Vernal Equinox

Hot summer days are here, as of yesterday officially.

I wanna hold your hand

I love this little video of otters. You need to see it to the end.

Clam Dip

"Don't eat clams dug in months without 'R's" (the red tide months). This remains a good rule, but since I presume my grocery store canned clams are safe to consume anytime, here's a tasty, simple clam dip.



1 can minced clams, drained and rinsed
3/4 - 1 C. sour cream
1/3 C. mayonnaise
2 T. lemon juice
2 shakes paprika
pepper

Good with potato chips or salty crackers. If used as a veggie dip, add a little salt to the mix.

Happy Father's Day!

(Sorry, Sae. You were still on the way in this picture.)

Cool and With It

Sitting on a bench outside the Louisville Airport last month, a well-dressed woman my age apologetically asked if I minded her smoking. She said it was so odd because smoking had been "cool and with it," and then all of sudden it wasn't. I was sympathetic, mentioning the media and the addiction. "Yes," she said while she smoked. "Marlene Deitrich. I was going to be Marlene Deitrich."

Yesterday our wonderful neighbor had surgery on his mouth, actually his tongue. They removed close to half. The cancer, his wife says, is from his pipe and cigar days. We're anxious for him.

June 14, 1974

Age 4; 6th birthday, big hair.

Rocks

We've been working daily to finish our yard: stone walls, rock waterway, boulders by vegetables, etc..

More flowers

My logging has been pre-empted this week by yardwork and by Enrichment. It was fun to make flower arrangements for HFPE with flowers from our yards. We had a plants/bulbs trading table and potluck. Then Rosemary told us about spending five years in the Pacific on a 33' sailboat with her husband and son! Then Tracy talked about going to Russia six years ago to adopt 5-year-old Ana from an orphanage. Heart-rending.

Flowers

Mother's Day flowers have lasted forever. Thanks, P&R!

IKEA

IKEA comes to Utah!

"I Have Four Daughters"

In an inspired moment, mother realized she had four daughters and knew she'd better be about preparing homemakers/mothers. Naturally we helped in the kitchen, did Saturday jobs, hung clothes on the line, etc. Then, whenever she'd pick up a home magazine she'd tell us a handy hint or a nutrition idea she'd found. I guess all mothers try to pass on everything they know, but she told us outright we were being prepared:

• Make your bed. It doesn't take long, it's the biggest piece of furniture in the room, and a made bed gives a sense of order (and you won't lose your wallet or socks in the messy covers later in the day).
• White vinegar dissolves minerals: use it to clean the clogged steam iron, to dissolve calcified water deposits on vases, windows.
• Ammonia cleans many things: Aunt Mary Martin used it on her white carpet and upholstery in her Beverly Hills apt. I use it about 1/2 strength. Also used as a homemade laundry pre-treatment. Don't use it on wood finishes.
  
• Sweep.
• Fold towels in thirds; then they're ready for the towel rack. (Although trained in the technique, I don't do this one. But that's another thing she taught me: It's OK to deviate .)
• A frugal woman can stretch a man's salary: Dry beans are cheap and healthy; a pkg of beans cost around $.25 in the late 1960's, she pointed out.
• Convenience foods (1950's cake mixes, Bisquick, frozen veggies) are a blessing to busy mothers in our day and it's OK to use them.
• Try something new. She was one of the first to serve her family tacos.
• Hold on to the old. Vegetables, boysenberries from Dad's garden were great.
• Let go of some things. She used "bluing" in her wash--Mrs. Stewarts, a dye that made yellowed whites look whiter. She quit that one.
• A man needs a clean, white ironed handkerchief in his pocket if he's any sort of gentleman (see above.) From learning to iron handkerchiefs we girls moved to white shirts.
  
• Avoid a monochromatic menu. Mac 'n cheese, carrots, peaches: "I've made an orange dinner!" This one was strictly aesthetic on her part.
  
• Eat healthy. We had few chips around, although she often had a private chocolate stash. She liked vegetables, whole wheat cereal, all the food groups, lots of milk for children, etc.
  

Of course there's more, but this is long.