TCU Mystery Weekend and so much else

I know it's Sunday night, and I should be posting on Potluck with Judy, but I'm still bursting with excitement over my weekend. Late Friday afternoon, I was honored to be the kickoff mystery author at TCU's Mystery Weekend. Thirty-one people attended, including three men. Longtime friend Shari Barnes, who teaches a non-credit mystery course, interviewed me, and as always she made me look much smarter than I am. The attendees were attentive, encouraging, and they had questions A nice touch--the caterers had prepared Doris' casserole, which comes from my cookbook, along with three kinds of cookies also from the cookbook. I didn't sell many books but that was okay--most of the people had already read them. And I understand some of the participants want the cookbook--should have brought some with me.
After dinner and the discussion, we boarded a bus for Austin--Jordan and Jacob had driven down the day before so I was grateful for a seat on the bus. Really nice new coach, good driver--and two major accidents that tied up I-35 so that our trip was longer than expected. But Megan came to get me, at the hotel where they were staying, and I spent the rest of my weekend with my two daughters and three of my grandsons. Lazy but fun. Ate too much.
We went to Shady Grove for lunch--if you know Austin, you'll recognize the name. Here's Megan and me at the restaurant

 

Discovered that my oldest grandson, Sawyer, who will turn nine in July, is a real bookworm. You have to pry the book out of his hands to get him to go to bed at night, and I predict he'll soon discover the trick of a flashlight under the covers--hurray for him! He was reading the third in the Percy Jackson series, Curse of the Titans, and was almost through. He was also most impressed that I once interviewed the author, Rick Riordan, over the phone. This is Sawyer at the restaurant, when his cousins were running around the play area. I so love having my grandchildren become readers.

 

 

The cousins played, swam a bit (the water is still so cold), jumped on the trampoline, went to Ford's baseball game, but they also showed that they are the children of the electronic age. Here the three of them are this morning (I think the grim looks were because they knew I was taking a picture)

 

 

All said, it was a great visit, mostly hanging out at the house. I read, watched while the girls cooked (how our roles have reversed), sat on the porch and drank wine with them, and thoroughly enjoyed myself, especially seeing my oldest daughter who I don't see often enough. Kudos to Jordan for arranging the trip, driving, and generally being her efficient self. She makes my life shine. 



Politics, potato salad, and a beautiful memorial service

Jordan, my former neighbor and Canadian daughter, Sue, and I went to Susan's mother's memorial service this morning. It was one of the loveliest services I've ever been to, each component carefully chosen. The congregation sang, "How Great Thou Art" and 'Here am I," both favorites of mine. the string quartet carried each of us away into private meditation; the eulogies were moving and made me wish oh so much I'd known Kay Halbower in her heyday; and the Twenty-third Psalm brought tears, as it always can in such a situation; our minister delivered a moving but very celebratory message, stressing that Kay was charming, caring, and unconventional. I see all those traits in her daughter, my friend Susan. I told Jordan to take notes for my funeral, and she said to put them in my file. When I complimented Larry, the minister, I said it was just what I wanted my funeral to be and after thanking me, he said, "Don't be in a hurry." I'm not, but I was truly moved by that service this morning.
From that emotional topic, on to politics. There's a Facebook page called Dogs Against Romney, all built around that infamous time when Governor Romney drove his family to Minnesota or Michigan or some far place, with the family dog in a crate on the roof. The idea outrages animal lovers, as it should, but I long ago decided I don't need to see pictures every day of dogs who ride inside. A friend who did not know of the site, said, "Now that's absolutely silly," when I told him about it. But couple that with the stories of Romney's bullying tactics in high school and I truly begin to think he's not the kind of man I want to lead our country. Romney denied the stories, then admitted maybe some of his pranks got out of hand--we'll never know the truth but I just heard the family of the "victim" said the story was distorted and they were angry it was used for political purposes. But there's that old saying that you can tell a lot about a man by the way he treats his dog. Those of you that know me, know I wasn't going to vote for him anyway. These are just idle speculations.
And finally potato salad--I've labored in the kitchen a lot this week, and today I made a huge batch of potato salad for our family reunion tomorrow. What bothers me--really bothers my back--about making potato salad is all the standing and chopping, but I did it in stages today. Peeled and diced the already cooked, cold potatoes and then sat at my desk for a bit; then the celery and another break; finally pulsed the onions in the food processor. There are a couple of dilemmas here--one is that my mom taught me you should peel hot potatoes and pour some kind of vinaigrette on them while they're hot and will soak it up; the recipe I use calls for cold potatoes and, trust me, it is so much eaiser! Sorry, Mom.
The other dilemma has to do with food safety. We will drive at least an hour to get to the ranch tomorrow, and I began to have doubts about unrefrigerated potato salad. Besides, it has a lot of sour cream in it, and I think it gets watery pretty quickly. I talked to Cindy, my sister-in-law, and she thought I should make it tonight to let the flavors blend. Compromise: I've put on all the dry seasonings--salt, coarse pepper (lots of it!), celery and garlic salt and dill pickle relish. I'll put the mayo and sour cream in a refrigerator container and mix it all up when I get there. The recipe I use is from a barbecue restaurant in Austin and San Antonio so I don't feel free to repeat it, but if you want you might search Google for County Line Potato Salad. Like the casserole I made the other night, this will feed Cox's army.
A long, lazy evening looms, and and I welcome it. Jamie, Mel, and their girls will be here "after work" depending on how long it takes them to drive from Frisco--lately the Friday night traffic has been awful, and they're not known for fast starts. I don't expect them very early, but the guest apartment is ready, the a/c on. And I'm happy.

