Category Archives: Editorial

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Framing

Posted on November 30, 2015 | 2 comments

Without knowledge of doing so, I framed arguments. I framed theses, legislation and life.

Now I’ve two framers. One works with me to frame our lives and hopefully our forever home, my husband. The other is a picture framer who has helped me put our memories and art on our walls.

You’ve heard a lot about my husband so I’ll not concentrate on Thanksgiving soup and sandwiches. My other framer has a great eye for color and detail. K puts choices out for me and we discuss them, mess with options and I decide. I and my husband now have an eclectic collection (try saying that three times).

She has helped me with multiple works over the years and I’ve only two left for now. My Dad took up painting at age 80 and I’ve two rustic Tuscan works he painted and one inspired by Maori art in Australia. I finally found out where to place the one work of photos I took from several islands on the Ionian sea by the sea, to the sea.

There are photos I’ve taken of Concord grapes, and a Vermont mill on a trip with my in-laws. Also vintage lithos of Tuscan landscapes. We were planning to move a couple of years ago and I let go of a lot of clothing, books (donated) et al.

All these works of art were sitting, covered in towels, on the floor. I hired someone to come in for a couple of hours to help me go through things: keep; give to charity; discard.

My husband was coming back from months away for work. I took some of the art off the floor and we hung them in the master bedroom. I wanted a Tuscan retreat because we had still placed nothing on the walls.

When he returned, he said, “you’re not packing, you’re nesting!” I replied that what I can see, I can pack. We’re still here two years later and I’ve two more works to go, one a recent gift from Japan and another an original work from over 25 years ago, charcoal of dancers from a prestigious art school. Perhaps after the holidays.

The soup was good and I placed the rest in the frig. My husband asked me to put in more noodles. In the frig it now looks as if they absorbed most of my homemade stock! That’s the way it goes. Perhaps I’ll transform it into a stew! Hope you had a great Thanksgiving weekend. Dee

 

 

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Awakening, Life

Posted on November 29, 2015 | 1 comment

I was awakened by the sound of footsteps. As my husband was sound asleep I checked things out. Nothing. Not even the dog moved, however I was awake for the night.

In order to help them sleep we all went to bed looking at the moon, when I arose I put down the shades for them, then went around putting them down not for me, but for the art, so nothing gets direct sun early morning.

There’s a rehabilitation center down the street and there were lights. Then a first car, then a fire truck and two ambulances. It is not a drug rehab center, occasionally a young person goes through physical therapy after a major car accident. Mostly I would say it’s where families dump the elderly, a nursing/old folks facility. Normally I see the nurses outside smoking when I walk Zoe.

All the ambulances and municipal people show up then leave one by one until the body is loaded in the last one and taken away. I’ve seen it so many times and it is heartbreaking. I say a quick prayer for the deceased because I don’t know that anyone else does. I tried to design a volunteer program for them for pet therapy but while they evinced interest, despite efforts on my behalf they never got back to me.

Thanksgiving is about life, love and food. We were on our own this year but did get to talk to family. Leftovers. My husband hates them. Now I transform them. Saturday I made stock. Now I’ve a lot of stuff to put in it but yesterday he wanted sandwiches. Brioche rolls, chicken breast, cranberry compote, lettuce, cheese, a bit of mayonnaise. Two sandwiches down the hatch.

The soup will be finished today, Sunday. Last night I went another route and made St. Louis-style ribs with a rub (cooked covered in the oven for two hours a la Alton Brown) then browning on the grill for ten minutes with BBQ sauce, Rufus Teague, I didn’t make my own this time.

Mashed potatoes and a green salad with chopped almonds, dried cranberries and a Satsuma tangerine vinaigrette. It was delicious.

My husband will not go for soup all day but I’m going to make a soup with potato, carrot, brussels sprout, onion and chicken. I made the broth yesterday but will save some to enrich a roasted, curried butternut squash soup as well. I’ve an extra chicken breast so may poach it so he can have a sandwich with his soup.

It’s time to transform some leftovers! Cheers and hope you’re enjoying the weekend. Dee

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Job Description

Posted on November 25, 2015 | 1 comment

Day before Thanksgiving I get a Linked in message that gives me a job description I’m supposedly suited to take.

It says I can work in Human Resources and have the opportunity to experience the full cycle. It’s couched in different terms but it’s basically hiring to firing and that’s in the job description!

I’ve never worked HR so am not qualified for the role. I just found it interesting how people can be used, then thrown away. I know our maintenance folks and security and leasing. They are very good to me. I bring them meals and treats and our dog Zoe contributes doggie treats to the cupboard “cookie jar” for which she has to do tricks for access.

