The Empty Nest

Puppy Goes to College

 TV Stevie and I dropped off X-Chromo at college yesterday. It was a bittersweet day for us. Friends who'd been through this before had warned us that the summer between senior year of high school and freshman year of college would be filled with moodiness, moments when a parent was positive a child was no longer likable, and frustration upon frustration upon frustration. Yes, we'd gone through it with Y-Chromo, but somehow, this felt worse.

X was very organized. Gathered her stuff. Didn't pack a lot at all. Maybe because she's seen what we went through with Y his freshman year. At one point, we had discussed possibly using two cars to drive her to school -- she's relatively nearby, but she was so organized and ruthlessly careful, we were fine. Before we left, I asked if she had her college ID, her insurance card, her ATM/debit card. TV asked if she had enough cash. Did you remember to pack your ethernet cable? "I don't need it," she claimed. And she was snappish. Easily irritated. Annoyed with us. A teenager.

Her college has drop-off procedures down pat. I was quite impressed. (Y-Chromo's move-in day was a nightmare.) As TV went to park the car, another vehicle pulled into the curbside spot he'd just vacated, and it turned out to be X's roommate. They went off together to sign in. I introduced myself to the mom. We waited. It was a while before X and Roomie returned. They'd gone up to their room before coming back to the curb for their belongings. X was quite upset. She couldn't find her wallet. I was pretty certain I'd seen it in the kitchen before we left. What I didn't realize was that her ID, insurance card, ATM/debit card, cash, were in that wallet. 

So much for Mommy & Daddy asking questions.

Of course, this put us on the wrong foot. 

We eventually got everything hauled up to the girls' room. The moms helped with the unpacking. That's when I saw Puppy, X's favorite and well-loved stuffed animal, sitting on her bed. How can you stay upset with your baby when you see something like that? 

TV and I had to drive home to retrieve her wallet. And, it turns out, her ethernet cable -- the one she claimed she wouldn't need. We drove back to campus with other things for her, too: a box of tissues; silverware (she'd forgotten to pack any); a book she wanted. We kept reminding ourselves that this was why we were glad she'd chosen a school much closer to home than Y chose.

We arrived back on campus in plenty of time for her to have her ID before her meeting with her academic adviser. We went up to her room to see all the rearranging and things she'd done (and she'd done good!). Then we went over to the job fair with her. She plans to work right away. I showed her how to use the ATM. We found the room where her meeting with her academic adviser would take place. She seemed reluctant to let us go. Or maybe that was just my mommy gene kicking in.

She's in a beautiful place.

Terrace at Dorm

View from dorm window

View of terrace from dorm window

We spoke on the phone last night. She said she misses us. We miss her too. I'm glad she has a weekend on campus to acclimate before classes kick in on Monday. I know she'll be fine. She even said she won't come home until the end of September in order to give herself time to adjust. She's a smart kid. A savvy young lady.

But she's still my baby.

How Weird Is This?

On August 3, the Inside the Chiefs blog recapped all the roster action that had been happening. My Chiefs blog, From Section 207, had the same basic info (no insider peek as to the reasons) on August 1st.

On August 2nd, I blogged here about Capitolfest and how last year a missing bit of audio from Paramount on Parade was discovered to be the possession of the projectionist. TV Stevie left a newspaper on my place at the breakfast table this morning. A local newspaper had the same story in this week's edition.

Hey, you read it here first!

Man of LaMancha, Or So I was Told



My View of the "Stage"

 TV Stevie wanted to see a local production of THE MAN OF LA MANCHA today, so I said fine. It was scheduled to be held at the ampitheater at a local park. I was psyched. I packed my sun hat, an umbrella, and a rain coat. We tossed folding chairs into the trunk of TV's car. We were set.

We arrived at the park in plenty of time. Found nearby parking. As we were pulling our chairs from the trunk, a young woman interrupted us. It seemed the iffy weather dictated that the performance be moved to a nearby church.

Well, RATS. I've never been to a performance at the ampitheater and had been really looking forward to it.  The seating is tierred, like a movie theater or a stadium. I've always wanted to go to Shakespeare in the Park (our local version), but it usually conflicts with something else, as it does this year.

So TV Stevie and I drove to the church. He let me out while he looked for parking. He encountered another Drama Mama & Papa as he walked back to the church, so we ended up sitting together.

