summer traditions

For the past ten years or so, every summer I make it a point to read Anne Morrow Lindbergh's Gift from the Sea. My dog-eared copy has a broken spine, more than a few loose pages, and a faint whiff of sea air, evidence of the hours I've poured over its words and wondered how its author knew so much about my life, considering she wrote the book in 1955, more than a decade before my birth.

There are people who don't see the point of reading a book more than once, but I disagree with that notion. Every year I read Gift from the Sea different parts speak to me in different ways, as I am thankfully not the woman I was ten, five, or even just one year ago. Here are a few passages that called out to me this summer:

"We have so little faith in the ebb and flow of life, of love, of relationships. We leap at the flow of the tide and resist in terror its ebb. We are afraid it will never return. We insist on permanency, on duration, on continuity; when the only continuity possible, in life as in love, is in growth, in fluidity---in freedom..."

"...signposts toward another way of living. Simplicity of living, as much as possible, to retain a true awareness of life. Balance of physical, intellectual, and spiritual life. Work without pressure. Space for significance and beauty. Time for solitude and sharing. Closeness to nature to strengthen understanding and faith in intermittency of life: life of spirit, creative life, and the life of human relationships. A few shells."

"The waves echo behind me. Patience---Faith---Openness, is what the sea has to teach. Simplicity---Solitude---Intermittency... But there are other beaches to explore. There are more shells to find. This is only a beginning."

These words remind me that, no matter how reluctant we may be, it is indeed time to bid farewell to this fine Summer of '09, that we must not cling to those past days of warm sunshine seemingly free of all responsibility, but move forward into the unknown. However, we can take bits of summer with us into the new season and beyond, always. I have my shells to remind me of this---do you? :-)

happy friday!

Summer afternoon - Summer afternoon... the two most beautiful words in the English language. ---Henry James

Have a GREAT weekend, everyone! Enjoy the last of these summer afternoons!!!

goody bag

Wow, how fast vacation weeks pass---is tomorrow really Friday?!! I guess time truly flies when one is busy combing the shoreline for sea glass. :-)

I have a bunch of goodies for you today. First a freebie! Visit the eos web site for a free all-natural, organic smooth sphere lip balm. All you have to do is fill in your mailing address, easy-peasy.

Second, while I was busy working in the kitchen this afternoon, I was listening to the radio as I often do. The program was taking calls from people who had innovative ideas on how to do our part to help the environment. There were many great suggestions, but one that I thought was especially useful was an organized school-wide carpool. Parents were surveyed whether they would be interested in participating, and then carpool teams were set up based on family locations---the end result: an average of 20 fewer cars traveling to and from school every day. Awesome!

Lastly, here's the recipe for one of my favorite summer salads. Truly I don't know that it could be any easier to make, and it is one of the most "more-ish" picnic foods in our basket. And EVEN better yet, its simplicity means it falls into our "5 or less" recipe category! :-D I believe the recipe originally came from Lidia, although it is no longer listed on her web site. Here's what you need:

1 can/jar (about 16 oz.) garbanzos, rinsed
1 can tuna
a couple chopped spring onions
1 T olive oil
3 T red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

Mix the listed ingredients and chill for about 30 minutes before eating. This salad is so delicious and simple....I could have it just about every day. Also, a great dish to take to a summer picnic as there's no dairy to worry about going off in the heat and plus any carbophobes will be happy, too. Enjoy!

foto spot #9

From our visit to Hyannis, Mass. last autumn. Seemed most appropriate for today.

One of the most austerely beautiful and serene places I know.

a list to keep close

I am a list maker. I LOVE lists, I really do. They allow me to organize my head, my day, my life. Not to mention there is that very satisfying feeling of crossing off completed items at the end of the day. (Of course, there also are those days when it seems like NOTHING gets done!)

It is also important that we don't allow our lists to become toooo long and unwieldy. After a long time of feeling like I never was accomplishing anything I realized I was listing enough tasks for three busy days rather than the one day I had allotted to complete all the items. No wonder I felt defeated by a lack of time every day! So now I try to keep my lists manageable, to---you've got it---5 or less "things to do". Of course, many days I have more than 5 things to do, but learning to prioritize the most important 5 and leaving the rest as "optional" has helped me to keep focus.

