunchy and tasted green and fresh. The big thing is that I sauteed them in a small amount of butter and added olive oil--as opposed to the tons of butter I usually use. And I haven't had a chocolate sundae in four days. Of course I expect the weight to have melted away, but I know that's not true.
Monday, April 14, 2008
The trip that wasn't and other things
Tonight I should be on a plane to Scotland. It left, without us, at 5:20 from DFW. By now I've grown accustomed to the missed trip and almost put it behind me, but the day does have a certain poignancy. Jeannie's husband is doing well, will be moved from ICU to Progressive Care tomorrow and probably to a rehab facility late in the week. He's out of the woods, and that is the greatest blessing. And, I must confess that excited as I was about this trip, I am not a comfortable traveler. It was a challenge for which I'd worked myself up, so now I have that feeling of "Whew! I don't have to worry about getting on a long flight across the pond." Granted, excitement over the trip was a much more dominant emotion that uncertainty about travel, but that element is still there. Jeannie said Jim looked at her today and asked, "Is this the day you were going to Scotland?" and when she said yes, he said "You'll go later." We will, and maybe the exchange rate will be better. Meantime I've got a new book to read: The Creaky Traveler in the North West Highlands of Scotland: A Journey for the Mobile but Not Agile. Boy, does that fit me!
I've read my first novel on my Kindle, amazon's hand-held reader, and I liked it a lot. I had stockpiled books on it in preparation for Scotland and now decided I should start reading them. So I read an Aurora Teagarden mystery called Real Murders and got hooked on it. Found the Kindle every bit as easy to read as a book, though I'm sure I'm underusing it. I keep meaning to read the directions but that hasn't happened yet. Also anticipating Scotland, I'd sloughed off on the projects on my desk, but tonight I worked on my chapter for Grace & Gumption: The Cookbook and tomorrow I'll get back to being seriuos about Scots in Texas. I don't like not writing. Writing is a whole big part of who I am.
My cat and I are at war. He wants fresh food every time he's hungry, while I maintain he should eat the perfectly good food that he left behind in his bowl. I even take a spoon and fluff it up so it's easier for him to eat. Sometimes he doesn't even check the bowl. He just comes to stalk me, sits at my desk and stares at me forlornly. If I get up for anything, he leaps head of me and heads for his food dish. Now I know he's old--sixteen, I think--and needs indulging, but he's carrying it way too far. There was a period when I thought he was fading--his once luxurious tail looked like a rat's tail, he was thin, and he just didn't look well. The vet couldn't figure it out. But I sent the fantastic pointsettia I'd had since mid-December home with Melinda for her to plant, and Wywy improved quite quickly. His tail filled out; I think he gained a little weight; he was interested in my tuna fish and scrambled eggs and almost anything I ate. No poinsettia next year!
Speaking of food, I was in the doctor's office last week and I've gained eight lbs. So I'm cutting down on the outrageous amounts of butter I've been cooking with and cutting out the chocolate sundae I loved in the evening. No more Girl Scout cookies in the afternoon. And pretty much I'm off red meat, though not a strict thing. I bought a ton of vegetables when I shopped this weekend. My goal is seafood and vegetables--sounds good to me. Oh, yes, I'm off cottage cheese. Once before I quit eating cottage cheese and lost so much weight my brother was alarmed. But these days I'm not eating so much of that for breakfast and am eating oatmeal, which is supposed to make you lose weight. If I'm gaining because of oatmeal, I'm going to feel really cheated.
I've read my first novel on my Kindle, amazon's hand-held reader, and I liked it a lot. I had stockpiled books on it in preparation for Scotland and now decided I should start reading them. So I read an Aurora Teagarden mystery called Real Murders and got hooked on it. Found the Kindle every bit as easy to read as a book, though I'm sure I'm underusing it. I keep meaning to read the directions but that hasn't happened yet. Also anticipating Scotland, I'd sloughed off on the projects on my desk, but tonight I worked on my chapter for Grace & Gumption: The Cookbook and tomorrow I'll get back to being seriuos about Scots in Texas. I don't like not writing. Writing is a whole big part of who I am.
My cat and I are at war. He wants fresh food every time he's hungry, while I maintain he should eat the perfectly good food that he left behind in his bowl. I even take a spoon and fluff it up so it's easier for him to eat. Sometimes he doesn't even check the bowl. He just comes to stalk me, sits at my desk and stares at me forlornly. If I get up for anything, he leaps head of me and heads for his food dish. Now I know he's old--sixteen, I think--and needs indulging, but he's carrying it way too far. There was a period when I thought he was fading--his once luxurious tail looked like a rat's tail, he was thin, and he just didn't look well. The vet couldn't figure it out. But I sent the fantastic pointsettia I'd had since mid-December home with Melinda for her to plant, and Wywy improved quite quickly. His tail filled out; I think he gained a little weight; he was interested in my tuna fish and scrambled eggs and almost anything I ate. No poinsettia next year!
