Monthly Archives: October 2010

>Bringing in the herbs

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The oregano sits on a bookshelf near a window now. The thyme and rosemary sit on a tray atop the piano. The basil – now that’s a little tougher. It’s in a big, heavy pot. It’s been thriving next to the steps, around the corner from the rhubarb. But now that it’s cold and we’re risking frost at night, what to do?

Chuck set up a cinder block in the corner of our living room. On top is a shelf reclaimed from an old and broken-down linen closet.

Chuck went looking for a cloth to cover it and found this in the rag basket. Um, I don’t know how long it’ll last, “cool” though it may be.
Then we realized the pot doesn’t have a base. It’s been strictly an outdoor pot for years. To put it over our wood floors, we need a water-safe base that will fit. Since we were out searching for refills for the bunny litter boxes, we checked out Fleet Farm’s remaining garden supplies. No luck. We found the litter, Chuck hefted it on his shoulder, and then – his phone rang.
He ended up having a great chat with Amigo in the equine aisle of Fleet Farm, but we didn’t find the base for the basil.
Maybe that’s good; it gives me time to replace that t-shirt.

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>Hush Puppies and Collard Greens

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>Eating the Opponent met a challenge this week: the Packers faced the Detroit Lions. We knew nothing about Detroit, so we had to do a little research.

Internet searches showed us the chili dog and/or the Coney Dog; La Petite doesn’t like hot dogs, so she wouldn’t like that.
Another Internet search found many different dishes that featured onions – sausages slathered in onions, onion rings, anything onion. We hypothesized that too many years of losing teams had led Detroit fans to hide their tears behind the cutting of an onion.
We asked my stepfather, a Detroit area resident for many years: he suggested hush puppies and collard greens. The research began again. Traditional hush puppies are deep fried. We don’t own a deep fryer and don’t plan to buy one. I did, however, find a simple recipe for baked hush puppies, so we pulled out the cornmeal and got to work. Here it is, Packers fans and blog readers: our game day meal vs. Detroit.
Baked Hush Puppies
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/3 cup milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
Preheat oven to 450. Lightly grease (or spray with nonstick spray) a 24- mini muffin pan.
In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt & pepper.
In a separate bowl, mix together the onion, milk, eggs, and butter. Fold the egg mixture into the cornmeal mixture until just moistened.
Spoon one Tablespoon of mixture into each mini-muffin cup. Bake for ten minutes, or until the hush puppies are firm to the touch and golden brown around the edges.
I resisted adding cheese. Maybe next time.
Whatever will we cook when the Packers play the Minnesota Vikings? I’m sorry, but lutefisk is out of the question.

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>Walk to School

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It’s a typical fall morning. Leaves cover the ground, there’s a crisp breeze, a little overnight condensation remains, and the school buses criss-cross the city streets.

In some neighborhoods, there are fewer buses. These are the places where walking to school is the norm, not the exception. I’m lucky to live and teach in neighborhoods like these. Walking to school brings people together; parents, children, friends, families. When I’m arriving at school in the morning, I see my former students shouldering their backpacks and climbing on their bikes or gathering together to walk to the nearby middle school. An hour later, I’ll see the sidewalks crowded again with groups of kids and adults headed to the elementary school where I teach.

Clorox Green Works is a sponsor of this month’s Walk to School Challenge. They have a Facebook group devoted to the cause, and they’re offering $5000 grants to schools with the highest participation in the Challenge. Walking to school helps connect people, build community, and fights sedentary lifestyles. Wow, all that with a short walk! Biking counts, too, as does riding a skateboard or scooter. Getting up and active energizes bodies and brains for a full day of learning.

I love looking out my classroom window just before the bell rings and seeing all the families gathering, saying good bye to their children for the day, and then walking on home again. I wish more schools could be as lucky as ours; situated in a neighborhood suitable for easy walking. If your school would like to participate in Clorox Green Works Walk to School Challenge, you can sign up and recruit others from your school to log miles – and win grant money in the process!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Clorox Green Works and received a thank-you gift certificate for my time.

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>No Stomach for Cancer

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UPDATE: the resolution has passed the Senate. There is no need to contact your senators – unless you want to thank them for their support.

