Peg Duthie's Blog, page 61
October 27, 2012
the thick of preparations
Our friends Jase and Chuck are hosting a carnival tonight. Since I own a cloak, and it's going to be cold, I told the BYM that I'd be going as a Generic Fairy Tale Character.
He nodded sagely: "Oh, that's what I tell people you are anyway."
(The ongoing joke in his circles is that I'm imaginary, since I'm more introverted than he is by a factor of 31.)
I am, however, also the Queen of Tarts. (The Dreamwidth icon, incidentally, was taken in front of a Dublin cafe with that name.) After consulting this recipe for proportions, I made a plate of chocolate cheesecake bites and another of raspberry-jalapeno ones:
I'm also going to be wearing two pendants, both made by Jaime Lee Moyer (her Etsy shop is Warrior Kitten Creations). The one that arrived in this morning's mail is my prize as one of the October first line contest winners:
(The one I won earlier is chronicled here.)
...It was a poetry-thickened week, in fact. Wednesday, I went to Vanderbilt to hear Lisa Dordal read from her new book, Commemoration. She also read some poems outside of the collection, including "Bad Dog on Couch," which has made me smile every time I hear it. I've also been wrestling with revisions for a poem I originally started submitting to markets in 2009. I truly thought it was ready back then, of course, but rereading it earlier this week, I realized it needed a better first line, and by the time I was done, the only words the new version shared with the original were those making up 3/4 of the punchline.
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He nodded sagely: "Oh, that's what I tell people you are anyway."
(The ongoing joke in his circles is that I'm imaginary, since I'm more introverted than he is by a factor of 31.)
I am, however, also the Queen of Tarts. (The Dreamwidth icon, incidentally, was taken in front of a Dublin cafe with that name.) After consulting this recipe for proportions, I made a plate of chocolate cheesecake bites and another of raspberry-jalapeno ones:
I'm also going to be wearing two pendants, both made by Jaime Lee Moyer (her Etsy shop is Warrior Kitten Creations). The one that arrived in this morning's mail is my prize as one of the October first line contest winners:
(The one I won earlier is chronicled here.)
...It was a poetry-thickened week, in fact. Wednesday, I went to Vanderbilt to hear Lisa Dordal read from her new book, Commemoration. She also read some poems outside of the collection, including "Bad Dog on Couch," which has made me smile every time I hear it. I've also been wrestling with revisions for a poem I originally started submitting to markets in 2009. I truly thought it was ready back then, of course, but rereading it earlier this week, I realized it needed a better first line, and by the time I was done, the only words the new version shared with the original were those making up 3/4 of the punchline.
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October 25, 2012
mushrooms
a neighbor's mushrooms --
sunshine-polished tortoises
slowing down my walk
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October 23, 2012
cropping and clipping
My new icon (chez Dreamwidth) comes to you via a photo in the latest Vanderbilt University Medical Center Reporter of the sew-ins from earlier this month. (I'm third from the left; I like that my hands are what's visible.)
The November 2012 issue of Vogue arrived in my mailbox a day or two ago, and I'm really enjoying it so far. It starts with ten pages of Tiffany ads, showcasing some spectacular arrangements and gowns. The "letters from readers" section include four letters about Bel Kaufman that are a welcome tonic to fears of aging:
There were also two letters about the excerpt from Paris: a Love Story, which I finished recording for the Talking Library earlier this week...
