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Big Goal #1 for Wednesday morning: Design an Essay Rough Draft Rubric for co-op middle/high school students to use when working with partners to revise their essays. Ditto for an Essay Final Draft Rubric for me to use for grading their essays. These will be used in our history class this year -- you know, the one that starts Monday.
I sit down at the computer in the kitchen to work on the rubrics.
I need my history textbook.
I go to my desk, AKA The Sea, in the Project Room to retrieve it.
I notice how really awful the desk mess has become -- no longer possible to actually do any work at it.
I sigh. This action changes the condition of the desk not a whit.
I start sifting through papers and books and receipts and a picture frame(?) and mayor stuff (I don't care! I don't care!)
Many minutes later, I make it down to bare wood.
I drift around the room shelving stray books. My, my, the bookshelves need work. I thought I did this already last month? We will never find what we need for co-op. I shift titles here and there and make a place for multiple copies of the literature we'll be reading within the next nine months.
The boys catch the spirit and start sorting through a collection of stuff the likes of which never fails to astonish me. Where do they get it all? Discoveries are made, damage is lamented, tough decluttering choices are agonized over.
I gather boxes of materials to give away or pitch. I group them in a little island to one side of the room.
I gaze at my scrapbooking supplies. Can I be honest with myself and admit there is no way I am going to make more progress on Samuel's baby album in the five days left of this summer? (I got the title page done and that's it. Yay, me.) Where can I put all of these things so they are usable but out of the way? Our bedroom? I feel squeezed. Is this house big enough for a family to live in and what is essentially a two-day-a-week school to operate in? I wonder.
The boys discuss what toys the littles will want to play with. (The project room will be "their" room during co-op.) They wonder if it is good idea to leave the weapons toys (civil war guns, light sabers, homemade swords) in there or should they move to the basement for outside play only? What would Mrs. Walker want? I offer my comments and move on.
The doorbell rings. The new marker board, a generous gift of theirs has arrived. Wonderful, but where can I put it for now?
I make a cup of coffee. Samuel is ready to run errands for me, so I pause to find the overdue library dvds. As I pull them from the storage space, I automatically begin reorganizing the dvds we own. I get that done and feel pleased. My coffee is cold.
I reheat my coffee. I check pleo. I think about the last hour and a half. I write about my morning.
Designing essay rubrics is exhausting work, and I still have not begun. I sigh...
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Just got home a few hours ago from The Returning The Girl to College Trip. It was a lovely, lovely few days -- lots of talk with her; lots of hauling and unpacking and arranging and erranding; conversation with dear C. Norman, who uses her eight decades of life's experiences to nourish and instruct me in godliness whenever I am with her; time with the Bingham (or is that motherawful?) clan; time to visit with newer friends and one other "old" one. I got a few words with her and missed meeting her. I had time to do some co-op planning and some reading and some writing and even a little daydreaming. I ate Brunswick stew and Carolina-style barbecue and turnip greens, so I am innoculated against living in a part of the country that calls Sloppy Joes "barbecue" for another few months. I was invited to a Bible study and tea at the home of one of A's favorite teachers and met a group of young women who infused me with confidence in the future of the Lord's body. I worshiped with two different-but-the-same congregations and was uplifted and challenged and comforted and humbled. I reassured some freshmen parents and watched my daughter do the same with their children. I felt like an old-timer, which can be a very nice way to feel.
Such a contrast to the first time we took A to college -- then was all nervousness and trepidation and overawed, wide-eyed awkwardness. Now was relaxation and ease and enjoyment. We blew off the parent orientation session and the opening ceremony in favor of Walmart and a nap -- naughty us, but it felt nice to do as we pleased for a few days. No tears -- well, at least none beyond the usual crying I do in nearly every worship service -- no lump in my throat, no wondering if we did right by our girl. I am just happy for her and with her. She has an exciting line-up of classes scheduled and she is reunited with brethren she cares for and who care for her. I know she will be fine.
Home again to a whirlwind Getting Ready for Co-op to Start Week. The to-do list is crazy unreasonable, but enthusiasm is high and we will do what we can do. I am thinking of one of my very favorite quotes (and that is saying something) on this night when I feel equally full of gratitude and the feeling that I may be inadequate to what lies before me:
"All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well." Julian of Norwich |
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...because I think I may have experienced the perfect homecooked meal. Ostensibly, I made most of it, but the glory goes to others. First, the menu, which I am sure you are longing to know:
--Italian-style pulled pork
--Tomato Basil Pie
--Green beans w/ butter and dribbles of lime juice
--Pecan Pie
The particulars:
--I take most of the credit for the pork, but it is so, so easy. Get out your crockpot. (I just love instructions that start with the crockpot, don't you?) Get out the pork butt (might be called pork shoulder or Boston butt at your market; mine was about 5 lbs.) that you very wisely picked up the day before and stowed in the fridge, and assemble the following: four good-sized cloves of garlic, minced; 1 T. fennel seeds, 1 T. fresh or dried minced rosemary, several grinds of pepper, and about 2 t. of coarse salt or a mite less of regular salt. Put Mr. Piece O' Pig in the crockpot, dump the aforementioned seasonings on him, and rub it all into the surfaces, getting into the nooks and crannies. Give him a good message. If the pork has a fat cap, finish your rubdown with that side up. Wash your germ-ridden hands and put the lid on the crockpot. Turn it to low heat and forget about it for the next 8-12 hours. Before you dish up, pull the bone out (if there is one) and pick the pork into shreds with a fork. You can take out big pieces of fat, but leave some in there for flavor. Don't drain off the juices. Serve as is or put it into some foccacia or on a bun for a sandwich. Ladle on a little juice. If you have an average-sized family, there will be enough for a main dish tonight and plenty for sandwiches tomorrow night. Congratulate yourself on your cleverness.
