Waves of summer

Summer comes in waves. I let go, little by little and a couple weeks in I feel lighter and I can start to think more clearly, relax more fully. I am starting to feel the school year drop off me a bit. My morning walks have been a bit sporadic due to the super hot weather. I haven't even planted my garden yet... don't worry, I have short season crops. I am sitting here at 10:00 listening to Bon Iver and typing a post from a couple of days ago.

That morning I walked by myself, slowly through these big fields. It was the morning after the heat broke and the rains came. This little spider was grabbing a drop of water. I don't know what he was doing with it... I imagine possibly removing it. I am going to start on my summer plans this week... building front and back steps that actually look like something better than the "construction" steps that have been on our house for the past few years. I am going to call a few landscapers and ask them about clearing the land next to me, and about replanting and leveling our front, and possibly back yards. I am going to repaint the upstairs bathroom. I might go ahead and build a shed off to the left of our driveway.  It's all like this little spider, moving things, making things better. Building. I am no construction guy. I truly have very little idea about how to do any thing like this. But I am going to try on my own, like my Dad did/does. I guess the fact that he builds everything himself is one of two chief motivations for trying to do these things myself... the other being money of course.

Still, this is my house, and I wanted these challenges.

db

Hamburgers Away

Today we went to my Mom's for a hamburger cook off. There were, I would say about thirty people there and about seven competing hamburgers. My Aunt Barbara ended up winning with her Bison Burger and homemade buns.  It was a really nice day. The weather helped and the company was great. It pretty much consisted of my extended family.... the Christmas crowd. I tried this recipe by Alton Brown... the burger of the Gods. Serious recipe, I had to grind my own hamburg! crazy. I am going to post a bunch of pictures from it. Just a nice summer day.

we eat with our hands....

It was so hot today. I wanted to go out and do things... but no way. So here is a nice picture of ..... supper.

Henry still shuns utensils... Does this ever end?? His tastes as an eater are amazing. He loves spicy food and ethnic food, really anything that isn't goopey. He hates scrambled eggs and avocado, things like that. I love what Henry eats. He is unafraid of new things and tends towards fresh, crisp, good-for-you things. But, he still eats with his hands too much..... wait a minute..... That's probably why he doesn't like goopey food, it sucks to get it all over your hands! Yes! See, writing is a perfect way to work through your thoughts!

So, tonight I decided to go ahead and make something Henry could get his hands into, a fact that he actually, outwardly celebrated. I made grilled tandoori chicken (here is the link to the recipe. I used one from that Arti girl on Food Network). Its a great recipe as long as you have a well stocked spice drawer! ( I do, even the cardamom pods!!) I grilled a bunch of other things on skewers right along side it: onions, mushrooms, red and yellow peppers, grape tomatoes, dried apricots, and dates. Then I threw some feta, olives and stacked some cucumbers and mixed greens along the side, ripped up some pita bread and made some couscous. It's actually the sauce that pulled the whole thing together, so if you make it, don't skip that step.

I am so looking forward to the cool down tonight. The windows are open. The fans are on. The breeze is sweeping through. Ahhh... now if I weren't being forced to watch "Say Yes to the Dress." Things might just be perfect. :)

db

Worcester Art Museum

Today was busy, probably too busy. It was hot so we decided to try to do things that were inside somewhere with AC. I was up for going off to Boston, but I had band practice at 7:00, so we tooled around worcester. Without making things longer than necessary, we decided to go to the art museum, then to Wooberry and then off to see Madagascar three.

I tried for "moody" shots at the museum. I am happy with a couple of them. I love the first one with Henry and Nora on the bench. I also kinda love the one that I am official entitling "Nora Reclining."

Both Henry and Nora seemed to really like the art museum. Nora's favorite part was one of the pieces that let you use a magnifying glass to look at coins. Henry didn't know exactly what to make of the nude pieces, a perfect opportunity to start to explain nudity in art and beauty to him... not really sure he got it though... lol.

