Yes, Virginia...

Up against the barn, where there is a perennial stand of milkweed, allium rises up every spring. This year, a brilliant, blazing parrot tulip has appeared amidst the allium and the first milkweed shoots. Neither Chuck nor I planted this bulb. More importantly, we both swear we’ve never even seen it before. All we can conclude is that Yes, Virginia, There Is A Tulip Fairy!

Udupi

We’ve whizzed by the Fair Lawn Plaza, just off Route 9 in Shrewsbury, countless times. We’ve even seen the sign for the restaurant “Udupi” tucked in the Plaza. Chuck had wondered aloud if it might be like the late, lamented “Annapurna” which used to be at the corner of Southbridge and Cambridge Streets in Worcester. Why we didn’t investigate sooner, I’ll never know. But oh how I wish we had!

Tonight we went to Udupi after a longer than expected hunt this afternoon for some new sneakers. (Does anyone call those highly engineered, high priced shoes “sneakers” or “sneaks” anymore? Am I dating myself? I so don’t care!) We finally found the New Balance sneaks we wanted at Dick’s out in Natick. They were marked down slightly and very springy and cushy making our feet very happy. We also stopped at Whole Foods to pick up a couple of bottles of the Al Wadi Pomegranate Molasses fabled in story and song (on this blog anyway!). But the clock was ticking, the sun was setting and our stomachs were growling. What to do? We debated the usual suspects as we drove west on Route 9: Shiraz, Biaggio’s, Elsa’s Eatery, El Basha, Wild Willy’s, Blue Jeans, etc. Then Chuck spotted the sign for Udupi as we slowed for the light.

We were seated immediately in the unassuming restaurant. An extensive vegetarian Indian menu was presented to us. I zeroed in on the Dosai and decided on a classic Masala Dosai filled with potatoes and onions. Chuck chose the Baigan Bartha off the curries section and we also order Garlic Naan and some Mango Pickle. The service was prompt, friendly and unintrusive. The restaurant had a steady stream of customers; most of them families with kids of all ages and nearly everyone appeared to be of South Asian descent. The food was terrific. My Dosai was served folded in half, rather than rolled and the accompanying Sambar and Chutney were the perfect complements. The potato and onion filling was moist and flavorful. But Chuck’s Baigan Bartha was the star. The menu description of “fresh eggplant baked on a low flame, mashed with tomatoes, onions and cooked with Indian spices” does not do this creamy, complex, crazy-good dish justice. The Garlic Naan was both soft and crisp as it should be and studded with garlic. I’m not a big fan of Indian desserts, but Chuck ordered the Payasam and enjoyed every bit of its sweet and nutty goodness. The total on the bill? Just twenty-two dollars! We’ll be back...

Things That Make Me Happy - Part One

This isn’t a meme, although feel free to turn it into one. I just felt like listing a few things that make me smile, feel happy and content. I decided to call it “Part One” because I enjoyed the process!

1. Sunshine. This one may seen like a “well-duh”! While I don’t suffer from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) I do notice that on sunny days I have more get up and go and feel generally more chipper.

2. Our salt lamps from this company. They cast such a warm, cozy, homey glow. I don’t buy into all the purported health claims, but they never fail to make me feel good.

3. These inexpensive Grönö lamps from IKEA. (Do you sense a theme emerging here?) When I complete a mini-hack of this, I’ll post it. Just typing that sentence should get me off the the dime to finish it!

4. Flannel Sheets. Preferably Portuguese flannel. I love slipping in between them not just in winter, but year round. Yes they really are warm in winter, cool in summer. Here’s one excellent example.

5. Laughing, laughter and making other people laugh. O.K. perhaps this is another “well-duh”, but I do take great delight in laughing with friends and family. I take special pleasure when I can make someone close to me, like Chuck, my Mom, my sisters or my nieces and nephews laugh. Laughter is one of my top three responses in any situation. I’m not a Three Stooges/pratfall/whoopie cushion kind of gal, but if there is a way to inject a little socially appropriate levity into a stressful situation I’m there!

