Kitchen Minimalism

Finally, the ugly upper kitchen cabinets are gone! I wanted to yank out those hideous abominations masquerading as cabinets and replace them with just a single shelf for a long time. I just had to work up enough disgust to find the energy to start yet another home improvement project. The urge to purge had been building for a while and I couldn't stand it any longer after being home for three days straight. Chris has learned that when I get that itch, it is difficult to stop me or change my mind. He has also learned that little by little all my crazy ideas add up to living quality improvement. Well, almost all ideas. Some ideas come with a lot of work and expense to him.

This time after only minor grumbling he good-naturedly agreed to demolish the cabinets Sunday night. I spackled all cracks and holes before I went to bed. The next morning I got up early and sanded and painted the walls and ceiling white, two coats. While the paint was drying, we went off to buy the shelves and brackets. We had to borrow a skilsaw from the neighbor in order to cut the shelves down to size. Our own tool arsenal is very modest. By the Monday afternoon, it was all done. I am very pleased with the result. I have always loved open shelves and clean uncluttered looks. Ideally, I would gut the kitchen completely and construct my dream kitchen with light recycled wood, slate, a gas range, sky lights, and vaulted ceilings. Since that option is not in the budget at this time, smaller-scale changes will have to do for a while. So for now the home improvement monster who resides inside me is satiated and will slumber for an undetermined period of time...

First Backyard Fire

5/30/11

Rain. Rain. Rain. Even moisture tolerant Oregonians are getting sick and tired of the rain this year. Apparently, we have had a record year of rain. Again. The weather gods’ displeasure is evident. The Columbia River is flooding low-lying areas in Portland, farmers are weeks behind planting schedule, and the lawn in the back is soggy in spots like a marsh. Along with all the rain comes the cold. In other words, it has not been a particularly warm and sunny spring, and it is really nearly summer. What gives?

Due to the prolonged rains, whenever there is the slightest break in the weather, people fling doors and windows open and stampede outside. They pour out of their homes like rats scatter off a sinking ship. Cows, busting down barn doors to get to the succulent spring grass, come to mind. Yesterday which was Memorial Day, when the afternoon sun peeked out, the neighborhood was abuzz with lawn mowers and shrieking restless kids. The hoop in the cul-de-sac kept many kids occupied for hours adding another sound effect, the continuous thud of bouncing basketballs, to the suburban neighborhood cacophony. After a long, dark, cooped up, and non-existent spring the human joy was almost palpable.

We enjoyed ourselves and the little sliver of spring-like weather granted us by having a fire in the backyard pit. Lisa and Kare came over for an impromptu BBQ dinner consisting of chicken, steak, pesto rice, pea vine shoots and arugula braised in garlic butter, asparagus, and scrumptious strawberries drizzled in dark chocolate and dipped in whipped cream. Sorry to stray from the main topic, but food porn is simply unavoidable for me. After dinner, wine glass in hand (an interesting and sparkling pinot noir from Argyle supplied by Lisa and Kare) and comfortably settled in a chair, I took great pleasure in the first fire of the year in the company of friends and family. The evening was mild, only requiring a sweatshirt by the roaring flames, and carried a promise of summer evenings yet to come. The smell of burning wood and the movement of dancing flames are timelessly seductive, hard to resist. Oblivious to the chiming of workday alarm clocks drawing closer and closer, we ended up lingering fireside into the night.

Food Porn

5/29/11

Strawberry season is getting close. Close enough that we sometimes can get decent strawberries from California until the better local varieties are in. I love strawberries in any form and decided to include some in my salad at lunch today. Usually I include any titillating veggies and leftover food I find in the refrigerator. Today’s creation turned out to be glorious. I made a salad with mixed greens, roasted beets and radishes, leftover steak, and sliced strawberries. For dressing I simply used balsamic vinegar and olive oil. So simple. So splendid.

Bloody Steak

5/28/11

After years of vegetarianism, I have been eating meat for the last year or so. It has been a good experience particularly since I found out after having a blood test last week that my B-12 levels are superb as well as my iron. This was not always the case. About a year and a half ago I started feeling tired and depressed in the midst of winter and I couldn’t shake it. I went to the doctor and found out my B-12 and iron levels were very low. In addition, vitamin D levels were below any guidelines. The doctor prescribed B-12, iron and mega doses of vitamin D. After a few weeks, I started feeling better. I vowed to not get myself into that bottomless pit and carnival of despair, i.e. nutrient deficiency, again.

