This and that
The problem with cheap $1 eyeshadow ...
July 14, 2010 03:52
... 'nuf said.
I felt SO smug finding an eyeshadow color that I like and that looks good on me, always a challenge with the fair-skinned-red-haired color scheme going on. I mean, I often find colors I like, but which I really shouldn't wear. Anyway, we had a few good weeks together, and now this -- it just falls out in chunks every day. What did I expect from Wet'n'Wild for a buck! Seriously.
I think it's time to invest in some better quality eyeshadow.
I felt SO smug finding an eyeshadow color that I like and that looks good on me, always a challenge with the fair-skinned-red-haired color scheme going on. I mean, I often find colors I like, but which I really shouldn't wear. Anyway, we had a few good weeks together, and now this -- it just falls out in chunks every day. What did I expect from Wet'n'Wild for a buck! Seriously.
I think it's time to invest in some better quality eyeshadow.
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I cannot tell a lie ...
July 05, 2010 02:07
... I like cherry pie. And cherry cobbler. Especially on July 4th.
While listening to Ray Raphael debunk U.S. history “founding myths" on NPR, I was hatching a plan to make an easy cherry pie for Independence Day dessert.
Since laziness was still on the agenda, there would be no pitting and stewing of cherries, nor mixing/kneading/rolling of homemade pastry, a thing to which I am no stranger but which seems more sensible on a chilly autumn day.
I opted instead to make mini cherry cobblers with (gasp!) canned cherry filling. The stuff is SO easy to use, and makes sense when it's sweltering outside (even if it is considerably cooler inside): 1) remove can opener from drawer; 2) run opener around edges of cherry filling can; 3) pour filling into ramekins; 4) bake. This amount of work barely registered on my lazyometer.
I consulted the timeless and reliable Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook for a cobbler recipe, which was also as easy as ... well, easier than pie. And tasty too. Took just a few minutes to stir that together.
Four white ramekins were enlisted to hold cherries and cobbler batter.
Bake at 410 degrees (thank you, central air conditioning! it did get up to around 92 oppressive degrees on the 4th) for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool, pose by window with natural lighting for photos. Oh my, that stuff really IS red, isn't it?
These were enjoyed after an indoor (it was bloody H-O-T outdoors during the parade! we give frequent thanks and praise to the chlorofluorocarbon gods) picnic of grilled glazed stuffed burgers and savory marinated pork chops, accompanied by refreshingly cold Bell’s Oberon Ale, one of only two beers on this planet I can actually drink (almost) an entire bottle of.
What culinary delights did you indulge in this holiday weekend?
While listening to Ray Raphael debunk U.S. history “founding myths" on NPR, I was hatching a plan to make an easy cherry pie for Independence Day dessert.
Since laziness was still on the agenda, there would be no pitting and stewing of cherries, nor mixing/kneading/rolling of homemade pastry, a thing to which I am no stranger but which seems more sensible on a chilly autumn day.
I opted instead to make mini cherry cobblers with (gasp!) canned cherry filling. The stuff is SO easy to use, and makes sense when it's sweltering outside (even if it is considerably cooler inside): 1) remove can opener from drawer; 2) run opener around edges of cherry filling can; 3) pour filling into ramekins; 4) bake. This amount of work barely registered on my lazyometer.
I consulted the timeless and reliable Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook for a cobbler recipe, which was also as easy as ... well, easier than pie. And tasty too. Took just a few minutes to stir that together.
Four white ramekins were enlisted to hold cherries and cobbler batter.
Bake at 410 degrees (thank you, central air conditioning! it did get up to around 92 oppressive degrees on the 4th) for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool, pose by window with natural lighting for photos. Oh my, that stuff really IS red, isn't it?
These were enjoyed after an indoor (it was bloody H-O-T outdoors during the parade! we give frequent thanks and praise to the chlorofluorocarbon gods) picnic of grilled glazed stuffed burgers and savory marinated pork chops, accompanied by refreshingly cold Bell’s Oberon Ale, one of only two beers on this planet I can actually drink (almost) an entire bottle of.
What culinary delights did you indulge in this holiday weekend?
Three days of laziness.
July 03, 2010 03:14
Three-day weekend! Three-day holiday weekend. No work or summer school for anyone in this house for three whole days, so we can celebrate our nation’s independence. Whee! On the schedule: laziness. Three days of it.
For someone whose entire adult life has consisted of weeks and years of five-days-on and two-days-off, a three-day holiday weekend is a treat, indeed.
An ordinary work-week weekend is when all the chores, errands, household projects, homemade meals, return phone calls, workouts (if they make it in at all), and ... oh yes, relaxation ... that you couldn’t attend to during the week are squeezed into 48 hours. A holiday weekend is for being lazy!
