Random Thoughts of a Citymouse

open your eyes

2011-11-10T06:15:00.000-05:00

Source: icanread.tumblr.com via Emily on Pinterest

remember, remember the fifth of november

2011-11-05T15:50:00.001-04:00

Remember, Remember

The Fifth of November

Gunpowder, Treason and Plot

We see no Reason

Why Gunpowder Treason

Should ever be Forgot.

seeing double?

2011-10-14T00:05:00.000-04:00

I came home tonight and the October issue of Bazaar was sitting on my counter with this picture of Lady Gaga on it...

Is it sad that the first thing that crossed my mind is, without makeup, how much she looks like Edgar Winter circa 1972??

Am I the only one who sees it?? (I know I'm not because independent of me saying anything, Countrymouse said the same thing! Either we are both old as dirt or we really do think the same... or both.)

One last time... (and I'll make it easy for you...)

Well?

sweet nothings

2011-10-12T06:17:00.001-04:00

I've been trying to make friends with the camera on my cell phone. Most of the photos are blurry or just plain bad, but I kinda like this one I recently took when Countrymouse and I stepped out to one of our local places for happy hour. Buy one-get one free drinks and half price oysters... whoo whoo. (This was taken using the Instagram app for iPhone. It's a lot of fun.)

I can't quite remember what he was saying when I snapped it but I do remember it was totally inappropriate! (I love that man.)

Mignon McLaughlin said,

"A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person."

I wake up every morning thankful for him and look forward to the adventure the day will bring. Life is good.

knowing when it's time to leave

2011-09-22T10:27:00.001-04:00

REM announced yesterday that after 30+ years together, the band has "broken-up". Michael Stipe had this to say,

“A wise man once said—‘the skill in attending a party is knowing when it’s time to leave.’ We built something extraordinary together. We did this thing. And now we’re going to walk away from it. I hope our fans realize this wasn’t an easy decision; but all things must end, and we wanted to do it right, to do it our way. We have to thank all the people who helped us be R.E.M. for these 31 years; our deepest gratitude to those who allowed us to do this. It’s been amazing.”

I know, I know, probably not the biggest news of your day. (I think more people were talking about the new Facebook layout!) Yet, it's still a strange notion, for me at least. I clearly remember listening to REM for the first time. I was not quite 20 years old. My friend Martin had bought their album Murmur (yes, album... as in vinyl) and put it on a cassette tape for me. I almost wore that tape out.

I felt as if I was listening to musical poetry... arguably obscure, but beautiful nonetheless. After listening to years of synthpop and new wave music, REM's quiet, introspective sound was exhilarating. They quickly became my favorite group and have remained one ever since.

I only got to see them play live once. It was early on, probably 1986 or 1987, in a small art deco theater in Cleveland. I sat the whole evening mesmerized. (Countrymouse was less than impressed with the show. Stipe still had some issues (shyness? agoraphobia?) when performing then and had his back to the audience most of the evening.) I remember "Superman" being one of the highlights of the evening.

To mark this end of a musical era, I offer two songs. The first, "Radio Free Europe"... the song that started it all...the first track off their first full-length album, Murmur (as well as their first single). This video also marks their first television performance.

The second, "Find the River", their final track off what is generally considered to be their greatest work, Automatic For the People. A fitting song to say goodbye to a group of musicians that have been with me throughout my entire adult life.

Me, my thoughts are flower strewn

Ocean storm, bayberry moon

I have got to leave to find my way

Watch the road and memorize

This life that pass before my eyes

Nothing is going my way

tunes for tuesday: the understanding

2011-09-20T04:26:00.001-04:00

It's late... or early, depending on how you look at it. I've been awake since 1:45 and at this point it's a little after 4:00. Not much sense in climbing back into bed now since my alarm will go off in less than an hour. So how do you whittle away the hours until the rest of mankind begins to stir? By playing on-line Scrabble and listening to music, that's how.

All of that brings me to one of my current favorite songs, "The Understanding" by Jones Street Station. While the band’s folksy indie pop is easy on the ears, it keeps the listener engaged. The song definitely has a great sentiment and a catchy track.

Band member Danny Erker says, "We sing about a lot of wild stuff in the song -- fallen angels, prison breaks, sword fights -- but what's at its heart is the simple beauty of spontaneous friendships...".

Perfect listening for 4:00 am.

become someone else

2011-09-15T10:06:00.000-04:00

Are there days when you'd love to become someone else? (I can hear you shouting, "Hell yeah" as I type this! Yeah, me too.)

photo credit

"Become Someone Else" is a brilliant ad campaign from earlier this year by Lithuanian advertising agency, Love for Mint Vinetu, a book store that features classic literature. Here's what they have to say about it:

"When one reads books, he/she starts living it and identifies (or not) with main hero. These print ads for the Mint Vinetu bookstore, which sells lots of classics, focuses on the idea of becoming someone else. And provokes people to try on different personas."

My favorite classic is Emily Bronte's one and only novel, Wuthering Heights, but it's a sad, tragic story. My own life is so much happier than Cathy's ever hoped to be, there is no way I'd trade places with her! What about you? Any classic stories you'd love to live for a day?

if we always remember we will never forget

2011-09-11T23:43:00.000-04:00

I am sure there have been plenty of posts about Patriot's Day today... did you even know that 09/11 was given it's own "holiday"? While I have been cognizant of what day it is, I wasn't sure that I wanted to write about it. But here I am at 11:30 at night, putting my thoughts into words.

Like you, I remember where I was when I heard about the 09/11 attacks. My mother and I had spent the morning emptying out my basement as the last phase of a former move was shaping up. I was swinging by the dry cleaners when my husband's secretary called me to tell me about what had happened and that they were cancelling patients for the day. My kids came home early from school and didn't have classes for the next day or two. (We live in Maryland and as the crow flies, are not that far from DC.)

Here we are 10 years later. The big slogan for the day is "Never Forget". But that's exactly what I am concerned will happen. I think about the bombings in Pearl Harbor in 1941. While I understand the significance of December 7, 1941, it is not a day I stop and observe. Am I unpatriotic when I say it is another day in our country's history but doesn't mean anything to me personally? I've been told that 09/11 will probably be one of (if not THE) most defining days of my life. I can believe that but at what point does that not apply? Will my children feel the same way? Surely, my grandchildren won't.

My parents were born in 1939 and 1941. They grew up during WWII and had recollections of it's impact on their lives. While they were too young to remember Pearl Harbor, it definitely impacted them. I think about the war effort in WWII and the amount of support our country showed the troops. I think things are very different today. Our efforts are not as focused and our support is sometimes ambiguous. After 09/11/2001 I saw a unity in our country that I personally had never seen before. But over time that faded away. If the most "defining event in my life" cannot keep a fire burning within the belly of our country, what can?

So while it is all very topical to talk about 09/11/2001 today, what do you do on a daily basis to honor the fallen or keep the passion or patriotism alive? In 70 years will our grandchildren and great-grandchildren think about 09/11/2001 like I think about 12/07/1941? I hope not but unless I am willing to make this day live for them, I don't see how they won't.

The bottom line is our love for our country and what it stands for must be a message we instill in our children every day. Days like today are special because they make us stop and remember. But if we always remember we will never forget.

sugar and spice

2011-09-02T13:09:00.002-04:00

My garden, once vibrant, has now gone the way of most of summer's goodness. But I still have basil, hot peppers and tomatoes. What more could a girl ask for? (I know things are looking pretty rough in this photo... the crappy garden is mine. The crappy garage is my neighbor's.)

My hot peppers are finally coming on and I love pulling into my driveway in the evening and seeing little fiery bursts of red in the garden. I think there may be a big pot of chili in my family's future!

Taking the photo, I thought about this old nursery rhyme...

What are little boys made of?

Frogs and snails,

And puppy dogs' tails

That's what little boys are made of.

What are little girls made of?

Sugar and spice,

And everything nice

That's what little girls are made of.

I remember being a little girl, when it was still just my two brothers and me, and my mother would say this with us. Somehow I felt a sense of superiority over my brothers because they were made of icky things like frogs and snails but I was made of everything nice. It makes me smile now.

This weekend, I am off to spend time with my two sisters. In some ways we are very much alike but in many ways we are very different. Makes for colorful, passionate friendships.

Thinking about my sisters and this nursery rhyme also makes me think about the cartoon, Powerpuff Girls. (I know, my mind is all over the place some days.) If you aren't familiar with the cartoon, the main characters are three sisters, who were created by Professor Utonium in an attempt to create one "perfect little girl", using a mixture of sugar and spice and everything nice. But what happened instead is that he accidentally spilled the mysterious Chemical X (rumor has it, in the original pilot, Chemical X was called "Whoop Ass" but they cleaned it up before the cartoon aired) into the mixture and ended up with three little girls... each possessing one of the elements he was shooting for.

(Bubbles = blue = sugar Blossom = pink = nice Buttercup = green = spice)

If my sisters and I were the Powerpuff girls, I'm afraid I would probably be the sugar or the nice but what I would really want to be is the SPICE! Funny how you reach a certain age and you really aren't so worried about the goody-two-shoes stuff. I think there is definitely some freedom in aging. (Good thing, because I am not so sure there are many other perks!)

With a long holiday weekend upon us, I hope you have a great time filled with all the goodness and spice (and maybe some Chemical X) you can handle.

here we go again

2011-08-24T09:13:00.002-04:00

I wonder how many parents wake up on the first day of school to an e-mail like this:

Good Evening: This is Dr. Mumin, Superintendent of Caroline County Public Schools.
As you are aware, today at approximately 2pm, an earthquake struck the area. The earthquake reached 5.8 on the Richter scale and rocked the east coast from The Carolinas to Maine.

After review by our maintenance teams, our buildings are safe for opening schools in the morning. Furthermore, this evening, our maintenance teams will continue to check the buildings to ensure there are no changes to their present all clear, safe status.

We look forward to greeting the students tomorrow for the first day of the 2011-2012 school year!

Bizarre!!

Of course, we'll be potentially rocking and rolling with hurricane Irene later this week too. Yikes. All this environmental drama (along with a multitude of other reasons) makes me think summer should just stick around a little longer!