...and four letters in praise of Pamela Paul's article on the trouble and condescension women run into when they want to obtain a tubal ligation. I skipped reading the original -- it's not as if I lack for material to enrage me these days, especially on the topic of people being arses when they encounter others who don't share so-called traditional values -- but I have to admit I had a moment of "my tribe!" in reading these letters -- three of the writers likewise knew in their 20s that they did not want to become parents, and encountered doctors unsympathetic to their efforts to avoid pregnancy:
Also in this issue: an ad for the Oscar de la Renta exhibit in Little Rock, featuring Penelope Cruz in a phenomenal red gown, an excerpt from Richard Russo's new memoir (about growing up in New York with a single mother), and Lisa Cohen on her friendship with Sybille Bedford. When they met, Lisa was in her 30s, Sybille was 86, and Lisa was researching Madge Garland, whom Sybille had disliked because Madge had made clear she cared only about "people who were successful. I was an aspiring writer; she made one feel it." Lisa continues:
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The November 2012 issue of Vogue arrived in my mailbox a day or two ago, and I'm really enjoying it so far. It starts with ten pages of Tiffany ads, showcasing some spectacular arrangements and gowns. The "letters from readers" section include four letters about Bel Kaufman that are a welcome tonic to fears of aging:
To read of her life and undiminished enthusiasm for books, theater, and people at 101 humbles me in light of my waning interests at a mere 70 years of age. When I was 23, I wanted to be like Bel Kaufman, and now, 47 years later, there are miles to go before I sleep and that goal is still before me. - Rocky S. Thomas
While many [of my med school interns] say, "Oh my goodness, you're turning 30. Yikes!," Kaufman's story puts things into perspective--this woman is 101 and talking about editing her works for e-books! - Sofia Mohammad
There were also two letters about the excerpt from Paris: a Love Story, which I finished recording for the Talking Library earlier this week...
...and four letters in praise of Pamela Paul's article on the trouble and condescension women run into when they want to obtain a tubal ligation. I skipped reading the original -- it's not as if I lack for material to enrage me these days, especially on the topic of people being arses when they encounter others who don't share so-called traditional values -- but I have to admit I had a moment of "my tribe!" in reading these letters -- three of the writers likewise knew in their 20s that they did not want to become parents, and encountered doctors unsympathetic to their efforts to avoid pregnancy:
In 1973, as a recently married young woman, I visited my family physician to seek information about tubal ligation. He responded that he would recommend a good psychiatrist for me. - Elizabeth Soladay
Also in this issue: an ad for the Oscar de la Renta exhibit in Little Rock, featuring Penelope Cruz in a phenomenal red gown, an excerpt from Richard Russo's new memoir (about growing up in New York with a single mother), and Lisa Cohen on her friendship with Sybille Bedford. When they met, Lisa was in her 30s, Sybille was 86, and Lisa was researching Madge Garland, whom Sybille had disliked because Madge had made clear she cared only about "people who were successful. I was an aspiring writer; she made one feel it." Lisa continues:
I was in my 30s, with no book to my name. But she did not make one feel it. Instead, exacting as she was, she made it clear that good friends were what she lived for, along with excellent writing, food, and wine. . . . She considered herself, not just her book, a work in progress.
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October 21, 2012
watching and blending
The Salt Lake Tribune endorses Obama. The Washington Post seems to be rather entertained by how it went about it.
My riff on Donne won the![[community profile]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1380983018i/3670708.png)
poetree
writers' challenge, netting me thirty DW points. Sweet!
On Friday, I forgot my dancing shoes and I came down with a messy cold, so I was a grumpuss by the time the clock struck twelve. The evening had a nice start to it, though -- my husband has moved his shop to a new space, and he invited some friends over to see it:
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My riff on Donne won the
poetree
writers' challenge, netting me thirty DW points. Sweet!On Friday, I forgot my dancing shoes and I came down with a messy cold, so I was a grumpuss by the time the clock struck twelve. The evening had a nice start to it, though -- my husband has moved his shop to a new space, and he invited some friends over to see it:
comments
October 18, 2012
snarling, cursing, splashing
The snarling: The local mainstream daily has endorsed Romney. This is not a surprise: it reported Tuesday's debate as a draw, and the Monday Opinions page (the op-ed page was replaced by full-page ads a couple of years ago) is little better than a hash of advertorials (masquerading as "Tennessee Voices"), a so-called Teachable Moment (Monday's was on Nietzsche), and 3-5 letters.
