Friday, November 25, 2011

Tom Wicker 1926-2011

I was only eleven years old during the time of the Attica prison riot in 1971. As an 11 year old, I was far more interested in Bobby Darin's singing and the TV series "Alias Smith and Jones" than I was in current events. But the events in Attica, New York somehow made it into my consciousness. The four days that constituted the duration of the uprising, including the negotiations of a team that included Tom Wicker, William Kunstler and Louis Farrakhan, were never anything more than a blip on my radar at that time. But Tom Wicker was not. I found in him a writer that as a young girl I was hard-pressed not to admire. Whenever possible I would try to find his stories or columns; this often meant getting my hands on a copy of the New York Times, which meant reading it in the library.

Anyway, Mr. Wicker retired from the newspaper business in 1991. He wrote many books, though I have to admit to only having read "A Time to Die". In reading his obituary, I realize that I missed out on a lot with regards to Tom Wicker. It seems his coverage of the assassination of John F. Kennedy was really quite something. You can read more about him at the obituary in The New York Times, the newspaper that was his home for so many years:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/26/us/tom-wicker-journalist-and-author-dies-at-85.html?_r=1

Tom Wicker was a great writer and a good man. He lived a good, long life. And he will be missed.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Sweet Cheeks

So, Fred was ridiculously adorable today. Of course, he was adorable in the way that it was impossible to leave him to go fetch the camera. He isn't normally in your face about getting attention. Not like Homer! Okay, that might not be true, it's just that Fred is more subtle about it. Today we had two moments where I just melted in his cuteness.

First, he took a "frogger" turn on the sofa. Lately, we have had a fair number of doggie pillows and doggie fleece on the sofa. I tend to keep the house just warm enough, which is better for the environment and my pocketbook! Fred, Homer and Atticus have all learned to love their fleece. But they can, on occasion, be rambunctious boys, and their rough-housing around the house can cause the pillows and fleece to fall to the floor. This gave Fred the chance to do a full-on stretch: he stretched so that his back legs were flat on the cushion, stretched out behind him, like a frog. And he was really stretched out, almost enough to reach from arm to arm on a substantial sofa. If the sofa wasn't there he would have looked like he was flying (which he has done before):


So, I had to decide, should I go over there and kiss those little butt cheeks or fetch the camera? The cheeks won, hands down.

Later, as the pre-dinner (for dogs, around 3:30pm) walk approached, Fred came over and looked at me and started "dancing". This is when he just gets all excited, usually about going O-U-T-S-I-D-E. If, when he's doing this, you lightly rub his back, near his tail, he will "dance" even faster, tapping his paws on the floor. It's so cute. But this time, I encouraged him to jump up on my lap (hey, there were no other dogs around!) and once he was up, he was right in my face. Fred, as many of you know, has mesmerizing eyes. And he was SO happy, getting all of the attention. He petted my face and head several times. And then he started rolling around in my arms. He likes to be face-to-face, but he's also a bit of a hedonist and knows that when he rolls over he's going to get petting all-over his body. Fred likes to be touched everywhere. Everywhere, I say. He would have layed on his back like that, his head up against the crook of my neck, his neck in the middle of my chest, his butt on my stomach, getting a rub-down, for hours ... except it was so close to mealtime!

This is not a recent shot of Fred, just a favorite one. Just me and my boy on vacation at Manitou Cliff Dwellings near Colorado Springs, CO. Oh, and this was cute: we approached the entrance to the cliff dwelling, which is like a cave, and Fred did not want to go in. It did look dark, I'll admit. But once I shoved his butt into the entryway, he loved, loved, loved exploring in there. It's nice that they allow dogs there. I'm sure, when I finally get to Mesa Verde, that I will have to keep the dogs in the car. Harumph!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

White Bean Chicken (or Turkey) Chili

Yum.

I believe this is now my third pot of white bean chicken (or turkey) chili this fall/winter season. I love herbs and spices and different ones are favorites throughout the year. I love fresh basil in the summer, and eat caprese salads throughout the season, with tomatoes from the grocery store and then the farmers markets early in the summer and from my own garden later. I adore thyme and rosemary. I have some of Ina Garten's incredible Mustard Chicken Salad in the fridge right now, made with French tarragon from my garden; it's absolutely incredible. I will prepare a garlic, olive oil and mixed herb rub for meats when all the herbs are in season in the garden. A favorite side? Cannellini beans with fresh sage and really good olive oil. But right now I have a thing for a spice from my pantry: cumin. Cumin screams Mexican food, and I do love good Mexican, or Tex-Mex (I did live in Texas for a year). This chili is so easy to do and so delicious. And it's quite different from your typical chili: it has spinach (or swiss chard, if you can get it) and corn, and the recommended cheese to finish it with is parmigiano, which is unusual for chili. I like parmigiano, cheddar or even a mild cheese like monterey jack works. But it only needs a little - the chili tastes great all by itself; all you need is a bowl and a spoon. And maybe a nice glass of wine ... I like a dry riesling or rose, but I think it can stand up to a good but not overly bold red. But truly, it is the cumin that makes this so special. And I have been using cumin lately a lot when I make tacos (corn tortillas only - please! - which in our white-bread area of upstate NY are hard to find): fish tacos, shrimp tacos, chicken tacos, all well-seasoned with cumin and chili powder. Burritos, too. Yes, I believe my taste for the spicy will fit right in in New Mexico.

The recipe I use for this delicious chili (no, I did not come up with this all by myself ... I like to cook, but I am not Ina Garten or Giada DiLaurentiis!) is one from Giada, and you can find it here on the Food Network website:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/white-bean-and-chicken-chili-recipe/index.html

Enjoy. I know I will!