I started thinking that it didn’t seem right that eating a vegetarian diet of mostly organic foods would lead to deficiencies. My thinking and reading lead to a couple of books (“Good calories, Bad Calories,” and “The Perfect Health Diet”) and I realized I probably should be eating some meat as well as increasing my fatty fish intake. At the same time I switched out all light or non-fat dairy products for the real deal full fat versions. I also cut down on grains and sugar.

In addition to being able to maintain healthy levels of B-12 and iron without supplements, I have also experienced some other health benefits. My hands and feet used to be cold all the time. My body temperature seemed to be at the low end of the normal range at all times. I think the extra fat in the diet helped alleviate this problem. These days I rarely feel cold. One of the best parts of this diet is better sleep. For years I have suffered from insomnia. Anymore I sleep like a baby. It is incredible.

Adding fat to the diet has other benefits as well, gastronomical benefits. Everything tastes fantastic when cooked in butter and cream! I have always believed I didn’t care much for the taste of beef, but I have discovered that I really like steak, rare to medium cooked steak. It is strange after all these years to be yearning for steak. Bizarre really. I still can’t stand the thought of the horrendous conditions and procedures of big factory feedlot farming, so I buy all meat from organic grassfed sources, meat from happy cows I strongly believe. Part of last night’s BBQ dinner was an amazing piece of flank steak (also called London Broil for whatever reason) cooked on the grill for 6 minutes per side and sliced up against the grain. Yum.

Words with Friends

5/27/11

Generally, I am a hater when it comes to electronic games. Recently I have had to make an exception. The new favorite pastime in our house is the iphone app Words With Friends (WWF). I started out playing a game with my friend Karli who is hooked on playing WWF with her husband. My husband became interested. Today we played several games sitting in the dark in the living room with only our iphones lighting up the intense word finding race. Earlier in the day, Katinka and I played a couple of times. The fun part is that you can have ongoing games with several people for days on end. You just pick up and play wherever you left off the last time. Karli and I are moving along at snail's pace with about one move daily per person, but it is still entertaining. Electronic scrabble like WWF is better than real scrabble because when you are down to just a few tiles, you can test out all the combinations you can possibly think of. The app will accept real words and reject others without penalty, which comes in handy. I guess electronic games do not all signal the complete freefall of modern civilization after all…

Red Red Wine

5/26/11

Today is Thursday but it really is our Friday because we had a furlough day. What is always a good way to spend Friday night? Hanging out with friends! We went to Kim and Eric’s house for dinner. And what a dinner it was! We ate grilled asparagus, Korean beef, barbecued chicken, homemade macaroni and cheese, as well as a spectacular strawberry pie with whipped cream. We all know how I feel about whipped cream. After the meal I finished off the whipped cream with a spoon right out of the bowl. What a breathtaking extravaganza!
Now, no good meal is consumed without a good wine. This particular glass of red was imbibed at the moment of arrival. It was not an expensive wine, just an everyday kind from Trader Joe’s, but it sure was satisfying. I enjoyed every lush complex drop in that first glass, every opulent gulp. Ah, red wine!

Stop and Smell the Lilac

Walking into the house and being met by a luscious lilac scent is an exceptional way to be greeted at the door upon returning home from the coal mine. The lavender lilac was picked by me this morning. The backyard bushes have been in bloom for a couple of days and I have been planning on bringing some cuts into the kitchen. When I woke up this morning to dreary rainy skies, I knew I needed something uplifting and sunny in my day. The lilac bushes came to mind. Before I left for work this morning, I armed myself with the kitchen scissors and ventured outside in the drizzle to clip a few sprigs of fragrant blossoms. The small flowers were even more striking against the bright green leaves than normal due to raindrops. Sometimes rainfall makes everything really crisp and clean looking outside. I placed the bouquet center stage on the island in the kitchen for all to see. And smell. Bringing nature inside in a vase helps dispersing dark clouds. My attractive flower arrangement did exactly what I had intended for it, emanating sweet mirth and lifting sour moods.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Sam (not his real name) comes ones a week to a language group I run in one of my schools. He was born with cognitive and physical delays and spends part of his day in special classes. Sam is very social and walks down the hall at his middle school high-fiving every other student. Once in two years, I have seen him upset and sad. Generally his face shines with excitement and his smile brightens everyone’s day. Nothing is ever an obstacle to Sam. He loves to talk but his articulation skills are impacted due to poor motor control and planning. Sam omits sounds and chops off words while speaking, which makes him unintelligible to unfamiliar listeners in most contexts.
My small student group was answering questions and took turns circling correct responses on the whiteboard. It was Sam's turn to walk up to the board, grab a pen, and be prepared to answer the next question. I told him once that it was his turn, and he gave me a blank stare. I prompted him again, "Sam, it's your turn. Are you ready?" His priceless reply came back quickly like the crack of a whip, "Wha? I wa bown weady." There was much laughter. Indeed, he was. Born ready to make the world a better place.