Speaking of food, I was in the doctor's office last week and I've gained eight lbs. So I'm cutting down on the outrageous amounts of butter I've been cooking with and cutting out the chocolate sundae I loved in the evening. No more Girl Scout cookies in the afternoon. And pretty much I'm off red meat, though not a strict thing. I bought a ton of vegetables when I shopped this weekend. My goal is seafood and vegetables--sounds good to me. Oh, yes, I'm off cottage cheese. Once before I quit eating cottage cheese and lost so much weight my brother was alarmed. But these days I'm not eating so much of that for breakfast and am eating oatmeal, which is supposed to make you lose weight. If I'm gaining because of oatmeal, I'm going to feel really cheated.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Thoughts for the Day . . . plus some food thoughts
Occasionally I run across musings, quotes, Biblical verses, prayers from the Common Book, things that set me to thinking. These came today in an email from one of the Sunday school classes at my church, and I thought it was worth sharing.
Six ecojustice principles
1. The Principle of Intrinsic Worth
The universe, Earth, and all its components have intrinsic worth/value.
2. The Principle of Interconnectedness
Earth is a community of interconnected living things that are mutually dependent on each other for life and survivial.
3. The Principle of Voice
Earth is a subject capable of raising its voice in celebration and against injustice.
4. The Principle of Purpose
The universe, Earth, and all its components are part of a dynamic cosmic design within which each piece has a place in the overall goal of that design.
5. The Principle of Mutual Custodianship
Earth is a balanced and diverse domain where responsible custodians can function as partners, rather than as rulers, to sustain a blanced and diverse Earth community.
6. The Principle of Resistance
Earth and its components not only suffer from inustices at the hands of humans but also actively resist them in the struggle for justice.
Seems to me there's food for thought, much thought, in those six principles.
And other thoughts--I was watching the food channel tonight, as I often do, and in one of those contests for aspiring chefs the plated dishes shown were fanciful--but I wasn't sure what the food was And it struck me that I don't want to cook fanciful. I want to cook enjoyable food, the things people like to eat. Sure, I want it to look pretty, but taste is most important. Tonight I fixed lamb burgers for Jordan and Christian--Jacob liked the lamb! But the recipe called for topping them in the bun with a salad made of spinach leaves, red onion, feta cheese nd olive oil. I'm sure the salad was for the presentation, but in truth it was hard to balance that salad on top of the burger and keep it there long enough to slap the top of the bun in place. And I'd probably have put feta on lamb anyway, but . . . . The lamb, seasoned with mint, paprika and cinnamon, was delicious but I can't see that the salad added much.
My babysitting night with Jacob went well. His mom had filled me with instructions about his bedtime routine and how to ignore his crying when put down, what to do if he woke in the night, what to do in what order in the morning, etc. Does she think I didn't raise four children? Upshot though was that I put him in his port-a-crib, kissed him, said good night and I love you, and left the room--and never heard a peep out of him Nor did he wake in the night. By 6 a.m. I thought I would have welcomed a slight bit of crying just to know he was okay. At 6:45, having let the dog out and fed the cat and had a bit of an extra nap, I peeked at him. And he was sitting up quietly, looking at me. No crying, no fuss, just sitting there. Of course, the morning went downhill from there as his energy kicked in and he managed to fall off a chair, spewing the pureed prunes he was eating everywhere and earning himself a red "booboo" on his face. By tonight he has several "booboos" on his face. Jacob goes at life full force and top speed--and frequently it comes back to bite him. Jordan and Christian have some interesting times ahead.
I'm off to bed early, sleepy, but got to finish that mystery.
Six ecojustice principles
1. The Principle of Intrinsic Worth
The universe, Earth, and all its components have intrinsic worth/value.
2. The Principle of Interconnectedness
Earth is a community of interconnected living things that are mutually dependent on each other for life and survivial.
3. The Principle of Voice
Earth is a subject capable of raising its voice in celebration and against injustice.
4. The Principle of Purpose
The universe, Earth, and all its components are part of a dynamic cosmic design within which each piece has a place in the overall goal of that design.
5. The Principle of Mutual Custodianship
Earth is a balanced and diverse domain where responsible custodians can function as partners, rather than as rulers, to sustain a blanced and diverse Earth community.
6. The Principle of Resistance
Earth and its components not only suffer from inustices at the hands of humans but also actively resist them in the struggle for justice.
Seems to me there's food for thought, much thought, in those six principles.
And other thoughts--I was watching the food channel tonight, as I often do, and in one of those contests for aspiring chefs the plated dishes shown were fanciful--but I wasn't sure what the food was And it struck me that I don't want to cook fanciful. I want to cook enjoyable food, the things people like to eat. Sure, I want it to look pretty, but taste is most important. Tonight I fixed lamb burgers for Jordan and Christian--Jacob liked the lamb! But the recipe called for topping them in the bun with a salad made of spinach leaves, red onion, feta cheese nd olive oil. I'm sure the salad was for the presentation, but in truth it was hard to balance that salad on top of the burger and keep it there long enough to slap the top of the bun in place. And I'd probably have put feta on lamb anyway, but . . . . The lamb, seasoned with mint, paprika and cinnamon, was delicious but I can't see that the salad added much.
