AT HOME IN SUGAR GROVE

Charming Sixieth

2011-11-29T11:56:00.000-06:00

It's still not too late to wish Gary Happy Birthday.And he's still a charmer!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-05T02:00:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-28T03:00:00.000-05:00

Wedding Wishes

2011-09-22T16:10:00.000-05:00

I've enjoyed looking back over wedding photos of Casey and Eric. The day was warm and sunny, the bride looked stunning and the groom was just a bit nervous. The officiant was polishing up his remarks before he married his son Eric to Casey, the girl of his dreams. I was calm and grateful for a front row seat. I looked over at Casey's mother, herself radiant in a daffodil yellow gown. Grandchildren J & T were squirming, to see what all the fuss was about, and hoping soon to thrown things into the pond. John was part of the wedding party so R had the two boys to herself with the help of her sister. Em was deeply beautiful in her textured sapphire silk dress. All is right in my world...

Many thanks to my sister EE for the photos.

A Daughter of My Own

2011-04-28T08:54:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday, Em! I love you, MOM

Birthdays

2011-03-29T16:08:00.000-05:00

One orange orangutan for Taa-dee...

-Three thrifty trains that travel for you...

Chilaquiles

2011-03-12T17:05:00.002-06:00

During our Zihua sun worshiping I went to a cooking class given by the chef at our hotel. It was great fun especially since I was watching, eating, and conversing with two of my Zihua friends. Here's the recipe. Enjoy!

Chilaquiles = Poor Man's Breakfast

1 pound green tomatillos, paper covering removed (go to a Mexican specialty store-only fresh will do)
1 serrano chili
Coat lightly in 1 T olive oil. Roast @ 375 degrees for 20 minutes in a baking pan.

Saute in 1 T olive oil:
3 cloves garlic, diced, until edges lightly brown
Add:
1/4 cup chopped white onion and saute with garlic until onion are soft

Add:
-Softened tomatillos; remove serrano chili according to your taste
1 14 oz. can low sodium chicken broth
1 small sprig (6-8 leaves) of fresh Epazote (again check out the Mexican store)
Cook: over low heat, slowly simmering 20-30 minutes until it thickens, adding salt to taste and water as needed. If satisfied with the flavor allow to cool ten minutes and puree.

To assemble the chilaquiles:
Place handful of corn chips in the bottom of a bowl. Pour enough of the tomatillo sauce over to coat the chips. Add a dollop of sour cream and queso cotilla (queso anejo) on top. Finish with chopped red onion and beans on the side.

Riffs: Add shredded chicken to chips before pouring on sauce
Use baby corn tortillas, torn, as the base instead of corn chips

Wordless Wednesday

2011-02-16T07:36:00.004-06:00

Will be back in a couple of weeks...

Wordless Wednesday

2011-02-09T08:45:00.000-06:00

The Getty-Winter Wonderland

2011-02-05T12:32:00.001-06:00

See my other blog (link on left column) for more photos.

Good Morning America

2011-02-05T06:27:00.004-06:00

Snow Fall-It's Official

2011-02-02T19:15:00.000-06:00

So the blizzard is over but bitter cold has set in. Official snow fall: 20.8 inches. How much is that?

Wordless Wednesday

2011-02-02T11:38:00.000-06:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-26T01:02:00.029-06:00

If you're interested, head to http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/201101/above.iraq.htm (sorry, but you have cut and paste the address).

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-19T11:36:00.000-06:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-12T05:10:00.001-06:00

Garbage

2011-01-05T16:50:00.000-06:00

During the Christmas Season beginning way before Thanksgiving, we in Middle America, received tons of catalogs with alluring covers and promises of best buys between the pages. I customarily browsed quickly, pulled out coupons and tossed them into the recycle bin. Last night we put out the garbage cans, a weekly Tuesday evening ritual.

Today, pulling cans with one hand and gathering the mail with the other I perused. Ugh! More catalogs. This time the colors were muted like the cold, harsh, winters of Middle America. I didn't even bother to pull out coupons (there weren't any). Tossing the printed material into the recycle bin for next Tuesday night, I noticed I had just one piece of mail worth saving--a thank you note for a wedding gift. Maybe moving to Siberia is the answer to losing all those incessant catalogs...

