Fair Hero

In Praise of the Nightstand

2020-04-12T19:27:00.000-07:00

So, the thing I've noticed about remaining "artist in residence" is every day feels like a Saturday. Kindah nice. Kindah weird. I feel like I should be doing something, you know ~ the things you put on the list so you can hope-against-hope you can get them done over the weekend so you can start the work week with a clean slate; knowing full well you will be lucky to get one done and two is a miracle. I know you knew . . .

Well, today, I watered my Victory Garden and all my other pots, hung my speakers out the window in my studio this morning to broadcast Andrea Bocelli's concert from the Duomo in Milan (cried through the whole thing), and decided to start washing windows.

While I was deciding to start, I thought I'd go downstairs and make my bed.

And, there it was! My nightstand.

Filthy, disgusting mess does not even begin to describe it. Wrappers, kleenex, dead pens, dead pencils, scraps of paper with very old lists of things to do on them, and DUST. DUST thick enough to be practically soil! With a just little water, potatoes could be planted there. Ugh!

You know it's bad when it takes TIME to clear off your nightstand. I didn't even go through the stuff. Just put it all in a bag to deal with later (I promise).

Dusting. Shining. Polishing. Flowers from the garden. Things I actually use arranged at the ready.

The will to live restored!

Behold! The nightstand!

Every day grateful

Happy Easter

2020-04-12T19:21:00.000-07:00

My family often communicates with movie quotes. I think it's a shorthand reminder of fun. We have several favorite movies ~ my boys are genius for remembering entire scenes. Needless to say, dinners are totally fun. I never know whether we're going to be treated to Princess Bride or Henry V. Adore them. Life with the boys is a totally wonderful adventure!

Anyway, I have a shop. A real, completely amazing shop with its own back door, potting sink and extra-large, red-enamel Sears rolling tool chest. It's an amazing space or it would be if it weren't heaped and heaped. It's gotten so bad, we now refer to it as The Well of Despair (a la Princess Bride).

Well, yesterday, I wanted to make Easter baskets for friends and, well, apparently, that is not an essential reason to leave the house.

Hark! The Well of Despair.

It really does have at least one of everything. There must be something in here I can use to make Easter baskets.

And, there was . . . shredded paper (for grass), kraft "take-out" containers (for baskets), some gold/black raffia ribbon, back-to-back shiny gold hearts and some Cadbury eggs. Voila!

Happy Easter, everyone!

Every day grateful

Hello, Again ~ COVID 19 Chronicles

2020-04-12T19:14:00.000-07:00

Lots of changes we are getting used to.

Yes, the libraries are closed. But, their books are still available on line. Just filled my Kindle. Friends of mine are accessing their music, podcasts, etc. through their phones. Shout-out to librarians everywhere.

I will miss going to my neighborhood library or speaking with a librarian on the "quick answer" line, but am happy our library system is still available to us.

When I hear people complain about high property taxes, I am reminded of our parks, our schools, our libraries, and, now, our hospitals. I am reminded of the old adage ~ Taxes are the price of civilization. I'm counting on civilization to get us through this crisis. Thank you to Jay Inslee for his calm, steady, science-based response to this virus.

So, as we wade our way through a new, uncharted, normal, hang in there peeps! Remember ~ This is America! We've been to the moon (using our brains, slide rules, crew cuts, skinny ties, and pocket protectors).

We're going to get through this TOGETHER as well. Wash your hands, put your feet up, curl up on the sofa, and read a book!

Or, grab your book and go sit on your back deck. It's a lovely blue sky day in the neighborhood!

Every day grateful

Ramses the Great is Gone

2015-02-07T14:14:00.000-08:00

Ramses died.

It's very quiet around here.

I spent yesterday morning washing and folding his bedding, dismantling and washing his raised dining accoutrements, emptying his five gallon bucket of water, putting away his collar, his harness, his leash, his brush, comb and electric tooth brush (bought by the crazy owner for her suburban dog ~ he liked poultry flavored tooth paste! I know, crazy, but I adored the boy!) and rounding up his toys and A.B.C.'d tennis balls.

The end of an era and lots of little reminders every day. When I went to Logan's for dinner on Friday night, he made poached Copper River (oh, yum!). In the olden days, I would have given Ramses the salmon skin (and he would have been in heaven!) but the salmon skin went into the trash. Reminders everywhere! Getting ready for bed. Ditto getting up. Ditto fixing breakfast and sharing a bagel.

God, I loved that dog!

I know there are those who would say he was just a dog. And, yes, I know I will be happy again but right now, it just doesn’t seem possible. My heart is broken.

Ramses arrived at eight weeks and twenty pounds after Rick died and filled that enormous hole in my heart with those big brown eyes and that beautiful black face. He was fun. He was funny. He was goofy. He had dignity. He was ardent. He was devoted. He was constant. We went on Peace marches together, labor rallies, went in elevators, went to meetings, went to the park, ran errands and just hung out. Eleven and a half happy years. Perfect.

I’m reminded of W. H. Auden’s poem. I guess the truth about love is you never know when it’s going to happen and it’s a miracle every time it does.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong.

The other truth about life is it is often unclear who rescues whom. I know in this relationship, I was the one who was rescued. I’m deeply thankful for every minute I had with Ramses. God, I loved that dog! Ramses the Great!

And, oh, my heart is broken.

Every day grateful for Ramses the Great!

Logan is "Benny" in RENT!

2012-07-22T18:10:00.000-07:00

Last week, a friend of mine sent a link to an article in the NY Times (see below). The two things I loved most about the article were summed up in two phrases:

“Ask for what you want. Then stick around.”