I loathe and despire churches and temples and hotel conference rooms for performances, because audience seating flat, and I am five feet tall. The inability to see a thing combined with the heat and humidity and the crowded conditions made for less than an optimum experience.  Fortunately, I did have my fan in purse. For what it was worth. Frankly? Not much.

It's A Capitol Time!

If you like movies -- old movies, classic movies, rare movies, silent movies -- you might want to check out CapitolFest in Rome, NY. TV Stevie and Y-Chromo have been going to movies and CapitolFest for years, at least until Y went off to college.

Original installation, 3-manual,
9-rank Möller Grand Theatre Organ.



 I was leary of going in Y's place. In 2006, TV Stevie dragged the whole family to a film festival in central Ohio. Other than the 2 Columbus Clippers games we attended and listening to Sarah Vowell's Assassination Vacation both ways, the trip was hideous. I attended one movie. It was in a musty hotel conference room with rows of folding chairs. The only good thing about the festival experience was hearing (and meeting) Dr. Philip Carli for the first time, as he accompanied Don Q, Son of Zorro on the piano. (Actually, the movie was pretty good, too. I just don't like musty hotel conference rooms, folding chairs, and flat seating.)

So I wasn't real thrilled when TV asked me in 2008 to go to the Capitol Theater to see a local theater production of Man of La Mancha, but I went. That was my first time at the Capitol Theater. And it was a good production. And they had real theater seats. And sloped floors. And a theater cat. Gotta love a place with a cat.

In 2009, our wedding anniversary fell during CapitolFest, plus we had tickets for the Glimmerglass Opera on that date. Steve suggested we stop at the Capitol on our way home from Cooperstown. The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra would be accompanying a movie that evening. I said, "sure, why not."

They were amazing. Plus, I wanted to see the movie that followed their performance.

I was hooked.

Last year, TV Stevie and I went to every session. I took many photos of their amazing, original installation Moller organ.

And we were part of an exciting bit of cinema history. Paramount on Parade, a showcase of Paramount contract players, is a "partially missing" film. Several of the shellac sound-track discs are missing, footage is missing (from the movie being edited-for-TV): it's a hodge-podge of audio and video. But it turns out that the projectionist had in his possession of of the "missing" sound track discs. We were able to hear it (altho' it wasn't synced up with the film). And no, he didn't steal it. Missing sound track discs is a common problem, but thanks to the Vitaphone Project, some movies are being restored using new technology.

In a bit of trivia, we were watching a short about dental hygiene, and the bureau in boy's bedroom is the same bureau I use. Well, not quite as beat up as mine is, but that was weird and memorable. I knew my bureau was old, but not that old!

This year, Y-Chromo doesn't head for college until after CapitolFest. He and I have been arguing over who gets to accompany TV Stevie this year. Probably both of us.

Happiness Happens!

August is Happiness Happens month!  I have so much about which to be happy, and I'm going to focus on those things throughout the month.

Happiness Happens when it's a beautiful August day.

TV Stevie & I went to Cooperstown today. Yes, the Baseball Hall of Fame induction was going on at the same time we sat in the Alice Bush Theater and watched Annie Get Your Gun. No amazing Baseball Hall of Fame stories this year. Of course, last year's story is enough to last a lifetime

Art Pierce, Kylie Pierce, TV Stevie

We hooked up with Art and Kylie Pierce from the Capitol Theater in Rome for a pre-show picnic. (BTW, TV Stevie heartily approved of this year's picnic menu by saying it was 'perfect'.) We talked about upcoming events at the Capitol, such as the annual Drive-In night, Aida (the Elton John/Tim Rice version), and Capitolfest. It was a lovely interlude on a lovely summer afternoon. We were very surprised that there weren't more picnickers. Usually we have a difficult time finding a table.

After the show, we stayed for the Q&A with the cast and the musical director, which was very informative and interesting. Then Art & Kylie left for home, and TV Stevie and I headed into Cooperstown proper. I found a bench and read a book I'd picked up in Oswego last week. TV Stevie wandered the stores. We debated having dinner in a restaurant recommended by one of my co-workers, but decided to grab a pizza on the way home. Cooperstown and its surrounds are very scenic; however, we are not fans of those twisty roads after dark.

Had we eaten in Cooperstown, we would have missed this:

A leg up

Once the kids in car realized I was taking photos, the leg began dancing on the roof of the car. It was one of those quirky moments

Rob Grill, R.I.P.



