Saturday Morning Walkers - March 2, 2008

Hi everyone!

It sure has been an interesting weather weekend here in Colorado - Saturday was positively balmy at 74 degrees and we woke up this morning to snow!! I haven't ventured out yet but it looks rather heavy and wet. We had a delightful walk yesterday on the South CU campus pedestrian trail. Barb, Mary, Christie, Laila and I walked along a berm for about 2 miles and as is always the case, the views of the foothills from the east side of town were spectacular. Coffee back at Caffe Sole for our monthly planning for March walks - I'm leading on the 8th, Mary on the 15th, Laila on the 22nd and Christie on the 29th.

Book Report:
I wanted to tell you about the wonderful book event that took place at Jacob's (my almost 6 year old grandson) school on Friday - it was Dr. Seuss Day and the whole school participated in activities featuring Dr. Seuss books and characters, including a costume parade. Jacob and his friend Sam went as Thing 1 and Thing 2. Check out the picture of Thing 2 attached above!

Jexy and her book group read a novel based on the life of the mistress of Frank Lloyd Wright - Loving Frank by Nancy Horan. Jex really liked it and found the ending pretty shocking.
From Publishers Weekly
Horan's ambitious first novel is a fictionalization of the life of Mamah Borthwick Cheney, best known as the woman who wrecked Frank Lloyd Wright's first marriage. Despite the title, this is not a romance, but a portrayal of an independent, educated woman at odds with the restrictions of the early 20th century. Frank and Mamah, both married and with children, met when Mamah's husband, Edwin, commissioned Frank to design a house. Their affair became the stuff of headlines when they left their families to live and travel together, going first to Germany, where Mamah found rewarding work doing scholarly translations of Swedish feminist Ellen Key's books. Frank and Mamah eventually settled in Wisconsin, where they were hounded by a scandal-hungry press, with tragic repercussions. Horan puts considerable effort into recreating Frank's vibrant, overwhelming personality, but her primary interest is in Mamah, who pursued her intellectual interests and love for Frank at great personal cost. As is often the case when a life story is novelized, historical fact inconveniently intrudes: Mamah's life is cut short in the most unexpected and violent of ways, leaving the narrative to crawl toward a startlingly quiet conclusion. Nevertheless, this spirited novel brings Mamah the attention she deserves as an intellectual and feminist.

I'm into two books right now - one is the latest novel by Gail Tsukiyama, Street of a Thousand Blossoms - I absolutely adored her first 4 novels, Samurai's Garden, Women of the Silk and The Language of Threads and Night of Many Dreams but not so impressed with Dreaming Water. More to follow once I finish the book.
From Publishers Weekly
In her ambitious sixth novel (Dreaming Water; The Samurai's Garden), Tsukiyama tackles life in Japan before, during and after WWII. The story follows brothers Hiroshi and Kenji Matsumoto through the devastation of war and the hardships of postwar reconstruction. Orphaned when their parents were killed in a boating accident, the boys are raised by their grandparents in Tokyo. In 1939, Hiroshi is 11 and dreams of becoming a sumo champion, and soon Kenji will discover his own passion, to become a master maker of Noh masks. Their grandparents, Yoshio and Fumiko Wada, are vividly rendered; the war years and early postwar years, centered in their home on the street of the novel's title, are powerfully portrayed. Hiroshi and Kenji reach pinnacles of success in their chosen fields as well as in love, and while Tsukiyama's close attention to historical and geographical detail enriches the narrative, she isn't as successful when describing Hiroshi's wrestling career; the matches all begin to blur together. The lingering effects of war, on the other hand, are clear, and these, combined with a nation's search for pride and hope after surrender comprise the novel's oversized heart.

The other book that I just started is the latest Oprah recommendation - A New Earth - Awakening to Your Life's Purpose by Eckhard Tolle - and yes, I along with hundreds of thousands of other people have signed up to participate in the 10 week "webinar" hosted by Oprah and Tolle on her website. It begins tomorrow night (March 3) - I read and listened to Tolle's earlier book, The Power of Now. He is a pretty powerful teacher and spiritual leader who draws from both Eastern and Western traditions. Check out www.oprah.com for more details and to register for the class.
Book Description
The highly anticipated follow-up to the 2,000,000 copy bestselling inspirational book, The Power of Now
With his bestselling spiritual guide The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle inspired millions of readers to discover the freedom and joy of a life lived "in the now." In A New Earth, Tolle expands on these powerful ideas to show how transcending our ego-based state of consciousness is not only essential to personal happiness, but also the key to ending conflict and suffering throughout the world. Tolle describes how our attachment to the ego creates the dysfunction that leads to anger, jealousy, and unhappiness, and shows readers how to awaken to a new state of consciousness and follow the path to a truly fulfilling existence.
The Power of Now was a question-and-answer handbook. A New Earth has been written as a traditional narrative, offering anecdotes and philosophies in a way that is accessible to all. Illuminating, enlightening, and uplifting, A New Earth is a profoundly spiritual manifesto for a better way of life—and for building a better world.


Website of the Week - http://prizey.blogspot.com/ - a fun site that features on-line contests and giveaways. I heard about this on one of my favorite podcasts, Jumping Monkeys - www.jumpingmonkeys.com

Podcast of the Week - http://www.thirteen.org/forum/ - a collection of lectures on culture, art and politics from different venues around New York City.

Vocabulary Word of the Week - panade - this is a food term I just heard on The Splendid Table podcast - www.splendidtable.org - the definition comes from Epicurious Food Dictionary - http://www.epicurious.com/tools/fooddictionary/entry?id=3775
panada; panade
[pah-NAH-duh (Sp , ), puh-NAHD (Fr. , )]
1. A thick paste made by mixing bread crumbs, flour, rice, etc. with water, milk, stock, butter or sometimes egg yolks. It's used to bind meatballs, fish cakes, FORCEMEATS and QUENELLES. 2. A sweet or savory soup made with bread crumbs and various other ingredients. It may be strained before serving.

Movie of the Week - NOT!!! - Jack and I saw the newly released Vantage Point with Dennis Quaid, Forest Whitaker and William Hurt. Yes, the cast was outstanding but the story seemed implausible and the car chase that dominated the last part of the movie was RIDICULOUS!!!

Cooking and Dining Report:
A fun casual dinner last night - Blue Cheese Burgers with Blue Cheese Cole Slaw - both recipes from Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa

Blue Cheese Burgers - http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_37208,00.html - we like to use ciabatta rolls - nice and crusty with light airy bread inside. You can easily leave off the blue cheese if that doesn't appeal.

Blue Cheese Cole Slaw - http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_31646,00.html - an easy shortcut is to buy the package of cole slaw dry ingredients and just make the dressing.

That's all for now - have a wonderful week!

Love,

Susan