Andrew: 11th Grade Peter: 12th Grade Ethan: 11th Grade

You would think these guys thought that too but they actually got up on time and left for school EARLY! (Wonder how long that will last??)

I know a lot of people who love when their kids go back to school. I am not one of them. I love how carefree and lazy summers are. The thought of homework assignments (or... cough... cough.... incomplete homework assignments) and getting teenaged boys up before dawn just gives me the willies. (It is also a reminder that their days at home are numbered.)

Since my boys have been in school I have had the mindset that summer ends once school begins. Even though here in Maryland we'll have another couple of months of great (maybe even better than great) weather (minus stuff like earthquakes and hurricanes, of course), it's hard for me to come home from work and relax knowing that I now have school obligations and constraints. Eating dinner at 8:00 at night isn't as leisurely when you know your alarm clock is going off at 5:00 the next morning and no one has any clean clothes and you forgot to pick-up that poster board on your way home from work.

BUT I have tried very hard this year to change my thinking about summer.
This year I am trying to maintain my summertime mentality and just take things one day at a time. I am determined to enjoy every day for what it brings (or doesn't bring). So even with mounds of laundry, I am clinging to the notion that there's always time for a glass of wine with Countrymouse on the deck because, really, there's always going to be laundry and when the day is done, I'd much rather drift off to sleep thinking about time spent with him than whether or not my towels are clean.

thinking about my mom today

2011-08-19T11:37:00.000-04:00

My mother would have turned 70 today. Man, do I miss her. There's times I wonder how that can even be possible. When I reflect on my relationship with her, I remember plenty of times she would frustrate me or even straight-up piss me off. But she always loved me... unconditionally. My mother was one of those people who had a hard time telling you what was good about you. You would always hear from someone else that she was bragging on you or showing off pictures of your kids. I tell my kids I love them all the time because I want them to hear it from me.

Mom probably circa 1947

(One of my favorite pictures of my mother. She had a tough childhood but she looks very innocent and happy here. The photo was probably taken by my grandfather, who was an amateur photographer.)

My mother had a big heart and was happiest when she was hosting some get-together in her home. There were five of us growing up in that house and every occasion was peppered with a host of girl/boy friends, later followed by spouses and kids, relatives and family friends. I like to think that hospitality is one of my better qualities and that, if it's possible, I inherited it from my mother. (Or at the very least, learned by example.) Since I now live in the same house that she raised her family in, I feel a special connection with her when I host a get-together. When my parents celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary, they did a big formal dinner but they also had a huge celebration in their backyard. The same backyard in which Countrymouse and I celebrated our 25th anniversary. For us (and for my parents, I suspect), we couldn't think of a better way to celebrate than gathered around the people we love in our home. I only wish she could have been there to share the day with us.

Dad and Mom 25th Anniversary 1984

(I love this photo of my parents. They look genuinely happy. And I love how tightly my dad is squeezing my mom's arm. Too sweet.)

I suppose most mother-daughter relationship suffer some strain and stress over the years. (Since I only have sons, I get to dodge that bullet on the mother end of things.) For as many not-so-perfect memories I have of my mother, I have scads more good ones. I'm thankful for that. I am also thankful to have spent 45 years with this wonderful woman and to be the woman she helped shape.

Goofing around with Mom and my sisters. Family reunion 2007.

(Sorry about the "Johnny Cash" pose. (I tried to make it nice.) We were being silly. Alcohol was involved. Enough said.)

So tonight, I will spend time with people I love and raise a glass to my mom and celebrate all that she was and all that she continues to be for those people whose lives she touched. And I will remember this...

happy = good

2011-08-17T09:05:00.000-04:00

get more joy

2011-08-08T06:16:00.000-04:00

tunes i like tuesday: poison & wine

2011-07-26T11:30:00.001-04:00

I am thrilled to say Countrymouse and I are going to see these guys tonight!! I've been a big fan of The Civil Wars for a year or two now. You may remember that I featured their cover of the great Leonard Cohen's "Dance Me to the End of Love". I still think it's a great song and a great cover.

Aside from really liking their sound, what I noticed early on about Joy Williams and John Paul White and was that other singers I liked liked them too... even though they weren't getting commerical airplay or had even released a full length album. (Their first full length album, Barton Hollow, was released this past winter.) When the artists you like are buzzing about another group, it's time to take notice!

Besides being named by Paste Magazine as "Best of What's Next" here's some of the buzz, buzz, buzz.....

	"The Civil Wars are the BEST live band I have EVER seen." - Adele "The Civil Wars are a bonafide phenomenon." - KCRW "Through bands like The Civil Wars, a new music industry is born." - LA Times “I think this (Poison & Wine) is my favorite duet. It’s exquisite.” - Taylor Swift (Full disclosure: Swift is not one of my musical loves, but she's good at what she does and a lot of people like her.) Have a listen... let me know what you think.

"The Civil Wars are the BEST live band I have EVER seen." - Adele

"The Civil Wars are a bonafide phenomenon." - KCRW

"Through bands like The Civil Wars, a new music industry is born." - LA Times

“I think this (Poison & Wine) is my favorite duet. It’s exquisite.” - Taylor Swift (Full disclosure: Swift is not one of my musical loves, but she's good at what she does and a lot of people like her.)

Have a listen... let me know what you think.

PS: Just an interesting tidbit... Joy Williams and John Paul White are NOT married. Well, they are... just not to each other.

dog days

2011-07-24T00:01:00.002-04:00

Who isn't hot?? Complaining about it doesn't change a thang! (But somehow, it's all we're talking about... isn't it??) This is what our weather has been like the past few days. I clipped this about 7:00 am this past Thursday morning. It really probably was 77° at that moment but it definitely wasn't raining. Nah... we just had fog. I'm sure it was because the air was so saturated from all the moisture/humidity. (I wish we had rain... my poor lawn and flowers are dying a slow and ugly death.)

Small Country Town, MD

77°F

Current: Rain
Wind: N at 0 mph

Humidity: 100%

Thu

97° | 76°

Fri

101° | 77°

Sat

99° | 76°

Sun

95° | 72°

I know there are places where these kind of temperatures are normal here in the US and abroad (like Iraq and Afghanistan... God bless our troops!). But I live in Maryland... this isn't our "normal"... we're just the pseudo-south, for goodness sake! (Maryland was a slave-holding border state during the Civil War, which means we are still treated like a red-headed stepchild. The North thinks we're the South and the South won't have us.)

I was driving to work the other day and the term "Dog Days" popped into my head. It was something I hadn't thought about since I was a kid and even then, I'm not sure who I heard use it. (Although a quick Google search showed that the term is alive and well... maybe I just haven't been paying attention.) As a kid, this term always conjured up a picture of a poor dog panting and breathless, like this...

sorce

and I really wasn't sure what it meant. Well, now that I'm all grown up, I know it refers to the long, hot days at the height of the summer season. What I didn't know, and hence the Google search, is the origin of the term. From the wiki:

The Romans referred to the dog days as diēs caniculārēs and associated the hot weather with the star Sirius. They considered Sirius to be the "Dog Star" because it is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (Large Dog). Sirius is also the brightest star in the night sky. The term "Dog Days" was used earlier by the Greeks.
The Dog Days originally were the days when Sirius rose just before or at the same time as sunrise. The Romans sacrificed a brown hop at the beginning of the Dog Days to appease the rage of Sirius, believing that the star was the cause of the hot, sultry weather.
Dog Days were popularly believed to be an evil time "when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, Quinto raged in anger, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies" according to Brady’s Clavis Calendarium.

Reading this immediately made me think of 1) Keanu Reeves mediocre band, Dogstar (ewwwww) and 2) the much superior Florence + the Machine's, "Dog Days Are Over".

I think our dog days are long from being over but it also made me think about making some sangria! Peach sangria, to be exact. Peaches are finally in season here in Maryland. (YAY!) I get my peaches from my friends at Blades Orchards... check them out if you're local.)

Here's my recipe for peach sangria. It's simple and tasty, which is everything a drink should be to get you through these dog days!

Peach Sangria

1 (750ml) bottle rose' wine

3/4 cup vodka (use peach vodka if you have it & want an extra peachy flavor)

1/2 cup peach nectar (I buy this in single cans in my local market's Latin foods section. I always have some on hand for Bellinis.)

6 Tablespoons frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

1 pound peaches, peeled & sliced

2 cups club soda, chilled

In a pitcher, combine all the ingredients together except the club soda. Add club soda just before serving. Float some raspberries on top or garnish with a little mint. Enjoy!

How are you waiting out these dog days? Special drink? Activity? (Personally, my yard is terribly neglected and it shows. Countrymouse is going to attempt to mow our dying grass later since it's only supposed to be in the low 90s. YIKES!) Do you still grill when it's killer hot outside? (We do... but we eat inside.) Will we wish it was summer again once the snow starts falling? Whatever you do, keep cool, my friends.

home

2011-07-22T05:54:00.000-04:00

Today I am playing along with the ladies over at LoveFeast Table, who asked,

"What is your word? One word, right now in this time and place that describes you? Don’t think long. What is the first word that comes to mind?"

What's your word??? Join in the fun over at LoveFeast Table or leave your word below in my comments to get in on the fun.

random tidbits

2011-07-20T11:56:00.000-04:00

No Tuesday Tunes post yesterday because I had to wake up at o'dark o'clock to get to the airport to pick up my son Matthew. Some of you know he recently returned back to the States from Iraq but he is finally on leave and is home here in Maryland for a few weeks.

He surprised me when he came home at Christmas, which is no small feat. Have any of you watched Operation Homecoming on TLC?? What do you think? The commercials make me cry... I don't think I could get through an entire episode. (Click the link to see a teeny tiny version of our homecoming moment.)

Matt will be heading to Afghanistan in January to participate in a pathfinder/recon mission. He VOLUNTEERED for this assignment because he said he didn't feel like he got enough done in Iraq. Part of me is extremely proud of him and the other part of me wants to slap the living shit out of him. (Sorry for the potty mouth, but sometimes there are no other words that fit.) So those of you who pray for our troops, please keep him (and my heart) on your lists.

