Notable Quote for the Week
Perhaps not the most accurate depiction but it makes Helen even more beautiful than she was. Image from www.annaspooner.com
Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.
Helen Keller
Do you have a favorite quote?
A few weeks ago we went to visit a friend’s farm.
The timing was perfect. It was Earth Day and she had some new lambs. I wanted the kids to see the circle of life, how animals do become food or their hair becomes a product.
Before we went I worried not how to get there but what to bring. I asked and asked the husband but he had no suggestions. Finally I decided on making an apricot bread I have made before and truly enjoyed.
Image from Amazon.com.
This came from the Bread Machine Magic by Linda Rehberg and Lois Conway. My mother gave me this book several years ago and there are some great recipes. The Herb Bread was fantastic.
This bread is a nice, sweet but tangy from the dried fruit. I do not make it often enough.
First things first. I cut up enough dried apricots to fill a 1/3 cup measure. It took about 12 of the dried apricots. I might have eaten a few along the way.
Thinly slicing the dried apricots
I did this first so the next picture will make sense. I love the apricot orange color. After that I gathered the rest of the ingredients.
The Gathering of Ingredients
It takes 2/3 cup whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, 2/3 cup buttermilk, 1 egg, 1 1/3 cups of bread machine flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/3 cup chopped dried apricots, 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons apricot preserves and one packet of yeast.
In the bread pan
I put any liquid in first. So the buttermilk and egg went in first. Then I put in the flours and oatmeal that was topped off with the dried apricots, preserves, salt and yeast. I went with the fruit bread and light crust settings. Two and a half hours later, the bread was ready.
Cooling
The bread smelled good and sweet. It felt light and not too heavy. We took it to my friend and I hope she enjoyed it. I know we loved seeing lambs and chicks and a dog who could play fetch all day long.
Have you made anything tasty in the kitchen lately?
Family Movie Night
By Karyn Bowman
Our weeks get so intense with activities and meetings that I have only one program that is appointment TV.
It is filled with romance, great costumes and beautiful people. There are graceful moves and a whole lot of fun.
I am talking about Dancing With The Stars which airs on Monday nights in which a ‘star’ of some sort dances with a professional dancer and the audience votes on who danced best. Tuesday nights features the “results” show in which the dancers’ scores from the judges and audience’s votes are combined to determine which couple is going home that night.
We love it at our house. OK, my daughter and I love it. The boys will watch if one of the men is someone they recognize, such as Rashon who is from one of the Disney Channel shows.
Shall We Dance 1995 Poster Image from IMDb.com
My theory as to why we are thrilled with ballroom dance starts with the original Shall We Dance (1996) from Japan about an accountant who feels something is missing from his life and takes ballroom dance lessons in secret. This was re-made in 2004 starring Richard Gere as the unhappy man.
I remember a review by Richard Roper who could not believe a man as handsome or successful of Gere’s character could feel such sadness. And yet that is addressed in this movie as well. Gere’s character feels guilt for his sadness because he has so much. He only feels real joy when he finally shares what makes him joyful.
In the meantime we are treated to wonderful scenes of dance as Gere takes lessons from the dance studio where Jennifer Lopez works, trying to forget her sorrow. This is a movie for girls’ night or a couple’s night in, partially because some of the dances are steamy and partially because kids are going to be bored by a grown-up’s depression.
Now there are a lot of dance movies meant for kids. The younger ones have all of those High School Musical movies. And there are the Camp Rock movies that are on Disney as well. Those are fun and do the usual “poor us against rich them” type of storyline.
Poster Image from IMDb.com
For high school students, there is a fun ballroom dance movie starring Antonio Banderas as a dance teacher who volunteer at a high school to help kids build their self esteem. Take The Lead (2006) has a lot going right for it, including a dance number in which one girl is shown in a battle between her boyfriend and her dance partner.
This is one of those movies that might be trite at points but I really enjoy watching it and remembering how a good teacher can be a lifeline to a good kid caught in a bad situation.
But if you want to see ballroom dancing filled with sepia tones, you need to find a copy of a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movie. The dancing team made ten movies together and perhaps the best of these is Top Hat (1935). It is said that Ginger did everything that Fred did but backwards and in heels. That might be true but I remember how her dresses would beautifully flair out as she moved. Other movies to catch of this pair are Shall We Dance (1935) and The Gay Divorcee (1934).
Until next week, see you in the rental aisle.
I love cars.
While I am not a gear head, I can look at the insides of a car with basic understanding. Spending a day under the hood is simply not my idea of fun.
However, I do like a great car.
Ferdinand A. Porsche was a man after my own heart. He designed great cars starting at the tender of age of 23. During the mid-1950s, his father – Ferry Porsche – decided he wanted a new style of the classic company car. F.A. Porsche began working in the technical design department as an apprentice after studying at Ulm School of Design during this time.
Image of F.A. Porsche from Global Motors.net.
