Friday, May 15, 2009

Rethinking Book Selections

I'm starting to think that my stringent criteria for selecting books at the library needs to be revisited. I have given up on yet another book which fell into my careful book guidelines: 1) Needs to have an interesting cover, and 2) Needs to be in the new book section of the library. The Sicilian Tragedee was a dud. I couldn't get into it. The only character I was interested in was the spoiled daughter of the mobster and there wasn't enough of her to satisfy me.

My latest book selection is from the Number One Ladies' Detective series. I was getting pizza to take to the marathon orchestra rehearsal and I realized I had nothing to read. Now where can you get books and pizza? Duh! COSTCO!!! I picked up the newest book in the series, Tea Time for the Traditionally Built. If you haven't read any of this series, I recommend them. I love the characters, I find the setting strangely peaceful and I also enjoy the fact that the mysteries that Precious and Grace, her assistant end up solving are not complex and violent. Your heart doesn't skip any beats while you are reading. You can relax and enjoy yourself.

My favorite line in Tea Time comes when Precious is describing a conversation she had with a friend who is the Bishop in the local Anglican church. She was concerned that scientists had determined exactly when the earth would be destroyed by the sun and life would cease to exist. The Bishop answers, "Certainly not by next Tuesday when the Botswana Mothers Union meets. And, frankly, I don't think we should worry too much about that. Our concern should be what is happening right now. There is plenty of work for love to do, you know."

If you need a book that has women who are fragile, yet strong, and enjoy tea and cake, these are the books for you. Sadly, they are very quick reads. I was hoping to get a paperback but there were none. I expect to find an ample supply at the library the next time I go.

I still do have a book from the library that I am certain I will finish. It's called "The Samaritan's Secret" by Matt Beynon Rees. It centers around the murder of a Samaritan man in the Palestinian Territory who was the President's financial advisor. The author is Welsh and he was Time Magazine's Middle East Bureau Chief from 2000-2006. I'm enjoying the differing philosophies of the many Palestinian characters.

More Music?
As unbelievable as it may be, my oldest has another instrument to add to his arsenal. Today, he purchased a baritone ukulele from a local music store called Mike's Music. If you live in Howard County, and have any music needs go to Mike's. You walk in the door and Mike's wife greets you and shows you around. She helps you find music, answers any and all questions, can engage people of all ages in conversation. She is fabulous. Mike is also wonderful. His staff of teachers is wonderful. The parking is a little tricky, but worth the effort. Go visit them. And stay tuned for videos of a baritone ukulele in action! http://www.myspace.com/mikesmusicmd

Enjoy your day!

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Yummy

Recently, my son's teacher slipped on the fallen crab apple petals that covered the sidewalk in front of her home. She was holding a crystal platter and in the fall, the platter broke and caused some pretty severe cuts to her hand and arm. She was in the ER for 10 hours. If anyone needed some comfort food, it was this dear woman.

The only recipes for Mac and Cheese I have are for large quantities. I searched for mac and cheese for one and came up with a delicious selection from www.recipezaar.com. It calls for the standard steps, saute onion in butter, add flour, milk, cheese etc. It also recommended adding cubed sharp cheddar and baking for 20 minutes. I didn't have a block of cheddar, but I did have some fontina. ??? I baked it in one of my cute little Pampered Chef oval ceramic dishes, and presented it to her after school as she sat exhausted, next to her friend's desk, holding her aching hand. She told me she had just been thinking how nice some comfort food would be. It feels very good to aid a friend in distress.

Green Update
It's been about a week since the grass seed went down. There's been plenty of rain, but no sprouts yet. I remain hopeful about the grass and the tomatoes, which went back outside over the weekend. Stay tuned for more news from the garden!

Enjoy your day.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Just Me and the Boys

Yesterday, the alpha dog left for Europe. This leaves me, two boys and the non-alpha dog alone for the next 12 days. Our journey began last night with tears from the 7 year old. He wanted to call daddy. Couldn't. Daddy was on an airplane. He wanted to sleep in my bed. Couldn't. Not fair to the big brother who is also sad but trying very hard to be brave. He wanted to call the radio station and talk to the DJ and tell her how sad he was. (Yes, there are still shows that take lots of calls from the lovelorn.) Finally, everyone settled down and went to sleep.

Traveling dad is not an unusual occurrence in our home, but it has been a while since he's been gone. I'm a little rusty on the solo parenting thing. Hopefully, the time will go fast.

Gardening News

We planted a vegetable garden yesterday. I thought it might be fun to see if we could get anything to grow. I hope my neighbors don't mind too much, but they have put up with my waist-high grass so they shouldn't be too offended by some cucumbers, lettuce, and radishes. And if they get to enjoy the bounty, I'm thinking they'll be even happier! The tiny picture is of the markers for the cucumbers and radishes. An occasional reminder to water the garden will be greatly appreciated!


At some point in the past 7 years, I planted Lilies of the Valley in my garden. Two of them pop up for a brief visit each spring. I'd like to plant more but I don't remember where I got them! I guess I'll have to look online for some seeds. The local garden shops don't have a very interesting selection of plants this year. I suppose people are limiting their gardening budgets. Stupid recession

That's all for today. If anyone besides my sister is reading my blog, I encourage you to check out Laura's blog too! http://streetsofstpaul.blogspot.com/

Enjoy your day!