Source

Though this quote is for all of us, it is a reminder for some one special in my life who is going through a rough time. Hang in there... we'll get through these days together.

What is it about London designer Orla Kiely that we all love so much? Her use of simple, bold images makes me want to buy everything of hers I see. Thanks to Target for making her merch so accessible (and affordable!). I am currently sporting this bag as my summer catch-all thanks to an awesome deal I got from Swirl. It's pretty much perfect for me... coffee-themed, gigantic and orange. What would your prefect bag look like?

Even though it's Wednesday and not Tuesday (you didn't think I'd let you off the hook that easy, did you??) here is a tune I am LOVING right about now. If you don't already know Foster the People, do yourself a favor and check them out NOW!

touch

2011-07-14T05:30:00.000-04:00

The pressure of the hands causes the springs of life to flow.

- Tokujiro Namikoshi

What is it about touch? I've been pondering the power of touch today after a friend did some Reiki on me to help heal a headache. It didn't totally take my headache away but it did feel better. Just having her hands on my head simply made me feel more relaxed and comforted.

I think the importance of touch, like breathing, is so basic that we sometimes take it for granted. Research has shown that touch plays a huge role in our mental and physical development and with our happiness and energy as adults.

I've been reflecting on all the ways touching has played a part in my life... from my husband to my children to my dying brother. We convey so much by touching (or not touching). What ways has touch been significant in your life? I'd love to hear about it. I find this whole subject fascinating. If you'd like to read more about the wonders of human touch check out this site.

tunes i like tuesday: beautiful mess

2011-07-12T00:17:00.001-04:00

I listen to a lot of music. Like everyone else, I have my favorite artists or tunes and sometimes they come and go. One artist that has remained a favorite of mine through thick and thin is Kasey Chambers. I seriously love everything she does. Her sound is definitely Americana, which amuses me since she's an Aussie. (I suppose I should really say her sound is Roots Music.) Chambers has a loyal following here in the US but nothing compared to Australia. She has won multiple ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards) and continues to have strong commercial success.

A new Kasey Chambers album is always a treat. Her latest album, Little Bird, was released in the US last fall. Chambers lends her distinctive rootsy vocals, that range from little-girlish to outright infectious, to the 14 tracks. Along with Chambers you will find a host of awesome guest singers, including Patty Griffin, Chamber's husband Shane Nicholson and her father, Bill Chambers, fellow Aussies, Kevin Bennett and Missy Higgins, who is featured on background vocals on the featured song, "Beautiful Mess".

This is a sweet song and the video is visually cheery. Be sure to watch until the very end. If you are a fan of Lucinda Williams or maybe Patsy Cline, check out Kasey Chambers. Let me know what you think.

So send me to the grave with the age old question

How to get into this beautiful mess

And it was never my intention never my style

Everything about you was worth my while

I'm linking this post of two fun sites that feature Sunday music: 5 Minutes Just for Me and Do I Really Wanna Blog?

squash fritters with fresh herbs

2011-07-10T11:03:00.001-04:00

We have a meager little garden. Countrymouse and I often joke that we'd starve if we really had to sustain ourselves with what we grow. I know people who plan and plot their gardens every year and spend countless hours weeding and watering, etc. I am quite confident that they are greatly rewarded for their efforts. My approach is pretty much on the other side of the spectrum. I spend about 10 minutes thinking about what I want to plant as I peruse the nursery, stick the plants in the ground and hope it rains every night. (We actually do have a soaker hose buried in the garden that Countrymouse turns on every few days aka when he remembers.) Believe it or not, our little garden does okay. Occasionally, we do something really gardener-ish, like fertilize the soil. We practically live in Frank Perdue's backyard, so having a chicken farmer for a friend is kinda standard in these parts. That also means, getting chicken manure for your garden is pretty easy too. The thing about chicken manure is that it is rich in nitrogen, which garden plants love. (This is why your garden thrives on rain water, which contains nitrogen, better than your household water supply.) Nitrogen can be tricky...too much can make them do crazy things like this....

My squash plants look like they have been hanging out with Barry Bonds.

Nitrogen helps plants use carbohydrates to gain energy. Too much nitrogen will cause a lot of leaf growth but unfortunately, when the plant is spending all it's energy growing leaves, it doesn't grow as much fruit. This is what happened to our squash this year. The upside of all of this is that instead of having to stealthily leave zucchini or summer squash on my neighbors porches in the wee hours of the morning, we have just the right amount.

I recently whipped up a batch of squash fritters ~~to go with~~ for dinner. (I ate so many while they were cooking, I couldn't eat dinner.) They were awesome and especially tasty with some tzatziki sauce. This is by far the best tzatziki recipe I have ever used. I always add an obscene amount of garlic. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

Squash Fritters

2 summer squash (about 8 ounces), grated (Use whatever you're growing.)

1 egg, separated

4 tablespoons of flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 pinch cayenne

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

1/4 cup milk

Oil for frying

1. Grate the squash on a box grater or on the grating disc of a food processor. Roll the grated squash in a clean dishtowel and squeeze out some of the liquid. The shreds don't need to be bone dry, but you want to get rid of some of the water.

2. Put the squash in a bowl with the egg yolk. Stir in the flour, baking powder, cayenne, herbs and some salt and pepper to taste. Add in the milk and stir to combine. The squash mixture will look like rather dry pancake batter.

3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg white until it forms stiff peaks. Fold the egg white into the squash mixture. Now the squash mixture will look like damp pancake batter.

4. In a large skillet, heat about 1/4 inch of oil until hot and shimmering. Drop spoonfuls of fritter batter into the oil. Fry on both sides until golden brown, 3-5 minutes per side.

5. Drain on paper towels and serve with a sprinkling of salt and some lemon wedges.

little things

2011-07-07T00:10:00.000-04:00

via

tunes i like tuesday: 100 days, 100 nights

2011-07-05T00:10:00.002-04:00

Hope you had a great Independence Day. We did here at the Mouse House. It was kinda chill and was capped off with an all-American barbecue... shandies, steaks, baked beans, tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini from my garden and apple pie (well, we would have eaten it if anyone still had room for it). My niece and nephew played and the adults kicked back on our new deck. Pretty much as good as it gets. Adding to that was an awesome soundtrack. I've been totally digging some soul/funk music this summer. My Bill Withers station has become my default Pandora station. I'm not always sure Countrymouse likes it as much as I do, but he's a good sport. Probably my second (current) favorite station is Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. I wrote about Sharon Jones last summer in this post where I called her the "real deal" and I still mean it. I love her funky sound. If you're anything like me, you live for these long, casual summer days and nights and Sharon Jones makes for perfect summer listening. If you live within driving distance to Annapolis, Maryland you should consider attending the Silopanna Music Festival on August 27th. Jones and the Dap-Kings will be one of the headlining acts (along with Matt and Kim, Fitz and the Tantrums, Trombone Shorty and Harper Blynn, in addition to a host of local music). I'll be there so be sure to let me know if you're going!

precious blessings

2011-07-03T08:15:00.000-04:00

My God! How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy!
~Thomas Jefferson

Countrymouse's birthday is on the eve of Independence Day, so it's always a festive time around our house. (I mean, really... how many people get to celebrate their birthday with fireworks??) Yet, even in party-mode, we never forget the reason we celebrate (the holiday part not the birthday part.)

So in honor of Independence Day and as a little tribute to Countrymouse, who loves Zac Brown, I thought I'd share this song. You might wonder what a song called "Chicken Fried" has anything to do with the holiday. The song is about being thankful but in particular it's this verse...

I thank God for my life
And for the Stars and Stripes
May freedom forever fly
Let it ring

Salute the ones who died
The ones that give their lives
So we don't have to sacrifice
All the things we love

So Happy Birthday USA and Happy Birthday Countrymouse.
I'm thankful for both of you.

you are never alone

2011-06-30T00:10:00.001-04:00

Buy it here.

tunes i like tuesday: morning

2011-06-28T00:10:00.001-04:00

Brooklyn-based Northwood, an up and coming Americana-roots-indy-country-folk band, is currently partnering with Kickstarter to raise money for a full-length album. The song below, "Morning" is from their EP, Pond Life, which you can buy here.

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://northwood.bandcamp.com/album/pond-life"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Pond Life by Northwood&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

Kickstarter is a funding platform for music, art and other creative projects. It allows fans to have a vested interest in the outcome of a project. Backers pledge financial support, thus adding to the collaborative financial effort. Many times the artist involved will offer a thank you gift for the support. For example, a $10 pledge to Northwood will get you a digital copy of their album (assuming they reach their fully funded goal). You'd spend that much to buy it anyway and you get to help the band reach their goal. It's a win-win situation. (Higher amounts bring higher rewards.)

Check out Northwood's promo video for their Kickstarter campaign, which features their song, "Morning". If you enjoy their music, consider contributing to them. (Or at least have a look around and see who else is asking for support. It really is a tremendous way to be a patron of the arts.)

happy birthday, eric carle

2011-06-25T00:04:00.001-04:00

"The unknown often brings fear with it. In my books I try to counteract this fear, to replace it with a positive message. I believe that children are naturally creative and eager to learn. I want to show them that learning is really both fascinating and fun.” -Eric Carle

For as long as I can remember, I've been enjoying the work of Eric Carle... first as a child, then as an educator and finally with my own children. I look forward to one day sharing my love of his books and artwork with my grandchildren.

Today marks his 82nd birthday. Happy birthday, Mr. Carle. May it be a memorable one. Thank you for years and years of happy moments and smiles.

BONUS: Printable Eric Carle coloring pages! Yay!! Enjoy!

my current obsession

2011-06-23T08:40:00.000-04:00

I. Want. This.

.......................but somehow, I don't think having custom tiles shipped from Scotland quite fits into my budget this month (or maybe even this lifetime).

This would just be so AWESOME in my bathroom. I just can't stop thinking about it. Is there anything you're obsessing over these days? Know somewhere here in the US that sells something similar??

tunes i like tuesday: lie in the sound

2011-06-21T00:10:00.000-04:00

I'm not feeling all that spiffy. (Must have been all the fun and sun this past weekend!) Since I'm feeling a little moody and melancholy, today's tune kinda reflects that. It's an older one by Tresspassers William from their 2002 album Different Stars. I'm happy to say that TW is supposedly working on some new music... it's been far too long.