While many styles had been rejected, in late 1959 F.A. presented his design and it was accepted. He changed the 356 while keeping the sloping lines in back. The headlights retained that ‘face’ look.
The world responded by falling in love.
Some models were meant for us regular folk, others for the rich and then there are the race cars. Hearing the name Porsche still incites a thrill because this company exudes style and class, something it has done once WWII was over and it could build cars again.
F.A. once stated “Design must be functional and functionality must be translated into visual aesthetics , without any reliance gimmicks that have to be explained.”
Image by Alvimann
For those of us who know nothing of design, that means that back slope of the car allows the wind the pass over it quickly – and therefore move faster. We can see that it will happen without someone telling us.
According to a poster on Treehugger.com, F.A. Porsche worked to make models for the regular guy that worked well. He helped to create the “20 year” model with the idea that a car could last for 20 years. Treehugger.com also had a picture of a current Porsche model that is electric. Global Motors.net credits F.A. with designing the type 803 racing car and the Porsche 904.
F.A. stayed with the company until 1972 when he created Porsche Design which created luggage, sunglasses, pens and all sorts of products related to Porsche. He later came back as chairman of the board in the 1990s.
The car that he designed has been modernized over the years but it has never left behind the essential style of the original. And when you see one of the street, there is always a bit of a gasp of astonishment in the beautiful vision before you.
Today, the New York Times reported the death of F.A. Porsche at the age of 76 although a cause was not listed. With it goes another designer who wanted to make the world a more beautifully functioning place.
Image by Clarita
Ahhh…
Spring has come early to our corner of the world.
The tulips are brilliant.
Clematis vines are six inches long, peony plants are a foot high.
Pansies in bloom.
Wild Violets going crazy.
Even my neighbor's flowering tree is going at it.
But, as always, there is a downside to all of this great warmth and beautiful sights.
The return of the Fruit Fly.
These little flies come along and take over the kitchen. If you do nothing, they multiply fast. I hate having fifty or more buzzing around my head.
These things live for a day or so and must get a lot of stuff done. However, I have a solution that works for me. It involves a little red wine or white wine and red kool-aid as well as some dish-washing liquid. I do not know why they love red wine but the husband has to be careful with open bottles.
The trap.
Now we wait. It takes a while for one, then another, then another to gather on the bowl, take a drink and realize they cannot get up. Perhaps they are too drunk to fly and fall in, perhaps the dish soap make their little legs stuck.
See those black dots? Those are the fallen.
Before you know it the dish will have 20, 30 40 fruit flies in it. The dish will be disgusting and I will clean it out. Then I will set it up all over again.
How do you get rid of fruit flies?
Why is it that when I hear the phrase (?) ABC, I immediately think of the Jackson 5.
I remember how cute Michael Jackson was when we were all young and little. Michael was already in the family business, finally succeeding.
The Award!
However, I am not going on a history lesson or a walk through an old memory. Lorna’s Voice has graciously given me the ABC Award. She thinks my blog content is aWWWesommme! Well, me and a bunch of other folks.
So now I am obligated to come up with words from A to Z that describe me in some way I have not done before as well as nominate a few other worthy souls while honoring the one who gave me this honor.
Absolutely terrified is how I feel about winning this award. I am afraid of Backsliding and coming up with new but terrible Content. Will I let fear stop me. Don’t count on it. The small part of my soul that is Effervescent will not allow that to happen. I will Focus and Gear up for those days that Hover in the gray zones. Idiots be dammed, Jocularity will find its way back into the well of writing Knowledge. I may not be able to Levitate but I can Meditate into the Nirvana of writing. Ozone levels may thin out, other blogs may be more Popular but with the regal behavior of a Queen, I will find the Readiness to use every word within my reach. Sentences will unfold as does the beautiful Tendrils of Victorian era hairstyles. Perhaps the Undergarments of this blog do not mimic others in their Viciously tight order, perhaps this blog is not as Wonderously plain as an X-Ray. Yet, what you get at this blog is a mad Zoo of ideas from Absolute genius to Zero gravity.
And now on to the worthy nominees for this award. Some may have been nominated for other awards, I have nominated so many I can’t remember who I have not honored. Just take the honor and pass it on to those you find worthy.
Image by Jeltovski
All I have to do now is notify these bloggers of their award. That is the fun part!
Everyone has their own take on Whitney Houston who died this past weekend. My own take will come later this week.
Image by popplepop
However, today I want to ask people who is the artist/singer/band who speaks to your soul.
For me at this time it is Adele. I love her voice, her demeanor, the passion with which she sings. While I like Katy Perry, Madonna and Lady Gaga (They have wonderful voices when you listen to their recordings), their performance becomes style over substance. Although, I have to had it to Katy. Setting fire to an ice sculpture of a man after the divorce is final is a great send off to the ex.