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Buddy and Pedro

Well, I can see why they would need to separate them, if they are trying to avoid the extinction of the species. And the separation is only temporary. But, based on how my guys react when they are separated - and even more telling, when they are together - I can totally imagine separation anxiety could prevent a successful coupling.

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1085094--same-sex-penguins-must-separate-soon?bn=1

This morning, Homer came out of the bedroom, walked over to me, did a big stretch and yawn in greeting, and then trotted happily over to Atticus, who was still in his doggie bed on the chair. Homer reached his long neck up, Atticus bent down, and they snuffled each others' noses for the longest time. It was freaking adorable.

According to the stories that I have read, these two penguins are inseparable and have completely ignored the two female penguins that have been following them around. I wish them good luck, as I would hate to see this species fall into extinction, but I can imagine things not turning out as the zoo authorities hope.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Wind Chimes

I have always been fond of wind chimes. I've purchased only quality ones for years now. I cannot tolerate the sound of a cheap set, that lame 'tinkle' sound. Ugh. Or those wooden ones that have more of a 'clunky' sound. I have a lovely wind chime made by a friend given to me by another friend, made of pieces of colored glass hanging from a piece of driftwood. It's beautiful and has a lovely sound when the glass clinks together. It's reminiscent of the sound of champagne glasses chiming after a toast, especially when there are different levels of champers in each glass.



I have a set of wind chimes I purchased years ago during a visit to Charleston, SC for Spoleto Festival. As those of you who know me well are fully aware, I love Charleston and I love Spoleto Festival. And we never visit this charming and sophisticated southern city without hitting the shops at the market. One of these shops had a huge, make that, HUGE wind chime for sale. The sound it made was incredible. And I just had to have it. Luckily, the shop agreed to ship it to my home.

It really does sound like beautiful church bells. Pretty ones, with a great sustained sound. They are hung out on the front porch, right outside the living room. These last days we have had some pretty stiff breezes; the weather forecast says that the winds are 10-20 miles per hour. Needless to say, we have had beautiful music going all weekend, and expect these gorgeous sounds to continue for another couple of days as these breezes of up to 20 mph are forecast to continue at least that long.

The sound is mesmerizing, relaxing. Just lovely.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Grammar Discussion #1 - Anyway versus Anyways

Anyways is wrong. Don't use it.

Why, you ask, if it's wrong do so many people use it? I wish I knew. Actually, I believe I do know, but let's discuss first why it is wrong.

The word anyway is an adverb. It's meaning? Regardless or in any event, even anyhow (notice no use of the 's' in anyhow). In Merriam-Webster online, the definition is as follows:

1 : ANYWISE (Do any of you use anywise? Oy.)

2 : in any case : ANYHOW

A few appropriate uses of the word:

a. Anyway, though I may sound like a typical mommy, my dogs are the sweetest on the planet.

b. That girl can't hold a tune, but they allowed her to make that woeful vocal attempt anyway.

c. That candidate is clearly a pig, a mysogynist, but he's going to remain on the campaign trail anyway.

- or, as in one of my all-time favorite television shows -

d. Whose Line Is It Anyway?

Since the word is an adverb, adding an 's' makes it plural, which is simply not done with adverbs. That might be the best way to remember that you should not say or write 'anyways'. My favorite comment on the usage of anyways is found at this website:

http://grammartips.homestead.com/

It's "Grammar Tips and Usage for the Non-expert" by Tina Blue, who has a PhD in English and lots of experience teaching English writing, grammar and related subjects. To make it easier for you , though I do recommend her website for some humorous discussions on grammar and usage, here is what Tina says:


"This is going to be short and simple. Do not say or write 'anyways' - not ever. The word is 'anyway'. The word 'anyways' is found in some dialects in the United States, but it is not standard English, and it should never be used in any situation where you want to be considered reasonably well educated. That's all there is to it."

Another favorite comment about the use of 'anyways' can be found at www.dailywritingtips.com where the blogger calls 'anyways' a "colloquial corruption of anyway." I have to agree. Therefore, as a colloquial corruption or dialect, the ONLY appropriate time to use it would be when you are writing or speaking dialogue, primarily to emphasize the character's lack of finesse with the language. That's it.

Now, as to why so many people use 'anyways' rather than the correct 'anyway'? I believe much of this is laziness, I really do. However, I will concede that a person who uses the word incorrectly may have heard this used by a parent, though I find it hard to believe that at some point in all the years of schooling that people did not learn the correct usage. Yes, perfectly well-educated people use this word incorrectly. It drives me batty.

As a lesson, let's think about words like anyhow or everywhere. Would you add an 's' to use these words properly? No, you would not. "I know Kevin Spacey was a little too old to play Bobby Darin, but I loved his performance in the movie 'Beyond the Sea' anyhows." You see? It doesn't work. Or "I love Washington, DC ... we walked everywheres." Sounds wrong, right? Well, when someone uses 'anyways', it's like nails on a chalkboard to me. I love my language and it really, really bothers me when people use it incorrectly.

I have attempted this discussion with people in the past; we even had this discussion over the weekend, which is why there is a new blog post about it today. The excuse of a 'living language' and change being inevitable was brought up. I do not deny that the language is alive, and that is good. It's how we add words like 'blog' or get new definitions for words that have been around forever. But 'anyways' was never correct, and never should be.

Of course, the fact that it is used far too often by a top radio personality on National Public Radio or came out of the mouth so many times of the Canadian physicist on a popular sci-fi show who claimed to be the "smartest person in two galaxies" doesn't help me in my argument. Very annoying, that. The fact of its more regular use does not negate the fact that it is incorrect.