Do you listen to music that mirrors your mood? Do you think music can alter your mood?

the men in my life

2011-06-19T08:36:00.000-04:00

Happy Fathers Day to the two men in my life......

The one who planted and the one who watered.

I wouldn't be who I am today without both of them. I love them both!

avocado, tomato and mango salsa

2011-06-17T05:16:00.000-04:00

photo credit

(since it didn't occur to me that I wanted a picture until it was gone)

I recently hosted a Cuban themed dinner that included mango salsa. This stuff was so good that I ate the leftovers for lunch everyday until it was gone! I've had a hankering for it lately so I'm trying to think of a way to incorporate it into our Father's Day barbeque. Up until this attempt, all of my salsa making had been more traditional, which I love and will eat in a heartbeat, but there is something really refreshing about mango salsa that makes it perfect for this time of year. The Mojitos we drank with it also did a good job of screaming "It's summertime!"

For those of you who are looking for a nice little summer twist to your chips and salsa or maybe a good accompaniment to some grilled fish or chicken, give this a whirl. Enjoy!

Avocado, Tomato and Mango Salsa

Ingredients

• 1 mango - peeled, seeded and diced

• 1 avocado - peeled, pitted, and diced

• 4 medium tomatoes, diced

• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

• 1/4 cup chopped red onion

• 3 tablespoons

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine the mango, avocado, tomatoes, jalapeno, cilantro, and garlic. Stir in the salt, lime juice, red onion, and olive oil. To blend the flavors, refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving. Serves 6 (unless you eat as much as I did… then serves 2 if you’re lucky).

back in the usa

2011-06-15T06:01:00.000-04:00

While he's not HERE... (He's actually in Alaska making his way back to his base in Hawaii.)

Matt IS back in the States after spending the past year in Iraq! Thanks for all your positive believing and prayers. We'll get to see him in July... I can hardly wait!

Welcome back Matt.

We love you and are proud of you.

tunes i like tuesday: up, up, up

2011-06-14T00:10:00.001-04:00

I'm really, really loving the song "Up, Up, Up" by Givers. It's off their newly released debut album, In Light and it is the perfect summer song.... it's a happy, catchy, joyful sound. Givers, a young quintet from Lafayette, Louisiana, are a band to keep your eye (and ears) on. Have a listen and let me know what you think.

Oh and true confession time... while I love the song, watching them just wears me out!

sunday morning pictures

2011-06-12T08:44:00.000-04:00

One of my very favorite things to do is to sit outside early in the morning and drink my coffee. There is just something so peaceful about this time of day. I love the fact that the rest of my family is still asleep and the house is still. I wonder if all the years of having so many little kids running around (and never sleeping in) contributes to this love?? Of course, now I have adult/teenaged kids and the last thing they want to see is what 6:30am looks or sounds like! (All the better for me!)

I thought this morning would be a good time to finally figure out how to use the camera on my iPhone since I've had it for a few months and haven't even tried to take a photo. I still have a ways to go, but it's a start.

The necessities... my computer (playing some tunes), coffee, water, pad and pen and a little flower to brighten my morning. It rained last night (YAY) so the table was a little wet, thus the tea towel.

An anniversary gift from some dear friends.

My companion, Kiki. We actually have two other cats, Mia and Massimo, but we don't allow them outside. (They are lilac point Siamese and my concern is that if they go out a) someone will take them or b) they aren't smart enough to get back in successfully.) Kiki was a lost kitten my kids found a few years ago and she's a tough cookie.

The Maryland flag. I love everything about my state except its politics. I think we have the absolute best looking state flag in the whole country. This was a Goodwill find that sat in a drawer until recently, when I decided it would look good on the deck. I plan on buying a flag pole for it and hanging it properly, but for now this works. Yes, that's mosquito fogger sitting in the window sill beside the flag. What you don't see are the 4 cans of mosquito repellent sitting next to them. The other thing I don't like about my state are all the mosquitoes but I love being outside more. Priorities, you know?

Our deck is under a 100+ year old pecan tree. We have wonderful lights strung all through it. They look pretty awesome at night. I always feel festive when they are on.

I need to play some more with the iPhone camera but it really is so much easier than any other cell phone camera I've used and really opens up so many possibilities for photos on the fly.

The rest of my day is filled with normal household things and then Sunday dinner with my family at my father's house that hopefully includes a stroll in the stream. I hope you find some quite time today to enjoy something you love.

always june

2011-06-10T17:41:00.000-04:00

photo

I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June.
-- L. M. Montgomery

Enjoy your lovely June weekend. I hope it brings you lots of joy and love.

tunes i like tuesday: all i want is you (the 25th anniversary edition)

2011-06-07T00:01:00.002-04:00

I love this man more today than ever.

1986

2011

Happy 25th Anniversary, Countrymouse.

Thanks for being my sweet honey bee.

remembering

2011-05-30T09:59:00.000-04:00

“The bravest are surely

those who have the

clearest vision of

what is before them,

glory and danger alike,

and yet notwithstanding,

go out to meet it.”

~Thucydides

tunes i like tuesday: will you love me?

2011-05-24T22:37:00.000-04:00

I really like The Vespers, a born and bred Nashville group consisting of the Cryar sisters and the Jones brothers. They play roots music with a little folk/bluegrass flair that is reminiscent of Nickel Creek or maybe The Wailin' Jennys. I've had the pleasure of seeing them perform twice and will no doubt go see them again when it is available. I featured a song from their debut album, Tell Your Mama, back in October that you can read about here. I'm very excited to tell you they are producing new material and are working on a second album. Here is their official music video for their song, "Will You Love Me?", (hopefully) off their upcoming album. Enjoy!

neon as art

2011-05-19T07:23:00.000-04:00

For some people, the thought of neon as art may seem strange. I suppose if the only neon you ever saw were beer logos and "open" signs, it would be a stretch. My very cool sister-in-law, Eve, is an award-winning neon artist. For the last 20-ish years I've had the pleasure of seeing Eve's work. (Countrymouse actually has a piece hanging in his office.) I am not sure what I like best about neon art... the way the glass curves and flows in it's design, the vibrant colors or that it is such an unique art form. Neon art is complex yet many times visually simple... a lot like life.

Eve was featured on a local Philadelphia television show, Philadelphia Stories, last week. Since we live a couple of hours south in Maryland, I wasn't able to watch the program. Thank God for YouTube! The short video below shows Eve in her home studio bending the heart piece above. Pretty awesome stuff.

You can check out some of Eve's other works on her website, Evening Neon.

tunes i like tuesday: lively up yourself

2011-05-10T23:45:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, May 11, 2011 marks the 30th anniversary of Bob Marley's death at the age of 36 from cancer. (Have I mentioned how much I hate cancer?)

While reggae surely has it's following, here in the US it doesn't have the stronghold that it has in other parts of the world. And yet, Bob Marley and his music is as popular today as it's ever been. My kids are great examples of this... Marley died months before I even met their father but they know who he is, recognize his picture and know more than a few of his songs. I am not sure I understand that kind of cross-generational endurance. It makes me think of Elvis... though Elvis' role as a cultural phenomena, in addition to a musical one, was much broader and more clearly defined.

At Marley’s 1994 posthumous introduction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Rolling Stone publisher, Jann Wenner is quoted as saying:

"Bob Marley was the Third World’s first pop superstar. He was the man who introduced the world to the mystic power of reggae. He was a true rocker at heart, and as a songwriter, he brought the lyrical force of Bob Dylan, the personal charisma of John Lennon, and the essential vocal stylings of Smokey Robinson into one voice."

Hmmm... maybe that has something to do with it?

Marley's biggest hits include, ‘I Shot the Sheriff", "No Woman, No Cry", "Could You Be Loved", "Stir It Up", "Jammin", "Redemption Song", "One Love", "Three Little Birds", as well as "Buffalo Soldier" and "Iron Lion Zion", both released after his death.

One of my favorite Bob Marley songs is "Lively Up Yourself" from his 1974 release with The Wailers, Natty Dread. My son, Peter, tried to convince me to choose "Jammin" or "Three Little Birds" to share with you since they're his favorites. What about you? Do you have a favorite Bob Marley song?

a little monday morning emerson

2011-05-09T07:17:00.000-04:00

photo credit

tunes i like tuesday: stayin' alive in the wall

2011-05-03T06:42:00.000-04:00

Today's tune is actually two tunes. I suppose mash-ups have been popular for a while now but I can't help but think the television show Glee has really brought them into popular culture. (One of my sons is a proud Gleek and I know he likes the mash-ups the best of all.)

The video today is by Wax Audio, the brilliant work of Australian, Tom Compagnoni. You can check out his website to hear (and see) the other mash-ups he's done. Part of the beauty of what Compagnoni does is the video mash-ups as well. It was really hard picking just one to share with you. I finally settled on Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall Part II" and the Bee Gees's "Stayin' Alive" known in it's mashed-up glory as "Stayin' Alive in the Wall". Hopefully you'll enjoy my selection. What do you think? Pop over to the Wax Audio website and let me know if you have a favorite.

osama bin laden is dead

2011-05-02T06:54:00.000-04:00

Remember 9/11 and the 2,977 innocent men, women, and children murdered by bin Laden’s jihadi henchmen.

Remember the 2000 USS Cole and the 17 sailors killed by bin Laden’s jihadi henchmen.

Remember the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the six killed, and hundreds injured by bin Laden’s jihadi henchmen.

Remember the 1988 US Embassy Bombings in Africa, the 12 US diplomats, and hundreds of Kenyans slaughtered by bin Laden’s jihadi henchmen.

Remember the 1983 Beirut bombings and the 241 US servicemen murdered by bin Laden’s jihadi henchmen.

source

“When justice is done,

it brings joy to the righteous

but terror to evildoers.”

— Proverbs 21:15

what makes people happy?

2011-04-28T22:06:00.001-04:00

This was filmed back in the fall with Thanksgiving in mind, but it's something that is good to think about any day. I love that so many of the people seem to think HAPPY = THANKFUL!

