What I'm watching

Choices, choices

I've decided that for me somehow being 44 means I'm taking this long view backwards and forwards of my life. Looking at choices made and not made, paths and twists and everything in the road. Looking at the right now. Trying to figure out what I want and what makes sense.

I've no idea if other people in their 40s do this. It seems like the right moment for me, because life sometime slaps you across the face to get your attention. At 43 I felt pistol-whipped. At 44 I'm licking wounds and paying better attention.

At no time in my life have I ever had such a profound sense of loss or the fragility of each moment, as I do now. Not in some morbid or anguished way...just in the matter-of-fact way that I suspect Buddhists look at life. Attachment causes suffering, and the present moment is really all you've got. Most of us are too busy being attached and focusing on the past or future to really appreciate the present.

Very mellow heat wave

I'm treating myself to lots of little good things...that accumulate...in a good way.

• Wonderful "Breathe Deep" relaxation and guided visualization class at a new yoga studio today. I actually feel asleep. It was lovely.
• Water aerobics today. Very fun and refreshing in this heat wave.
• Cooking delicious things and sharing garden bounty. Going to make pear sorbet tomorrow with fresh pears from Carl's garden.
• Yoga class...relaxation, stretching. Yum.
• Hot stone massage coming up on Friday.
• Sprinkle in gardening
• fab new haircut

I also found a new physical therapist. I like her a lot, and she's less like a PE teacher than my former PT. Smart as nails and nice to boot. Her verdict is that I'm pretty misaligned, as I'm favoring the non-surgical leg/foot. I've got some work to do, but nothing I can't tackle...with her expertise and my grit.

Obama cobbler

Today Fede was gifted a tub of fresh blueberries, so I went to my trusty blogs for a recipe suitable for these lovely berries.

I've got a yummy one....a recipe straight from the White House!

http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/2009/02/white-house-pastry-chef-bill-yosses.html

I just made it, and my touches were to add a bit of cinnamon and vanilla to the recipe. You really really need to top it with some vanilla ice cream, which I will not make from scratch. Sorry.

Fruits of the garden

Gladys and I learned to make a garlic braid yesterday, which was a nice way to get the garlic out of the garage, decorate the kitchen and make the garlic accessible to the cooks. It was pretty easy, thanks to the step by step video on Gardennerd. I'm imaging how many braids I can make after the monster garlic planting I anticipate this fall. Gifts anyone?

This morning I harvested our first zucchini (bought from the Astoria market, heirloom Italian variety) and eggplant. We are eating collards and cabbage out of our ears, so this will add some welcome and needed variety.

We are in the middle of a heat wave right now, so I'm up early watering all the plants...so they can cope with the high temps, plus line drying our laundry. Moments like these have me dreaming of a drip irrigation system. However I would miss out on the lovely birds and cool morning air (and seeing what is blooming, what needs some TLC, etc.). Scratch that.

A change of heart

I'm a bit famous in my circle for not liking animated films. Considering I grew up on them, it is a bit ironic, but there you have it.

However I'm totally open to recognizing a wonderful movie when I see it, animated or not. Here is one that combined a couple of things I love: Bollywood music and dance, religion, love stories (unhappy ones or not), and a great soundtrack.

You can actually watch it online, check out the official web site to link to the film.

http://www.sitasingstheblues.com/

New stories

During my last trip to Oaxaca I got to stretch my storytelling skills daily with three stories, which I told over and over. I learned to use audience participation, gauge timing, and use funny voices and repetition to good effect. It was challenging and fun at the same time. In anticipation of a future trip I'm pouring through a treasure chest of Latin American folk tales by Olga Loya, which was the source of my 3 very well-received tales. For my own sanity I need 3 new stories!

I'm working on getting the details of the Possum and Coyote story down, and Gladys loves this one. I think because the rather sneaky Possum has a mischievous streak like her.

Saturday Market

We had fun strolling through the endless booths at Saturday Market. I always find cool stuff (amid a lot of stuff that I think is rubbish).....I succumbed to a sweet piece of garden art (a glass rose to stick in the earth when there are no roses blooming), a birthday gift, and a hostess gift....

The great food find was amazing authentic pupusas, the amazing stuffed corn tortilla wonders that is El Salvador's gift to the culinary world, imho. As good as anything I ever ate in El Salvador. Really.

I also learned when I should harvest my lavender. After it is all bloomed out. The Lavender Lady at the Market is my source of knowledge, as she runs a lavender farm that provides her with plant material for her crafts. I thought lavender that was bloomed out was not good for crafts. It is perfect for drying and making sachets.

