Hodgepodge: Books, Bread, and Being a Redhead

This Hodgepodge was right in my wheelhouse. Took me zero time to complete. To join in, answer the questions yourself and link up at Joyce's blog!

1. Besides Thanksgiving, something you're looking forward to on your November calendar?

Girls weekend with two college buddies! We're meeting at Deep Creek Lake in Maryland...one friend has a place there.

We don't see each other often, but when we do, it's like we were never apart. No one makes me laugh like they do, or knows me better. We've been through everything from our first fraternity party, to our first jobs, to weddings, to dealing with babies and now teenagers.

It's hard to believe that our kids are almost the same age we were when we met! And two of them are applying to the college we went to! Boy, would Parents' Weekend be fun....

2. If I gave you a thank you card right now who would you send it to and why?

Dear Son,
Thank you.
Thank you for putting up with all of my college application nagging. Thank you for working so hard on your essays, which I know were not easy for you to write.
Thank you for being the kind of son any parent would be proud of—honest, trustworthy, a loyal friend, and a hard worker, whether you're in class or on the field/court/track.
Thank you for making me laugh every day.
I'll miss you next year—so much—but I can't wait to see you take the next step in your life! And to see you grow into the man you are fast becoming.
Love you always,
Mom

3. Of the breads listed, which one's your favorite...bagel, cinnamon, sourdough, garlic, banana, biscuit, pita, Naan, or plain old fashioned white bread?

I don't eat gluten now, so all of these sound delicious. I guess that I miss sourdough the most...although I love biscuits, too.

4. What's something you have in abundance? Is that a good thing?

I'm trying to think of something we have more of than other people...maybe books? We have lots of books. And it's really, really hard to let go of them. I'm good at decluttering other things, but books? I just can't.

5. November 5th is National Love Your Red Hair Day. Are there any redheads in your family? Who's your favorite redhead?

Ha! Easy one. Many, many redheads on both sides of my family...I actually wrote about this once.

And here's my favorite redhead:

Kidding! My favorite redhead is my little sister:

Hard to tell here, but yes, the hair is red.

And, please, don't call us gingers.

6. The travel website Busbud recently calculated the most Instagrammed spot in every state. Go here to see what made the list where you live. Are you happy with your state's #1? If not what do you think should be the most photographed spot in your state? Have you snapped a photo there? If you live outside the USA answer as it relates to your state, city or province.

Wow, I never would have thought that the Pittsburgh Zoo would have been the most Instagrammed place in my state! I've never been there, and I lived in Pittsburgh for two years!

Maybe I'm showing my eastern Pennsylvania bias, but I would have chosen this spot (which I'm sure I've never photographed, since I'm really, really bad at remembering to take pictures):

7. I'm going to try to have something related to gratitude in this spot each week during the month of November. Here's this week's question—

What's something you've learned about yourself this year that you're grateful for?

I learned that I can run! I've always been horrible at it, and hated it. I did gymnastics and played softball as a kid, so running was not something I had to do often. I always struggled with the mile run in gym class (and came up with the most creative of excuses for why I couldn't participate).

Last January I resolved to walk 10,000 steps every day (thank you, Fitbit!), and then one day last spring I decided to try jogging a bit of my walk. Now I'm comfortably running 2 miles at a time (and I was up to 3 before I sprained my ankle last summer). I know this doesn't sound like much. But to me it's huge.

I'm so grateful that I've been able to achieve something I never, ever thought I could do. And so grateful to be healthy enough to even try.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Good times at our house. The chimney had a leak, so we had all the stucco pulled off. It's clear now that the plywood underneath is completely rotted. The whole length of the chimney needs to be rebuilt.

I can think of so many other, more satisfying ways we could have spent the money this will cost.

Zombies Would Be Preferable

Uh oh.

You guys.

Why...WHY...do I click on articles like this?

Now, in addition to the typical worries that keep me awake at 4 am (thank you, perimenopause), I can add to the list a solar storm.

Evidently, a large solar storm could knock out the power grid. For months or longer. For a large portion of the country. And there's a 12% chance of it happening in the next ten years? What?

This is the kind of news that makes me wish that I was a Doomsday Prepper. You know—the kind of person who is stocking a year's supply of food and water, plus the arsenal of weaponry I would need to defend it.

So I've decided to take stock of my current supply situation.