I started feeling that gotta-get-it-all-done reflex when I woke up today, but I sent it packing. On this July 4th weekend I’m banishing timetables, to-do lists, and unfinished projects. I’m even (mostly) ignoring the clock to make lazing my way through the next three days my main priority.
The weather is perfect for lazing: warm, sunny, and dry, with a lovely light breeze rippling through the trees. The Cub’s game is burbling quietly out of a transistor radio on the deck, a few cicadas have started prematurely buzzing (they’ll really get their buzzers going this evening), and occasionally a fire truck visiting nearby block parties chirps its siren for the kids. Today sounds lazy.
Today is also for anticipating tomorrow’s picnic (even if it ends up being just the two of us), parade (a lazy three-block walk from our house), and Independence Day pyrotechnics (should we bike or drive? our level of laziness might have to be considered there).
So what if we haven’t figured out what’s on the menu -- we’ve got all day to decide! And the grocery stores are open tomorrow anyway (I think).
There are things to take care of this weekend, yes, but luckily they can wait. I’m enjoying this perfect summer day, thinking about grilled hamburgers and mojitos with fresh mint, antique cars and marching bands, leisurely walks with the pup, fireworks, and maybe even catching a satellite flyby (if we can stay up that late).
And if I do only half those things (or even less!) I won’t care. There’s always next weekend. Happy Independence Day!
For someone whose entire adult life has consisted of weeks and years of five-days-on and two-days-off, a three-day holiday weekend is a treat, indeed.
An ordinary work-week weekend is when all the chores, errands, household projects, homemade meals, return phone calls, workouts (if they make it in at all), and ... oh yes, relaxation ... that you couldn’t attend to during the week are squeezed into 48 hours. A holiday weekend is for being lazy!
I started feeling that gotta-get-it-all-done reflex when I woke up today, but I sent it packing. On this July 4th weekend I’m banishing timetables, to-do lists, and unfinished projects. I’m even (mostly) ignoring the clock to make lazing my way through the next three days my main priority.
The weather is perfect for lazing: warm, sunny, and dry, with a lovely light breeze rippling through the trees. The Cub’s game is burbling quietly out of a transistor radio on the deck, a few cicadas have started prematurely buzzing (they’ll really get their buzzers going this evening), and occasionally a fire truck visiting nearby block parties chirps its siren for the kids. Today sounds lazy.
Today is also for anticipating tomorrow’s picnic (even if it ends up being just the two of us), parade (a lazy three-block walk from our house), and Independence Day pyrotechnics (should we bike or drive? our level of laziness might have to be considered there).
So what if we haven’t figured out what’s on the menu -- we’ve got all day to decide! And the grocery stores are open tomorrow anyway (I think).
There are things to take care of this weekend, yes, but luckily they can wait. I’m enjoying this perfect summer day, thinking about grilled hamburgers and mojitos with fresh mint, antique cars and marching bands, leisurely walks with the pup, fireworks, and maybe even catching a satellite flyby (if we can stay up that late).
And if I do only half those things (or even less!) I won’t care. There’s always next weekend. Happy Independence Day!
Ah, spring.
June 07, 2010 09:31
I know it's nearly summer, but I'm catching up and want to share some of what's been going on in our yard this spring.
Spring chives. I keep forgetting to eat them! I finally sprinkled some on scrambled eggs. Delish! And those pretty flowers are edible, too.
Spring brunnera ("siberian bugloss"). Their petite blue flowers remind me of sweet little fairies hanging delicately over the big heart shaped leaves. I adore them! And they are super easy to grow.
Spring blanket flower. A few years ago, I thought this was a weed and nearly pulled it up. Now it's blooming like crazy!
Frau Dagmar Hastrup rose -- a "rugosa" (shrub) rose bequeathed to me by a friend-of-a-friend whose yard was too shady.
The Frau is doing well in our front yard and is blooming sweetly. I'm so glad she likes it here.
I'm so very proud of these Joseph's Coat climbing roses -- I planted them only last year and they went wild this spring! The buds are lovely -- orange and apricot. And so prolific!
The fully opened roses turn yellow and pink. It's like having 2 or 3 different colors of roses on the same plant. The leaves have, unfortunately, succumbed to either bugs or disease or both. I'll be fighting that battle for with some organic sprays I'm mixing up with Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Soap, baking soda, horticultural oil, and other enemies of bugs and fungus. My dream is that they will someday climb up and over our flower boxes, like these.
How gorgeous is wisteria? Let me count the ways! Alas, this is not in our yard but on a plain old brick wall surrounding a Northwestern University dorm complex that faces the lake (those lucky students). Every year I keep watch for the blooming wisteria.
So beautiful, like jewels spilling off a vine. And the scent is dreamy! Oh how I wish I could grow this against my house.
Spring Goddess, in repose among the wild ginger. The pattern is from Michelle Simkins. She was a ton of fun to knit and I'll be making more.
Spring Pup, in repose on the front steps.