With a visitor's eyes

I've been hosting a girlfriend this past week and getting to do things I don't normally do....some highlights include:

Twilight Tuesdays at the Chinese Garden: beautiful evening concert of Chinese music in this incredible garden. Didn't even know this concert series existed! Will do again and bring our own chairs and snacks/drinks. I envisioned this as a bit fancy, but it is like a concert in the park for grown-ups.

Pok Pok: highly regarded/reviewed by NYT Thai restaurant. Great and spicy food. Eager to return for their soups in the winter. Maybe the lines will be less formidable?

Pittock Mansion: beautiful historic home with amazing views of the city and Mt. Hood. Lovely grounds you can picnic and enjoy. Hiking trails connect to Zoo and Forest Park. Will be back!

NW Film Center movies: We saw a wonderful animated movie....Sita sings the blues. Gotta blog more about that. We are lucky to get films like this....

Alma Chocolates: ok, this is one of my favorite "happy" places, and regular blog readers already have heard about this. However in yesterday's heat we enjoyed some seasonal treats that I cannot rave about enough. Chocopop made with fresh berries and coconut milk for me (OMG, so good), and Cascadia Shaker (a icy chocolate milkshake with fresh berries) for girlfriend.

Summer harvest continued

So I've got 2 beautiful red cabbages harvested and discovered an easy Asian cabbage salad on the Internet to help use it all up. It's greens everyday in everyway in this house.

I've also harvested a lot of collard greens, because I planted ALOT of collards, a veg that I love. Ok, so not many Latinas grow up with collards, and I definitely was introduced to them as an adult while working in DC. In fact the Rayburn cafeteria served up Southern dishes like greens and grits, which I loved. I also loved eating at Vidalia and Georgia Browns, so I came to appreciate Southern cooking, especially the way vegetables are prepared (that and the cornbread!!).

I invented a fabulous new way to prepare collards in an effort to cook as much as possible, yet liberate myself from standing over the stove. I chopped up collards, a bit of onion and fresh home grown garlic, a splash of apple cider vinegar, sprinkle of chile flakes, agave syrup, and a big ham hock. Throw it all in a crock pot with some water and salt. Let it slow cook for 8 hours. Then you've got meltingly tender and flavorful greens that required no stirring, no monitoring, nothing.

I heart crock pots.

Garden update

Here are some cayenne peppers getting riper and hotter by the day.


Here is one of the lovely cabbages that were mislabed as brussel sprouts.

Two varieties of pumpkin are taking over the south side bed. I'm training it to stay off the sidewalk.

Lovely eggplant...a first for my garden.

"Songs of Praise" roses are blooming and petite enough to fit into a little corner.

Baby chickadees

While watering plants in the backyard I heard the sweet sound of baby chickdees chirping in the birdhouse! I've seen the parents going back and forth constantly over the past week or two, with stuff in their mouths...so I was guessing chicks were in the picture.

If I'm lucky enough to see them as they learn to fly out of their nest/home I will certainly share the joy. Remember, this blog isn't called Walk in beauty for nothing.

Another thing of beautiful is my friendship with Carl, the sweet guy down the block and my garden admirer. I dropped off fresh basil, garlic and chard today. The good karma of a garden is in the sharing.

Garden harvest

Yves and I took a winter gardening class yesterday through the City of Portland's Sustainability Office. The teachers run a community supported agriculture farm, but with a twist. They farm people's city yard gardens and teach. I learned ALOT and now know I've got a 2 week window of opportunity to get my crop in the ground for fall eating. One of the teachers diagnosed all my veggie maladies just by my descriptions. Amazing.

This morning I harvested swiss chard and threw away all the leaves infected by leaf minor, a bug that eats on the leaves. I also harvested a massive head of cabbage, which was an accident. I meant to buy brussel sprouts, and they must have mislabed the starts. Oh well. I get to try out a new recipe. I'm not the hugest cabbage lover, unless someone else is doing the chopping. For dinner I prepared the chard with a head of fresh garlic from the garden, some olive oil and salt. Wow. Amazingly tasty, fast, fresh and healthy. Combined with some pumpkin hummus, pita and raspberries from Debbie's garden. Vegetarian, super local and delicious.

From one wise Latina to another

Querida Sonia,

You've got a lot of folks who are cheering you on and proud of how you handle yourself with those arrogant Senators grandstanding as they are wont to do. They come off like bullies, and you as the extremely professional judge that you are.