“The idea is to take pleasure in life, and be willing to be pleased.”

The other pithy quote to cling to when things get tough ~ "it takes 20 years to be an overnight success."

This afternoon, I watched Logan in RENT. He played "Benny." I sat in a row of criers. It was wonderful. It was moving and sad and deeply transcendent.

For Logan, everything is coming up roses. From RENT, he goes on to the lead in "Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson" in Portland. He did, in fact, "ask for want he wanted" and, most importantly, he "stuck around." He never gave up. He worked. He studied. He practiced. And, he has prevailed. 20 years? Yup, just about that.

The truth about us in the Behrens-Benedict clan? We really have taken pleasure in life and best of all ~ "we are willing to be pleased."

And, for all of that, I am deeply grateful.

Day 63 Everyday Grateful ~

Logan in "Rent" and friends in the audience

Heaven!

Mini Urban Edens - In the Garden - NYTimes.com

www.loganbenedict.com

Mmmmm . . . I'm Sensing a Pattern!

2012-07-20T12:19:00.003-07:00

As you may have noticed, I'm crazy for wild salmon; so much so, that a year ago, I became a wild salmon smoking fool. Yet, no matter how much wild salmon I smoke, there doesn't seem to be any in the freezer or the refrigerator.

Where does it all go? It's a mystery.

Let's review. Eleven days ago, I smoked five fish, vacuum packed them and put them in the freezer to be taken out the night before for breakfast in the morning. At last check, nary a one is left. What the hell? At this rate, I may need to install a "salmon cam" to catch to culprit.

Upon reflection, it seems everyone around here is also a fool for smoked wild salmon. Kim brought in freezer packs to allow her to send some smoked salmon to her family in the Southwest. On Monday, Morgana left me a note that she had put a fresh wild salmon in the refrigerator and "if you are smoking salmon this week, could you include this one as well?"

So, I've become the boutique wild salmon smoker to my friends and colleagues. Who knew? It happened little by little while I was not paying attention. Over the last year, when someone came for dinner, I tucked some smoked wild salmon into a small bag as they went out the door. Now, they are all converts to the deliciousness and freshness of smoked wild salmon.

Right now, we are smack dab in the middle of fresh wild salmon season. It's just as easy to smoke five fish as it is to smoke one. And, so, this afternoon, two of these lovely fish are going into the smoker. By this evening, oh yum, we will have more at the ready.

I'm so glad I can produce this lovely luxury for my friends and family.

Next up? My Kiss and Hug Pickles. Oh, yes!

So, remember . . . never, ever eat farmed salmon. It's filthy and really bad for the environment. And, if you buy smoked wild salmon, check the ingredients. You should be able to recognize them all. That means no nitrates or other preservatives.

Day 63 Everyday Grateful ~

Logan is in "Rent" at the 5th Avenue in Seattle

It opens tomorrow!

If we care about the future, we must protect wild salmon. To learn more and to find links to groups working to protect this important species, go to:

http://www.greatwildsalmonrun.org/

How Does Your Garden Grow . . .

2012-07-19T18:01:00.001-07:00

The pots on my back deck are just wonderful. Nothing like a little steer manure, water and some sun to make everything shine!

Remember my April 22 post when we were all working on the back deck and redoing the pots from scratch? Well ~ here they are now!

Summer in Seattle is a transcendent thing!

Day 63 Everyday Grateful ~

Going out to sit on the deck with a glass of wine.

Ah! Summer.

Never Send a Vegetarian to Buy Meat!

2012-07-19T12:32:00.004-07:00

So, this weekend, Ramses (my darling dog) was sicker than a damn dog. Scary sick. Of course, this was also the weekend that we all decided to use my "venue" to celebrate our friend Mike's b'day. So, I ferried between my barfing dog and my guests. (Oh, brother! Now, there's a mental picture . . .)

What I learned this weekend? Truer words were never spoken ~ never send a vegetarian to buy meat.

So, we decided to make use of the wonderful weather and do a combination BBQ / picnic.

My next door neighbor, Chuck, thought BBQ'd spare ribs would be great. (OK. OK. My first thought was ~ eeesh but, hey, it wasn't my birthday.) I headed to the store and stood in front of the meat case. Gawd, I had no idea. By the process of elimination, I decided on country style (have no idea what that is) spare ribs. Of course, I also bought wild salmon for me and anyone else who might want to nosh on it.

When I got home, I went to epicurious.com for recipes for spare rib recipes. Oh, dear! The majority of them called for preparation to start the night before. Mmmmm, that's not going to work. I need the fast method. One called for boiling them. That didn't sound so appetizing. Another called for cooking them at a very low heat for several hours and then finishing them up on the BBQ. Bingo! That's for me.

So, here was the menu: BBQ's Country-spare ribs, Smoked wild salmon, red potato salad (used the brine from my pickles for the sauce ~ oh! Yum), Caesar salad, smoked salmon mousse, mixed olive tapenade, sourdough bread, red wine, Prosecco with brownies for dessert.

Here were the successes and more about the misses:

The red potato salad. Utterly delish! Used the brine from my pickles and added diced green onions, chopped McSweet's onions, a little mayonnaise, Plochman's mustard, capers, my pickles rough chopped, garlic, red pepper flakes, Frank's Red Hot, kalamata olives, fresh parsley from my little kitchen garden ~ and other things that don't come to mind right now.