My main encounter with the paper is on Mondays, since I'm part of the Talking Library team that reads it aloud. Mornings like this, I wonder whether my two hours (+ commute) should be applied to something else.
The cursing: My friend Marissa Lingen has published a fun story with the title of "Cursed Motives." It features a princess of the non-helpless variety. There are links to the podcast and text versions here.
The splashing: Today's Google Doodle is in honor of Moby Dick.
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My main encounter with the paper is on Mondays, since I'm part of the Talking Library team that reads it aloud. Mornings like this, I wonder whether my two hours (+ commute) should be applied to something else.
The cursing: My friend Marissa Lingen has published a fun story with the title of "Cursed Motives." It features a princess of the non-helpless variety. There are links to the podcast and text versions here.
The splashing: Today's Google Doodle is in honor of Moby Dick.
comments
October 16, 2012
Dun-dun dunnnnnnn...
Poetree Challenge #25: write a poem about an anniversary
Dun-dun dunnnnnnn...
E's reciting to F about kings
and things that never run from us away.
I want to beg her to stop. I want her to save
the words for another year or three:
it's still too soon after breaking up with G,
not enough time since F's father died,
and, also, H still inhabits
swaths of E's internal datebook,
stretches of secretly blue and gray
"years since" squares -- occasions too minor,
ancient, or awkward to share aloud
and yet too large to tame into the silence
of albums, lockets, or flowerpots. I want
to warn E about how long she'll live --
her full allotted span, sharp to the end --
so doesn't she want this day to remain
deliciously blank throughout the years to come,
unclouded by the ghost of these words
she's speaking right now? They ring
with all her heart, yes, and F in kind
will cherish this day, run with it toward
the time to choose a wedding day
but that will be too soon as well.
Wait, my darlings, I want to demand,
the people you're eager to prove so wrong
will rest content in their wrongness long
after the gifts and glorious rhymes
have faded into a litany of losses --
anniversaries both of things returned
to their senders, and things that failed
to come back from the alluring green
of awaysides and of foreign grass. I'd like
to hiss, For God's sake hold your tongue
and let your love be free of reins
until you've truly learned the shape of your mouths--
but were they to hear or heed me, they
would no longer be the E or F
whose threads I've spun thus far.
And so I let E continue to voice
Donne's fine words of the everlasting
and for a moment -- just too long enough --
F wants to hold onto this day forever.
- pld, 10/15-16/2012
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Dun-dun dunnnnnnn...
E's reciting to F about kings
and things that never run from us away.
I want to beg her to stop. I want her to save
the words for another year or three:
it's still too soon after breaking up with G,
not enough time since F's father died,
and, also, H still inhabits
swaths of E's internal datebook,
stretches of secretly blue and gray
"years since" squares -- occasions too minor,
ancient, or awkward to share aloud
and yet too large to tame into the silence
of albums, lockets, or flowerpots. I want
to warn E about how long she'll live --
her full allotted span, sharp to the end --
so doesn't she want this day to remain
deliciously blank throughout the years to come,
unclouded by the ghost of these words
she's speaking right now? They ring
with all her heart, yes, and F in kind
will cherish this day, run with it toward
the time to choose a wedding day
but that will be too soon as well.
Wait, my darlings, I want to demand,
the people you're eager to prove so wrong
will rest content in their wrongness long
after the gifts and glorious rhymes
have faded into a litany of losses --
anniversaries both of things returned
to their senders, and things that failed
to come back from the alluring green
of awaysides and of foreign grass. I'd like
to hiss, For God's sake hold your tongue
and let your love be free of reins
until you've truly learned the shape of your mouths--
but were they to hear or heed me, they
would no longer be the E or F
whose threads I've spun thus far.
And so I let E continue to voice
Donne's fine words of the everlasting
and for a moment -- just too long enough --
F wants to hold onto this day forever.
