Life is Good... Better... Best!

Why Pretend?

2010-09-07T15:21:00.003-04:00

I'm just going to tell it like it is. I don't have time to blog. I hate that it's true, but true it is.

I have a garlic bread recipe I've been meaning to post for a month. A final story about the 7-day plastic challenge. Some first-time gardening successes and failures. A nearly-finished patio, and a waaaay unfinished landscaping project. There's an updated "Shopper's Guide to Pesticides" and new info on sunscreen safety. I discovered never-before-seen veggies in my CSA deliveries. Yet none if it has made it onto the blog.

I feel like I'm letting you down. The few of you who are left, anyway! All I can say is... I started this blog shortly after beginning a one-year sabbatical. I wanted to see what would happen in my life if I actually had time to think, see, hear. In all my new-found open-mindedness, I never saw something like Books for Keeps coming.

So I just want to tell you straight up: for the rest of this year, I'm all about Books for Keeps. As my hairdresser put it: "You're where the universe needs you right now." I tend to think it's God, not the universe, but you get the idea. Even Bayne supports postponing the job search to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to make a difference.

I miss veggie-blogging and eco-blogging and workshop-blogging and all the rest of it... most especially hearing your comments about it all. I hope I can get back to it in the near future.

In the meantime, I hope you'll visit me over at Books for Keeps every once in a while. I'm having the time of my life doing something I would've called you crazy for suggesting just a year ago.

Days 4 & 5

2010-08-27T19:19:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was day 4 of the Plastic Challenge. We were supposed to change our "To Go" routine, avoiding takeout packed in plastic. I was so busy I never left the house. I longed to have Peking deliver a Chinese feast but they pack in Styrofoam so I just ate something I had around the house and was actually pretty glad. So... for day 4, success!

Day 5 - Today: We're supposed to monitor the plastic that various products come packaged in at the grocery store. Sadly, I didn't have time to go to the grocery store. But I did have time to stop for takeout, and before I realized it, I was toting a plastic container home... in a plastic bag.

So scratch that claim of success on day 4. This is really hard but certainly makes ya think. I thought I was a habitual plastic avoider but I realize now I've become lax. Back to the training grounds for me.

Day 3: Finally... Success!

2010-08-25T16:07:00.004-04:00

Today I upped GreenPlate's ante to make up for yesterday's failure. Not only did I refuse all plastic bags, but I recycled the unavoidable ones.

Think about it: we all get caught without our reusable bags from time to time. My newspaper comes in a plastic bag. My bread comes in a plastic bag. Some of those bags are recyclable. And since they can last for generations, recycling them instead of trashing them might be the most important thing I can do to keep plastic off my plate.

The grocery store was depressing though. Frozen vegetables - plastic bag. Coffee Mate - plastic bottle. Fresh pasta - plastic container. I'm grossed out.

But today I successfully complied with the challenge requirements... finally!

Day 2: Red-faced plastic consumer

2010-08-24T18:05:00.007-04:00

Day 2 was supposed to be easy for me! I don't buy drinks in plastic containers. I kind of don't buy drinks, period. I mean, this is the girl who took reusable water bottles to a hotel, just to avoid needing a plastic bottle.

Anyway, all I was doing was having my hair cut. No plastic temptations in sight. I was thumbing through a magazine and I sort of vaguely remember being asked if I wanted something to drink. I guess I said yes... it's all a big blur. All I know is at some point I looked up and there was a half-empty, plastic bottle of Dasani in my hand.

Ah pride... why must the fall always be so brutal?

I feel sick. I tried to make up for it later. I had a drink in a glass bottle at my Books for Keeps meeting, and brought the empty bottle home with me to make sure it was recycled.

Which is when I realized I didn't do the same with the plastic bottle.

It's probably in the trash right now. Whose stomach will it end up in later, when it's had time to break down and sneak its way into our food supply?

Day 1: The 7 Day Plastic Challenge

2010-08-23T16:31:00.005-04:00

I was sooo tempted to stay home today. After previewing each day's requirements, I'd already determined today would be the hardest. No plastic straws.

Do you know how many times I've seen servers palm my glass in restaurants? Or had the ice jam up in my glass, only to spill all over my shirt when I tilt my glass? My commitment to avoiding the rim of a restaurant glass has been unwavering. I asked for a straw when dining out with Polly, Executive Director of GreenPlate!

So yeah, I'm totally grossed out by restaurant glassware.

Except for wine glasses, I just realized. I'll have to give that one some thought.

Anyway - for Polly, I sucked it up (pun intended) and went strawless at lunch. It hasn't killed me yet. But this will be an ongoing issue, so I think I'll make it my mission to ask every single restaurant I frequent: "May I have a bio-degradable straw please?" In the meantime, Polly says I have to buy a glass straw. And carry it with me. And wash it in between uses. Why, why, why did I ever agree to this?

Dear Day Two, please hurry and get here! I don't buy drinks in plastic bottles so I'll consider you a freebie....

Now THAT'S organic....

2010-08-19T10:03:00.004-04:00

Today, another reason I love Athens. Kudzu control that's not only organic, but also entertaining. And now, it's not just for farmers. Forget the Round-Up; rent your own team of goats for the day. Check it out.

Can you live without plastic for 7 days?

2010-08-18T17:21:00.003-04:00

I'm going to try. Actually, I'm thinking the first few days will be a walk in the park; avoiding plastic is almost second nature for me. But am I as good as I think I am, or will I end up eating my words?

I hope you'll join me. Click here and sign the pledge form. It starts August 23rd, and I'll be blogging about my success... or failure....

Til then, here are a few past experiments, tips, resources, etc. Enjoy!

Sister Time!

2010-08-12T11:41:00.002-04:00

If you're wondering where I've been, head on over to the Books for Keeps blog. There is very little blog-worthy news in my life that doesn't involve children's books, sorry!

I'm heading to Atlanta for a few blissful hours of sister-time. We will eat Grand China, drink chardonnay, watch a few shared-favorite, embarrassingly inane TV shows, gab, then end up laughing til we cry.

Sounds perfect to me. Hope you have a good night too!

Trains, Planes and Automobiles

2010-08-07T18:00:00.000-04:00

Poor Bayne. Had a particularly demanding week at work. Back and forth to Atlanta. Big interview for an even bigger deal. Quick trip to Virginia, and suddenly it's Friday and he's coming home on the 6pm flight.

6pm - whoops, delayed due to weather in Atlanta
7pm - bad, bad weather
8pm - folks, the weather's cleared up but now we've got a flat tire
9pm - FLIGHT CANCELLED

Nearest available hotel room - 25 miles away. Rent car, drive. Check in. Arrange 4am wake up call for 6am replacement flight.

3:00am - "this message is to inform you that your 6am flight has been delayed."
4:00 - forgotten wakeup call. !!@%*^!!
7:00- trek 25 miles back to the airport, return rental car.
8:00 - the tire blowout damaged another part of the plane; delayed til 10am
10:00 - delayed til 2pm. Mechanical crew seen scratching heads
10:01 - reserve another rental car, plan to drive 10 hours home
10:02 - wife does NOT approve; cancel rental car
10:03 - book flight out of a nearby city... TAXI?!
1:45 - flight leaves on time. Thank you AirTran!
3:30 - arrive in Atlanta. Take shuttle to car. Drive....
5:30pm - arrive home 23.5 hours after ordeal started
5:31 - sigh of relief... kiss wife... pet kitties.
5:32 - shower
5:35 - sweats, frosty mug o' Fat Tire... home sweet home.

Welcome home Ru!

It's a Books for Keeps Week

2010-07-30T07:15:00.003-04:00

Can you believe after 2 weeks I still have about 50 things on my to-do list? It's getting very old. But this week I've focused a lot on Books for Keeps. I'm talking to as many people as I can to learn ways I might collect more books here in Athens, and reach more kids too.

My focus on Books for Keeps makes this blog pretty boring. All the action is happening on that blog these days. My veggie obsession is on the back burner; I'm still experimenting but I've lost my motivation for blogging about it. My save-the-earth-obsession is a permanent part of life, but it's so second nature that I feel like I've blogged all I can on that topic. The patio? It's too hot to even step outside and take a picture. But we're making progress.

It all just seems so boring compared to the search for childrens' books.

So my apologies for a lack of blog-worthy material, but I am all about Books for Keeps right now. It's fun, it's obsessive, it's rewarding... and it's exhausting in a happy sort of way. I do have a couple of recipes to share; they've become obsessions in our home. I'll get them posted one of these days!

We be buggin'

2010-07-27T10:58:00.005-04:00

Bayne was kind enough to share his 24-hour bug with me, so today my ongoing effort to conquer the to-do list is on hold. I'm camped out on the sofa alternating between napping and productivity of a more modern kind: I'm cleaning off my DVR and catching up on my surfing.

Thanks to Later with Jools Holland and DirecTV's concert channel, I have hours and hours of live performaces hogging space on my DVR. I watched Radiohead live from the basement with one eye while reading blogs with the other. Now Wilco is playing, and I'm browsing recipes.

Next up: 10 episodes of Jules, and a stack of magazines. It's funny how DVRs and magazine subscriptions can induce guilt when you get behind on your media consumption. So to me, this counts as a sick kind of productivity in today's world.

Time for another nap....

Productivity is over-rated....

2010-07-22T08:14:00.002-04:00

I'm still on the to-do list binge. But 3 days of tackling things put off for months/years is really not that fun, and I'm soooo ready for the weekend.

But if you're keeping track: Yesterday was spent knocking out a large number of small things that individually take very little time, but together... all day. Dropping of ink cartridges for recycling, transferring medical records, filing insurance forms, renewing/canceling subscriptions, scheduling long-overdue appointments, tracking down water filters for the refrigerator. Seriously boring stuff.

On deck for today: pest control, oil change, brake repair, pantry cleanout, and the dreaded bifocal purchase. And there are still stacks of books that need to be sorted and boxed for storage. Oh, and we have company coming tonight so I guess I'd better clean up!

I'll keep plugging away and reminding myself that it does feel great to have this stuff out of the way. Thank goodness the weekend is in sight! Better hustle if I'm gonna get it all done!

Oh yeah, gettin' it done!

2010-07-20T09:43:00.005-04:00

So far so good on the effort to conquer some long-overlooked items on the to-do list. Yesterday I knocked out 4 amended tax returns (quadruple ugh!), and built a blog for the Overview Commission. Definitely two time-draining items I've been avoiding for quite some time. It feels good to have them done!

Today I've moved on to shopping for better insurance rates. Another ugh. This one's been on my to-do list for almost a year. Can you believe that? All this time, paying more than I should just because of the hassle of comparing rates. No more! Today it WILL be done.

In the meantime, can I share a few baby pictures with you?

This baby visited my backyard yesterday.

These babies visited me in Tate City last week: my "baby" niece Syd and mom's baby Sam Sam....

And MY babies, who I couldn't have imagined having just a short year ago... growing fast and sweeter than ever.

I figure fawns, puppies and kittens are more pleasant to think about than insurance rates. Have a great (and productive) day!

Who's Ready?

2010-07-19T08:07:00.003-04:00

I decided the vacay wasn't over just because I came home. I mean, who ends a vacation on a Friday??? Yes, I did a ton of laundry... but at a leisurely pace. Our weekend was mostly relaxing and fun, but along the way I worked on my to-do list. It's massive.

So here's Monday and I've decided to make a game of having the most productive week ever. Yes, I will finish unpacking, pay bills, and clean house. But I've got my sights set on bigger and better things. Items that have been on my to-do list for waaaaay too long. How many can I cross off the list in 5 short days? We'll see.

Enough blogging about it. Time to get busy.

Remember me?

2010-07-16T11:50:00.002-04:00

I'm back from 2 weeks in the mountains; rested, relaxed, rejuvenated, and ready to ROLL. Come on world, bring it on - I'm ready for ya! In the meantime, I'll be doing laundry....

Has it really been a week?

2010-07-01T04:41:00.002-04:00

Wow, I blinked and 7 days flew by. I have no explanation for where the first 4 days went. Was I unconscious or something? For the last 3, I've been in Richmond, VA helping cousin Smash move. In a strictly advisory capacity... my days of moving furniture are over. Cousin Kelley stopped by for a visit; I love that Smash will have her there in Richmond while the Georgia contingent suffers from Smash withdrawal.

Pop Pop has moved on to heaven. I wish I had something profound or moving to say but I just don't. I'm relieved his pain is over... thankful I got to say goodbye... but really I'm just sad. I don't know his side of the family very well and it's tempting to agonize over what could have been, what should have been, but Pop Pop himself told me he didn't see the point in revisiting the past. So I'll fight the urge to look backwards and instead will escape to my little slice of heaven on earth, Tate City.

Shout out to Bird for representin' in Culpeper; made of steel, sister!

Things to do while watching the longest match in tennis history...

