Kirby Larson's Blog, page 76

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Dear Dad: since it's your birthday today, I won't complain once about your cigars.
Love you!

Winston Wonders

Those of you who know me, know I am very curious and will dig and dig to satisfy that curiosity. (And yes, that hole in the garden was necessary -- I nearly caught a mole!) 

I also happen to live with a writer who is busy with a new manuscript so I've offered to take over this blog on occasion to help her out. I plan to use this time to fetch answers to book world questions I've been wondering about. She-Writer wants me to do this every Tuesday but, as a dog, I've never been good with calendars so we'll have to see how it goes.

Of course, anyone -- whether they have four legs or two -- knows that any good children's book needs a dog in it. It started way back with John Newbery, English publisher and namesake of the Newbery Medal. A Little Pretty Pocket-Book, first published in 1774, kicked off this grand tradition:
Sharp eyes will notice one of my canine ancestors
The book also happens to contain one of the first illustrations of a game called "baseball," 

but we all know the real reason that Newbery's book was such a hit.

Carole Estby Dagg

Tomorrow night, Carole Estby Dagg celebrates the launch of her debut novel, The Year We Were Famous. One of the cool things about this historical novel is that it is about Carol's own relatives! Show up at Secret Garden at 7 pm to find out more!

New book for Kathryn

My good friend, Kathryn O. Galbraith, has a lovely new book that you will want to add to your collection.
Right off the starting block, it got a starred review from Publishers Weekly, which said in part: "a thoroughly handsome book, suffused with calm." I think the book's brilliant because it combines poetry and botany to tell the story of how nature's "farmers" plant wild flowers and wild plants. This beautiful book fits right in with the current "grow-your-own" trend, too!
Congratulations, Kathryn!

Work Habits

A month or so ago, I began buddy writing with a friend. Each day we email each other with our goal for that day. Since I've begun using Scrivener, I find myself thinking more in terms of word count, while my friend thinks in terms of pages. 
Are you a word counter or a page counter? Inquiring minds want to know!

This is not an April's Fool

I am so excited about discovering this site with easy-to-access historical maps that I wanted to let you know about it. I mean, who doesn't need a map of Washington State in 1919?

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

My darling grandmother, Lois Thomas Wright Brown,  would've been 96 today. It seems hard to believe she left us to go garden in heaven six years ago. Important lessons I learned from her: warm the breakfast plates, be ready to make a pot of tea whenever someone drops by and always wear earrings. The adorable Queen of the May
Note the earrings; matching necklace, too!
Miss you, Grandma!

Better late than never

Blessed by a rainbow!
View of Kingston opposite the ferry dock
the walkway from the ferry I had the best time at the Fireside Theater in Kingston, talking to a wonderful group of kids and adults who took time out of a busy, sunny Saturday to hear me talk about The Fences Between Us. 
Energizer Bunny, Suzanne Droppert of Liberty Bay Books in Poulsbo hosted me and she even borrowed some moving and wonderful banners from Bainbridge Island that gave more insights into the War Relocation Camps and their impact on the folks who were sent away to them.
I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with Rose who came prepared with questions and caught me for a pre-talk interview.  Rose and me in front of one of the borrowed banners
It was a wonderful morning, complete with a lovely ferry ride. I definitely want to go back!

Dear Mr. Jobs. . .I'm ticked off

I am hopelessly old fashioned, I guess. How else to explain that I could possibly think that if, after doing my research, an iPad 2 seemed like the tool for me, I could just bop on over to my local Apple Store yesterday afternoon and buy one?
What a silly, delusional girl I am! I stood there with my mouth open when the young Applet at the University Village store explained that all of the iPad 2s had been sold for the day.The entire front window was filled with iPad 2 images, siren calls to the unsuspecting buyer. How could there not be any to purchase?
I obligingly followed young Applet's advice and returned to said store this morning at 9, only to be told that iPads were not usually delivered on Mondays. Again, the open mouth. The even younger Applet who greeted me helpfully suggested coming back tomorrow.
Does anyone else think this is ridiculous? Doesn't our friend Steve Jobs know how many original iPads were sold? Wouldn't that give him a clue as to how many 2s to build? I don't understand this business model. Have we resorted back to a hunter gather society where the "thrill" of the hunt is part of the consumer process? That's not my kind of thrill.
Of course, I can't complain about this to my beloved son who does not suffer fools gladly, especially Apple-using fools. But I like Apple products and have been a MacBook user for maybe ten years now. Doesn't that count for something, Steve?
Evidently not. 
I've decided I'll give it one more try. And if I can't get one tomorrow, I am going to rethink this purchase. Anybody got any suggestions? I want lightweight, ebook and ability to show keynote/powerpoint presentations.

Soup Night

It's still cold and raw here. Soup tastes great on days like this! Especially this one, which is easily adapted for the vegetarians in your household. I was first served this at my good friend, Ann Whitford Paul's house. Best eaten with very good friends at the table!
2 T olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
2 T diced prosciutto
4 garlic cloves
2 small butternut squash (about 2 pounds each), peeled, seeded, and cubed
5 cups chicken broth
1/ tsp minced fresh rosemary (use fresh if possible!)

Heat the olive oil in a heavy, large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in the prosciutto and garlic; saute for 1 minute.Add the squash and broth. Cover and simmer until the squash is very tender, about 15 minutes.

Using an immersion or standard blender, puree the soup (in batches, if necessary). Add the rosemary, season with salt and pepper to tast, and simmer for 5 minutes to blend the flavors, thinning the soup with additional broth if necessary. Ladle into bowls and serve! Freezes well!

(from Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes: Recipes from a Modern Kitchen Garden, by Jeanne Kelley)