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-05T06:18:00.003-06:00

Joy To Everyone This Christmas

2010-12-22T19:45:00.000-06:00

Better Watch Out!

2010-12-17T21:26:00.000-06:00

G. arrived home tonight laden with gifts. Guess we have been very good this year or else Santa has been hoarding his money for quite some time. Image me scooping this up in my arms--it's almost three feet long and two feet high. Party on Santa, party on...

Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-15T02:57:00.005-06:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-08T05:23:00.002-06:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-01T01:04:00.001-06:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-24T08:37:00.000-06:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-17T06:18:00.002-06:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-10T06:13:00.005-06:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-03T09:09:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T10:09:00.001-05:00

Curious George and Handy Manny wish you a Happy Halloween...Boo!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-27T07:41:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-20T01:01:00.002-05:00

Farmyard Fun

2010-10-18T10:30:00.000-05:00

Teething Baby T. checked out the sights and sounds of the pumpkin farm,

from a safe distance and in the arms of his mother. Don't worry Baby T. Your time is coming.

King of the Roost

2010-10-18T10:20:00.002-05:00

Last week we all went to the pumpkin farm to see the animals. Jack was more interested in the farm equipment. Before we knew it, he had climbed up and was sitting in the tractor seat. Notice the key in the ignition.

Animals everywhere. Nose to nose to with a bunny is a new experience! Notice the tippy toes...

Always on the run, Jack pauses to check out the chicken.


Under the watchful eyes of Dad, Jack is contemplating his next move on the bed of the hay wagon.

A Real Hope

2010-10-15T20:52:00.000-05:00

And the people chanted, "Chi, chi, chi, le, le, le!"

Wordless Wednesday-Baby Rhinos

2010-10-13T05:25:00.002-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-06T06:34:00.002-05:00

NYC-Wise Men

2010-10-03T22:48:00.010-05:00

Eric told us about statues on top of buildings around the park. The court of justice next door had good examples.

NYC-A Room with a View

2010-10-03T22:33:00.000-05:00

Just off Madison Square Park is our condo with a view.

Credit Suisse, just across the street. We could see them at work, just like they could see us eat breakfast if we left the lights on.

Just off Park Avenue, where we stayed.

The mid morning sun hit the building just right. We're on the 17th floor.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-29T08:10:00.006-05:00

Thoughful Thursday

2010-09-23T08:09:00.002-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-22T08:08:00.001-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-15T08:07:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-08T08:05:00.002-05:00

A Step Back in Time

2010-09-07T16:54:00.000-05:00

When I was young Mother had a large trunk with a removable tray just under the lid. In the bottom of the trunk I remember such treasures as dolls with china faces, toys, and books from her childhood as well as clothing she had saved. In the tray on the top were old dance cards and pictures from her days in high school. We used to look through the dance cards to see how many of her lines were filled with boy friends' autographs who wanted to dance with her. I don't remember too many blank lines. At our tender ages we got a glimpse of what high school would be like if we could be that popular. I remember a dance card from my junior high dance, but for what ever reason they were out of vogue by high school.

Several weeks ago I visited Mother and Dad again. This time the surprise came out of her filing cabinet. Looking for something else, she came across this old forgotten passport from our family's Peru years. Such handsome young brothers!

TV-How'd Ya Do?

2010-09-01T06:32:00.015-05:00

Answer: Howdy Doody and Sheriff John

Answer: Roy Rogers and Dale Evans-The Roy Rogers Show-Anyone remember the name of their horse?

Answer: Easy--The Jetsons

Answer: Queen for a Day--We clapped along with the "clap-o-meter."

Answer: Flash Gordon. Remember the cardboard space ship?

Answer: American Bandstand. Helped the boredom of those Saturday afternoons.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-25T06:27:00.001-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-18T07:57:00.001-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-11T05:22:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-04T05:21:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-28T05:19:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-21T15:26:00.001-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-14T08:10:00.001-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-07T06:41:00.000-05:00

Just Kids

2010-07-05T20:17:00.001-05:00

Here is Baby T with his mullet. He's lost most of his dark hair; the fuzz coming in looks light.