2010-06-24T08:45:00.002-04:00

I made the mistake of turning on the TV yesterday to see if Isner or Oudin were playing at Wimbledon. I'm rooting for the Georgia folks even though I'm not particularly fond of tennis.

Little did I know I'd be sitting in front of the TV 6 hours later, watching the longest tennis match in recorded history. I didn't get anything done all day! They played til dark, and the match resumes today.

So today I'm ready: I've made a list of all the things I can do to be productive while watching a tennis match at the same time. Maybe it will help you squeeze a little productivity out your tennis watching, too. One critical point: you must turn on every TV in the house or the list doesn't work.

Laundry (fold in front of den TV)
Clean kitchen (den TV)
Pedicure (den TV)
Change sheets (bedroom TV)
Clean out sock drawer (bedroom TV)
Work on fake tan (bedroom TV; move to den once tanner dries)
Sort books (den TV for younger books; man-cave TV for chapter books)
Catch up on filing & bill paying (man-cave TV)

If the match stretches past a couple hours, I have this extended list of things that can take all day if you need them to... choose the best TV in the house and don't forget your laptop!

Update iPod playlists
Organize recipes
Organize photos on hard drive

Personally I'm hoping Isner stomps Mahut quickly so we can all get on with our lives and I can forget there's a tennis tournament in England. But I'm ready for another painful, all-day event just in case.... come on Isner, you're still a Dawg!

Top 25 Unwanted Books

2010-06-24T08:39:00.002-04:00

In the process of attempting to swap donated adult books for points or store credit to get children's books, I noticed nobody will take the John Grisham or Dan Brown books. It made me think about all the books I've purchased in my lifetime, and where they ultimately end up. Where will the gazillion copies of Twilight be in 10 years, when nobody wants to read them?

I'm a die-hard library fan now; have probably only purchased 1-2 books in the 2 years I've lived in Athens. But I can't be self-righteous about it; I used to spend thousands a year on books, sometimes paying full price for a new release hardback. Where are they now?

Anyway... I ran across this article on Library Thing about the Top 25 Unwanted Books. And it explained why I can't find any takes for Grisham or Brown. Enjoy!

PS - if you have any of the top 25 Most Wanted books, I'll take them! They'll be the easiest to trade for children's books and I'm keeping my eyes open for them at the thrift stores.

Veggie Intentions?

2010-06-23T08:31:00.002-04:00

I'm back in town after a quick trip to Macon for a visit with the fam. I got home just in time to pick up my CSA veggie share yesterday, and this morning I'm full of good veggie intentions! I'm in an Indian sort of mood, and I've found a few recipes that'll work nicely with the contents of this week's veggie delivery.

But will I actually cook anything? I don't know. It already looks really hot outside...

Be gone, thoughts of heat, sweat and Peking delivery service! I can do this! I have a grocery list. I have the recipes. I have the major ingredients. Now I just have to follow through. Stay tuned....

Beaverdam Slowdown

2010-06-21T09:13:00.003-04:00

Bayne and I had dinner under the stars last night at the Beaverdam Slowdown, a five-course vegetarian dinner at Roots Farm. It's renewed my motivation to try new things.

Cucumbers, for example. It's only mid-June and I'm already sick of them. Well, I was til last night. We were served a cold cucumber soup that blew me away, and I find myself hoping, hoping, hoping to find cucumbers in my veggie delivery this week.

And there was a zucchini appetizer that was so simple, but so delicious. It opened my eyes to what a veggie slacker I've become.

So I'm back in the veggie groove with the whole summer ahead of me to experiment. My poor neglected veggie pages are crying out for new ideas. Send me yours, and you know I'll be sharing mine!

Crazy busy....

2010-06-18T10:28:00.003-04:00

It's so hot outside. All I want to do is sit next to an AC vent and read a book. I'm tired of being so busy. Really, really tired of it. Like... I don't even want to do anything fun. Just a calendar with nothing on it. A chores & errand list that can wait a few days.

What's the deal? I don't have kids. I'm not working. Well, not for pay anyway. How do I have no free time?

I don't want to finish the patio or find a painter or start the landscaping plan. I don't want to count my remaining book inventory or beg donors for books. I don't want to look for a job. I don't want to find my missing library book. I don't want to cook my delicious zephyr squash.

I don't even want to talk. Couldn't everyone just read my mind and know what I need... then provide it without asking any questions?

I'm giving serious thought to devoting my entire Saturday to... nothing. Can Zen-Melaney silence Type-A, Over-Achiever Melaney for 24 whole hours? Doubtful, but a girl can dream (while running errands) can't she?

2010 Sunscreen Guide

2010-06-14T10:42:00.003-04:00

The Environmental Working Group has posted its 2010 Sunscreen ratings. The found only 39 out of 500 met their complete safety standards & SPF accuracy tests. Yikes.

If I'm going to the beach, I use Aveeno Baby; I like Aveeno products and thought the baby formula would be safest & most gentle. But EWG places Aveeno Baby on the Hall of Shame, along with quite a few well-known baby brands. If you have kids, better check it out.

The study also tests daily moisturizer/sunscreen combos. Mine did not fare well. Guess I'm in the market for some new products....

Even if you're not worried about what's in your sunscreen, why waste money on a sunscreen that doesn't really provide the SPF it claims to? Check yours out using their search tool and know what you're really buying.

Thanks EWG!

Lunchtime Patio Update

2010-06-12T12:55:00.004-04:00

A patio update: it's so much easier than I thought it would be! Watching strong men build a patio is a snap.

Last night Bayne smoothed the layer of sand over the gravel and made sure the grade was just right. He got to use his antique surveying thingamajig, which I bought at a junk shop a long time ago because I liked the box it was in. Who knew?!

On to this morning... it starts with a single stone. But which to use? We tried a few and settled on this one.

As you can see, there's a lot more stone to be put down. Three tons, to be exact.

Here's where things stand at lunchtime. Major progress! One side benefit of having the patio built is that Bayne will stop driving the Bronco into the yard. But I admit it's been useful for hauling everything.

Here's my contribution:

That's all I got done before we all realized it wasn't a good thing for me to be within earshot of the patio work. Too much temptation to supervise, offer unsolicited advice, and flat out interfere. So I was sent back indoors to make lunch, and here I shall stay. I'm instructed to peek out every 15 minutes, and interrupt only if I see a glaring problem.

I'm a terrible painter, by the way. I'm rarely allowed to help, but Bayne gave me the back wall of the workshop so nobody would see my handiwork. I'm so relieved to be kicked out of the yard!

More later...

Books for Keeps is on Facebook!

2010-06-11T10:22:00.001-04:00

We hope you'll "Like" us! Check it out...

Workshop Update

2010-06-11T07:43:00.012-04:00

Whitney asked last night "When are you and Bayne going to get it together and move into town?"

And it struck me: never, now that Bayne has built his once-in-a-lifetime dream workshop. It appears we'll be living on the outskirts for good.

So here's an update. There was a lull in construction due to constant rain and numerous other factors, but I can catch you up in a jiffy.

Here's where we left off: Day 16 - Siding

At this point, my Books for Keeps project kicked in and I lost track of time. I did snap pictures along the way...

We finished the siding.

We finished the porch ceiling.

We finished the stonework on the fireplace.

We filled in all the trenches dug for electrical cables. What I want to know is: who's gonna do all the landscaping?

We started priming & painting.

We started on the patio! First, some digging....

... and some grading....

... and then some rain. Which turned out to be a blessing because we realized the grading wasn't quite right.

The grading was corrected, so it was time for gravel....

.... which required hours of "tamping down". Ugh.

The stone was delivered; it's gorgeous!

And that brings us to the hard part. We're doing the rest of the work ourselves. Supposedly. Bayne started on the stone steps; I participated in a supervisory capacity. Which means I stood on the deck and said "Please, please don't hurt your back" over and over.

That brings us to today, Friday. If the weather cooperates, Bayne and the muscle men will build a patio.

I suggested my duties be limited to providing food, water and encouragement, but was met with stony silence. (get it? stony? I'm so funny today!) So I offered to paint the siding while they labor away. Anything to avoid moving 300 pound rocks.

I'd be lying if I said I'm looking forward to it. But here's hoping we finish!

Here's what's happening at my house.

2010-06-08T11:30:00.002-04:00

Can I come to your house, instead?

Can I sneak in a quick book blog?

2010-06-07T18:53:00.003-04:00

Kay, one of this year's book donors, just sent me this article. It made me cry. Then I read it again and it gave me chills. Then I read it a third time and it made me think "I'VE GOT TO DO MORE!!!"

The article mentions studies that show giving books to kids to OWN, on the first day of summer vacay, makes a difference in their future education. It also mentioned the feeling ownership gives a child.

I hope you'll read the article even if you're not on pins and needles each day to learn how many books I've gotten. I feel so energized, and happy to think there's proof out there that just owning some books makes a difference in these kids' lives.

Now: how am I going to give 12 books per child instead of 3? Oh my.

Happy Birthday and Farewell

2010-06-05T09:48:00.004-04:00

It's Bayne's birthday, and it's Cousin Smash's last weekend in Georgia. So no matter how I look at it, champagne seems a necessity.

Smash and Kev are moving to Richmond. The family's Georgia contingent is devastated but putting on a brave face. And we know it's the right thing for them to do and they'll be happy. But still.... it's a bittersweet celebration. Sometimes I forget Smash is a cousin; she seems more like a sister most of the time. I feel certain there will be tears involved.

Bayne's birthday... nothing sad about that except... ummm... aging. I have a feeling this will be a good year for Bayne, and I hope for me too.

So tonight we'll be wandering downtown, seeing where the evening leads us, but will eventually end up at Shokitini for sushi. Birthday boy's choice.

I'm looking forward to sister and cousin time, and a whole 24 hours where I don't think about the job search, the book project, the Overview Commission, the cabin sale, or anything else on my to-do list. Happy weekend!

Prayers for Pop Pop

2010-06-02T09:14:00.003-04:00

Today I'm thinking of Pop Pop, my almost-90 year old grandfather. Aunt Linda asked me to scan some pictures for a memory book; getting out those old photo albums was a trip down memory lane.

Granny & Pop Pop will celebrate their 68th wedding anniversary on June 12th. Do I pray for Pop Pop to live to see his anniversary? Or do I pray for his pain to end as quickly as possible? The whole family is grieving regardless. How must that feel to Pop Pop?

I don't know what's best and there's no point trying to figure it out. All I can say is: God, Your will be done; take care of Pop Pop as only You can.

I really hate being taken advantage of

2010-06-01T09:27:00.003-04:00

When you get magazine renewal cards in the mail, do you stop and research whether they're actually offering you a good price?

I've long been irked that they don't actually tell you the subscription price; they tell you the per issue price. Today I did the math and learned that one of my long-time favorite magazines was offering to renew my subscription at a price higher than what I can get anywhere else on the Web.

Aren't magazines going under at an alarming rate right now? Perhaps this is one of the many reasons why.

I've canceled most of my magazine subscriptions but there are a few I can't bear to part with. But as I've said many times before, "my dollar is my vote", and I just can't vote for being treated badly. Of course I've written customer service and the editor. We'll see what they have to say.

This is embarrassing.

2010-05-29T17:25:00.003-04:00

I reluctantly decided to show y'all the new blog space while it's a work in progress. It's embarrassing, but you've had such great suggestions for the Summer Satchel program I figured.... who better to tell me if the new blog will be ok?

So..... may I introduce you to the new blog, for the old Summer Satchel program... the pre-facelift Books for Keeps?

It's ugly, I know. Somebody's helping me with that. But head on over and tell me what you think about the content. It's ok to laugh. Brace yourselves, it's hideous. But don't let that stop you from sending me ideas, feedback, whatever.

And in other news, today I reached a new level in book-shopping addiction. Bayne took me to the booming metropolis of Grayson Georgia to look at patio stone. I made him detour to Winder because there was a thrift store there.

A new name for the Summer Satchel project

2010-05-28T11:25:00.003-04:00

The way things are going, it looks like future book deliveries won't all be in summer, nor will they all be in a satchel. It seems a new name is in order. Friends sent in great suggestions for a new name; many of them were already in use elsewhere, but I settled on Books For Keeps.

Why? Because the very first Summer Satchel delivery grew out of my dismay that a little girl who loved to read didn't have a single book in her home. And I was in tears upon learning it's a common, widespread problem... to the point that some kids forget how to read over the summer.

Not everybody's parents can/will take their kids to the library. Even in families with plenty of money, if the parents don't value reading they may not make books available to their kids.

So for now... for this project... the kids get to own the books. They can write their names in them if they want to. Share them or not share them. Mark up favorite pages. Scribble on the cover. Whatever. They can say "This is MY book!" And probably... they'll READ them.

