Monday, November 09, 2009
Wimping out
OK, so I seem to be wimping out on this Gourmet project. There are a few reasons: first, I picked the wrong issue. The June 2009 issue of Gourmet is centered around a huge Mexican feast for 30 people, and I realized (too late) that it was completely impractical for me to try to make most of the recipes unless I was actually planning to have a Mexican feast for 30, which I wasn't. Second, the season is now wrong for summer recipes, although I may try some of the grilled steak recipes now that I have 50 pounds of beef in the freezer. Finally, there are just too many mushroom recipes, and it bugs me that I'm not going to make them. I don't like mushrooms, so what am I supposed to do about a recipe for portobello burgers? Make it and give it away? I suppose I could do that, but I'm not sure if I'm quite there yet. Also, I am now addicted to my Quick and Easy Vietnamese cookbook, and I can't bring myself to focus on Gourmet. Vietnamese is so much more interesting to me right now. Maybe I'll try again next summer. For now, I'm taking some time to consider what "commitment" really means to me.
Ballet and hot lava
For some reason I've been finding it hard to write about Melina lately. I think it's because she's constantly changing - it's like trying to describe the flight of a dragonfly around a lake. Up, down, around, stop, go backward. Like trying to nail Jello to a wall, although that sounds a little too violent.
Melina has a few new friends that she's been hanging out with. Currently she seems totally in love with the neighbor boy Quinn, and wants to be with him constantly. She has been demanding to see her old friend Amanda as well, and yesterday she spent a few hours playing with her friend Josie. This sort of play is always full of ups and downs. At one point the friends will be hugging and giggling, or concentrating on their little made-up dramas, and the next moment one will declare that she (or he) will never, ever, play with the other again. It's kind of exhausting to watch.
Melina is also going through a "scared" phase. As in, scared to go to the bathroom alone; scared to get dressed alone in her bedroom; and scared for *me* to go to the bathroom alone. From what I've observed, this is a normal phase, but it is exasperating because it means that I can never get more than 15 feet away from her at any time. On the other hand, she is also in a very affectionate phase, full of hugs and kisses. She assures me that she loves me (and her dada) all the way up to Jupiter, around Jupiter eleventy times, all the way back down to the earth, through the hot lava, out through China, and back through the earth to our house. (Speaking of hot lava, I've noticed that four-year-olds all seem to be obsessed with hot lava for some reason. It comes up regularly in conversation).
Ballet class started a few weeks ago, and remains very popular. Melina was so upset that ballet class was over (after half an hour) that I signed her up for the ballet-and-tumbling class right afterward. (I was running out of ideas for things to do anyway). So now on Fridays we have about 2 hours of nonstop ballet, dancing, tumbling and random chaos. The ballet teacher teaches - get this - more than 30 classes a week. I think she said 39. I can't imagine. Each ballet class is like herding cats - gently chiding, guiding, encouraging, rebuking, drawing out, and generally leading a small crowd of mostly pink-tutu'd preschoolers who all have their own agenda. It's something to see. Melina loves it, except when she gets tired. She is also still taking swim classes, which she also loves, although I am getting tired of the routine. So hard to make everyone happy!
Melina has a few new friends that she's been hanging out with. Currently she seems totally in love with the neighbor boy Quinn, and wants to be with him constantly. She has been demanding to see her old friend Amanda as well, and yesterday she spent a few hours playing with her friend Josie. This sort of play is always full of ups and downs. At one point the friends will be hugging and giggling, or concentrating on their little made-up dramas, and the next moment one will declare that she (or he) will never, ever, play with the other again. It's kind of exhausting to watch.
Melina is also going through a "scared" phase. As in, scared to go to the bathroom alone; scared to get dressed alone in her bedroom; and scared for *me* to go to the bathroom alone. From what I've observed, this is a normal phase, but it is exasperating because it means that I can never get more than 15 feet away from her at any time. On the other hand, she is also in a very affectionate phase, full of hugs and kisses. She assures me that she loves me (and her dada) all the way up to Jupiter, around Jupiter eleventy times, all the way back down to the earth, through the hot lava, out through China, and back through the earth to our house. (Speaking of hot lava, I've noticed that four-year-olds all seem to be obsessed with hot lava for some reason. It comes up regularly in conversation).
Ballet class started a few weeks ago, and remains very popular. Melina was so upset that ballet class was over (after half an hour) that I signed her up for the ballet-and-tumbling class right afterward. (I was running out of ideas for things to do anyway). So now on Fridays we have about 2 hours of nonstop ballet, dancing, tumbling and random chaos. The ballet teacher teaches - get this - more than 30 classes a week. I think she said 39. I can't imagine. Each ballet class is like herding cats - gently chiding, guiding, encouraging, rebuking, drawing out, and generally leading a small crowd of mostly pink-tutu'd preschoolers who all have their own agenda. It's something to see. Melina loves it, except when she gets tired. She is also still taking swim classes, which she also loves, although I am getting tired of the routine. So hard to make everyone happy!