My sweet senior citizen neighbor (who is a white guy, btw) thinks you're magnificent, as do I.

I can't believe that you, a raised poor Catholic Latina, are headed to sit on the Supreme Court. How can my mind and heart absorb that and that a Black man sits in the White House? In my lifetime. All I need is for the Pope to let women be ordained priests....

You are not a robot. You have a heart and viewpoint that those narrow-minded Senators have no clue about....to grow up a Puerto Rican kid in the Bronx.....That court could a bit more empathy.

Adelante mujer...keep your head up. You are making us very proud.

Call me
Another wise Latina

A happy reader unfolding

I'm a librarian...and....surprise...avid reader. Having Gladys in my life has been an unfolding lesson in how to weave reading into a kid's life that is fun and helps motivate them to read more. I have the added twist that her first language is Spanish, and she attends a plain vanilla school (no Spanish immersion). My first lesson is that kids need to be literate in their own language to most successfully acquire a second (and third) one. I didn't know that growing up. She instinctively did, because at a pretty young age she was asking for more books in Spanish. I had to work a bit harder to track down good stuff in Spanish, but it was worth it in terms of watching her Spanish reading skills develop. I've got "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" in Spanish, and she LOVES it. As I got immersed in audiobooks, she (ever observant) wanted to experience the spoken word too, and soon we were off....getting a load of great audiobooks that she loves. I've got her hooked on the power of story, in which she skips over plowing through the long words in Spanish or the hard mysterious ones in English. Listening to the story strips away the work and means pure pleasure.

I love the idea that I've helped to nuture a reader and excited to see what new things she will teach me.

Berries on a rainy Sunday

Gladys is going through some funky 9 to 10 year old stage. She likes to run off without us down the street, gets sassy, and generally is asserting herself in ways we are challenged by....argh. Now that I've got that off my chest.

Today we went blueberry picking on Sauvie Island, where over the past 5 years I've picked every kind of veg/fruit a U-PICK might offer - corn, peaches, strawberries, pumpkins, marionberries, blackberries. Right now blueberries are in season. I heart Sauvie Island....place of beaches (including a nude one), farms galore, great nurseries to get my plant fix, and birding. What is not to love?? After that we went for a dip in the Kennedy School's soaking pool....yum.

Tonight I'm going to make some fine blueberry muffins for my guy. I got the recipe from the wonderful cookbook "Junior's Remembering Brooklyn with recipes and memories from its favorite restaurant."

Above are the before and after shots.

Chickadee update

Our little pair of lovebirds continues to flutter daily to their backyard home. I guess our existence hasn't deterred them from the desire to nest...because we hang out clothes only a few feet from the birdhouse. Between the laundry and emptying the compost bin they must be really accustomed to us by now. I recognize their birdsong whenever I'm outside, as they start chirping as they approach the patio area. Are they warning us to get away? They flutter, perch, and slowly get closer and closer. They are battling the push-pull of the deep genetic need to nest vs. the equally strong pull to stay away from very large animals that might hurt them.


I get to watch them fly in and out almost daily, always together and perching on the clothesline. It's a rest stop.


I find the whole thing very sweet, and I keep waiting for their babies to appear.

Garlic is as good as 10 mothers

Just finished watching this rather goofy and informative docu about....hmmm...garlic. Little known fact, did you know garlic came from Siberia and migrated along the Silk Road to China and then to the world? I loved the interviews with chefs, garlic freaks, and an organic garlic farmer passionate about growing food that is safe for humans to eat. Also features really interesting soundtrack and a pretty decent bellydancer.

Big thumbs up (if you like garlic, farming or cooking).

http://www.lesblank.com/more/garlic.html

What I'm reading

"The Road" was very intense and bleak (and good, surprisingly I didn't think a book that involved humans eating an infant could possibly redeem itself, but it did). I kept finding myself wanting to know what thing had happened to the planet to reduce humans to tiny starving bands of people (some who were cannibals). I adored the character of the Boy, his goodness, loving devotion to his father, his brutal honesty.

Now I'm transitioning to a really different book. The Sum of our Days. A memoir of Isabel Allende....again the theme of loss and grieving a loved one (gosh, this is getting a bit weird on me), but it is real and female. I love her novels and her heartbreaking memoir Paula. I've got enough audiobooks to get me through Christmas at this point....next I've got a novel by Toni Morrison lined up.