The wild salmon mousse. This was really nice and the first time I've made it. My feeling about most salmon mousse is that it's a whole lot of cream cheese and not really much salmon. Well, I had some of my smoked salmon that I wasn't happy with the texture so I put it into the Cuisinart and chopped it up. It was actually very nice and crumbly, then I added a little cream cheese ~ enough to hold it together but not drown it. Then I started adding things that sounded good. Green onions, garlic, some pica de gallo spice, red pepper flakes, a couple of dashes of Worcestershire sauce, some nice creamed horseradish, fresh parsley and then started tasting and re-adding until I liked the final outcome. Excellent! 'Course, it made a bunch, so a small container went home with each person as they went out the door.

The spare ribs. Mmmmmm ~ not my finest hour. I believed the suggestion of slow cooking it in the oven for two to three hours and then putting it on the BBQ. I decided to put it in the smoker since it's a very low heat. When the time was nearly up, I added a rack at the top for my salmon. Well, I thought the spare ribs looked dry and over-done. I didn't even think sauce would save them. Yes, everyone ate them but maybe they were starving and/or just being polite. The worst of the smoker drama was my salmon. It was overcooked! Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat! Jeeze. What was a surprise though was that it was delicious over the weekend once it had rested in the refrigerator. It's a mystery.

The Caesar salad was very nice. Audrey brought fresh lettuce from her garden on Bainbridge Island.

The pictures are of the aftermath. We got so focused on eating we forgot to take the pretty pictures for the blog. Bad Heidi!

Day 62 Everyday Grateful ~

Cool this morning.

Sunny predicted by this afternoon.

All is right with the world!

Gives "Sicker Than a Damn Dog" a Whole New Meaning!

2012-07-17T18:25:00.003-07:00

Ramses was sick this weekend.

I mean really sick.

I mean, "Oh, God! Please don't die" sick.

I have no idea what he got into. If I didn't know better, it was almost like poison. Certainly, it was something he ate. But, since he doesn't have access to anything not given to him by my own hand, it's a mystery.

It started on Friday night / Saturday morning in the middle of the night. I've heard horror stories from friends about their dog having to go out several times during the night. That's not Ramses. He's all about going to bed when I do and getting up when I do unless I get up early in which case, he opens one eye, groans, rolls on his back and goes back to sleep. I guess he's hoping it's just a bad dream and I'll be back in bed soon.

By mid-morning on Saturday, he was throwing up ~ a lot! Every time he ate anything he pitched it right back up. He was keeping nothing down. Oh, uck! He was unsteady on his feet. He had no energy. His clown spirit was broken. The worst part was he kept looking at me like, "I feel like hell. Do something."

By Saturday night, he was keeping water down. But, he looked like hell. His hair was all askew; a rumpled mess. A nauseous, disheveled mess. It was hideous.

On Sunday, I was in tears with worry. And, then it hit me. Chicken soup!

I made fresh chicken rice soup for Ramses on Sunday morning. I gave it to him in one cup servings. By Monday night, he was on the mend. He was still a little unsteady on his feet yesterday, but this morning, he semi-bounded up the stairs.

His clown spirit is back. His eyes are sparkly. And, his grin in working order and back where it belongs.

A girl and her dog! All is right with the world!

Chicken soup! Miracle cure, par excellence. Three thousand years of mothers can't be wrong.

Day 61 Everyday Grateful ~

Cool this morning.

Ramses is better.

All is right with the world!

Smoked Wild Salmon & Nectarine Salad

2012-07-10T11:27:00.002-07:00

OK. OK. this is short 'cuz it got late.

All the wild smoked salmon is out of the smoker. The sections have been vacuum packed. The sealed packages cooled and now in the freezer.

My next door neighbor, Chuck, called to see if we all were having dinner and what could he bring? I told him I thought Smoked Salmon Caesar salad would be good.

"Yes," sez I. "Come for dinner. Please bring a head of romaine and a baguette. I have a bottle of wine."

"I'll bring that and a bottle of wine as well. See you at 7:00."

It was such a lovely evening, I decided to set the table on the back deck. Because I never know who is going to be home and who will be eating, I put the stack of plates, silver and napkins at the end of the counter so, if someone came in, it would be clear they were welcome to join us all for dinner.

Chuck arrived with the baguette, a bottle of nice red wine and . . . whoa! Iceberg lettuce? Mmmmmm.

OK. OK. Difficult to make a Caesar without romaine. How about a smoked salmon and fresh ripe nectarine salad? Maybe a fresh tomato. And, the snipped green ends of scallions. Maybe a little coarse mustard balsamic/olive oil vinaigrette with a few drops of sesame oil. Could be good.

Oh gosh! It was good. It wasn't the prettiest salad I've ever seen. Even though the lettuce was perfectly fresh and crisp, it looked pale and bruised. Go figure. But, it was delicious. The perfect light meal for a warm summer evening.

Karen stopped by for a glass of wine. Kim came for dinner and brought a small berry pie from Whole Foods. Morgana came late and I whipped up more salad. Karen slipped out to buy some French vanilla ice cream for the little pie we were all sharing.

Lots of visiting, chatting and laughing.

And, planning for Chuck's friend Mike's birthday party.

BBQ! On Friday! At Heidi's. F*U*N!

Menu plans are in the works.

Day 60 Everyday Grateful ~

Cool this morning.

Supposed to be sunny this afternoon.

The air is still. Heaven!

A lovely Seattle summer!

Wild Salmon ~ Smoked to Perfection!

2012-07-09T18:25:00.001-07:00

Oh, yum!

Anticipation . . .

The lid is lifted!

Yes!

The first layer is ready!