I'm working on a separate blog for Books For Keeps. It's hideous right now but I'm hoping some kind soul will step up and give me some design advice. Let me spiff it up a bit then I'll tell you how to find it!

Help!

2010-05-26T17:24:00.003-04:00

I never meant to become the Crazy Book Lady, but that's what I seem to be turning into.

I met with the counselor at Alps yesterday, just following up on how the Summer Satchel program went and ideas for next steps. I mentioned wanting my next project to be handing out satchels to the kids living in the homeless shelter, and she said "well, most of them will be attending YWCO camp here this summer."

Next thing ya know, I'm being introduced to the YWCO folks and I've volunteered to provide books to 150 girls, ages 5 through 14.

I've gotten used to ages 5-11. But what in the world do 12, 13, and 14 year olds read? I'm still trying to accept the fact that nobody from the younger crowd wanted Little House on the Prairie or Nancy Drew. It was all Goosebumps and Captain Underpants (and I haven't replenished my supply yet!)

Please send me some recommendations! You can see my inventory on Library Thing; I'm listed as "yenalem".

On a more somber note: from what I understand so far (hopefully it will change!) things are quite crowded at the homeless shelter and there's just no room for them to store any books. I literally cried on the phone when I heard that. If you grew up surrounded by books, you know exactly what I mean. I thought books were a God-given right. I'll keep trying; they're mulling it over.

Relief in sight...

2010-05-25T07:15:00.005-04:00

I'm buried in Overview Commission work so I have to shift gears and put all things book-related out of my mind for a few days. But I made good progress re: books this week....

I've gotten all the books off the dining room table; they're filed in boxes but I have no idea where those boxes will fit. Never envisioned having so many.
I've gotten my entire inventory entered on LibraryThing. 700ish books so far, but they're still arriving onesy/twosy in the mail every day.
I've identified some books in demand on BookMooch; if I run across them in thrift stores I'll buy them (if they're $.25 or less) for the sole purpose of earning points to bank for later.
I've put feelers out for a few summer programs but nothing to report so far; we'll see.

Elsewhere in life....

There's been an explosion in recent months of dying/injured/sick/ailing/aging family members. It's an incredible gift, an emotional strain, and a massive responsibility to have so many family members who make it to advanced ages. Pop Pop will most likely be meeting Jesus any time now. Prayers for them and for all the caregivers involved are much appreciated.

On the job front, have only seen 1 interesting job in months: at the Dept. of Agriculture's Division of Natural Resource Conservation. I've exhausted every effort to find someone in my network with a contact there. No luck. So my application will be processed by computer along with the thousands of other applicants... not a very high success rate.

I guess this post is taking a downward turn but life is actually quite good! I'm looking forward to a relaxing Memorial Day weekend with no Overview Commission work and no book cataloging. No phone, no email, no text messages, no TV, no newspaper... but for that to happen, I have a lot to get done in the next 3 days!

How do people who are employed full-time get things done?!!!!

Today is a Really Good Day.

2010-05-22T13:36:00.004-04:00

We got some much-needed rain overnight, a good night's sleep, some fabulous produce from the Athens Farmers Market this morning...

.... then I felt a niggling urge to check the thrift stores for books. Which really makes no sense right now, but I went anyway. Scored an elusive "Diary of Wimpy Kid" and 2 just-as-elusive Harry Potter books. $1.50 total. It's turning into an obsession.

I was back home looking at my newly reclaimed dining room table (meaning: not a single book on top of it!) when I saw the mail truck backing up my driveway. When she backs in, I know I'm getting something big.

Two Bookmoochers threw in extra books with my order. And I mean lots of extras. I continue to be amazed at - and thankful for - the kindness and generosity of strangers.

So yeah, I'm having a really good day. Hope you are too!

Finally... a veggie blog!

2010-05-21T07:38:00.006-04:00

The spring fruit and veggie abundance took a backseat to the Summer Satchel project, but I did manage to snap a few photos along the way.

Strawberries from Washington Farm are in! They're definitely not organic so I clean them thoroughly; at $12 per gallon bucket I just can't resist. I just finished my 2nd bucket. (I eat strawberries for breakfast, lunch and dinner at the beginning of the season. Then my face breaks out and I'm forced to back off.)

Vidalia onions are in! Bayne's dad drives to Vidalia every year and brings back loads for everyone. He wants onions specifically from Vidalia, not the neighboring counties. He swears they taste the best; I just started eating onions last year so I have no idea. $10 for 25 pounds... we'll be eating onions with everything. Pictured here is my method for extending their life-cycle. B.E. keeps his in a dark, cool garage with a fan blowing on them.

CSA season is here! I joined Roots Farm this year. I love that they post the anticipated contents of each week's delivery the night before... giving us time to plan a grocery run beforehand. This was our very first veggie delivery of the season. The Red Russian kale was the first thing to go; it never even made it to the fridge.

The 2nd week's loot from Roots farm:

Check out the Mystery Vegetable. Tatsoi! Thanks to Roots' blog, we were prepared in advance and they included recipes to introduce us to a new green. I botched mine of course; sauteed it with fennel but used waaaay to much fennel. Jillian (of "Jillian in Georgia") gave me a recipe to try next time; I'll post it once I try it. It's nice to know someone in the same CSA so we can help each other out.

This is one of my favorite CSA items from last year, and I'm glad to see it again this spring: fresh, undried garlic. It's like buttah.

The Athens Farmers market is open! Here are my first organic, cage-free, local-chicken eggs of the year. I get to the farmers market when the gates open to make sure I get eggs; they run out fast. I was surprised - and honored - to hear that a few of the farmers are still reading my blog... wow!

Loot from the first market of the season. Not sure if you remember, but I'm a freak for just-harvested carrots. I ate them for breakfast. Not some of them... all of them. The long solid red things are turnips, believe it or not. The red and white things are French breakfast radishes, my favorite kind. I threw the turnips in with the radishes using my Glazed Radish recipe. Yes, cooked radishes are YUM.

I missed the 2nd farmer's market because I was crazily sorting books. Tomorrow I'll be one of the first folks in the door.... can't wait!

I Want My House Back... NOW.

2010-05-21T05:38:00.011-04:00

It's still hard to move around our house because there are books everywhere. One of the Summer Satchel supporters wrote that she hopes I'm resting up now that it's all over. I wish! Here's what's up:

- I'm posting books on BookMooch that the school didn't think they could use for whatever reason; trying to get my "mooch ratio" back in shape just in case they won't give me a charity account. Also posting the grown-up books that donors included with the childrens books.

- I'm sorting out books in bad shape. The unsalvageable ones are being recycled; those with a little life left will go to Salvation Army. And childrens books have a habit of getting sticky, so I'm cleaning some that were too sticky to hand out.

- I'm entering my inventory on Library Thing, to make it easier for the schools (and me) to keep up with what I have. It also gives me a gauge on which books are good; award-winners, highly-rated, etc.

- I'm writing (and writing... and writing...) thank you notes. And I know that some of you are going to fall through the cracks and not get one due to poor record-keeping on my part; I just hope to be forgiven!

- I'm breaking down boxes, recycling bubble wrap & brown paper, sweeping up packing peanuts, washing clothes, and trying to re-establish order at home.

- I'm slowly but surely adding a 5-page wish list from Alps to my Bookmooch wish list, so I can mooch throughout the year.

- I'm mulling over all sorts of ideas... moving my "summer satchel" posts to a separate blog; starting a Facebook group; putting together a Christmas satchel program; thinking of other ways to get books into the hands of kids who have none.

And finally, I'm planning to COOK DINNER tonight, for the first time in 2 weeks. Last night Bayne and I had Pringles & Goldfish for dinner! It's been rough here, folks. While I was buried in books, I was also swamped with Overview Commission work.

So... Summer Satchel Supporters: send me your ideas on what kinds of programs might expand our book-sharing reach, where I might look for book donations, where I might look for grants or funding. And thank you all for your support!

Melaney

PS: I have to admit: I also have a stack of kids books I'm planning to read. There were no takers for Island of the Blue Dolphins (criminal, I know!) so I'm reading it myself. It's just as good as I remembered!

The New Wish List

2010-05-19T19:07:00.004-04:00

The wish list below is quite different from the school's official wish list. But the librarian and outreach counselor both said I should focus on anything that gets the kids reading. So here's a list of what the kids themselves asked for most.

I included the numbers I'll need if I stick with only 1 school for next year. If I make the leap to 2 schools, I'll update the numbers.

If you're one of the folks who offered to shop the thrift stores for me, or if you just have a large inventory of kids books, this list is short and easy to focus on. I'll be searching for deals on large lots of each on eBay so don't bid against me!

Series books:
Animorphs - 25
Captain Underpants - 100+
"Coke or Pepsi?" - 25
Diary of a Wimpy Kid - 50
Goosebumps - 100+
Junie B Jones - 100+
Magic Treehouse - 50
Matt Christopher Sports - 50
Pokemon - 50
Young Cam Jansen - 50 (regular Cam Jansen is good too, but "young" is for beginners)

Also:
Kids sports books, especially basketball & football
Kids joke books

I noticed the kids automatically gravitated to the series books; some asked for them by name before they even started looking. My heart broke every time a child said "Where's the Captain Underpants???" and I had to say... "I ran out".

Books to Avoid: (sadly, some of my favorites!)
Nancy Drew
Hardy Boys
Little Bear
Little House on the Prairie
Spiderwick Chronicles
Time Warp Trio
Anything with a drab cover

That's the short-but-sweet wish list from the kids. Doesn't spring seem like a great time to clean off your bookshelves? I'm happy to take those books off your hands....

Summer Satchel Action Shots

2010-05-19T12:12:00.008-04:00

Yesterday was the big day: Alps rolled out the summer reading program and the students came and shopped for books.

It started with organizing the books. Parent volunteers took care of that. There were tables covered in chapter books for the older kids....

.... and a separate section for younger kids.

Volunteers were stuffing bags with information about the summer reading program.

Here's most of what was in each bag:
A list of recommended books, a sheet to tally the number of books read (with prizes listed for each level), a free book offer from Borders, pencils, erasers, a reading journal (where students could record a brief summary about each book), and a brand new book from the Alps Recommended Reading list.

We didn't have time to decorate the bags; next year we'll order them much earlier and have the kids do the decorating themselves.

When each class arrived, Mary would give them a bag and tell them about the summer reading program.

Then each student was allowed to choose 2 books to take home (in addition to the new book provided by the school). That's when the chaos began. The kids were so excited about the books, they swarmed the tables like we were giving away gold. Or candy. It was fun to watch.

Kids shopped for books and compared their finds. It was fun to hear them recommending books to each other.

The kindergarteners left a path of destruction behind, but it was fun to watch.

By the end of the day, it was clear what the students liked and didn't like.

The Goosebumps (85) and Junie B. Jones(94) inventory was completely wiped out and the kids were asking for more. Sports books and joke books were frequent requests, and we only had a few of each. Magic Treehouse was popular but there were a few left over. The 22 Captain Underpants books were gone after the first class visited, and every class except Kindergarten asked for them. I felt terrible not having enough. Harry Potter also went fast, but I only had 11 of those. And I only had 1 copy of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, which might have been the most frequently requested book.

On the other hand, only 1 Nancy Drew book was taken, a big fat zero on Little House on the Prairie books, and there were a lot of "non-series" books left over. Also left over were books with dull or drab covers. I thought The Spiderwick Chronicles and Time Warp Trio collections would be cleaned out, but the covers are mostly dark, or black and white and the kids completely ignored the books.

Tomorrow I'll give you an update on plans for the extra books. We found some good ways to use them and still save some for next year.

Today is the day!

2010-05-18T08:09:00.003-04:00

I'm off to hand out books to the kids at Alps Road Elementary. It's an all-day affair, and I'm so excited to see the kids reactions. I think I'll learn about which books they like best.

I'm still collecting books though. Adopting two schools next year will be a huge ordeal so I'm getting started NOW.

Thanks everybody for your help, and another shout out the BookMoochers out there who showered me with free books, 2 for 1 deals, and gift points. To quote my niece: YTB!

Melaney

(PS: that's teen-speak for You're the Best)

A quick update....

2010-05-17T16:26:00.002-04:00

I've delivered 1500 books and 200 workbooks (thanks Lori!) to Alps Road Elementary. Tomorrow is the big day!

Thanks everybody for feedback on whether or not to hoard my surplus of books. I talked to the Outreach Coordinator at Alps today, and we've come up with a tentative plan that will spread the book wealth to other students over the summer and leave plenty for a head start on next year's program. More on that later.

Today when I delivered 2 carloads of books, there were parent volunteers in the library sorting books. I've never seen such a sight. Hopefully I'll get there tomorrow before the kids start selecting books so I can take a "before" picture.

And I must admit, I'm looking forward to having my regular life back. I've been ordering, sorting, stacking, and boxing books for about 12 hours a day for the last 10 days. It's been fun, but the laundry isn't going to wash itself!