Baby T looks like his mother did when she was young. He's also very pleasant like she is and likes to smile and coo.

Now, Jack readily poses for the camera. In fact, it's hard to get him to keep his eyes open. He's such a little cutie!!

Seeing Baby T with daddy is always so much fun. Mommy is camera shy---Maybe next time.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-30T06:36:00.002-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-23T05:21:00.001-05:00

The Student

2010-06-21T21:27:00.001-05:00

Several weeks ago we heard a lecture at Wheaton College about CS Lewis.

According to lecturer Dr. Mitchell, this could have been the wardrobe that inspired Lewis to pen his famous children's series, "Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." GL of course was much more taken in by one of Lewis' fellow "inklings", JRR Tolkien .

Here's the desk where Tolkien wrote "The Lord of the Rings" series. So much for high powered gadgets and a large writing surface.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

2010-06-21T20:52:00.003-05:00

The Wardrobe

The Testimonial

The Believer

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-16T05:16:00.000-05:00

Reunion- WW II Vets

2010-06-13T22:47:00.004-05:00

The astronomer Ken found dad on the web.

They were in boot camp together in Texas. Dad was just eighteen.

Over lunch with loved ones around, they shared training experiences from a war long ago. Since then they have married, raised children, excelled in their careers, and arrived at old age.

This is the time for memories, memoirs, and musings.
Thanks Ken for finding Dad...

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-09T06:08:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-02T06:26:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-05-26T06:27:00.001-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-05-19T15:07:00.004-05:00

Happy, Happy Birthday!

2010-05-13T19:54:00.002-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-05-12T15:44:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-05-05T06:58:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-04-28T06:53:00.002-05:00

If you know this "super girl" give her a call. It's her birthday!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-04-21T07:00:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-04-14T07:07:00.005-05:00

I KNOW IT'S HERE SOMEWHERE...THE TAX MAN, YEA, THE TAX MAN

Wordless Wednesday

2010-04-07T07:09:00.004-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-31T05:46:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-24T05:44:00.000-05:00

Happy Second, Jack

2010-03-23T20:49:00.002-05:00

Grandpa reads to Jack before festivities. Jack says, "tweet, tweet, tweet" and taps his fingers together as he says the words.

Forget dinner, I want cupcakes-at least two...

These are pretty good!

I'll just try a handful of frosting...

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-17T06:39:00.002-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-10T05:40:00.000-06:00

On a Wild Goose Chase

2010-03-09T18:04:00.000-06:00

We are people watchers. We learn a lot about the "gente" and their local culture as we park ourselves and just observe. Recently in Zihuatanejo, Mexico we sat on a bench in the warm sunshine in front of a hotel. A grandma and her little grandson stopped by. The shy little child tried to hold up three fingers as the grandma prompted. He wasn't very successful, but I smiled. Shortly they left, she pulling him along and he turning backwards, waving at us with his free hand, smiling from ear to ear.

Soon a vegetable delivery man, dressed in a colorful apron, rode up on his yellow bicycle. Attached to the front was a large three sided metal basket full of containers of fresh plum tomatoes, leeks, cilantro, onions, potatoes and peppers. I watched as he hoisted up each crate onto his shoulder, balanced the load and disappeared into a side door of a hotel. With each trip the containers were emptied and I started salivating, thinking, mmm, mmm, pico de gallo. Soon he was done, collected his money, and rode off. I turned to Gary and said, "I want one of those aprons." To my surprise, he was game for an adventure and we hailed a taxi.

We quickly left the tourist downtown and ventured into the real Zihua. Winding streets were full of vegetable and fruit vendors, plying their trades. Narrow streets were bustling with activity. The sights and sounds were captivating. The taxi driver had never been to this particular market so we all watched for the sign "Frutería Limón." When we entered the store the earthly smells of fresh vegetables and fruits were captivating. I soon noticed that people suddenly stood still, watching these two gringos and perhaps wondering what we wanted.

