5/30/2008

D-E-D, Ded

Yes, that would be my car...

So there, I was, a trifle early for my date to pick up those bookcases, when I noticed that the engine temperature was higher than I'd ever seen it. Now, a few days ago, the low coolant light started flashing. But it never flashed for long, and my handy, dandy car instruction manual said to add coolant. Which I did. Yesterday. And all seemed to be well...

But as I noticed the engine temp tonight, I noticed smoke starting to come out of my hood from right about where the coolant tank is. So I pulled into the handy gas station that was right there, into a parking space, put some distance between me and the car and noticed the liquid that had emerged from the car, from about the same place. Then I called AAA.

But the bookcases... I wasn't that far from the rendezvous point, so I decided to walk up and see if I could carry one or both to my car. And they are folding bookcases, so I thought it slightly possible. And it was crazy, but I did it, making frequent stops. But I figured, hey, I only have time to kill waiting for the tow.

I got back to the car, got the bookcases in, got a soda, and then got a call from AAA saying it would still be another 30-40 minutes. Then maybe 10 minutes later, the truck showed up.

From then on, it was just get to the mechanic, walk up to Market East and wait forever for the train home. Thank you Septa Trail Pass...

So now it's mortgage, teeth Pt. 1, teeth Pt. 2 coming Tuesday and an unknown but likely enormous car bill.

Good time to get a housemate. I don't think I'm charging her enough...

Keep your fingers crossed...

5/29/2008

Acquiring...

Today, I have acquired but do not have several things - two bookcases and a housemate.

There I was, aimlessly perusing the furniture listings on Craigslist for things I don't exactly need, when I saw the ad for these:



And though the ad was a day old, and because you can never have enough bookshelves, I answered and got them. I'm going to go pick them up tomorrow. I will find room for them, one possibly replacing the low quality one in Bear's room that is currently holding my dance books. I will als need a shelf or shelves in the craft room for books and 100 other things doubtlessly...

In other news, Laurie, one of my soon to be graduated students, comes to be my housemate in a little over a week. She will live on my 3rd floor, bake yummy things in my stove, and be a nice person to have around. And as an added bonus, I won't have to eat ramen quite all of the time, and I will be able to afford my gas bill next winter. That's the theory, anyway.

So new things and new projects are all ahead. Next up: the craft room...

5/26/2008

Small steps...

In my head I keep telling myself that some progress in the house is good. But I still feel I didn't accomplish as much as I could have. But then, I wasn't at home as much as in my head I thought I'd be...

But I got a few small things done, and plan to get another done before bed.

-Plants from Liz planted and even watered. I need the promised rain tonight and tomorrow to give them all a good drink and a positive start in my yard.
-Potluck items made - red velvet cupcakes (always a crowd pleaser, doubtless because they're from a box) and eggplant pasta salad. The latter was part of my new program of trying recipes. It's not an ideal recipe, but it was good practice. And I hope it's better the next day because I have a ton left. But hey, I cooked eggplant for the first time and it wasn't hideous! Now to find some eggplant recipies that are not also tomato-y. I think I would like those better and it would feature the eggplant a little more.
-Ikea table put together; electronics set up. Yes, the stereo, CD player, TV, VCR and DVD player are all in place, hooked up, and ready to go. And yes, the outlets in the upstairs parlour are next to be grounded.

The plan before bed is to clear out enough space in the craft room to construct the table/counter/thing that's going in there. I don't think I'll get to putting that together until next Friday night, or maybe Sunday, but when I have a couple of hours and some help, I want to be ready to go.

Anyone feel like participating in a bout of furniture assembly? Tea and/or other refreshments provided...

5/24/2008

How does your garden grow?

Well, we'll see if it grows at all...

This is where I wish I had a digital camera so I could show you all of the things I planted this morning. But maybe I'd better wait until I see if this stuff takes.

On Thursday, Liz gave me a bounty of plants, perennials, many of which are happy with shade, and which, if they make it, will spread. There's a lilac, an azalea, bleeding hearts, forget-me-nots, black-eyed-susans, columbine and who remembers what else. I've lined three sides of my back fence, giving each plant some room to grow and spread. Keep your fingers crossed.