There's something about Fridays

Today I felt like a balloon--if you let a little bit of air (or energy) out of me, I'd collapse in a puddle on the ground. I was home after errands early, had an early lunch and a nice nap--the kind where the alarm comes as a grand intrusion when it's time to get up and go get Jacob from school. After Jordan picked up Jacob, I went back to bed for a second nap. Never did really sleep, just dozed, but I was so comfortable I had to make myself get up, feed the dogs and myself. It's a nice lazy feeling, and I'm wondering how many of you find Fridays give you that sense? I think I had some obligation every night this week, plus I was trying to write furiously and I have come to a stopping point on that--not finished but much more comfortable with where I am. So maybe that's why I'm like a deflated balloon tonight, but it's a nice feeling, and I intend to enjoy it.
My Austin kids--Megan Brandon and the two boys, Sawyer and Ford--are probably about at Hillsboro now on their way to Fort Worth, so it won't be that lazy a weekend. But I'm looking forward to it. I think life will keep getting busier between now and the holidays, so I can enjoy an evening of laziness. Hope you are too.

A new baby, garden news, and anticipation

My nephew Russ and his wife Beth welcomed their third child yesterday--how could I have forgotten that in last night's blog? So far, the little boy has a middle name (his mom's maiden name) but no first name. He was ten days early and and on a breathing machine. It's not, Russ assures me, a serious problem, but little "no name yet" will stay in the hospital when Mom goes home tomorrow. (Both Mom and Dad in this case are physicians, so I take their word for it!) So we  rejoice in this addition to the family. John now has four grandchildren and is expecting a fifth in September--he's catching up to me! He said yesterday he never imagined himself having grandchildren and he couldn't be more delighted--and I couldn't be happier for him.
Greg ate the first fig of my bountiful crop today--I told him the first one was his--and said it was delicious and sweeet. He's going to start walking up every evening or so to check our harvest, so we can get them before the squirrels and birds do. Some really huge figs on the tree--previous years the yard man always trimmed the tree way back--Greg let it grow out into the yard so it got sun, and the result is this huge crop, many still small but the big ones grew a lot in a week. He also discovered a big stand of poke sallet growing behind my garage. I've eaten it--Aunt Reva (Charles' late wife) used to cook it, with the strong warning that it was poison and you had to boil it, drain it, and boil it again. I don't remember much about the taste, though since I like spinach I suppose I liked it. Greg says it has a bitter taste. His grandmother or someone used to boil it and then fry it, but I'm a bit leery. I did call Charles and tell him I had it, and he says I need to be brave and cook it. What I need is an good old elderly Texas cook. I doubt there are many around who remember cooking poke sallet.
Part of the pleasure of any happy event is anticipation, and I am filled with anticipation today for the arrival sometime this evening of the Houston Alters and the Frisco Alters, plus Jacob will be here at six. I am not planning dinner for any of the others--their arrival time is uncertain. I'd planned to cook casseroles, but the boys both said not to and they were right--I'd have ended up with a lot of leftover casserole I don't need, and I'd have spent the morning cooking. As it is, I cleaned the house (superficially, I admit, but all the linens are clean), did my yoga, and piddled. A most pleasant day.
Of course anticipation has its downside--it's the enemy of anxiety. It's not that you can't walk across that open space or drive on that highway, it's anticipating it that gets you. But I'm not thinking about that today. This is a happy day!