Stay tuned....

1787.

2010-05-16T15:49:00.003-04:00

No, that's not a typo. One thousand, seven hundred & eighty-seven books. I still can't believe it, even as I'm typing. AND - as best I can tell, there's a potential 150-200 more books en route.

I'm trying to decide what to do. What do you think?

I could save the books for next year, and have a huge head-start on my goal of adopting two schools. That would make things really easy on me.
I could scramble to find another school and get organized. But there are only a few days left before school is out; this would be a tremendous amount of work and I'm already committed to helping at Alps. I'm not sure I can pull this one off.
I could give each child at Alps 2 extra books for the summer, but then I'd have to start from zero next year. That will make it hard to adopt an additional school.

It's a tough call but I'm leaning towards option 1. It makes everything easier for me and frankly, I'm exhausted. I'll be free to help Alps Elementary this coming week, and I'll start ahead of the game on doubling the number of children who take home "Summer Satchels" next year.

Those of you who donated books: what do you think? I want to make the most of your donations and I'm curious what you'd like me to do.

993.

2010-05-15T17:58:00.005-04:00

Nine hundred ninety-three.
neuf cent quatre-vingt-treize (that's for you, Margot)
novecientos noventa y tres.
Neun hundert dreiundneunzig.

That's how many books are sorted, labeled and bagged for delivery to Alps Road Elementary. Not all of those 993 will be deemed usable by the school, but I think it's safe at least 800 of them will. I would dance for joy but I'm tired right down to my pinky toe. A special thank you to niece Janey for driving up from Macon to help me. Luv ya JJ!

Check it out:

Here's what the labels look like; we put them on the inside of the front cover.

I have a lot more to tell you... and more books to count... and more people to thank... but my brain is fried and I'm just too tired. Forgive me, and stay tuned!

Welcome to my weekend....

2010-05-14T13:33:00.005-04:00

I have no business blogging right now but I know y'all are craving an update about the books and where things stand.

Is a picture worth a thousand words? Here's 2 days' worth of unsorted, unopened books. That's an 8-foot rug, by the way.

Welcome to my weekend! Whoever said they felt God was with me on this project, could you send up an urgent prayer that He send help? Quickly?

Niece Janey arrives tonight and will help me sort, label and count. And Bayne will finally be free of the endless conference calls and meetings so he'll pitch in too.

Say a prayer, cross your fingers, send positive vibes my way... there's so much to do I can't help but laugh when I think about it.

Still counting....

2010-05-12T19:11:00.002-04:00

I think the book tally will have to wait til Friday or Saturday. My intentions are good; my time is non-existent. But last time I forecasted, I had good distribution across grades and was about 200 books short. Since then I've had promises of more books, neighbor donations, etc so I'm hoping it works out in the end.

Here are today's highlights:

The bags arrived! (Thanks Aunt Linda!) And my camera batteries died, so I couldn't take pictures. I received about 15 packages in the mail, another neighbor donation, and Gail shopped the Sandy Springs thrift shops and scored 40 more books. Bird has books waiting at her office. Lori has books waiting at her office. Bayne has books waiting at his office.

AND: I created labels to put inside the cover. Sadly, I can't photograph them either but will get a picture up soon; they're so cute. They've got the usual "This Book Belongs to:", plus in small print at the bottom, the first name, city & state of the person who sent it.

Well, in the interest of full disclosure.... I have waaaaay too much on my plate to keep up with the name of each person who sent each book. So I record the first name, city & state of every book I receive, then print labels later and put them on whatever book is handy. Close enough!

I took 125 books to Alps today; books I didn't know how to categorize, so the librarian is going to help. Finally, couldn't resist stopping by Goodwill now that I know where the workers stash the new books. 12 more books....

Books books books books books books

2010-05-11T19:40:00.004-04:00

I can't get that word out of my head. I think about books books books all day and dream about them at night.

Today's mail delivery was a little bit of a let-down after yesterday's, but I suspect tomorrow's will be outta control.

Today I had my indentured servant I mean niece MK put a "summer satchel" notice in all my neighbors' mailboxes (is that illegal?). I don't know many of my neighbors, and figured I'd be lucky if I got a single book. I left for an Overview Commission meeting, and check out what was waiting for me when I got home.

To quote Bayne: "Wow."

AND... today I met with Mary Kelly, my contact at Alps Road Elementary. She's put together a great plan for the summer satchels. She has a recommended reading list, PLUS a sheet for each student to track the books read over the summer. For every 5 books read, the student earns a reward. There will also be a journal and library card application.

I'm still humbled and overwhelmed by the crazy response to this project. As far as a boook count for the day? Sorry folks, but I haven't done laundry/housework/chores/etc in 5 days. The count will have to wait for tomorrow.

In the meantime, here's a peek at my dining room.

Think that doesn't look like a lotta books? That's because the "series books" (Harry Potter... Magic Treehouse... Junie B Jones...) are bagged and lined up along what I'm calling The Series Wall.

Well, it's 8pm and the laundry beckons. I'll count some books tomorrow (I hope!) and let you know where things stand.

Monday Mail Delivery

2010-05-10T15:04:00.004-04:00

I really didn't think any books would arrive today. I was wrong. 18 packages.... can't wait to open them.

Hurry up and wait!

2010-05-10T13:16:00.003-04:00

The suspense is killing me, but all I can do right now is hurry up and wait. Books are crossing the country via US Mail and there's not much I can do til they get here.

I struck out at the Goodwill bookstore in Macon. My budget doesn't allow $1.99 per book! But, Mary H. left a box of books at mom's house and when I got home, another box of books AND 1,000 pencils were sitting in front of the garage door. Thanks Mary & Leigh!

Today, a new development I never saw coming: a couple of BookMoochers are searching for books on their own, using their own points to mooch the books, then having the books shipped to me. Wow. Once again, I'm blown away by the kindness of strangers.

Here's hoping some books start arriving in the mail today; surely by tomorrow?? The suspense is killing me. I'm nervous... excited... hopeful... thrilled.

While we're waiting, here's a sad-but-hopeful piece of news for you: I started the summer satchel program last year after learning about a second-grader at Alps Elementary who loved to read but didn't own a single book. She loved her summer satchel! That sweet little girl is now living in a homeless shelter. But she's getting 3 meals a day, which is an improvement and will help a lot.

She hopes to be a pediatrician. She doesn't know the odds are stacked against her. I want to change the odds. Clearly a lot of you do, too.

It matters... keep the books coming.

Book Count - Day 3.5

2010-05-08T15:59:00.006-04:00

Never got around to taking a tally this morning, and now the day is almost over. If 100% of the books I'm expecting actually show up and are usable, I'll have roughly 600 books. I can't count the books my friends, family, and even complete strangers are collecting for me in other cities til I actually receive them.

So basically, I have no idea how many books I'll have this Friday. Will I come up short when the smoke clears, or will I be ahead of my goal and have extras for next year?

I took an inventory by grade, and I'm pretty well distributed across all the grades. Miracle.

This week I'll hit thrift stores in Macon and Atlanta. It's going to be a crazy week. And can you imagine the packages arriving from around the country? I'll take pictures when the books come rolling in mid-week.

For now, I'm cross-eyed... and taking the evening off.

OH! For my veggie friends... you know it's bad when I don't have the energy to post Tuesday's CSA loot... Friday's fresh strawberries... and today's take from the first Athens Farmer's Market of the season. I know you feel incomplete without seeing my groceries; fear not, I took pictures.

Blown away by the kindness of strangers.

2010-05-07T18:29:00.003-04:00

I was awake but still in bed this morning when Bayne said "You're thinking about your books, aren't you?"

Well, yes and no. I was thinking about the people helping me with the books. How could I not be thinking about them?

A coworker of my sister's is hitting an Atlanta thrift sale for me today. The owner of a chain of thrift stores in Texas is scouring her stores for books on my wish list. A woman in France bought books online and had them shipped because her own books wouldn't reach me in time. A teacher in south Georgia not only boxed up a big load of books, she posted the project online somewhere... so now I get emails from strangers who have boxed up books for me and just need my address. A woman in Atlanta sent me a check for $100 - talk about trust!

And the BookMooch points... I've gotten 200+ books, completely free, due to the kindness of BookMoochers who donated points.

Complete strangers, all of them.

I have many more stories like this one. Enough to leave me gobsmacked and boondoggled by the kindness of strangers. It's having a wonderful effect on my project... and on me.

And I would be remiss if I didn't mention friends and family. My sister is rallying troops in Atlanta and there's no telling what she'll come up with. My mom donated her entire lot of BookMooch points. A friend from college is supplying pencils and erasers for the student journals. My aunt is supplying 400 bags so the students can carry their loot. Friends from high school, college, work... people I haven't seen in years, are collecting books in various towns and delivering them. Etc, etc, etc.

So it's Day 3 and I don't have a book count just yet, but my heart is overflowing with gratitude. One of the donors told me she felt God was with me on this project, and I agree. And with every one of you who's helping or sending good wishes my way. And with the children of Alps Road Elementary, who will each be the proud owner of 3 books this summer.

For some, it will be the first 3 books they've ever owned. The only 3 books found in their homes.

Thank you and keep it coming!

Book Count - End of Day 2

2010-05-07T09:31:00.005-04:00

I hit every Athens thrift store. BookMooch members came through in a big way. I bought large book lots on eBay but the quality is uncertain. I have promises of books from friends and family but no idea how many books that will be, or for what ages.

So the book count is complicated today. Let me break it down for you:

200 Books I've Recieved
130 En Route, from BookMooch members
50 En Route, from eBay (books I know to be good)
150 En Route, from eBay (massive lots of unidentified childrens books... but dirt cheap!)

If every one of those books arrives on time, is in good condition, age-appropriate, and deemed acceptable by the school, I could have as many as 530 books. Can you believe that? In less than 48 hours.

BUT: to be safe, I'm assuming only half of the dirt-cheap eBay lot will be usable, and that 20 of the BookMooch books won't get here in time. So in my head, my "real" count is 435.

Today and tomorrow my focus will be on double-checking the age ranges for the books, to make sure there's no class that's under-represented. It would be quite a bummer to have 800 books on hand, but none appropriate for 5th graders, wouldn't it? I'll also tally my spending; hopefully I'm still in the < $.50 per book range.

I've grabbed all the low-hanging fruit. The remaining 400 books are going to have to come from friends, out-of-town thrift stores, or some other place I haven't thought of. Any ideas?

Shout out to BookMooch members!

2010-05-06T08:04:00.000-04:00

A special thanks this morning to all the BookMooch members who have come through for the Summer Satchel project. Members have donated credits so I could mooch books, and members with books have given me 2-for-1 deals so my credits would last longer. A few are just mailing me free books and not asking for credits. Wow!

I've got 40 books coming from BookMooch so far, and I haven't even finished ordering. I'm so grateful for all the support - from complete strangers - and it will be fun to tell the kids how far some of the books traveled to reach them.

Thank you, BookMooch members!

Book Count: End of Day 1

2010-05-06T08:00:00.004-04:00

Technically yesterday only counted as half a day, but here's the total anyway: 74 books. Not bad considering I haven't hit the thrift stores yet.

11 days and 726 books left to go..... I KNOW you're scouring your bookshelves right now to see if you have anything to send me..... when you have your books boxed up, just email me at melaney (at) gmail.com and I'll send you my address.....

The Official Wish List

2010-05-06T07:47:00.003-04:00

Here's the official wish list, compiled by Alps Road Elementary, for books to send home with the kids this summer. Alps students are ethnically diverse, and the book list reflects that.

I'm looking hard for these books, but don't limit yourselves to this list; any age-appropriate book will do. I'll post a separate list of easier-to-find books for any of you willing to scour the thrift stores.

Alps Road Elementary Summer Wish List

Aardema, Verna. Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears.

Ada, Alma Flor. Gathering the Sun: An Alphabet In Spanish And English.

Aylesworth, Jim. Old Black Fly.

Barrett, Judi. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.

Benson, Martin/, and Patrick (ILT) Waddell. Owl Babies.

Birney, Betty G. The World According to Humphrey.

Browne, Anthony. Voices in the Park.

Burton, Virginia Lee. The Little House.

Carle, Eric. Today Is Monday.

Clements, Andrew. Frindle.

Cobb, Vicki. Harry Houdini (DK Biography).

Cowell, Cressida. How to Train Your Dragon

Curtis, Christopher Paul. Mr. Chickee's Funny Money.

Demi. The Empty Pot.

Elmer the Elephant

Finchler, Judy. Miss Malarkey Doesn't Live in Room 10.

Gerstein, Mordicai. The Man Who Walked Between the Towers.

Grimes, Nikki. Make Way for Dyamonde Daniel.

Hartman, Bob. The Wolf Who Cried Boy.