My babysitting night with Jacob went well. His mom had filled me with instructions about his bedtime routine and how to ignore his crying when put down, what to do if he woke in the night, what to do in what order in the morning, etc. Does she think I didn't raise four children? Upshot though was that I put him in his port-a-crib, kissed him, said good night and I love you, and left the room--and never heard a peep out of him Nor did he wake in the night. By 6 a.m. I thought I would have welcomed a slight bit of crying just to know he was okay. At 6:45, having let the dog out and fed the cat and had a bit of an extra nap, I peeked at him. And he was sitting up quietly, looking at me. No crying, no fuss, just sitting there. Of course, the morning went downhill from there as his energy kicked in and he managed to fall off a chair, spewing the pureed prunes he was eating everywhere and earning himself a red "booboo" on his face. By tonight he has several "booboos" on his face. Jacob goes at life full force and top speed--and frequently it comes back to bite him. Jordan and Christian have some interesting times ahead.
I'm off to bed early, sleepy, but got to finish that mystery.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Quiet night
Shhh! Quiet! Jacob's asleep. He went down without a peep. This is his first time to spend the night with me, and his mother was more worried, I suspect, about my sleep than his. But so far, knock on wood, we're off to a good start. It's been a babysitting weekend. Yesterday I went to Frisco, got a brief glimpse of Maddie and Mel before they left on a Girl Scout camping trip, and then spent the evening with Jamie and Edie. This morning, Jamie had a sprint triathlon (he took second in his age group and sixth overall--pretty darn good!), and I stayed with Edie. At one point, she fixed me with her direct look and said, "Are you babysitting me?" I told her yes, and she asked where she would be if I hadn't come. I told her that her daddy wouldn't have done the race, and that seemed to staisfy her. Together we watched a lot of the food channel, though she insisted on turning it off because two programs in a row featured shrimp and she doesn't like shrimp.
It's been a good two days for me. Disgruntled authors and pesky business reports and all the things I worry about all the time are in the way far background. I slept heavily last night, albeit with weird dreams of which the only one I remember is that I was at the Democratic National Convention as part of Hilary's team. Is that a message? But this morning I woke feeling really good about the world, me, everything. I counted my vacation days, and I have more than I thought stockpiled, so I may take them to get that "being away from it" feeling. But I'll have to leave town! Wish I could find someone who wanted to go to Santa Fe for a week!
Weighty matters on my mind? Not many. I'm afraid I've also been escaping into mysteries. I read two more Cleo Cloyce coffeehouse mysterires, and enjoyed them, and now I'm reading--on my Kindle--an Aurora Teagarden mystery called Real Murders. I'd been saving the books on the Kindle for the Scotland trip, but now I feel I should be reading them. I find it easy to read on, though I know I'm under-utilizing all the marvelous things it will do. And I have to watch, because I occasionally hit the wrong button and it bounces from book to book. Sort of like Jamie's laptop when I tried to answer an email and it kept bouncing from line to line. I gave up.
Jamie talked to me again about his conviction that you have to believe in your goals, believe they'll come true, or they never will. That bounces me back to my mystery--I am convinced it's as good as many on the market (though the last two I've read are really erudite in references and solid in constrauction) and yet I'm not sure I believe I'll ever get it published. In a way, to me, it's like religion--a part of me would like to have a "born again" experience so that I could believe without a doubt, but I remain a liberal Christian who questions and doubts and always wonders if I've found true faith. It seems to me, in both cases, the burden is on me. And so I struggle with my mind, trying to convince it to believe.
I may start tomorrow very early, depending on Mr. Jacob. But his mom will come to get him about 9:30, and I'll go to Central Market to get stuff for dinner that night and for supper all week. I have gained some weight, and I'm going to start watching it much more carefully--all that butter I use to cook, the chocolate sauce I pile on ice cream at night. It's salads and veggies for me for a while. But tomorrow I'm cooking lamb burgers for Jordan and Christian--maybe Jacob will eat a bite. There's always an excuse for putting that diet off. But I really am going to watch. But after that Central Market trip--a good nap!
It's been a good two days for me. Disgruntled authors and pesky business reports and all the things I worry about all the time are in the way far background. I slept heavily last night, albeit with weird dreams of which the only one I remember is that I was at the Democratic National Convention as part of Hilary's team. Is that a message? But this morning I woke feeling really good about the world, me, everything. I counted my vacation days, and I have more than I thought stockpiled, so I may take them to get that "being away from it" feeling. But I'll have to leave town! Wish I could find someone who wanted to go to Santa Fe for a week!
