Buttermilk Pie

Hey Folks,
I finally got around to making that pie for Papa Tony and thought I would post some pics I took of the beautifully messy process (butter explosion in microwave not included).

So, I kinda cheated on the pie crust but the rest was real!

p.s. I added extra vanilla just so I could keep playing with the swirls on top.

Only the thought of eating six raw eggs stopped me from drinking the stuff straight.

The culpa part of the felix culpa called Pie

My roommates and I agreed that we should only give Papa Tony one of the pies :)

Well, I hope yall are all doing well.  With pie, it is hard to not be, so make sure you get your weekly dose of pie like I do!  Love yall

-Kate

Micro Post

Good day so far.
Work this afternoon at 4:30.
Don't want to go to work.
About to take shower.
Beautiful day.
Eating cookie I won in French Jeopardy.
Cookie crumbs all over myself and bed.
Cookie so worth the crumbles.
Need to do laundry.
Be expecting snail mail.
Had grilled cheese for lunch.
Grilled cheese made me want to watch an Eyewitness video from the library.
Miss yall.
Love yall.
-Kate

Hi and Bye

First, I apologize for being a delinquent blogger. I will strive to better my participation. Second, keep posting narratives, photos, and videos. It is quite enjoyable to see what the people I love the most on this planet are doing or dreaming.

Daddy, I wish you clarity of mind and the courage to follow your passions. Momma, I am sending many air-hugs your way (unfortunately, I haven't learned how to beam myself to you to give a real hug. I think that will be covered in the next calculus class). Kate, I hope you are feeling better and soaking in the cool mountain air.

Alas, I must return to studying for my Biology exam. ...back to tertiary protein structure, nitrogenous bases, lipid synthesis, and peptidoglycan. If these words sound odd or create a question mark in your brain with no little light bulb flashing over your head, that is alright, for that is exactly why I must study them...now.

Hugs,

Selina

House Dreams

Imagine.
Imagine a small 20' x 35' lower great-room, open to a high vaulted ceiling and large windows.  Then a loft area for a bedroom over half the great-room.  It would be built against a steep Texas hillside, surrounded by huge limestone boulders and live oaks.  The home faces Hamilton Creek and a high bluff the other side of that to the east.









In the photo below, you can see how even the upstairs bedroom is not isolated from the great-room beneath it.  A small bathroom upstairs, and one more downstairs.






The kitchen above would actually be much more open to and integrated into the living area, such that a fireplace and some couches might easily be confused for part of the kitchen itself.  The idea of an island containing a sink and cutting board and stove facing into the better part of the living room is good, too.  One should face out to a vaulted ceiling and tons of eastern light pouring through huge panes of glass.

These photos and more can be found on the site below.
http://timberpeg.com/Cornerstone2009MillsRiver

Fish Food

Yesterday for lunch we had over R & S for some fish tacos.  (Observe R's new beard with spatterings of chipotle sauce.)

If you ever want to fix a tasty and healthy dish for yourself and your reasonably-significant other(s), try this one on:

• 
  
  Cabbage Slaw Topping:
  Chop up some green or red cabbage, onion, red bell pepper, jalapeño, garlic, cilantro, etc.  I also cut off the kernels of one fresh ear of corn. Whatever you have around.  Add to this mix some vinegar (about a tablespoon or two), some fresh squeezed lime or lemon, salt and pepper, a few tablespoons of olive oil, a few dashes of curry powder, and more things that I've probably forgotten. Oh, I did add a tablespoon or so of honey.  Just keep tasting it to see if you want it sweeter, saltier, or sourerer. Set this aside.
• The Sauce:  I mixed equal parts Greek yogurt and non-fat sour cream, but you could use one or the other exclusively.  Then about a tablespoon or so of the liquid or chopped up part of a beautiful can of chipotle pepper and adobo sauce.  I also added a few shakes of smoked black pepper to intensify the smoked effect. Might have added some chopped fresh herbs, too.  And now that I think about it, why not just go ahead and add all these sauce ingredients to the slaw and make things a bit simpler?
• Tortillas:  Heat up a few tablespoons of corn oil in a skillet and turn over and over some corn tortillas till they just begin to brown but while they are still limp.
• The Fish:  We used talapia, but probably almost anything on sale will do.  Even fallen minnows.  I rinsed off the fish, dried it on towels, and cut it up in pieces about two inches long and a quarter inch thick and wide.  Then I coated the pieces in flour.  When the oil is pretty damn hot, add the fish.  Two or three separate batches if you have a lot of fish because you don't want to cool down the oil too much.  Keep turning the fish till it starts to crisp up a bit, and then transfer it to some paper towels to de-grease.
• The Feta Cheese:  I took some crumbled up feta and mixed freshly chopped basil leaves.
• The Arrangement:  Spread the sauce on the tortilla, place a few pieces of fish, heap on some slaw, and top with the cheese.  Fold and spill.  Re-fold and this time get most of it in the mouth.
• We served it with something resembling a guacamole: cubed avocado, chopped tomato, chopped ginger root, chopped fresh mint, squeeze of a lemon, a bit of olive oil, and some salt and pepper.
• Chilled white wine.