I think my garden has had enough rain and would like to get on with summer. Let the countdown to June 21 begin!
Spring chives. I keep forgetting to eat them! I finally sprinkled some on scrambled eggs. Delish! And those pretty flowers are edible, too.
Spring brunnera ("siberian bugloss"). Their petite blue flowers remind me of sweet little fairies hanging delicately over the big heart shaped leaves. I adore them! And they are super easy to grow. Spring blanket flower. A few years ago, I thought this was a weed and nearly pulled it up. Now it's blooming like crazy!Frau Dagmar Hastrup rose -- a "rugosa" (shrub) rose bequeathed to me by a friend-of-a-friend whose yard was too shady.
The Frau is doing well in our front yard and is blooming sweetly. I'm so glad she likes it here.
I'm so very proud of these Joseph's Coat climbing roses -- I planted them only last year and they went wild this spring! The buds are lovely -- orange and apricot. And so prolific!
The fully opened roses turn yellow and pink. It's like having 2 or 3 different colors of roses on the same plant. The leaves have, unfortunately, succumbed to either bugs or disease or both. I'll be fighting that battle for with some organic sprays I'm mixing up with Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Soap, baking soda, horticultural oil, and other enemies of bugs and fungus. My dream is that they will someday climb up and over our flower boxes, like these.
How gorgeous is wisteria? Let me count the ways! Alas, this is not in our yard but on a plain old brick wall surrounding a Northwestern University dorm complex that faces the lake (those lucky students). Every year I keep watch for the blooming wisteria.
So beautiful, like jewels spilling off a vine. And the scent is dreamy! Oh how I wish I could grow this against my house.
Spring Goddess, in repose among the wild ginger. The pattern is from Michelle Simkins. She was a ton of fun to knit and I'll be making more.
Spring Pup, in repose on the front steps.
I think my garden has had enough rain and would like to get on with summer. Let the countdown to June 21 begin!
Happy Veterans Day, Dad!
November 10, 2009 11:09
My father is a veteran of World War II. I’m glad he made it through the war, met my mom, got married, and had ten kids (of which I’m the tenth, so ... ) And I’m glad he’s still alive and kicking!
While I was growing up, I was vaguely aware that dad had been in that war, but never knew how he'd been in it because he didn’t really talk about it. Then, when my son did a grade school report about his grandfather, I started learning heretofore unknown facts about my dad -- for instance, he was in the Junior ROTC during high school, and he appears in uniform in his senior year picture (someday I'll have a scan of that); in addition to playing the guitar with a military ensemble over in France (or Germany?), he played the mellophone; although I don’t think he participated in direct combat, he did the scary work of clearing anti-tank mines; and when the war ended he performed occupation service in Germany (or possibly France). Dad has interesting stories of his time in Europe during the War, and he remembers some of those times with a good deal of warmth. If he experienced anything grim, a la Saving Private Ryan, he is not dwelling on it publicly. I greatly enjoy hearing him reminisce, and hope to document some of his memories in the near future.
Although Veterans Day was originally meant to honor those who served in World War I, it now honors soldiers from all wars, including Dear Old Dad. President Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed an Armistice Day for November 11, 1919 -- one year after the armistice was signed between the allied nations and Germany, effectively ending “the war to end all wars.” (The war formally ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919.) In 1938, November 11 became a legal holiday -- "a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day'." Then in 1953, a shoe store owner in Emporia (isn’t that a great name for a town!), Kansas named Al King started a campaign to turn Armistice Day into "All" Veterans Day. A year later President Dwight Eisenhower signed it into law, “Armistice” was replaced with “Veterans,” and it’s been Veterans Day ever since, with some controversy over whether and where to put an apostrophe. (Formally, there is no apostrophe.)
Starting in 1971, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Day was scheduled on the fourth Monday in October, in keeping with President Lyndon Johnson's “Uniform Holiday Bill." The bill promoted 3-day holiday weekends for government workers, and enabled them to travel and "and see more of this beautiful land of ours." The change caused confusion and was short-lived -- Veterans Day was changed back to November 11 in 1978 and has been celebrated on this date -- as it is in many countries, where it is known variously as Remembrance Day, Poppy Day, Armistice Day, and Veterans Day -- ever since.
I'm sure dad has a flag flying in front of his house 300 miles from my own, as it always hung in front of our childhood home on similarly patriotic holidays. I've prompted him to look for his Army of Occupation medal and dig out that high school ROTC photo. Perhaps he's doing some reminiscing about his service overseas during World War II on this day. However he is spending it, I'm grateful he lived through it and can pass the remembrances on to his many children. Dad, I salute you on this Veterans Day for your good service to the country!
