Author Archives: witchyrichy

Good Friday

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Yes, it refers to the holiday but it also refers to the fact that after four days away from home, I’m back at my desk watching the birds and the squirrels as I decide what I need to do today.

I finished my crocheted tea cozy and small mat for a friend’s birthday.  I looked for a teapot for her but couldn’t find one I liked so may just get a box of tea to send along with the cozy.  I also spent time last night surfing crochet and craft sites.

I am hoping that crocheting in the evening will help me fight the battle of the bulge.  Last night, I really wanted to snack on something even though I knew I didn’t have any points left and I wasn’t really hungry.  I just wanted to crunch pretzels or crackers. But I crocheted and then cam back and worked on the computer.  I’ve been eating so well the past week that I don’t want to blow it now that I’m home.  I’ve already eaten cereal this morning and am getting ready to open my WW points tracker and plan the rest of the day.

The workshops went well.  I only have a few things on my to do list, especially since I have the whole weekend ahead as well.  I’m enjoying the free time since once I get started on my dissertation research, there won’t be much of that left.  Oh!  The best news…I’m going to get to teach my first online course starting next week.  Very exciting!

I did skip Maundy Thursday last night.  Wasn’t sure I would get home in time and my church was having a supper that required rsvp.  So, I stayed home, cooked scrambled eggs and roasted potatoes for us, then Bob went to a meeting.  I think tonight will be whole wheat spaghetti.  I told Bob I would make pineapple stuffing for Easter along with a slice of ham.

More on Race in America

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Yet another reason that black might be angry.  This story  got a brief mention in the opening news review on the News Hour this evening.  Yet, dealing as it does with race, I would think it would get a bigger play considering how offended everyone supposedly was about Wright’s remarks about race in America:  The Supreme Court threw out the conviction of Allen Snyder, who was found guilty of assaulting his wife and her lover with a knife, killing the lover.  The reason?  Because they found that blacks were excluded from the jury.

I sat in the car to hear this story from National Public Radio about Trinity United Church of Christ.

Race and Politics

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I should start by stating the I am a Barack Obama supporter.  I find him to be a fresh voice in politics.  Since he is some 15 years younger than Clinton, there’s no doubt that he doesn’t have the same kind of government experience, but I’m not sure we need a good legislator in the executive branch.  Instead, we need someone with the vision to help guide those legislators in doing what is right for all Americans.

I watched the coverage of his speech last evening in the hotel room.  I’m glad he gave it, and I thought he did a good job of trying to at least uncover the tangled threads that are race and religion in America.  But as I listened to one commentator who seemed to have difficulty understanding why blacks in America might be angry, the images of the victims of Hurricane Katrina suddenly arose in my mind.  Yes, I know, all the victims were not black.  But, many were.  And, for at least a few weeks, American was confronted with the problems not just of race but of poverty.  Unfortunately, as with most stories, this one passed out of the news cycle.  But not before I heard the same racist comments from several different people I encountered about the money that the victims were given to at least try to restart their lives.  According to them, these poor blacks simply wasted the money and should not have been given it in the first place.  Perhaps that commentator should revisit some of the images of that devastating disaster and the anger of blacks might be a bit easier to understand.  I was also reminded of the teacher I worked with in a small southern school division.  We taught in a school that had, during segregation days, been the black school.  On my second or third day at the school, she took the time to tell me how badly it had smelled when they first moved in because of the race of its former occupants.  I was stunned into silence, and I couldn’t help but wonder how she managed to deal with her multi-racial classroom.

I am convinced that racism is alive and well in America.  I had lunch with a friend on Sunday and we agreed that, while the comment about “damning” American probably went too far, the notion that America is still run by rich white people didn’t seem too far away from the truth.  But, as Obama pointed out, his goal is to try to get past that and find ways of bridging the gap between the races in America.  Wright is looking backward; Obama is looking forward.  And, I want to look forward with him.

The real problem with what Jeremiah Wright said is that it provides fodder for racists like Rush Limbaugh.  He and his ilk play on the fear of white people.  And, that’s really what this is about, isn’t it?  Fear that being white isn’t special any more.  It’s the same fear that leads heterosexuals to try to define marriage as between a man and a woman.  It’s the same fear the leads fundamentalist ministers to preach about the superiority of men.  It’s the fear of people who are different from us.

Thinking About Buddha and Boats

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I hadn’t been to church for several weeks…busy traveling and working. But, I went yesterday, mostly to hear The Delvers. They are a local group that plays folks, jazz and western swing. One of the band members belongs to my church and I arranged for them to play. As we were getting set up, one of them asked what I was going to do when I finished my degree. I’m not sure, but for several years now, I’ve been talking about building a kayak from a kit.