There's so many things to be happy and thankful about from the biggies like family, love and health to the little ones like hot coffee, spring flowers and hearing your favorite song on the radio.

A merry heart does good like a medicine.

Proverbs 17:22a

What makes YOU happy?

tunes i like tuesday: poetry man

2011-04-26T19:15:00.001-04:00

Many times I sit down Monday evening and write my Tunes I Like Tuesday posts but last night was busy, I was worn out and, frankly, I wasn't sure what I wanted to share. I still wasn't sure what to write about when I read this afternoon that Phoebe Snow had passed away today at the age of 60.

Anyone who was around in the mid-70s will remember her most popular song, "Poetry Man" from her 1974 eponymous release. Phoebe Snow's sound was everything I liked then and still like... bluesy, jazzy, soulful. I loved "Poetry Man" as a girl and it still remains a favorite.

Phoebe dropped out of the music scene to care for her severely brain-damaged daughter, Valerie, who passed away in 2007 at the age of 31. By all accounts, Snow never regretted her decision to care for her daughter instead of pursuing her music career. Phoebe's manager, Sue Cameron, is quoted as saying,

"Phoebe was one of the brightest, funniest and most talented singer-songwriters of all time and, more importantly, a magnificent mother to her late brain-damaged daughter, Valerie, for 31 years. Phoebe felt that was her greatest accomplishment."

Honestly, that just makes me like her even more.

Take a moment to have a listen to "Poetry Man" and enjoy the musical gift that Phoebe Snow has left us with.

driving me to empty nesterdom

2011-04-22T07:00:00.000-04:00

Summer 1997

Summer 2010

How is it possible my babies are halfway through Drivers Ed and will be behind the wheel in just a month?

Countrymouse and I move through these last years of parenting as we know it half holding our breath. How can something be so exciting and so dreadful at the same time? We already have these little sneak previews when all the boys are away somewhere or another for a weekend. We love these moments... working around the house together, shopping, dining out, listening to music, unabashed "adult time". Do we enjoy these times so much because they are a treat or because they are a glimpse into what our lives will be like just a few years down the road? I miss my two oldest sons terribly and don't see them nearly as often as I'd like. What will it really be like when they've all flown the coop?

tunes i like tuesday: falling slowly

2011-04-19T18:51:00.000-04:00

I enjoy a good movie but it seems that I never take the time to actually watch them. I even opened a Netflix account thinking that would help me out. The reality is that I select movies, they arrive and then they sit around for a few weeks until I make myself sit down and watch them. This past weekend I finally got around to watching a movie that's been on my list (and on my counter) to see for quite some time. Once, released back in 2007 (though it's only been on my counter since mid-March), is a Romeo and Juliet style romance about two star-crossed musicians.

I love, love, love the soundtrack and bought it when it first came out. I was thrilled when "Falling Slowly" was nominated and won the 2007 Academy Award for Best Original Song and the soundtrack went on to be nominated for a Grammy. Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, who tour together as The Swell Season, truly make beautiful music together.

I have a soft spot for Indie films and with such a brilliant soundtrack, I knew I'd love the movie. Yeah... well, not so much. After seeing the film I read some reviews about it. I felt badly for not liking it to begin with but after reading that this the film made all sorts of "Top Movie" lists, I really felt badly. Steven Spielberg was even quoted as saying "A little movie called Once gave me enough inspiration to last the rest of the year".

Oh well. In full disclosure, I didn't dislike the movie, I just didn't like it. I watch movies to be entertained, inspired or just downright escape. This movie didn't do any of those things for me. The soundtrack, however, does all those things and is well worth a listen. I'm sharing "Falling Slowly" with you here today but I would have been happy sharing any of the songs from this album.

What do you think? Have you seen the movie? Thumbs up or down? What about the music? Are there any other soundtracks that are on your Must Listen To list?

silliness

2011-04-17T22:35:00.000-04:00

Dear Noah,
We could have sworn you said the ark wasn't leaving till 5.
Sincerely,
Unicorns

Dear Twilight fans,
Please realize that because vampires are dead and have no blood pumping
through them, they can never get an erection.
Enjoy fantasizing about that.
Sincerely,
Logic

Dear Yahoo,
I've never heard anyone say, "I don't know, let's Yahoo it” I’m just saying......
Sincerely,
Google

Dear Windshield Wipers,
Can't touch this.
Sincerely,
That Little Triangle

Dear Saturn,
I liked it, so I put a ring on it.
Sincerely,
God

Dear Osama Bin Laden,
Marco....
Sincerely,
United States

Dear World of Warcraft,
Thank you for ensuring my son's virginity.
Sincerely,
Parents Everywhere

Dear Batman,
What was your power again?
Sincerely,
Superman

Dear Customers,
Yes, we ARE making fun of you in Vietnamese.
Sincerely,
Nail Salon Ladies

Dear Ugly People,
You're welcome.
Sincerely,
Alcohol

Dear Mr. Gump
WTF are you talking about? There's a little diagram on the lid that tells
you EXACTLY what you're gonna get....
Sincerely,
Jenny

Dear World,
Please stop freaking out about 2012. Our calendars ends there because some
Spanish d-bags invaded our country and we got a little busy ok?
Sincerely,
The Mayans

Dear iPhone,
Please stop spell checking all of my rude words into nice words.
You piece of shut.
Sincerely,
Every iPhone User

Dear Giant Spider on the Wall,
Please die. Please die. Please die. Please die. CRAP! Where did you go?
Sincerely,
Terrified

Dear Trash,
At least you get picked up...
Sincerely,
The Girls of Jersey Shore

Dear Man,
It's cute, but can you pick up peanuts with it?
Sincerely,
Elephant

Dear Dr. Phil,
Look man, there's only room for one fake doctor in this world
and I was here first.
Sincerely,
Dr. Pepper

source

life

2011-04-14T06:37:00.000-04:00

image

tunes i like tuesday: hit 'em up style

2011-04-11T21:03:00.000-04:00

I am posting my Tuesday Tunes a day early this week because I am happily sharing the spotlight over at XmasDolly's Monday's Music Moves Me. Have a listen here and then head over there to check out the other tunes people are talking about this week.

The Carolina Chocolate Drops have been recording for about 5 years now, but I only heard about them last December when my brother and his wife brought their album, Genuine Negro Jig to my house during a visit. I wished I had heard them sooner! These guys make me want to get up and move. Their sound is a combination of traditional black string-band music from the Carolinas, folk and bluegrass. Even though their sound is definitely old-time, they bring a breath of fresh air to the music community.

They do a delightful cover of Blu Cantrell's 2001 R&B hit, "Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops)". As I've mentioned before, I love hearing different interpretations of the same song. Click on the link above if you haven't heard the original or need a reminder. What's your take? I actually like both versions. I think my mood would dictate which one I played but on any given day, I think I'd pick the Chocolate Drops' version.

remember to dance with the daffodils

2011-04-10T21:42:00.000-04:00

tunes i like tuesday: waiting for the sun

2011-03-29T00:10:00.001-04:00

Have I mentioned that I hate the cat and mouse game Spring likes to play? A snowy morning on Sunday and temperatures in the low 20s tonight are not the harbingers of Spring I've been hoping for. They do, however, make me think of The Doors and their song "Waiting for the Sun"; leftover from their album of the same name, the song eventually found a home on the 1970 release, Morrison Hotel. While Morrison Hotel didn't father any major hits for The Doors, it marked a return to their bluesy rock and roll roots. Personally, that is The Doors sound I love the most.

Waiting for the sun
Waiting for the sun
Waiting for the sun

Can you feel it

Now that Spring has come
That it's time to live in the scattered sun

So while we wait for Spring to cooperate (at least here in the Mid-Atlantic), enjoy some Doors and think great Spring-y thoughts. What songs does all this waiting make you think about? Perhaps another song by the same name, like The Jayhawks "Waiting for the Sun"??? (An excellent, though very different, song.) Let me know... if I have to wait much longer, I'm going to need a musical intervention!

dinner in a springform pan

2011-03-24T00:10:00.001-04:00

If you're like me, you find recipes on the Internet that sound so absolutely wonderful that you just want to stop what you're doing and start cooking/baking. Trouble is, I find most of these said recipes while at work. So I end up printing off countless recipes and bring them home with every intention of trying them. Some of them make it on my table and many don't.

I host a family dinner at my house every other Sunday, so this is a good excuse to try some of these recipes. This past Sunday was my turn to host and I thought it'd be a great time to "experiment". Now, whipping out new stuff while cooking for the usual suspects (aka Countrymouse and the pups) isn't all that intimating. They've lived through my culinary mishaps over the years so they are pretty nonplussed. (Like the time I made ham and bean soup that was so salty I thought we'd need IV fluids to rehydrate but Countrymouse, ever my biggest supporter, threatened the pups with an early bedtime if they all didn't eat the soup. (Obviously, back in the day when that still worked.) They still talk about it. And yes, they ate it. Oh and no, I didn't.)

I love having people over to eat and fellowship... especially people I care about. When I have guests at my table, I always try to prepare food that I am proud to serve. So many times during the work week I find myself cutting corners, whether it's paper plates or Rice-a-Roni, so Sunday dinners are an opportunity to do things "right". However, when everything is said and done, it's about the people. The food and drink just contribute to the experience. I bring this up because dinner on Sunday didn't go as planned.

I found the best recipe for Pasta Pie on the Noble Pig blog and was totally psyched to make it. It sounded easy enough and I knew the presentation would be memorable. After cooking the rigatoni and patiently standing them on end tightly in my springform pan, I came to the step where you fill each little noodle with meat sauce. The Noble Pig's picture of this step shows the rigatoni standing at attention with it's tubular shape in tact. Mine? Not so much. My noodles were all kinda collapsed on themselves making stuffing them quite the endeavor. I did try. I swear I did. But faced with getting spazzed out over stuffing noodles or moving on to Plan B (and a glass of wine) and salvaging my mood, I opted for Plan B and a very nice baked ziti style dish. (Which was met with happy diners at my table.)

