Words......

Ok here’s the deal, I went to the public library today, one of the greatest institutions our country has ever created. It is open to anyone - a place of quiet refuge.

Libraries offer worlds beyond our everyday lives, wonderful worlds to explore through seemingly endless shelves of books, through movies, magazines and periodicals – all free to those possessing a library card. It was designed for the people, for the masses – and it is an absolutely brilliant idea. Public libraries also offer services to their patrons such as access to computers, free tax consulting in the spring, art and exercise classes throughout the year.  But in the end it is all about the power of words.

I park next to a car that has stickers everywhere on its backside, lamenting this country’s turn towards “socialism.” The message clear  - that somehow our government is the enemy, that we are controlled by a malevolent corrosive system.  

This imperfect thing we call democracy - our government - provides police and firemen in times of great distress and fear, it provides a safety net in the form of Medicare and Social Security.  Is it perfect? Nope, but it sure has a lot of positives going for it.

Here’s another deal, I am tired of it all – the left, the right – the manufactured outrage from both sides. The willful ignorance, the  vitriol in dealing with very complicated problems - the environment, gun violence, our lack of civility.  We use ugly words to define one another, words that could just as easily be used to inspire or disarm.

When did we lose our sense of humor? I don’t need a lecture, make me laugh and I’ll start to listen. For the owner of that car, how about  a quiet moment of self-reflection in order to see the irony of using this very public facility.

John F. Kennedy quotes:

“For the enemy of truth is very often not the lie - deliberate, contrived and dishonest, but the myth, persistent, persuasive and unrealistic. We enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.”

 “I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered at the White House- with the possible exception of Thomas Jefferson when he dined alone.”  (Describing a dinner for Nobel Prize winners)

Treasure Hunts

Last week I for some unknown reason started looking through my bookshelf as well as a box of what I thought was junk in my office and lo and behold I found treasures.  A tiny book measuring 4 by 7 inches full of amazingly profound, witty and thoughtful  quotes from John F. Kennedy. Quotes that I find inspiring and eerily timely in their recognition of man’s pettiness in governing.   The book is not just a commentary on politics, but on our relationship to nature and the awe-inspiring beauty of this planet and its fragility, on the goodness of our species, of our foibles and failures. They are observations on the human condition.  So I open it every morning randomly selecting a page and read…….here today’s quote. 

“There will always be dissident voices heard in the land, expressing opposition without alternatives, finding fault but never favor, perceiving gloom on every side and seeking influence without responsibility.”  JFK

Another treasure found - a series of tiny children’s books I bought while in Johannesburg airport a couple of years ago. They are charming in their size, their illustrations, their sweet stories.

And maybe the best find was my great grandmother’s handwritten recipe binder – with her name and year 1956 on the inside cover.  It is beat-up, falling apart, pages brown and crumbling, snippets of newspaper recipes falling out as I leaf through it but ohhh what treasures it holds.  Grandmom Authenrieth’s elegant cursive hand-written recipes recommend, comment, and instruct. I have already tried making the “Icebox Rolls” solely based on her comment on the upper left corner “Very good” underlined twice.  Yep they are yummy, maybe not the healthiest but fresh out of the oven with a slab of salted butter - nothing better.  

Trees......

The trees are glowing, as if some sort of inner light is casting about from them. Even when the sun is not out, there is a certain tree, a maple I think, with deep red leaves that seems illuminated from within.  The streets I walk are some sort of child’s kaleidoscope of varying shades of gold, orange, yellow, red and even fading greens.  Each tree has its role in this orchestra of color, clashing, highlighting and complimenting one another.

The oak trees do not have beautiful and electric colors. Their green leaves turn from green to brown, quickly, matter-of-factly.  Maybe because they are so impressive as is, so massive in breadth and length, their branches reaching out like some Hindu goddess with multiple arms, they don’t need to tell the world of their beauty through such short-lived garish colors. These oaks are not climbing trees, the first branches far too high above heads. No, these are practical sentinels standing over neighborhoods-providing a variety of species a place to nest in spring and abundant food in the fall. Preparing for winter the birds and squirrels are in a feeding frenzy at the moment. The other day I stood under a young oak and watched as a family of Bluejays tap-tapped acorns opening them for the rich nutritious meat within, while a squirrel looked down on us scolding me for allowing the dog so near.

I love trees, always have. There is something comforting about the ability of wooded areas to protect and encircle anyone within its shaded confines. Take a walk in a city park dotted with soccer fields but bordered by woods.  In the heat of the summer, walk by these woods, not even in them, and you will feel a temperature drop, a refreshing coolness that is exempt from the flat exposed playing fields.

On a sweltering summer day, there is nothing quite like walking out of the glare of sunlight into the enfolding arms of a shade tree, its leaves softly shifting as a breeze blows and cools our hot sweaty selves.

As a kid our maple tree in our front yard, situated by the curb was the neighborhood climbing tree, it also served as home-base for Hide-n-Go Seek. Under its green canopy we played Kickball and Kick the Can. It’s branches leaned far out over the street and as we got older we thought it was cool to position ourselves on them, hidden, then spit on unsuspecting cars that dared to drive under us. In October our maple glowed orange and red, in Spring it yielded bundles of green seed-like pods that we split open and stuck on our noses. We called them “helicopters” because of the twirly way they drifted to the ground once released from the tree – as if we could hear the soft thwak, thwak, thawk sound of rotating blades.