Weighty matters on my mind? Not many. I'm afraid I've also been escaping into mysteries. I read two more Cleo Cloyce coffeehouse mysterires, and enjoyed them, and now I'm reading--on my Kindle--an Aurora Teagarden mystery called Real Murders. I'd been saving the books on the Kindle for the Scotland trip, but now I feel I should be reading them. I find it easy to read on, though I know I'm under-utilizing all the marvelous things it will do. And I have to watch, because I occasionally hit the wrong button and it bounces from book to book. Sort of like Jamie's laptop when I tried to answer an email and it kept bouncing from line to line. I gave up.
Jamie talked to me again about his conviction that you have to believe in your goals, believe they'll come true, or they never will. That bounces me back to my mystery--I am convinced it's as good as many on the market (though the last two I've read are really erudite in references and solid in constrauction) and yet I'm not sure I believe I'll ever get it published. In a way, to me, it's like religion--a part of me would like to have a "born again" experience so that I could believe without a doubt, but I remain a liberal Christian who questions and doubts and always wonders if I've found true faith. It seems to me, in both cases, the burden is on me. And so I struggle with my mind, trying to convince it to believe.
I may start tomorrow very early, depending on Mr. Jacob. But his mom will come to get him about 9:30, and I'll go to Central Market to get stuff for dinner that night and for supper all week. I have gained some weight, and I'm going to start watching it much more carefully--all that butter I use to cook, the chocolate sauce I pile on ice cream at night. It's salads and veggies for me for a while. But tomorrow I'm cooking lamb burgers for Jordan and Christian--maybe Jacob will eat a bite. There's always an excuse for putting that diet off. But I really am going to watch. But after that Central Market trip--a good nap!
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Musings
I wish I had weighty thoughts to share, but I don't have a one. My real feeling is that too much has landed on my plate in the last two weeks, and I'm tired. I thought that when I went to the grocery today about 1:30 and my legs felt incredibly tired. Came home, put away groceries, tidied up some details, and had a good nap.
It's no good detailing what all has hit me. Most of you know about Jeannie's husband's aneurysm and our cancelled trip to Scotland. The good news is that he is doing wonderfully well, pretty much a miracle--last night he was sitting up in bed watching CNN. He has a long haul ahead of him, lots of rehab, but it's all positive. I've spent the last week cancelling railroad tickets, airline tickets, b&b reservations, etc. The great good news today was that I can apply for a refund for the tickets without going to the airport--considering that there were thousands and thousands of disgruntled people at DFW because of American's cancelled flights, this was really a good thing. Lightened my load a lot.
Tomorrow I'll go to Frisco. Maddie and her mom are going camping with her Brownie troop, so I'll "hang out" with Jamie and Edie. Home again Saturday to babysit Jacob--first time we've tried having him spend the night. I'm probably not as apprehensive as his mom is. But I do know that I have somehow killed my right shoulder--it's hurts all the time, sometimes acutely, sometimes a dull ache. So picking chunk-a-munk Jacob up will be a challenge. I think I've figured out a left-handed way to do it, if he cooperates. Being with children and granchildren is the kind of relaxation I need--and takes me away from office matters, which have been a bit frustrating lately. I discovered I have 21 days of vacation accrued--I may just run and play for three weeks. Wish I could make myself do that, but I will take some time.
Tonight I experimented and fixed myself a sort-of version of middle Eastern stuffed zucchini. My sort-of version turned out to be bland, so I put a bunch of salt on it--ah, bad. I discovered today, at the doctor's office, that I weigh a whole lot more than I want to, so I'm going to watch cooking with butter, etc., and some of my other bad habits. Ground meat? It's going to be buffao, except that I think I'll make lamb burgers for Jacob's parents Sunday night. (There's always that "except" . . . .)
I found an author whose mysteries I relaly like. Cleo Cloyce who writes a series set in a coffeehouse in Greenwich Village. Such fun to discover a new author. Problem is I zip through all the books. But I have a lot of books on my Kindle that are unread--I was saving them for Scotland, but now I'll start on them--and I'll take the Kindle to Frisco tomorrow.
I'm also going to carry a backpack instead of a purse. I think that might ease my shoulder. We'll see. Maybe I'll look like a college student :-)
It's no good detailing what all has hit me. Most of you know about Jeannie's husband's aneurysm and our cancelled trip to Scotland. The good news is that he is doing wonderfully well, pretty much a miracle--last night he was sitting up in bed watching CNN. He has a long haul ahead of him, lots of rehab, but it's all positive. I've spent the last week cancelling railroad tickets, airline tickets, b&b reservations, etc. The great good news today was that I can apply for a refund for the tickets without going to the airport--considering that there were thousands and thousands of disgruntled people at DFW because of American's cancelled flights, this was really a good thing. Lightened my load a lot.
