Questions for the Mayor

Dear Mayor,

In June my daughter's car was vandalized in her driveway, in July her boyfriend's truck was broken into in the parking lot of a restaurant, and on Sunday night (October 25, 2009) her home was burglarized. I have questions: Why are there mean people? Why do some people think they can take other's property? How could someone kick in my daughter's back door, enter her home, go into her rooms, and take her things?

Knowing I will never get the answers to these questions I have other questions to ask. What are you doing to make our city safe? What are you doing to increase the size of the police force? What are you doing to increase the pay scale for police officers so that more qualified and capable people apply? What are you doing to enable the young police officer, who answered my daughter's 911 call, to catch the criminals? Are there funds to actually do anything with the fingerprint evidence he collected or with the serial numbers from my daughter's electronic equipment? And, if by chance, the horrible person/people who broke into my daughter's home are caught, what are you doing to ensure they will be locked up and punished for their crime? Is there room in the jail for them? Is there a true deterrent or will they just get a slap on the hand before going out to do it again?

My daughter is twenty-three years old, trying to finish school and suddenly looking at a $1,100 insurance deductible to replace a door and door frame, a computer, Internet equipment, power cords, chargers and miscellaneous personal (and sentimental) items. How will she overcome this financial loss? She has lost sleep and lost faith and lost her sense of security. How will she get these things back?

I may never know why there are mean people, but I want to know what you are going to do about crime in our town.

Sincerely,

A devastated young woman's mother

You Took the Long Way Home

Thirty years ago today, October 26, 1979, a Harris County deputy sheriff found my mother at her office and informed her that her son was dead. My younger brother, Wade, always took the long way, the hard way, the way less traveled, the way of his own distant drummer.

I was three years and three months old when he was born. He was the little brother tagging along, the little brother always getting into trouble - banging his head on his crib, playing with matches, and "loaning" someone a bicycle (which we never saw again). He was the kid always in the wrong place at the wrong time for the right reason. Always hearing his own music, always taking the long way.

He found his passion and his talent early; he was a gifted drummer who spent hours practicing in his upstairs bedroom oblivious to anything and everyone. Surrounding himself with like-minded friends and doing things my parents didn't always approve of, and of course, always getting caught. Smoking pot, wrecking the car, threatening his girlfriend's stepfather - always well-intentioned, always with a right-set heart, but always making an error in judgement. Things most could do and eke by, my brother did and ran smack into our father while trying to sneak back into the house.

He followed his distant drummer the long way home one night. Riding his motorcycle, he missed the turn and sailed across the bayou, hitting the embankment and breaking his neck. He died instantly, is what the sheriff told my mother. It was the first night she didn't wait up for him is what she told the sheriff.

He took the long way home.

Deadlines

I am leaving town in one hour and ten minutes, which is the deadline (self-imposed) for the "equally shared sleeping quarters" (aka - master bedroom) project. I can assure you, nothing more will get accomplished in the next hour and ten minutes. However, great progress was made. Sadly, I can't claim responsibility for all of it. I enlisted help from my husband, but I was a great delegator and project manager.
What was done:

• both clothes closets were cleaned out, purged, and painted.
• my dresser drawers were cleaned out, purged, and lined with lavender scented paper (it's a girl thing).
• vintage Hartmann luggage (previously used as storage) cleaned out and purged.
• ceiling fan dusted, lights washed.
• top of my desk cleaned off (this is a way bigger deal than it sounds!).
• all photo frames cleaned (huge deal - as there are over 50).
• husband's bed-side table (with four drawers containing an assortment of "stuff" accumulated over 25 years) cleaned and purged.
• all surfaces (top of dresser, armoire, bookshelf, etc.) cleaned and purged.
• TV cabinet with four drawers containing old VHS movies cleaned and purged and painted to match bookshelf. (Thanks to husband for braving garage, finding old paint can, matching paint, and painting cabinet which I've been promising to paint for ten+ years.)
• windows cleaned (inside only).
• curtains cleaned.

Things which didn't make the deadline:

• books in bookshelf purged, dusted, organized.
• all furniture (including bed) vacuumed under.
• my desk drawers cleaned out and purged.
• trunk cleaned out and purged.
• bedroom storage closet cleaned out and purged.
• curtains ironed.