• Water. Um, there's a pond on the golf course by my house. Can water filters remove fertilizer run off, does anyone know?
• Food. Let's hope I would've just gone to Costco. Of course, if it were summer, we could count on our community garden plot...to supply us with basil and tomatoes for a week or more! But how do I make pesto without a blender?
• Fuel. Yeah. I can just see my husband felling one of our 90-year-old oak trees. 
• Candles. I own two scented candles plus a bag of pine-scented votives. Really gonna smell good in here. 

To defend my stash, I plan to use my father's old navy sword. Never mind that it couldn't cut a stick of butter. I will hone it. On the curb out front.

I'm going out shopping now to start my preparations. First stop: the one item that is obviously first on the list for any emergency.

What? It's for medicinal purposes.

More Downsizing

Have I mentioned that my mother- and father-in-law are moving here from Ohio?

They have lived in the house where my husband grew up for almost fifty years and are finally ready to give up being homeowners. (They reached their breaking point after the terrible cold and snow the Midwest had last winter.) Their previously active social life is dwindling. FIL says that their friends (a) have moved away, (b) don't want to drive at night, or (c) can't remember that they've made dinner plans. So they're moving east to be near their children, two of whom live in the Philly area.

We are so excited for them to arrive. My kids have not lived near grandparents since we left Washington—more than eleven years ago. I'm envious of my friends who grew up here and have family close by. Growing up, my family lived 4+ hours away from our nearest relatives. I hated that, so I wanted my kids to always live near family. And to be rooted in one place.

I've lived in so many states that it's hard to say where home is. In Massachusetts, where I went to elementary and high school? In Washington, DC, where I had my first job, met my husband, and had our children? In Philadelphia, where my kids have grown up?

(I will say that I feel like I've come home when I see a sign like this one, which are seen at the borders between towns in Massachusetts.)

Not actually from my hometown, which evidently is too small to have its sign in Google images. Source

As for my kids, I think we may have succeeded in giving them roots here. My daughter has lived in Pennsylvania since third grade and is in college in Philadelphia. My son started first grade here—and could end up at college in-state also. (Fingers crossed. He's also considering schools in California, which in theory sounds great—isn't college a great time to explore a new part of the country!—but in practice would be very hard, on his mom at least.)

Having grandparents down the road, along with the cousins who live just across the city, will make Philadelphia even more of a hometown for our family. My fondest dream is to have the kids settle here. I could babysit for them! Between the trips to exotic locales we'll be taking as retirees, of course. ;)

Hodgepodging Halloween

A slightly scary, somewhat Halloween-themed Hodgepodge this week. To join in, and you know you want to, visit Joyce and link up with your answers!

1. Are you comfortable with silence? If you're home alone, do you like silence or do you need regular background noise? Do you seek out times and places to be silent? What's your favorite place to find silence/be silent?

I'm perfectly happy to have it quiet when I'm at home alone. After a while, the TV or radio on as background noise gets on my nerves. I remember when I was a stay-at-home mom with my babies, I tried hard not to have the TV on during the day. (Only exception: Regis and Kathie Lee. I love Reeg!)

I don't seek out silence, but I do enjoy being in quiet places—like church on a weekday or at night. I was going to say at the library, but I don't think they are quiet places anymore? At least ours isn't.

2. October 28th is National Chocolate Day. Can't let that go by without a mention now, can we? Will you celebrate? How? Let's say you can have one of the following right this very minute... a cup of hot chocolate, a strawberry dipped in chocolate, a bowl of plain chocolate ice cream, or a slice of chocolate pie...what's your pleasure?

I've already had way too much chocolate this week, thanks to my lack of willpower and the Halloween candy in the cupboard. I'll pass for now.

3. How do you feel about blue jeans? Favorite thing in the world to wear or nope, don't own a single pair? How often do you wear blue jeans in a typical week? Do you own a blue jean jacket?

I basically wear jeans any time I can. Dark wash jeans = dressed up in my book!

I wore a Levi's jean jacket in college constantly. (I never wear it now, but I just can't part with it.)

4. Are you superstitious? If so, in what way?

I don't consider myself superstitious. I do always knock on wood when I'm talking about something good about to happen. I also throw salt over my left shoulder if I spill any.

A black cat has crossed my path twice this week. That's good, right? It cancels out?