I'm thinkin' dinner . . .

Wild Smoked Salmon Caesar salad, baguette, red wine.

Dinner on the deck! No mosquitoes (please don't move here!)

Is this a great country or what?

Eat Fresh! Eat What is in Season! Wild Salmon!

2012-07-09T11:33:00.001-07:00

Such a great adage. Eat seasonally. Eat fresh. Works for me!

And, for me? It's fresh wild salmon! O. M. G. Talk about food of the gods!

On Friday, Morgana bought a lovely Copper River fillet and asked me to smoke it. Well, it's just as easy to smoke one fillet as several. So, on Saturday, I bought 8 pounds of fresh wild sockeye to add to the mix. They have been marinating their little hearts out for the last thirty-six hours.

This morning, I cleared off the kitchen counter, put down a layer of kraft paper, got out the smoker grates, took the fully marinated wild salmon out of the refrigerator and arranged them on their respective grates.

They are now relaxing on the counter under the fan while the pellicle is being formed.

This afternoon? Into the smoker.

I predict smoked wild salmon Caesar salad for dinner. Maybe in the back deck.

I'll keep you posted.

Day 59 Everyday Grateful ~

Sunny and completely beautiful.

Blue skies, clean air. Still.

Salmon in the smoker. Heaven!

Summer is here!

The Romance of a Lilac Hedge . . .

2012-07-08T16:58:00.003-07:00

Holy Cow! What a gorgeous week in Seattle (please don't move here!). While the rest of the country has been sweltering and dealing with power outages, we've had one of the nicest weeks this year. Warm? Yes. Sunny? Yes, that too.

One of the things I learned from my dermatologist when I rushed to her office this week is that because of climate change, poison oak, poison ivy and their noxious pals are moving north. Some time last week, I came in contact with one of these and had blisters the size of grapes on my feet (that's what I get for not wearing shoes). Anyway, it was hideous and itchy.

Don't worry. I won't post a picture. I have standards . . . however low.

In the interim, I've gotten behind on my posts.

Now, about my lilac hedge.

I love the romance of planting fragrant plants, naming my house and generally creating an atmospheric space in which to live. It's all part of creating a flourishing life. As we all know, a luxuriant lilac hedge is a de rigueur for any fairy tale. It is also true, a luxuriant lilac hedge requires a lovely fence. Lovely fences are expensive. Several years ago, I found wonderful salvage lattice cedar fence sections at Second Use. These fence sections are very cool. The lattice openings are square; not the standard diagonal slats. Square openings make for a very handsome fence.

There has always been lilac in the front garden. But, since we live in Seattle, sun is a continuing problem. The front fence gets the most sun. So, I've really been encouraging lilacs to grow here. The problem with a hedge along the front of my property is that as it grows and fills out, it can make backing out of the driveway tricky.

Since my garden is for the most part planted by God, I am darn near an informational novice when it comes to the care and feeding of particular plants. So, I lean heavily on Wives Tales! The classic Wives Tale about lilac is you must prune it no later than the 4th of July. If you prune it later than that, you won't have flowers next year.

Anyway, what with not being able to wear shoes and hobbling around for the last ten days, the 4th of July came and went. I was out working in my yard yesterday when it hit me. The. 4th. of. July! Oh, jeez! Lilacs! Well, the 7th of July is close to the 4th. Isn't it?

I flew into action; a veritable gardening dervish! I pruned the lilac hedge, mowed the lawn in the front and the back (I could have benefited from hiring Rent-a-Ruminant for the back yard), blew off the driveway, back deck and courtyard. Then, I took all the recycle to the eco-center, stopped by the store for fresh wild salmon, cut it up and set it marinating to go into the smoker tomorrow, fixed a lovely toothsome dinner, drank a little Prosecco with a dash of Creme de Cassis, ate on the back deck (no mosquitoes ~ please don't move here) and, when the day was all over, slept the sleep of virtuous.

Gawd, it makes me tired just to read it! But, it's nice to have a really productive day. All caused by a missed deadline!

Maybe next year the lilacs will be back. Hope springs eternal!

Day 58 Everyday Grateful ~

Sunny and completely beautiful.

A reminder of climate change!

Seattle will soon be like Los Angeles in the '50's

~ blue skies, clean air.

Summer may be here! I must water my pots!

Peggy's Sunglasses

2012-07-05T15:24:00.000-07:00

As I've mentioned before, I took the boys to Italy at Christmas after my husband died the summer before. And, as I've confessed, we were the stupidest visitors maybe in the history of Italian tourism. We knew nothing. We literally stumbled upon nearly everything. I'd say Innocents Abroad, but that gives us way too much credit.

Anyway, our first stop after landing in Milan was Venice ~ La Serenissima. Heaven!

The good thing about Venice, of which there are so many, is you can't get lost. Sure, you can wander aimlessly but unless you swim off, you will eventually get where you are going. Kindah nice.

During one of our wanderings, we stumbled upon the Guggenheim museum. So wonderful ~ even now it makes me breathless.

As we fell over the threshold of the Guggenheim, we fell into a quirky, eccentric, amazing space filled with art by the titans of the 20th Century. The Guggenheim was featuring a Picasso studio retrospective in the first gallery. One of the very nice things about traveling with the boys was spending all day and night with them. More things to find out about your children. The Bear loves Picasso. We lingered in the gallery as we studied the pieces in detail.

After nearly closing the place down, we exited through the gift shop. Such totally fun and quirky things. Then ~ whoa! Sunglasses. Utterly cool ~ even, terrifyingly amazing. Batwing sunglasses. I'd say "retro" but well, they weren't retro when Peggy wore them. Well one thing lead to another and I bought a pair.