DDL

Tai Chi Hopeful

Yesterday I went to the third yoga class of the week. Lindsey, from EMS taught it. We started out with Tai Chi (spelling?) moves and some of the people would make "shhhhhhhh" sounds at certain times. It sounded really cool and appeared to play a nice little part in the flow of the moves. We then moved into yoga poses, flowing from one to the next. I definitely flowed and swayed hoping to hold my balance more than any other student there. It felt good even amidst the awkwardness. Yoga class has become a new love. ~ This morning I grieved our old lives some. Ironically both items I decided to read this morning during quiet time were about Joy. Thankfully there is Joy for me in both the old and new. ~ Vaughn and I hope to go check out a few properties today. It's nice to be able to spend some time together. ~ Peace

Three Phone Photos

A bit of visual journaling in chronological order here:

Here's Tony sitting at our turn-around rest stop a couple miles hike up the Colorado Trail following Junction Creek from the west side of Durango.  It's a pretty hike and an easy trail, easily accessible from town.  Just out of the frame of this photo and on the blue horizon to the right we could see the mesa area above town where Kate spends her nights (or at least where she tells us she does).  5.8 miles distance as the bee flies, said my smart phone's Google app.

Below is a link to another video I took while sitting out by Lemon Lake for about an hour before coming into Durango to meet up with Kate.  What an incredible late morning full of September light, wind in aspens, and cool grasses.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KyYfNPwEvU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

So, we had an hour or two  to visit between a shift at the Palace and a rehearsal with the orchestra.  The Steaming Bean on Main street was a wonderful choice.

And here is a short video clip of Hope and me driving down off the sandstone high mesa country just north of Abiquiu, New Mexico.

Below is a view from the 5th floor of the Mays Clinic building, part of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.  At this time, Hope was undergoing some imaging tests.  I was reading my new favorite book: Why We Get Sick.  I know that none of you have time for such leisurely activity now, but when you get the opportunity, please check it out.  The basic idea in each of the discussions of various diseases is that the disease is (most often) the cost associated with a particular genetic benefit.  Take anxiety, for instance.  Imagine how unfortunate we would be without a genetic propensity for at least some anxiety.  We'd carelessly speed down highways and venture off into dangerous situations we should avoid.  The cost, though, is that sometimes some of us manifest a bit too much care and concern.  Or consider the costs of being born as a large-brained animal: difficult or fatal delivery.  As long as the benefit is greater than the cost and as long as the benefit means improved odds of being able to pass one's DNA to subsequent generations, then nature will select for that genetic component.  (And then some genes are pleiotropic, meaning that they have more than one effect.)  It's the by far the best book I've ever read on the subject of human evolution.

Delinquent Blogger

Hello all,
Sorry I have been so bad about keeping the blog updated.  I officially have a cold and sinus infection so I have been off work for the past two days and probably the next two days as well.  At least the view from my bed is nice :)  We had to turn on the heater for the first time last night which is both exciting and dreadful at the same time.  Excited about changing weather.  Not excited about the weather changing to cold.  Alas, what did I really expect when I moved to mountainous Colorado?  My French class is going well; however, my teacher has it in her mind that I am better at French than I really am.  Apparently, I mentioned that I would have more time to study since I only have one class and now she thinks that I spend every waking moment conjugating verbs and stalking the tutors at the learning lab.  That wouldn't be such a bad idea but it wasn't what I had in mind for the Fall!  My landlady is back in town so it has been nice to have some movement in the house.  Everyone else pretty much stays in their rooms so the house is always so quiet, but now that she is back, there are signs of life.  I gave in and went to the store yesterday because I was in desperate need of food, but I managed to go 69 meals on one trip to the store.  That basically means that I have been eating for $1.23 a meal or $3.69 a day.  I think that is pretty good seeing as how that includes the cost of ALL food (eating out included).  This past trip to the store I splurged and got a back of frozen edamame and I just about finished them in one sitting (as predicted hence the "splurge").  I have been wanting to make some bread so I think I might head back to the store and get the ingredients.  Do yall know anything about high altitude baking?  Well, I must go rest my weary, sneezing, coughing, nose-blowing self.  Love yall