Henkes, Kevin. Kitten's First Full Moon.

Henkes, Kevin. Owen.

Howard, Elizabeth Fitzgerald. Aunt Flossie's Hats (and Crab Cakes Later).

If Kids Ruled the School: More Kids' Favorite Funny School Poems.

Jordan, Brian. I Told You I Can Play!.

Jordan, Deloris. Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream.

Knotts, Kevin, and Kim Wayans. Happy Birthday to Me.

Krull, Kathleen. Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez.

Krull, Kathleen. The Boy Who Invented TV: The Story of Philo Farnsworth.

Lin, Grace. The Year of the Dog.

Lionni, Leo. The Biggest House in the World.

Lombard, Jenny. Drita, My Homegirl.

Look, Lenore. Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters.

Lowry, Lois. Gooney Bird Greene.

Malaspina, Ann. Finding Lincoln.

Manning, Maurie J. Kitchen Dance.

Meddaugh, Susan. Martha Speaks

Murrie, Matthew, and Steve Murrie. Every Minute On Earth.

O'Connor, Barbara. Fame and Glory in Freedom, Georgia.

O'Connor, Barbara. How to Steal a Dog.

Pennypacker, Sara. Stuart's Cape

Rathmann, Peggy. Officer buckle & Gloria.

Rockwell, Thomas. How to Eat Fried Worms.

Sachar, Louis. Sideways Stories from Wayside School.

Schade, Susan. Travels of Thelonious (Fog Mound).

Scieszka, Jon. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs.

Smith, Alexander McCall. Akimbo and the Crocodile Man.

Stevens, Eric A. Anansi and the Talking Melon.

Stilton, Geronimo. The Karate Mouse

Taback, Simms/, and Simms Taback. Joseph Had a Little Overcoat.

Thank You, Mr. Falker.

The Secret Knowledge of Grown-Ups.

Thomas, Joyce Carol. Marked By Fire.

Viorst, Judith. Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday.

Winter, Jeanette. Wangari's Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa.

Yolen, Jane. A Sip Of Aesop.

If you've got some extra cash on hand and want to purchase any of these books and have them shipped to me, contact me at melaney (at) gmail.com and I'll give you my address.

Summer Satchel Program is kicking into high gear...

2010-05-05T13:58:00.008-04:00

Remember last year's "Summer Satchel" program for Alps Road Elementary? The school decided to continue the program... on a much larger scale. 400 students, Pre-K through 5th grade!

So far my contact at Alps has 1 book for every child, and plans to include a journal, a pencil, and a library card application for each child. My aunt is donating the bags.

But seriously: is ONE BOOK enough to keep a child occupied for a whole summer? I think not. It's progress, but it still leaves me sad. I'd like each child to have three books. Yes, that means I need 800 more books.

So far I have an abundance of Pre-K, 1st & 2nd grade books stacked in my closet. But I need chapter books for 3rd, 4th & 5th graders. Help me! Some popular series that have been mentioned:

Magic Treehouse
Junie B Jones
Nancy Drew
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Goosebumps
Spiderwick Chronicles
Wrinkle in Time
American Girl

Got books, but don't live in Athens? Mail them to me! The post office offers a discounted rate for books; just ask for the Media Mail rate.

Even if you can't buy or donate a book, think about these options:

1) If you're a member of PaperbackSwap or BookMooch and would be willing to donate points, let me know.
2) If you're willing to find & obtain free books from Craigslist or Freecycle in your area (and you're somewhere near central/north Georgia) I'll find a way to get the books. I've got Athens covered.

Finally: If you'd prefer to make a donation, I buy most of my books at thrift stores and average about $.50 per book. Give me a dollar, I'll turn it into 2 books. I've even turned to eBay, where I'm finding entire sets of chapter books for pretty good prices.

Twelve days... 800 books. It's gonna happen, and I hope you'll help!

PS: I also need 800-1200 new pencils, 400 sharpeners, and 400 erasers....

What to do with big bunch of radishes???

2010-05-04T13:57:00.004-04:00

I never paid much attention to radishes until they appeared in my CSA veggie box. Turns out they contain a wide range of vitamins and minerals, from potassium to zinc, and are used raw in some "detox diets".

Radishes must be carefully stored. Too much moisture and they soak it all up; not enough moister and they wither. First cut the greens off close to the base so the nutrients don't leach out. Store them in a plastic bag or a damp towel in the coldest part of the fridge (the bottom). If they get a little withered, trim the ends off and soak them in ice water for about an hour to crisp them.

I was blown away to discover radishes are delicious when cooked. My favorite recipe is below. (These are French breakfast radishes, by the way; I thought they were some funky cross between a turnip and a carrot.)

Quick Fix:
The quick fix is obvious: slice them and put them in salad. But you can also toss with olive oil and roast in the oven, just like you would with potato wedges.

Radish Links:
Nutrition Profile

Radish Recipes:
Glazed Radishes (my absolute favorite)
Baked Radish Chips
Radish Dip with Garlic

Chard: Mystery No More!

2010-05-04T13:45:00.004-04:00

Quite a few of last year's CSA "mystery vegetables" turned out to be different varieties of chard. One week the stems were hot pink; the next they were pale green. I finally learned to recognize them all... I think.

Chard is a top source of vitamin K, and has plenty of vitamin A too. Store it unwashed in a plastic bag in the fridge & try to use it within 3 days. But don't worry; if it gets wilted just saute it, throw it in an omelet, and you'll never know the difference.

Chard leaves can be used like spinach leaves: in salad, sauteed, in casseroles... the possibilities are endless. If you know how to cook & eat spinach, then you know how to cook and eat chard!

A few tips:

- In salad, mix rainbow chard leaves with other lettuce leaves. Gives a nice texture to your salad with adding as strong taste.

- The stems are edible too. Some people find them to be bitter; take a bite and see if you're one of them. If cooking the stems, add them to the pan a minute or two before the leaves, to give them a little extra time to cook.

Quick Fix:
SALAD. But if you need to cook the chard to include another dish (like on a pizza or in a quiche), see "Simple Sauteed Rainbow Chard" below; fast & easy.

Chard Links:
Health Benefits
Nutrition Profile
How to Freeze

Chard Recipes:
Swiss Chard and Ricotta Calzone (from Full Moon shareholder Sarah; recipe at bottom of page)
Savory Swiss Chard
Barley & Swiss Chard Skillet Casserole
Simple Sauteed Rainbow Chard (perfect for including in a frittata or on pizza)

Recipe: Simple Sauteed Rainbow Chard

2010-05-04T13:13:00.008-04:00

Here's how I cook chard when I want to have it play second fiddle to a more impressive dish, or if I want to put it on pizza or in a frittata/omelet/quiche.

Seriously, this preparation is boring as a standalone dish. But serve it next to next to Glazed Radishes and YUM.

Simple Sauteed Rainbow Chard Serves 2-3

1 bunch rainbow chard, stems removed
4 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp mirin
Dash of salt

Saute the garlic in the olive oil for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add the chard leaves and saute 1 minute. Add the mirin, toss to mix, then cover and reduce heat. Simmer until chard is tender, about 5 minutes.

(If you want to eat the stems, just chop them and add them to the pan at the same time as the garlic. The stems just need a smidge longer cooking time than the leaves.)

Recipe: Glazed Radishes

2010-05-04T13:00:00.007-04:00

My CSA deliveries last spring included so many radishes; I was forced to find new uses for them. I was surprised to learn they're delicious when cooked!

This recipe is adapted from Mark Bittman's "Braised and Glazed Radishes", which gives all sorts of options/additions/substitutions. After experimenting a while, here's the combo I like best. You won't believe how good it smells while it's cooking. Radishes! Who knew?

Glazed Radishes
(Great with baby turnips, too!)
1 small bunch radishes (8-10 medium), cut into bite-sized pieces
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 Tbsp white miso, dissolved in 1/2 Tbsp water

Place radishes, water, butter and soy sauce in a saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until just-tender (about 10 minutes). Uncover and let most of the remaining water cook out. When the radishes begin to look a little glazed (about 5 minutes), add the miso mixture and cook 2-3 minutes more, until radishes are coated with a thick glaze.

Serves 2.

(If you have some chard on hand, try serving this with Simple Sauteed Rainbow Chard. It's very basic, but is perfect served with glazed radishes.)

VEGGIES !!!!!!!!!!

2010-04-30T15:52:00.004-04:00

This past Tuesday marked the beginning of my CSA season. I've been waiting since August, and the fresh veggie cravings have gotten so strong I'm considering seeking outside help.

New visitors: be warned, I'm a freak for fresh produce. Long-time readers: you can imagine my heartbreak over being out of town all week! Me and my veggies, separated by 3 states and 500 miles. I asked Bayne what was in the box and he said "A lot of green stuff and some onions; I'm eating a salad right now."

It's now Friday, and I've still not seen my veggies. I sent an email to Jillian, a fellow CSA member and blogger, and she reported the produce is super-fresh and beautiful. And now... I've just received this photo from Bayne, which he snapped on Tuesday and promptly forgot.

Aren't they beautiful????

I'm hoping and praying that big bunch of Red Russian kale (dark purple stems) is still good when I get home. It's my absolute favorite of all the kales. And look at those sweet baby radishes, just begging to be braised with some miso, butter and soy sauce.

Roots Farm still has a few openings in their program, You don't have to be a Veggie Stalker to join.... but it does make it a lot more fun.

Home, Sweet Home

2010-04-30T14:20:00.002-04:00

I WISH!!!!

I can't seem to find my way back to Athens! I thought I was going home after my trip to Virginia but Bayne had a client dinner in Atlanta so I met him at Cousin Smash's house and we stayed overnight.

I was 10 miles into my journey home this morning when I got a call from Alice that she's coming early to Duluth so I turned around and headed back to Smash's. This poor black sweater has been on my body for three days. (Don't worry, I'm headed to Nordstrom for a new, clean shirt.)

Dinner with Lori & Celia last night was such a boost. I left feeling like I could conquer the Athens job market (if there is such a thing). The Job Fairy dropped the most perfect jobs in my lap for years, but apparently Athens isn't part of her territory. So I will finally get up and find a job myself. Then Bayne will find a job in Athens, and we'll live happily ever after in a world without traffic.

But first: an evening with my high school BFF and her daughter. I'm already smiling at the thought of how much we'll laugh tonight.

Millions Against Monsanto

2010-04-30T11:45:00.005-04:00

Lori made the mistake of mentioning Monsanto at dinner last night. She's probably still regretting that the name crossed her lips.

If you remember this post, then you're already aware that - in my humble opinion - Monsanto is the devil come to earth in corporate form.

One bit of info I don't think I've shared: the Organic Consumer's Union "Millions Against Monsanto" campaign. Check it out. Join it.

Because before you know it, those evil MOFO's will have managed to make it illegal to eat naturally grown corn. Go ahead and laugh... but read Wikipedia's Monsanto page and see if you're still laughing. I'd love to share some bullet points with you, but I'm afraid if I get one wrong Monsanto will sue me for defamation and have me thrown in jail.

I'm telling you, the devil wears many disguises and Monsanto is one of them. Check out the OCU's Take Action page. Every little step counts.

Is it just me?

2010-04-26T10:33:00.003-04:00

Or is everybody - everywhere - just slammed with too much to do?

Mom came to visit; we had a fun Friday that rambled from Washington Farms (just-picked strawberries!) to Thyme After Thyme ($5 azalea clearance!), and ended with Five & Ten's prix fixe dinner (seriously the best scallops I've ever eaten).

Saturday was a beautiful, lazy, rainy day. Bayne had been out of town for 5 days and it was nice to lay low. Sunday was all yard work, of course.

This week I'm cramming in so much I'm already tired just thinking about it. A trip to Virginia to see my grandparents; a quick stop in Decatur for a career pep talk with Lori and Celia; a whole 24 hours in Athens at the same time as Bayne; and off again to a soccer tournament in Duluth to see Alice & her girls.

After this week, our summer is wide open. No set plans, nowhere we have to be, just taking each weekend as it comes.

And I'm really, really, really close to getting on that whole job thing. I do at least have an updated resume now, and I'm narrowing in on a focus area, which I'm hoping Lori and Celia will help me finalize.

That's it folks. Here's hoping we all get to slow down soon.

Construction - Days 15 & 16

2010-04-20T11:50:00.005-04:00

Day 15: Doors! And more siding....

Day 16: More and more siding.....

At this point we took a break while we waited for a wood delivery, and had a nice, quiet, construction-free week. Then last weekend, we had the topsoil delivered to refill the bed that was emptied to make room for wiring.

See anything that doesn't belong?

Let's zoom in from another angle for a better look:

Yep, that's Bella. Right before she rolled onto her back and coated her entire body with black dirt. Even after a bath, she's still a dingy orange.