Like I said—I'm not superstitious. ;)

5. If you had to come up with a costume using only things you have on hand right now, what could you come up with? 

I have used this in a pinch (here demonstrated by my son, years ago):

It's a conversation starter.

6. What scares you a little? What do you do when you feel scared?

What scares me just a little? Like a good kind of scared?  Umm. We are watching the new season of Fargo. That's a little scary! But not the kind of scary that would keep me up at night.

7. Perhaps today will be the day I...

Order my son's senior pictures. I can't decide which pose I like best! And he (being a boy and all) couldn't care less what his yearbook picture looks like. (Maybe I'll just use the picture above!)

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Daylight savings time starts (or ends?) this weekend! I'm looking forward to a little more light in the mornings, as it is very hard to haul myself out of bed at 6:00 lately.

I don't mind the dark in the evening. (It means that the holidays are just around the corner!)

Also: Go Temple! Beat Notre Dame!

Filed Under: If We Win the Lottery

Four round trip tickets, British Airways, Philadelphia to London:
$4,032

Hotel, two nights:
$457

Matinee and evening tickets for four at Palace Theatre:
$796

Seeing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on opening night:
PRICELESS

In case you haven't been following the latest Potter news, here's the story (from www.harrypottertheplay.com):

Based on an original new story by J. K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a new play by Jack Thorne, will receive its world premiere in London’s West End at the Palace Theatre in the summer of 2016. 

Featuring a cast of over 30, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. 

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children. While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places. 

I would so love to take the kids to see this! Daughter and son grew up reading Harry Potter, and we are veterans of midnight book release parties, movie openings, and at least one year of Halloween costumes.

Wingardium leviosa!

Unless I develop magical powers, however, it looks like we Muggles will just have to wait until the play comes to New York.

It's the Little Things

I was listening to a podcast recently (maybe This American Life?), and they were talking about how many studies have shown that the older you get, the happier you are. 100% true for me, so far. And I think that at least part of why I'm so happy is that I have more time to look around me and enjoy the little things.

So here's what's making me happy this week.

1. This book review.

"The free-living dolphins of the Bahamas had come to know researcher Denise Herzing and her team very well. For decades, at the start of each four-month-long field season, the dolphins would give the returning humans a joyous reception: 'a reunion of friends,' as Herzing described it. But one year the creatures behaved differently. They would not approach the research vessel, refusing even invitations to bow-ride. When the boat’s captain slipped into the water to size up the situation, the dolphins remained aloof. Meanwhile on board it was discovered that an expeditioner had died while napping in his bunk. As the vessel headed to port, Herzing said, 'the dolphins came to the side of our boat, not riding the bow as usual but instead flanking us fifty feet away in an aquatic escort' that paralleled the boat in an organized manner.

The remarkable incident raises questions that lie at the heart of Carl Safina’s astonishing new book, Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel. Can dolphin sonar penetrate the steel hull of a boat—and pinpoint a stilled heart? Can dolphins empathize with human bereavement? Is dolphin society organized enough to permit the formation of a funeral cavalcade? If the answer to these questions is yes, then Beyond Words has profound implications for humans and our worldview."

2. Fall decorations. 

Minimal, as usual, but the little that I have done is making me disproportionately happy.

(You can see why I don't pretend to be a lifestyle blogger.)

3. Gluttony.

The Halloween candy has been purchased. Unfortunately, it has also been opened. This happened in the parking lot at Target.

4. Magazines.

Does anyone else have the Recycle Bank program in their town? All of our curbside recycling is weighed and each household is awarded points for each pound. These points can be redeemed for various rewards.

It was off my radar for awhile...like years. So I checked our account a few weeks ago and we had 17,000 points accumulated! We looked and looked through the available awards and were having a hard time finding anything we really wanted, until we discovered that we could get free magazine subscriptions. So we ordered four: This Old House, Cycling, Cooking Light, and Afar. It's fun to get something in the mail other than bills.

Only 16,800 points to use up now!

5. Fall weather.

I don't have to get up at dawn to go for a run! (I can loll in my PJs until noon.)

6. Next on my reading list.

Loved, loved, loved the Little House books. I can't wait to get the real story.

Predictions: (a) Almanzo = not actually Laura's first choice (clearly it was that cutie Cap Garland); (b) Mary = not quite so saintly; (c)  Pa = closet drinker?  (Okay, maybe not that last one.)