Not what my version looked like!
Photo courtesy of The Noble Pig

The rest of our dinner went off without a hitch. For starters we had bruschetta and Italian Amaretto Margaritas (very yummy). Then, my "Plan B Pasta" and salad with a nice red wine. For dessert we finished things off with coffee and Cheesecake Factory Oreo Cheesecake. I ended up making the cheesecake Friday night because it needed to season for at least 24 hours before eating it. I almost never use my springform pan, so to plan two dishes that required me to use it in the same meal was a real oddity.

Needless to say, I am not sharing the pasta recipe since I really didn't follow one. The link for the Noble Pig's dish is above. If any of you end up making it, please let me know. I'm dying to know if it was just me or not. The margaritas were tasty and I will make them again (but maybe add a little more ice). The real standout at dinner was the cheesecake. The recipe is below. It is worth the time spent making it and is definitely a keeper.

The moral of this story is to enjoy what you do. (And remember why you do what you do.) My goal was to prepare a delicious meal that would be enjoyed by the people I love and to spend time enjoying them. Did I accomplish that? Yes. Did they care if the pasta was standing upright or laying flat in a pan. No. (Thankfully) Was changing my plan and keeping my sanity worth it? Absolutely!

Cheesecake Factory Oreo Cheesecake

Yield: 16 servings.

Crust
1 1/2 C. Oreo Cookie Crumbs (about 23 Oreo cookies finely chopped)
2 Tbsp. Melted Butter
9″ Spring Form Pan (buttered on bottom and sides)

Filling
1 1/2 lb. Cream Cheese
1 C. Sugar
5 Large Eggs
1/4 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Vanilla
1/4 C Flour
8 oz Sour Cream
5 Oreo Cookies (coarsely chopped for the batter)
10 Oreo Cookies (coarsely chopped for the top of cheesecake)

Crust
Mix melted butter with Oreo crumbs and press in spring pan cover the bottom and 1 1/2″ up the sides with crumbs, set aside.

Filling
All Ingredients need to be at room temperature before beginning. Beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Keep mixer on a low setting during the mixing and beating process. Add sugar gradually and continue beating cream cheese until mixed through. Add eggs one at a time and continue to beat until blended. Measure the vanilla, salt and flour, pour into cream cheese and egg mixture and beat until smooth. Add the sour cream and beat well. Turn off the mixer and stir in the coarsely chopped Oreo cookies with a spoon.
Pour cream cheese mixture into the spring pan and place the ten coarsely chopped Oreo Cookies on top of the cream mixture. Place pan on the top rack and in the middle of a preheated oven at 325 degrees and bake for one hour and 15 minutes. When time is up prop the oven door open and let the cheese cake stay in the oven for one hour. Remove from oven and let cool enough to place in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. It is worth the anticipation. A cheese cake should season. The flavor ripens and becomes enriched.

tunes i like tuesday: heartbeats

2011-03-22T00:10:00.002-04:00

I think the first time I heard José González was during an episode of Scrubs. The one where JD's baby is born, to be exact. (Okay... I went through a semi-serious Scrubs phase. I still think the show is cleverly written and it also has some of the best music on television. I would love to steal Zach Braff's iPod.)

González's voice is soft and soothing and his guitar playing is memorable. Born in Sweden of Argentinian parents, González grew up listening to Latin music and his fingerstyle is reminiscent of tango and the other folk music of Latin America.

He covers his fellow Swedes, The Knife, in the video below, which is actually an advertisement for Sony. I prefer his cover. The Knife's version has a definite Scandinavian sound. Interestingly enough, Sony released two versions of the ad, the only difference is the performer. I'm including The Knife's version as well. Which do you prefer?

I love the bouncing balls and all the vibrant colors. My favorite part of the video is when the frog jumps out of the drain. It's a fun video, a great song and González is an artist worth listening to again (and again). Enjoy and tell me what you think.

welcome spring

2011-03-20T22:27:00.002-04:00

i thank You God for most this amazing

day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees

and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything

which is natural which is infinite which is yes

e.e. cummings

Ah, Spring, the most fickle of seasons and perhaps the most longed for, is finally here. While we try our best to coax her into staying, I am not sure she's made up her mind just yet to grace us with her undivided attention. Like an overeager suitor, we will take what pittance she gives us and will be thrilled with it though quietly we desire more. Before we know it, Spring's beauty and appeal with be overshadowed by her sister, Summer, and our dalliance will be forgotten in the long, playful days Summer offers us. However, for today we sit and wait and want for more.

sisters

2011-03-16T00:10:00.001-04:00

For when three sisters love each other with such sincere affection, the one does not experience sorrow, pain, or affliction of any kind, but the other's heart wishes to relieve, and vibrates in tenderness... like a well-organized musical instrument.

~Elizabeth Shaw

Looking forward to spending time with both of my sisters later this week. Yay!

tunes i like tuesday: old friends

2011-03-15T00:10:00.000-04:00

Paul Simon has a new album out, So Beautiful or So What. From all accounts it's really good and is being compared to Graceland, considered to be one of his very best works. I've only heard a cut or two off it but I like what I've heard. Long before this release or Graceland, Paul Simon was best known for his work with Art Garfunkel. My parents listened to S&G, so I grew up listening to them too. Two of my mother's favorite songs were "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "Scarborough Fair" and I always think of her when listening to them.

Thinking about the Simon and Garfunkel catalog, I am hard-pressed to name one of their songs I don't like. Really, my love for their music, even at an early age, should have been an indicator of my lifelong love of folk music. When I was 18 or so, one of my favorite albums was their 1968 release, Bookends. The album was already 23 years old at this point, but I treated it like treasure. (I actually listened to it on vinyl, back in the day.) The album went to #1 and charted four singles: "At the Zoo", "Hazy Shade of Winter", "Fakin' It" and "Mrs. Robinson".... all of which are blog post worthy!

However, the song I wanted to share today is "Old Friends". I find something very sweet and endearing about the song, which embodies a hope that friendship can last a lifetime. The album starts off with an instrumental version of the title cut, "Bookends" and midway through gives us "Old Friends", flowing into the lyricized version of "Bookends", which reflects on old friendships, thus making it's own musical bookends.

The version I am sharing is from the 1977 televised program, The Paul Simon Special. What do you think? Do you have a favorite S&G song? (Surely, you must have one??!)

7 random facts

2011-03-09T23:08:00.000-05:00

The lovely Lee over at Tales of the Toll House Cookie invited me to play along with her in the 7 Facts meme. It's an opportunity for you to learn more about me. Hopefully you have already picked up on some of the more obvious stuff, like... I couldn't live without music, I live in a funky old house in the middle of no where, I absolutely love my family and I like to enjoy life. Here's seven more little pieces of randomness for you. If you figure me out, let me know... I need all the help I can get!

~I have been both a stay-at-home-mom and a work-outside-the-house-mom. When I was at home, I was excited about returning to the workforce. Now that I have, all I can think about is being a SAHM again. I worry that all my kids will be gone before I can get "back home".

~I have a true love for paper. I can spend hours looking at stationary and cards and wrapping paper and on and on. Problem is, I buy all these wonderful things and never use them. I have a whole closet full of nifty paper thingies. I'd like to blame the Internet but I am not so sure I was much better before it took over my life.

~Very few things in my home were bought brand new and none of them were bought for full retail price. I adore thrift stores, auctions, flea markets and any other secondary market opportunity I can find. This is for two reasons... first, I am cheap. I really can't justify spending my entire paycheck on an item that I know I can acquire for a fraction of the price elsewhere and secondly (and probably most importantly) I have bought the coolest, most interesting, one-of-a-kind objects by buying them used.

~I love my sons names. I know that is silly, since I helped pick them out, but after all this time I still think we did a great job. There's ~~one~~ two middle names I might not have picked out today (well, one of those names is shared by Countrymouse, so my hands were kinda tied). My sons are named: Thomas, Matthew, Peter, Ethan and Andrew. Yes, they are all Biblical names. We didn't start out that way but after our second son was born and we realized the trend, we went with it.

~I met Countrymouse a week or two before my 18th birthday. We started dating a few weeks later and were engaged after two and a half months. I was afraid to tell my parents because I knew what they would say. (Ummm, that would probably be the same exact thing I would be saying today if I were in those shoes!!) Countrymouse and I waited almost 5 years to get married and will celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary in June.

~I LOVE my siblings. My two sisters are my best friends. Our day-to-day lives are very different. (June is in her early 40s, has never been married, has no children and is a full-time student. Nancy is in her late 30s, is a newly single mom with a 2 and 3 year old and is reentering the workforce. Me... well, I am the oldest, have been married my whole adult life and will be an empty nester sooner than later.) Yet, that doesn't seem to matter. Both of my brothers remind me of my father... introspective, calm, smart. Everyone loves John. He has a keen sense of humor and is always ready for a party. Phil was a prankster and even though it was short, he enjoyed as many things in life as he could. He passed away last year from colon cancer. I miss him terribly.

~My dream job would be to own some kind of little shop that sold books, music, paper goods (of course), antique-y things, gourmet goodies and great beer and wine (especially champagne) and coffee and tea. (Okay... emphasis on the word dream.) I have no idea how that would work and I suspect if I even got close to doing this, I would need to pare down my scope. Oh... and needless to say, I would want it to be located in some fabulous town. A girl can dream, right?

So that's a little window into who I am. Now I get to pass this along to a few bloggers I'd like to get to know better. So here ya go...

~Katie @ Don't Warn the Tadpoles

~Paige @ Hodgepodge

~Natasha @ 5 Minutes Just for Me

~Amanda @ Herding Cats

(Whether they play along or not, you should check out these ladies and their very awesome blogs.)

tunes i like tuesday: moneygrabber

2011-03-08T00:10:00.002-05:00

The past several years have given us a rekindled interest in retro-style music that combines soul, gospel and funk. I think either you have an appreciation for this sound or you don't. Personally, I think it's fun and it definitely keeps my playlists interesting. Piquing my retro yearnings here lately are Fitz and the Tantrums. Fronted by Michael Fitzpatrick, with leading support from Noelle Scaggs, the band delivers their own spin on music from a past musical era. Determined not to be a carbon copy of groups from days gone by (and part of what I find interesting) is their non-traditional instrumentation... most notably organ and saxophone and also most notably, NO guitar, which takes some musical guts.