That's one of the great things about being older. Everyone quits giving you the eyebrow as you fully embrace the idiosyncratic, the personal. Singular describes it perfectly. I subscribe fully to being sui generis because (to quote the great Bill ~ Shakespeare, that is) I bear a charmed life.

It's grand!

Day 57 Everyday Grateful ~

Sunny and completely beautiful.

With global warming,

Seattle will soon be like Los Angeles in the '50's

~ blue skies, clean air.

The forecast calls for six days of summer.

Amazing.

http://www.guggenheimstore.org/pegusu.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2168640/Canaletto-drawing-Venice-sold-family-idea-true-value--2million.html

"Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History"

2012-06-28T17:13:00.001-07:00

This week, I was reminded of Laurel Thatcher Ulrich's oft quoted book title as I reflected on three of my favourite women ~ Anna, Scarlett and Nora.

While I was writing my June 21st post, I wanted to verify my Scarlett O'Hara quote. I was shocked and horrified to read entry after entry describing her as manipulative. Whaaat?

Let's review . . .

Scarlett is a nineteen year old widow with a child. She is smack in the middle of General Sherman's March to the Sea. The same general who famously (or infamously) said "War is hell. War is cruelty and you cannot refine it." While her relatives sit in a house in Macon she paid for, eating petit fours she provided, she is vilified for not being a lady. Her mother was dead, her father was crazy, her sisters feckless whiners. What was Scarlett to do? To use the current vernacular ~ she had to "man-up." And, man-up she did.

Unlike Scarlett, Anna Karenina is destroyed by making the grievous error of not just having an affair but actually falling in love. A victim of the 19th century requirement that women who refused to obey societal mores needed to be punished and usually ended up dead at the end of the book. Tough crowd.

And, now . . . the death of Nora Ephron. A woman of distinction and courage who famously said to the graduating class at Wellesley, “I hope you will find some way to break the rules and make a little trouble out there. And I also hope you will choose to make some of that trouble on behalf of women.”

An introspective week.

Made more hopeful by a quote from The Dalai Lama - “The World Will Be Saved By the Western Woman”.

I like the 150 year trajectory of women.

Day 56 Everyday Grateful ~

Sunny, then cloudy, then, misty, now, cool

Audrey came by with Goodwill wine glasses! Fun

I'm ready for summer!

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2012/06/screenwriter-nora-ephron-dead-at-age-71.html

100 Posts and Counting . . .

2012-06-25T16:49:00.001-07:00

Over 50 years? Gawd, has it been that long?

Apparently so . . .

In my distant youth, I read “The Diary of Anne Frank.” Harrowing, horrifying, terrifying, inspiring. It made me yearn to keep a diary. My "Anne Frank" phase lasted about a page and a half. There’s nothing romantic about being pursued by Nazis and I was leading a pretty plain vanilla-American-grade-schooler life. Sure, we lived at Edwards AFB during the "Right Stuff" era, but mostly I had nothing to write about.

Off and on over the years, I’d try again. The results all seemed so angst ridden and whiny or hideously embarrassing, I'd stuff it into a drawer and go on to other things. I envied my friends who journaled but that just never called my name.

So, for the last thirty-five years, I’ve been an interior designer with my own small firm. During that time, I’ve done work for giant institutions (The Port of Seattle ~ Sea-Tac Airport), the city of Seattle, the University of Washington, several Microsoft billionaires, several millionaires and some thousandaires. Since the 90’s, I’ve concentrated on historic restoration, green construction, and the use of architectural salvage. Deeply satisfying work that matched my personal values.

I ran for Congress in a thoroughly conservative district (that's another story with the working title "The Day I Went Crazy and Ran for Congress!") and immersed myself in crafting my progressive views. I didn't win. It was a profound and inspiring adventure.

My children are grown. My oldest is an attorney with a large American law firm. He is based in Milan. My youngest son is an Equity actor and has his first leading role. They both graduated from schools in Boston and lead interesting, full-filling lives. My late husband was a certified financial planner, a Naval aviator and in one of the early classes of Top Gun. I have a dog the size of a sofa who thinks of our relationship as collegial. I live in a small palazzo in the suburbs of Seattle.

In November 2008, the recession caught up with me and I needed to change directions.

This March, I was driving back from a client’s on a wonderful bright Seattle day. Mount Rainier was out. I had an epiphany. I need to do something different.

Now, I write. I have things to say. I love everything about the process: crafting the thought, taking the photos, launching the post. Soul satisfying.

While it is true, the Nazis aren’t chasing me, my house is underwater and, like many of you out there, I'm tap dancing as fast as I possibly can. I'm working to make a dollar act like $10.00. And, I live in fear of Bank of America. Does that count?

As I explore this new adventure, let me know what you think . . .

Perfect Seattle Early Spring Weather ~ Oh, wait! It's Almost July!

2012-06-25T11:48:00.003-07:00

I refuse to turn the heat on in the summer! But, yikes! It's been cold and damp here for several days. Perfect napping weather. Hard to get motivated weather.

This weekend, I smoked a bunch of wild salmon. Got them all sealed and into the freezer.

At the bottom of the image,
the 5 thicker pieces were from my friend
Mary's son's Washington coast fishing trip!

This morning? The perfect breakfast!

And, while I was making the perfect breakfast, Ramses was taking a morning nap. Oh. brother! That dog! He keeps forgetting his is not allowed on the sofa. The worst part of that? He matches so well, he's practically in camo!