7. Tea tree oil.

Bought some of this because Dr. Google has diagnosed me with rosacea, and it's supposed to help. I think it's working!

Now it's like My Big Fat Greek Wedding around here with the Windex. I'm using it on everything.

8. Fan belt.

For months my car has been screeching when I start it. You know how you just ignore these kinds of problems? The car is totally driveable, and safe...so fixing was not a priority. Well, we got to the point where people were jerking in horror when the car started. The whole neighborhood could hear it.

Now, sweet purring of the engine is all I hear when I start up. And the neighbors can finally relax.

9. Email string.

I've been emailing back and forth with my college roommate for months and it's so much fun! (We don't live in the same city anymore, and she's not really a texter.) The title of the string is "Joined at the hip" and every time I see it come up I smile. We've been commiserating on, ahem, aging issues—I'll spare you the details—but it's uncanny how we are having very similar experiences.

(I was going to do ten things, but maybe I'm not really THAT happy.)

Linking with

Crisis Averted

We found out that the house we liked is under contract. I guess I'm relieved? It would have been a ton of work.

And where do you even rent a backhoe?

The whole situation did help us resolve a few things. We know the neighborhood we want to live in, so we will just wait for the right house to come on the market. And we will be ready to move fast when it does--the house we liked was under contract in three weeks! (And we felt like it was a little overpriced. We may need to adjust our thinking there.)

Other updates:

My cleaning plan has failed miserably. I did manage to attend to the daily tasks I had listed (making the bed, doing the dishes, etc.). Of course I had already been doing that stuff. And I'm on top of the bathrooms and kitchen. But I'm not sure why I find it so impossible to dust this house! Obviously I need to have people over to spur me to some action.

I've been running! Last time I was out I managed 1.75 miles. The ankle is holding up. It is twingy occasionally but I think I am just going to have to chalk that up to getting older. I'm going to try to get to 2 miles, then stick with that, maybe indefinitely. It's better to be able to go a short distance than to not do anything at all (which is how I spent the month of July, and it was torture).

My sister has been decluttering her house using the Marie Kondo's method. (The Wall Street Journal calls Kondo "stern and enchanted, like a fairy godmother for socks.")

As far as I understand it (and that's not far at all), the Kondo method involves gathering all of the items in a category, say clothing, and culling ruthlessly based on whether or not the item "sparks joy." When I mentioned the method to my husband, he commented that if we were to get rid of all the things in our house that don't "spark joy," we would have no furniture. This unfortunately is true.

Off to look at Joyce's Hodgepodge questions. See you tomorrow!

Hodgepodge: Patience, Flying, and the Chairman of the Board

I can't imagine anyone is looking at this who isn't already part of the Hodgepodge. But just in case: head over to From This Side of the Pond to see this week's questions, and link up! It's so much fun! (Thank you, Joyce!)

1. What's something that has recently 'tried your patience'?

I have so much spam in my Verizon email, and yet I'm not doing anything about it. I know I should figure out how to forward my emails to my gmail account. Which I think would filter out the spam? For some reason I am paralyzed at the thought of accomplishing this.

So Verizon is trying my patience, and I am trying my own patience.

2. Do you think patience comes to us naturally or is it something you have to learn as you grow? On a scale of 1-10 generally how patient are you? (1=I blow up at the drop of a hat and 10=I've got all the time in the world).

Definitely something that you learn. Remember how impatient you were for Christmas as a kid? For summer to finally come? For dinnertime?

I don't get impatient much anymore—on the scale, I put myself at about a 7. When I was younger, I used to get annoyed with slow drivers...slow lines at the grocery store...slow meetings at work...you get the picture. Now, I just wait. I'm generally not in a rush anymore.

This may mean that I am now the slow driver you are all stuck behind.

3. Share about a time when you felt like you could fly. Or a time you wished you could fly. Or a time you felt like you were flying.

A time I felt I was flying: This is easy. Skiing. The wind is in my face and I am gliding. Pine trees rush past. My heart is beating hard and I'm a little out of breath.

(I'm actually a really slow skier, but all the above is still true!)

4. Your favorite song with the word fly in the title or lyrics, or your favorite song that relates to flying in some way?