While I was growing up, I was vaguely aware that dad had been in that war, but never knew how he'd been in it because he didn’t really talk about it. Then, when my son did a grade school report about his grandfather, I started learning heretofore unknown facts about my dad -- for instance, he was in the Junior ROTC during high school, and he appears in uniform in his senior year picture (someday I'll have a scan of that); in addition to playing the guitar with a military ensemble over in France (or Germany?), he played the mellophone; although I don’t think he participated in direct combat, he did the scary work of clearing anti-tank mines; and when the war ended he performed occupation service in Germany (or possibly France). Dad has interesting stories of his time in Europe during the War, and he remembers some of those times with a good deal of warmth. If he experienced anything grim, a la Saving Private Ryan, he is not dwelling on it publicly. I greatly enjoy hearing him reminisce, and hope to document some of his memories in the near future.
Although Veterans Day was originally meant to honor those who served in World War I, it now honors soldiers from all wars, including Dear Old Dad. President Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed an Armistice Day for November 11, 1919 -- one year after the armistice was signed between the allied nations and Germany, effectively ending “the war to end all wars.” (The war formally ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919.) In 1938, November 11 became a legal holiday -- "a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day'." Then in 1953, a shoe store owner in Emporia (isn’t that a great name for a town!), Kansas named Al King started a campaign to turn Armistice Day into "All" Veterans Day. A year later President Dwight Eisenhower signed it into law, “Armistice” was replaced with “Veterans,” and it’s been Veterans Day ever since, with some controversy over whether and where to put an apostrophe. (Formally, there is no apostrophe.)
Starting in 1971, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Day was scheduled on the fourth Monday in October, in keeping with President Lyndon Johnson's “Uniform Holiday Bill." The bill promoted 3-day holiday weekends for government workers, and enabled them to travel and "and see more of this beautiful land of ours." The change caused confusion and was short-lived -- Veterans Day was changed back to November 11 in 1978 and has been celebrated on this date -- as it is in many countries, where it is known variously as Remembrance Day, Poppy Day, Armistice Day, and Veterans Day -- ever since.
I'm sure dad has a flag flying in front of his house 300 miles from my own, as it always hung in front of our childhood home on similarly patriotic holidays. I've prompted him to look for his Army of Occupation medal and dig out that high school ROTC photo. Perhaps he's doing some reminiscing about his service overseas during World War II on this day. However he is spending it, I'm grateful he lived through it and can pass the remembrances on to his many children. Dad, I salute you on this Veterans Day for your good service to the country!
Happy Halloween!
November 01, 2009 08:41
This post is definitely rushed. Something more thoughtful to come in the very near future!
Autumn has absolutely bewitched me these past few weeks -- between the trees abloom in their gorgeous reds, rusts, oranges and golds, and the refreshing chill in the air, I've been wishing I could quit my job and somehow get paid just to walk the streets for hours appreciating each beautiful fall day.
A beautiful maple tree just down the street.
These colorful days also bring the promise of my favorite holiday: Halloween! Well, perhaps Halloween is tied evenly with Christmas and Valentine’s day, all of which are joyful, colorful and fun, were favorites of the Victorians, and involve chocolate. I love Halloween for the costumed trick-or-treaters who roam the neighborhood and pile up at our door with their goody bags waiting for treats, for orange candlelit pumpkins and strings of skull lights glowing in the dark, for bats and ravens, witches, tombstones and grim reapers.
We carved six punkins this year! The sixth is perched out of sight on the mantel with a spooky crow. From left to right, the carvers were: Kinnin, Meg, Emilia, Sean, Kenny.
Nevermore! Bit blurry, but you get the idea. Kinnin did this one.
Not only is Halloween spooky by design, with its imagery of ghosts and spirits, but this time of year possesses a natural eerieness that my pre-Christian ancestors tuned into long before the holiday evolved into the festive event that we know. The Celtic celebration called Samhain (SOW-in) “is a special time of year and a powerful time for divination," according to Lisa Finander, an editor at Llewellyn.com, “when the veil between the world of the living and the dead is the thinnest, and a time when the communication between these worlds is the strongest.” At Samhain, which literally means “end of summer,” the ancient Celts acknowledged and honored the dead while they marked the end of the seasonal cycle with bonfires and ushered in their new year. Like many Celtic/pagan celebrations, Samhain was co-opted by Christians and turned into the eve of All Hallows or All Saints Day, and All Hallows Evening became Hallowe’en.
The Victorians expanded on the theme of divination and and promoted Halloween rituals -- such as looking in a mirror or eating apples -- as a means for determining one’s romantic fate. Halloween also became yet another opportunity for exchanging their famously whimsical postcards!
"He is your fate ... who's face you've seen ... in the mirror's face ... on Halloween."
"The fates tell by the cards your future destiny ... but if you share an apple
with a heart that's fancy free ... on Halloween at midnight a marriage it will be."