Tomorrow I'll go to Frisco. Maddie and her mom are going camping with her Brownie troop, so I'll "hang out" with Jamie and Edie. Home again Saturday to babysit Jacob--first time we've tried having him spend the night. I'm probably not as apprehensive as his mom is. But I do know that I have somehow killed my right shoulder--it's hurts all the time, sometimes acutely, sometimes a dull ache. So picking chunk-a-munk Jacob up will be a challenge. I think I've figured out a left-handed way to do it, if he cooperates. Being with children and granchildren is the kind of relaxation I need--and takes me away from office matters, which have been a bit frustrating lately. I discovered I have 21 days of vacation accrued--I may just run and play for three weeks. Wish I could make myself do that, but I will take some time.
Tonight I experimented and fixed myself a sort-of version of middle Eastern stuffed zucchini. My sort-of version turned out to be bland, so I put a bunch of salt on it--ah, bad. I discovered today, at the doctor's office, that I weigh a whole lot more than I want to, so I'm going to watch cooking with butter, etc., and some of my other bad habits. Ground meat? It's going to be buffao, except that I think I'll make lamb burgers for Jacob's parents Sunday night. (There's always that "except" . . . .)
I found an author whose mysteries I relaly like. Cleo Cloyce who writes a series set in a coffeehouse in Greenwich Village. Such fun to discover a new author. Problem is I zip through all the books. But I have a lot of books on my Kindle that are unread--I was saving them for Scotland, but now I'll start on them--and I'll take the Kindle to Frisco tomorrow.
I'm also going to carry a backpack instead of a purse. I think that might ease my shoulder. We'll see. Maybe I'll look like a college student :-)
Monday, April 07, 2008
My mind is still boggled
I had lunch with my friend and mentor Fred Erisman today--he hand-carried me through graduate school and remains a good friend and source of advice and incidental knowledge (as well as a TCU Press author). He invited me to lunch as a send-off for my trip to Scotland that now is not to be. But when he asked about my gut feeling about TCU Press, I answered in terms of the energy I felt I didn't have, at least not as much as ten years ago. When I got home I realized I was exhausted, my shoulder hurt, my foot hurt, and I was hardly worth worrying about. I had answered out of the depths of not being myself. It's been that kind of a week, from the grant application to the author who claimed I was ruining TCU Press, from Jim Chaffee's emergency surgery to the cancellation of our much-dreamed-of Scotland trip. And top all that off with a garden party for 200 people. No wonder I'm exhausted!
Jim Chaffee is holding his own, not out of the woods, still critical, but, amazingly, still with us. His doctors are calling him a miracle man. That's the most important news, and the only thing that really matters. But the worry is not over, and Jeannie's reaction tonight was, "I'm okay," a sort of controlled okay. She has lots of family around her, which is a blessing.
Ah, but the party. We had 200 people wandering through the most wonderful garden. Set on an acre and a half, it is full of trees, seating areas, a patio here and a pergola there, sculpture everywhere. And the spring bloom was out--redbuds already gone, but wildflowers blooming, a marvelous climbing rose, lots of color. One friend said to me, "Look. There's a piece of sculpture that broke, and they set the two pieces near each other, and it looks great. If I did that, it would look like two broken pieces of sculpture." Eclectic is a mild way of describing this bit of paradise. We served lemonade--a huge hit--and white wine, cheese, crackers, chip and dip, grapes and cookies, and were almost on target with the amount of everything we bought--except we had a lot of wine left over. The TCU Bookstore sold books; two students played harp and violin--perfect garden music, and I could have lingered and listened all afternoon--but I was busy checking on this, that and the other, making more lemonade, being sure the ticket takers were okay, etc. etc. No wonder I was tired today, but the party was a huge success. Many many guests, as they left, commented on what a good time they'd had. And they bought lots of books.
I'm beginning to regroup. I've put away all the Scotland stuff that I had piled on the guest bed, and I'm thinking about short trips to Austin to see my grandsons there and to Tolar (out in the country) to stay with my brother and his wife for a night or two. As all the relatives involved said, it's a poor substitute for Scotland, but these short trips will be getting away.
Tonight Jordan and Jacob came for supper, and that was a great pick-me-up. Jacob is a little flirt--he cocks his head and looks sideways out of his eyes, which are dancing with laughter. Then he grins and laughs aloud. I gave him a surprise--a delicious shortbread cookie left from yesterday--and he threw his arms up exuberantly and yelled, "Juju! Surprise!" I fixed blade steaks tonight--a cut I knew nothing about until I found a recipe somewhere. It even puzzled the butcher, but he figured it out. I cut them in chunks and coated with olive oil, rosemary and garlic, and then threaded the meat onto bamboo skewers that I had soaked for about 30 minutes. They still burned under the broiler, and Jordan went all over the house trying to figure out what was burning and smelled soooo good. I didn't realize until I took them out of the broiler (5 minutes, no turning, and they were a shade too well done but very tender). Steak with buttered broccoli and blue-cheese salad--so good. Jacob ate his first steak and kept saying, "Mo. . . mo . . . "
My energy level is coming back, and I expect to be myself tomorrow. Now if my darned shoulder would only cooperate!