-Kate

Time to Prey

So I'm napping out in the park below the Horseshoe Bay station today, when I hear this loud, rasping noise up in the sky.  I squint up into the haze, and there is the biggest what-the-livin'-hell-is-this that you've ever seen,  descending on me.  Of course I didn't have time to do anything more than reach into my cargo pants, toss aside half a dozen pens, a melted Snickers bar, one used purple glove, two nickles, a receipt from Burger King, grab my new smart phone, and then focus, set the aperture, set the focus once again, and snap this shot,  roll over, and take a beating as the insect ripped my starched dress shirt from off my back.  No problem, though.

No pictures. I'm just amazed I actually figured out how to publish a post again. Beautiful evening. Need to bring the trashcan to the end of the drive. Animals loved being brushed. Gathered 6 eggs I believe. Enjoyed a delightful salad and walk. Picked up 2 large bags of Depends and a few other personal items for a resident. The person studying the conveyor belt might assume I had a serious incontinence problem. I just smiled and filled out the check. A resident died at the nursing home today. Thankfully his two children were with him. I think I just heard a scorpion slap the den floor. Selina I thought you did a nice job with your latest photos. When I think of you all, it is always with hope, joy, and love. "You (all) light up my life". Let me hear you sing it Kate!

Bits of Life

Kate's gift of a lovely cup from which I sip hourly on some variety of hot Zen tea or delicious coffee.



My inspiration for study

I love you all more than NPR in the morning (and I love NPR in the morning...a lot).

Peace,

Selina

Hinges and Miss C

Still shining cabinet hinges and setting straight some newly painted doors.
Before a bit of cleaning and buffing on the back porch before the storm Hermine:

And after:

About fifty or more of them:

Thanks to our friend Brasso:

And then in our den tonight, The Movie, sans two daughters to narrate every last word of it, thank you.

No, thank you, Stan.

Wrong Turn. Symphony. Deaf Driver. The Palace. Rainbow

Hello All,
I am sorry I am a bit behind on blogging due to pure laziness, but I guess better late than never.  Yesterday, Hope, Amber, and I went on a drive to "Telluride"; however, it did not quite go as planned.  In order to avoid traffic and scary roads, Hope decided that we should go on a back road over one of the passes.  It was truly the bumpiest road that I have ever driven on and I just about got motion sick going 5mph.  After a couple of hours, we noticed what appeared to be a pile of rocks in the road.  As we got closer, we could see that it was a campfire.  Campfire?!?  Then we saw some weeds and small trees growing in the road.  Then we saw a really big tree in the road.  Then we didn't see the road at all!  16 miles of bone jarring and easing over rocks the size of bowling balls and we were at a dead end.  Apparently, about 15 miles back, we took the wrong turn and sort of went in the opposite direction of Telluride.  However, it was so beautiful and we laughed the whole way up.  Thankfully Hope had packed a lunch for us, so we had a nice picnic before turning around and heading home. 
             Yesterday evening was the first symphony rehearsal, and I had so much fun!!!  It is really going to be a great experience and the people are awesome.  It is basically like orchestra at home, but no old people and fewer pieces.  What I really liked was that she handed out the sheet music and then played professional recordings of the exact same music.  For the most part we could follow along and it really helps you get a feel for the music and intonation.  We are playing "Finlandia" and Corelli's "Christmas Concerto" and even after the first day of stumbling through the music I can tell that it will sound really good in the end.  Ivan Peter does not like the cool weather so this winter should be interesting.
              Today after class I was on the bus home and the rather elderly and rather deaf bus driver did not hear me signal the stop so I ended up having to ride the bus for the entire loop around town.  It only took 30 min. and was actually quite relaxing, but I rang the bell three times when we got back around again and finally got off.  Marble Falls should really have a bus system like Durango does.  It is just so handy and just about every place in the city limits is no more than a half mile from a bus stop.  It makes getting around so easy that even the affluent people ride the bus and not just those without cars and destitute college students. 
              At 3 this afternoon, I met with Scott (head manager) at the Palace and it looks like I will be starting work tomorrow as a hostess in training.  He gave me a tour and we went over all of the paperwork.  They have a huge kitchen there at The Palace and on one of the stoves was the biggest pot of soup that I have ever seen.  It must have been three feet high and two feet across and was brimming with tons of chopped vegetables and spices.  It smelled heavenly!