We were directed to the back of the store to a surprised woman, the accountant, who couldn't figure out why we wanted one of their aprons. She opened a cupboard under her desk and holding up one, asked, "Is this what you want?" Gary was convincing, conversing pleasantly as she called the workshop to get the price-80 pesos, less than $8. I seized upon the opportunity to purchase two.

On the short trip back to the hotel we were laughing at our luck in finally breaking through to the real heart of the city and look forward next year to more adventures in the calles of Cocos, Mandarinas, Aguacates, and Guayabas.

The proud master of the house in his new apron...

Juice

2010-03-09T06:22:00.000-06:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-03T07:04:00.001-06:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-24T01:44:00.001-06:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-17T05:46:00.005-06:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-10T05:59:00.001-06:00

AliceB

2010-02-08T05:33:00.001-06:00

HappyBirthday to a niece born on my birthday. May Finn be an angel today, staying in one place, giggling and smiling up at you, and may J. create fun birthday things with cereal or utensils or whatever his creative mind may conjure up! Happy Birthday, Alice B.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-03T01:44:00.005-06:00

Christine's New York City

2010-01-28T12:00:00.001-06:00

There's nothing quite like walking around Central Park at night with the wind coming in around your collar. The city lights always mark the way home.

Shopping is fun, fascinating, and fantastic, especially in Soho on a rainy, blowy day. Marni's above and Alexis Bittar below.

Each morning over breakfast C. would have reviewed places to eat the night before. I was in seventh heaven!!! Here are a few of the many in which we indulged.

Two subway transfers to Balthazar in Soho for a late breakfast of poached eggs, salmon and hollandaise sauce

and French Toast brioche, with a cup of whipped hot chocolate to warm our drenched bodies.

The famous Magnolia Bakery where we picked up a key lime tart and then ran around the block to get the last cherry tarts at Savin Bakery before closing time. On the way to the grocery store we picked up famous Levain Bakery cookies hot out of the oven and a tin of Jacques Torres chocolate mix to take back to Chicago.

Emma came in on the train to join us at Carnegie Hall to hear three young Russians perform Brahms and Rachmaninoff, but first C. got us in for a quick bite at the French "Bar Boulud," a hot spot for relaxed French cuisine.

Per Se, a Thomas Keller restaurant overlooking Columbus Circle, was our choice for the night I arrived. It was a menu full of fresh, flavor infused tastes and over the course of three hours we became pleasantly full of food and conversation.

As C. says, the very best theatre and art is in New York City. Carmen was no disappointment! Her rendition of "Habanera" pulled me up straight in my seat and demanded my attention.

More nostalgia found us at West Side Story on Saturday night. The young Argentinian ingenue with an operatic voice as Maria was enchanting and Tony was very believable so their romance came alive on stage. With binoculars in hand and mezzanine seats we were enthralled with the choreography of the whole event. Go Sharks, go Jets...

Rooftop views of Lincoln Center,

The East Bay,

And the angel Moroni.

LA CASA

West view from C's front window-ABC studios.

Up the street toward the northeast...

Sitting on the plane home, "Edward" walked in. Too cool. Enjoy the video.

http://vimeo.com/8009598

Wordless Wednesday

2010-01-27T03:43:00.001-06:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-01-20T03:41:00.001-06:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-01-13T03:40:00.000-06:00

Exuberant, Exciting, Elizabeth

2010-01-06T04:03:00.004-06:00

My youngest sister Elizabeth turns fifty six today. It's hard to believe; she looks so good and moves just like the Energizer Bunny. Here's a picture of the four sisters at my fiftieth celebration in Arizona, almost nine years ago. But back to Elizabeth. She's the youngest sister and has the exotic coloring of an Italian beauty. When we were little we used to tell our friends that she was adopted because we were all towheads except for her.