Although All Hallows Eve has already passed, you can still light candles in memory of friends, family members and loyal pets who’ve crossed to the other side of the veil, or to divine your future lover in the lookingglass. The moon is full right now, so go outside and enjoy the calm blue glow it is casting over the clouds and leaf-bare trees on this cool, crisp (in our corner of the midwest, anyway) All Saints night. Maybe you’ll sense something else in the air, too! I hope you had a Happy Samhain/Halloween, and are enjoying the fall colors wherever you are.
Please feel free to leave a comment -- how did you celebrate Halloween this year, or did you celebrate at all? How do you feel during this naturally mysterious time of the season? Share your favorite ways of passing time during these chilly, darkening days of autumn. Or feel free to correct any misinformation you've read above. Anything ... I'd love to hear from you!
Autumn has absolutely bewitched me these past few weeks -- between the trees abloom in their gorgeous reds, rusts, oranges and golds, and the refreshing chill in the air, I've been wishing I could quit my job and somehow get paid just to walk the streets for hours appreciating each beautiful fall day.
A beautiful maple tree just down the street.
These colorful days also bring the promise of my favorite holiday: Halloween! Well, perhaps Halloween is tied evenly with Christmas and Valentine’s day, all of which are joyful, colorful and fun, were favorites of the Victorians, and involve chocolate. I love Halloween for the costumed trick-or-treaters who roam the neighborhood and pile up at our door with their goody bags waiting for treats, for orange candlelit pumpkins and strings of skull lights glowing in the dark, for bats and ravens, witches, tombstones and grim reapers.
We carved six punkins this year! The sixth is perched out of sight on the mantel with a spooky crow. From left to right, the carvers were: Kinnin, Meg, Emilia, Sean, Kenny.
Nevermore! Bit blurry, but you get the idea. Kinnin did this one.
Not only is Halloween spooky by design, with its imagery of ghosts and spirits, but this time of year possesses a natural eerieness that my pre-Christian ancestors tuned into long before the holiday evolved into the festive event that we know. The Celtic celebration called Samhain (SOW-in) “is a special time of year and a powerful time for divination," according to Lisa Finander, an editor at Llewellyn.com, “when the veil between the world of the living and the dead is the thinnest, and a time when the communication between these worlds is the strongest.” At Samhain, which literally means “end of summer,” the ancient Celts acknowledged and honored the dead while they marked the end of the seasonal cycle with bonfires and ushered in their new year. Like many Celtic/pagan celebrations, Samhain was co-opted by Christians and turned into the eve of All Hallows or All Saints Day, and All Hallows Evening became Hallowe’en.
The Victorians expanded on the theme of divination and and promoted Halloween rituals -- such as looking in a mirror or eating apples -- as a means for determining one’s romantic fate. Halloween also became yet another opportunity for exchanging their famously whimsical postcards!
"He is your fate ... who's face you've seen ... in the mirror's face ... on Halloween."
"The fates tell by the cards your future destiny ... but if you share an apple
with a heart that's fancy free ... on Halloween at midnight a marriage it will be."
Please feel free to leave a comment -- how did you celebrate Halloween this year, or did you celebrate at all? How do you feel during this naturally mysterious time of the season? Share your favorite ways of passing time during these chilly, darkening days of autumn. Or feel free to correct any misinformation you've read above. Anything ... I'd love to hear from you!
Tap into your inner Pagan on the first day of autumn.
September 22, 2009 12:11
Happy Autumn! According to the National Weather Service, this year’s autumnal equinox will occur at 4:18 PM CST.
Ignore the oddball Victorian Christmas wish on this lovely fall postcard!
While we tend to think of the equinox as a day-long event, it is actually a moment in time when the sun is directly over the equator (sort of), creating an equal amount of day and night (more or less). Wikipedia offers an excellent, if somewhat complex, explanation of the equinoxes. If you're into astronomy, charts, very cool celestial diagrams, and words like "equinoctial" and "heliocentric," this Wikipedia page is for you.
This equinox is “the first day of fall” for most of us -- bringing the promise of leaf peeping, football games, pumpkin pies, and Halloween. But to my pre-Christian Celtic ancestors, and to those who follow their ancient traditions by way of Paganism, Wicca and other nature-based spiritual paths, the autumnal equinox -- also known as "Mabon" and "Harvest Home" -- focuses on the second harvest (the first occurring in early August) and signals the coming of winter. It is a time to gather indoors around home and hearth, and a time to turn inward spiritually to reflect on the passing year. The equinox brings us closer to Samhaim, or Halloween, which is the traditional end of the pre-Christian seasonal cycle -- the Pagan new year!
Autumn is a natural opportunity to enjoy crisp cold air and the foods that are harvested at this time of year (in our neck of the woods, anyway): apples, corn, and squashes -- and that means pumpkin. I LOVE just about anything with pumpkin in it! My best friend recently discovered the recipe site Everything Pumpkin -- all pumpkin recipes, all the time. Dreamily autumnal, in my book. Besides cooking (which I'll be doing even more of as the weather turns chily), there are many ways to celebrate the equinox like the pagans do.
