Month: January 2011

What’s in again

 Here is another entry in the almost popular What’s In Your Drawers Series. It is called Low Skill Tool Center 2/1. (See January 18th post for first in series.) 

I am sure that you will be as struck as I am by this gripping image of nearly simultaneous holding on and letting go.

Worth Your While

I spent part of the afternoon at Sea Turtle Inc, a rescue operation smack dab in the middle of South Padre Island.

The building is weather-beaten and worn out from a lot of use. Inside, right past the messenger bags made from recycled plastic, are huge round plastic tanks counter-top high. Look down and come face to face with any one of several dozen turtles  too busy doing rehab to stop for a chat.

Living in the shallow waters of the gulf isn’t one big picnic. Over 110 sea turtles were treated at the facility last year. Here’s Karma, an Atlantic Green turtle who has really upped her activity; she plans to be outta there by spring break.

Holy Cow

The place is called Holy Cow. It is a large room in a cement block building with a number of utilitarian tables and chairs.The only thing on the wall is a wide floor to ceiling chalk board. A man who looks like Antonio Bandera in a close-fitting black polo shirt and a starched white apron tied around his waist, greeted us as we walked in.

We intended to order our favorites — Butter Pecan and Blueberry Crumble. But the menu on the board didn’t have what we expected. Instead there was choco-mint, choco-cherry, choco-vanilla plus a list of tropical flavors like mango, grapefruit and tangerine and mint. The bottom of the board listed nuts — almond, walnut, pecan.

In Mexico almost every child grows up eating Paletas, frozen fruit bars, popsicles made from fresh seasonal fruit. When the fruit is blended with milk or cream they are paletas de leche, or milk Popsicles. 

The Antonio Look alike figured out that we had not yet tasted paletas and immediately offered samples. He told us that all of the ingredients were fresh, and that the paletas were made in the store. We ordered a choco-mint, a vanilla-pecan and vanilla-almond. 

You heard it here first, this Will be the next trend — it also may be the tight-fitting black polos have another run.

Are you going to Hell?

Saw a bill board that asked, “Are you going hell?” Then it said, “Open your heart to Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” Frankly, it just did not make sense to me. You’d think they would simply just give out the exit number and mention how many more miles you’ve got to go. Maybe mention an attraction or restaurant that you might want to take in while you are in Oklahoma.

Let’s Make a Deal

I ask you, why is it such a flat-out ordeal to get out-of-town on vacation? Even though, I have always known in advance of a major trip that includes me, with very few exceptions I find I’m way under prepared. So negotiating a reasonable departure time is extremely critical.

“Well, are you up for getting up and getting out of here at a decent hour tomorrow.  We’ve got a long drive ahead of us, you know.”

It isn’t exactly like we’re Lewis and Clark, but yes, Kansas does not border Texas. But cagey wins the race.

“What time do you want to leave??”

“I think we should leave ’bout 8:30?”

Ludicrous, I think. Might as well just stay up all night.

“That’s a bit early, doncha think? I’m thinking more like 10:30.”

“Oh, c’mon, 10:30! Do you know what time that will put us in to the motel tomorrow night?  We should be looking at leaving no later than 9.”

Well, jeeze it isn’t like someone at La Quinta expects us for cocktails.

“Okay, I know you want to get on the road, I think I can get all the last-minute things done so that we can leave at 10 sharp.”

The counter offer was 9:30. I said 9:45 and we had a deal. We pulled out the next morning at 10:39. Neither of us mentioned our earlier conversation. Come to think of it, we never do.

Public Service Announcement

Road trip snacks clearly fall into 2 separate and distinct categories. There are “Fast Gobble” and “Slow Gobble” snacks.

It is a delicate balance to have sufficient supply of both: too much of the former, and you can hardly drag yourself out of the car into the truck stop for an open face roast beef sandwich. On the other hand, if you have an abundance of the latter, you may find yourself thrusting them on your hostess and eating them every day for the rest of your vacation.

Here is a chart that illustrates these truths. Feel free to adjust it to your own family and circumstances. Ennnnjoy.