As a resident of southeastern Pennsylvania, I should be choosing either "Fly Eagles Fly" or "Gonna Fly Now (Theme From Rocky)." But here are my real favorites:

"Come Fly With Me," Frank Sinatra

"Learning to Fly," Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

5. What's in your fall picnic basket and where are we picnicking in your neck of the woods this time of year?

Yum! I love food questions! We'll head over to the local state park. I brought blankets to wrap up in if we get chilly. And to eat...let's see, we have some hot cocoa in one thermos, vegetable soup in another, bread and butter, cheese, fruit, and homemade oatmeal cookies. And apple cider.

When we get home, we'll put our feet up and have some mulled wine by the fire.

6. Carpentry, electrical, plumbing, landscaping...which skill would you most like to possess and how would you put that skill to use today?

Plumbing. I have found that when most times I have needed a plumber, I've needed a plumber right this minute. Like when our kitchen faucet started spraying water under the sink on Thanksgiving morning, with 16 expected for dinner.

I don't have any plumbing projects right now, but with my new skills I'd be ready for anything!

(I can't think of any landscaping/carpentry emergencies—unless a tree fell on the house?)

7. What's something you think is too expensive to justify buying lately?

There is a big scratch down the side of my car (new driver + narrow garage). It's been there for months, and I really don't like driving a car that looks junky.

However, I just got the estimate for the repair and it looks like I'll be driving with the scratch for the foreseeable future.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

We had such a great fall weekend! Daughter was home from college for four days. My favorite times are when all four of us are together on the weekends, after breakfast and before heading out for the day, doing nothing but talking and drinking coffee and relaxing. It's just not the same with only three.

Plus, on Saturday we saw The Martian (oh Matt Damon, how I love you) and on Sunday we went to some open houses. Time to start our search for a smaller place!

A Rant

Source

Okay. I promised myself I would never post here when I was angry. But I just can't hold back. I read something yesterday that simply must be addressed.

For decades, the government steered millions away from whole milk. Was that wrong?

And, of course, it turns out that the answer to this question is probably...yes.

Are you kidding me? I've been drinking grey, watery almost-milk for decades now, all for nothing?

I grew up as a (whole) milk drinker. We had milk with every meal. (Yes. This includes spaghetti and meatballs, hamburgers—everything.) As a young twenty-something, I hauled a gallon of milk home from the supermarket every week. And by hauled, I mean, carried in my arms for three blocks from the market to my apartment, and it was not easy.

Somewhere along the way we were told that whole milk was terrible for heart health and I listened. I weaned myself from whole milk slowly: first 2%, then 1%, until I could finally tolerate skim. I faithfully drank it through two pregnancies and nursing both babies...right up until today.

When will I learn? It's clear that science on nutrition is not just evolving, but possibly completely wrong at any given time. (Fat is bad and carbs are good...no, wait! Carbs are terrible! Fat is good! But not saturated fats! Okay, maybe some saturated fats are good!)

All I know is, they'll have to pry this stick of butter from my cold, dead hands.

If It's Wednesday...

Yes! (Picture me in Usain Bolt pose.) Got the Hodgepodge picture and figured out how to link it!

1. It's October so let's get this out there first thing...have you jumped on the all-things-pumpkin bandwagon? How so? 

I have not tasted pumpkin yet this year (although do I love it). Honestly...I'll probably just wait for the pie at Thanksgiving. And I don't really like flavored coffee. In any case, my daughter informs me that drinking pumpkin spice lattes is so basic.

And in case you don't know what that means (I certainly didn't):

Per Urban Dictionary, a basic [um, girl] is "unflinchingly upholding of the status quo and stereotypes of her gender without even realizing it. She engages in typical, unoriginal behaviors, modes of dress, speech, and likes: I've gotta get to Hollister and Bath and Body Works for the third time this week, they just announced a new sale! I just don't know how I'll ever fit in that mani-pedi with Amanda and Brittney today....I need a pumpkin spice latte or a cosmo right now, I can't handle this pressure."

2. "We have more power than will; and it is often by way of excuse to ourselves that we fancy things are impossible." Francois Duc De la Rochefoucauld

What's something you once thought impossible, but in hindsight see as more a matter of lack of will?

Hmm. Well, I once thought it would be impossible for my (math loving, English hating) son to write his college application essays, but through force of (my) will, he is getting there (slowly). Ditto with my packrat husband: last weekend, for the first time in years he cleaned out the closet where he keeps old hard drives, CDs, printers, etc. Again through force of (my) will.