Back to work.

Day 55 Everyday Grateful ~

Rainy. Really rainy. Cold. Damp.

Sheesh, it's June for God's sake!

Melamine ~ Hideous Except When It's Beautiful!

2012-06-23T14:53:00.000-07:00

I put it down to having been raised in the 50's. I just don't have a thing for Melamine. It kindah creeps me out.

Have you ever noticed the instant you make a deep pronouncement, the next day you are eating your words? Yah, me too! A while ago, I chanced upon a church rummage sale. Mostly I avoid them but I'm glad I dropped in. I bought two things and got out of there for under $20. The first was a fantastic kneeling camel which I use in my guest bath to hold Q-tips. Niiiice.

The other was a pair of over-sized Melamine leaves in a very nice creamy white.

FAN TAS TIC!

Not only are they completely beautiful and in immaculate condition, but they look amazing on the table. I picked them up immediately.

Fast forward. Last summer, I was helping out a friend who has a shop in Old Bellevue. I was walking around to familiarize myself with her stock when . . . whoa! Porcelain leave trays. First cousins to my large Melamine trays at ten times to price. Sure, the porcelain leaves were wonderful, but were they 10 times more wonderful?

No, they weren't.

Every time I use my lovely Melamine leaves, I'm reminded of their rich porcelain cousins who probably live in the Hamptons when they aren't vacationing in BVI and are not nearly as astonishingly beautiful as my little church rummage sale find.

There's a lesson there. Keep your eyes open (oh, and, Heidi? Stop making pronouncements!)

Is this a great country or what!

Tricks of the Trade ~ Repairing Scratches on Wood

2012-06-23T14:14:00.000-07:00

My late husband was a Naval aviator. He's was Mr. Shiny Shoes. Also, Mr. Pressed suit, starched shirt, clean nails, ready smile. When he died, all the really dear things he did or kept or built or read became talismans to me.

One of my favourites is his shoe shine kit. I have no idea when he made it. It could have been in high school when he was an Eagle Scout; it could have been when he was in the Navy; it could have been when he got back to civilian life.

It's so much like him ~ several of everything. He was an aviator after all ~ Mr. Redundant Systems.

Unfortunately for him, I was not Mrs. Shiny Shoes ~ though I do admire it in others.

One of the things I love about his little shoe shine kit extravaganza is the number of colours of shoe polish he had. I may not shine my shoes, but I do like shiny, cared-for furniture.

Here's a tip I learned from a good friend who has the most wonderful antique-cum-junk stores in the Seattle area. Charles uses shoe polish to hide surface scratches on the pieces he has for sale. Shoe polish is intensely coloured and buffs up to a nice lustrous glow. Thirsty wood looks dewy. The application is easy and the results immediate.

I like to use Meltonian Cream. It comes in an astonishing number of colours. 45! Yowza! It's a very elegant material. Cordovan is heaven on mahogany. Black, of course, is a must. As well as dark brown. When you aren't using them on your furniture, they can reside in your shoe shine kit.

I love products that do double duty!

And, if you are ever in the Seattle area, check out St. Charles Place Antiques and Restorations. it's not the least bit chi-chi but, he really has treasures!

Really!

Day 54 Everyday Grateful ~

Rainy.

Really rainy.

Cold even ~ sheesh, it's June for God's sake!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/St-Charles-Place-Antiques-Restorations/109817639078779

http://www.meltonian.com/

Turkey as a Condiment ~ A Personal History of a Pickle

2012-06-22T20:31:00.001-07:00

Several years ago, I spent a lot of time on the other side of the state taking care of my father when his health was failing. Now, the thing about the other side of the state is it is "MEATropolis." Even with the great Snake River flowing past it, all the fish in the markets is farmed (and, you know how I loathe farmed fish! It's filthy.) As a result, finding veggie things was difficult.

One summer, I was there for nearly a month. I was speaking with the woman who eventually took care of my father. She asked me to stay for lunch. In my brain, I'm thinking, "there is not one thing in this kitchen I can eat. Mmmm, what now? Do you have any tuna?"

"Yes, I do," she said. "What do you like on it?"

"Do you have any pickles?"

"Yes, go out to the garage. There is a big jar of pickles in the refrigerator. Take this jar with you."

So, I head out to the garage, find the aforementioned refrigerator, open it, and . . . whoa! A gallon jar of pickles. Wow! This valley is not only MEATropolis, but also, CANNINGslavania. I fill up the quart jar and return to the kitchen to complete my sandwich.

Even now, as I'm writing this, my mouth is watering!

The long story short is that by the time I left to come home, my sandwiches had gone from tuna with pickles to pickles with tuna. And, I had motored through nearly an entire gallon of pickles. Don't judge me! And, the best part is that I learned how to make my own pickles. Heaven!

In 2009, when I was firmly in the depths of the Depression (thank you, Paul Krugman for calling it what it is), I needed Christmas presents. Dough was scarce. That summer, I had made 10 gallons of pickles. I decanted them into quart jars, came up with a nifty label of Ramses giving Clark a lick massage, wrapped them up in a darling way and as I gave them out, I told everyone all they were getting from me was a Hug and Kiss. Success!

The pickles and my smoked wild salmon were a hit and are now de rigueur for all holidays and other events.

I took a couple of quarts to Robby and Janet's Open House and gave one to them and one to my friend, Zen, boy-genius architect for his birthday. He pronounced them "excellent."