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Domesticity
OK, so I haven't posted in what, about four months? Let's just ignore that and move forward, shall we?
The season has turned, and with it, our attention turns to domesticity. It's always amazing to me how my life changes so abruptly around October. In the early days of October we still talk about attempting one last backpacking trip - trying to extend our summer adventures as long as possible. By the end of October the focus has completely shifted to Halloween, cooking, baking, and domestic construction projects (for Jeff). I suddenly get the itch to make cheese, limoncello, fruitcake, and chocolate chip cookies. I really wonder what my life would be like if we lived in place without seasons. I think I would feel completely at a loss with the sun shining and the palm trees waving outside the window in November.
As part of this sudden domestic energy, I bought an eighth of a local (<100 mile), grass-fed, organic, lesbian-raised cow. I figure it is pretty much the most politically correct meat I could possibly buy, although of course it would be more politically correct not to buy meat at all. But I do like a good hamburger once in a while. So now we have about 50 lbs of meat in the freezer in our basement: 12 lbs of hamburger, 3 huge long summer sausages, about 6 lbs of Octoberfest bratwurst, many different varieties of steaks, probably a few roasts, and stew meat and soup bones. I never, ever eat steaks, and I don't have the slightest idea how to make a good steak, so that will be a challenge. Also, I put in an order at Afton Field Farm in Corvallis (also <100 miles!) and bought three whole chickens, three pounds of ground lamb, some sliced ham, and some honey. Vegan we ain't.
I have mixed feelings about all this meat; one hand I know we would be eating meat anyway, so I might as well buy local meat from animals that until recently were quite happy. It is also healthier meat, since it is all grass fed and relatively organic. But I wonder if raising Melina around all this meat is going to make her into too much of a carnivore. She already knows (and seems completely unphased by the fact) that hamburger comes from dead cows and chicken comes from dead chickens like the kind we have in our backyard. (In contrast to my acquaintance whose daughter cried for half an hour and refused to eat meat after she discovered the facts.)
Whatever the outcome - either we get completely sick of beef and never eat it again, or we become dedicated carnivores with high Omega 3 levels - we will somehow need to slowly work through all of the little white-paper-wrapped packages in our freezer. I made hamburgers the other night as a first volley in the effort, and they were fantastic.
Speaking of chickens, our chickens are not laying now at all. Dolley looks really bad these days, with half her feathers missing and pointy quills sticking out everywhere. It has been raining nonstop for days and the girls are all huddled up in their coop looking miserable. At times like this I'm glad they have small brains.
The season has turned, and with it, our attention turns to domesticity. It's always amazing to me how my life changes so abruptly around October. In the early days of October we still talk about attempting one last backpacking trip - trying to extend our summer adventures as long as possible. By the end of October the focus has completely shifted to Halloween, cooking, baking, and domestic construction projects (for Jeff). I suddenly get the itch to make cheese, limoncello, fruitcake, and chocolate chip cookies. I really wonder what my life would be like if we lived in place without seasons. I think I would feel completely at a loss with the sun shining and the palm trees waving outside the window in November.
As part of this sudden domestic energy, I bought an eighth of a local (<100 mile), grass-fed, organic, lesbian-raised cow. I figure it is pretty much the most politically correct meat I could possibly buy, although of course it would be more politically correct not to buy meat at all. But I do like a good hamburger once in a while. So now we have about 50 lbs of meat in the freezer in our basement: 12 lbs of hamburger, 3 huge long summer sausages, about 6 lbs of Octoberfest bratwurst, many different varieties of steaks, probably a few roasts, and stew meat and soup bones. I never, ever eat steaks, and I don't have the slightest idea how to make a good steak, so that will be a challenge. Also, I put in an order at Afton Field Farm in Corvallis (also <100 miles!) and bought three whole chickens, three pounds of ground lamb, some sliced ham, and some honey. Vegan we ain't.
I have mixed feelings about all this meat; one hand I know we would be eating meat anyway, so I might as well buy local meat from animals that until recently were quite happy. It is also healthier meat, since it is all grass fed and relatively organic. But I wonder if raising Melina around all this meat is going to make her into too much of a carnivore. She already knows (and seems completely unphased by the fact) that hamburger comes from dead cows and chicken comes from dead chickens like the kind we have in our backyard. (In contrast to my acquaintance whose daughter cried for half an hour and refused to eat meat after she discovered the facts.)
Whatever the outcome - either we get completely sick of beef and never eat it again, or we become dedicated carnivores with high Omega 3 levels - we will somehow need to slowly work through all of the little white-paper-wrapped packages in our freezer. I made hamburgers the other night as a first volley in the effort, and they were fantastic.
Speaking of chickens, our chickens are not laying now at all. Dolley looks really bad these days, with half her feathers missing and pointy quills sticking out everywhere. It has been raining nonstop for days and the girls are all huddled up in their coop looking miserable. At times like this I'm glad they have small brains.
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