My Greek Fisherman's Hat

 An icon of my youth died last week. Rob Grill of one of my guilty pleasure bands, The Grass Roots, passed away at the young age of 67.

I always think of the band in the summer. At one point, in the 1980s, I had one of their "Greatest Hits" albums, and cranked it up while I drove. What is it about summer and sing-a-long music and driving that go together so well?

My friend Kris is totally into what her husband calls, That Band. She even went to see them live a year or two ago. She knows all kind of fabulous trivia, too.

I saw them live in the 1980s. It was one of those oldie tours, with lot of other singers/bands. My sister and I used to go to those concerts, which were held in the old MacArthur Stadium. I even had a brush with Rob Grill that day. It's one of those moments I will never forget. My sister and I were on line to get into the stadium. I was wearing a short denim skirt, a summery-white top and my Greek Fisherman's hat. The sun was shining, I was psyched about the concert.

"Hey!" I heard someone call. I looked off toward the side of the stadium, and there was Rob Grill and a couple of other band members leaning through a gap in the fence. "Come here!" they said. I looked around, trying to figure out to whom they were calling. "Pretty girl! In the hat! Come here!"

"You're the only one in a hat," my sister said.

I laughed and waved to them. I stayed in line.

Do I ever wonder what would have happened if I'd gone over? Sure, I'm only human.

Do I regret not going over? Depends on my mood.

This week, for example. Yeah, I regret not taking the time to talk to him and the band.

Rest in peace, Rob. And thanks for the music and the memories.

Glimmerglass: Opera & Picnics



Picnic grounds at Glimmerglass Opera

 It's nearly time for our annual trip to the Glimmerglass Opera in Cooperstown. That means it's time to think about our annual picnic. One can  pre-order a picnic through the opera. They offer a nice selection. I, however, happen to like cooking. I enjoy planning menus.

The first year we went, I didn't know there were picnic grounds. The second year, I didn't think about the picnic grounds until the night before our trip, when I dreamed a picnic. That morning, I made the food of which I'd dreamed. I don't remember exactly what I packed, but I'm sure it included fresh fruit and cheese.

When we arrived Glimmerglass, we learned we couldn't drive up the hill to the picnic grounds because too much rain had made the ground too soggy. So TV Stevie and I had to haul a cooler and picnic basket up the hill.  He grumbled the whole time. Please remember that this is a man who won't eat on restaurant patios/decks/sidewalks. I love dining al fresco. He usually wins.




The Alice Busch Theater as seen from the picnic grounds at Glimmerglass

 Apparently, though, he enjoyed our Glimmerglass picnic.

The following year we went on our anniversary. I bought splits of sparkling wine, and surfed the net for food ideas. I found two that I thought looked good: Mediterranean Spinach Turkey Wraps and Mediterranean Hummus Turkey Wraps. It was a nice time.

TV Stevie didn't want the wraps the next year, so I went back to the Internet, where I found a pressed sandwich I thought sounded fabulous. I made them on ciabatta rolls and served with mixed fruit, iced tea, cheese and crackers, and an Estancia Meritage. Oh. My. Goodness. Except TV Stevie doesn't like ciabatta. Or goat cheese. Or olivada.

This year, TV asked if I minded if he asked another couple to join us. Wow. What a difference from the grumbling of the first picnic year! A few weeks ago, he was doing a guest stint on the radio, and he talked about the whole Glimmerglass experience, including our wonderful picnics. Double wow.

I hope I'm not expected to provide picnic food for four people. It's difficult to tell, because I didn't extend the invitation. Two guys . . . especially my guy . . . who knows?  I'm pretty sure TV said we'd provide the wine. 

I think I will not try anything fancy this year. Cold lemon-basil grilled chicken, fresh fruit-berry mix, cheese & crackers, and an icy sauvignon blanc. When I ran this idea by TV, he asked what kind of roll I was going to use for the chicken. Um, none?

Our annual opera/picnic excursion is only one reason I love summer.







Crazy Drivers

I don't know what's going on on the road these days, but it seems that people's driving habits are getting worse.

The first thing I noticed was that a lot of people don't know how to make a left turn. I've nearly been hit several times by people going diagonally into a street when a left turn requires an "L" movement. Very scary.

The second thing is people driving way under the speed limit. I mean 5 to 10 miles consistently. My daily drives are timed for me to go the speed limit. This is very frustrating to be stuck behind someone out for a leisurely spin. I mean, if you have that much leisure time, how are you paying for gas?