Does that count?

3. The rose is America's National Flower, but every state also has its own flower. Are you happy with yours? If you were in charge what would declare your state's flower? If you're outside the U.S. what bloom would you like to see labeled as your country's national flower?

Hey, what do you know? Pennsylvania's flower is the mountain laurel! I never knew that!

Source

Pretty!

We have lots of laurel (not mountain) in the yard (hence blog name). It doesn't bloom like that. (Can you tell I'm not much of a flower person? Lol.) I'm happy to stick with the mountain laurel as the state flower.

4. What have you lost interest in recently?

Wearing makeup. I've never worn much, but I didn't used to leave the house without putting on mascara at least. Now, after six months of not working in an office...let's just say it's all natural, almost all of the time. (And if I'm always wearing workout clothes, maybe I'll actually get to the gym!)

5. In your opinion, who's the best living musician?

Wow, another tough one. I'll go with the obvious and say Paul McCartney. The Beatles...Wings...he even made me like a Rihanna song!

6. S'mores—love 'em or no? Ever make them indoors? Last time you sat around an outdoor fire? Are making s'mores and sitting round a fire pit on your autumn bucket list? Do you have an autumn bucket list?

I do love a s'more. One thing I do not understand, however, is eating burned marshmallows. What is with you people?! Don't stick it right in the flames...toast it!

Bucket list? Well...I'd like to "decorate" my house for the fall. This generally involves a pot of mums on the front porch and a few gourds in a bowl on the dining room table.

7. Your favorite small town? Why?

Stockbridge or Lenox, Massachusetts—quintessential New England small towns. I may be slightly biased, but with the Berkshires, Boston, and the Cape/Vineyard/Nantucket, isn't Massachusetts the best state of all? ;)

8. Insert your own random thought here.

We just got invited to a friend's house for a Halloween get-together and the text said, "Costumes optional." Ugh! I never know what to do for this kind of thing! I don't really want to dress up...but I also don't want to seem like a spoil sport.

Movie Night

We tried to see The Martian Saturday night, but it was sold out at the two movie theaters we like. We have become—there's no other word for it—snobs. Not about the film...about the theater. After a few trips to the new easy-chair-style, reserved-seat, food-serving type of cinema, we have vowed never to go back to craning our necks and shifting uncomfortably at the old fashioned kind.

Instead, we stayed home and flipped around the channels looking for something to watch. Do you have a movie you will always stop at—no matter how much you have missed—and watch the rest? I do, and my husband definitely does. (As he changed the channels, I was thinking: please, not Planet of the Apes. Or a Spaghetti Western. Or, heaven forbid, Easy Rider.)

Here are a few of my always-watches:

• Steel Magnolias. And I cry every time.
• That Thing You Do. (Have you seen it? Mid-1960s band from Erie, Pennsylvania, makes a hit record. Plus, Tom Hanks.) I feel cheated if I don't see the scene when the band hears their song played on the radio for the first time.
• Raising Arizona. The first half has most of the funniest lines, though.
• Dazed and Confused. (Last day of school, 1976. Rising seniors haze, and party with, rising freshmen. Early roles for many stars: Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck, and Parker Posey, to name a few.) Definitely not a family movie by any stretch. But so funny! And director Richard Linklater is a master of teenage-realistic dialogue.
• Speed. What can I say? It's Keanu.
• The Bourne Identity. Ditto, Matt Damon.
• Clueless. As if I would miss this one!
• Raiders of the Lost Ark. But not the sequels.
• The Parent Trap. Both versions, but I'm partial to Dennis Quaid as dad. I love the scene when the housekeeper realizes it's Annie, not Hallie.

And at Christmas:

• A Christmas Story. Why do the bullies always have red hair?
• Meet Me in St. Louis. Another tearjerker.

Hmm, it's kind of a lowbrow list. I guess you could say it's the equivalent of comfort food!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Um, hello?

I feel a little bit like I'm crashing a party, but I'm going to jump right in. I'm Catherine, and it's very nice to meet you all!

1. Something on your October calendar that makes you smile? 

Daughter's fall break starts in a week! She will be home from college for five days and I can't wait to see her. I've even DVR'd Say Anything for us to watch together...and I am hoping she shares my appreciation for John Cusack. (Or is that just a Generation X thing?)