I'll give myself a few extra days when I return from my trip to completed the room. It was my deadline, I can move it!

My Day Off

I have proven once again that I have "Adult Attention Deficit Disorder" - or whatever the hell it is they are calling it these days. I think having this syndrome is awesome. I wouldn't want to be without it! I had a wonderful day, thanks to AADD! This was my day:

• Awoke, realized I didn't have to go to work today, went back to sleep. Awoke again, when the dog-alarm-clock insisted I should be awake. Great husband brought me coffee while I wrote.
• Read newspaper, did crossword, drank more coffee.
• Checked email, facebook, blogs. Answered email. Sent co-workers my schedule for this week.
• Started laundry.
• Revised chapter in novel I am currently revising.
• Checked faceboook, drank more coffee, folded a load of laundry, cleaned off desk in bedroom, listened to Roy Orbison on ipod, started another load of laundry, took dogs outside for potty break.
• Tried on clothes I might pack and wear on upcoming vacation. Found suitcases, folded another load of laundry, called my aunt to discuss get-together. Began roasting tomatoes. Sorted and soaked beans for dinner tomorrow night.
• Thought about cleaning out refrigerator. Abandoned idea of cleaning out refrigerator. Revised another chapter. Packed reference books for upcoming trip. Updated facebook status. Checked email. Called daughter to make sure she got up in time to go to class.
• Worked on time lines and outlines for novel project. Checked roasting tomatoes. Took dogs outside for another potty break.
• Made hotel reservations for 35-year High School Reunion scheduled for April. This took over thirty minutes, as the computers were down at the hotel. Checked email and updated facebook status while on hold. Also checked the blogs I follow for updates. Finally finished reservations and sent out email challenging classmates to do the same.
• Folded and began another load of laundry. Tried on more clothes for upcoming vacation.
• Made grocery list for this evening's appetizer dinner and tomorrow's dinner. Called daughter to find out how her classes went. Called grandmother to tell her I was coming over. Changed clothes.
• Watched Oprah (one of the guilty pleasures of a day off). Folded the final load of laundry.
• Made a list of all of the things I need to take on vacation. Tried to upload photos from camera to photo-finishing site. Didn't work. This is the second time I have spend 30+ minutes trying to order photos online. Tomorrow I am going directly to store with card and uploading photos on site.
• Checked email and updated facebook status again. Finally finished roasting tomatoes.
• Went to grocery store for ingredients to finish out tonight's appetizer dinner and tomorrow's New Orleans Red Beans and Rice. Took roasted tomatoes, Mozzarella, and basil to grandmother's house to share with aunts and uncles. Drank wine.
• Came home, chopped onion, garlic, bell pepper for tomorrow's dinner. Drank wine. Watched my favorite Monday night sit-coms. Tried to purge a virus from my desk-top computer. Folded another load of clothes. Moved suitcases for next week's trip off of bed.
• Checked email and updated facebook status. Felt guilty about not having a new blog. Began new blog. Washed dishes. Got out crock-pot for tomorrow's red beans and rice.
• Took dogs out for potty break. Washed out wine glasses. Told husband I'd be to bed soon. Finished blog.

All-in-all, a great day off. I love having AADD!

Soup

Remember the "Soup Nazi" from Seinfeld? If I were the "Soup Nazi" I could/might/would have the power to deny you the most awesome soup ever. Remember my blog from yesterday when I mentioned making soup from the other half of THE Squash? Well, I made the soup and it must go down in the annals (make sure it has two "n"s says my husband when I asked him how to spell it) of history! I just made the best soup in the world!

Maybe it has something to do with using fresh, locally grown ingredients? Maybe it has something to do with drinking an entire bottle of wine while preparing it? Who cares - the soup was awesome! You must make it. Either right now, or tomorrow (after you have had time to gather the ingredients). Even if you cannot get local ingredients, make this soup as soon as possible. You will thank me!