Construction resumes tomorrow. Jade came by today to give advice on details. Hardware, lighting, etc. Bayne is finishing the interior himself, so we'll be ready to start on the patio soon!

"This Day in Athens"

2010-04-19T11:38:00.004-04:00

Just wanted to share one of my new favorite reads: "This Day in Athens", a blog written by one of the librarians at the ACC library. Learn a little Athens history in small, interesting doses.

The latest post is about the free Widespread Panic concert downtown in 1998. Oh, how I wish I'd been there!

I've loved Widespread Panic since I saw them waaaaay back in the summer of 1985 at The Rookery in Macon. They were crammed into a corner (and had a woman singing with them!) playing background music as dinner wound up and the bar crowd straggled in. By the end of the night, we'd pushed all the tables and chairs out of the way, thrown off our shoes, and turned the dining room into a dance floor.

I was remembering this night fondly as I ordered Bayne a Widespread Panic 20-year anniversary Tshirt for his birthday in 2006. Ahhh, 1986. The performance at The Rookery led to my then-boyfriend's fraternity hiring them to play at UGA a couple months later...

WAIT.

I wasn't dating him in 1986! That was 1985! Could Widespread Panic have miscalculated their own anniversary?!!!

I called friends to validate the year. I dug out college diaries and calendars. I searched the Web for an explanation. Finally, I wrote the band. Somebody wrote back explaining that they didn't consider themselves to be "Widespread Panic" until drummer Todd Nance joined them in 1986.

I'm sorry, but if they weren't playing as Widespread Panic in 1985, where did I get the name to write in my diary? How could I have seen a band before they existed? I'm telling you, I stayed in a funk about this for days.

My conclusion: they're embarrassed about the girl in the band so they've blacked out that part of their collective memory. Let's just say she was a little off-key. Regardless, they were awesome and the fact that I remember their first gig so vividly is a testament to that.

Welcome to life inside my head; yes, I can be a bit obsessive at times. This is why Bayne says it's never a good thing for me to have too much think-time....

A week in 60 seconds....

2010-04-15T07:33:00.004-04:00

The last 7 days have been crazy busy. A massive amount of yard work, a pollen migraine (24 hours, down the drain), tax return completion, a house full of company for the Athens Beerfest, a trip to Atlanta (another whole day lost!), a gazillion errands/chores/tedious endeavors, Overview Commission work, and on and on an on.

There goes another week; blink and you've missed it.

But about the Beerfest: it was really fun! Randy and Gail were here to introduce O'Dempsey's Big Red Ale. (We got a private, advance tasting of course, and... Eggplant Stacks!) Look for Big Red in stores in Atlanta/Athens or at Taco Mac, and try it yourselves.

One quiet aspect to the week: Bronco Garage construction took a break while Bayne and Trey used their man-bartering system to negotiate some free wood for the garage. The silence has been heavenly.

For the next 2 days it'll be laundry & cleaning but relatively quiet. Then it all starts again with a massive amount of yard work, a quick trip to Macon, and Hello, Monday. I don't know how I ever got it all done and held down a full-time job!

A "Found" Day !!!!

2010-04-07T08:24:00.004-04:00

I can't believe it's already Wednesday. The last week was crazy busy, the weekend flew by, and now here's Wednesday already.

I'm excited today, because it's a "found" day. I busted my butt Monday and Tuesday to get all my work/errands/chores done early, so I could spend all of Wednesday in the yard. Bayne arranged for some help, and the plan was to refill the empty bed (see post below), and also finish a front bed extension left over from Fall.

But last night Bayne was informed we can't replant the empty bed until Friday, when the inspector comes to approve the electrical work. And this morning my yard help canceled. My back is hurt so I can't do it myself.... so basically I have a "found" day.

I allowed myself the luxury of dawdling and blogging over coffee, but after this post the fun is over. I'm using my found day to do my tax returns.

Here's the thing: I have an accounting degree and I'm good with numbers. But accounting, like regular math, is based on logical rules that don't change and are consistently applied by everyone. The U.S. Tax Code is most definitely NOT based on logical rules applied consistently.

So it's not that unusual for people with accounting degrees to pay tax professionals for their help! Which I've done for years. Until now. I'm doing them myself to save money. I started yesterday, said "this is ridiculous", and put everything away.

Fortunately Bayne's not here to witness the mood I'll be in. Regardless, I'm happy to have the day to work on it in peace. Unless you count construction noise and bored kittens.

Construction - Day 14

2010-04-07T08:17:00.002-04:00

Day 14. Trucks everywhere; I'm parked on the street. Workers everywhere. I had no idea siding was such a big job.

From this angle, it looks about the same as before, but if you look closely you can see the siding on the chimney. The rest of the work is around back.

Here's a shot of the work in progress. They wrapped the building in some sort of material and they attach the siding in layers. It looks incredibly tedious. It sounds incredibly loud. And lasts aaaaaall day. Apparently for 2-3 more days.

Construction - Day 13

2010-04-07T08:03:00.003-04:00

Day 13. Ugh. I didn't see this one coming.

Looks pretty harmless from this angle, doesn't it? Just a little trench so the electrical wiring can reach the thingamabob attached to the house.

But check it out from this angle. And please, I beg you, feel my pain. That was a bed full of mature shrubs. Several in bloom, several about to bloom.

I wasn't informed about this activity until Sunday night, about 10 hours before digging began. And the worst part, nothing can be replanted until Friday, when the inspector comes and approves the electrical work.

I was a little... miffed? Put out? Furious? We spent the weekend lounging in Tate City and it was wonderful, but we could have been at home saving our plants. Methinks it's time for a talk about communication between spouses.

On the bright side: the soil in that bed was terrible and now it will be replaced with good dirt. Even better, I get to start all over on design and choose the plants I want instead of the stock plants the builder chose.

Can't resist sharing this picture of my Dirty Girl Scamp.

She is happy about the electrical trench and wasted no time rolling around in it. There wasn't a white spot left on her when she was done.

Construction - Day 12

2010-04-07T07:59:00.003-04:00

We weren't here to witness the progress, but day 12 resulted in an almost-finished roof. While this was going on, I was in Atlanta to visit my nephews daughters. And while I was glad to see them, I must share that of the 6 hours I spent with them, 2.5 hours were spent in the car, in traffic, trying to get to various places. By the time I left, 99% of my soul had been sucked out of me.

On the bright side.... I don't live there anymore!!! YTB Athens, YTB.

Construction - Days 10 & 11

2010-03-31T19:25:00.003-04:00

Wow, day 10 was a big one. Check it out. Oh, in case you're wondering why I'm counting the days, it's because I'm curious how long it takes to build something like this. Not counting rain delays, weekends, etc. Just pure work days. So here's day 10.

Day 11, on the other hand... still a work day, but less to show for it. To start with, Bayne decided he needed windows on a wall that doesn't have any. So we had to work out where, what size, blah blah blah... And we had to go look at some dutch door examples at Architectural Salvage because they have to be custom made. Which sounds so fancy but really we're just sawing a door in half.

And we had to decide where to put ceiling fan connections, electrical outlets (he wants them right by the fireplace, which ruins the view; I want them off to the end of the porch so a lovely plant will hide them from view), yada yada yada.

So here's the evidence we have that Day 11 occurred: a dumpster was delivered. That's it.

Are you sick of construction yet?

2010-03-31T19:07:00.003-04:00

I'm sure you're wondering what happened to my eco-friendly, put-up-or-shut-up, campaigning for the environment, veggie-loving blog posts. I know you're not that into my garage. It doesn't hurt my feelings.

But what the heck should I be blogging about? I reduce, reuse, and recycle to the point I hardly create any trash, and I've already shared all that with you. I'm sick of winter produce and have no desire to eat it, or blog about it. My CSA membership doesn't kick in til end of April, so I don't have any produce or farm workers to photograph, and the Athens Farmer's Market is months away!

I have no interesting veggie tales to share. Except.... how have I gone through life without ever once eating a baked sweet potato?

Seriously. Last month when I was at the hospital with M.R., they brought a baked sweet potato with her dinner and I thought "How strange." Then a week later at the nursing home, same thing. But suddenly I thought... no butter needed, super-nutritious, why not try it?

Man oh man. 40 minutes in the toaster oven and it's done, and it's delicious! So I say to Bayne "I know you probably won't want to eat this, but at least take 1 bite" and he informs me that he LOVES baked sweet potatoes. Have I mentioned our 18-year wedding anniversary? Never, ever, ever, has the man cooked, eaten, or asked for a baked sweet potato. Now we're eating them twice a week.

There you have it, the extent of the excitement in my life. In fact, at some point I might decide my life has gotten so boring it's not worth blogging about. But here's the thing: I'm happy.

And I absolutely love the stretch from January to mid-March when life slows down because it's too cold to go outside. I think things will pick up now that spring is here... but if they don't, that's just fine by me.

Construction - Day 9

2010-03-31T19:01:00.004-04:00

Lookin' good!

On the other hand, the Monsters are sick and tired of all the construction. They don't get to go out and play while the power tools are in use. In human years, Bella and Scamp are supposedly the equivalent of 13 year old girls. Which explains the pouting habit Scamp has developed recently.

Don't you just feel so sorry for her? Rough life....

Construction - Days 7 & 8

2010-03-29T11:38:00.004-04:00

Day 7 should hardly count. A large truck delivered a large amount of wood. The End.

Day 8, different story. It's really starting to look like a building! And the landscape architect came by to help us make decisions about patio shape, steps, etc. Seems a lot more real. And I'm ready for the hammering to stop.

I also started to realize today how much is NOT included in this project. We'll have a great looking shell of a workshop in a couple weeks, and a groovy stone patio. But the rest will look like a disaster area. And might stay that way til fall... oh my.

On a totally different subject.....

2010-03-25T14:30:00.003-04:00

Today I'm working on tax returns and other such chores I've avoided for too long. But in the background, all day, this. A barn owl mama sitting on her nest, live via webcam. At this very moment, she's ripping pieces off of a dead mouse and feeding it, bit by bit, to a baby owl. It's disgusting.

It's also addictive. I just leave it up on the screen while I'm doing whatever, and if I hear screeching I run back into the room to see what I'm missing. But most of the time, the owls are just sleeping.

According to the broadcast counter, 18,909 other people are watching mama owl right along with me. Hope she finishes the mouse soon so I can get back to more important things....

Construction - Day 6

2010-03-25T14:20:00.003-04:00

Day 6 was a big day. Rolls of plastic... rolls of wire... a giant cement truck... guys with strange-looking equipment... and now we have a concrete floor.

Construction - Day 5

2010-03-23T17:20:00.004-04:00

Day 5 had a lot going on that was just too boring to photograph or blog about. Waterproofing. Termite-proofing. Moving dirt from here to there. But it sure looks better than a couple days ago, doesn't it?

Workshop Day 5: The End Result

Workshop Day 5, Scary Destructive Equipment (aka "Look Dude I Don't Want to Find a Skeleton Under the Foundation!")

Construction - Day 4

2010-03-23T17:17:00.003-04:00

Day 4 of construction took place while we were out of town. No idea how they did this. Magic wall appears in back yard. Did I mention... that square in front (the smaller one) will be my porch?!

Workshop Day 4:

Construction - Day 3

2010-03-23T17:11:00.004-04:00

Day 3 of construction was pretty exciting because Bayne and I were both home to witness it. Fascinating.

Workshop Day 3: The End Result

And, Workshop Day 3 - Scary Destructive Equipment (aka "Please Watch Out for My Daffodils!"

Construction - Day 2

2010-03-23T17:07:00.003-04:00

Bayne and I weren't here to witness day 2 of construction. But Bella watched from her back door spot, and she was just as freaked out by large equipment as I have been.

Workshop Day 2:

Day 2

Construction - Day 1

2010-03-23T16:56:00.005-04:00

Work is finally beginning on Bayne's much-talked-about (try 18 years of talking) workshop. Apparently upon completion of a custom workshop, Bayne will suddenly become a master wood-worker and I'll never have to buy furniture again.

Yeah, I'm not holding my breath, either. So the project includes a few concessions to make it a little more.... Acceptable to Melaney. Namely, a porch with a fireplace that overlooks a new stone patio.

I know you are most likely not the tiniest bit interested in a bunch of construction photos. So I'll stick to progress reports, but must occasionally include photographic evidence of the mammoth machinery rolling around on my poor back yard. It freaks me out.

So here ya go: Workshop Day 1. The End Result:

And Workshop Day 1 - Scary Destructive Equipment (aka "I Really Hope They Know What They're Doing")

I'm alive... barely!

2010-03-22T09:37:00.002-04:00

Gail emailed me with the concern that since I haven't been blogging, things must not be going well with my mother-in-law. Not so! I'm happy to report, my absence has simply been due to a hectic schedule.