This is the beginning of my gardening adventure. I'm not really much of a gardener, though I want to have some fairly low maintenance stands of flowers. And I'm willing to put in some work to make this happen. Assuming these plants take, as they grow, I'll be able to discern them from the weeds and pull everything unwanted. And possibly fit in more plantings as I see what kind of space I have.

I've been inspired lately by this picture:


I eventually want to put in a brick patio, and line the beds with stones or other edging, but unlike the photo, I want to have more patio for cocktail parties, dining and tea parties al fresco, etc. All in good time.

There are a few plants I know I want to add - some up front, some in back:

-Roses - yellow and peach ones, but I like so many kinds and colors
-Peonies
-Daisies - white and shasta - such good cutting flowers
-Heuchera or coral bells - the leaf shapes are great
-Allyssum
-Viburnum - one with those lovely scented flowers

And doubtless many others. But this is a good group of stuff to begin with - to see if I can keep them alive and start to create my own petite oasis.

What's growing in your backyard?

Ole!

So there we were, aimlessly strolling about Old City, contemplating an evening of used bookstores, perhaps last minute tickets to Our Town at the Arden, something cheap for dinner, when we happened on the poster that set our course for the evening - Flamenco on 4th and Bainbridge. Perfect.

Though we strayed a bit too long at the Book Trader, we booked it down to the tiny Shubin Theater, and made it just in time. The attraction was Pasion y Arte, an all-women dance troupe. Fabulous, strong, passionate. Inconsiderate audience members aside, I was just blown away by the movement and the emotion.

One key element for me was that some of the dancers were mature women, not the norm in most dance performance settings. But it was thrilling to see these women dancing from their hearts and their years of experience, as if to say, "we've lived long enough to have something to dance about."

The passion in English dance largely comes from a connection to another person, assisted by the music. It's one that works for me. But the ECD dance form itself cannot come close to capturing the depth of feeling that these women were able to display through music, rhythm, costume and movement. It's amazing.

I may need to become a groupie.

5/22/2008

Craft room set-up...

One of the things I was longing to have in a house was a craft room with a door that shuts. I want to be able to work on projects, make a complete mess, and just shut the door and still feel that I have a halfway presentable house. Well, I have that now, but the craft room itself is not open for business. And the craft bug is hitting big time, so I have to get going on this.

As it stands now, I have two big pieces of furniture in the craft room - my desk (2 filing cabinets and a desk top from the jr. high years), and the kitchen table from Arlene. Neither are perfect to keep the rubber stam boxes on. So what is perfect? This item from Ikea which now sits in a box in my hallway:















Once I get the thing assembled, I think the whole room set-up will flow from there. The stamp boxes will sit on top of the new table. I have a large number of the old Ikea Moppe boxes, the ones that came assembled, in various sizes and drawer configurations, and a couple of the new hellish-to-assemble Fira boxes.












One drawer will hold inkpads. Another will hold maybe pencils and markers and fountain pens. I have no idea what will go in the third drawer, but doubtless something will go in there. Underneath on the shelves will be yarn, cross-stitch and beaded flower stuff, and maybe some of my fabric stash and patterns. After all of this stuff is in place, I will be able to work in there, which will be wonderful as I'm itching to make some cards and postcards to have on hand.

Someday I may decide to decorate the boxes, either with snazzy labels, or other decoration as shown here.
















Maybe I should plan a craft party as motivation to get the space ready to go.

5/19/2008

Take an ibuprofen and...

Well, it's going to happen. I'm going to the dentist. Tomorrow. When your aching teeth keep you up until 3:30am, it's time to give in.

I fear the dentist. He has sharp things, and needles as big as your head, and...

And I'm going anyway.

This having to take care of your heal nonsense is not much fun. Life was better when all aches and pains were minor, could be ignored, and then got better on their own. But now my allergies are worse than ever, I had the whole back thing (now recovered from), and now there's the teeth thing. Less good.

And yes, I know I'm no longer 20, or even 30, and this is par for the course. But I still formally protest.

5/18/2008

Danger ahead...