--The previously-lauded tomato basil pie (TBP) was extra-wonderful because my mom sent two baked pie crusts home with me yesterday. I watched her make them and got her instructions. I am going to master this skill -- how can I call myself a real cook otherwise? Or at least, how can I call myself a real baker, which as it happens I do not. I'd rather cook than bake most of the time -- it's my wing-it nature. Anyway, I digress. The pie was TBP elevated to the ethereal by the flaky crust supporting its basil-y, tomato-y, cheesy filling. This dish says Summer, and I hope it says it at our house about once a week until frost.
--The green beans, ah, the green beans. The credit goes to the Father who sends the rain and the sun and the warmth and made the soil that nourishes the little seeds that grow into the plants that bear the tender fresh pods. I picked them after I put the TBPs in the oven, and I snapped them on the front porch into the colander on my lap. A fast boil in plenty of water until done; a dump into the colander to drain; back into the pot to evaporate the water over low heat; in with a lump of butter, a shower of salt, a grind of pepper, and then a squeeze of lime juice; a toss; and into the serving dish. Beans, almost alive and tasting of themselves. A marvel every time.
--Pecan Pie from The Girl. Somebody is getting the prettiest of the two she made this afternoon as partial payment for a computer tuneup. We get the almost-as-lovely-and-certainly-as-tasty sibling. I have not eaten my slice yet. Isn't the knowledge of a piece of homemade pie waiting for an evening snack a terrific prospect? It makes all the minutes between dinner and putting fork to pie an anticipation of pleasure.
There you have it, friends, what just may be the perfect meal. And not a box of anything in sight.
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I have noticed that the weather affects some people more than others. I definitely fall into the more-than camp. It is not that I only like one kind of weather; no, there are things to appreciate about rainy weather (for some reason, it energizes me to do paperwork kinds of things), windy weather (exhilarating!), snow days (outside life stops for awhile/concentrated family time), stormy weather (humbling, and often provides a good chat/shout with each other on the porch while we watch), and even hot weather. (I recently found out that in most parts of England one cannot count on raising tomatoes to maturity w/out a greenhouse. That may have quashed my dream of living there for a year or two someday.)
My two very favorite kinds of weather, though, are autumn days that require a sweater but are not too cold to eat a picnic lunch during a tramp through the woods and summer days that are cool at night and warm up enough in the day to know it is summer but are not so hot or humid that one longs for air conditioning. We usually get the latter kind in June, but even that perfection is tinged with the nagging knowledge that this is only the beginning of an upward trend toward the hard-to-bear Three H's: Hazy, Hot, and Humid.
Right now, though, in the midst of the dog days, we in PA are having a string of those perfect summer days -- days warm enough to ripen tomatoes but not too hot to weed around them, days domed with that impossibly blue sky that heralds low humidity and dotted with surely-I-could-bounce-on-them-if-I-could-just-get-up-there clouds, days that slide into comfortable evenings where we lower the window just a little against the stirring breeze and wake up in the morning with a shivery chill. Delicious.
We are busier than busy here, but I am taking every opportunity for pleasure in the gift of this weather, my dears, and I am wishing you to be able to do the same, whether it is now or in a few months.
Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time. ~John Lubbock
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--It is a gorgeous day for August -- low humidity and still in the seventies! The next few days are supposed to be similar. This kind of unexpected weather pleasure in the middle of the dog days is rejuvenating to me. So, I have been working outside most of the morning. Much weeding and cutting back of perennials happened, as well as some sprinkling of lettuce and carrot seeds -- maybe the lower temps this week will give them a good shot at germination for some nice fall veggies, particularly if I am faithful with the garden hose.
--The Adolescent Male #1 phoned awhile ago from State College, PA, where he has been for the last few days for 4H State Days. He was awarded first place in his category for his Power Point presentation! His friend, William, also got first in his category and is invited to Nationals. J cannot go to Nationals because they don't include his category there. Too bad -- maybe next year he should find out which categories are included at that level. Anyway, congrats to The Boy -- ya done good!
--The countdown is on for Getting the Girl Back to College, but not much seems to be happening here about that. Must get to it! Must pull out all the stuff that seems to have just gotten re-integrated into the household! I am excited about going to Tampa w/ her to get her settled. I have big plans to see loved ones and maybe have a little quiet time, too. I anticipate both with pleasure.