Maya code

One of the great stories of the written word is centered around Mayan texts...the writing system that has been a mystery up until quite recently. I'm watching a riveting documentary about breaking the Mayan code or writing system, which I love because it presents the writing system in the context of a living culture, not some glorified ancient and dead past. The remarkable gathering of Mayan scholars in Palenque sounds like an amazing gathering, and I love that everyone was welcomed - both the Ivy League professors and amateur Mayanists. A reminder that a diversity of minds around a table is far richer than having homogeneous group-think.

I've had the very good fortune to widely travel on la ruta Maya and see nearly all the significant sites (and some not so significant ones): Palenque, Tikal, Copan, Chichen Itza, Coba, Tulum, Uxmal....I never tire of seeing these magnificant cities buried deep in lush jungles. I've also visited the town where one of the most infamous book burnings took place...in the Yucatecan town of Mani Fray Landa ordered Mayan codices burnt because he discovered Mayans were continuing to worship their traditional Gods.

http://www.nightfirefilms.org/breakingthemayacode/index.htm

Astoria

View from our hotel window



Riding the bike back to the hotel (in the background)




Near Fort Clatsop - if you could hear the birdsong!

Handsome guy in front of the replica of the fort

Sacajewca and her baby


To get away from the heat and crazy amount of fireworks we stealed away to lovely Astoria, which way exceeded my expectations. Beautiful, lots of history and sites to see, good places to eat, a great Sunday market, fantastic hotel.....We also lucked out with a sunny blue sky July 4th, which locals kept telling us was extremely rare in those parts.

Here are my picks:

Where to stay: Cannery Pier Hotel - great service, amazing views, immaculate, free bikes to ride, lovely old Cadillac to take you into town for dinner, great jacuzzi and Finnish sauna. Thumbs WAY up. Downside: not cheap.

Where to eat: We had a fantastic seafood meal at Baked Alaska, which also has a view of the Columbia and good service. Drina's Daisy is a Bosnian cafe on the main strip, and it is a lovely place to have a delicious meal. We recommend the stuffed cabbage leaves.

What to do: If you like history, the whole Lewis and Clark tour is in your lap. We visited Fort Clatsop, which is located in a beautiful forest with a river, trails, nice Park Service Center that has great staff that paint a picture of that moment in time. Really liked the short film that tells the Native perspective with a descendant of a Native person who interacted with the L&C team. Great book store to get gifts.

Sunday Market is also a blast. Fun, funky, and not as crowded as Portland's Saturday Market. Good prices. Great food, but we had already eaten. Come hungry to take advantage of the great food vendors. I got a beautiful pair of beach glass earrings with glass the artist found during a trip to Puerto Rico. How cool is that??

Another cool edible in the garden

http://www.oregonlive.com/hg/index.ssf/2009/06/herba_santa_delivers_exotic_fl.html


I love Vern Nelson's column, and I really appreciate how adventurous his palate is....I've not cooked with herba santa, although I've certainly eaten in during my travels in southern Mexico and Central America. I've also eaten ants and grasshoppers, so I too have an adventurous palate.

One of my projects this year is to tackle the rather abandoned backyard patio, which is shady and been neglected due to my relentless focus on the front-yard "farm."

Happily this plant likes moist shade, which means the patio is the perfect place for it. The proximity to the kitchen is also a benefit. I've put one in a pot and another in the ground, as an experiment to see how they do. Stay tuned for photos.

I'm going to be on the lookout for some good recipes that incorporate this herb, and I luckily have a solid collection of Mexican cookbooks....Stay tuned for those too.

Summer's bounty

The sweet gentleman and admirer of my garden came by to offer some fresh cherries from his niece's orchard a couple of days ago. I offered him fresh rainbow chard. We've been enjoying the cherries chilled from the fridge, and what amazing sweetness...both the fruit and gesture. Today I went to help my "garlic" girlfriend weed her community garden plot, to return the favor of her helping me harvest garlic and teach me what she knows....

I'm finding that gardening is this lovely cycle of giving, receiving, and sharing.

A new book that I just got from the library (that I first spotted at the food coop) promises to shed more light on this adventure: "Food not lawns: how to turn your yard into a garden and your neighborhood into a community."

I think I'm well on my way.

What I'm reading

I love Cormac McCarthy....His style of writing is elemental and spare, which reminds me of one of my favorite writers, Ernest Hemingway. I've just started this book, and it is a grim tale that sometimes holds me spellbound waiting for the next twist in the tale and journey of a father and son, fleeing in a post-apocalyptic world.

Not an uplifting read, but that is OK. After reading about a boy dealing with losing his beloved father in the 9/11 attack this seems right in line. Unintentionally.