When she grew up and we finally allowed her to move out from under our thumbs, she blossomed!!! Here's a picture of her at a cooking school in Italy. She traveled with her husband and while he spent long days in meetings she found an Italian cooking school to attend. HOW COOL IS THAT...Oh and did I mention that she is an adjunct professor at her local community college, trying to save disinterested freshmen English students? Or that she has a cooking blog, a travel blog and is an incredible writer in her own right?
Best of all she is an amazing, supportive sister who keeps all of us on our toes. Guess the "under the thumb" didn't inflict too much damage.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Wordless Wednesday

2010-01-06T03:38:00.002-06:00

J House-Love Nana & Grandpa

2010-01-03T16:58:00.004-06:00

See J and Dad as they come through the front door on Christmas afternoon.

See J run past the house to see what else might be more enticing.
See J come back sans coat, curiosity getting the better of him.

See J pose for Grandpa with happy Nana at his side.

See happy J with a flashlight in each hand inside his fort. Nana got those at Walmart for a dollar a piece.
Happy J, happy Nana, happy Christmas!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-12-30T15:36:00.002-06:00

The Forgotten Bowl

2009-12-24T05:00:00.001-06:00

When I was young mother would pull out the tarnished silver which we would polish until it shone and then use it for Christmas dinner. Although my mother grew up on a farm, her well educated mother appreciated fine silver and used her silver regularly. When mother married she was given silver pieces and she acquired more through her marriage.

Today I got out the silver pieces in anticipation of Christmas dinner and discovered lots of tarnish. As I applied polish and rubbed to restore luster, I thought about what I had. Several pieces were wedding gifts and only two were stamped 925, real silver among the silver-plate. These pieces were packed away almost twenty years when we lived in a series of apartments and small houses. When I finally had a house big enough to store them in a cupboard instead of in a box, one of my teenage children asked, "Mom, did you just buy these?" I chuckled inside, pleased that I could finally use this finery more often. One small bowl in particular reminded me

of finding treasure amid the rubble. I went to the Salvation Army resale shop just to nose around and picked up a small bowl, so black from tarnish that it almost looked as though it had been in a fire. I turned it over in the dusty light and rubbed my thumb on the bottom to see if it had any kind of marking. I could barely make out the word, "Gorham," but indeed it was there. It didn't feel light enough to be silver, but I recognized the shape as "Revere." Since it was only three dollars, I brought it home to see what was beneath the dull black finish. I thoroughly washed and then covered it in polish, knowing it was merely an ugly duckling in disguise. But, as I rubbed and rubbed, not much black came off. I was discouraged that my three dollar investment would yield me no more. I left it on the counter and busied myself in other things. Later that night when our oldest came home from a long day in graduate school, hoping for a meal before the long night of study, he saw the tarnished bowl and sat down, using a lot of elbow grease and a soft cloth to reveal a small spot of shine under the tarnish. Night after night when he arrived after a long day he would work on the bowl and slowly, slowly the shine came forth.

The rest of the story is fairly predictable, and the bowl has graced our table here and there. It needs a little restoration once in a while, but I don't mind the work; it draws pleasant memories out of the cobwebs at a time when family matters most.

Merry Christmas!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-12-23T05:28:00.006-06:00

Six, six, sixty

2009-12-18T05:47:00.002-06:00

LOVE YOU...

A Happy 84 Years!

2009-12-16T05:42:00.002-06:00

Wordless Wednesday

2009-12-09T04:20:00.001-06:00

Wordless Wednesday

2009-12-02T05:14:00.001-06:00

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-01T02:00:00.000-06:00

Last Christmas I decided that after all these years of reading and hearing about frankincense and myrrh, I wanted to see, smell, and feel these substances. So while Gary, Emily and I were out last minute browsing on Christmas Eve, we found a spice shop on Third Street in quaint Geneva. I was ecstatic! After reading up again on the specifics: frankincense, as an additive to incense for sacrificial purposes and perfumes, and myrrh as an additive to purification ointments and embalming, we placed the jars by the fireplace.

After homemade clam chowder, songs and scriptures, we sat in front of the fire, burning frankincense and myrrh and stepping back in time.

Wordless Thursday

2009-11-26T01:29:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday Big Guy!

2009-11-25T01:28:00.000-06:00