Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Basting Done, Quilting Begins

This morning I did the final read through of one student's college application essays. This young girl is a breath of fresh air. She is very smart, very funny, completely without irony, cynicism,  or pretense. She skipped her sophomore year in high school because she was running out of math and science courses except for the concurrent enrollment ones at the university. That means she is missing some courses in humanities such as world history and more years of foreign language but she is the kind of kid who will study those on her own. The vagaries of college admissions mean that I cannot guarantee her admission to the school of her choice (MIT), but I have a hard time seeing how they can reject her--good GPA, good college testing scores.

I also finished basting the little quilt and sewed waste strips to the edge for protection and to help with the hoop. A long time ago I made a quilt that had all the colors of the rainbow in it so I still have numerous colors of quilting thread. I am thinking of outline and detail quilting on the pictorial elements and various stars in different sizes and shapes to fill in the black background. The actual quilting is my favorite part of the process so I am simply delighted that I have reached that stage.

Monday, October 28, 2013

Got Around To It After All

Well with the help of my husband all of the work got finished faster than expected. He even washed the kitchen floor and we planted the peonies that arrived in our absence together. That meant I could start basting the small quilt this afternoon after I fixed the irregularity in the "light cord". I know I have the most romantic husband in the world but sometimes he earns the title of best husband, too.
I have already written that I loathe having my picture taken and this photo is an example of why. I look more or less like a garden gnome because of the odd perspective. You do get a good view of my sock monkey socks though. Usually I move the dining room table to baste since the space is bigger, or at least it has less furniture, but this quilt is small enough that I just moved the coffee table in the living room. I am getting too old to do all the basting in one session; my back would give me fits if I did that even on a quilt as small as this. This piece of batting was left over from another project which is why it looks so big for the task at hand. I like to use wool batting and I store my leftovers in sealed bins to divide for smaller projects. This one will almost certainly end up filling three smaller quilts, this one being the second, since there is a good bit left as you can see. The backing is a swirly red.

Home Sweet Home

I don't know how it happens but my house is always a wreck when I come home. Part of it is, of course, the cats, who don't stop shedding or shredding just because I am not there. Part of it is all of the "mail" that accumulates, only a fraction of which is worth even looking at. We always turn down the heating and cooling systems so the air filters aren't as thorough and dust coats the surfaces of everything.This time the outside suffered as well since autumn blew in while we were out. Oak leaves, maple leaves, and crabapple leaves stand knee deep in the yard waiting for their trip to the compost pile. The cat beds and blankets need washing after a week away; all the clothes that went with us to France that can be washed need sorting and cleaning. I have to go to the grocery store to restock the pantry and refrigerator.

Different kinds of piles built up as well. A couple of the students I am working with on their college admissions sent me stacks of essays to look over. Those are electronic stacks. One of the high school teachers saved her several class worth of essays for reading and scoring. Then there were the phone messages requesting help with writing.

All of that means that I won't get to my little quilt today but for sure some time this week. A storm front is coming in today so the next few days will be good for sitting inside. I am sorry to read that much of northern Europe is also having storm issues. Not even winter yet but winter storms are snarling traffic and downing trees.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Back in the US But Not Quite Home

Once again IcelandAir was a miserable experience from start to finish. The flight from Paris to Reykavik is a little under 4 hours, then there is a layover in Keflavik Airport, then another almost 6 hours to NYC. No free food service at all and from my two travel day experiences, only enough food for purchase to reach the first ten rows. That's not necessarily a bad thing as the food for purchase looks and smells nasty but when we booked our trip there was no indication that this was an entirely budget airline with no frills at all. Every seat was filled and the plane was unbearably hot. Glad to be nearly home at this point. Living out of a suitcase is hard.

I am very excited about getting back to my Christmas cats quilt. I haven't decided if I am going to just improvise on the quilting or whether I will do some marking. Dark fabric is always problematic. I improvised on some other pieces and liked how they turned out but it is much harder on my poor left hand with the collateral ligament problems. Somehow when I improvise I make more dramatic turns which stresses the already stressed repair.