Here are the pics.

Here is one of my favorite pieces... ;)

Here's one for Wooberry just for the heck of it.... original, chocolate covered ginger, and orange boba YEAH!!

small things

This morning, before it got too hot, Jonathan and Emily came over to walk with Chaucer, Henry and me. This was the first time that I have had anyone that wasn't directly in my family walk with me. I felt this odd urge to give some sort of tour of the places that I have found. Fortunately, Emily and Jonathan are used to me and my oddities and went right along with me. I love having perfectly quirky and understanding friends.

On the way in I saw this tiny bird perched at the top of a dead tree. I snapped a picture, zoomed in, and it turned out to be a tiny little hummingbird perched majestically at the top of the canopy.

On the way back to the car, we found these tiny, baby frogs hopping all along the sandy road. I love these little guys. They're so delicate and sweet. I am titling this picture, "The Hands of God" which is a subtle compliment to Jonathan whose hands these are.

Jelly and Celibacy

We ran out of jelly today, and so it is time for our annual pilgrimage. I, deep down, do love to buy locally grown. I love to know exactly who it is that I am supporting. St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer is one of those places that you can't help but want to support. I mean come on, a bunch of lonely old guys making canned goods? Yes, you can have my money. We go there every so often and buy a box of 12 various jellies. The kids love to go in and pick out what they want. They're really good, and, plus, I kind of have a thing for monks. 

St, Joseph's abbey is truly a beautiful place. The monks bought 2300 acres of land in 1950 and landscaped much of it into little secretive corners tucked away around the monastery. The place exudes peace. Most it is off-limit to non-monks... a fact that absolutely kills me. These big red signs and gates make no doubt of where you are allowed and not. There are about 80 monks who live there. They are part of the Cistercian Order of Strict Observance. They really do make their own jelly there. In fact, the trappists only make jelly there. In fact... For a while, only two monks were responsible for making all of the jelly that came out of the place. The profits from their jelly-making brings in about half of the budget. 

I actually thought about interviewing the monk at the counter in their little store, but when I walked in it was a layperson, big let down. Still, I have been thinking of boldly announcing that I am writing a blog and asking if they wouldn't mind answering a few questions (and letting me into all of the secret, hidden away aspects of their monastery with full permission to take pictures and sneak around where ever I want). 

The inside of the chapel is so beautiful: old, gothic, full of artifacts, and some very smart monk decided to make all of the stained glass windows blue. It's like walking into midnight (sigh). If things were different I would be a monk..... I really would. 

The kids and I, on our second adventure :) walked the grounds and tried to find all of the little statues and mysterious corners of the grounds available to us. We found a tree that had definitely been struck by lightning (see pic) and a few other great places. When we went in the chapel, I told the kids that they had to be silent out of respect for the monks, which they were, and I think Nora took me very seriously. At one point, an monk emerged from a side door near us and Nora clung to me like there was no tomorrow. We waved and he waved back, and Nora relaxed. 

"Relaxed" is about THE word that I would choose to describe that place.... a sanctuary. Sometime, I am going to go for a service.... I heard they actually chant.... (sigh).

db

Adventure: day 1

Last year I tried to cheer Henry up, because he was sad that school was ending, by telling him that we would go on tons of adventures. The first day of vacation, I took both kids to try to catch some crayfish. Well, this year, I guess that Henry has decided it would be a tradition. So, off we went. We actually caught one last year, but this year was less successful. We did catch a water strider and we saw a few fish. We found a lunar moth wing abandoned on the said of the road.

The nice thing was that both kids got right in the river and waded around. The water was nice and cold at first, and Nora thought that it was a bit slimy... but aren't adventures supposed to be cold and slimy? I also took a few pictures on my walk with Chauc this morning. I think that this one, with the road and the  black bird might be my favorite picture that I have taken this year.

Henry just asked me what adventure we are going to have tomorrow. We might be up for a very adventurous summer :)

db