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Where have we been?  Well, to the land of really big sausages:

Larger Hooligan is clearly enthused about such a vast quantity of bologna.

And really small cars:

He could drive this!  Just give him a chance!

That would be Italy, mostly.  We had a lot of miles.  Some of our children were horrible travelers in the early years.  We gritted our teeth and assured each other (over the howling from the car seat--how he hated the car seat!) that someday it would be fun to go places as a family.

It was crazy fun.  I would do it again in a minute.  But I am really happy to be home.  Thanks to our housesitter all the plants are alive, the chickens and turtles are accounted for, and the dog seems to be well adjusted.  And my bed....I love my own bed more than words can say.  Now that I have plowed through the mountains of mail and laundry I plan spend the rest of the summer blogging, gardening, and going for very minor outings with the Hooligans--like maybe to the library.  Or to pick some blueberries.  That's it.  Oh, and I'm taking a vacation from wine and dessert, because even though we walked miles every day, we also ate gelato and swilled mucho vino.  All my clothes seem to have shrunk, funny.

very old friends

When we were very young friends....20 years ago...in college.... we were roommates. Let's call her the Force of Nature.  Like a Tornado, or a tsunami.  I mean that in a good way.  Her sheets had dinosaurs.  Mine were floral.  Her poster was star wars.  I had a faux Monet.  She frequently stayed up until 4 in the morning, studying Japanese and serving as an unpaid therapist to various guys who needed to "talk." In the morning she would hit the snooze about fifty times before she dragged herself out of bed, swearing about being late for the language lab.  Since i tend to be irritatingly cheerful in the morning,  I would sometimes accompany The Force to breakfast in the dining hall just for fun.  I would have eggs and salsa.  I think she had a bowl of Surly-O's. And black coffee.


I was an English major, so none of my classes started before 10 a.m.  Instead of studying, I just read myself to sleep every night--passing out around 10.  I like a good 7 or 8 or 12 hours of sleep.  Plus a nap in the afternoon if possible.  My nickname was ten o'clock Kate.  We were the worst possible combination of lifestyle preferences for roommate-dom, but after surviving one another for a year,  we're stuck with each other for life. 

At the beginning of this summer,  I ran off to the Bay Area for the Force's bachelorette party.  She is going to marry a lovely man who knows how to make duck confit.  Score!  It was an ideal mix of chi-chi shopping, food, wine, dancing in an African bar in the Mission, more beverages in the Gold Dust bar (I stayed up 'til 2 in the morning!), a drive through Napa with breaks for wine and picnicking,  and the finale of a clothing optional hot spring spa.  That's quite a run on sentence.  Appropriate--it was quite a run-on weekend.


There were many best parts, but the one that really stands out is that The Force has many similarly powerful friends, who did all the (flawless) planning and organizing.  It was like being in the company of goddesses.  It would be cool if they formed a junta and took over the world. We'd all be better off.  I'm hoping for a cabinet post as official blogger.

The cat who once kept me up all night.          Two Goddesses.

Wine tasting in Napa.               The bride. She's so demure.

hiatus

It is possible that I will figure out how to blog from my phone, but I wouldn't hold my breath.  check in again the first week of August.   And thank you for reading.

A CRB (Cool Refreshing Beverage)

I worked in my college admissions office one summer.  We used to nag and pester the office manager for breaks, "Pat, it's so hot out. Can we please go get a CRB?"  We thought this was a very clever way to refer to a big gulp.  "No," Pat would snap.  "You'll get nothing and like it!"  I found this phrase to be satisfying and used it in many situations for years, especially when I taught third grade.  I never realized that Pat had plagiarized the line from Caddy Shack until quite recently.  The Man Who Lives in My House and I watched that movie--which has aged really well, by the way.  Watch it sometime after your kids are in bed.

In celebration of the sultry summer weather, I present you with a recipe for a CRB.  Enjoy.

-Fill a pint glass 2/3rds full of crushed ice.
-squeeze a lime wedge
-1/3 C white wine--pinot gris, sauvignon blanc anything dry/citrus-y
-1/3 C Trader Joe's antioxidant triple berry juice or other not-very-sweet reddish purple juice.
-fill the rest with sparkling water.
-a sprig of mint will make it fancy.

I was bashing the 80s in the last post--and here I am providing you with a recipe that has it's roots in ubiquitous California Cooler.  Remember those?  We used to drive across town to this one mini mart that didn't card us to buy them.  Hopefully you will find this adapted for the adult palate.  We drank it with ceviche.

Street Style

A while ago now--(sorry, I've been gardening since the sun came out.  Gardening trumps blogging, but not by much)--I was in the Bay Area for a bachelorette weekend (I've got a post about that, actually, I just have to add pictures).  The contrast between street style in San Francisco and Eugene is starkly entertaining.  So much so that I made a note in my i-phone while riding BART.  I just found the note--all the wine and fabulousness made me forget I had written it.  Here it is:

Trends I get (which is to say things I was wearing anyway):
*clogs
*wedge heels
*platform shoes
(Clearly I wish to be taller.)
*scarves--they make ugly Americans look a soupcon plus francaise.  Bien.
*Big cuffs on straight leg jeans.  I hate hemming.

Trends I do not get:
*gladiator sandals
*shoe-tees/booties Awkward!  Ugly!
*mohawk or faux-hawk--mo is worse than faux
*clothes with shreds or holes on purpose. (I am old.)
*tattoos
*piercings (I told you, I am old. And I have mid-western roots.)
*camouflage on civilians who are not trying to kill Bambi
*neon
*the eighties in general.  I was there.  Remember mall-bangs?  We looked awful.  Let it go. Especially the music!  If I hear Banana-rama (I'm your venus...) on the PA in the grocery store one more time, I may do something drastic. Please bail me out.
*Energy drinks other than coffee.

Vote for my Dog

Every evening, we let the chickens out for a little romp.  They skitter around, talking amongst themselves,  ignoring our 80 pound love beast, Otto.  He is like the clowns that scoop up the horse poop during parades, only more disgusting.  He follows the flock around, devouring what they leave behind.  It's very helpful--none of us wants to step in that--yet so revolting.  Why do I feel it's important to have a dog?  or chickens, for that matter?  We won't even talk about the turtles.

Every year, our town has a very local parade and celebration of its' idiosyncrasies.   Our Congressman, Peter DeFazio (D)  follows the horse contingent, with a dustpan and broom.  He collects the manure with patience and good humor.  Hooray for Peter.  Please keep helping us keep Oregon blue.

Maybe this is representative of the best of what government can do--manage shit.  We produce so much and no one else wants to deal with it.

Curiosities in Nature

Why have I posted a picture of dog vomit growing in the mulch beneath my blueberry bush?  HA!  You were fooled!  That is NOT dog vomit.  It is Dog Vomit Fungus.  For real.  It is commonly seen in the spring after soaking rains.  Here is an informative and amusing link for your further edification.  It is actually not a fungus, but a slime mold.  Fascinating! 

www.personal.psu.edu/sam21/dogvomit.htm