The sermon was about the use of metaphor in our spiritual journey, and I was pleasantly surprised when the minister told the parable of the Buddha. You can read the whole story here, but the main point is that a man collects materials to build a raft and cross a river. Then, however, he decides to carry the boat with him over his head even though there is no more water to cross. The point: sometimes we carry metaphors with us when they are no longer useful. I couldn’t help but relate this to my own life and that very real kayak I want to build.

Now that I’m getting ready to do my dissertation research, I’ve been asked a lot what I’m going to do when I’m done. Well, first, I’m going to take a break! Read trashy novels, work in the garden, play music, make movies, etc. etc. And, build that kayak…perhaps it’s my own metaphor for moving onto the next phase of my life. I have not ever really built anything and I thought it would be much different from the cerebral work I’ve been doing.

I met with my advisor after church and then went home and submitted my institutional review board request. I may have approval by the end of the week! I’m trying to finish what work I can so my time is free for research. It’s very exciting to be getting started.

Watched the first two parts of John Adams last night on HBO. It was good: I particularly liked Laura Linney as Abigail Adams. In fact, of the two, she’s my favorite in general historically. He was gone so often and for so long that she was running the farm and educating the children herself.

Life Changes

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I have the soul of a 25 year old but the body of a 45 year old and sometimes that contrast really bugs me.  Now, at the time of my life when I know what I want to do and have lots of opportunities to do it, I just don’t have the same energy level.  Actually, at 25, I was working full time (but for someone else) and going to school, too.  But I remember having excess energy.  I was a runner; I hung out until all hours with friends and did those other things, too.  On the other hand, I am much more comfortable in my own skin these days.  Recently, I’ve said to a couple people that the good thing about this age is that I really just don’t give a damn what people think about me any more.

I have been “doing” weight watchers pretty religiously for at least two days now.  I know that doesn’t sound like a lot, but for me, it’s a good start.  Today is the tough day.  I don’t feel all that well, and I could easily backslide.  So, after I’m done writing, I’m going to plan today’s meals.  It worked yesterday.  I ate raisin bran and milk for lunch.  And, even had enough extra points to enjoy a grande nonfat latte.  I cut off a small piece of my steak to eat and filled my plate with the Mayo Clinic potatoes I made and green beans. (When I went back to the recipe, I realize I didn’t soak the potatoes in cold water first.  They were still good. Also, I used Murchee’s Focaccia Bread Spice that we bought last summer in Victoria, BC.)

Just fired up the Writer’s Almanac podcast.  I have a couple skype sessions this morning and then wouldn’t mind doing some more gardening.  Yesterday, I moved some day lilies and bearded irises around.  Still have some more although I’m not completely sure where they are going.  Oh…I have some ideas.  It’s going to be a beautiful day so maybe we’ll run out to the property in the evening.  At some point, I do need to go grocery shopping.  Hmm…big day planned.  At least, the gardening yesterday yielded me 5 exercise points with WW.

I fed the birds yesterday morning, even made peanut butter suet.  Now, there’s a downy woodpecker on the suet feeder.  The blue birds have been visiting, too, getting bluer and bluer as each day goes by.  I love watching the world come alive in the spring and my office window offers the perfect viewing spot.

We’re having dinner guests Saturday and I still don’t have a finished menu.  Salad, definitely, from the green house.  It’s close to St. Patrick’s Day so I was thinking about stew although I would use beef rather than lamb.  And soda bread to soak up the stew juices.  The stew will have all the vegies in it.  I guess I could make noodles to put it over, too.  For appetizers, I think a good Irish cheddar if I can find one at the store along with crackers and fruit. Maybe some bruschetta as I have some toast points, too.  I want to do stew because I can make it in the crockpot so there’s not a lot of last minute cooking.  Finally, for dessert, I found an apple-custard pie recipe that is supposedly Irish.

Hanging at the Hampton

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Yet another Hampton Inn.  I’m doing a digital storytelling workshop for the next two days.  I’ve mainly been doing administrator training so this will be a nice change of pace.  I had fun playing with photostory and moviemaker last week and I think I have the workshop nicely paced out.  A short into this morning, then look for resources, then photostory.  I think we may be able to get through this by lunch.  This afternoon is an hour with the flip camera then moviemaker.  My goal is to give them time to work tomorrow on a project.