The third thing are people not knowing how to make a right turn. Right turns are very easy. Why must one stop in the middle of making the turn? To admire the view?

And finally -- at least for this rant -- what's with sitting at lights long after they've turned green? Are they waiting for a color they like? I mean, I'm inordinately fond of pink and purple, but folks, traffic lights come in only three colors! Green means GO! Very simple to remember. Don't you love alliteration? And if I finally beep at you to alert you to the fact that the light turned green 30 seconds ago, don't compound your ignorance and your rudeness by flipping me the bird. It only confirms that you're a jerk.

Talkin' Baseball

Back in October, TV won season tickets to the local Triple A baseball team. For his November birthday, I bought him a season parking pass. Our very first date, back in 1988, was to a baseball game in the old stadium. When the new stadium was built, we pulled Y-Chromo out of school and took him to Opening Day.  After that, we frequently took the Chromos to games. It was an enjoyable, affordable family outing.

Then things happened. We stopped going except for one or two games a season. Last season, TV rediscovered the joy of an evening at the park. He also found the best seats in the house. When he won his tickets, he knew exactly where he was going to sit. I took vacation time and accompanied him to Opening Day this year. I, too, became re-enchanted. So we've gone to most of the games so far this season.

As we were leaving the stadium on Saturday night, TV heard something that prompted him to say, "If I blogged, that's the sort of thing I would blog about." And he's right. There's a lot of 'blog fodder' at the stadium.

Take Stephen Strasburg. He's a young phenom pitcher, and he's currently with our team. Three of the four times he's pitched at home this season, the stadium has been packed to the rafters. Watching him pitch is a joy. His first game, he not only won the game with his pitching, but also hit the first two RBIs of the game.

We sit in the first row of the second section. Lots of leg room. Good vantage point. Except whenever anyone in the last row of the first section stands up. And during Strasburg's first game, there was a crew of partying young men in that row who wanted to stand the whole time Strasburg pitched. We nicely asked them to sit. They complied. After Strasburg left the game, the rowdiest of the young men came to apologize to us. We asked if he had someone to drive him home, and yes, there was a designated driver. He shook our hands, then spilled beer all over himself. He wasn't an obnoxious drunk; just a young man honoring baseball and a great pitcher.

And the press wanted to set up in front of us, too. One very tall photog with a very tall tripod asked a kid two seats over if he was in his way. The kid said no, but I spoke up. The photog repositioned himself so I could see the action.  Later that night, several media types leaned against the railing in front of us for a couple of innings so we couldn't put our feet up, which is my prefered way to sit.

Since the team is on the road until Friday, I'll play catch up on the season during this week.

NCAA Conspiracy: A Crackpot Theory

This blog should probably be under my Cranky Old Fuddy Duddy blog, but it's also a crackpot theory, so I'm putting it here.

The NCAA did not want Syracuse in the final game of the 2010 Division 1 Men's Basketball Tournament. Everyone knows that Duke got the easy round and shouldn’t have been ranked ahead of Syracuse. (If you don't know this, Google it. The pundits and experts have been having a field day.) But the NCAA took it even one step further.

How, you may ask, do I, a simple woman who'd rather cook than play a sport, know this?

Easy.

KANSAS was a Thursday/Saturday team in the 1^st/2^nd rounds

Had they survived, they would have been a Friday/Sunday Sweet 16/Elite 8, giving them an extra day of rest.

KENTUCKY was Thursday/Saturday team in the 1^st & 2^nd rounds and remained as such in the Sweet 16/Elite 8 rounds.

DUKE Friday/Sunday, Friday/Sunday.

Anybody seeing a pattern here?

SYRACUSE was a Friday/Sunday, then switched to a Thursday/Saturday, not giving the team as much rest between games as the other number 1 seeds.

SYRACUSE should have remained a Friday/Sunday contender in the Sweet 16/Elite 8 rounds if for no other reason than Sweet 16/Elite 8 games were scheduled at the Carrier Dome (SU's home court) on Thursday/Saturday.Talk about a scheduling travesty!

Looks blatant anti-Orange to me. 

Now maybe you've have read this in the paper, on-line, or heard it in the broadcast media. I have not (because of that rock under which I live), but being a moderately bright old lady, I figured it out anyway.


Because it’s blatant.