M.R. is getting so much stronger thanks to a strict regimen of physical therapy, and her attitude makes the whole nursing home thing so much easier to take. We have sitters hired 24/7 to stay in her room with her, which allows us to be her family instead of her sitters.... it makes a difference.

We headed to Macon Thursday, got in two good visits with M.R., then headed to St. Augustine for a wedding. My heart was so happy to see M.R. looking so much better. The wedding was beautiful, the parties were outta this world, and my face hurts from laughing so much. AND.... I was spanx-free in a dress for the first time in years! (But I'm still skeptical about that being Aretha Franklin at the next table Friday night; perhaps it's because of the Patti Labelle false alarm at Billy's first wedding.)

In fact, we are so exhausted from the trip that we've postponed our anniversary. Can you believe that? I had this wonderful dinner planned, a great wine lined up, but we walked in the door after 7 hours in the car and all we wanted to do was sleep. But technically, yesterday marked 18 years of marriage. We'll just celebrate it a little later....

The workshop is progressing. I have some pictures but before I allow myself the luxury of more blogging, I have a ton of work for the Athens Overview Commission and two tax returns hanging over my head. I'm hoping by this time next week my life will be back to normal.

Don't give up on me! Spring is here (mostly) and my CSA membership will kick in soon. I miss my fresh veggies; it's been a long winter!

And more good news....

2010-03-15T10:27:00.003-04:00

How did I forget to share this????

The Athens Farmer's Market will run TWO days a week this summer! The usual Saturday market in Bishop Park, plus a downtown market on Tuesdays from 4-7.

I hope it succeeds. Grocery store produce just doesn't cut it here in Athens and my taste buds are salivating for spring. I haven't had zucchini since it went out of season...oh, strawberries... corn... spring lettuce... hurry, hurry, hurry!

New Week, New Attitude!

2010-03-15T09:45:00.006-04:00

Bayne and I spent 36 whole hours at home - at the same time - from Friday night to Sunday morning. It's the longest we've been home together in 2 weeks, and we made the most of it.

Sunday it was back to the nursing home for Bayne, but good news! M.R. is waaaay stronger than she was earlier in the week, and is able to lift her leg in spite of the heavy cast. My hope is renewed that she'll come out of this better than when she went in. And I was reminded by sweet Sandra, M.R.'s at-home caregiver, that we should always hope... pray for miracles... know that God is holding us up.

The sun is shining today, work is starting on Bayne's Bronco Garage, I'm looking forward to a fun wedding in St. Augustine this weekend, AND....

.... I lost 10 pounds without even trying! It's all thanks to my Happy Shoes. Turns out, when one's feet, knees, and back stop hurting, one tends to be more active in general.

So here are a couple of photos for you. The backyard last summer:

The back yard this morning:

The only casualty so far: one of last fall's newly-planted flower beds.

The fire pit used to be in the middle of the back yard. The foundation guys moved it out of the way, and sat it right on top of a beautiful bed of ferns, which had died back and were hidden from sight. Oh well... it'll stay there til we figure out if we're relocating the fire pit or giving it away.

Finally, a word about Daylight Saving Time. I truly hate losing an hour on the day we "spring forward", and my internal clock stays confused for about a week. But this year, a silver lining: Scamp wakes me every day at 6:30, almost on the dot. Today she woke me up at 7:30 instead. Turns out cats don't have a clue about Daylight Saving Time, so today Scamp and I both started the day in a good mood!

Bummer Bloggin'

2010-03-12T10:04:00.002-05:00

It's been another rough week. Here's how it works.

Start with your normal responsiblities: family, job, chores, bills, hobbies, social life.
Remove all optional activities, which usually means anything fun or relaxing.
Remove some mandatory activities; the ones with the least penalty for ignoring.
Remove easy access to healthy meals, or even water. Replace with fast food and diet coke.
Remove the luxury of sleeping in your own bed at night.
Remove access to the internet, and solid cell coverage.
Add in 8+ hour shifts in an uncomfortable chair in a patient room.
Add in medical situations & decisions you feel unqualified to deal with, but must.
Add in a grumpy, confused patient who hurts and doesn't understand.
Add in explaining to said patient, sometimes every 60 seconds, where she is and why.
Add in extra worry and grief over your loved one's situation.
Add in stress from the parts of regular life that need attention but aren't getting it.
Add in family dynamics and personality quirks that emerge during stressful times.
Finally: add in prayer. For a miracle. For strength. For wisdom. For patience.

That's how it is, and that's why I haven't been blogging. We are exhausted, sad, worried and probably just flat out depressed. So now you know: I haven't forgotten you. I just don't have much to tell you that isn't a big fat bummer.

On the bright side: we're taking Saturday off and will do something fun if it kills us. And we've broken ground on Bayne's workshop (even though neither of us was here to witness it.) Better days are ahead. But blogging is pretty boring in the meantime!

Rough week!

2010-03-06T09:28:00.003-05:00

My sweet mother-in-law MR broke her ankle Tuesday so we've been in Macon taking turns at the hospital. Late yesterday she was transferred to a nursing home so today will be dedicated to figuring out where things stand and how we'll manage this new situation.

So many directions I could go with this blog post. Medicare coverage of rehab facilities and how to choose one; what it's like to care for an injured patient who doesn't remember that she's injured and just wants to go home; the major difference a good nurse makes compared to a nurse who's having a really bad day; the emotional side of coming to terms with the fact that it's not safe for a loved one to live at home...

But why bore and depress you? Instead I will put on a fake good attitude and focus on the positive. Life is good...better...best, right?

MR is in a place where she'll get constant care. Three solid, healthy meals a day. Medication on a rigid schedule. Physical therapy and exercise. Mental stimulation and social interaction. All things that it's near impossible to give her at home. When I think about it that way, I'm filled with hope that maybe, just maybe, she'll come out of this stronger and healthier than before her fall.

Whatever. Alzheimers sucks. It steals the soul of someone you love and leaves a helpless body behind so you have plenty of opportunities to feel conflicted and guilty over the choices you face every day in caring for her. I just want to scream at the world. Make it go away!

I don't like Bummer Blogging so I'll be back when I have something better to say.... hope it's soon.

Oh yeah, fun weekend!

2010-03-01T12:36:00.006-05:00

The New Orleans weekend was so much fun; I'm still smiling, remembering all the rehash-worthy moments. Which would take far too long to blog about, and probably wouldn't seem so funny in the re-telling.

We crammed so much into 48 hours: laughed so much, talked so much, stared so much, ate so much... and it's always like that in New Orleans.

But I'm pretty sure I can safely say my Bourbon Street bar-crawling days are over.

A synopsis:

5:00 PM, Hotel Monteleone bar: Cocktails to kick off Sonny's birthday weekend. Mmmm.... Lemon Drops! In typical New Orleans style, we've run into college friends we haven't seen in 20 years. Yes, Annette, it does smell kinda like vomit in here.

6:00 PM, Pat O'Briens: our party grows from 6 to 11, and our attention spans shrink to nonexistent. Julie and Bayne somehow get their feet tangled up and Bayne is flat on the nasty floor of Pat O'Brien's. I wonder aloud "Should we eat dinner sooner rather than later?" I am unanimously overruled.

7:00 PM, somewhere on Bourbon Street: 11 people. Something fruity called a Hand Grenade. Bourbon Street is so crowded we can hardly navigate.

9:00 PM, Bourbon Street: We blink, and Sonny's gone missing. We organize a search party and in the meantime, gain 2 additional celebrants we'd completely forgotten were meeting us out later.

9:05 PM, Bourbon Street: Somehow we're down to 4 people.

9:15PM, Bourbon Street: Hey, look there's Sonny and part of the search party! We're up to 9. Oops, we blinked. Back down to 3: me, Bayne, Sonny.

I look right. A girl is puking in the gutter while a friend holds her hair. I look left. I'm confronted with a pair of breasts, bared in hopes of scoring a free drink. I look straight ahead and see a couple desperately in need of a hotel room.

So I do what any intelligent, 40ish-year-old, in-over-her-head reveler would do: hold on to Sonny and Bayne for dear life and guide them back to Point A, Hotel Monteleone. Same bar, same table. Hope everybody else figures it out.

9:30PM, Hotel Monteleone: what happened to the clientele? Gone are the young hipsters. We're surrounded almost exclusively by single, 70-year old men. The music's turned off; a piano man is playing show tunes.

9:45PM, Hotel Monteleone: I'm so proud. Our entire party has straggled in, 2 or 3 at a time, and we're back up to 13. Ooops, make that 12. The birthday boy has gone to bed. Oops... I mean 10; Lynn & Zoe are down for the count. The rest of us stay up late. Make fun of Sonny.... laugh, talk, sip, stare... laugh some more. Oh gosh was I just chiming in on a show tune?

Time Unknown, Hotel Monteleone: We realize we never ate dinner.

Now here I am back in Athens, remembering the funny parts, the delicious parts, the really weird parts of a Wow-Weekend. And I can't wait to go back!

Boooooring.....

2010-02-25T07:49:00.005-05:00

I haven't forgotten you, oh hoards of people following my blog! Readers around the world are scratching their heads wondering "Is she so into Olympic curling she's forgotten the rest of us?"

No, no, no. I am just crazy busy right now, which for me is a Very Good Thing. Sadly, none of it is particularly interesting; certainly not blog-worthy. Except my work on the Athens Overview Commission, which fascinates me, but sadly I'm not comfortable blogging about it since I'm part of a larger panel of people.

But I do confess to watching an embarrassing number of hours of Olympic curling! I told Bayne I was canceling this weekend's New Orleans trip because the bronze and gold medal rounds are Friday and Saturday. He wasn't sure I was kidding.

I think things will be back to normal next week but who knows. To be honest, I'm kind of tired of blogging. But it could just be that January and February are that blessed slow period when we all recover from the Thanksgiving/Christmas chaos. I don't have a lot to say because I don't have a lot going on. Maybe. We'll see.

In the meantime, I'm signing off early for the weekend. Hope you have a great one!

PS: heads up on a potential rant coming your way: My trash company, AAA Sanitation, dumped my recycling into the truck with the rest of the trash this morning. So you know I am seriously steamed. But to be fair, I'll give them a couple days to return my stern-but-civil phone call. Maybe there's an explanation.

Pork & Poker

2010-02-22T12:09:00.002-05:00

I think this kind of says it all. Bayne survived the poker weekend. Many animals, especially pigs, did not. But the real reason I'm sharing this photo: the tablecloth! Granted it was already on the table, and Bayne only left it on as a joke... but a tablecloth was used for poker weekend and doesn't that look better than a plain metal tabletop?

What's a girl to do?

2010-02-19T09:53:00.002-05:00

My weekend is wide open, completely free, no plans, anything goes. Bayne is eating pork and playing poker, and my choices for things to do are endless.

And that's exactly the problem. What should I do?

Should I be productive? I mean, there's my tax return, a backlog of filing, a somewhat messy house, and a load of work to do for the Athens Overview Commission. I don't know, that seems like a big cop-out.

Should I be social? Round up some long-lost girlfriends for shopping, dinner or drinks, call some folks I haven't spoken with in a while, go see a good movie... Maybe. It would be fun, but a social life can be a lot of work too. Am I really up for it?

Maybe I should go the indulgent route. Get a facial and a massage, curl up with a good book, and just chill out. I don't know, do I really want to deal with appointment times, gotta be somewhere, cancellation window expired?

I could always pick a hobby and focus on that. Knock out some genealogy research, pick up the guitar again, learn to cook something new, update the old blog... maybe.

Now that I think about it, the prospect of a completely free weekend is kind of stressing me out.
Who wants to spend the day paralyzed by indecision, second-guessing and self-doubt? But being productive is boring, I'm sure my friends already have other plans, I can't afford a facial, and I'm not feeling the hobby vibe.

It's a good thing I have hours and hours of Olympic curling waiting on the DVR.

Men are from Mars.....

2010-02-16T08:50:00.003-05:00

Bayne is hosting 20 guys at the cabin this weekend. He has these poker weekends a couple times a year with some guys from work, but never this many people. So I've been offering helpful tips since he is not the planner in the family.

I offered to shop for supplies. He gave me The Look and advised me there'd be trouble if I bought anything fancy like "whole wheat potato chips". (Duh, they're um, made of potatoes. As if!)

I suggested he set up the long folding table, with tablecloth, out on the porch so it could serve as a bar. I mean, the weather is supposed to be nice, and it would be out of the way! I was rewarded with The Eye Roll. Apparently each guy brings his own cooler and plop them down in the basement and call that a bar. I guess he doesn't need to know where the candles are kept.

(This, on the other hand, is my idea of a bar. Leigh set it up for Bayne's 40th birthday party at the cabin.)

I merely mentioned the antique baby washtub, with stand, just begging to be filled with ice and beer. Festive!!! He stopped dead in his tracks. The Look.