I slept about as well as I sleep in a hotel.  I am planning on some yoga this afternoon.  Before I hurt my back, I had been doing yoga pretty regularly and my heat flashes had really abated.  Not sure if it is cause/effect but Bob and I saw a short news story on yoga helping with menopause.  I feel like I’m back to the beginning, but I’ll start with some light stretching.  And, now that the weather is nicer, I’ll start incorporating a walk, too.  I ordered a few books using Audible credits.

Still reading The American West by Dee Brown.  It’s depressing to read the stories of the ends of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse and the other great warriors.  I keep picturing the barren prairie of Wounded Knee.  Was there any other possibility for this situation?  I don’t think so.  Even those who wanted to save the Native Americans didn’t seem interested in letting them preserve their culture.

Yesterday was one of those not-very-good days that we all have from time to time.  Just felt frustrated all day.  Realized I had lost my cell phone.  And managed to rip the nail off my thumb.  Ouch!  I swung by Target on my way out of town and bought a new phone.  It seemed like it got set up correctly but I still haven’t gotten the text message saying it is ready to use.  I also bought A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.  Just couldn’t resist: it’s part of the Target Bookmarked and last week I heard a woman on NPR talking about the main character, Francie Nolan.  I can remember that my mother didn’t want me to read it.  Eventually, I think I did.  Meanwhile, the last thing I need is another book, but I’ll add it to the basket.

Spring is Coming

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It’s still cold here, but my in-laws in Erie who were snowed in, I am looking at a back yard suddenly filled with robins.  The sun is rising; in fact, I can almost see it moving upward in the sky as the painfully bright light pours through the still naked tress in my neighbor’s woods.  But I can see a red bud from here and the flowering cherries and quinces are in full bloom elsewhere in  town.  The daffodils, or to use the more southern term, jonquils are probably at their peak with patches everywhere, either cultivated or naturalized.  I always feel like I miss this moment in time when Spring beats back Winter not with a full-on assault but rather by moving into the cracks and crannies.  We changed the clocks this weekend so it stayed light until nearly 7:30 last night.  We’ll start eating later as we spend more time gardening in the late afternoon, early evening.  Eventually, we’ll enter summer mode when we get up early to go outside then escape the heat in the afternoon only to emerge at dusk.   The winter mode is the opposite, inside until it warms up enough to work outside.

Yesterday, it never did warm up enough so my husband took a long winter afternoon nap and I finished up some work, then crocheted and watched Better Off Dead with John Cusack.   I don’t watch a lot of movie; I finally gave up even the cheapest Netflix account, but I do like Cusack.  This was the perfect movie for a Sunday afternoon and I finished a tea cozy for myself then started one for my friend who has a birthday in April and is a big tea fan.  I’ll see if I can find a cute teapot for her, too.

I’m in this odd sort of netherworld right now.  My advisor has the final draft of my proposal so I’m waiting.  I’m doing a two-day digital storytelling workshop three times over the next two weeks.  It is planned so now I just have to get there and give it.  I have some work to do for a client that I’ll at least start on today but then am planning to deal with in the hotel room over the next two weeks (SIX nights in a hotel).  Since my folks came to visit, I’m not going to make the trek home for Easter.  I’d only have about 24 hours there, and that includes sleeping.  So, we’re going to stay home.  Aaah…I’m looking forward to it already.  Mostly, I’m trying to enjoy the more relaxing schedule for a little while.  Once my research begins, that will be the end of that.

My husband’s alarm just went off so it must be 8 AM.  He has errands this morning and I’m going to get organized for travelling before I run my own errands and teach my class this afternoon.  I’m enjoying some Trader Joe’s Bay Blend coffee.  I didn’t grind the beans enough yesterday so it was a little weak.  This morning, I made a fresh pot before heading out for a walk with the doggies and took an extra second to grind.  Yum…not bitter, but strong and pungent.  A good start to the day…blessings to all!

Rainy Days

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When I opened the back door for the dogs, I discovered the chickens already wandering around.  We never braved the rain last night to put them away.  Actually, they put themselves away: heading into the coop to roost just about dusk.  But we close the various gates to keep them in and potential predators out.  Last night, however, it was pouring like crazy and it just never happened.  They appear no worse for wear.

My husband said when he got up to let Ivy out in the middle of the night, the frogs were singing.  Not a surprise when you look around this morning.  My neighbor’s woods have been transformed into a wetlands.  We didn’t get rained on and I thought it looked like it was clearing.  Then, as I sat down to write, I noticed that it was raining again.

I’m spending the day with my parents.  We’ll do some shopping and if it does clear take a walk in Colonial Williamsburg.   Dinner is easy, just have to get the chicken in the crockpot this morning.

