as cozy as spring

Frontier House

Oh how I loved this series when it first aired.  We just recently ordered it from Netflix to supplement our continuing American History studies.  While not perfect, it really brought to life some aspects of frontier life and how the Homestead Act and the railroads shaped our nation.

I did have to monitor, skipping over a scene here or there for the sake of my delicate children.  And I do find some of the participants unbearably obnoxious, but the scenery was so beautiful I could have watched it on mute and been happy.  Oooh, PBS even has some lesson plans here.

Tea

The funniest thing I've ever seen courtesy of Stephen Colbert.  

Friends, this is time well spent.

A Ring of Stars

My daughter's zinnias.  And a handmade nature journal for all of us.

 

I'm going to continue to try and pop in here all week with incomplete thoughts.  I started this post early this morning and alas, it's 7:20PM.  I'm trying to keep my priorities in order which included lessons and housework today (and apparently babbling on and on about LOST over at the Bonny Glen).  Where were you Michael?   

Martha Stewart on Habanero Pepper Spray

"Don't put it in your eyes or on your private parts.  I am speaking from experience."  

Anyone else wondering what the occasion would have been....

Must Stop Blogging Politics

Kristen had most touching video this morning which made me a bit weepy.  

Well, you aren't going to get that here, of course, as anything too serious makes me nervous.  But this last night was brilliant:

Especially the part about "If your family is off limits why are they up there on the stage with you?"  

Not necessarily suitable for children, but I would hope you would assume as much.  It's late night television, after all.

  

This must be where pies go when they die.

My opinionated little 3 year old wanted to make Daddy a cherry pie for Father's Day.  I make only one or two cherry pies a year, when the cherries are in season.  The crust was tender and buttery (Cook's Illustrated Basic Pie Crust) and the filling - the filling required several hours of pitting (mentally thanking my husband for springing for the cherry pitter from Williams-Sonoma a few years back).  There were many stained hands as we all sat around in front of a movie, tossing the pits into a paper grocery bag.  I didn't use a recipe, just adjusted the ingredients to taste.  Cherries, sugar, corn starch.  It was amazing, not syrupy sweet like canned filling but pure and tasting like cherries.  I love cherry pie day.  As seasonal pies go, it's impossible to top.  It humiliates the autumn apple pies.

And this is what I love about seasonal cooking, and summer cooking in particular.  The summer months are punctuated with cherry pies, cucumbers, and salsa from garden tomatoes.  The colors are so bright and the flavors so real.  We revisit the recipes only once a year or so and treasure the taste before the season passes.

We topped the evening off listening to a CD my daughter and I put together for my husband - George Winston and Vince Guaraldi.  

And you'd never guess.  There was a fish.  In the percolator. 

(Twin Peaks, of course!  I've been happily humming the soundtrack all day.  That was a great show.)

Pop

Oh this is a bit embarrassing, what is it, my third American Idol mention here? How many years have I rolled my eyes at the American Idol craze? Many. I think now, though, that there is something to be said for just going along with the crowd. Cultural milestones and so on - Thursday nights in the 1980's, for example, most people my age would have been sitting with their televisions tuned into the Cosby Show (right? weren't we?!?) That's sort of endearing now.
My take on tonight's competition:
Everyone expects David Cook to win, and he almost won me over with a Duran Duran cover (even a poor one) but I cannot express how passionately I dislike his hairstyle. I mention it several times every single show to where I think my husband wishes I would go back to my knitting and leave the rest of the family in peace.
Syesha really grew on me during Andrew Lloyd Webber week and I'm a fan now. My husband agrees.
The other David has a great voice, but sort of bores me.
My favorite? I'm not saying he deserves to win, but I'm a Jason Castro fan. I'm a reluctant fan because his hair bugs me too, but his version of "Forever in Blue Jeans" last week was brilliant. And I'm normally opposed to anyone even attempting a Bob Dylan cover (and oh, he botched it tonight), he's just got such a folksy style I can't fault him. If I were to buy a CD from any of the above, it would be him.
OK that's it. I caved to Harry Potter, I caved to American Idol, but I will never understand what's so great about Starbucks. I promise.

American Idol

This show has never really clicked with me. It's mildly amusing if I have absolutely nothing else to do. But that almost never happens. My husband and daughter are fans though, and so the show is on at casa As Cozy as Spring every Tuesday and Wednesday. I roamed into the living room tonight pretty much all I have to say is that wow, Michael Johns is one handsome man (though, of course, not nearly as handsome as my own amazing husband). Everyone in the living room agreed that he was, as a human being, not bad to look at. I won't specify just who was in the living room at the time, just that it was unanimous. And he just happened to sing one of my favorite songs.

And that's pretty much the most interesting thing I can think of to post these days. It's a late February thing. I read around the blogosphere many others feeling uninspired. So I'll pop in from time to time and expect me back on a daily basis after Lent is over. I'll have my camera, my garden, and some new yarn by this time next month. For now, I'll just let things be. All is well.

Oh Martha, you've gone too far.

Martha wrote about making yarn from dog hair on her blog this morning. She featured the yarn on her show.

What say you internet? Sweet or completely freaky?

I'm in the latter camp. First, I don't much care for dogs or cats. But I do love my children dearly and even then I wouldn't have yarn made from their haircut clippings. That's far too similar to fashioning a sculpture from their old fingernail clippings. I hope this isn't offensive to those of you that think this is a fabulous idea. But ewww. Really.

Making me happy this morning.

I was catching up on my DVR'd (?) Colbert Reports and I have to say that this clip of Mike Huckabee and Colbert playing air hockey with the state of Texas makes me gleefully happy. And then Huckabee saying he will win Texas because he understands barbecue? I actually stood up and applauded. He knows exactly what Texans take most seriously. Barbecue. And sort of health care and education, but a good barbecue sauce can right all wrongs.
And also the clips from 'Better Know a Lobbyist' are so funny I had to pause it several times to fully absorb the subtlety, but it is not suitable for children.