Snow and Cooking

Yesterday, amid rumors of a winter storm hitting my neck of the woods, I took the check book and hit the supermarket. I loaded up on winter comfort food -- or rather, the ingredients for winter comfort foods. There is something about snow storms that makes me want to cook.

Sure enough, the storm hit. This photo is the view from my back door at about 9:30PM tonight.Those big white circles are actually snowflakes. X-Chromo had her first snow day of the year. I went to work, but came home bitten by an urge to cook. Fortunately, I work less than 2 miles from where I live, so getting home tonight wasn't bad. And I had a fridge, a freezer, a pantry cupboard full of ingredients. (Except for the chili, but that's another story.)

I decided to make lasagne. My lasagne. One of my Italian-American friends insists that what I make isn't real lasagne, because it contains veggies, but she's wrong.

I use (Molly-fy) a vegetarian recipe for stuffed shells as the filling for my lasagne. Unfortunately, my grocer has stopped carrying my favorite sauce-in-a-jar for making lasagne, soI had to use the sauce we generally eat on spaghetti. TV commented the lasagne wasn't as 'flavorful' as it usually was. The sauce is why.

I put on the water to boil the noodles, then opened a bottle of merlot to breathe. Yes, it took a long time to cook dinner tonight, but TV usually works late (and he wants to get out early tomorrow so we can see my niece in EDWARD SCISSORHANDS at a nearby theater, weather permitting), so between the weather and my mellow mood, it was the perfect night for lasagne.

The house smelled heavenly. Dinner was scrumptious. It was the perfect night for dinner from the oven.

I have lots of interesting meals planned over the next few days: Meatloaf with beets & sweets (sweet potatoes); a chicken and avocado crock pot recipe; chili.


I need to hit the supermarket again, because TV took all the chili stuff and worked with me to make chili at 10PM last night for his workplace chili cookoff.
He (we) came in second. After what I did at 10PM last night, I deserved first place if for no other reason than being "a good wife".

Right?

Celebrating My Birthday with Wild Turkey

My family and I went to my parents house in rural Upstate New York for dinner this weekend. As TV parked in front of the garage, we both saw a wild turkey under my mother's clothes line. X grabbed her camera and dashed out of the car to snap photos. By the time I took out my camera, the turkey had waddled around the side of the house.
My dad led me to my girlhood bedroom and there, where the house forms an "L", right next to the bulkhead leading to the old cellar, I found the turkey.
You can see the window sill at the bottom of the photo. Yes, this lady turkey was that close to the house.
I'll bet you thought I meant another kind of Wild Turkey. Shame on you! I drink wine.

Saturday Soup

I'm still here! Really. Life just gets busy around the holidays, but I'll bet you didn't know that. HAH!
Plus I've had some computer issues. My wonderful nephew EJ has been helping me a lot. More than a lot. I owe that young man. Now if only I could find all my music, but that's another story.

This morning, this sunny, wonderful Saturday morning, I decided to make soup. I was sitting on the living room sofa, laptop in lap, enjoying my solitude while everyone else was still abed, and decided to make soup.

There was a small container of leftover chicken broth in the freezer and two chicken sausage links leftover from last night's dinner. I had the starters. I chopped up a small onion and minced a couple of cloves of garlic, which I sauteed in the chicken broth. I chopped up the sausage links, too, then tossed those into the pot. I found some ancient parsley in the produce drawer. Some of the leaves weren't at all slimy, so I chopped up some that, too. Then I raided my food cupboard and found a can of black beans and a large can of crushed tomatoes with basil.

It smells wonderful.

I really want to get back into cooking again, a beloved pastime I abandoned while my children were younger. Fussy eaters added to working all day followed by after-school events just wore me out. But now only X-Chromo is home on a regular basis, and she isn't at all afraid to try most 'new' foods. In fact, a couple of weeks ago, I made a recipe I found on the back of a can of chicken broth which contained sweet potatoes. X tried them and loved them, then ate the meal and asked me to make it again. I like that kind of attitude.

One of my friends mentioned Sweets & Beets the other day. I'm familiar with the Terra Chips by that name, but that isn't what she meant. She'd cut sweet potatoes and beets into small pieces, along with an onion, drizzled them with olive oil and roasted them in the oven. I decided I want to try it (although other than Terra Chips, I've never eaten a beet in my life). Just thinking about the juxtaposition of the colors boggles the mind.