I managed to finish the VITAL newsletter last evening.  Just two or three more of them to do.  I wondered if I should try to continue but I think it’s time to bring it to an end.  I do get comments from several people about how much they appreciate it.  And, I never really know what I’m going to write about for the opening essay.  Yesterday was no different, but then I started writing about how the Kindle has done for books what iTunes and Netflix did for music and video: made them instantly available.   So, the other day, when I heard through Twitter that the Bryant Park Project was going to have a book club, I decided to join in.  But, I had also made that new year’s resolution about buying books and had just come home from Roanoke where I had majorly broken that resolution.   What to do?  Turn to the Kindle.  Sure enough, the book–In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar–was available.   I saved about 5 dollars buying the Kindle version.

Of course, there are drawbacks: I can’t share the book with others, I can’t sell it at the paperback book exchange, I can’t donate it to the library.  But, for now, I have plenty of other books for which I can do that.  The Kindle allows me, along with the public library, to start making decisions about whether or not I need my own printed copy of a book.

National Crochet Month

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Took another quick cleaning break…I just need to organize the pile beside my chair in the living room.  I was using a Christmas tree basket but I think it’s time to move into spring so I found some stackable boxes with teapots.  Maybe I can use them as holding bins.  I’m sure there’s some organizational guru out there who could tell me exactly how to handle this but I like figuring out a system on my own.

I went looking for a crochet pattern for chair pads.  I have wooden country looking kitchen chairs that I refinished some time ago.  I painted the legs and left the tops natural wood.  They could use another coat of paint and I had chair pads but seem to have lost one of the set of four.  It occurred to me that crocheting pads would be pretty easy.  I’m working on a tea cozy right now.  I’m making it in a neutral cotton just to see how it works out and then I’m going to make one  for a friend.  I discovered that March is National Crochet Month.

I have been crocheting up a storm for myself and mostly for charity.  So, now I’ll crochet happy knowing that I’m joining lots of other people.  I find crocheting to be the perfect relaxing pass time.  I tune into FoodTV or something on PBS and just let the pattern unfold.  So, Have a Happy National Crochet Month!

I was in the midst of writing when I got the call from our weekend visitors.  Stuck on 95 so we’ll meet tomorrow morning.  I’m going grocery shopping then.  But first a visit to the store website to enter my grocery list.  Then it organizes everything by aisle.  What a great use of the web!

Early Afternoon Pages

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This is what happens if you do not write your pages first thing in the morning. Life intervenes. It’s 2 PM and I just poured a fresh cup of coffee. I’ve been cleaning the house and just have one bathroom to go.

I was up early: the dogs were ready for their walk by 6:15 AM. By 7 AM, I was ready to get started on the day, but I decided to indulge in what I consider a luxury: reading a book with my first cup of coffee. In my single days, I couldn’t wait for Saturday mornings. I would get up early, make a pot of coffee, put it in a carafe and bring it to bed with me. Then, I would drink coffee and read. Pure pleasure.

So, that’s what I did this morning except I sat outside since my husband was still in bed along with our lab. It was a might on the chilly side but I lasted for a bit along with Zuzu. Reading In the Shadow of Wounded Knee reminded me that I had Dee Brown‘s The American West on my shelf. And, I was ready for more Western history, even though there isn’t much I haven’t at least touched on. But, Brown’s book, with photos edited by his late colleague Martin F. Schmitt, promised good stories. (NB: just went to Wikipedia and discovered the Mr. Brown is also late.) By the time I sat down at the computer, I was ready to work and spent the morning doing a few things. I was planning to write about the book.

I love its organization: chronological but also topical. Rather than trying to tell everyone’s story at once, they narrow in on sharply detailed vignettes of Western life. I feel like I have some knowledge of how to rope a calf now that I didn’t have before reading their chapter on cowboys. Quite a feat driving 3500 head of cattle from Texas to Kansas.

Their description of a man and his horse who had been trampled by a stampede was gruesome but compelling. The West, it seemed, offered multiple horrible ways to die. Maybe that’s why, when they got paid, cowboys went looking for booze and women rather than hearth and home. Spend it before you get shot by an arrow or trampled by a longhorn steer or shot by a poker player.

I’m hoping to have an hour to sit by the fire and read. It’s pouring outside and we’re home. I added at least another book to the basket of books.

My coffee is just about done. I should also work on the VITALNews so I may put an hour or so into that. We’re having weekend guests and I’m making supper on Saturday night: cranberry barbecue chicken in the crockpot, roasted sweet potatoes, salad from the green house, cole slaw with apples and walnuts, and a chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. Yum! And easy to make.