Pumpkin pie! My teenage son made this beauty.
Akasha Ap Emrys offers a nice description of some symbols, colors, foods and stones that embody the autumnal equinox, and suggests Mabon activities such as "Making wine, gathering dried herbs, plants, seeds and seed pods, walking in the woods, scattering offerings in harvested fields, offering libations to trees, adorning burial sites with leaves, acorns, and pine cones to honor those who have passed over" to help you celebrate this season. Earth Witchery suggests making grapevine wreaths, scented pinecones, and apple dolls to usher in fall. Even if you just light some pretty autumn colored candles, take a walk and collect some fallen dried leaves, or tie some dried harvest corn onto your door knocker, you'll help your inner pagan feel the spirit of the equinox. Or, if it's easier, rustle up a slice of apple or pumpkin pie (and maybe a scoop of ice cream to go with!).
Piper knows what to do when fall arrives.
Karen Charboneau-Harrison of Isisbooks.com reminds us that Mabon falls during the astrological sign of Libra (mine! one of many reasons I love autunn), whose emphasis on balance parallels the equinox’s “time of equilibrium, when light and dark, day and night are equal.” So step (or look, or just think about going) outside at 4:18 p.m. (or the equivalent time in your neighborhood) to enjoy this time of equal day and night, say goodbye to summer, and rejoice in the arrival of beautiful, colorful, crisp, cool, delicious autumn.
Ignore the oddball Victorian Christmas wish on this lovely fall postcard!
While we tend to think of the equinox as a day-long event, it is actually a moment in time when the sun is directly over the equator (sort of), creating an equal amount of day and night (more or less). Wikipedia offers an excellent, if somewhat complex, explanation of the equinoxes. If you're into astronomy, charts, very cool celestial diagrams, and words like "equinoctial" and "heliocentric," this Wikipedia page is for you.
This equinox is “the first day of fall” for most of us -- bringing the promise of leaf peeping, football games, pumpkin pies, and Halloween. But to my pre-Christian Celtic ancestors, and to those who follow their ancient traditions by way of Paganism, Wicca and other nature-based spiritual paths, the autumnal equinox -- also known as "Mabon" and "Harvest Home" -- focuses on the second harvest (the first occurring in early August) and signals the coming of winter. It is a time to gather indoors around home and hearth, and a time to turn inward spiritually to reflect on the passing year. The equinox brings us closer to Samhaim, or Halloween, which is the traditional end of the pre-Christian seasonal cycle -- the Pagan new year!
Autumn is a natural opportunity to enjoy crisp cold air and the foods that are harvested at this time of year (in our neck of the woods, anyway): apples, corn, and squashes -- and that means pumpkin. I LOVE just about anything with pumpkin in it! My best friend recently discovered the recipe site Everything Pumpkin -- all pumpkin recipes, all the time. Dreamily autumnal, in my book. Besides cooking (which I'll be doing even more of as the weather turns chily), there are many ways to celebrate the equinox like the pagans do.
Pumpkin pie! My teenage son made this beauty.
Akasha Ap Emrys offers a nice description of some symbols, colors, foods and stones that embody the autumnal equinox, and suggests Mabon activities such as "Making wine, gathering dried herbs, plants, seeds and seed pods, walking in the woods, scattering offerings in harvested fields, offering libations to trees, adorning burial sites with leaves, acorns, and pine cones to honor those who have passed over" to help you celebrate this season. Earth Witchery suggests making grapevine wreaths, scented pinecones, and apple dolls to usher in fall. Even if you just light some pretty autumn colored candles, take a walk and collect some fallen dried leaves, or tie some dried harvest corn onto your door knocker, you'll help your inner pagan feel the spirit of the equinox. Or, if it's easier, rustle up a slice of apple or pumpkin pie (and maybe a scoop of ice cream to go with!).
Piper knows what to do when fall arrives.
Karen Charboneau-Harrison of Isisbooks.com reminds us that Mabon falls during the astrological sign of Libra (mine! one of many reasons I love autunn), whose emphasis on balance parallels the equinox’s “time of equilibrium, when light and dark, day and night are equal.” So step (or look, or just think about going) outside at 4:18 p.m. (or the equivalent time in your neighborhood) to enjoy this time of equal day and night, say goodbye to summer, and rejoice in the arrival of beautiful, colorful, crisp, cool, delicious autumn.
What we're not giving up.