My butchers, produce people, supermarket checkers, everyone is a part of my world. Today all the butchers came out to say Happy Thanksgiving. It is a part of life. I bring them Texas Chili, Pedernales, Lady Bird Johnson and VP LBJ 1962 with JFK and 5,000 guests. It’s my riff. Yes, I grind my own beef and use special seasonings.

Sorry, Nanny, we couldn’t make it this time. We wish you all love and good wishes. We’re having a small chicken with stuffing, potatoes and brussels sprouts. And we’ll be thinking of all our famiily tomorrow, Thanksgiving and giving thanks. With much love from Dee

 

 

 

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Posted in Editorial, Education, job description, loving life

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Giving Thanks

Posted on November 25, 2015 | 1 comment

I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends.

Thanking mine, while not present, is difficult because we miss them. We love and give thanks to everyone.

My husband wants steak. Happy Thanksgiving! Dee

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Carbs?

Posted on November 25, 2015 | Leave a comment

My husband has been working from home a bit, driving me nuts. He now wants to help me in the kitchen. I made spaetzle the other day for a stew. Permit me to say that my husband is not allowed in my kitchen for other than ice, water, or Dr. Pepper. He can’t even make a grilled cheese sandwich.

He gets into something like lemonade, yogurt, strange fruits and ice cream but this pasta/pancake thing needs to end.

We’ve made pancakes twice this week, today he didn’t help out at all as he didn’t say he was working on a mathematical spreadsheet for portions of the batter. He chose 3/4 recipe today before he did the calculations. His were pancake souflees. He asked me to use Italian OO flour instead of all-purpose as a test. It’s all-purpose from here on in. And I’d rather do eggs and bacon and toast and jam because it doesn’t use every pot and pan in the house and I can make it, while he is in the shower, in under ten minutes. With juice and herbal tea.

We made fettucine twice this week. He wanted to test the hand-crank pasta maker I’ve never used. Tonight it was to go with a random restaurant dish he had last year with pasta, chicken and artichoke hearts in a cream sauce with a salad with who knows what, 2,000 miles away. Talk about pulling something out of my hat. He did love it and has more for tomorrow. I will make rice. No, not from scratch!

Now he wants steak for Thanksgiving. Tomorrow we have another skirt steak with chimichurri for lunch, and today’s chicken with rice for dinner.

I’ll plan Thanksgiving in the morning and decide whether I’ll cave in to steak. I do want Brussels sprouts. Cranberry…. chutney? Perhaps. Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving, Dee

 

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Posted in Editorial, Family, Recipe Ideas, Uncategorized

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Words and Art

Posted on November 23, 2015 | 1 comment

I have made my life of both. I can write, and appreciate art.

As to my muses, one light has gone out. She taught me how to appreciate and love art. I’ll stand in line for the Uffizi (no, actually I know how to get tickets) but she started it when I was in grade school.

No, I am not an artist but an art lover. And another muse grieves for her. He taught me not only words, but to think for myself. To be myself.

Dad taught me music, well just as a father gives driving advice to me I was given a violin and tuned all the violins and violas before class. Yes, perfect pitch and great teachers.

Today our educational system denigrates and has de-funded arts, music, writing. This is an insult to our intelligence as a species. My art and music are stunted in their growth. I had a band at age 12, guitar with two friends who couldn’t sing their way out of a paper bag. I actually had the audacity to allow us to sing at a school concert. Big mistake.

Art? Age five I composed a picture from crayon of the characters from The Wizard of Oz. My aunt sent it to me two years ago saying it deserved to be framed, and it is. My husband’s favorite work of art. I also excelled at perspective (math) and copper tooling because of my grandfather. That was it for art. Now I’ve an eye for framing, with assistance from the framer.

I gave up violin and voice (and ballet) before age ten so for my 50th birthday bought a guitar and private lessons. I’ve more respect for Johnny Cash, CSNY, Bob Dylan, PPM, James Taylor and other legends than I ever had as a kid.

I have to send my mentor a photo of the epitome of my crayon prowess in memory of his wife. We used to run over to the only neighbors who had a color TV just to see The Wizard of Oz turn to color. Right across the street. I lived there through age seven. With love to my neighbors on H Street. I miss you and those days.

There are horses of different colors. Kids like us never got that reference. Thank you, G and J, for opening my eyes to education and opportunities. Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving to all! Dee

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Pancakes

Posted on November 23, 2015 | 1 comment

We made the most leaden whole wheat pancakes to get rid of a mix on the pantry shelf the other day.