So I decided not to mention the wine charms.... or the really cool basket that could easily hold whole wheat potato chips for 20. (BTW, if you look closely you can see that really cool basket below; I got it at a yard sale and it's awesome.)

Our cabin sleeps 6-7 when it's couples or women; 3 when it's guys because they refuse to share a bed. I can't imagine how or where 20 guys are going to fit in there, even on the floor.

I'm just really glad I won't be there. The snoring. The smells. The potato chips served straight out of the bag. And the menu! Meat, meat, and more meat. Not a green veggie to be found. Hamburgers and hot dogs Friday night, because they can be cooked to order as people straggle in. But he's also cooking a beef brisket so they'll have something to munch on Late Night. On Saturday, there's some kind of large animal body part like a shoulder or rib cage, I forget exactly what, and I seriously doubt it was grass fed or free range. Fill in with lunch meat, eggs, and bacon and there you have it.

So I've concluded men really are from Mars. Eating my body weight in charred animal flesh, sleeping on a hard floor surrounded by snoring (and let's just leave it at that) men... no thank you!

I'll hang in Athens with the Monsters and have a nice Red Russian Kale Frittata, read a good book, go for a good walk, and maybe round up some girlfriends for drinks.

In the meantime... today is Fat Tuesday so laissez les bon temps rouler!

Snow, Bronco Blogging, and a Desperate Wish for Spring

2010-02-15T10:17:00.005-05:00

A very uneventful weekend here in Athens, except for the 4 inches of snow. Surprisingly, nothing shut down. It was a beautiful snow that fell late afternoon and had mostly melted by mid-morning. We used it as an excuse to enjoy a good bottle o' red anyway.

Here's the front yard:

Here's the back yard:

And here's Sanford Stadium, with snow on the hedges:

Also this weekend, the Olympics started! Bayne and I got hooked on curling during the last Olympics; we'd never even heard of it. 30 days later Bayne showed up with a shuffleboard table. Here's the curling schedule; I know you're dying to see it so set your DVRs now. Curling starts Tuesday!

And Sunday was Valentine's day. We aren't big Valentine's day celebrators, the whole Hallmark-created yada blah blah thing... but we do try and mark the occasion by doing something we wouldn't normally do.

My suggestion was brunch at iHop... a true guilty pleasure and not something you'd admit to doing for a typical special occasion. Unfortunately we ended up brunching somewhere that's too embarrassing to share; we wore sunglasses and parked behind the building. My official story is that Bayne took me to Sam's to eat free samples... yes, it's worse than that. A true guilty pleasure indeed.

So, I think I mentioned before that Bayne started a blog. I'm still in shock. He's blogging about his Bronco garage. We laughed last night, thinking that enviro-geeks & kale cookers might not have much interest in a Bronco Garage, but here it is: Bayne's Bronco Garage.

I leave you with this one pic I just have to sneak in... a certain luvvalicious baby girl who turns up in the strangest places....

Amy's Spicy Beans with Coconut Milk

2010-02-11T14:36:00.005-05:00

Who ever knew kidney beans could taste this good? I think of them as having one use, and one use only: chili. But this thai-style stew is delicious and it was crazy-easy.

Spicy Beans with Coconut Milk

1 sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 Tbsp red curry paste (I used 2 and it's HOT)
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tsp grated lime rind
2-3 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp sugar
2 cans kidney beans, rinsed & drained
1 can lite coconut milk
1 tsp salt
Rice
garnish: green onions, cilantro

Saute chopped onion in a large skillet approximately 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Add curry paste and saute 1 minute. Stir in remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Seve over rice.

Loaded with iron, manganese and fiber, tastes so yum... Thanks Amy!

And now for something completely random...

2010-02-09T10:16:00.002-05:00

I'm home from Macon and have lots to do today for the Athens Overview Commission. Speaking of the Overiew Commission.... here's a new article about it that explains what we're doing if you're interested.

Oh - speaking of articles... here's an article that explains why Bayne no longer eats chicken. His idea, not mine. I was glad to find at least one other soul on the planet who shares our feelings on the issue.

And speaking of chickens... Kels is building a chicken coop so she can raise chickens and enjoy fresh eggs from happy chickens. I bet hers will be the only chicken coop around with stained glass windows and pull-out window box nests. I didn't have my camera in Macon but I'll get some pictures.

And speaking of Bayne... I hope you're sitting down... he started a BLOG !!!???!!! I thought he was joking when he sent me the link last night... like maybe it was somebody else's and he was punking me, but it's really his. He's blogging about building his Bronco Workshop. I don't have permission to share but stay tuned.

And speaking of Bayne's blog.... what is my role as Type A personality wife with regards to typos and incorrect grammar? Do I correct his posts, or let him do his thing? Whatever, I am still kind of disbelieving the whole thing.

And speaking of the Bronco Workshop... we are FINALLY making some progress. Have collected quotes from builders and will choose one soon. Of course, I'm only in it for the patio.

And speaking of the patio... now that I think about, it wasn't in the quote from the last builder. How did I miss that?!!! Has my patio been pushed aside? Bayne, I am calling you right now!

Teenagers.

2010-02-08T08:23:00.003-05:00

I'm in Macon house-sitting for niece Ellie, who is 14 years old. She's definitely a teenager. She would die of embarrassment if I called her The Luvvin' Spoonful or tried to hug her in public. She has opinions about things. She accessorizes. She has a tendency to be tardy, as "getting ready" is a higher priority now. She sighs a lot. The burdens these teenagers must bear.... sigh.

I'm also house-sitting for 3 dogs: Fluffy, Belle, and Lady, and I discovered Belle is a 3AM howler. Silly me, thinking I'd get a solid 8 hours with no Monsters purring in my ear or pouncing on my head. On the other hand, Kels has a king-sized bed and it's heavenly to roll around in all that space. Oh, how I want one.

My philosophy on niece- or nephew-sitting is that my job is simply to keep them alive until their parents get home. So... Luvs might have been a smidge late for school, and may or may not have eaten breakfast beforehand, but she is still breathing and she did have clothes on so my work is done til she gets home this afternoon.

(Side note: if you're interested in Ellie's take on being late for school, her opinion is that her mom should send her to private school which starts at 8:55 AM instead of leaving her in the public school system where classes start at 7:30. Teen logic.)

This morning I'll head over to Mom's to check on her post-surgery status, and tonight Luvs & I are heading out to dinner with Mom and niece Janey. In between, I guess I'll just see where the day takes me.....

Fun Weekend!

2010-02-07T10:56:00.009-05:00

I told Amy and Jim that I find it hard to blog about really fun weekends, trips or events because it's hard to choose which moments make the cut. Some of my best times go completely unblogged.

So I thought I'd try to blog about this weekend, but when I think about the moments everyone burst into laughter simultaneously they really don't sound that funny in the retelling. It was just a fun, funny weekend and it was great to hang out with Amy & Jim and have a brief visit with Kelli and Lee.

(Side note: if you've been reading for a while, you won't be surprised that I hit up my friends for decorating advice while they were here. We chose bamboo shades for my den/breakfast area, a rug for my office, and mats and frames for some artwork. Yay!)

But back to the fun stuff.

I could write an entire post titled "Things Jim Said This Weekend". But it would take forever and how would I cull through to choose his wittiest moments? I could write a really long post titled "All The Good Stuff We [Ate/Drank] This Weekend", or "Embarrassing Wii Fitness Age Stories" but you'd be bored to tears.

So I'll stick with the one aspect of the weekend for which I have photographic documentation: "Scamp Meets Paco". Bella chose to observe from afar, but Scamp was fascinated by her first ever Canine Encounter and the Scamp/Paco combo provided endless entertainment all weekend. A few key moments.....

Scamp Discovers Paco.

Scamp Sniffs Paco's Butt.

Scamp Finds Paco's Toy More Interesting Than Paco Himself.

This one's my favorite. The scene: Amy sets up her shot. Bella observes from afar.
Scamp Shows Paco Who's Boss.

Need a closer look?

And finally... Paco Pouts.

Hope your weekend was fun too! I'm off to Macon to niece-sit for a couple days.... back soon.

UsedCardboardBoxes.com

2010-02-04T13:57:00.003-05:00

I can't believe I've forgotten to pass this one along... UsedCardboardBoxes.com.

For the move to Athens, Bayne and I couldn't rely on free boxes from the liquor store trash. We had too much stuff, some of it kind of important, and unfortunately everything was going to be moved twice: once to a storage unit, then to Athens 6 months later. So we needed high quality boxes that were sturdy, could be stacked, and wouldn't fall apart.

But I couldn't bring myself to buy new cardboard boxes. How many trees? And for a single use? Craigslist netted me a few great boxes but not nearly enough, and it was a pain in the butt to drive all over Atlanta to pick them up.

I forget how, but I ran across UsedCardboardBoxes.com. The used boxes were delivered right to my door, cost less than new boxes, and there wasn't a problem with a single box. Loved it. Then I posted them on Craigslist so they could be used again... and again... and again.

So there: a greener way to move if you need a lot of high quality boxes in a short period of time. Just file it away for when you need it someday; I hope I never do!

Closet = Conquered!

2010-02-02T14:35:00.006-05:00

My guest room door is wide open now, inviting anyone to peer in. I conquered the closet clutter and put everything in its place. My house is clean, the beds are made, and I'm ready to entertain!

Everyone arrives Friday afternoon: Amy, Jim, and their teeny-tiny dog Paco; Kelli and Lee; plus I'm sure MK will pop by for a free meal. I'm looking forward to meeting Lee... Go Kels!

You know I don't want to waste a lot of time cooking, so tonight Bayne and I are making 2 dishes that are better on the 2nd day: Somai's spicy thai noodles, and Bayne's interpretation of Surin's Nua Nam Tok, a spicy beef salad wrapped in cabbage leaves.

I'll post the recipes later. Both dishes are easy to make ahead, easy to serve, and always well-liked.

The only set plan we have is to see the Gym Dogs. Other than that, who knows what the weekend holds? Personally I'm hoping it holds a trip to Five and Ten, but we'll let Amy & Jim decide since they haven't been to Athens since Clark graduated from UGA.

Today.... heading out in the pouring rain to the grocery store, Fook's, Healthy Gourmet, and Five Points Bottle Shop for weekend provisions.

Side note: we're obsessed with Hahn Cabernet Franc right now, which you can find at Five Points Bottle Shop's Atlanta Highway location, but not intown. It's $12 a bottle and I'm telling you, it tastes as good as a $30 or $40 bottle IMHO. Jim introduced us to this wine years ago; the 2006 release is SO YUM. Check it out.

Anyway... gotta quit blogging and get busy.....

ServeHaiti + Steve Penley + Five Courses = Hearts for Haiti Fundraiser

2010-02-02T14:06:00.005-05:00

My old friends at ServeHaiti are teaming up with an even older friend, Steve Penley, to raise money for Haiti, and it looks like a fun evening!

Bayne and Steve created all sorts of mischief growing up but I must admit the extent of my relationship with Steve was a few double dates in college, before he broke up with my good friend. Which of course means I was required to boycott him in the name of sisterhood. Fortunately he doesn't hold a grudge.

Somewhere in an old box is a picture he scribbled on a cocktail napkin and gave to me with the advice "Save this. It'll make you rich someday." I laughed at him (but kept the napkin, of course.) I've since promised to give it back to him.... if I ever find it.

But I digress.....

The Hearts for Haiti fundraiser is a 5-course dinner at Toulouse in Atlanta (yum!), with a "meet the artists" session beforehand. Donna Williams, a mega-talented photographer, will be joining Steve. Her pictures from past ServeHaiti trips will give you chills. Click the "Documentaries" link on her homepage and prepare to be blown away.

Here are the details. Hope they accommodate vegetarians! If any of the Athens folks want to go, let's carpool....

A Lot of "Ifs".....

2010-02-02T07:32:00.006-05:00

I didn't sleep well and my head is full of random thoughts I'll attempt to eliminate by passing them on to you!

IF you have produce or other pantry items you need to use...... try Supercook. Enter what you have on hand, find recipes to match. It's fun!

IF you have time to listen to the words..... check out this good-but-kinda-creepy song. Maybe sending it your way will get it out of my head before I go crazy.

IF you're looking for small, easy ways to help out in the Athens area... check out Blueprint for a list of local charities and what they need. Easy!

IF you're in the mood for a book that's a little different... try Dog On It. Easy read and very clever.

IF you'd like to learn more about how the Athens-Clarke County government works.... come to an Overview Commission meeting.

IF you're sick of cold weather.... check out the weather where Bayne is right now, and you'll feel better. Brrrr!

IF you've been to this new farmer's market in Athens.... let me know if it's any good! I hope so; missing the Athens FM like crazy this winter.

I'm Blogging Lite this morning and hoping for a nap this afternoon. And I still haven't finished cleaning that dirty-little-secret guest room.