2. Food for the soul or music for the soul...which camp are you in? Tell us why. 

When I was younger, I might have answered music, but now, it's definitely food: Food brings people together, and with every meal I make for my family I am showing my love for them. Plus, what could feed the soul more than the taste of homemade chocolate ice cream on a hot summer night?

3. What are two or three things you've learned recently as the result of an online search? 

That I might be developing rosacea (thank you, Dr. Google), that it might be caused by microscopic skin mites (ew!), and that tea tree oil might treat it effectively.

That in Michigan's UP some speak a Yooper dialect. (When we were in Michigan I thought I should educate myself a little.) I am fascinated by regional accents and dialects, having grown up pahking the cah and drinking "tonic" (soda). Yooper incorporates Finnish words and even shares grammatical constructions from Finnish--like dropping "to the" ("I'm going store"), because Finnish lacks articles and drops prepositions.

4. Share your favorite game day recipe.

Guacamole. Lots of tomatoes, no sour cream! (And although Williams Sonoma may want you to purchase the molcajete, I have always found that it comes out just fine with a regular old fork and bowl.)

Beef and black bean crockpot chili. So easy and so good! Martha knows what she's doing. Plus, bonus points for starting with dried beans...I feel like Ma Ingalls!

5. What are your five essential steps for creating the perfect morning routine? 

Breakfast for my son. My kids have been making their own lunches since about fourth grade (when they started complaining about what I was packing for them), but I still get up every weekday to make breakfast.
Breakfast for me. It's the same every day: granola with sliced almonds and dried cranberries. I make my own because gluten-free granola costs a fortune.
Coffee. Essential.
New York Times crossword puzzle (and then I read this blog; it is entertaining, mostly because Rex is such a curmudgeon).
To-do list. I can't function without one. Nothing gets done unless it is written down, and next thing you know, it's 11:30 and I'm still in my PJs.

6. What small thing have you taken note of today?

At Bed Bath & Beyond, once again I was the only person in the checkout line without any coupons. Drat!

7. Sum up your September in seven words or less. 

The Pope came and Philadelphia shut down.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

"All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well."

Julian of Norwich's words express my joy in times of happiness, and hold me up in times of sadness.

Finally

Ahhhhhh.

Fall feels like it's finally here, and not a moment too soon. I am not a summer person (must be the Scandanavian in me). If I had to rank the months in order of preference, October comes first, and December is way before July and August. I love snow—even shoveling—and I have no trouble with bundling up to stay warm. Fleece, down, wool sweaters, boots—bring it on. Whereas I can't really take off enough clothes to stay comfortable in the summer. (Not that anyone would want me to!)

I went running this morning; temps were in the mid-fifties, and it was breezy and a little cloudy. Gorgeous. And we used our down comforter last night!

Speaking of the comforter—I finally bought new bedding, for the first time in probably ten years. In keeping with my goal to remove all color from the house, everything is now white but the bed skirt, which is a light tan linen. I'm looking for the perfect throw pillows to "complete the look"—in a print that incorporates the bright white and tan, and also some slate or grey blue—which has involved hours clicking around etsy, zazzle, etc. I'm working from a picture I found on Pinterest (naturally), and I'm having a hard time duplicating the pillow the designer used. I'm guessing the fabric is super high end, which is why I'm not finding it at Wayfair? Lol.

I was going to do a before and after post, and maybe I still will, but honestly I was so excited when the matelasse and shams arrived that I tore everything off the bed before I could take a picture. And what are the chances I will remake the bed with the old quilt? Yeah...no.

Road Trip!

Just back from a trip to the Midwest to take a last-minute look at two colleges my son is considering. You'll be pleased to know that he eliminated a moderately priced match school and added an expensive reach.

The people in the Midwest are so friendly. Maybe I'm just jaded from growing up in New England and many years spent in Washington and Philadelphia, but I could not believe how many people struck up conversations with us and seemed genuinely interested in our trip.

We met the nicest couple who told us all about their bike trips through France. Evidently they liked to pedal between villages with absolutely no plan for where to eat or sleep. This meant several late-evening rides to the next village to look for a hotel with a room. I could tell my husband was liking the sound of this, so I made sure to squelch his nascent plans quickly. I could get behind a biking trip, although a walking tour is probably more my speed (see what I did there?). But there is no way on God's green earth that I will be participating in any situation where it is unclear if a bed will be available at night.