New projects--and a day with Jacob

My work at TCU Press, even in retirement, is winding down. The new director starts June 1. He's someone I've known, respected, and liked a lot, and I'm pleased as punch. It was nice to be weaned from the press, rather than abruptly separated, but now I'll have to turn my attention to other projects, although I still expect to have minimal involvement with the press. Tonight I finally outlined that mystery I've been working on (most English teachers wouldn't call it an outline--it'sless than half a page, but I know what's going to happen and whodunit), and I'm ready to go back to it. I also have what I think is a cool idea for a nonfiction Texas book, but I need to do some exploration before I'm ready to present a proposal. It's a book that I don't think has been done before--but, shoot, I'm not sharing the idea with anyone, even on this blog.
I'm also going to have to work harder at building my social schedule--I don't like days without any social contact, and I don't have many of them. But if I'm to stay at home and write all day, I need to make sure I have human contact as many days as possible. I'm not cut out to be a recluse.
In the last months of my discontent, when I've been voraciously reading instead of writing, I have I think absorbed a lot about the structure of mysteries--and the things I like about some, don't like about others. I'm hoping that will send me back to the Blue Plate Cafe series with renewed enthusiasm, although probably not until Monday. This weekend will be occupied with grocery shopping, cooking, family, etc. Already I'm wondering how to fit it all in, but Megan wants to take her boys to visit Uncle Charles, which I think is a swell idea. So it will be hectic--gosh, I might even have to give up my afternoon nap!
Jacob didn't feel well today, had a slight fever, and Jordan was hesitant to send him to school where he'd run, play and get all tired out, so after I went to the store, I had him for the rest of the day. He was cheerful, mostly wanted to watch a DVD,ate a good lunch but did nap for two hours. I went in to tell him it was time to turn off the TV and sleep, but he was already sound asleep. Later, he insisted, "I didn't shut my eyes." Sure, Jacob. When his mom came, a little after five, we were outside. Jacob has been following a particular small spider in my garden, and today he announced it's still there. Some bugs scare him,and others fascinate him--he was frantic when he thought I was going to hurt the spider when all I was reaching to do was dead-head a coreopsis.
After Jacob and Jordan left, Sue, my former neighbor, arrived for a glass of wine on the porch like old times, and we had a good visit. There was just the slightest hint of cool in the breeze. We're predicted to have storms this evening, but so far none. They're in the air, though, because Scooby overturned his dinner dish and didn't eat the food--a desperate sign on his part.

Retirement, recipes, and cooking

So far, after one day, retirement is great. I slept late (well, 7:30 is late for me), went to the grocery, came home and answered emails, piddled, etc., and went to Neiman's for lunch with Jeannie and Jean. They asked what I was going to do with my afternoon, and I said I had a couple of difficult contracts to work on, and they asked, "This is retirement?" But it is. I worked on those contracts in my new comfy nightshirt with a glass of wine and then had a good nap. I still, of course, get a great deal of emails that I need to forward to one person or another, and the Sisters in Crime emails are enough to keep a person busy all day--yet I'm afraid I'll miss some nugget of valuable information if I don't read them all.
Tonight I've been editing recipes in Grace & Gumption: The Cookbok. Almost two years ago we published the original Grace & Gumption: Stories of Fort Woth Women, with fourteen contributors. Most of them were enthusiastic when I suggested a cookbook with recipes from women in the first book--we did have to recruit a couple of new writers. Katie Sherrod, who edited the first book, agreed to edit if I would edit recipes, which I have thoroughly enjoyed doing. Now I'm on the lookout for recipes we could cook for our Bookish Frogs group for a social function next summer--some are good, some are appalling, and way too many are for desserts. I'm almost through going over chapters for the first time. When I go back I'll list those we could use for an event. As you can tell, I have not at all separated myself from TCU Press, except that I no longer have the burden of decisions, running things, and keeping regular office hours, etc. It's a really good feeling, and yet I'm still doing work I enjoy.
Tomorrow all the children and grandchildren arrive, and I will be busy cooking much of the weekend. I look forward to it and to the visit. I'm liable to be really spoiled with two family weekends in a row. We will have dinner at my house Friday and Sunday, go out for Saturday supper. Tomorrow I'll get the boys to grill flank steak and I'll fix a Greek meal with hummus, Greek salad (Jordan's contribution), dolmas and pita bread. Sunday I think I'll do an enchilada casserole using polenta instead of tortillas (I may share some of those recipes in coming blogs). Saturday noon Jamie is cooking his pulled pork about which he is very enthusiastic, and Megan will fix cole slaw following the recipe from Austin's Salt Lick--it has no mayonnaise, which Megan does not like.
I'm excited about another family weekend and feeling good about retirement--my lunch calendar is full for the next two weeks. What could be better? I think my ideal day is to sleep late, linger over the paper and coffe (slim as the paper is these days), piddle, answer emails, etc., go to lunch, then come home, do some work, nap, dinner, do lots more work, and finish the day with a book. How lucky am I?