Jim Chaffee is holding his own, not out of the woods, still critical, but, amazingly, still with us. His doctors are calling him a miracle man. That's the most important news, and the only thing that really matters. But the worry is not over, and Jeannie's reaction tonight was, "I'm okay," a sort of controlled okay. She has lots of family around her, which is a blessing.
Ah, but the party. We had 200 people wandering through the most wonderful garden. Set on an acre and a half, it is full of trees, seating areas, a patio here and a pergola there, sculpture everywhere. And the spring bloom was out--redbuds already gone, but wildflowers blooming, a marvelous climbing rose, lots of color. One friend said to me, "Look. There's a piece of sculpture that broke, and they set the two pieces near each other, and it looks great. If I did that, it would look like two broken pieces of sculpture." Eclectic is a mild way of describing this bit of paradise. We served lemonade--a huge hit--and white wine, cheese, crackers, chip and dip, grapes and cookies, and were almost on target with the amount of everything we bought--except we had a lot of wine left over. The TCU Bookstore sold books; two students played harp and violin--perfect garden music, and I could have lingered and listened all afternoon--but I was busy checking on this, that and the other, making more lemonade, being sure the ticket takers were okay, etc. etc. No wonder I was tired today, but the party was a huge success. Many many guests, as they left, commented on what a good time they'd had. And they bought lots of books.
I'm beginning to regroup. I've put away all the Scotland stuff that I had piled on the guest bed, and I'm thinking about short trips to Austin to see my grandsons there and to Tolar (out in the country) to stay with my brother and his wife for a night or two. As all the relatives involved said, it's a poor substitute for Scotland, but these short trips will be getting away.
Tonight Jordan and Jacob came for supper, and that was a great pick-me-up. Jacob is a little flirt--he cocks his head and looks sideways out of his eyes, which are dancing with laughter. Then he grins and laughs aloud. I gave him a surprise--a delicious shortbread cookie left from yesterday--and he threw his arms up exuberantly and yelled, "Juju! Surprise!" I fixed blade steaks tonight--a cut I knew nothing about until I found a recipe somewhere. It even puzzled the butcher, but he figured it out. I cut them in chunks and coated with olive oil, rosemary and garlic, and then threaded the meat onto bamboo skewers that I had soaked for about 30 minutes. They still burned under the broiler, and Jordan went all over the house trying to figure out what was burning and smelled soooo good. I didn't realize until I took them out of the broiler (5 minutes, no turning, and they were a shade too well done but very tender). Steak with buttered broccoli and blue-cheese salad--so good. Jacob ate his first steak and kept saying, "Mo. . . mo . . . "
My energy level is coming back, and I expect to be myself tomorrow. Now if my darned shoulder would only cooperate!
Friday, April 04, 2008
A mind-boggling day
This has been a day when three big--and I mean big--things demanded my attention, and my mind is reeling tonight. This morning about 8, Jeannie called in hysterics--I couldn't get much out of her except that her husband was in surgery and she was at the hospital just down the street from me. I ran to the hospital which, like most hospitals today, is a conglomeration of buildings added on then and now and the most confusing place I've ever been. Trying to find Jeannie involved a comedy of errors including opening what I thought was a second-floor door only to almost walk out on space and a construction site. I finally found her, pacing the hall. Jim was in surgery for a ruptured aortic aneurysm, and the surgeon told her it didn't look good. When we went into the waiting room, she introduced me to her daugher-in-law as the friend she WAS going to Scotland with--of course, the trip is off! I stayed for an hour, but Jeannie had family around her--and I had things to do. Tonight I'm pleased to report that Jim is in ICU although he doesn't look like himself at all--Jeannie says she's never seen so many tubes. But he's apparently holding his own after a long and traumatic surgery--and a brief return to surgery.
Sunday TCU Press is giving "Books & Music in the Garden," an event I hope will be memorable. The garden is an acre-and-a-half that belongs to a member of our advisory board and was on the Nature Conservancy Tour in 2006. We'll serve wine and lemonade, chip and dip, cheese, and cookies, and people can wander in the garden, talk with the authors, etc. BUT Jeannie was catering the event--which now means I'm catering it, which is a scary thought. I went shopping today and sort of blindly bought all the food. Wine was easy, because the liquor store guides you but food was a pure guess on my part. We'll see on Sunday.
And, meantime, there's Scotland. There trip we planned for months is indefinitely postponed. We agreed this morning that we'll go--just not right now. But it requires a lot of re-thinking. Suddenly my calendar is bare for two weeks, when I thought I'd be gone. The guest bed is piled high with things to be packed for a trip that now won't be. There are people to notify, tickets to cancel, reservations to change--I've waded into it and done pretty well, but it's daunting. And the most daunting is that it requires a major major change in thinking.