--Made the first Tomato Basil Pies of the season the other night when some co-workers of The Husband's who found themselves up this way came for dinner. Unknowingly converted one tomato-hater -- apparently she called her mother when she got back to her hotel and said, "You'll never guess what I did tonight..." Her mom was amazed that her daughter both ate and enjoyed tomatoes.
I have to confess to you that I am conflicted about this recipe. It is delicious -- I can say that because I did not originate it -- but it takes time to make. No step is difficult, but there are multiple steps. If I make the crust in the morning and make the goo then, too, I don't mind finishing everything an hour and a half or so before dinner, but I often feel like I have spent a significant portion of the day working on this. I haven't really, but still. Anyway, all of us love scarfing down the results.
--Have been spending a little time online yesterday and today looking for crockpot recipes. I think our co-op days will be crockpot days, too. Got inspired to concoct something for tonight's dinner since I will be gone the second half of the afternoon. I layered carrots, green beans, squash, chicken leg quarters, and tomatoes (all veggies out of the garden!) and poured on half a small bottle of Kraft Tuscan House Italian Dressing. I will probably serve it with rice.
--Speaking of Kraft, we have been using more than usual of that company's products around here the last several weeks. A local grocery store ran a promotion w/ Kraft: buy $45 of Kraft products and get a free ticket to Hershey Park, a nearby roller coaster-rich amusement park. So, I bought $45 times 5 to get 5 tickets. Of course, I mostly bought items that were also on sale, so we have $90 (buy one, get one free) worth of shredded mozzarella in the freezer. Ditto Cracker Barrel cheese, grated parm, etc. Oh, and we have about 25 boxes of Kraft Mac and Cheese -- something we rarely have and I keep forgetting to use. Maybe I'll have some of that for lunch...
--Decluttering: many who know me realize I always declutter the house in the summer. Not this year! I shudder to think what things will be like around here by January if I don't get SOMETHING done soon. So far, it's just been piddle, piddle. I need to commit to 30 minutes a day, but so far -- not.
Tomato Basil Pie -- for those who have not yet experienced the pleasure
Credit to Mom, a cook of cooks
Carolyn Legg’s Famous Tomato Basil Pie
as re-interpreted by Lori B.
Serves 6 as a side dish
Serves 4 as a main dish
Serves just 2 if you are Carolyn and/or Wilson
Now, don’t even bother to make this if you aren’t going to use fresh garden tomatoes and basil.
1 nine or ten inch pie crust, baked – Carolyn makes her own crust because she is the best crust-maker on the planet; Lori usually uses one of the rolled-up kind from the grocery store because she is not the best crust-maker on the planet.
1 ½ c. mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
a good-ish amount of Roma (plum) tomatoes, maybe 5-10 – or use regular tomatoes grown by you or someone you know and love – did I say do NOT use supermarket tomatoes? I did.
1 c. loosely packed fresh basil leaves (a right smart handful or two)
4 large cloves of garlic (Carolyn’s cheater-but-fast tip: 1 heaping tablespoon jarred, chopped garlic)
½ c. good quality mayonnaise (Hellman’s Light works well and gives the illusion of a healthy dish)
¼ c. parmesan cheese (cheater green can version is fine or be wonderful and grate your own)
1/8 t. ground pepper
1. Sprinkle ½ c. mozzarella on the bottom of the BAKED pie crust – it’s fine if the crust is hot out of the oven.
2. Prep the tomatoes: cut into quarters and schloop out the seeds and pulp. Let drain on layers of paper towels to remove as much moisture as is reasonable.
3. Arrange the tomatoes in the pie crust. No need to be fancy, because you’re gonna cover it up with…
4. …the goo: Process the basil leaves and garlic in the food processor (make sure leaves are dry) until very finely chopped, scraping down the sides of the workbowl a time or two. Or, put leaves in a Pyrex measuring cup and use kitchen shears to “chop” them inside the cup + mince the garlic.
5. Add remaining 1 c. mozz, mayo, parmesan, and pepper to the processor and buzz to blend. Or, just mix all the basil, garlic, and above ingredients together.
6. Put blobs of the goo all over the top of the tomatoes and use your finger to smoosh into a fairly even layer. You probably don't really need to smoosh, but I can never resist an opportunity to smoosh.
7. Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Don’t serve it screamin’ hot; wait until it is warm. You might as well go ahead and eat the whole thing, because it doesn’t reheat that well. I (Lori) serve this with sautéed or grilled chicken or leftover cold roast meat because I need plenty of protein, but Mom and Dad scarf it up as a main dish and have a token salad with it to assuage their consciences…
Note #1: if you don’t like mayo, don’t be put off. The Husband begs for this and he hates mayo on a sandwich.
Note #2: if you don’t like either tomatoes or basil, give this one a miss, although, as I said, I have recently unknowingly converted a lifelong Tomato Hater, so you never can tell what may happen...
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