This morning we turned the corner and served up tasty, fluffy pancakes with pure maple syrup.

Mix dry, yolks and sugar, then bring the egg whites, after whisking to medium peaks, to the mix. Cook. Voila. Hello, maple syrup, you’re supposed to be on stage! What? She left for another audition?

The magic is the egg whites, whipped up to medium peaks and folded in at the end. The pancakes, with Grade A maple syrup, were sublime. I actually prefer Grade B but that wasn’t on sale that day, months ago.

If you’d like I’ll send you the link. Happy Thanksgiving! Dee

 

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Thanks and Giving

Posted on November 23, 2015 | Leave a comment

Today I ran into a neighbor at the grocery store. He called out my name and gave me a big bear hug. It’s P and he is delivering an entire Thanksgiving dinner to a family in need. I believe he’s going to be the delivery guy, not telling the family he is the donor.

What a wonderful thing to do. We sat down at a table at the grocery for ten minutes and talked. We’ve both been through tough times of late but he was very spiritual about it. I know that my husband and I, together, can weather any storm.

He walked to the store. I drove and offered him a ride home. By the time I got out of my car, he was in the elevator! You, again? He has my email address. I would love to put a meal together for a family. It is in the spirit of the season.

We will miss family this year. Hopefully Christmas beckons. Cheers to you and yours, Dee

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Pasta

Posted on November 23, 2015 | 1 comment

What can I say? My husband’s favorite dinner is spaghetti and meatballs. He’s made it twice. Dry pasta, bottled sauce, pre-made meatballs from my butcher, and authentic parmigiano reggiano.

And there were so many pots, pans, dishes to clean up and tomato sauce all over the wall. Yes, there’s a reason he’s not allowed in my kitchen. I plan, shop, prep, cook and clean up.

The other day I’d made a beef stew and wanted something other than rice to use as a base. I decided on spaetzle, which I’d made once before. I found a recipe and my husband has been buying me gadgets for years so he decided to use the food mill we got at a great hardware store in Texas. He was so impressed as he milled the batter into boiling water and seeing it done in less than a minute. I made the batter, after they were cooked I just placed them in a pan with a little butter, salt and pepper and sauteed them for a couple of minutes.

Sunday we had more beef stew. I’ve a hand-crank pasta machine I’ve never used, must have bought it well before I met my husband. Fresh from spaetzle, he wanted to use the machine. I’d made pasta in cooking school and a very rich version on my culinary apprenticeship. We took the middle ground on richness.

I did it by hand, well method. Kneaded ten minutes and let it rest. Made 1/2 the recipe and cut the result in half. Gave him my secret recipe for rolling, from across the counter. I cut the sheets and made the fettucini into tiny nests, about 2 oz. each. We enjoyed our Sunday lunch and have a couple of nests leftover.

Spaghetti and meatballs are fine from time to time, but not three dinners per week. Pasta is a good thing, especially with Italian OO flour. I’m thinking potato gnocchi, and perhaps ravioli with ricotta and a sage brown butter sauce. Dee’s cooking school is up and running!

My husband doesn’t know how to make a grilled cheese sandwich. I introduced him to Harold McGee’s scientific treatise and now, besides math and physics, he sees that I actually know a bit of science through my cooking. Welcome to the club, m’dear. No, you’re not allowed to mess up the walls anymore! Cheers! Dee

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First Snow

Posted on November 22, 2015 | Leave a comment

I knew the kiddos would be disappointed today. We got a lot of snow that melted into slush. I put on hiking boots today to take the dog out about seven.

All I thought about was what I would feel first snow of the season as a kid, ready to make a snowman or sled down the hill.

As a snow native I know what kind of snow we have in the great lakes and in the Rockies. I know a powder day and that is reinforced when all skiers call in with a cough and say they’re “under the weather.”

This was slush. Boots did well for traction because nothing was done to streets or sidewalks. I felt bad for the kids because there were not snowmen/women to be made and there was no sledding down the big bowl because it was just too wet.

Good things. I did see beautiful trees and missed photographing them with hanging snow as it melted before I could get my camera. Yes, there was a little snowman, about 2′ tall, we saw en route. And because the kids couldn’t sled the bowl, the parents devised some sort of game below so they forgot about sledding. Great parents!

The kids see inspiration. Parents see perspiration. Isn’t that a lifelong rule of success? Cheers, no snow day here as I’ve a great car and snow tires. Cheers! Dee

 

 

 

 

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