I think I have dental work looming ahead of me. And it will be painful and involve needles and lots and lots of money (no dental insurance...). This is not good. But my teeth falling out would be less good, so if anyone has a good dentist in Center City or Mt. Airy, please let me know...

5/15/2008

Random thoughts...

-I now live amazingly, beautifully close to the contra dance. Not that I'm going to go all the time, but wow!

-Tonight I cooked potatoes in a casual way for the first time. This means I did not have to peel 10-15 pounds of them, and I was not making kugel or latkes. I actually cooked a meal from one of my recipes. And ate it. And it was good. The recipe needs some tweaking - something to make it bright. I think it needs some sitting/cooling/marinating time as well. I will tweak it, and when I get it right, I will post it.

-Off to Amherst to call the Pleasures of the Town dance this weekend. I love going up there to call. It's a nice dance and a great community. And I get to go in June too!

-My annual summer cocktail party will sort of maybe be house warming like. If you were a good weekend for a party in August or early September, what date would you be. Saturdays are best. June could happen, but I think it's just to soon for me.

-I need your opinions about two house things: open shelving in the kitchen (dust vs. ease of finding things) and hanging pictures beneath cabinets and over counters as in the picture below. I'm considering both of these things at the moment...






So, what do you think?

5/13/2008

If the shoe fits...

Mom laughed at me tonight when I told her I'd bought a new pair of shoes. And she wasn't wrong to have done that either.

When I was packing up to move I was flabbergasted by the number of pairs of shoes I had. Where did they all come from? I couldn't have purchased them all, could I? Surely they grew there. Or were gifts.

And then why, amongst the thousands of pairs scattered among my closets, were there none to suit my needs? Or was I just in great need of some retail therapy? (Did someone get her stimulus check? I think it's working.)

Whatever the reason, I am now the proud owner of these shoes:

They look alarmingly like the shoes I am replacing - the ones with all of the air conditioning in the sides. But the main point is that they are comfortable, wide enough for my feet, and black. I will wear them almost every day. Starting tomorrow.

Along with the shoes, the helpful salesperson gave me an envelope and a brochure. Ecco will essentially rebuild my nearly dead shoes for about half the price of new shoes. It's so worth it. I'm going to mail them off right away.

But the real question is, do I need these shoes in color #66?




5/12/2008

Taking the night off...

What with the weather being hideous, and still feeling accomplished from the weekend, yet not motivated to tackle anything tonight, I decided to take the night off. I didn't go anywhere, I didn't talk to anyone. I simply snuggled up in a blanket and read, only taking a break to cook dinner.

One of my Saturday errands took me to the Central Branch of the Free Library where I hit pay dirt on some of the books I wanted to read. So I reached toward my 15 book limit and took out bunches of them. And seeing as how I only have three weeks and 3 renewals, I thought I'd best get going.

I read mostly mysteries, and these days search for authors (with the help of my sister who always has great suggestions) who have a pile of books to their name. I then proceed to use amazon and the Free Library catalog to put the books in order (if possible, I prefer to read the books in order so I don't miss the subplots and introductions of recurring characters), and find them in the library system.

So what am I reading lately?

-Books about coffee and tea: Cleo Coyle's Coffee House mysteries featuring Clare Cosi and set in NYC, and Laura Childs' Teashop mysteries featuring Theodosia Browning and set in Charleston, S. Carolina. Both of these series smack of being ghost written, or perhaps the poduct of several authors, a la Nancy Drew, but they are frivilous and fun. The coffee house mysteries especially make me long for a cup of coffee every time.

-Books set in Maine: This is just a coincidence, but at about the same time, I found two new authors: Sarah Graves, originally from the Philadelphia area, but who now lives in and remodels a house in Maine. Her series is Home Repair is Homicide, and features tips about restoring old houses, an area of great interest just now. The second is JS Borthwick, who's detective Sarah Deane is a college professor.

-Books by Rhys Bowen: She seems to have written a million books, but they are conveniently divided into three series. The one I have now is the Molly Murphy series about an Irish immigrant to NYC at the turn of the 20th Century. I'm on Book 2. So far, so good.

This is just a smattering of course.

Along with the thrill of finding a new author is the disappointment when an author stops writing (or takes a long hiatus). I think these authors should write more. Now.