I keep thinking to myself, "You're not going to Scotland. You can relax and fritter away the time." Wrong! I have those 150 people on Sunday to worry about. So before I begin to put away all that stuff on the guest bed, I have to get out serving pieces. Jeannie knew in her head what she was going to use where--but I don't have any such sure knowledge.
I have good support--a good friend and a TCU Press author went shopping with me today, another friend and member of our advisory council is helping with serving dishes and going with me to greet the rental table people tomorrow. We'll all muddle through this, Jim will get well, and Jeannie and I will go to Scotland later. But it sure is mind-boggling tonight--and I'm tired.
Sunday TCU Press is giving "Books & Music in the Garden," an event I hope will be memorable. The garden is an acre-and-a-half that belongs to a member of our advisory board and was on the Nature Conservancy Tour in 2006. We'll serve wine and lemonade, chip and dip, cheese, and cookies, and people can wander in the garden, talk with the authors, etc. BUT Jeannie was catering the event--which now means I'm catering it, which is a scary thought. I went shopping today and sort of blindly bought all the food. Wine was easy, because the liquor store guides you but food was a pure guess on my part. We'll see on Sunday.
And, meantime, there's Scotland. There trip we planned for months is indefinitely postponed. We agreed this morning that we'll go--just not right now. But it requires a lot of re-thinking. Suddenly my calendar is bare for two weeks, when I thought I'd be gone. The guest bed is piled high with things to be packed for a trip that now won't be. There are people to notify, tickets to cancel, reservations to change--I've waded into it and done pretty well, but it's daunting. And the most daunting is that it requires a major major change in thinking.
I keep thinking to myself, "You're not going to Scotland. You can relax and fritter away the time." Wrong! I have those 150 people on Sunday to worry about. So before I begin to put away all that stuff on the guest bed, I have to get out serving pieces. Jeannie knew in her head what she was going to use where--but I don't have any such sure knowledge.
I have good support--a good friend and a TCU Press author went shopping with me today, another friend and member of our advisory council is helping with serving dishes and going with me to greet the rental table people tomorrow. We'll all muddle through this, Jim will get well, and Jeannie and I will go to Scotland later. But it sure is mind-boggling tonight--and I'm tired.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Sushi and other stuff
Betty and I went for sushi tonight. We like to go to the Tokyo Cafe, where I am in a real rut--I order salmon sashimi, the appetizer portion of chicken yakitori, and the dinner salad, which has a slightly sweet dressing that I would dislike anywhere else but really like there. But they have a new chef, who's brought new ideas, and they got a great review in the newspaper, along with several recommendations for dishes I didn't know they had. So both of us branched out. I had the abalone tostada--an abalone salad (much like I'd make crab salad but with a real subtle kick of spice) on a fried wonton--absolutely wonderful. Betty had something with shrimp (she always does that, and I say she does it to spite me because I'm allergic) in an avocado half, which she declared was equally wonderful. Then we split a "Crunchy Roll"--salmon, scallions, cream cheese, and I don't know what in rice topped with panko crumbs to make it crunchy. Terrific! I particularly liked that the roll didn't have seaweed around it--I do try to be "trendy" but I don't like dealing with seaweed (texture, I guess, not taste) and I don't like seaweed salad.
Old age is fast creeping up on me. The latest sign was that I went to the podiatrist today to have my toe nails cut. If you'd told me a year ago that I couldn't cut my own toe nails, I'd have scoffed. But they get tough and thick, and I have one unmanageable nail--it grows so thick I can't cut it. He cut, trimmed, and generally cleaned up all my nails and my troublesome corn and told me to come back in two months. I remember a podiatrist friend who said if you can keep elderly feet comfortable you can keep patients happy and functioning. I think it's true, and I intend to take care of my feet, which I took for granted for too many years.
My Scotland trip is almost upon me, and I'm making practical plans all the time--someone to stay in the house, getting the sprinkler system repaired, animal care, etc. And I'm making travel plans--checking the medication supply, laying out clothes, etc. I've never been "across the pond" so this is a biggie for me--and one of the longest vacations I've taken. I have lots of mixed feelings--mostly excitement and anticipation, but a bit of anxiety that is accompanied by a wish that it would just get here so I could stop anticipating. I truly know that once I'm there I'll have a wonderful time, and I'm envisioning all kinds of happy scenes in ancient castles and on windswept coasts--okay, I'm a bit of a romantic!
Meantime, I can't settle down to much work, so I've given up the idea of serious writing for the next two weeks. And I've requested that Jordan and Christian come for a send-off dinner the night before I go--and maybe Jamie and his family. I feel about this trip like I do about my approaching 70th birthday--it's a big, once-in-a-lifetime deal!
This weekend TCU Press has its big springtime event--Books & Music in the Garden. We've got about 150 people registered, so I'm pretty excited. And I need to marshal my thoughts on that and not Scotland. Someone asked if it was being catered, and I replied, "Yep. Jeannie and me." Lots to be done.