I got this email today from Zen ~

So I have to relay:

Yesterday was a typical situation where if I'm just here working & have no meetings scheduled, by about 2:00 I realize I haven't eaten all day. I got out your jar of pickles, some spicy mustard, mayo, cheese &, some sliced turkey. I carefully filled every available space on the bread with pickle slices, bonded to the bread with the mustard & mayo like placing pebble tiles in a mortar bed on a slab. The slab (bread) was no longer visible. The turkey then, at this point, became more of a condiment, as it was now really a pickle sandwich with a little turkey. Quite delicious actually. Including the extra pickles I placed on the plate for good measure.

I stopped only momentarily to evaluate the foreign triangular object discovered when pulling out my mound of superb pickle slices. What's this??! What the hell??! This isn't a pickle......on closer examination it seems to be an onion.....more specifically, an onion taking up valuable space in my now diminishing jar of pickle goodness. But what to do?? Is this meant to be eaten?? Or is it like the funny leaves in Thai Tom Ka soup??.....there to add flavor but only an idiot would eat the thing. Who knows?? Certainly not the gourmet challenged like myself. Where is Mario Batali when you need him???

I placed a few more on my burger last night. There was a brief marital discussion on the possibility of dicing some for a relish. No, I say!! Blasphemy! There will be no brutal dismemberment of the delicate discs on my watch, damn you......

xoxo, your appreciative & confused friend,

Whereupon, I thus replied ~

Oh, the humanity! Oh, my Dear Appreciative and Confused Friend ~

Is this like the platter that sez, "Pasta" on it and you daren't use it for anything else because the "Pasta" platter police who monitor said china will break down your door and throw you to the ground?

Avast! We must not be held hostage to the culinary despots who feel the need to label every glazed accoutrement in the kitchen. Go forth! Put q-tips in the jar marked "Tea." Throw caution to the wind and embrace the feeling of joyous rebellion as you decide for yourself what goes in that dish or that plate. They are not the boss of you!

Sooo, while the label sez, "Hug and Kiss Pickles" Yes, I threw some onions in. And, yes, the onions are toothsome and delicious as well. Don't get scared!

And, taking Jill's side ~ the brine is heaven in potato salad. I'm just sayin' . . . Does this mean you need another jar of pickles?

Enquiring minds want to know.

XOXO

Day 53 Everyday Grateful ~

Rainy, drizzly . . . should be doing things.

Was a lazy damn dog all day!

A Multicultural Dinner ~ Chinese, Mexican, Swedish, Norwegian, Romanian! In fact, The Pretty Much the Whole Damn World Was Represented!

2012-06-21T23:03:00.003-07:00

My entire peony "crop."

So, Eme (our Chinese exchange student who now works at Microsoft) brought her mother (who is visiting from China) to dinner this evening.

Kim (who is staying with me) is a visiting nurse and pretty much did the whole dinner. Enchiladas, Spanish Rice, Guacamole. I did the black bean salsa with blue and yellow corn chips. We started with a nice bottle of wine and finished with a couple of bottles of three buck chuck Shiraz.

A lot of the world was represented. Chuck and his girlfriend Dana who is Canadian by way of Romania. I'm Norwegian, Scot and a little German. And, over dinner we found out that Kim's great-grandfather was Chinese. Whaaaaaat!

God, I love having dinner with friends. Conversation around the table is fascinating. Eme's mother is a charge nurse in China. So, through Eme's translation her mother and Kim got to swap stories which is how we found out that Kim's great-grandfather was Chinese and the towns people in their Mexican town didn't like him running around with Kim's soon to be great-grandmother. Utterly compelling story which ended in a lynching. Oh, dear God. Another reminder ~ everyone has an astonishing story.

The beginnings of Spanish rice

Anyway, it was wonderful.

After cleaning up the kitchen and loading the dishwasher, I started brining the wild salmon to get them in the smoker this weekend. Talk about pioneer woman.

A really, really nice day.

Homemade Enchiladas, Spanish Rice, Black Bean Salsa, Guacamole ~ Oh! Yum.

Kim's homemade guacamole

Enchiladas? You're going to need these.

Black Bean Salsa in papier mache bowl

Day 52 Everyday Grateful ~

Such a gorgeous sunny day. Warm, still, bright.

Friends over for dinner.

Happy!

Don't Read This ~ You've Been Warned!

2012-06-21T13:18:00.002-07:00

A while ago, I told you about what a hairy hound Ramses is. Well, the last few days have been very warm in Seattle and ~ how can I put this delicately? Ramses has started to blow his coat. If you recall my blogpost of May 16, I discussed His Supreme Hairiness in (I'm sorry) excruciating detail.

Today makes that post read like Ramses is a Mexican Hairless! Especially because I'm having friends for dinner and he's a complete shedding fool. Professional, even!

So, here's what is happening. This evening, my exchange student from China who stayed here last summer while she interned at Microsoft is coming to dinner with her mother. Eme graduated from university a little while ago and her mother came to see the ceremony. Eme is starting work at Microsoft, has rented her apartment and is ready to go. She wanted us to meet her mother before she goes back to China the first of the week.

My neighbor Chuck is particularly fond of her. His hectic travel schedule sometimes makes coordination of festivities difficult. But, good news! He and his girlfriend are available tonight to see Eme and her mother.

So, I've been doing all the things people do who are having others over for dinner ~ blow off the driveway, the courtyard and back decks, mow the weensy patch of lawn, make the shopping list for dinner and hors d'oeuvres and vacuum.

Good thing my napkins are ironed (God, that Heidi! She's such a little overachiever! :-), but . . .