Watching

We’ve been very fortunate around here lately. The line of strong storms that raced through southern New England today was all bark (thunder) and no bite (severe lightning, hail etc.) for our immediate area . It brought a brief swirling downpour, but not the steady soaking rain we had been hoping for. As is common to that sort of storm, we had sunny, sticky weather all morning, which contributed to its intensity when it arrived. As the warnings went up and the rain began to pelt down, I couldn’t help but wonder what our summer might be like.

An alarming number of states have had severe tornadoes very early this year. Sadly, it seems as if this will be a record breaking year for such storms. Here in Massachusetts we get a fair number of tornado watches and warnings throughout the summer. Back in June 1953, a terrible tornado formed which killed at least 90 people as it swept across Worcester county. Fortunately, we don’t have anywhere near the frequency and intensity of storms as they do in the so called Tornado Alley. But it is still an underlying worry of the summer season. That’s when local meteorologists, The Weather Channel on cable television and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) weather radio and NOAA on-line, provide invaluable services.

I would never want to go back to the time before there was such sophisticated weather forecasts and warnings.

Lilacs

The perfume from the lilacs is intoxicating. It’s especially intense when the air in the dooryard has been still for a time and then a breeze stirs, sending the concentrated fragrance in through the open windows. Walking up to the blooms you can’t help but lean in. Bees buzzing are no threat as they are far too preoccupied with the embarrassment of riches climbing two stories tall and the same in width.

Lilacs are such old fashioned, classic and beautiful trees. Here in New England, a lone stand of lilacs is often the last vestigial proof of where a home once stood, where a family once made a life. Our ubiquitous stone walls may tell tales of crops planted and pastures grazed, but the lilacs say life was about more than just hardscrabble farming. There was beauty too. Something planted and nurtured that did not put food on the table or money in the coffers, but instead was balm to the senses at the beginning and end of long days.

Memories

Memorial Day weekend always meant two things: going to watch the parade in East Greenwich, Rhode Island and buying then planting our tomatoes. Both activities were with my Dad. I’m sure it can’t be true, but my memory claims the days were always sunny, breezy and warm. Those two rituals signaled that summer was just around the corner. School would be letting out soon. Sand Hill Cove and its fine gray, glittery sand and gentle waves would be warming up and waiting for us.

The first cookout of the year would have already happened on my birthday, a week earlier. Rain or shine Dad would get the grill out and Mom would work her magic in the kitchen. It might be so inclement that Dad would cook just inside the garage door and we’d eat on the breezeway with the storm windows still in place. But it was the kickoff to the season. A season of endless yard work for my Dad, endless preparation for entertaining for my Mom, lawn darts, sprinklers and cookouts on the weekends and as many trips to the beach as we could manage. A season of window fans, sunburns, piles of books, sparklers on the fourth of July and four o’clocks blooming against the white clapboards in the backyard.

I know it wasn’t perfect, but it really was.

Quick & Easy Rice Salad

As is typically the case when I write about food, I don’t have a precisely measured recipe. But I do have a suggestion: Brown Rice Salad. Start with a couple of cups of leftover brown rice. Or, if you have access to a Trader Joe’s store, use one pouch of their frozen brown rice. I always keep some in the freezer to help with a quick meal. If you’re starting with frozen rice, heat according to the directions, then dump the rice into a mixing bowl. Put the bowl into an ice bath to quick chill. Add a little salt, pepper and olive oil, stir and continue to let cool. Meanwhile, dice up some vegetables. I like bell peppers, celery, cucumber, tomatoes - whatever strikes your fancy. Add some seasoned rice wine vinegar or some Italian style salad dressing or some pesto - or whatever you like - to the rice and stir to combine. You really can take this in any flavor direction you want. Add fresh herbs if available. Add the diced vegetables to the rice and toss. Adjust seasonings to taste. This Brown Rice Salad is nutty, chewy and refreshing. I made it tonight while some summer squash, zucchini, onions and garlic were roasting in the oven. I served them both alongside some cod. Yum!

Pithy

I believe this started with Smith Magazine. But now it has morphed into a meme. Barbie2Be is the latest participant and loosely tagged/invited her readers to write their own “Six Word Memoir”. Sum up your life in six words - no more, no less.
Here’s mine:
Happy, unhappy, then happy for good!

Leave your own Six Word Memoir in the comments or post it on your blog and let me know where to go read it. Happy writing!

Take Two!