Which is just one of the reasons I like this list "5 Ways to Be Happy in a Recession". I also happen to agree with just about everything on this list as well! Here are the 5 recommendations:

1. Take care of yourself: Truly in the toughest of times, the basics DO become more important. Eating well, getting enough sleep and exercise can go a long way to keep life balanced. You'll feel better and have more energy; cardiac exercise helps to keep our mood elevated. Plus, I like to use my long morning walks with the dogs as a quiet meditative time, also so important during an otherwise unsettled, stressful period of life.
2. Become more charitable: I know EXACTLY what you're thinking---how am I supposed to be more charitable when I can't even afford my own bills!!! Believe me, I hear ya. But I also know they're right. :-) As I mentioned previously, I am a big fan of Kiva and their microloan program. However, there are plenty of ways to be charitable without spending much money. The article suggests signing up to be an organ donor and giving blood as two great ways (that cost nothing) to give back. Some other ideas I would add include taking a bag of cat or dog food to a local animal shelter, offering to drive an older person to a doctor appointment, picking up trash in your neighborhood or local park, or taking leftovers to a neighbor who lives alone.
   
3. Spend more time and money on enjoyable activities: I would probably even put "and money" in parentheses because there are soooo many things to do on this big great planet that are thoroughly enjoyable AND totally free. But I completely agree with the premise of investing our time and money on DOING activities we enjoy rather than on spending precious $$$ on stuff! Stuff that we think we NEED but ultimately doesn't enrich our lives the way a new hobby, interest, or sport can. Learning to be a better cook or a new language by taking a class IS money well spent, as is a sewing or tennis lesson. I know for a fact a couple knitting needles and a couple balls of yarn can be bought for less than a movie ticket and a large popcorn. :-)
4. Invest in relationships: I don't need to remind anyone that good true friends cannot be bought anywhere! And nothing beats the support of a best friend during a challenging time. :-) Schedule a phone date with your old roomie cross-country, have a special night out with your partner, and take the afternoon off to treat the kids to an impromptu picnic. Laughter and kisses and creating happy memories help to put money difficulties into proper perspective, I assure you.
5. Focus on what you're grateful for: "One day at a time"---this is my mantra during good times and bad. The concept of a gratitude journal is nothing new, and I am grateful for learning about it rather early in my life. Because remembering to step back every day and looking for the positive will change your life. If even on what seems to be the most hopeless of days I can still manage to find three or five or ten things to be grateful for, then I am a lucky, lucky person. And when I feel myself becoming anxious about when I'll be assigned my next work project, I ask "Do we have everything we need TODAY?" The answer is almost always yes. And that alone is a huge thing to be grateful for.
   

Keep this list close because even when this recession does finally leave us, life will still throw us off course with all sorts of difficult challenges. Returning focus to these basics will help keep your days on track regardless of whatever problem comes your way. Would love to know what suggestions YOU would add to the list (even if it does mean we go over 5! ;-)

Be happy.

bring on the sun!

This morning I turned in the final chapters of the project I'd been working on, so our almost-end-of-summer vacation is officially underway! :-D

First order of business, prepping a pitcher of sangria! I've seen a hundred different recipes for sangria of varied ingredients and complexity. I'm listing my easy, easy instructions, guaranteed to refresh on the hottest and most humid of summer days. Here's what you need:

Red wine (don't splash out on an expensive wine; a decent red table wine will suffice)
Casera (if you can't get Casera, a lemon- or lime-flavored seltzer water is a good replacement)
Fresh-squeezed orange juice (you can use juice from a carton if you must)
Lots of ice
Sliced oranges, nectarines, apples, lemons

Fill a pitcher just over one third with the wine. Add about the same amount of Casera/seltzer. Top off with the orange juice. Your pitcher should now be three quarters full. Add the ice, and garnish with the fruit. Simple. And DELICIOUS. :-)

tgif, tgif, tgif!

Wow, what an incredibly long, difficult, and frustrating week this has been! I could not be more ready for the weekend, except that our schedule is also quite busy the next couple of days. Fortunately, we have a mini-break arriving later next week, so we can get outside, enjoy the fact that we live so close to the beach, and celebrate the end of the August holidays!

Until then, I will have to rely a bit on those much wiser than I for words of encouragement. On days like today, I really wish my grandmother was still alive; she'd have the right words, and if she didn't, that would be ok, too, because my belly would be fill of chocolate pudding topped with Cool Whip. But since she's not here, I turn elsewhere for inspiration and guidance.