- pld, 10/15-16/2012
comments
October 15, 2012
notes
"Every breakup is like a snowflake. They're all different but they all end up in the same slush pile." - Chris Bluemer, during a Billy Collins workshop (Palm Beach Poetry Festival, January 2005)
"It's dangerous to cry in a poem -- better for the reader than the writer to cry." - Billy Collins, during the same session
"There should always be onions in your kitchen, for should a stovetop fire occur, two quartered onions added to the center of the flames will immediately starve them of oxygen. This is a tried and true method that comes from old Europe where chimney fires were numerous, and many larger fires were avoided by applying this method." - Madeleine Kamman, The New Making of a Cook, p. 635
"According to a Roman superstition, evil spirits often lurked inside fresh eggs. Many Romans believed that before they cracked open and ate an egg, they should pierce the shell so the evil spirits could escape. The sharp point at the end of [their spoons] was perfectly designed to do this." - James Cross Giblin, From Hand to Mouth; or, How We Invented Knives, Forks, Spoons, and Chopsticks and the Table Manners to Go with Them
"My fascination with croquettes started when I was living in Amsterdam, more than a decade ago. As I was often not sober, for all sorts of reasons, I managed to fall in love with a national perversion: warm and cheesy grease balls that came out of a vending machine." - Yotam Ottolenghi, introducing a recipe for "Eggplant Croquettes" (Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes...)
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"It's dangerous to cry in a poem -- better for the reader than the writer to cry." - Billy Collins, during the same session
"There should always be onions in your kitchen, for should a stovetop fire occur, two quartered onions added to the center of the flames will immediately starve them of oxygen. This is a tried and true method that comes from old Europe where chimney fires were numerous, and many larger fires were avoided by applying this method." - Madeleine Kamman, The New Making of a Cook, p. 635
"According to a Roman superstition, evil spirits often lurked inside fresh eggs. Many Romans believed that before they cracked open and ate an egg, they should pierce the shell so the evil spirits could escape. The sharp point at the end of [their spoons] was perfectly designed to do this." - James Cross Giblin, From Hand to Mouth; or, How We Invented Knives, Forks, Spoons, and Chopsticks and the Table Manners to Go with Them
"My fascination with croquettes started when I was living in Amsterdam, more than a decade ago. As I was often not sober, for all sorts of reasons, I managed to fall in love with a national perversion: warm and cheesy grease balls that came out of a vending machine." - Yotam Ottolenghi, introducing a recipe for "Eggplant Croquettes" (Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes...)
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October 14, 2012
notes about church and dinner
Church:
* the pleasure of wearing a favorite dress on an ordinary Sunday
* a violist with the Nashville Symphony/Alias played a Bach courante (from suite #6) after the call to worship, as well as harmony on the hymns and a Faure pavane during the offertory. Lovely stuff.
* the Story for All Ages was about Henry Bergh, a Unitarian who founded the ASPCA.
* the meditation was "Avalokiteshvara Dharani," a Buddhist chant.
* our church placed first in this year's AIDS walk, raising $18,200. Wow!
My original plan was to spend the afternoon at my easel, but tiredness took over, so I ended up sacking out on the sofa. For dinner, I made a variation of Melissa Clark's crispy tofu recipe:
(I didn't have peanut oil, so I used sesame. The shiitake mushrooms weren't soft enough by the time I started cooking, so I skipped them. Instead of pork, I cooked half of the long beans I picked up at Shreeji's yesterday. Instead of chicken broth, I used water. Instead of saving the green parts of the scallions for garnish, I mixed them in with the soy and mirin and dumped them into the pan at the same time. And I tossed in a spoonful of minced garlic because I felt like it.
[Clark won't mind. One of the themes of In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite is how she and her mother seldom follow recipes as written. :-) ]
I also broiled two chicken breasts and made a quick sauce for it by combining orange juice and mustard. Some of it blended with the soy-mirin-garlic glaze on my plate, and that tasted really good, so I might try that combo on purpose later this week. (The Turnip Truck had some aging tofu on sale today...)
comments
* the pleasure of wearing a favorite dress on an ordinary Sunday
* a violist with the Nashville Symphony/Alias played a Bach courante (from suite #6) after the call to worship, as well as harmony on the hymns and a Faure pavane during the offertory. Lovely stuff.