-Madeleine Robins who wrote the Sarah Tolerance mysteries
-Joanne Dobson who wrote the Karen Pelletier mysteries (but wait! her website says there will be another in 2009!)
-Margaret Lawrence who wote about 18th century midwife Hannah Trevor
-Julie Kaewert who wrote booklover's mysteries
-Sharon Kay Penman's medieval mysteries
-Fiona Buckley's Ursula Blanchard mysteries

And on and on...

I think I'll go read a bit before bed...

5/11/2008

Dinner for one...

It's only just after 10pm on Sunday, and I'm about ready to call it a night. It's been a full weekend, but amazingly enough, I accomplished a lot on my to-do list. And I scored a huge box full of burned-once pillar candles for a dollar. You just can't go wrong with that. I didn't get my shelves hung, but one of the boys will help me with that in the next couple of weeks. And I didn't polish the furniture downstairs, but it'll keep another week. But other than that, it feels good to have put in some major house time this weekend.

I am generally coming to terms with the idea that just because I live in a new space does not mean I'm a different person with different talents and tendencies. For instance, I'm still never home, I still hate drying dishes, and I have not overnight become a fabulous cook. In fact, I don't think becoming a fabulous cook is like to happen any time soon.

I've always had the sense that I could cook if I wanted to - I can follow recipes, but I don't have a good instinct for what flavors and foods will work together. Most of the time my time is short and so I want to do something quick - pasta, couscous, ramen noodles and salad-from-a-bag top my list of favorite home-cooked meals. Hence my struggle with tea and potluck items. It's long been easier to go out and buy something to eat or bring than it is to make it. And then there's the niggling fear that I'll bring something and no one will eat it. Purchasing something seems like more of a sure bet. So one of my goals this summer is to cook. To follow recipes. To try new things. Not to go crazy, mind you, but at least once a week, make something from scratch. I want to be brave and cook meat or fish. I want to incorporate non-salad vegetables into meals. I want to bake a little - something I feel more confident doing. I want to actually try those recipes I faithfully cut and paste from the Food Section every Thursday, and use the cans of beets I bought on a whim last year.

I may discover in the end that I'm still not a cook. I can live with that. But I want to go through this process of making my food less instantaneous, more flavorful and diverse so that when I have dinner parties, which I want to do soon, I'll have confidence that I can please my guests.

Or else I'll fall back on one of my favorite quotes from a card: Enough of these feminine stereotypes. Andre, call my caterer!

5/09/2008

Back on track...

I don't know if it was planting that lilac, or whether it's the psychological shift that the end of the school year brings, but somehow, I feel as if life is returning. (Maybe it was just catching up on sleep for a few nights?) From whenever in January, it was all-house-all-the-time. Then it was Passover and Neffa and Rochester all in quick succession. But now, with a whole almost-free weekend upon me I want to catch up and move forward with house things and other activities that get pushed aside during the craziness of the semester.

Highlights of the past week:

-Had a lovely time calling the Jane Austen Ball
-Got a gig for December 2009!
-Bought, set up, and used a mechanical sheep, AKA a manual push mower
-Planted my lovely lilac and lillies of the valley - two favorite flowers, both gifts from Jenny
-Washed a pile of dresses I previously only handwashed one-at-a-time using the "handwash" cycle on my washer
-Finished up the semester at Swarthmore with a final party, followrd by tea with Jenny
-Attended a concert with Rachel at the Folk Factory which is mere minutes from my house. Got on their mailing list and hope to go to more things there in the future.

Weekend plans (oh, that I could accomplish all... I'll settle for some)

-Finally dispose of my dead laptop (tomorrow will be attemt number 3 to drop it off...)
-Go to a studio sale where someone is selling off rubber stamps and other stuff
-Pick up a wall-mounted folding drying rack in Center City (yay FreeCycle!)
-Clean the bathrooms
-Hang shelves
-Put more books away
-Scrub the stove
-Go to dinner at Jenny's and thence to the AGM
-Clean out the backyard (thanks, Paul!)
-Dust and vacuum
-Grocery shopping
-Check out plants at Liz's
-Call Mom

New summer schemes (just the first batch of many):

-Try Jenny's daily bathroom cleaning ideas
-Cook at least one meal a week from my stash of recipes to see if I really do like them
-Try the Satuday morning walk at Morris Arboretum
-Spend time on my front porch and in my backyard
-Learn how to strip wood
-Move this blog back toward my original scheme of topics (though I'm sure the house will continue to dominate, if subtly)

Tomorrow's post - potluck/tea items

5/07/2008

The beginning of a post...