July 29, 2009 01:25
After the initial freakout period, we’ve adjusted to the change in income, and while figuring out where to cut back we have realized a few things: 1) we’re lucky to still have one decent income and we’re keeping apace of our living expenses; 2) we aren't heavy spenders to begin with, so we don't have to “give up” things like extravagant vacations, shoe shopping sprees, or pricey (or even cheap!) restaurant dinners. We haven’t even started taking extravagant vacations, and we rarely eat out, preferring instead to cook together at home, although we still buy the occasional pair of shoes; 3) there are certain things we’re not yet ready to give up -- most notably: food. Especially the treats that create luxurious moments in our everyday lives. Some of these treats could even be considered extravagant, but buying them isn’t sending us into bankruptcy, and giving them up won't help us pay our credit card bills any faster. Sure, there might be less expensive alternatives to our favorite indulgences, but they don’t provide us with the same culinary pleasure as these do.
Really good chocolate. We’re going to give up this superfood reported to be effective in lowering blood pressure, preventing cancer, heart disease, and stroke? Not in a zillion years. Remember that every time you pay a wee bit extra for lovely dark chocolate (look for cacao content of 55% and up), you’re extending your life. ‘nuf said.
Like word games? Try Bon Mot!
July 12, 2009 09:20
If you have an iPhone or iPod touch, then you might like Bon Mot! a scrambled word game created by my dear husband, Kenny, and our friend Bill Cochran. Bill = idea for the game, visual and audio creative, hours and hours of beta testing. Kenny = weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks of programming and debugging. Bon Mot was accepted into the iTunes App store and is now available for sale, whee!
To accommodate this venture into iPhone application programming, we (meaning Kenny) created a new company, The App Orchard, from whence we hope will come many more such games applications in the future.
We would be honored if you would check out Bon Mot!, download it from the App Store for a mere $0.99 (the Apple image below will zip you straight to the Bon Mot page), play it to your heart’s content. It’s fun, easy-to-learn, and quite habit-forming! I don’t have an iPod touch yet, so I’m constantly borrowing Kenny’s or my stepdaughter’s in order to get my daily Bon Mot. If you download and play the game, please let me know what you think of it!
To accommodate this venture into iPhone application programming, we (meaning Kenny) created a new company, The App Orchard, from whence we hope will come many more such games applications in the future.
We would be honored if you would check out Bon Mot!, download it from the App Store for a mere $0.99 (the Apple image below will zip you straight to the Bon Mot page), play it to your heart’s content. It’s fun, easy-to-learn, and quite habit-forming! I don’t have an iPod touch yet, so I’m constantly borrowing Kenny’s or my stepdaughter’s in order to get my daily Bon Mot. If you download and play the game, please let me know what you think of it!
Happy Birthday, America!
July 06, 2009 06:47
Buttermilk shortcakes with red strawberries, white whipped cream, and blueberries. A festive and fitting dessert for a fun day!
We watched the Evanston parade in the rain, under our umbrellas, ate fried-then-baked chicken and corn-on-the-cob while listening to Aaron Copland's "Appalachian Spring", and ended the day marveling at Evanston's fireworks display from the Northwestern campus, under clear skies and an almost-full moon. A perfectly wonderful Independence Day! I hope yours was just as good.
Critters and sirens.
June 02, 2009 02:55
I’m home today with a VERY stiff, sore neck and shoulder. I’m not sure what caused it besides “sleeping funny.” Only it isn’t funny, it really aches. I think I made it worse this morning while trying to gently stretch the muscles. Now I can barely look left or right without wincing, so I’m heading off to a local massage therapist to see if she can work out this unpleasant kink.
Being home makes me the lucky center of attention from all our critters. Mr. Sass, who normally insists on sleeping squarely on a lap, makes do when there is a laptop on said lap by snuggling as closely as he can.
I tried getting a picture of Piper sleeping a mere 12 inches from Mr. Sass on the couch, but alas she hopped off the couch and followed me into the family room when I tried sneaking in there to get the camera. Here she is instead posing next to my partially finished Corsage in Bloom. I just completed the aqua ruffled flower and am ready to proceed to a minty blue rosette.
Molly visits occasionally, sitting on the coffee table in the warm spot left by my laptop.
And Lilly lounges nearby on Kenny's easy chair.
I could get used to this working-at-home thing!
Because I was home, I got to take Piper for a walk right around mid-morning. In fact, the clocks must have struck 10:00 precisely on this first Tuesday of the month because suddenly the eerie wooOOOOing of civil defense sirens arose all around us. It was a bit chilling to hear them live, so many sirens all layered in varying ominous tones, fading in and fading out. After years of hearing them somewhat muffled from within the walls of my school or the buildings where I work, I felt for the first time the sense of urgency those loud sirens evoke. For a few moments I tried to imagine being in World War II London during The Blitz where they sounded nightly for months to warn of German bomb attacks. What an awful time that was -- such terror and destruction, resulting in the deaths of 43,000 civilians all over England.
I can’t imagine trying to cope on a day-to-day basis if our city was being bombed at night, and by day we still had to work, shop, get the kids to school, etc.