Love Letter

A sweet little girl at work gave me a letter today, the nicest letter I have received in a while. Made my day!

A River Runs Through It

We ended the evening last night with good food, good drinks, and good friends hanging out at the house in Sunriver. We were all a little pooped after the events of the day, participating in the race Pole Pedal Paddle. Jack and Terrence had been drinking pretty much straight for two days and were fading somewhat. Pat and Karli, and Chris and I played some Sequence over wine and beer. Heidi and Bryan relaxed on the couch. We all just chilled while reminiscing about the day and joking around. I laughed out loud many times until my stomach ached. The evening ended with a heated educator discussion, not unusual when teachers get together. It was a fun and loud day.

The contrast when I woke up early this morning to a quiet peaceful house was striking. I made my tea, unlocked the back patio door, and slipped out into sunshine and wet grass. I tiptoed towards the grassy river bank and the slow-flowing river where steam was rising in ringlets from the surface against a tree-lined horizon. Silently I sipped my green tea and watched five nutrias playfully bob up and down in the water while getting carried downriver by the current. Ducks landed and fish jumped breaking the serene stillness with a gentle splash. I wondered if I would appreciate this splendid scenery as much if I woke up to it every morning.

Xcountry Skiing

5/21/11

My leg as part of Team Chick Magnets was cross-country skiing. I had actually been dreading it a little bit. The course is 5 miles and I have done it before, so I knew it was hard especially the hill at the end. Who designs a xcountry race with a GIANT-ASS one-mile hill at the very end?? Well, I guess there were limitations since the race makes up one part of a relay race and is sandwiched between downhill skiing and bicycling.

Bryan did the downhill leg and I was waiting in chute D for him. He came flying in and tagged my pole with his pole and I was off. The first hurdle was not biffing it right out of the gate in a turn in front of all the onlookers. I made it through there doing pretty well judging by a video Chris took. The first two miles zipped by like butter. Amazing.

I was enjoying being out in the woods and seeing the snow. I even remembered to practice mindfulness and to "stop and smell the roses" while I was out there skiing my hiney off. Rather than focusing on the strip of mushy snow ahead of me and the panting of other competitors, once or twice I slowed down a little and glanced out between the trees at the expanse of white covering the ground. There is something about that sight that stirs my viking blood. Childhood memories? I am not sure. I just like it.

I kept a good pace throughout and felt pretty strong finishing in the end by climbing the huge hill at a nice clip. Chris waited for me in the bike area. I tagged him and he took off down towards Bend, a 22-mile mostly downhill exhilarating ride. Once he arrived at the bike/run exchange, Heidi sprinted off for her 5-mile run. At the run/kayak exchange Jack was waiting to get into the Deschutes River for a bit of paddling. Once Jack was in the water, we positioned ourselves strategically on a bridge to cheer him on and pelt him with peeps. I had a blast tossing yellow peeps at people down below in kayaks and canoes as they were passing under the bridge. "Peeps from above!" and "You've been peeped," we screamed as we hurled little puffs of yellow sugary marshallow chicks off the bridge. They floated away in the river like miniature yellow rubber duckies. Good times.