Sometimes a national issue is personal. Sometimes a personal issue becomes national. This issue is really both.

You may remember Tyler, La Petite’s friend, the young man who passed away from stomach cancer. This young man, college student, an athlete in his prime, was diagnosed in a late stage of cancer — too late to treat successfully. Thanks to his friends and family, he passed peacefully, surrounded by an ocean of caring.
Tyler’s mother would like to spread the word about stomach cancer through an initiative sponsored by Wisconsin’s Senator Russ Feingold. Senator Feingold would like to declare November, 2010 Stomach Cancer Awareness Month. A public awareness campaign will educate people about this aggressive and sometimes hereditary cancer, highlighting the need for early diagnosis and treatment.
November is an ideal month for this awareness campaign because of Thanksgiving Day, a holiday that emphasizes family and food. Family health histories are important – no, essential. The U.S. Surgeon General would like to declare Thanksgiving Day National Family History Day to emphasize the need for this knowledge. Thanksgiving, with its emphasis on harvest, food, and nourishment, can be very difficult for stomach cancer patients. Spreading awareness of this illness will help build compassion while increasing knowledge.
Russ Feingold, co-sponsor of Stomach Cancer Awareness Month, is a senator from my fair state of Wisconsin. I’m proud that he introduced this resolution and helped it pass.
Awareness is only the beginning, but it is a strong beginning. Please help spread the word – in Tyler’s memory, and to prevent others from suffering. Let’s make sure our nation has No Stomach for Cancer.

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>Random Dental Thoughts

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If you’ve been following my plurks or tweets lately, you know I’ve spent several weeks in pain from an unexplained ankle problem. I realized the ankle pain was serious when I was in the dentist’s chair getting work done. Yes, the dentist.
I’m a wimpy dental patient – the kind who wants every kind of painkiller and relaxant available. Our dentist is kind and understanding. He doesn’t call me a wimp; he says “We want you to be comfortable. Would you like some tylenol before we start, too?” And then the assistant hooks up the nitrous oxide and I take a deep breath.
Back to the ankle. I was breathing in the nitrous and relaxing, finding a focal point on the ceiling (Lamaze style), and realized with a Woodstock-style tone “Wow, my ankle doesn’t hurt. For the first time in a week, my ankle feels good.” This thought was followed by my logical self saying “Wow, that’s not good. Self, call the doctor when you get home.”
Two weeks later: The ankle still hurts, but the teeth are doing great. No pain, easy cleaning, and the final crowns go on in next month. The dental assistants are really good at giving practical advice, too. They show me how to brush better, how to floss, and how to make sure the temporary crowns stay in place until the final pieces go in. Somehow, they’re polite and professional and non-judgmental the whole time.

When is dental floss not a floss? When it’s a Bryton pick. It’s small, reusable (wash it after each use, it’s quick), and easy to handle. Bryton sent me two samples, and I tried them out during a busy season: sweet corn on the cob season. The little pick worked for me: less waste than traditional floss, tiny and easy to store, and effective in getting rid of the residue from the delicious farmers’ market corn.

Now if only I could get rid of this ankle/foot pain as easily….

BrytonPick sent me a sample product in order to do this review. Yes, it honestly came in late August when we were buying and cooking and eating sweet corn every week. Perfect timing, as far as I’m concerned. I was not otherwise compensated for this review.

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>When the going gets tough…

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School gets tougher and tougher. When I’m faced with my own failures, I come home and work on tasks that I can accomplish successfully. And… I blog. I write, I read, I comment, I create. And I borrow.

I read Chris Guillebeau’s Art of Non-Conformity. I get his updates by email because I don’t want to miss a single one. His latest had a comment that struck me as appropriate for my situation and perhaps even beyond. He stated:
When faced with a choice between hope and fear, choose hope.

I searched for an appropriate picture to illustrate the statement and found this one. It’s a photo taken during an Australian dust storm, of kookaburras calmly waiting for the storm to settle.

I hope I can continue to choose hope while I wait for my own dust to settle.

Photo by Plurk friend Grumba in Adelaide, Australia

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