I hope we never find ourselves hearing those sirens in earnest, or sleeping in shelters or subway stations to stay safe until danger passes. May the worst reason they ring, at least here in Evanston, is to alert us that it’s time to relocate our cars to make way for snow plows.
Remember snow?
Being home makes me the lucky center of attention from all our critters. Mr. Sass, who normally insists on sleeping squarely on a lap, makes do when there is a laptop on said lap by snuggling as closely as he can.
I tried getting a picture of Piper sleeping a mere 12 inches from Mr. Sass on the couch, but alas she hopped off the couch and followed me into the family room when I tried sneaking in there to get the camera. Here she is instead posing next to my partially finished Corsage in Bloom. I just completed the aqua ruffled flower and am ready to proceed to a minty blue rosette.
Molly visits occasionally, sitting on the coffee table in the warm spot left by my laptop.
And Lilly lounges nearby on Kenny's easy chair.
I could get used to this working-at-home thing!
Because I was home, I got to take Piper for a walk right around mid-morning. In fact, the clocks must have struck 10:00 precisely on this first Tuesday of the month because suddenly the eerie wooOOOOing of civil defense sirens arose all around us. It was a bit chilling to hear them live, so many sirens all layered in varying ominous tones, fading in and fading out. After years of hearing them somewhat muffled from within the walls of my school or the buildings where I work, I felt for the first time the sense of urgency those loud sirens evoke. For a few moments I tried to imagine being in World War II London during The Blitz where they sounded nightly for months to warn of German bomb attacks. What an awful time that was -- such terror and destruction, resulting in the deaths of 43,000 civilians all over England.
I can’t imagine trying to cope on a day-to-day basis if our city was being bombed at night, and by day we still had to work, shop, get the kids to school, etc.
I hope we never find ourselves hearing those sirens in earnest, or sleeping in shelters or subway stations to stay safe until danger passes. May the worst reason they ring, at least here in Evanston, is to alert us that it’s time to relocate our cars to make way for snow plows.
Remember snow?
Happy Mother's Day!
May 10, 2009 11:28
More than a decade earlier, a rural northern Virginia minister’s wife named Ann Jarvis also united mothers in the name of community and peace. Around 1858 she started “Mother’s Day Work Clubs” -- groups of women who worked locally to help prevent the spread of disease by improving sanitary conditions, and who assisted families of mothers suffering from tuberculosis. At the onset of the Civil War, her clubs helped raise money for much-needed medicines, conducted food inspections to guard against contamination, and tended both Union and Confederate soldiers sick with typhoid fever. She created “Mother’s Friendship Day” to ease post-war tensions, and create a sense of peace and unity between Union and Confederate woman. Her wish for “a memorial mother’s day commemorating her for the matchless service she renders to humanity in every field of life” came to fruition in 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson declared Mother’s Day a national holiday. Ann's daughter, Anna (pictured below right, next to her mother) rallied for years until she was virtually destitute to help grant her mother's wish. Ironically, Anna Jarvis never married or had children, but clearly she was devoted to her mother!
I am humbled by the work of these women, which goes far beyond what I have presented in these few paragraphs. Each felt deeply the importance and necessity of peace in the world, having experienced directly its violent opposite in their homeland. Each understood the unique position women are in as traditional nurturers to help bring about peace. Each endured the hardship of war, disease, unsanitary living conditions and social disapproval to work (peacefully) for peace, to help others live better lives -- to help them simply live. Mother’s Day is built on a firm foundation of faith, integrity, sweat and compassion, not greeting cards and chocolates.
I miss phoning my mom on this day to say, "I love you, mom!" I miss the joy of receiving sweet handmade treasures from my own son (who, incidentally, gave me a hug this morning AND is in the kitchen making me breakfast!). I appreciate the tulips and reassurances that I’m a good mother that I get from my husband. But since Mother’s Day has “real” -- not commercial -- beginnings as an effort toward peace, I need to figure out how to honor the women who began the day. While I’m working on that, I’m going sip my favorite kiwi pear green tea, enjoy the crunchy stuffed french toast being prepared for me by my two favorite guys, plant some Joseph's Coat climbing roses (oh I hope mine grow as beautifully!) in the front garden, go for a bike ride, and nurture peace and love in my own home.
Happy Earth Day!
April 21, 2009 10:54
Since we’re not yet ready to build a compost heap in the back yard, install solar panels on the roof, buy a new hybrid car, or start collecting rain water to feed the garden, we’re going to celebrate by ... digging into some dirt cups! Yummy chocolate pudding (instant) mixed with whipped cream (from a tub) and crushed Oreos (low-fat), plopped into pretty recycled glass juice glasses (environmentally friendly), and topped with gummy worms and more crushed Oreo "dirt." Fast, easy, delish. What better way is there to honor our precious Earth AND make our tummies happy? Make some, eat and enjoy. Then go outside and hug a tree!