Ode to Whipped Cream

Like a cloud plucked from the sky
whipped cream, smooth and dense
I get high by the bowlfull

Ubuntu

The highlight of the day was book club. Need I say more? The book we discussed was “The Other Wes Moore” by Wes Moore. The author relates the story of his childhood and upbringing as a poor black inner city East coast kid along with that of a namesake in the same neighborhood. Wes Moore eventually turned into an upstanding citizen and a stellar person, while “the other Wes Moore” ended up in prison for life. He compares their lives and the small decisions or spur of the moment turn of events that shaped them. Fascinating. The book sparked a lot of conversation in our book club when we, a group of middle-aged women all in education, met for dinner and drinks at Typhoon. My glass of Sangria was perfect. We sat outside soaking up the lingering heat of some of the first summery days we have experienced in a while discussing the book. There was a word in the book that has stayed with me, ubuntu. I can’t believe I didn’t know what it meant, that I haven’t come across it before. Well, I have but only in computer programming contexts. What it really refers to is an ethic or humanist philosophy focusing on people's allegiances and relations with each other and it is of African origin. In the words of Desmond Tutu, “A person with Ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed.”

A Single Rose at Work

When I arrived at work today and unlocked the door to my office, I found a rose on my desk. I am lucky because my husband and I work in the same school. Well, I work in three schools but my home base is at his middle school. I am also lucky because my husband often surprises me with flowers. It started when we were first dating over nine years ago.

Sometimes on his way home from campus—we were neighbors in student housing in graduate school at the University of Oregon—he would stop at a flower shop and buy me one gerbera daisy because he knew it was my favorite flower. Still is. He hardly had any money at all but at the end of the day the gerbera daisies were only 75 cents apiece. Even a poor college student can dig trough pockets and drawers and come up with 75 cents. A gift of flowers works wonders. It makes me feel appreciated and loved. It means he took time out of his day to find me an item I care about just to make me smile. I usually don’t smile when I open the door to my office at work. Today I did.

Splendor in the Grass

My doggie, Coalie, is getting old. She spends most of her time sleeping these days. Look at all that grey around her muzzle and on her chest and paws! She has one large lump of fat tissue on her right shoulder, which hurts her when she walks. If it were not for her medicine, her arthritis would make her yelp getting off beds and unable to get down the stairs. There have been times when Chris has had to carry all 90 lbs of her down and into the car to get to the veterinarian. Labs are stoic however, so I am sure she has pains and ailments we don't even know about. Despite her old age decrepitude, she is as sweet as ever. She has the softest ears and smells good. This is true. She smells like a dog but she smells good. Or maybe I am just strange! Occasionally I get a glimpse of her former puppy self when she wags her tail like crazy and bounces up down in excitement when I get home and in anticipation of getting a treat. She also loves rolling in the grass in the sunshine. I caught a picture of her today enjoying a dog's perfect pastime, lounging in the grass in the late afternoon sun.

Bare Feet in the Morning

Early morning runs are more enjoyable in the spring than winter. Although this morning when I went out on my run, it was definitely chilly. I was barefoot as I have been easing into barefoot running in the last year or so. My toes instantly turned numb and cold. Just as they started warming up thanks to increased circulation from my huffing and puffing, I hit the wet grass at the middle school, and they froze again only to slowly thaw out little by little as my body heated up. Usually it is warmer on the wet pavement than in the soggy grass when the temperature is in the 40s (F/5-10C), so I was not surprised. The advantage of running in the grass is obvious; it is softer and a more natural surface—less harsh on the feet. However, it can also be more difficult and unpredictable because I can’t see all objects like sticks and stones potentially hiding beneath the blades of grass.
A couple of trees in full bloom provided a bit of beautiful magic as well this morning like a hidden petal world. Gorgeous views aside, my favorite part of barefoot running is splashing in puddles and leaping through mud.

After rainfall the middle school offers opportunities for both. I love the feeling of mud oozing between my toes even when it is cold outside. It feels grounded and very real. I am actually touching the earth with a bare part of my body. My naked feet root me and connect me to something large and ancient. So at 6A.M. as the wind whispered sounds of promise and renewal in tunnels of tree blossoms around me, the earth hummed songs of solace to my toes. Benefited both sole and soul. Priceless way to begin the day.

Tiptoe Through My Tulips

5/15/11

Late fall every year I longingly eye all the spring bulbs at nurseries, Fred Meyer, Home Depot, and Costco. The pictures on the packages look fabulous and I envision how stunning the flowers would look in various corners of my yard. Usually all the stores have enormous displays and cases and cases of bulbs for sale. After a while of drooling over the bountiful bulb stock, I usually succumb to decision paralysis and become overwhelmed and can’t decide what I would like to buy and plant and enjoy. It never fails. It happens every year. Except last year! Last fall while grocery shopping at Costco I came across the bulb selection once again. Somehow I managed to muster up the moxie to actually choose a couple of bags of bulbs and later the energy to plant them before the first frost. A few weeks ago I was rewarded with a spring surprise of a row of proud and vibrant tulips in the midst of the chaos and wilderness of our yard. I have not been able to cut a single one to bring inside; they seemed too precious and perfect. Today I am glad I captured them in their late state glory with my camera in between rain showers.