Recipe Recap:
Mexican Bean and Squash Soup
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch chunks (my squash was from a local farmer. Try to buy local, or grow your own. Check out farmers' markets for butternut squash - if all else fails buy an organic butternut squash at the grocery store.)
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped (mine was from the farm where I work)
1/4 cup finely chopped celery (I'm not a huge fan of celery, so I doubled the carrots)
1/2 cup finely chopped carrots (I used 2 large carrots from my farm and sliced them on the diagonal)
3 cloves garlic minced (I used 5-6 cloves, and they were from my farm, also)
2 canned chipolte peppers in adobo sauce, seeded and minced (I always freeze these when I open a can, because you only use one or two at a time. I only had one, so I used it, seeds and all.)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves (probably the last basil from my backyard)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (I used fresh cilantro instead)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes (I used about 9 fresh Roma tomatoes, probably the last of the farm harvest, peeled and diced)
2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth (I used organic vegetable broth, optimistically thinking there might be leftovers to share with my vegetarian daughter. I doubt there will be any leftovers.)
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained
1 cup corn kernels (I cut the kernels off corn from the farm I froze a few months ago)
2 limes, cut into wedges (after squeezing the lime, put the rind in your bowl)
Tortilla chips for topping
1 cup sour cream, for topping (I used about a teaspoon of light sour cream in each bowl)
1 (8 -ounce) package shredded Mexican blend cheese, for topping (I used Colby-jack)
I also added diced avocado to each bowl
Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a deep pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the squash, and cook until it begins to soften, 5-7 minutes. Add onion, celery, and carrots. Cook until the onion is transparent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chipolte peppers, basil, parsley, and cumin; cook 2 minutes more. Mix in the tomatoes and chicken or vegetable broth. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Stir in the cannellini beans and the corn; cook until just heated through. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls. Squeeze lime juice over each bowl (A MUST), and top with tortilla chips, a dollop of sour cream, and a sprinkling of Mexican cheese.

Regardless of the wine consumed while making this, I am going on record as saying this is the best soup I have ever made or eaten! Getcha some!

THE Squash

In February a friend and fellow farmer gave me a humongous, gi-normous butternut squash. That was eight months ago. For eight months the gargantuan squash sat on my kitchen butcher block. It was very pretty! But, now I have pumpkins sitting on the butcher block and I really need the room, so the butternut squash had to go. My husband cut it in half for me. I was scared I might lose a finger (or a hand) if I tried to cut it. It was, surprisingly, still good. Winter squash are like that - they last a very long time. I guess it is that super-hard shell that protects the innards.


Tonight I made the first of two recipes out of the gi-normous squash. It was a delicious butternut mac-n-cheese recipe. It made enough to feed an army and only used half of the squash. Tomorrow I am making a soup out of the other half. I am sure it will make enough to feed the opposing army. I will feed any and all armed forces, should they show up craving butternut squash.



The recipes:



Butternut Cheddar Shells

12 ounces large pasta shells (not jumbo)

1 1/2 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed

2 teaspoons butter

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/3 cup minced onion

2 tablespoons flour

salt, to taste

white pepper, to taste

nutmeg, to taste

2 cups buttermilk

5 ounces mild cheddar cheese, grated

cooking spray or oil

Set a large pot of water to boil, and preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly spray or brush a 9x13-inch baking dish or similar size casserole with oil. When water boils, add pasta and cook to nearly al dente. Using a slotted spoon, remove shells to a large bowl. In same boiling water, cook squash cubes until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and transfer to bowl with cooked pasta. Set aside while you make the sauce. In a large skillet, over medium heat, melt butter, add oil and onions, and saute 2 to 3 minutes, until tender. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. All at once, add the buttermilk and all but 2 tablespoons of the cheese. Cook, whisking constantly, until sauce thickens and cheese melts, about 8 minutes. Pour sauce over pasta and squash, and toss to distribute evenly. Transfer mixture to prepared dish, sprinkle with reserved cheese, and bake about 15 minutes, until bubbly and heated through.



Mexican Bean and Squash Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups butternut squash - peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch chunks

1 small onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped celery

1/2 cup finely chopped carrot

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, seeded and minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh bay leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon cumin

1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes

2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock

1 (15.5 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained

1 cup corn kernels, fresh, canned or frozen

2 limes, cut into wedges

1 (10 ounce) bag tortilla chips, for topping

1 cup sour cream, for topping

1 (8 ounce) package shredded Mexican blend cheese, for topping



I guess I can count removing the behemoth squash from my kitchen a house cleaning chore of sorts - can't I?

Apres Ski - Really?