"Nothing is permanent in this wicked world—not even our troubles."

Charlie Chaplin

"How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then to rest afterward."

Spanish proverb

"Smile, breathe, and go slowly"

Thich Nhat Hanh

Have a great weekend, everyone!

sundry

I don't know about where you live, but here in our supermarkets, the cost of sun-dried tomatoes is crazy high. Which is why a few years ago, I decided to try to do them at home---how difficult could it be: tomatoes, sun, right?

I was delighted to find the process really is that simple. We just halve a bunch of pomodoros from our garden, arrange flat on a lightly olive-oiled baking try, and put out in the sun for a few days. The only hitch is to 1) check the weather forecast to make sure there is not a cloud in the sky, and 2) remember to bring them indoors overnight so that they don't absorb any moisture from the dewy condensation.

We store the sundried tomatoes in air-tight containers and use in salads, pastas, and on homemade pizzas. If you love the uber-rich flavor of these, I suggest you try a batch yourself---great way to use up those almost-end-of-summer tomatoes! :-)

burdastyle

I still remember the first time I used the Internet. A friend (and coworker) came into my office, which had just been outfitted with a new 486 computer and access to something called the World Wide Web.
My friend and I stared at the screen, not really sure what to do. She suggested that she had heard of something called Yahoo, perhaps that was worth checking out. Eight hours later, neither one of us had moved, as one search string led to another led to another---and all these years later, my love affair with this endless information pit has never wavered.
Yet I still find myself awed and amazed by all the Internet has to offer. Like this fantastic web site for people who sew---of ALL levels---called BurdaStyle. The success of the site is a credit to its many members and collaborators, who post their own current projects, as well as useful instruction how-tos and patterns---free patterns, too!
There are so many great ideas, updated constantly---I can't imagine anyone not being inspired by all the wonderful creatively contributors. Even the most home-ec challenged among us will rethink the needle and thread after browsing through the project pages. Pour yourself a glass of iced tea, and like my friend Susan and me and our first Internet experience, I expect you won't resurface for HOURS! :-)

summer nights

A Summer Night by Kate Barns

A summer night. The moon's face,
almost full now, comes and goes
through clouds. I can't see
any stars, but a late firefly
still flicks his green lamp on and off
by the fence.
In this light
that is more illusion
than light, I think of things
I can't make out: milkweed opening
its millions of flowerets, their heavy heads
smelling like dark honey in the night's
darkness; day lilies
crowding the ditch, their blossoms
closed tight; birds asleep with their small legs
locked on twigs; deer stealing
into the uncut hay; and the young bay mare
kneeling down in the pasture, composing herself
to rest, as rounded and strong
as a meant prayer.

Painting is Woman with a Fan (Lunia Czechowska) by Amedeo Modigliani

tomato! artichoke! garlic! tuna! basil!

These were the five ingredients I used to make my latest "5 or less" meal. And boy was this pasta topper GOOOOOD! Added bonus: this delicious (and nutritious) meal maybe took twenty minutes from start to plate---my kind of oooking! :-)

While waiting for the pasta water to boil, I chopped three garlic cloves (our family loves garlic; if yours doesn't, use only one or two) and three medium tomatoes, quartered ten artichoke hearts, opened a can of tuna packed in olive oil, and cut a fistful of fresh basil leaves into thin ribbons.

Just before I started cooking the pasta, I heated a couple tablespoons of olive oil in another pan. The garlic was sauteed for a minute or so before adding the tomatoes, artichokes, and tuna, and then I reduced the heat to medium-low while I went to grate some cheese.

The cheese (I used pecorino) and a little fresh pepper are optional, but in our house we believe a little cheese makes everything better. :-) When the pasta was done (about 10 minutes for the rigatoni I used), I removed the sauce from the heat and stirred in the basil and cooked (drained) pasta, waited a minute, and then served. So simple, and so tasty! AND quicker (not to mention cheaper) than a pizza delivery! Enjoy!

psa---fake job ads

Today's post is an important public service announcement about an unfortunate trend that is becoming more common during the current economic recession---fake job advertisements.