In keeping with the theme of yesterday’s post, Claudia has posted information about a casting call for a new film. It will be shot this summer, right here in Worcester County. Very cool!

Lights. Camera. Action!

From a distance, it looked like a couple of construction cranes outside a building. As we drove closer, it seemed to be two huge cherry pickers. But as we drove out of Lincoln Square on Highland, up past the Worcester Auditorium and the Courthouse, it was clear that the “buckets” on top of the “cranes” were really giant lights. The lights were aimed at the windows of the Courthouse. Puzzled, we crested the top of the hill and saw that the parking lot on the north side of Highland, behind the Aud, was labeled “Base Camp” and filled with trucks and trailers. That was when we realized they might be shooting a film. If we hadn’t been so tired and in a rush to get home, I would have asked Chuck to stop the car so I could snap some pictures. (Yes. I know. Bad Blogger!)

When we arrived home, I checked some of my favorite Worcestercentric blogs for some info. No luck. So I Googled and found this string of comments on a Boston based blog post. Apparently Bruce Willis is in Worcester filming for the movie “The Surrogates”. Massachusetts has been working hard to bring more film production to the state. Until recently, it seemed that much of the filming took place in or close to Boston and on the North and South Shores. It’s great to see some action in Worcester, “The Heart of the Commonwealth”.

A Very Good Day

Two days into my 51st year (as my Dad used to calculate) and things are still nifty! Yesterday, because the weather was cool and breezy, we worked hard out in the yard. After many hours of raking, trimming and digging, I began to feel my age - actually more than my age. But that would have been true a month ago or a year ago, so everything is still good!

Sunday began with a phone call from my Mom. I am so very lucky to still have my mother calling me and singing me Happy Birthday on my 50th. That was followed by calls from my sisters Gail and Karen. Can laughing with family members be beaten? I doubt it. Although lots of cheerful comments from friends in the blogosphere comes close!

In the afternoon, Chuck and I drove out to Amherst and Hadley, not exactly sure what we would do when we arrived. Until we remembered a restaurant we hadn’t been to in many years and decided to check it out again. Judie’s is on North Pleasant Street in Amherst and is filled with the bright mixed media artwork of local artist Donna Estabrooks. Chuck chose the Seafood Gumbo and I opted for Drunken Scallops in a Mexican tomato amber Dos Equis sauce. We both had the Caesar salad to start. A popover comes with the dinners and was enormous and surprisingly sturdy. We’re used to the more tender popovers up at Jordan Pond House in Acadia. But these were very good, just a different style. The service was attentive without being intrusive. The food was creative - everything had a little twist which kept our palates not just interested but intrigued. Sitting at our table by the window, conversations and laughter from the other diners swirling around us, my best friend smiling back at me, I couldn’t have been happier.

Hold A Good Thought

Senior United States Senator Edward Kennedy from Massachusetts has been diagnosed with a brain tumor; a malignant glioma. Senator Kennedy has served our state and the entire nation for nearly half a century. Chuck and I send our best wishes to the Senator, his wife Vicki and their extended family as he tackles this health challenge. If Senator Kennedy puts half of the effort into fighting this tumor as he does fighting in the Senate for the little guy, the glioma doesn’t stand a chance!
Ted, you have our enduring gratitude for all you’ve done for us and we’ll be holding you in our thoughts.

Fifty Is Nifty

When I started this blog (nearly a year and a half and 500 plus posts ago) I was very careful about what I posted. I decided I would use no last names, no addresses, no contemporary photos of Chuck, our family or me. I was happy writing, taking photographs and learning. I used to describe Pink Granite as being off in a quiet little corner of the internet. Then something surprising happened: folks started dropping by, reading, leaving comments. These weren’t just the family and friends I had announced my blog to via e-mail. These visitors were strangers from multiple continents. Strangers who over the course of more than 500 posts, reciprocal visits to their blogs, a lot of laughter and interesting reading, became “friends”. Or, as Veronica over at Purple Ronnie puts it: “Friends Inside The Computer”!