I still can't get over the idea that I can come home from the dance. park right away, and just pop in a load of laundry, even if I don't have enough quarters in my wallet. I wonder if I'll ever get used to it.

This post must be brief, though there's lots to say, as it's been a couple of late nights and a very early morning this morning. So I'm going to write only until it's time to pop the clothes in the dryer and then go to bed.

On Monday night I bought, among other things, a mechanical sheep, otherwise known as a rotary push mower. It's perfect for my little patch of grass out front, and will do for the back until I some day put in a patio. Last night I put the mower together, gave the front patch a once over, and with help from George and Paul, planted the lilac and the lilies of the valley, both favorite flowers, and both from Jenny.

OK, losing it now. Time to switch the laundry and go to bed.

5/04/2008

Home again, home again, jiggety-jig...

Desperate not to recreate last weekend hellish drive home after Neffa, I raced out of Rochester right after the Ball, only minimally stopped, and made it home in under six hours. Pretty good, I'd say.

And the weekend was quite good in fact. I was dance mistress at the Country Dancers of Rochester's Jane Austen Ball.

It suddenly struck me as I was driving up to Rochester yesterday, that this was one of my first gigs where I really didn't know anyone in the community. Not true, of course, because I knew the folks who hired me and withwhom I was staying, and because the dance world is so small, I know/recognize people from Neffa or from other dances, but I'd never met/heard the band before, and I had no buddies in the crowd. And though I was equally unknown to them, I think I made good.

It was a lovely event. The hall is drop-dead gorgeous and with a good floor to boot. Pricey, I hear - too pricey to get on a Saturday night, but the tea dance format really works. And folks are into the clothes - gave me extreme dress envy. Though I have no concept if that style of dress would look like anything on me, I want one. Heck, I also want the perfect body to pull one of those off...

And my calling went well. The comment I get all the time is how clear my instructions are. Clear is the word people use over and over. This make me really happy, but also puzzles me a great deal. Why are other people not clear. Are they talking too much? Are they straying from the instructions and trying to be descriptive, but winding up being confusing? Nevertheless, the organizer was happy, and the dancers seemed happy. Working with the band was great, and I may even have gotten a few more gigs out of this!

And did I mention that all of the lilacs were blooming in Rochester. For that reason alone it would have been worth going!

This week I finally have several nights at home, and a weekend at home at last to look forward to. I must clean and do yard work, go to Lowe's, and maybe Ikea. But I am desperate to tackle the craft room and make some cards, including a thank-you card for my weekend host and hostess - something blue and white I think.

Huzzah for good weekends and good dancing, and a good night's sleep at the end of it all.

5/01/2008

What were you doing as the sun rose this morning?

This shot could be from almost any year, but it was taken this morning at Belmont Plateau where more and more gather each year to welcome in the May.

We now have two morris sides, two longsword teams and a garland team. There were green men and a maypole dance for all.

May Day morning is always amazing. It's horrid getting up at the early hour, but you collect your coffee and arrive at Belmont Plateau while it's still a bit dark and get to watch the sun rising over the skyline, far removed from the city, but right next door... All this and you still get to work on time!

As I was driving home from work, it started to rain. This did not bode well for the Swarthmore may pole plan. But the rain stopped, and while not bright out, and admittedly damp, we danced around the Maypole with the dance that Jenny and I made up on the spot last year. It was great.






















This picture is from last year. I think it was too dim tonight to take pictures. The current Swarthmore maypole was built last year afte Facilites Services lost, then found, then lost the Folk Dance Club pole. The only improvement might be if we could figure out how to secure the head to the pole so that it doesn't rotate with the ribbons. Maybe we'll work on that for next year. So, what May Day song was in your head all day today?