'Tis the Season

X-Chromo came home a week ago and announced she felt like "crap." Friday morning, I heard a hoarse little voice: "Maaaa-meee. I don't feel goooooood." I felt her forehead. Hot. Burning. By Tuesday she was fever-free, but complained that her chest felt heavy and burning. "Make it go awaaaaay!" So I took her to the doctor. Bronchitis. But at least bronchitis can be effectively medicated. I didn't even bother to call the doctor when she had the flu. I knew the office would tell me: drink plenty of liquids, bed rest, and Tylenol for the fever. It's just that my children rarely contract these sorts of things. I don't think X has ever even had a chest cold.

TV had a flu shot. Y-Chromo seems to be okay at college. I am blessed with my 'immunity' to influenza and offer my shot to someone else who needs it more.

Food, Glorious Food!

I started a new eating plan last week, one I've been planning for several months. Julia Cameron, of THE ARTIST'S WAY fame, also wrote a book about weight loss, called THE WRITING DIET. The book uses a combination of devices from several sources (THE ARTIST'S WAY, Alcoholics Anonymous, Clean Eating) to make participants understand why they overeat and/or make poor food choices. THE WRITING DIET can be used in conjunction with any of the popular weight loss programs, like Weight Watchers, South Beach, Atkins or whatever. There are seven 'tools', 4 questions, and a lot of introspection and time invested. One is supposed to write Morning Pages (from THE ARTIST'S WAY) every morning. Three pages. Long hand. One is supposed to walk for 20 minutes every day. One is supposed to go on a 'Culinary Artist Date' once a week (another TAW concept). I've been writing down a list of possible desintaitons for the dates.

One of the most important 'tools' is keeping a food journal: writing down every thing you eat and drink, all day, every day. This is very similar to the Weight Watchers program I used with great success several years ago.  But not only are you supposed to write down what you eat, but also what triggers your need to eat. Why do you want to eat that, now?

So far, my answers have been pretty much, "Because I really want a cigarette, but I've quit smoking."

A month or so ago, someone in my local RWA chapter brought in leftover promotional samples  to give away (her husband sells promotional items). Among the pens, chip bag clips, etc. was a lone notebook. Chipboard covers. Information about how the notebook can be personalized for your business is printed on the cover. There's an elastic loop and a very nice pen attached. I grabbed it, thinking I could find some cool stickers to cover the promotional spiel. But yesterday, during another meeting of my local RWA chapter, I was given a sheet of way cool stickers as my BIAW prize. The first thing I did when I got home from the meeting was fix up my notebook. Isn't it pretty? All the stickers are positive reinforcement: WOW! GREAT! YOU DID IT! They couldn't be more perfect.

My initial complaint about the eating plan, which has become secondary, but only to the time-involved element, is the author's constant and continual suggestion to use Splenda. "Slice some strawberries and sprinkle them with Splenda," or  "Diet Jell-O with Splenda," or "whipped riccotta and Splenda". My first reaction was, she must be getting product placement money. I guess Splenda doesn't 'disagree' with everyone, but it's absolute poison to my system. Nasty, nasty stuff. And one of the keys to this eating plan is "Clean eating": lots of water; fresh fruits and vegetables; whole grains. Then you add an artificial sweetner? Isn't that an oxymoron?

Besides, why would you ruin perfectly perfect strawberries with anything?

Summer's End

This year was the "longest summer possible" in the USA. Memorial Day was as early as it can be, and Labor Day was the latest it could be. So summer is "over", even though the calendar and the heavens may indicate otherwise.

Y-Chromo went back to college last weekend. X-Chromo goes back to high school tomorrow. TV & I went to the local AAA baseball team's final home game of the season today.

Overall, it was a glorious weekend. The weather was wonderful. TV grilled burgers on Saturday, and I made a new dish that I'd had on my August writing retreat: butternut squash, red pepper, and sweet onion drizzled with olive oil and grilled in foil. I didn't grill it quite long enough on Saturday, so I took the leftovers to my family's picnic on Sunday.

What a feast we had! Everyone brought their own meat and a dish to pass, except most of us brought two dishes to pass (I made a fruit salad in addition to the grilled veggies). I usually hate picnics because everything is loaded up with hard-boiled eggs and slathered in mayo. Sunday was different. My sister made her macaroni salad -- the only eggy, slimy dish on the table. She also made her broccoli salad (pictured above, in the front, next to my grilled veggies). My sister-in-law did something sinful with shrimp and fruit (pears, peaches, pineapple). My mom provided sweet corn-on-the-cob and salt potatoes; Jell-O with raspberries; and two kinds of fruit-based desserts.