Old age is fast creeping up on me. The latest sign was that I went to the podiatrist today to have my toe nails cut. If you'd told me a year ago that I couldn't cut my own toe nails, I'd have scoffed. But they get tough and thick, and I have one unmanageable nail--it grows so thick I can't cut it. He cut, trimmed, and generally cleaned up all my nails and my troublesome corn and told me to come back in two months. I remember a podiatrist friend who said if you can keep elderly feet comfortable you can keep patients happy and functioning. I think it's true, and I intend to take care of my feet, which I took for granted for too many years.
My Scotland trip is almost upon me, and I'm making practical plans all the time--someone to stay in the house, getting the sprinkler system repaired, animal care, etc. And I'm making travel plans--checking the medication supply, laying out clothes, etc. I've never been "across the pond" so this is a biggie for me--and one of the longest vacations I've taken. I have lots of mixed feelings--mostly excitement and anticipation, but a bit of anxiety that is accompanied by a wish that it would just get here so I could stop anticipating. I truly know that once I'm there I'll have a wonderful time, and I'm envisioning all kinds of happy scenes in ancient castles and on windswept coasts--okay, I'm a bit of a romantic!
Meantime, I can't settle down to much work, so I've given up the idea of serious writing for the next two weeks. And I've requested that Jordan and Christian come for a send-off dinner the night before I go--and maybe Jamie and his family. I feel about this trip like I do about my approaching 70th birthday--it's a big, once-in-a-lifetime deal!
This weekend TCU Press has its big springtime event--Books & Music in the Garden. We've got about 150 people registered, so I'm pretty excited. And I need to marshal my thoughts on that and not Scotland. Someone asked if it was being catered, and I replied, "Yep. Jeannie and me." Lots to be done.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Crocs
They're trendy. My granddaughters wear them. I think Jacob even has them. I found a pair in the Footsmart catalog with the label Rx and a description for "challenged feet"--they don't rub, crowd, and do allow circulation, etc. --good for diabetics, etc. Well, of course, I thought they'd give my hammer toe room and give me good footing, so I ordered a pair. A little tentative, I didn't order the bright red but something called brown or some such--I don't remember. Maddie had been so pleased when I bought Sketchers--she had Sketchers, too, she told me. So I thought she'd really like it if her grandmother had Crocs.
Well, they came Friday, the ugliest, dullest color I've ever seen. And I could almost fit both my feet in one shoe! Melinda looked at them and said, "Well, they're not quite as cute as the silver Merrells you just bought!" Understatement! I couldn't wait to ship them back. Maybe medium in another color would do, but now I'm gun-shy.
I've been trying to take good care of my feet because there was a spell a couple of weeks ago when they hurt with every step I took--not good for tramping over the Scottish highlands. Jeannie told me she buys athletic shoes a half size larger--made a magic difference. And I bought shoes--Merrells and Dr. Scholls--with fabric tops, not leather. They have more give and don't put pressure on the hammer toe. My search for the perfect shoes has led me down some blind alleys, and there are shoes I've just bought that I'm going to have to sacrifice. But at this point comfort is the ONLY thing that matters.
I remember a podiatrist I once knew who said if you can keep the feet of the elderly comfortable, you can keep them functioning in society--and I can surely see how it's true. (No, I'm not elderly yet--that's a state of mind, not a function of age!) Surgery on my bunions or hammer toe? Nope. I've seen too many people with chronically painful feet after surgery.
I think with my two new pairs of shoes and a pair of my favorite Keds, I'm set for my trip.
Now if I could figure out the rest of my wardrobe . . . .
Well, they came Friday, the ugliest, dullest color I've ever seen. And I could almost fit both my feet in one shoe! Melinda looked at them and said, "Well, they're not quite as cute as the silver Merrells you just bought!" Understatement! I couldn't wait to ship them back. Maybe medium in another color would do, but now I'm gun-shy.
I've been trying to take good care of my feet because there was a spell a couple of weeks ago when they hurt with every step I took--not good for tramping over the Scottish highlands. Jeannie told me she buys athletic shoes a half size larger--made a magic difference. And I bought shoes--Merrells and Dr. Scholls--with fabric tops, not leather. They have more give and don't put pressure on the hammer toe. My search for the perfect shoes has led me down some blind alleys, and there are shoes I've just bought that I'm going to have to sacrifice. But at this point comfort is the ONLY thing that matters.
I remember a podiatrist I once knew who said if you can keep the feet of the elderly comfortable, you can keep them functioning in society--and I can surely see how it's true. (No, I'm not elderly yet--that's a state of mind, not a function of age!) Surgery on my bunions or hammer toe? Nope. I've seen too many people with chronically painful feet after surgery.
I think with my two new pairs of shoes and a pair of my favorite Keds, I'm set for my trip.
Now if I could figure out the rest of my wardrobe . . . .
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