But when you consider the money and awards that Adele has earned since her break-up songs on her “21″ album, perhaps there are other ways of celebrating that break-up. Then again, her ex tried to demand royalties because of the inspiration he gave her. Yeah, that is not happening.
I am also becoming a big fan of Foo Fighters and David Grohl. Her is his acceptance speech from last night.
“This is a great honour, because this record was a special record for our band. Rather than go to the best studio in the world down the street in Hollywood and rather than use all of the fanciest computers that money can buy, we made this one in my garage with some microphones and a tape machine…
“To me this award means a lot because it shows that the human element of music is what’s important. Singing into a microphone and learning to play an instrument and learning to do your craft, that’s the most important thing for people to do.
“It’s not about being perfect, it’s not about sounding absolutely correct, it’s not about what goes on in a computer. It’s about what goes on in here [your heart] and what goes on in here [your head].”
After his acceptance speech, the husband and I looked at our aspiring drummer, saying “what he just said that is what you need to do.”
So who is inspiring you?
So people ask me – do you do awards?
Of course, I do. I am happy to receive awards because then I get the chance to give out awards. In this latest round of award giving I was happy and surprised I had been given The Versatile Blog award by The Roycroft Report and Reinventing the We’ll.
Because I am a bit radical, a bit on the left side of the political spectrum and a bit blasphemous, it makes me perk up my ears to know that John and Jay read my blog and like it. Apparently, they enjoy my cooking posts and movie posts and political mutterings. John tends to be more conservative and sometimes a bit libertarian in his politics, Jay is a minister who asks compelling questions in his posts. I like reading both although I do not get around as much as I should. I hope that you make an effort to visit these guys and see what they do.
This award compels me to thank my nominators, tell seven things about myself and give this award to a few other people. So who do I absolutely want to read for reason of never knowing what I will get?
One blog I like to visit is The Kitchen Garden because I do not know what Cecelia is talking about today. Today, it is about photography, other days it is about her farm or a trip elsewhere. I like reading and exploring something different.
Another blogger that I enjoy is Loaves and Stitches. How can I not love someone who cooks and crafts and has more UFO’s hanging around than she should? If you do not know what a UFO is in this context, you are not a crafter easily distracted.
I haven’t visited the Lady Jane’s Books for some time and then I stopped by the other day in time for her/his review of ‘The Voyage Out” by Virginia Woolf. How can I not love a person who as fanatical about Virginia as I am about Jane?
The crafter in me is always, always, inspired by Completly Cauchy. I love her colors and crafts. I love how she works on scrap quilts and shows you how to do it as well. I am never sure what she is working on but I know it is interesting.
Last but not least is Prada for Breakfast. I get fashion, food, pictures, books. I just love it.
Now for a few fun facts.
1. I cannot figure out how to put badges on the side of my blog. Seriously, I need help.
2. Chances are if I have ‘liked’ a post, it is about food.
3. I have been doing this blog for two years and never run out of things to talk about.
4. I appreciate everyone who bothers to leave a comment, even the spammers because they amuse me as they tell me I have ‘lifted’ a completely original blog post from somewhere else.
5. I really need to overhaul my list of bloggers I like to include new ones that I like.
6. Charles at Mostly Bright Ideas still makes me spit out coffee in laughter.
7. I look forward to the day when I can meet a fellow blogger face-to-face.
So with everything but the shouting completed, let me congratulate the nominees, ask that you visit them, comment and fall in love just a little bit.
About a month ago my niece mentions that she is making comfort food, a dish called Guisada.
Of course, I asked about it. And then my other niece gave me a recipe. So when I got the chance, I made Guisada using this recipe.
The Ingredients
Meat and potatoes in the flour mixture
Guisada with Rice
This past weekend I went with the chorale to a wine shop so that we could be the entertainment for the Christmas tea.
They gave us wonderful spiced tea to drink and there was an array of tasty cream puffs and petit fours to snack on. The shop is located in an old building with an incredible tin ceiling that is painted silver. The shop features wines made in Illinois and they are looking to expand to craft beers in Illinois. Every Friday evening, they offer wine tastings which the husband and I plan to partake in very soon.
But at some point we were driving around and I noticed all of the lights. There were lots of christmas lights and some were quite large displays.
Image by menstatic
All I could think of was that those light cost money – to buy and to display. And it made me wonder if the recession was finally seeing a lifting. I mean, if more people are putting up lights does that not follow they feel confident in being able to pay that light bill in January? Does this mean there are more people feeling hope and Christmas cheer by displaying it on the front of their house?
I am not sure. Either people are saying “if I am going out it is with a blaze of glory” or “the lights are going up, I just got a raise.”
All I know is that I put out my lights this year. I put them up on Thanksgiving day and have been making sure they are plugged in every night. It is not the biggest display or the fanciest. But I like Christmas lights and feel it is an inexpensive way to spread a little cheer.
What does your neighborhood look like – a blaze of lights or as dark as a war-time black out?