We left my folks' house late afternoon and stopped at a local orchard to buy early apples: macintosh and ginger golds (pictured above). Mmmmm.

(Also pictured are the blacked-eyed Zanas that X-Chromo picked for me, and a wilted cucumber salad)


Then TV went to a baseball game with a neighbor and I wrote.

Today, we went to the baseball game, then came home and transferred my exercise machine from the front porch to Y-Chromo's bedroom. What SARK calls a "micromovement".

Tomorrow, life resumes with it's hectic schedule, claims on our time, and obligations.

But there was this glorious weekend.

Reclaiming a Bit of Myself

This week, I broke down and ordered used copies of three cookbooks that I loaned to someone and never got back. I love this trio by Mollie Katzen. Finding the versions I previously owned -- the originals, before the author 'lightened' the recipes -- was a bit of a challenge, but I managed.

For several years, I tried looking for tried-and-true favorite recipes on-line, but I suspect many aren't the same. People base their versions on the original, but the changes they make aren't necessarily something TV or I would like. Example: cucumber salad with red onion, red wine vinegar, and honey. I found something very close on-line, but it called for dill and radishes. The radishes never played into the recipe I used to make, and I can't imagine using dill, because TV is seriously not a fan of dill.

And there was a mashed potato pie crust I used for a spinach-ricotta pie . . . Tuscan bean soup . . . lime marinated roasted red peppers . . . zucchini & tomato sandwiches . . .

I'll be haunting my mailbox this week, that's for sure!

Oh, My Aching Feet

Never tell a Pisces that her aching feet are all in her head. Ever. Go ahead: Google Pisces and feet and see what comes up. If you stop to think about it, it's not so very odd that fish would have feet problems.

But I'm getting sidetracked. My feet hurt for a very specific reason. I've been standing in the kitchen in a pair of flipflops making an Opera/Anniversary picnic. Tomorrow is TV & my wedding anniversary, and we're going to Glimmerglass. I'm not an opera fan, but Glimmerglass is just as much about the experience as it is the opera. There is a picnic area across the road from the theater. Last year, I dreamed a picnic lunch and threw together an impromptu meal. It was lovely. This year, as I mentioned, our Glimmerglass tickets happen to be for our anniversary.

I spent the week surfing the net looking for picnic ideas. I found several that I adapted to our particular tastes. We're having two kinds of "Mediterrean Turkey Wraps"; a rice, asparagas, and cucumber salad, and a medley of fresh berries. There are a couple of 187ml bottles of spumante chilling along with everything else. I just need to pack the dishes and tablecloth in the picnic basket and find a cooler. It's going to be a nice afternoon.

After the opera, we plan to eat dinner in a restaurant, then hit a silent movie festival, where a live orchestra will accompany the flicks. This is more TV's thing than mine. It could be worse. He could want to go to the Baseball Hall of Fame . . . again.

So now the washer is going, the dryer is going, the dishwasher is going, there's a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc in my refrigerator calling my name, and my feet hurt.

Planning a relaxing day is exhausting . . . and rough on the feet.

Exhibiting Secrets

A few weeks ago, X-Chromo asked me to take her to the local art museum to see the Post Secrets exhibit. X-Chromo has been a Post Secret fan for several years . . . owns at least two of the books, checks the website every Sunday for the update. It was in town for several months, but I finally managed to put on the Good Mommy Hat and take her and one of her friends on the last day of the exhibit.

Post Secrets is an on-going 'art project' where people create 'postcards' containing their deepest secrets and mail them anonymously to the creator (whose name escapes me at the moment).

I saw many people crying at the museum as they read some of the confessions. A couple of secrets stayed with me, but none made me cry. I did choke up at the ballet slippers bearing the truth about why the owner gave up dance: her teacher told her she was no good at it. And I was amused at one or two others, which makes me sound callous, but really? They were amusing.

X-Chromo told me about a secret from one of the books: "No one who knew me before 9/11 knows I'm alive." I wrote a book based on this premise many years ago. Another writer friend says she periodically goes to the website searching for 'secrets' to use as creative inspiration.

It's interesting to read what some folks consider their deepest, darkest secrets. The museum played a taped-interview with the project creator, who claimed the most common secret he receives is, "I pee in the shower."

What's really interesting is the perspective one gains about one's own life and 'secrets'. Things could be a lot worse.