Tuesday, March 24, 2009

The Verdict is In


I have two reports for my faithful readers of which I think I have two. I guess that makes one report for each of you. First, the pasta/chicken concoction met with mixed reviews. I didn't have any lemon zest so the sauce wasn't as lemony as I would have liked and the sauce needed a bit of roux to thicken it a little bit. The kids and I liked it but it was not appreciated by the man of the house. Oh well. You win some you lose some. It still went to school for lunch today. I'll keep trying because I liked it. And based on the report I read in the Washington Post, we need to really cut back on our consumption of beef and pork. Looks like they'll kill you. Read it for yourself.




Second, I finished Butchers Meat. It did take a long time to get to the death but once it got to that point, things really zoomed along. I typically have Monday to myself and I spent a considerable part of it on the couch finishing my book. I was satisfied with the end. It was logical. I think the author should steer away from some of the romantic side tales he included. They were simply a distraction and had no relevance. (I am now a book critic as well as an art critic.) All in all, worth the time it took to get to the murder. I would recommend it.


Now I am on to a biography of Harriet Scott, Dred Scott's wife. If you remember, Dred Scott and his wife sued their owners in an attempt to gain their freedom. The case dragged on for 10 years. The Scott's lost appeal after appeal and were finally granted their freedom after their owner's returned them to his original owners in Missouri who freed them. Scott died 9 months later. The book is very interesting so far. I haven't read very much but I am amazed at how much work the author put into this work. Harriet and Dred Scott were illiterate. They could neither read nor write. There are no first hand accounts of their struggle. The research the author did was insane. There are 150 pages alone in the book for notes and the bibliography. What an epic work this is! I look forward to putting the kids to bed so I can dive back into it tonight.
That's all for now. Enjoy the rest of your day.


1 comment:

Laura said...

So, here's a sad note about Dred Scott. He was held at Ft Snelling pending his trial. Quite a few years ago we went to Ft Snelling with the boys for the 4th of July. We saw a sign to the Dred Scott memorial and were eager to share this piece of American history with them. Sadly, the memorial was at the end of an overgrown path and it was a cement marker covered with weeds. We meant to complain to the Historical society but I don't think we did. Maybe if we go back things will have improved.