I didn’t expect that to happen. I didn’t expect that Chuck and I would speak of the folks I “met” through this blog as often as we do. I didn’t expect to feel connected to “strangers”, who didn’t feel at all like strangers. I didn’t expect to feel safer and happier in my everyday world because of all the kind, thoughtful, well intentioned, warm and funny folks I was visiting back and forth with through blogs. As time went on, I realized that of the blogs I visited regularly, I had a pretty good idea of what most of the authors looked like. Last month, I added my voice to Pink Granite. All technological frustrations aside, that was a big deal for me. The fact that I was still invisible, seemed, well, a little uneven, a little lopsided. I talked it over with Chuck - no surprise - and he, uninhibited, Pollyanna of a soul that he is, was all for it!

So here I am. That’s me, Lee, Pink Granite. Chuck took that photograph of me at the end of February. We had been snowshoeing out back and up the hill behind the neighbor’s house. It was crisp and cold and sunny. I felt very happy in that moment. At that moment I was just about 49 and three quarters years old. Today I am fifty. I feel very happy in this moment too!


Layout by LMR/Pink Granite. Software: Apple iPhoto ‘08 & Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 for Mac. Transparency: Icy Transparency Frost by Diane Miller (Scrap Girls). Font: LunaITC TT

Farewell Uncle Bill

My Uncle Bill passed away. He was 85. He and Aunt Bev were my favorite aunt and uncle, which is rather impolitic to write here because they weren’t our “real” aunt and uncle. You see Bill was good friends with my Dad. They were so close, that during World War II, Bill stopped by to look in on my Mom from time to time when he was in Rhode Island and my Dad was overseas. Apparently Bill looked pretty darn snazzy in his Navy whites and the story goes that my Mom became quite smitten with him. There were even two “Dear John” letters written to my father - only one of which was intercepted by my mother’s father and never mailed! Everything got sorted out the way it was meant to. George married Dorothy and they had three children. Bill married Bev and they had seven children. The four adults and the ten children were friends/family together.

Uncle Bill always had a twinkle in his eyes and a ready smile. He and the ever (and still) glamorous Aunt Bev were always warm, welcoming and generous to us. Whenever we went to visit with them we felt instantly at home. With seven kids, their home always felt energetic, but never chaotic. Uncle Bill and Aunt Bev managed to be elegant and sophisticated, as well as easy going and down to earth all at the same time.

Uncle Bill and my Dad were both excellent storytellers. Along with the rest of our little extended family, they both loved to laugh. Whenever they got together they were like a couple of teenagers again. Staying just ever so slightly on the mature side of goofy, they would get to telling stories or jokes and soon they would be laughing so hard, the rest of us might not know what they were laughing about. But we loved it. I have to believe that Daddy and Uncle Bill are sharing those laughs together once again.

Friday Night

This rhododendron flower was ready to unfurl when I snapped this photo last year. Just a couple more weeks and the show will begin again.

It’s raining lightly and steadily, which is very good.
The Red Sox game was called on account of the rain, which is a disappointment.
I have a spring cold - no big deal.
I’m tired.
I’m happy.
But about all I have energy for right now is to zone out in front of the T.V. with Chuck.
More tomorrow...

Big Blog Birthday Bouquet!

Happy Birthday to Roo
as well as Sue and her son Jake!
Enjoy!

“Basic Civil Right”

Today, the California Supreme Court overturned a state ban on gay marriage, ruling that same sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. Chief Justice Ronald M. George described it as a “basic civil right”. It is not yet all smooth sailing. Opponents of same sex marriage have been working to get an amendment on the California ballot this November, which, if approved, would ban same sex marriage and override today’s court ruling. Hopefully, California will follow Massachusetts in being the second state to fully protect marriage equality.

Color Muse

There’s an excellent magazine called “Digital Scrapbooking”. It’s been out for just over a year and is nicely balanced between inspiration, new products and practical tips and techniques. The June/July 2008 issue has an article in it by the talented Renee Pearson about an Adobe site called Kuler. Kuler is a collection of color themes. The themes are a bit like sets of paint chips created by individuals who post them to the site. You can register at the site and then save themes to a favorites list, create your own themes or modify an existing theme and make it your own - and much more. The Kuler themes are perfect color inspiration for digital scrapbooking layouts. But I think they are equally useful for fashion and home decorating. They’re also just plain lovely to look at, especially on a gray day!

The example above is from the Kuler site. It’s called “sandy stone beach ocean diver”. It was created by PS and is currently the most popular/highest rated theme on the site. Gorgeous!