We got to make a quick stop in Chicago. I love that city.

And the common app essay is now written, thanks to a four-hour train ride. One essay down, (at least) ten more to go!

Back to School

One great thing about having older kids is that shopping for school supplies is ridiculously easy now.

Then:

• A two-page supply list for each kid
• At least an hour at Staples/Walmart, with a side trip to Walmart/Staples for items we couldn't find at the first stop
• A cart literally heaped with tissues, notebook paper, pack of exactly three glue sticks, dry erase markers, pencils, the largest possible 3-ring binder, paper, index cards, 3-hole punch
• At least one tantrum (mine)
• Total cost of $119, plus future therapy bills for the kids

Now:

• Three 1-inch binders and a pack of mechanical pencils
• Total cost of $18
• Only a little PTSD

Who said having teenagers was hard?

We actually did have to make two stops this year. When we went to get in line to pay at Staples, there was one—one!—cash register open, and a line that stretched all the way to the back of the store. On the Sunday afternoon before the first day of school! Thank goodness we had invested approximately three minutes choosing the binders/pencils, which made it easy to simply put down our basket and leave. I felt horrible for the families with the hugely piled carts...once you've located each and every requested item, and said no to an equal number of extras, how can you possibly walk away? And do it all again somewhere else? 

Family...and Hair

My sister and I drove up to New York over the weekend for a family gathering. There are seven cousins and we are spread out all over the east coast (one cousin lives in Europe), so it is rare for us all to be in one place.

We are a family of redheads. In my dad's generation, all three siblings had red hair; in mine, five of seven. (Among our children, only two of twelve are redheads. Are we dying out? Thank God, science says no.)

It is a family of big personalities, big drinking, and big hair. At least one cousin at any given time has long hair, and when it is long, if it goes unchecked, it is definitely big. Bushy doesn't even begin to cover it. And do other families talk about hair a lot? Somehow we always seem to...maybe because there's just so much of it!

(My sister and I, who have been blowing out our curly hair for years now, tried to explain how much easier it is to maintain a straight hairstyle. I spend about 45 minutes, two or three times a week, washing/drying/flat ironing my hair. On days I don't wash it, I comb it. This requires 30 seconds at most. And I never have to to leave the house with wet hair...which happened every day when I wore it curly. My cousins seemed unconvinced.)

Aside from being—for once—in a majority redhead population, there is something so comforting, and comfortable, about seeing my cousins. I look at them and see my sister and myself in their features, as well as bits and pieces of our parents and grandparents. We compare memories and keep up traditions, the favorite a sea shanty sung holding heads in a circle (this is generally done only after a few drinks). We have sung this song as toddlers perched on phone books at the dining room table and as embarrassed teens. As adults we sing and remember those no longer with us, holding on to a tradition that we are passing on to our own children.

It may (I hope it won't) be another 10 years before we all see each other again. Until then I'll be remembering.

I'm a deep water sailor just in from Hong Kong
Way, hey, blow the man down
If you give me some grog, I'll sing you a song
Give me some time to blow the man down

A Is for...

Ankle. It is improving...slowly. I still can't walk any real distance on it, though. And there is an ominous popping when I extend my foot. I'm ignoring that for now.

Anniversary! We celebrated 22 years together last Friday with a movie (Spy, liked it), dinner (Barbuzzo, food was fab), and overnight in the city (Bellevue, has seen better days). My daughter was quite entertained by the fact that we were actually out fairly late (still at dinner at 11 pm!).

Anxiety. Does anyone else worry like this? I cannot sleep if one of the kids is out and expected home. And this summer, one or both kids are out pretty much every night. I particularly worry about my 19 year old. She is in the city until late two nights a week and I am refreshing the train system app about every 3 minutes to see exactly where the train is. And texting her: "Are you on the train yet?" Etc. As much as I love having her home, my worry is less when she is at school and I don't know exactly what she is doing. Which is completely irrational, I know.

Arrivederci. Said goodbye yesterday to a friend who is moving away. She and her husband are downsizing to a smaller home in a college town a few hours from here. I'm so sad to see her go...even as I am happy to see her starting a new adventure! I do envy the fact that she has had a chance to really go through all her "stuff" and pare down...something we really need to do. In 11 years we have accumulated so much junk in attic and basement.

All right...time to shower and get started on my day! Happy Tuesday, y'all.