The photo above defines my world of crap and clutter, my world of "stuff." This picture is of a pair of Apres Ski Boots given to me for Christmas one year by my parents. I don't remember the exact year (my sister will - she received a pair, too), but I think I was still in college. I graduated from college thirty-one years ago.

Keeping the boots for more than a quarter of a century is not even the real issue here. They are apres ski boots. I don't ski. I tried it once and hated it. It was too cold and my ankles hurt. Sitting in the bar was more to my liking and, I promise, there was not a pair of apres ski boots in sight! Maybe, somewhere in a quaint ski lodge in the Swiss Alps, there are people sitting around drinking hot buttered rum while wearing after ski boots, but I doubt it. However, I am sure that was the scene my mother envisioned when she purchased these boots for her daughters.

As you can see from the photo, the boots are ugly. Also, they do not fit me. My feet have grown a full size since college. The boots aren't even waterproof - so wearing them outside during the occasional winter snow is out of the question. They are fleece-lined, designed to warm the feet after a long day of skiing. My feet have never been so cold as to need to be warmed by fleece-lined boots. And, let me mention once more - they are ugly!

So why have the boots been permanent residents of my closet for all of these years? A few reasons/excuses:

• They became invisible; I never really saw them. I don't mean they were hidden by the other closet "stuff," I mean they have been there so long they just belonged there on the bottom shelf of my closet, next to my work boots. It never occurred to me how idiotic it was to keep them.
• There was probably some sentimental attachment. Subconsciously, I probably thought of my parents when I saw them and remembered Christmases past, when they were still living, and all of the gifts they lovingly gave.
• I also have the "great depression-mentality" inherited from my grandmother. They are still perfectly good boots - why get rid of them?
• Maybe one of my daughters will want them? NO!
• Or perhaps, the real reason I've held on to these boots for so long - maybe I'm not ready to give up on the idea of sitting around an Alpine lodge, drinking warm drinks with my feet, cold from a long day of swooshing down the Alps, swathed in fleece.

But I am banishing all the reasons and excuses. Today the vintage apres ski boots have been relegated to the garage sale box! Let's hope a chalet-owning, Swiss skier attends the sale.

I'm Back!

Cleaning House, a memoir - is the title, and allegedly, the theme of my blog. I've lost sight of the cleaning house part! No more, at least for today! I am focused and determined to get one room cleaned, purged, organized, in shape, etc. Much like a 12-step program employing the "one day at a time" mantra, I'm going with one room at a time. The room first in line for my new, determined focus is the master bedroom. What an odd name! This many years after the women's lib movement, why do we still call it the master bedroom? How about the "equally shared sleeping quarters" or the "main bedroom" or the "room of snoring and menopausal night sweats" or the "only bedroom in the house with a lock on the door?" I digress.

Let it be known that progress has been made. This weekend I took everything (please note bold letters) out of my closet. I piled all of it in the newly transformed room of daughter #1. (See blog dated 8/4/09) I still have to purge the 25+ years of the accumulated contents, but the closet (drum roll, please) is freshly painted! Once everything came out, I realized the interior of this closet, and probably every other one in my house, hasn't been painted since the house was built. We didn't paint the closet interiors when we moved in and judging by the appearance, once I could actually see the walls of the closet, it probably hasn't seen a fresh coat of paint since (another drum roll) 1953!

It is now painted the brightest white imaginable. My painter, who happens to be the other inhabitant of the "equally shared sleeping quarters," mentioned that my small closet, measuring 3.5 x 5' (in the 1950s large closets were not yet in vogue) took as much paint as daughter #1's large bedroom! The closet required several coats - after 55 years its thirst for paint was insatiable.

As I wait for the paint to dry, my job is to purge the closet "stuff." In addition to clothing and shoes (this might be a good time to confess I have two other closets in my house used for my clothes and shoes), this closet held a multitude of miscellaneous crap. I have already thrown away or designated for the garage sale pile - two Seiko watch boxes, circa 1980, 2 Cannon Sure-shot cameras, and lots and lots of costume jewelry. So, I have made a small start, but I do have my work cut out for me. The upside to this, aside from a gleaming white, empty closet - imagine the fodder for future blogs! Hello - Cleaning House, a memoir - I'm back!

I Was Right About the Peppers

They are so much prettier than the tomatoes!