According to Fitzpatrick,

I'm not sure why, but there's definitely a new movement that's happening. Most of that can be attributed to Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, who remind people of this amazing period in music. It's interesting because rock 'n' roll has been around forever and the certain cyclical cycle for what rock 'n' roll is, people don't keep it at base – there's a perpetual growth. But I think the reason why soul music is finding its voice is that people are responding to the organic authenticity of it. It's six great musicians doing it the traditional way, there's no back tracks. Each show is its own moment. I think people respond to that kind of songwriting. It has a soul. And I think that people are hungry for that.

I'm thankful for Fitz and the Tantrum's not so subtle reminder of how amazing good music is, regardless of its era. Have a listen and let me know what you think. If you like the tune, you can download it free below.

our house

2011-03-04T07:27:00.000-05:00

When spring rolls around each year, I always think about our house. It was during Easter dinner in April 2006 that Countrymouse and I each had one of those light bulb moments. My clan's old family home had sat vacant for about a year; my parents had down-sized and really just wanted to close that chapter of their lives. My father made a statement basically saying they weren't looking to get rich with the sale of the house and threw an amount out. While neither of us said anything at that moment, we both thought, "Yeah, we can do that". Six months and all of our savings later, we were the proud owners of a (now)108 year old Victorian in The Green Garden County of Maryland's Eastern Shore.

I'll light the fire

You put the flowers in the vase

That you bought today

Countrymouse had always liked the house. He had known the house for 25 years at this point and was quite familiar with it's high and low points, along with it's many renovations. When we were dating and eager to start our lives together, we would play "What If". You know, "What if we owned this house...", "What if we converted the attic into an apartment for us...", etc. He had spent time over the years cataloging the things he wanted to do with the house just as a pleasant mental exercise.

Staring at the fire

For hours and hours

While I listen to you

Play your love songs

All night long for me

Only for me

I have to admit that while I did have the same initial thought as Countrymouse, it took a good bit of deliberation for me to come around. It wasn't my parents or the house's fault; the house represented everything I wanted to distance myself from... an unwanted move to Maryland from NYC, an awkward teenager-hood, a mediocre social experience in high school, a sleepy, backwater existence with little cultural or social outlets... Why did I think that almost 30 years later I wanted to own this house?

Come to me now
And rest your head for just five minutes
Everything is good

Perhaps because almost 30 years later I wasn't the same young girl who had moved into the house with her family so long ago. I was now a woman who had been married more than half her life with 5 pups of her own. I knew the love the walls of this house would hold for my family, the memories it already held for them. My life in this house had hardly been the stuff of Anne of Green Gables and there were certainly memories I'd just as soon forget, but this house was part of me. This is the house I brought Countrymouse home to when he met my parents and where I dressed for our wedding. When I was away in college and when I was a new mom living far from my family, this was the house I always knew I could return to, no questions asked, and always be home.

Such a cosy room

The windows are illuminated
By the evening sunshine through them
Fiery gems for you
Only for you

It was odd when my parents moved out and we knew at some point there would be strangers living here. Like the end of a story you weren't ready for. I don't want to paint an image of me locked away somewhere lamenting; it wasn't like that. All of us siblings took it in stride... we're a resilient bunch... but it was an peculiar thought.

Our house is a very, very fine house
With two cats in the yard
Life used to be so hard
Now everything is easy
'Cause of you
And our la,la,la, la,la, la, la, la, la, la, la.....

It took me about two weeks to get fully persuaded about buying the house. Countrymouse left the final decision up to me, though his desire was crystal clear. I did have some reservations, not so much about the house as about moving away from the hub of our lives. When I considered everything, the blessings outweighed any drawbacks. The rest is history.

Our house is a very, very fine house

With two cats in the yard

Life used to be so hard

Now everything is easy

'Cause of you

And Our

We've spent the past few years making this house our house. We've torn down walls and cut down trees. We've made it our own. There is something cool about being the third owners of a house this old. The funkiness of this old place is the perfect canvas for all my whims.

It's been good.

I'll light the fire

And you place the flowers in the jar

That you bought today

keepin' company thursdays

2011-03-02T23:50:00.008-05:00

I am pretty psyched to have been selected as the "Lucky #3 Spot" for Keepin' Company Thursday's Blog Hop hosted by Traci66 and Heck of a Bunch.

If you are visiting here for the first time, have a look around... I love company!

My name is Debi and I am the Citymouse. I spend my days living on Maryland's Eastern Shore with the love of my life and husband of 25 years, the Countrymouse. I am the proud mother of five sons, one of whom is serving in the US Army and is currently deployed to Iraq. When I am not pretending to be the boss around the Mouse House, I can be found working at our local hospital. I have a peculiar love for raw onions, small restaurants, and all things Italian. I believe that most of life’s problems can be solved over a cup of coffee or a glass of red wine and that every morning should begin with Champagne. Music is my passion, blogging is my soul and living large, my goal. I hope you'll visit again and join me as I seek out all the beautiful things life has to offer.

Here's how Keepin' Company Thursdays works:
* 1. Copy and Paste the "Keepin' Company Thursday" button and write a blog post about it on your page, explaining to your blog followers how it works and how to join.

* 2. Follow the first two blogs, which are the hostesses, Heck of a Bunch and Traci66. They will follow back.

* 3. Follow the "LUCKY" #3 spot winner.

For this hop to really work you'll need to follow the 'honor code' and help us spread the word about Keepin' Company Thursday.

*4. Go to as many blogs on the list as possible and follow them.

*5. Leave them a comment saying. "Hey! I'm a new follower from "Keepin' Company Thursday" Check out my blog too! www.yourbloghere.blogspot.com Thanks!" They should all follow you back because that's what this is all about!

*6. If you get a follower via Keepin' Company Thursday please follow them back.

*7. Add your blog name and the URL to your Keepin' Company Thursday Post to the linky below.

I hope you'll decide to play along today and meet a new blogger or two while you're at it!

tunes i like tuesday: i got you

2011-03-01T00:10:00.000-05:00

Do you have a song or two from your youth that no matter how old (or dated) it gets, you still love it? "I Got You" by the Split Endz is one of those songs for me. I was still in high school when this came out but I don't remember ever hearing it until I started college. We called this New Wave back then. (Yes, I'm cringing.) The song is sung by Neil Finn, who is probably better known for fronting the band, Crowded House. The song itself has a distinctive sound associated with what was going on musically in the early 80s. While my taste in music has continue to evolve since then, this is definitely part of my musical history and a stepping stone to where I am today. I continue to like Finn's vocals and think the song could be stripped down a bit and still hold it's own today. Do you remember this song? What song from your past still makes you nod your head to the music or get up and dance?

in the end, life is too short

2011-02-28T00:10:00.000-05:00

photo credit

happy birthday to the man in black

2011-02-26T17:17:00.001-05:00

Johnny Cash was probably the first artist I actually knew by name. I have my father to thank for that. All these years later, I still love Johnny Cash. Happy 79th birthday, Johnny.

a recipe and a rant

2011-02-24T00:10:00.000-05:00

I love food blogs. The ones I like best are written by people like me who are balancing life, family and work. The recipes they share are often easy to prepare, quick and don't include a list of ingredients that will break my weekly food budget. (That would be if I actually stuck to a food budget.)

The truth is, I can get pretty excited about good food. So with a blog at my disposal, sharing recipes is a natural step. Now, I can cook up a storm but getting it photographed to share here is another story. It is really challenging (for me) to make a very wonderful, very tasty dish look wonderful and tasty in a photograph. Some people do a better job at it than others and to be honest, I used to be a little critical of the blogs that just had "okay" photos. That was until I tried my hand at it. Crow can be tasty, right?

One of my favorite blogs to browse through is Ann West's Dollop. Ann truly has a gift. Her photographs are spectacular (and her recipes are top-notch too). I am afraid that I don't have an Ann West bone in my body, but I came across a recipe recently that I LOVED so much that I was willing to expose you to my crappy food photography just to share it. (Because even a bad picture is better than no picture when we're talking about food.)

This recipe is from Mandi Miller over at My Bloggy Life. (And yes, Mandi's photos are better than mine.)

Mandi's Tex-Mex Salsa

Ingredients:

1/2 large white onion, chopped
5 fresh jalapeños, sliced (leave seeds and veins for hotter flavor)
1 can whole tomatoes
1 bunch chopped fresh cilantro (alter to taste)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 lime, squeezed

Directions:

1. In a food processor, mince chopped onion and sliced jalapenos. Scoop into a large bowl.
2. Process tomatoes in the food processor until they reach a chunky liquid consistency. Pour into bowl with the onions and jalapeños.
3. Add cilantro, garlic, lime juice and salt to the mixture and stir until well combined.

I live in Maryland... no where near Texas (or Mexico, for that matter) but all our Mexican restaurants around here serve salsa that tastes just like this. This is a keeper in my book. Countrymouse is sold too. This recipe is easy to prepare, quick and budget-friendly. Perfect for the Mouse House.

tunes i like tuesday: beat the devil's tattoo

2011-02-22T00:10:00.002-05:00

Today's song, Beat the Devil's Tattoo, is from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's 2010 critically acclaimed release by the same name. It's the kind of song that stays with you. After hearing it the other day, I haven't been able to get it out of my head. BRMC's pound it out style mixed with gospel-infused rock is the perfect backdrop for this song. The song is dark and moody and its beat infectious.

The name of the album and song is in reference to the Edgar Allen Poe short story, The Devil in the Belfry, written in 1839. Singer Robert Levon Been explains:

"Leah [Shapiro, BRMC's new drummer] had given me a book of Poe short stories and I'd immersed myself in it. The one phrase 'Beat The Devils Tattoo' leaped out at me though for some reason. I read up on it and found that it originally meant 'the beat of a drum or a bugle signaling soldiers to return to their camps after dark'. But it's a very old lost phrase. These days, I guess it's used whenever anyone anxiously drums their fingers on a table or taps their foot on the ground incessantly, they're 'beating the devil's tattoo.'"

