"Stars"

I used to drive to Mercer Island fairly frequently, and I would always marvel at the unique tone of light in the sky over Lake Washington that you see at the time the sun goes down. When I moved away, I knew it would be one of the things I missed most.

One of the things that I liked about living in suburbia was that I could see the stars. City living isn't exactly conducive to stargazing, you know. So I thought I would miss the stars.

Lately I was doodling along on the interwebz and I came across this link. At first I was incredulous, and my reaction was immediate indignation that Simon would roll his eyes, and then they started singing, and I was blown away. I just wish all the screaming girls would be quiet so I could have heard the 'faultlessness' of their performance.

Here, for your listening pleasure:

I don't remember ever hearing this song before. As soon as they started singing, I knew it had to be from a musical, but for the life of me, I had no idea which one. I've probably watched the video five times, and I still get goosebumps every time. They're just so....young, hopeful...sincere. I hope they keep their innocence and stick to their guns.

I watched it earlier tonight, and then I went outside to water my tiny garden, I looked up, a smile on my face. Night is my favorite time here. I love stepping out on my balcony, sensing the quieting of the world. The air is still and almost sweet. There's a summertime tang that I love. I straightened from watering, and there it was: the Big Dipper. Low, clear, right in my line of vision. Immediately, a smile was on my face, and I thought about the line, "you are the sentinels, silent and sure, keeping watch in the night. you know your place in the sky, you hold your course and your aim, and each of your seasons returns and returns, and it's always the same." It's not always the same...every season is different, and the Big Dipper looks different depending on where you are. Tonight, I was just grateful that I could see the stars at all. I had a bad day, and was feeling pretty blue. But then I thought, you can see the stars. Things will get better.

I hope I'm right, and that things do get better, and that I can hold my course and my aim as I go through this season of change.

THE WAITING is the HARDEST PART

I'm going to see Tom Petty. And Steve Winwood. But really, I'm going to see Tom Petty. Outside. In the lovely Seattle summer.

This is awesome...and the waiting is really going to be the hardest part. I'm not sitting in the pit, but in row 23. On my checklist of things to bring: the ticket, earplugs, and a smile that would deafen if it could talk.

That is all.

book family

My niece and nephew came to see me recently. Because my sister and I grew up in the same house, we have some of the same books...some similar sets of memories from having the same source of reading material.

Personal libraries are important...seeing what books people have lets me know their taste and books make me comfortable. If I go to someone's house and see books I know on the wall, it's almost like I have friends at the party, even if I don't know a single person there.

Which is why it gave me so much pleasure that my niece and nephew felt so comfortable at my house. There were books that were familiar to them -- books they instantly recognized -- and they also had some new books to choose from. That's the beauty of books, of sisters, of nieces and nephews, and a shared book pool back in the day.

I love books, and I love my family. And I love how both can make me comfortable, touch me in ways I never thought possible, and push me to think of new ideas.

evolution

When I was in college, having "no food in the house" meant having no bread or milk.

When I lived in LA, having "no food in the house" meant having no Cheerios, hummus, or pita bread.

When I lived in Seattle, having "no food in the house" meant having no bell peppers, no fruit, or any frozen dinners to take to work with me.

When I lived in Oregon, having "no food in the house" meant having no Fage Total yogurt, butter, granola, or onions.

And now, having "no food in the house" means having no berries, no avocados, and no green onions.

So you see, evolution is a real thing. In college, I used to have all the ingredients to make cookies in case I ever decided on a whim to whip up a batch. In LA, I wanted to always have enough muffin papers to make myself a sunday morning muffin treat. In Oregon, buttermilk biscuits were my baking "treat." And now, I don't really bake at all.

summer salad adventures

I'm eating lots of salad this summer.

Lots.

I seem to have a particular fixation on taco salad. I blame Peeks, because whenever we got together for dinner, we'd either have pizza (Papa John's, at her request; chicken bacon bbq pineapple onion) or taco salad that we made ourselves, because apparently, there is no good taco salad joint in all of P-town suburbia.





Above are two salads:

L: Taco Salad Extraordinaire: Special Chili Edition
1/2 orange pepper
2 oz cheddar cheese, grated
1 cob's worth of corn
4 oz lettuce
4 oz crock pot southwestern black bean chili
1/2 avocado
2 green onions
Salsa, to taste (I love Emerald Valley mild. It's the yummiest thing ever. Ever. I will go out of my way to buy it...and that's saying something.)
chips, on the side

R: Curry Jumble Salad
1 carrot
1/2 small yellow summer squash
1/2 small zucchini
3 chicken tenders
1 tsp south african style curry (sweet? mild?)
1/4 cup milk
4 oz greens
1 dash poppy seeds
1 medium onion
salt, to taste

(basically, cook the onion and the chicken together and put the spices on it. I did mine in butter. Then add the carrots, then zucchini and summer squash. Then add the milk to keep everything from drying out.) You know...in typical jumble style.

Both are yummy. YUMMY, I tell you!

I wish I had more energy. I would cook lots more often.  I need new cooking ideas. The problem is that I usually have to see somebody do something before I can incorporate it into my own. That means I need to have lots of dinner invites where I see the prep actually happen. Thanks to all the wonderful cooks who have helped me stumble along the path to good food.

I'm going to try something new soon...and when I do, I'll post it.