Yesterday the evening light was like magic, the skies blue with gray/white puffy clouds casting light and shadows over the trees. They trees lit up, the phrase "in the gloaming" comes to mind. Gloaming is an Old English word meaning - "poetic twilight or dusk"

Squash & Apple Soup

My sister-in-law made this soup last weekend when I visited her cabin in Maine. I then made it at my house in the midwest - with a bit of a change - then passed on to my niece who then made it at her house in coastal California. That's the beauty of recipes, they can go anywhere - this one traveled from the coast of Maine to the coast of California in the space of week.

In a soup pan place the following........

Butternut squash - Peel &remove seeds of medium to large butternut squash, cut into chunks
Green or Macintosh apples - Peel & core, cut into large pieces
1 to 2 cloves of garlic - peeled, place in pan whole
1 32 oz box of Chicken Broth - or more, enough to just cover the squash & apples
salt & pepper taste
1 to 2 tsp of cumin (my spice take)  
OR 1 to 2 tsp of curry (my sister-in-law spice take) 
OR 1 tsp of a mixture of all-spice, nutmeg  & cinnamon (my niece's spice take)

Simmer on low heat until thoroughly cooked
Take off heat
Puree with a hand-held mixer
Add a touch of heavy cream or a touch of 1/2 &1/2

Serve with home-made bread and slices of white sharp cheddar cheese

Gratefulness

"Gratitude is never automatic but must be deliberate”

It is Fall…………

I’m grateful for the cooler weather and the trees that look like they are backlit and illuminated

For two huge hawks that flew one after another hop-scotching from one tree to another during my morning walk last week

For the gentleman painting this morning in the park

For the French horn that accompanied the church choir at Sunday Mass

For a recent visit to a cabin in the woods of Maine

For artists & singers and this city that promotes their creativity

For a great great Uncle whose generosity brought me back in touch with a cousin

For family members who like to read as much as I do

For the moon reflecting off the lake in Maine

For the changing of the seasons

For witnessing a young boy get off his school bus with his backpack & violin case,immediately start reading a red hard-cover book as he slowly walked home

For recipes shared 

Libraries

Every Thursday night my mother took me to the local library.  It was never stated but intrinsically understood that I could check out as many books as I liked.  Most times, the stack was so tall I could barely see over the top while carrying to the car.  I wasn’t greedy or flippant about selecting that many books I simply loved books, the smell of them, the weight of them, the thrill of reading the first few pages as they grabbed your attention.

In winter it was dark by the time we left the library - as we stopped at each red light on the way home I would try and read by the overhead street lights - our house was no more than 7 minutes from the library but even then it seemed an eternity. Once home I immediately took my treasures up to my room, spread them on my bed and began my journeys - to King Arthur's time, to the 1940's, to present day adventures.

My mother was the first librarian at the Catholic grade school I attended. I loved helping her decorate the wall displays for the change of the seasons and holidays. Or create a special display highlighting a series of books.

When I was fourteen I made the difficult decision to live with my Dad and stepmother for a year away from my mom and three brothers. The school I attended was next to a historic building which housed the library. This squat, red-brick colonial building with mahogany wood floors and deep-set wide white alcove windows running from the floor to the ceiling was my refuge. Although we were not allowed to leave school during school hours I walked out the back door every day - lunch bag in one hand (cheese sandwich, Fritos, Little Debbie chocolate roll) and a book in the other. 

My reading space was on the 2^nd floor, the furthest corner from prying eyes. I sat on the floor by the window, my back propped up against the wall to eat and read. For a painfully shy girl this library was my respite, an hour each day where I could escape to another world.

That was also the year, I chose to work in the school library as my extra credit activity, thriving on the sense of order when filing stacks of books away. When all was done I could sit out in the courtyard and read. Now-a-days I spend 5 days a week in the quiet of libraries or bookstores, writing or working on conservation projects.

Last weekend I went to New York City, staying at The Library Hotel on 41^st Street and Madison - one block down from the NYC Library. Ahhhh, sheer heaven. At the entrance to the NYC library (in Astor Hall) inscribed on the wall is: "The city of New York has erected this building to be maintained forever as a free library for the use of the people" 

What greater gift could the wealthy have had endowed to any city? None.

The Art of Nesting - Creating your own Space

I am a nester - I love to create a feeling in a room through paint color, book shelves & books, fresh flowers, photographs and artwork. Last week while she was at school I painted my niece’s bedroom as a 16^th birthday surprise. I boxed up the clutter, bought some curtains, pillows, a quilt, bulletin board and a large picture frame for a stunning photo she had taken for a school project. Using a can of light purple paint her room was transformed. Once my niece saw the room, we decided to do a couple more things, paint her cupboard doors with purple chalkboard paint and purchase a clock. Ta-da she now has a brand new room - a fresh start to her day and cozy refuge to retreat to at the end of her day. 

On a roll, the next day my other niece and I decided to do the same thing to her room - new wall paint (teal), chalkboard paint (black), white enamel hooks for the wall to hang her scarves on, picture frame for a beautiful photo she took for her photography class.

These are simple and inexpensive things you can easily do yourself to give as a gift for someone you love or for yourself when your life needs freshening up. 

Simple inexpensive ways to decorate a room:
- create a chalkboard  - on the wall or repaint an existing one

- fresh flowers

- forced bulbs (paperwhites AKA narcissus)

- books

- your own artwork or photos (framed)

- interesting book ends

Here are the cost breakdowns for one room:

$22 - One can of Glidden paint (Martha Stewart color)

$10 - Two paint brushes

$10 - One paint roller & pan

$14 - One quart of chalkboard paint

$10 - Several white enamel wall hooks

$20 - One set of curtains

$17 - Large photo frame with mat

$15 - Print of original photo

$4  -  Box of colored chalk

$122  TOTAL