A Doubly Special Day

Happy Second Wedding Anniversary L & J!
And Happy Birthday J!
Enjoy the double celebration!

Everything Is Fine - Really!

I’m afraid I have only one thing on my mind tonight. Everything is truly fine. I went to the doctor today for a routine exam. There is absolutely nothing wrong. But because I am about to turn fifty, the doctor had a laundry list of questions, concerns and tests to be run. I posted about this doctor last year. Little has changed, except I am better prepared for who she is and how she interacts with her patients.

What I find myself thinking a lot about is this: from an emotional standpoint, I keep reminding myself that I will be the same person on the last day that I will be 49, as I will be on the first day I turn 50. But because I am crossing a chronological line, I am being grouped statistically in a new actuarial group. Worse still, it is a different medical actuarial group. I understand that many tests are part of preventive medicine rather than diagnostic. They provide a baseline of what is “normal” for an individual and allow problems to be caught early. Trust me, I have followed the rules about such things for many, many years. But today felt different. Even my previous prince of a doctor had told me that when I reached fifty, we would look at some things and reevaluate strategies. However, I believe he would have handled today quite differently.

It’s hard not to feel happy, excited and, yes, a little scared as I reach a half century on the planet. It’s also hard not to get scared about growing older in general and menopause in particular or as I like to call it “That Which Shall Not Be Named”! Especially when I watch a television ad they run here in the U.S.. It shows a woman with little sparkly bits flying out of her body. Turns out the little sparkly bits are her bones being ravaged by osteoporosis! The voiceover starts to talk about menopause and I vacillate between wanting to throw a shoe at the T.V. and fighting down a wave of panic!

Not throwing shoes...
Breathing now...
;o)

For All The Moms

Thank you to my mother Dorothy.
Thank you to my maternal grandmother Gagee, who was truly a second Mom to me.
And Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms and all the Moms-to-be.
Enjoy your day!

I created this layout in 11 x 8.5 landscape form and then printed it on a card for my Mom. Layout by LMR/Pink Granite. Software: Apple iPhoto ‘08 & Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 for Mac. Paper: Assemblage Royale by Ursula Schneider (Scrap Girls). Brushes: Sage Brushes by Diane Miller (Scrap Girls) and Cherry Blossoms by Fee Jardin (The DigiChick). Embellishments: Winter White Embl2 Flower2 by Amanda Sok (Scrap Girls) (color adjusted by LMR/Pink Granite). Fonts: Edwardian Script ITC

Row of Spring Trees

Before we acquired the digital camera, I would appreciate a scene like this. But I wouldn’t stop the car, jump out and snap a few pictures. Film was precious. Developing was expensive. I’m enjoying this digital age!

Hot Off The Grill

My nephew J.R. and his wife Lorrie e-mailed us tonight. They have been in the midst of a huge kitchen gut-to-the-studs remodel which spread throughout the first floor of their home. They’ve been doing all (or nearly all) of the work themselves. During this period of upheaval, they have been cooking using only a microwave and a barbecue grill. At one point Lorrie made homemade pizza on the grill, but didn’t like the way the crust was sagging down into the open spaces between the bars. It tasted really good so she wanted to make it again. This time my nephew J.R. had a flash of inspiration. They had some slate lying around because of the remodel. He suggested they put a piece of slate on the grill and put the pizza on top! It worked like a charm! Did I mention I’m closely related to these folks? Yup, I am convinced our ancestors were the ones who first discovered fire and invented the wheel!

Curious, Lorrie headed for the computer to Google and see what she could learn. While she discovered they weren’t the first to invent the process, she did find some very good advice.* We haven’t tried cooking this way yet, but we do still have a few large pieces of slate from a project a few years ago. And we have used cedar house shakes (leftover from our barn rehab) as planks to cook salmon on, so slate sounds like a natural progression.

* Do heed all the warnings!

OCD? Not Me!

I have reached the point of being truly frustrated by and therefore obsessed with making this audio clip work easily for you all. It was very cool that a few of you could listen to me reading my poem, but it bummed me out royally that so many of you were thwarted by technology. Or, more accurately, thwarted by a blogger who ran right up against the limits of what she understood about that technology!