      Fast Gobble                              Versus                    Slow Gobble 

  1. Chocolate Covered Cherries                        Wintergreen Life Savers
  2. Potato Chips                                                   Pretzels
  3. Cheez-its                                                         Chex Mix
  4. Bubble Gum                                                    Classic Dentyne Gum
  5. Bing Cherries                                                  Apples
  6. Chocolate Chip Cookies                                 Animal Crackers

Gift Idea

Valentine’s Day is coming up. If you have a stack of photos sitting around that you have not shared with everyone — use them to make a book. There are quite a few choices of places to design books. I have made several using Blurb. It is so easy, you’ll absolutely knock yourself out with the result.

The book-making software is free. It takes minutes to download and you are ready to upload your photos. Finished books vary in cost depending upon size, number of pages and cover style — but a book that is 20-40 pages in length with a hard-cover starts at 22.95. Chump change!

Hustle if you are going to get it produced and shipped in time for VD. But if you can’t make that date, you can always dream up a reason for gift-giving.  Here are a some ideas to do without even leaving the house. 

Food for Thought – Make a favorite dessert or spinach dip or your world-famous chex cereal snack mix. Photograph each step of the way. Use the recipe for text. 

Feeeelins – Have someone take photos of you expressing different moods. Throw in some favorite quotes or memories.  

Sound of Music – Use the words to a favorite song as text. Illustrate it with photos of common household objects related more or less to the words of the song.

At Home With Pablo (or Frisky or Oscar, or whatever) – Use all of those pet photos. Or record a day by taking pictures from his/her eye level. Dorky? Of course — but pet owners are wacky about them. If available, substitute a small child for equal wattage.

Re-boot

Yesterday I was sitting around thinking my day could have more meaning, more umph, more something. It was a state brought on by a multiplicity of circumstances: because there are still over 50 days to go til spring, because the Christmas tree is still sitting on the front porch, because my To Do List is seriously flat and boring. 

Lately when I turn on the computer, it does not automatically connect to the internet. I have to fool it into thinking it is a brand new day by turning the power completing off, wait 20 seconds and turn it back on. Only then does it agree to show up for work. This is not an attractive characteristic of an office partner.  

But there I was, checking e-mail.

I learned that I had qualified for 50% off chocolate dipped strawberries, someone was holding a mystery shopper assignment for me and One King’s Lane was having a sale on valentines. I had notices about new grants, an invitation to a gallery opening and a request to view my investments.  

The To Do List could wait. I was back in the game.

State dinner for who?

In case you missed it, the Obamas were entertaining Wednesday night. I am sure they are entertaining most days of the week but the other night they were putting on the dog for no other than Hu Jintao the President of China.

Well “putting on the dog” is utterly the wrong choice of words, really the menu was so quintessentially American. It included fresh vegetables, poached lobster, dry-aged rib-eye, buttermilk crisp onions and apple pie with ice cream. Sure enough didn’t that replicate a week night dinner party I had just a couple of weeks past?

A number of Chinese Americans made the guest list, Yo Yo Ma’s wife, a violinist, was on his arm, Michele Kwan skated past the entry without a pause and Jackie Chan showed up in a great looking tux. Vera Wang was there in Vera Wang, of course, along with Anna Wintour, Vogue, Barbra Streisand, the singer who did Peeeepull,  Peeeepull who need Peeeepulll, and the Kissingers, yeah they do look a little grey but Nancy is still nice and tall and Henry is short. 

But my  gosh, what really surprised me is that the tables were 12 tops. I mean 10 at a table is pushing it, 12? Isn’t it simply all-elbows and jaw to jaw? I really must tell Michele where to pick up some more tables — I know she’d appreciate the tip.

Ted K.

Ted Kooser is a two time US poet laureate (2004-2006). The best that I can gather from that honor is the Library of Congress appoints poets and entrusts him/her with no less than, “Why don’t you raise the status of poetry in the everyday conscience of the everyday American? ”

Well, Ted   — in case the Library of Congress is counting, count me in — I have raised my appreciation of poetry soooo much. Tell them to call me, if they want.  Tell them to read this, it’s one of my favorites.

                     In January

Only one cell in the frozen hive of night
is lit, or so it seems to us:
this Vietnamese café, with its oily light,
its odors whose colorful shapes are like flowers.
Laughter and talking, the tick of chopsticks.
Beyond the glass, the wintry city
creaks like an ancient wooden bridge.
A great wind rushes under all of us.