Whoa! What the hell is Ramses' coat doing? As fast as I vacuum it up, the more the hair literally blows off his body. Oh, jeez! He's blowing his coat. I know, I'll give him a quick brush/comb. Oh dear God! It's time to go nuclear. A major attack is required. So, for the last hour, I've been brushing/combing Ramses. The horrifying thing is I have this mondo pile of feather-soft apricot undercoat (see above) and he could really benefit from another hour of combing. But, if I spend another hour combing him, I won't be ready for dinner at 6:00.

So, I'm going to call it good (that's an optimistic view ~ read fairy tale) and get back to work.

Mmmm, I wonder if there's a cottage industry in constructing hairnets for dogs?

"Oh, I can't think about this now! I'll go crazy if I do! I'll think about it tomorrow. I'll think about later . . . when I'm at Tara" . . . right now, it's shopping, preparation for dinner and another quick vacuum.

I'll report in later . . .

Day 51 Everyday Grateful ~

Such a gorgeous sunny day. Warm, still, bright.

Friends over for dinner.

Logan is in rehearals for Rent!

Happy!

http://www.amazon.com/Gone-Wind-Margaret-Mitchell/dp/0446365386

http://thefairhero.blogspot.com/2012/05/wow-what-great-dog-does-he-shed-much.html

Stone Soup, Redux ~ What to Do With an Entire Head of Celery

2012-06-18T23:01:00.003-07:00

I love celery.

What I don't love is buying an entire head and not really knowing what to do with it once I've used a couple of stocks in the dish I'm making. And, the next time you notice it, it's a limp, bitter mess.

Not attractive.

While I appreciate celery stuffed with peanut butter or cream cheese or somesuch, I'm just not interested in fussing with it.

It's been a kindah rainy, dreary day. Almost cold. The perfect soup weather . . .

"Mmmm, what to make? " I thought as I stood in front of my opened refrigerator. As I've mentioned before, I'm sort of famous (or infamous, if you will) for having a refrigerator full of nothing but condiments. Not a single meal (except my fresh bagel, cream cheese, capers, smoked salmon, sliced tomato standard) to be had.

And, then I spied it ~ a full head of celery I'd bought this weekend. Fresh, crisp, nice. Celery soup! Oh, yes! That's just what I'll make.

I sauteed an onion with a couple of cloves of garlic. Added some fresh stock. Coarse chopped the entire head of celery including the few leaves and threw in a cup of rice. Set it to simmer.

When everything was tender, the chopped celery was a little too aggressive looking so I sieved out the broth and threw the solids into the Cuisinart. Re-added the broth and stirred in some half and half, freshly ground pepper, some salt and freshly ground coriander seeds from my friend Byron's astonishing garden.

At the table, I had the last of the smoky BBQ'd fresh wild salmon to crumble over the soup. How's this for a visual? Steaming Celadon green soup with bright red salmon broken over the top. Oh, yes!

Niiiiiiiiiiiice!

Was it a big damn deal? No. But, it was fresh, fragrant, hearty, toothsome and a lovely way to end the day.

Day 50 Everyday Grateful ~

Rainy, blustery day. Friends for dinner.

Logan is coming to town tomorrow!

Happy!

French Toast for Sunday Brunch ~ The Aftermath . . .

2012-06-17T12:16:00.000-07:00

Oh, that was delicious! French toast for brunch. Sure it used a dozen eggs, but, oh, yum!

My next door neighbor Chuck was the guest of honour. First, it's Father's Day and he's our in loco fathertis and secondly, it was a continuation of his birthday.

There were four of us for breakfast. Karen went off to church so we saved some for her. Kim regaled us about her first visit to Fremont and her first encounter with the Naked Bicyclists in the Solstice Parade.

Once we started talking about bikes, we talked about the STP (Seattle to Portland bike race) the RAMROD (Ride around Mount Rainier in One Day) riding in the abandoned train tunnels in the Cascades, riding from Germany to Copenhagen.

We talked about the Lenin statue and its pride of place on Leary Avenue and Kim got her picture taken with the Fremont Troll under the Aurora Avenue bridge. We talked about the education system in the US, Paul Krugman and the handbasket it looks like we may be in. We talked about this and that and worked our way through a pan of scrumptiousness.

Is this a great country or what!

Yes, we saved some for Karen!

Day 49 Everyday Grateful ~

Sunny, blustery day, friends for brunch.

Called the Bear in Milan to wish him a Happy Father's Day.

Happy!

The Night Before ~ French Toast for Brunch

2012-06-16T21:59:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning, friends are coming over for brunch.

I'm fixing a classic French bread for breakfast. There is something really comforting about whisking 8 eggs, 1/4 C sugar, 3 cups of milk, some fresh butter, Vanilla and a little nutmeg together and pouring the mixture over the 1 1/2 baguettes left over from dinner on Friday night and knowing it will be delicious.

I like to cut the bread into generous 2" thick pieces and stand them up in an oblong baking dish. When they are all arranged, I pour the egg/milk mixture over them, cover and put them in the refrigerator overnight.

When everyone arrives for breakfast, the house will be redolent with the smell of nutmeg, butter and vanilla baking. I know my little pan will not only be delicious but also beautiful when I take it out of the oven. I predict many oooh's and ahhh's will be heard.

I'll keep you posted.

Day 48 Everyday Grateful ~

Misty day, ran errands with Ramses.

Talked with Logan as he prepares to come to Seattle for Rent.

Happy!

http://www.loganbenedict.com/
http://www.seattle-theatre.com/theaters/5th-avenue-theater/theater.php