This rainbow popped up over the mountains as I was sitting on the deck reading and was HUGE, but by the time I got my camera it had faded down to this little smudge.  Unfortunately, it was getting dark outside so there is not much color and it is a bit grainy. 
Well, must go do homework!
Love yall
-Kate

Signs

So, Songofjoy and I went out with the Mimi for seafood lunch, and afterwords walked the Rice Village area a few warm blocks from the university.  Other than that, we've been jogging the local track, reading, watching the UT/Rice game, and generally moving slowly.

humm-diddly-dum...

Yet another day of not a lot to say, but apparently, around here, that doesn't matter!  Yesterday I met Hope, Tony, and a friend for dinner at La Casita in Bayfield before we all went to see a play on Patsy Cline. 

Courtesy of the Durango Arts Center
We had so much fun and were singing along, clapping, and stomping our feet just about the whole time.  The lady who played the lead had a very good voice, and while she was no Patsy Cline, she could seriously go pro and I would buy her music!  I ended up staying the night with Hope and Tony and this morning Hope and I met her friend Missy for breakfast at Carvers.  We had so much fun, and Missy is such a great person.  She is a Soc. teacher up at the college, so hopefully we will run into each other again.  Hope and I then went to the farmers market where we bought tons of yummy stuff and yet again were surrounded by Birkenstock hippies.  There was this one lady there with the tiniest backpack I think I have ever seen and sticking out of the top was about a three foot bunch of flowering dill.  It smelled good but it looked like it was going to fall out at any moment.  Some people give their kids helium balloons so that they can find them in a crowd, but they should really start using over sized herbs.  Hope was very generous and brought me a huge sack full of food after she went to the store.  I guess she thought that I was going to starve or turn into oatmeal! 
The rest of the day has been pretty boring, but it is a beautiful Colorado evening so I can't complain.  I hope the parental units are enjoying Houston, and Selina, don't throw the textbooks out the window yet.
Love yall

-Kate

Grrr...I will try again tomorrow. Hugs! -Selina

Alrighty, maybe this is the right idea?

Test

 

 

 

 

Test

Good evening family,

I testing my technological capabilities this evening, so bear with me. I apologize for the poor quality of the photos, for I am afraid both the lighting and the photographer are to blame. These are mainly to give Kate a better idea of what the place looks like after a bit of work.

Hugs to you all!

Thanks Kate for your help in this endeveour.

Selina

 

 

 

 

Bonjour! Ça va?

Salut my wonderful people.  I hate to say it, but absolutely nothing of interest has happened since I last posted.  Thus, I have been demoted to telling yall about the less interesting things. 
1.  I still have not gone to the store.  That makes 20 meals and counting.
2.  Yesterday I successfully walked to the bus stop on time, caught the right bus to school, caught the right bus again to get to the Transit Center, walked around downtown, found the Transit Center again, hopped on the right bus to take me back to the college, switched buses in the nick of time, warned the driver to stop at Hillcrest Estates, got off the bus, and walked back up the hill to room sweet room. 
3.  While on the bus back home, I saw a very large tattooed biker in all of his leather and chains eating a pink ice cream cone while strolling across the cross walk.  
4.  I began reading Portrait of a Lady.
5.  My raisin bran has gone soggy while writing this to yall.
6.  I took a shower this morning.
7.  I need to clean my room.
8.  Hope and I are going to see a play on Patsy Cline this evening.
9.  Veggie-boy from down the hall is the unhealthiest vegetarian I have ever met. 
10.  Jobs are scarce in Durango.
11.  Even people who have ads in the paper that say they are hiring sometimes are not.
12.  I listened on the bus to two runners from Mozambique discuss in broken english how they feel discriminated against because their pictures were not in the Durango Herald even though they won the relay while the runners-up had a large picture and article. 
13.  It is cold this morning.
14.  It was cold last night.
15.  It was cold yesterday morning.
16.  I am cold right now.
17.  I am now about to go get a jacket.
18.  I am now wearing a jacket.
19.  I just finished eating my raisin bran.
20.  My French teacher is very nice and embarrassingly animated when teaching pronunciation.
21.  Yesterday at the college there was a sort of fair where places like Wells Fargo and David's Bridal came to show their wares to uninterested students and hand out cheap pencils and key chains and enter people in raffles and drawings.
22.  Yesterday at the fair there were a group of guys playing all sorts of African looking drums while two girls in semi-native African garb danced some sort of Good-Luck-To-The-Gatherer-Of-Seeds-And-Fruit dance.
23.  I am out of things to say.  So, I wish yall all a great day and hope to hear about yalls uninteresting days as well.
24.  Much love
25. Kate