Our family became experts in the subject yesterday (hence no posting from me) after my husband received an e-mail announcing that his application for a position had been successful and requesting that he review the attached contract, as well as contact the company's travel agent to make flight arrangements (not unusual as my husband is a global commuter) to start work the beginning of September.

As you can imagine, we were very excited---it has been almost a year since my husband finished his last contract, just before the markets plunged and job hiring halted. We both reviewed the contract, and nothing particular stood out as being unusual, except perhaps that the benefits seemed very generous. Then again, they were in line with what one working at my husband's level would expect; overall, it was a very good job offer.

We had a couple minor questions that we needed addressed, though, so my husband sent an e-mail to the human resources coordinator. After a few hours passed without a reply, he then decided to give the agent a call. Here was our first clue that something might be amiss---my husband received a message that the number was temporarily not available. So he called the company's main number (the job offer came from a well-established bank) and was redirected to the HR department; my husband left a message on the director's voice mail.

Two more hours passed without an e-mail reply from the coordinator or a call back from the HR director, so my husband telephoned the latter and this time was put through to her directly. She explained that she had been fielding calls all day from other "successful candidates", that the coordinator who sent the e-mails never worked for the bank, that the job advertisement---placed in a popular and well-respected newspaper---was a fake.

Even though experience has taught our family not to become too excited about job offers until the ink is dry on the contract, I would be lying to say that we not very disappointed to learn the ad was a fake. Once the truth began to sink in, we started to question why would somebody do such a thing, what could be the benefit? A quick Internet search provided answers.

• Resumes can be sold to spammers. Therefore, it is important to use a separate e-mail account just for job applications; this way if your contact details are sold to spammers, the annoying phishy e-mails can be contained.
• Information can be gleaned from CVs and passed along to identity thieves. Do not include your address or social security number on any resumes, particularly those posted online. Only provide e-mail and phone numbers, if possible.
  
• Although in my husband's case we learned about the fraud before he contacted the travel agency listed, we suspect this agency might have asked for my husband's bank or credit card details (to reimburse him for flight and accommodation), which again, of course, would have been very useful to identity thieves.

Thus, this one advertisement would have been profitable on at least three levels. Now what more can you to do to protect yourself? Here are links to a few articles that I found in my quick search yesterday (one, two, and three); they provide more information about the various scams, as well as clues to look for in advertisements and e-mail messages.

Our family is above-average in the tech-savvy department; my husband has more than twenty years experience in IT. Yet, even we were fooled (and apparently many more IT professionals were as well, according to the bank's HR director) by this very credible job ad. In all likelihood, the description and contract text were simply copied from a legitimate job posting.

It is sad to think that people already dealing with job loss and the economic downturn have something else to worry about! Which is why I believed it was important to share our experience with you. Please pass along this information to everyone you know applying for jobs---one article I read said that incidence of fake job ads has increased 345% (!!!) in the past three years.

So be careful out there, folks!


*Photo from InformationWeek.

ensaladilla rusa

To keep with our Spanish food theme, this weekend I made one of our favorite potato salads, ensaladilla rusa, which translated means "little Russian salad", although there is nothing particularly Russian about the dish, and one will find it on the tapas menu of just about every cafe in Espana!

Whatever its origins, I think this potato salad is a wonderful alternative to have occasionally in place of the (also delicious) all-American standard. This recipe is based on one I found in The New Spanish Table, a summer favorite of ours because it includes many no fuss, simple dishes, perfect for the hot weather. Here's the ingredient list:

For the salad---

3 medium potatoes, diced

1 large carrot, diced

1 cup cooked peas

1 can tuna, preferably packed in olive oil, drained

2 roasted red peppers (from a can or jar is okay), diced

2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

For the dressing---

20 pitted green olives

6 or 7 anchovy fillets, chopped

1/3 cup mayonnaise

2 T lemon juice

S&P to taste

Add the potatoes and carrots to boiling water, reduce to medium heat and simmer until they are tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, and let cool to room temperature. Then add the peas, tuna, peppers, and the chopped egg to the cooled potatoes and carrots. With a fork, mash a little so that the salad has a chunky, yet creamy, consistency.