It's no surprise to hear that there is a Poe influence in the song. Like many of Poe's works, Beat the Devil's Tattoo comes across as distorted while somehow being darkly beautiful at the same time.

There is an "official video" for the song which you can see here. While well filmed, I wasn't a big fan of the video, so I am highlighting a live version instead. Have a listen and let me know what you think.

pursue what you love

2011-02-21T00:10:00.000-05:00

photo credit

spring fever

2011-02-18T19:58:00.000-05:00

Today was glorious. Temperatures in the mid-70s and sunny. Crazy stuff. It's the middle of February. In case you forgot, this is what the middle of February looked like last year...

So how do you celebrate this little gem of a day? You buy a case of beer and throw some burgers on the grill, that's what you do!

(Yes, that's our snow shovel propped up against the landing. It is February, after all.)

For the record, Spring arrives in exactly 30 days. I've already started a Spring To Do list and am planning our garden. How about you? Are you looking forward to Spring as much as I am?

tunes i like tuesday: i know you know

2011-02-15T00:01:00.001-05:00

I am not always up on what is playing on mainstream radio. My kids love music and there is always something playing somewhere around the Mouse House though and this helps me stay "in the know". (That and they commandeer the radio the minute we hop in the car.) Even if I didn't have my kids to help me out, I'd have to be living under a rock not to know who Justin Bieber is. So I was intrigued to find out that Esperanza Spalding, someone I had never even heard of, beat him for Best New Artist at Sunday night's Grammy Awards. (No, I didn't watch them. I don't do awards shows but from all accounts, the live music at this year's Grammys may have been worth the effort. And for the record, my vote would have been for Florence and the Machine.)

I checked Esperanza out and was pleasantly surprised. Esperanza is a jazz bassist/singer who ends up combining a lot of different genres and influences in her music. Her Grammy win was the first time a jazz artist has won Best New Artist... so obviously I'm not the only one who has been smitten by her sound.

The song featured, "I Know You Know", can be found on her debut album entitled Esperanza. Have a listen and let me know what you think. Do you think she deserved to win? Over Justin? Do you think she's destined to go places musically?

the best is yet to be

2011-02-14T00:02:00.000-05:00

Grow old along with me!

The best is yet to be,

the last of life,

for which the first was made.

~ Robert Browning

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope your love outlasts your days.

Leonard Cohen - dance me to the end of love found on Pop

a day to remember

2011-02-11T06:58:00.000-05:00

Your absence has gone through me

Like thread through a needle

Everything I do is stitched with its color.

~W.S. Merwin, "Separation"

Tonight I will be raising my glass to toast my brother, Phil. Today would have been his 46^th birthday. Last month marked one year since Phil lost his battle to colon cancer. While I was painfully aware of that milestone, I determined that the anniversary of his death would not be a day of recognition. Instead, I choose to celebrate his life, his birth. Tonight, you will find me, along with Countrymouse and some others that miss him, in one of Phil’s favorite local places, sharing some sushi and a beer, reminiscing.

A quick look in the mirror or through a photo album will confirm we’re all aged but I think there is a kind of time warp in siblinghood that allows us to see each other as we always were. I suppose this can be detrimental at times, but overall, I think it helps foster our relationships. While life can try to wrap its fingers around us, this perception helps free us from its grasp.

Tonight, I will think about my brother as we boarded a plane in

Scotland

to return to the States all by ourselves. We were just 8 and 9 years old. My ears wouldn’t pop. (I still have that problem). Since we were traveling alone, we were moved to First Class. Phil insisted that the man sitting across from us was Johnny Cash. I wouldn’t believe him. It was.

I will also think about getting dressed up for all those DeMolay dances we went to in high school. Phil would ask me to blow dry his hair and use my curling iron on it so all his layers would lay just right. (This was the height of Saturday Night Fever, after all.)

I will also remember the summer before Phil’s senior year in high school when my parents lost all their common sense and let Phil live (and supposedly work) at the beach all summer. Countrymouse is still in shock over this more than 25 years later. In his version of the story Phil gets younger and younger. I think the latest version has Phil at age 12. (He was really 17.) I can’t tell you how many times we’ve laughed over Countrymouse’s indignation (which I think probably was just plain ol’ jealousy).

I’ll remember many other things about Phil. I always do. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of him. As adults we didn’t always live close to one another and our relationship would also experience some distance from time to time. However, I can’t think about my childhood or my life without thinking about my brother. I miss him terribly. When I think of Phil, I try my hardest to be thankful for all that we did have and shared. The proverb I shared at his memorial echoes in my heart more today than ever…

“Say not in grief 'He is no more'

but live in thankfulness that he was".

tunes i like tuesday: love

2011-02-08T01:20:00.000-05:00

Since we are speeding towards Valentine's Day, I thought a song about love was only fitting. The problem is that there are countless songs about love. Tough choice but I thought I'd treat you to a double dose of love... Love is the name of the song and the name of the artist, as in G.Love and Special Sauce. How can you go wrong?

The song can be found on G. Love's 1999 album, Philadelphonic. They have a great funky blues sound that always puts me in a good mood. It's mid-winter here in Maryland... I'll take all the good vibes I can get!

Have a listen and let me know what you think. I hope your V-Day is filled with lots of love.

*A special hat tip to my buddy Stacy for reminding me how much I love G. Love!

my rabbit can kick your butt

2011-02-03T22:39:00.000-05:00

The Chinese New Year celebration begins today so...

新年快乐.

The following is from Simple Recipes, Elise Bauer’s recipe blog, in a write up about Three Teacup Chicken in honor of the Chinese New Year…

“2011 is the Year of the Rabbit (兔) which is a welcome thing after the previous wild and somewhat ferocious Year of the Tiger (虎). The rabbit is probably the most delicate animal of the Chinese zodiac and those born under rabbit years (1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011) are reserved, good natured, compassionate, and artistic, though perhaps a bit absentminded and superficial. The Rabbit, being a such a good friend, also likes to prepare food for people. This is especially true come Chinese New Year.”

I really put no credence in the zodiac, or any kind of astrology for that matter, but from a purely entertainment standpoint, it can be fun. I was born in the year of the Rabbit and while I take exception to the “superficial” (and maybe the “absentminded” one too) characteristic listed above, I think the other ones do describe me.

I have childhood memories of eating out with my family at “real” Chinese restaurants in New York City, well before the advent of our present mega Chinese buffets. No matter which restaurant or how nice it was, there were always a few things you could count on… you would drink hot tea served in little white, handle-less cups, everyone who worked in the restaurant spoke English as a second language (if you were lucky) and the table would always be set with paper placemats with the dates for Chinese New Year and the year's presiding animal zodiac. My brothers and I would pour over the placements and have whole conversations about whose animal was better… like somehow we actually were those animals. (As I said, I am a Rabbit, Phil was a Snake and John's a Sheep. My two sisters were either not born yet or too young to play along, but to be fair, they are a Dog and a Tiger.) We didn’t eat out often, so the outings were memorable in themselves, but more special are the memories they provided. (Who would have guessed?)

sometimes you have to get out of your own way

2011-01-31T04:56:00.000-05:00

inspiration takes flight

2011-01-27T21:00:00.000-05:00

Without inspiration the best powers of the mind remain dormant.

There is a fuel in us which needs to be ignited with sparks.
Johann Gottfried Von Herder

I am very thankful that we are all different. Our differences cause each of us to have unique interests, passions and joys. When we find a way to manifest those aspects of ourselves, we create. Inspiration is the catalyst. Without inspiration, our creative spark dims.

Passion and inspiration are dependent upon one another. When they thrive there is fruit and when their combined flame is extinguished, emptiness.

So then, how does one stay inspired? Undoubtedly, there are as many answers to the question as there are people who implement them. Personally, however, there are some basic principles that help me meet the challenge of staying inspired.

1. Stay thankful (or count your blessings). Your life will not bear fruit if your heart cannot give. Thankfulness is the key.

2. Surround yourself with things and people you love. This keeps you positive and motivated.

3. Fellowship with like-minded people. Listen to their stories. Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” If your passion is dance, seek out other dancers. If it’s writing, then find fellow writers to spend time with.

I had the absolute pleasure of fellowshipping with like-minded people this past weekend at a BlogLove event hosted by Kristin and Chris Ann from LoveFeast Table. Among their many passions, they love being that catalyst… sparking the inspiration that fuels someone’s enthusiasm.

BlogLove is a series of events that are meant to inspire fellow bloggers. This particular event, BlogLove Takes Flight, was the fourth in the series and was held at the In-Flight Theater in Baltimore. Mara Neimanis welcomed bloggers from Maryland and Virginia into her aerial theater and shared with us not only her art but a window into her life. In telling her story, she spoke about not allowing herself to be a victim of the circumstances of her life, but literally rising above it and using her passion to be victorious. Her perspective of using aerial performance as a storytelling device nestled responsively with the group gathered since that’s really how many of us approach blogging… It’s the story of our lives and the things in it.

Aerialists Kristen Faber and Jessica Bucaro also shared their talents and stories with us. Collectively, they have a different story and therefore a different viewpoint than Neimanis, which naturally provides them with a unique inspiration for their art.

It is interesting to correlate this to blogging. Obviously, we all come to blogging for different reasons, bringing along our individual experiences, histories and motivation. Much like the aerialists, while the activity is the common ground, what we create is our own. Whether it is writing or something else, pursuing our passions and fueling the fire within rounds out our lives and helps complete us.

Many, many thanks Kristin and Chris Ann.

tunes i like tuesday: i'm going down

2011-01-26T23:08:00.000-05:00

Okay.... Tunes I Like Tuesday... The Wednesday Edition.

Since it's Wednesday and I blew it for yesterday, here's something a little different. Two versions of the same song. I know a lot of people love The Boss. Me? Not so much. Yes he does a few songs I like (especially his 1982 release Nebraska) but I never quite "got him". The first time I heard this cover by Vampire Weekend, I was sold. It's a great take on one of Bruce Springsteen's classics. Needless to say, I like it so much better than the original. What about you?

PS: It's snowing its butt off here. I am sure my kids will be home tomorrow. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I will be too. Gotta love them snow days.