Sublime Asparagus Experience

5/14/11

Picking the top experience of the day was difficult. I really enjoyed some barefoot disc golfing with Chris, Honi and Jared at Pier Park in St. John early in the day when the sun was out. However, the grilled asparagus we had for dinner together with Lisa and Kare at our house took the prize. Lisa bought them at farmers market in Portland, so they were fresh as can be. Check out how long they were! With some olive oil and salt and pepper as well as a few minutes on the grill, they were fantastic. Tender, savory, mouthfuls of green goodness. Spring asparagus. Mmmm.
Now I am sure the rest of our meal also enhanced the sublime asparagus experience. We started with deviled eggs with anchovies, and mozzarella with fresh basil on tomato slices. Appetizers were followed by small fingerling potatoes with lots of butter and sour cream, roasted cauliflower with toasted walnuts smothered with a lemon mustard sauce, grilled corn in the husk, grilled chicken as well as sirloin tip steak along with lots of wine from Cor Cellars, a Gorge vineyard we recently disovered. Fresh strawberries for dessert tied it all together to complete a gastronomic feast.

Ice Cream with Mayling

Rare moments alone with my daughter Sequoia, recently turned 16, I treasure. After dropping Bailey off at his PT appointment at Kaiser Interstate Sequioa, or Maymay or Mayling as she is also known, and I went to Ping, an amazing Asian fusion restaurant in the Pearl, for a bite to eat. We were both starving. Ping has never let me down before but I was a little unsure if they could accommodate Sequoia’s vegetarian preferences. No problem. She had roasted potato skewers, dal with bread, and jasmine rice, and she was happy. My fare consisted of divine chicken, beef, prawn, and lamb satay skewers along with a potato vinegar shochu drink. No complaints from me. However, most memorable today was our next stop, Cool Moon. Cool Moon serves homemade ice cream in the most tantalizing flavors e.g., kulfi (cardamom, pistachio, and rosewater) and chai tea. No matter how tempting some of the more adventurous flavors may seem, I usually settle for chocolate or strawberry. Hey, I am simple and easy to please. Well, sorta kinda. Some people would disagree. Ha. Anyway, I had the most heavenly scoop of Belgian chocolate ice cream, which turned out to be the most satisfying part of my day—not counting my precious time with my Mayling who by the way enjoyed birthday cake flavored ice cream. Perfect for celebrating sweet 16.

Meet of Champions

5/12/11
Today I attended Meet of Champions, a sports event for cognitively impaired high school students. Since I work as a speech language pathologist in a high school, I knew all the kids who represented our school. I am fortunate to be able to spend a day or two every school year going with them on field trips. Seeing “my” students outside of the educational or classroom setting helps me understand their strengths and weaknesses. I love seeing how they use some of the communication strategies and tools introduced at school out in the community.
The highlight of my day was watching a non-verbal boy, who communicates using sign language and an ipod touch with a voice output app, walk up to get registered for the 50-yard dash. When the official asked for his name, the student held out his lanyard with his attached student identification card. Independently. Yes! He then lined up, gave me a thumbs up and off he went at the sound of the starting gun. I ran to cheer him on at the end and met him as he came wobbling in across the finish line with a giant grin on his face and his hands raised in victory. I had a big grin on my face too as we high-fived in celebration. He signed “run” and “more” and pointed to the starting line. “Sure," I said. "Of course you can go again.” Who wouldn’t want to relive a glory moment like that?

Sidewalk Beauty

Finding joy in little things is hugely important. Every year at this time the sidewalks are littered with flower petals, which makes me happy. It transforms the ordinary suburban asphalt into a thing of beauty. It makes you stop in wonder. Like magic.

Rage Against Technology

I started this blog 2 days ago. Then Blogger hit some kind of snafu and was down for 2 days. My orginal blog disappeared and never came back!! So here I am trying to recreate it. This makes me very very angry.