For the dressing, I cheated a bit and used olives stuffed with anchovies; if you really dislike anchovies they can be eliminated. Put the olives/anchovies, mayo, and lemon juice in a blender/food processor (I used a hand-held Braun mixer), and mix to a smooth consistency. Stir into the salad. You may want to add a little more mayonnaise (I did not) and season with salt and pepper (I also skipped the salt as there is plenty in the olives). Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Serves 4 to 6 as side dish/8 to 10 as a tapa.

Enjoy!

¡viva españa!

Friday how I love thee! And what a better way to wind down and start the weekend but with a lusciously refreshing pitcher of sangria and a plate (or two) of this supereasy quick paella!

The recipe provided the needed inspiration for this week's staycation meal, and we adapted it slightly to accommodate our family's dietary requirements. For example, we used spicy vegetarian sausage and made our own saffron rice in our beloved rice cooker. Additionally, canned artichoke hearts worked equally well, as does vegetable broth (or white wine). Finally, we also threw in a few mussels, along with the shrimp, to make the dish un poco mas auténtico! Other substitutions/additions you could make include some roast chicken/faux chicken pieces or even smoked tofu. ¡Delicioso!

Now for that glass of sangria, and could someone please pass the olives?

Have a GREAT weekend, everyone!

foto spot #8

making a home

I have always lived in old homes, and although I can understand why some people prefer newer constructions, for me walls with a history have the most appeal. Older homes are a challenge, though. I remember my mother fretting when trying to buy curtains for the house I grew up in---not a single window had identical measurements to any other! But the history, the solid materials, the reliability make an older home's eccentricities worth the effort. :-)

I am also inspired by other older homeowners (the homes, not the owners!) and their ability to see those diamonds among the rough, who have the vision to turn a few walls and floors into a very special home---and without spending gazillions on renovations! Like Tina Spangler has done to create this wonderful home in upstate New York, while at the same time preserving a tiny bit of our past for future generations. Watch the video and enjoy!

summer musings

From one of my favorite poets, Billy Collins:

The Lanyard

The other day as I was ricocheting slowly

off the pale blue walls of this room,

bouncing from typewriter to piano,

from bookshelf to an envelope lying on the floor,

I found myself in the L section of the dictionary

where my eyes fell upon the word lanyard.

No cookie nibbled by a French novelist

could send one more suddenly into the past --

a past where I sat at a workbench at a camp

by a deep Adirondack lake

learning how to braid thin plastic strips

into a lanyard, a gift for my mother.

I had never seen anyone use a lanyard

or wear one, if that’s what you did with them,

but that did not keep me from crossing

strand over strand again and again

until I had made a boxy

red and white lanyard for my mother.

She gave me life and milk from her breasts,

and I gave her a lanyard.

She nursed me in many a sickroom,

lifted teaspoons of medicine to my lips,

set cold face-cloths on my forehead,

and then led me out into the airy light

and taught me to walk and swim,

and I, in turn, presented her with a lanyard.

Here are thousands of meals, she said,

and here is clothing and a good education.

And here is your lanyard, I replied,

which I made with a little help from a counselor.

Here is a breathing body and a beating heart,

strong legs, bones and teeth,

and two clear eyes to read the world, she whispered,

and here, I said, is the lanyard I made at camp.

And here, I wish to say to her now,

is a smaller gift--not the archaic truth

that you can never repay your mother,

but the rueful admission that when she took

the two-tone lanyard from my hands,

I was as sure as a boy could be

that this useless, worthless thing I wove

out of boredom would be enough to make us even.

down the shore

August is the month that to me has always been best represented by sand beneath my feet, salty water on my lips, and hot but gentle breezes. It is about heavy mugs of iced tea and dripping chocolate ice cream cones and walking the crowded boardwalk. Flip-flops, lazy afternoons, and seafood dinners. Early morning bicycle rides with my dad, searching the shoreline for shells and sand dollars, the backseat of my parents' white Ford Torino station wagon.

Even when our summer schedule is busy, I try to keep as many of our hours as carefree as possible---the heat is stressful enough without adding more worry to the pot! So we make the most of our August days with frequent trips to our local swimming pool and time set aside for our favorite beach reads, as well as a magazine or two. This last full month of summer is not meant to be rushed! Rather, it is time to put on some terrycloth, build a sand castle, and let the sea mist catch your face.

I love August, can you tell? ;-)

Quick reminder: The latest free book download from Oprah! Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann is now available for download (FREE) until Wednesday, August 5, at 10:59 a.m. ET.