So today I applied myself to the challenge once again. I was able to get a flash player successfully embedded and to work (big happy dance - thanks Jeff)! Then I read a notice on the media storage website I just started using (MediaMax). As of tomorrow, they are becoming another company and that’s the end of their free storage. Everyone who has files stored with them for free, must upgrade to their fee-based service or those files will be deleted.

Since I don’t want to pay their new monthly fees, that means I no longer will “control” server space. That means I can’t direct the the nifty flash player where to go and what to do. It also means that I need to take down all of the links in the previous posts which connected to this storage company, because as of tomorrow, my files will disappear from their site!

Abrupt end to happy dance.

I’ll still leave the audio bar up (in the earlier post and on the sidebar) which connects successfully to Archive.org.

Thanks for your patience and your advice!

Spring Dinner

Asparagus with a little butter and lemon, roasted potatoes and grilled tuna with a pomegranate-sesame reduction sauce was the perfect spring dinner. I must confess that I really like it when I prepare a simple meal that tastes yummy and costs just a fraction of what it would in a restaurant. It feels like a double win!

Any Problems Voting?

If you went to the polls today in Indiana or North Carolina, I hope everything went smoothly for you. If not, I recommend you report what happened by calling the People For The American Way’s hotline. Here’s how they describe it:

If you experience, see or hear about voting problems in your state, please call the toll-free, nonpartisan Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE. (That’s 1-866-687-8683)

We all need to do everything we can to make sure every registered voter is able to vote and that every vote is counted accurately!

Yes We Can!

Tomorrow, voters in Indiana and North Carolina will go to the polls for their presidential primary. There has been a tremendous amount of media coverage every step of this campaign. I will not disparage Senator Clinton on this blog. In fact I have a link to her website in my sidebar. But I will say that I believe Senator Obama will be an excellent President of the United States. I urge every voter in North Carolina and Indiana to cast their vote for Barack Obama!


Turn HOPE into reality. VOTE!

39 and Holding

Happy Birthday to my eldest sister Karen! While I am crossing the half century mark in just a couple of weeks, Karen is miraculously younger than I am!

Happy Birthday Sis!

Once More - With Feeling!

This Post Has Been Edited!

May 8, 2008 - Well, this is a first for me on this blog. I’ve had to radically edit this post due to some technology snafus! Here’s the explanation.

Sue stopped by this morning and was unable to listen to my audio clip. Because this has been the case for many of you - including both of my sisters - I decided to try a different hosting service.

I hope this allows you to easily listen to my poem: “Two Days In August”!

Still no little audio bar visible to you? If all you see is a big blue Quicktime “Q”, try reloading the page. Or here’s the direct link. It should bring up a new screen and the audio clip will load and then begin playing.

Let me know in the comments section which one of these worked. Thanks!

UPDATE 5/7/2008: Inspired by a suggestion from Jeff, I’m trying another change to this audio clip. Fingers crossed...


I can't put in a direct link to this version. When I do it automatically downloads the file to the computer!

Still More...

The sun came out today; daffodil yellow pushing through steel gray haze.
Late this afternoon, a blazing red-orange disk dropped behind still stark, silhouettes of trees.

Spring Creeping In

It was gray, cloudy and drizzly around here today. No complaints, just an observation. In fact, every day brings more spring green. which has been a lovely and reassuring change from the desaturated colors of a long winter. This photo of creeping phlox, taken on a recent sunnier day, should brighten things up a bit.
Hope you are having a great weekend...

Three Cheers For Holtman & Wallace

I don’t believe one needs to understand the sport in order to appreciate this story. Call it good sportsmanship, call it one classy act or call it bend over backwards fair. These two gals; Mallory Holtman and Liz Wallace, along with the entire Central Washington University Softball team deserve high fives. Their actions are even more moving, when you learn the implications of their selflessness.

Just Because...

...I could.
;o)


Jeff, over at WormTown Taxi, had a good suggestion. Many taxpayers here in the U.S. will be receiving an “economic stimulus payment” in the coming weeks. Because of the troubled economy, I imagine most folks will be using their check to pay monthly bills or applying it to credit card balances. But if you are planning on pushing the money back into the economy, make it your local economy. Instead of shopping in the big chain stores or dining in the national chain restaurants, make it a point to patronize local businesses. It’s always a good idea to “buy local”, but especially nowadays.