* the Story for All Ages was about Henry Bergh, a Unitarian who founded the ASPCA.
* the meditation was "Avalokiteshvara Dharani," a Buddhist chant.
* our church placed first in this year's AIDS walk, raising $18,200. Wow!
My original plan was to spend the afternoon at my easel, but tiredness took over, so I ended up sacking out on the sofa. For dinner, I made a variation of Melissa Clark's crispy tofu recipe:
(I didn't have peanut oil, so I used sesame. The shiitake mushrooms weren't soft enough by the time I started cooking, so I skipped them. Instead of pork, I cooked half of the long beans I picked up at Shreeji's yesterday. Instead of chicken broth, I used water. Instead of saving the green parts of the scallions for garnish, I mixed them in with the soy and mirin and dumped them into the pan at the same time. And I tossed in a spoonful of minced garlic because I felt like it.
[Clark won't mind. One of the themes of In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite is how she and her mother seldom follow recipes as written. :-) ]
I also broiled two chicken breasts and made a quick sauce for it by combining orange juice and mustard. Some of it blended with the soy-mirin-garlic glaze on my plate, and that tasted really good, so I might try that combo on purpose later this week. (The Turnip Truck had some aging tofu on sale today...)
comments
October 13, 2012
abundance
Housework, hymn prep, and commissions are going to take up the rest of my day, but I ran errands this morning, which got me out of the house, which was a fine thing, because it is beautiful in Nashville today. Perfect weather for going to festivals or sitting in parks if you're not under the weather or under deadline. (Knight writes about some of it here.)
My main reason for getting myself to the Farmers' Market this a.m. was to get two kitchen knives and a penknife sharpened by Cathey Grossman, whose Edges service had gotten a rave review from Chris Chamberlain. She's located between the Tamale Pot and the pizza station. She's friendly as can be, her prices are good (total cost for my three = $9), she got the job done in 30 minutes (there was another customer's set ahead of me), and she put the blades in sleeves when I picked them up. She didn't have the equipment to sharpen scissors today, but told me to bring them next time. (This is all a huge contrast to the last sharpening service I'd tried.)
The market itself didn't seem crowded, although parking on the Rosa Parks side was already a mess at 10 a.m. I'd accounted for three-fourths of a bottle of cava last night, so I was pleased to learn that the Tamale Pot was already serving tamales, although I ended up asking for the stuffed pepper platter instead...
...and also an order of beignets. Toppings were free today, so I had one drizzled with chocolate and the other with caramel.
I'd stopped by the market earlier this week as well, so I didn't need to pick up much in the way of veg or fruit -- just long beans and raw almonds from Shreeji's. (I couldn't resist peering at the shelves of frozen Indian pastries and paneers, but I behaved myself.) It being October, the place is teeming with chrysanthemums and pumpkins, as well as shelves of salsas and pickles and sauces, and butternut squashes thicker than a football player's arm. The longest line, though, every time I've been there, is in front of the Moose Head kettle corn kiosk (they have a looong list of flavors -- I think I saw "green apple" in there...).
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October 9, 2012
today was better
...though not yet ready for prime-time. Oi.
In a related vein, I was asked to calculate how much time I spent chairing Committee D during 2010-2011.
...It added up to nearly 300 hours. And it wasn't my only volunteer commitment that year. No wonder I'm still catching up on the rest of my life.
On a separate note, I received the list of hymns for this Sunday earlier this afternoon. I am forever learning new things about the songs in SLT; today, it was finding out that #127 is based on William Blake's "On Another's Sorrow."
There's just enough daylight left for a walk or a ride. Time to fit that in, too.
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