Friday, October 25, 2013

Hotel Des Invalides

We were on our feet for more than seven hours today, walking around, visiting museums. The current show at the Fondation Cartier has been held over since September. The show is very small, nine pieces total, of an artist, Ron Mueck, who makes super-realistic human figures. Some of them are less than life sized, almost doll like, and some are much larger than life-sized. They are incredibly detailed, whiskers, warts, and all, and amazingly compelling. The first piece on the ground floor is Couple Under an Umbrella, one of the larger than life sized pieces. An older man and his wife are at the beach. He is lying with his head on his wife's lap under a brightly colored beach umbrella. My husband and I stood transfixed--the tenderness on their faces, the familiarity with each other, the time they shared with each other. These were inanimate and yet so animate that we felt all the human drama and emotion that long time couples know innately.

While that was the most intimate of experiences in the show, the other pieces are equally compelling--a mother and her baby, a young man who has been stabbed. None of the basic descriptions can begin to cover what this artist achieves. The museum prohibited photography so I am unable to show what these pieces are like but some are probably online and worth checking out.

We walked from there over to Les Invalides to see Napoleon's tomb.
Of course there are many other people entombed in the building but Napoleon's tomb is the focal point of the building now.
Directly under the dome on the lower level in the crypt is the massive stone sarcophagus.
The floor is all stone as well. As a quilter I was fascinated by the laurel wreaths and sunburst patterns. Those would be relatively easy to replicate in fabric. I wonder how many people would realize the source?

While we were there we went to the Museum of the Army. Some very good and very terrible stuff in there.We only had time for 1870-1954 so we didn't see the whole exhibit. The uniforms with the dirt from the trenches of WWI were especially poignant.

Grey Day In Paris

70% chance of rain today so I will carry an umbrella and I will not wear my Lanvin suede shoes with the snake toecap. We plan to walk to the art museum funded and built by the Cartier jewelry company. Supposed to have good shows of contemporary art in a beautiful building. This will be the first full rainy day on this trip. The cloudburst in Versailles was dramatic but short-lived. I live in the high desert so all these streams, rivers, and rain are a welcome change.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Le Rouvray Is Closing



The American woman who started Le Rouvray quilting store in Paris, left bank right across from Notre
Dame, died last year. Her daughter is settling her affairs which means that the store is closing.

That is very bad news for quilters. She is selling all her stock at discounted prices in an Everything Must Go sale. She plans to keep the website open but what form it will take is not determined as yet. I just had to get some fabric from this famous store before it disappears even though the last thing I need is fabric. So I got some 50 centimeter cuts and one longer piece for the background of the planned Winding Ways quilt.







She is even giving away thimbles to each customer to remember her mother with.


Paris is so busy. This is magnified by the fact that we have been out in the country for a week where the loudest noise was the thunderclaps. Quite a difference in the accommodations as well. We are in an enormous business hotel in Montparnasse, nothing antique or ancient about it.

Paris

Safely ensconced in our room in Montparnasse. The weather has been very nice till now with only one cloudburst, but Paris is all grey with low hanging clouds. That's all right, I won't get sunburned. We are only here two nights so not much time, but we have spent time in Paris in the past (the Louvre, Musee D'Orsay,etc.) so we don't have to run around like hamsters in a tunnel. It is unlikely that this will be our last trip to Paris as well.

Relax a little bit and then walk around.



Wednesday, October 23, 2013

On to Paris

Today we drive to Paris. We have both been there before so that isn't new but we have never stayed in Montparnasse before. This is the shortest part of our trip so mad dashes to see things we haven't seen before on the Left Bank. There is a quilt store in Paris, near Notre Dame, that I want to look for.

After that it is home to the United States. I am not looking forward to the flights. This trip was a package deal with the airfare included for IcelandAir. I had never flown that airline before. After this trip I hope to never even see their logo again. A truly terrible airline. We fly back into NYC in the evening on Saturday and spend one night there. Then on to home and all my animal friends. I am looking forward to my own bed and my own routine including quilting my Mistletoe quilt.

My husband has been swayed by Burgundian charm though. Now he is trolling through French real estate websites for property.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Les Quatre Saisons du Patchwork (The Four Seasons of Patchwork)

My husband and I drove to Dijon today to see some more countryside, visit a new place, eat a great meal, and as it turns out, to visit a lovely quilt shop.
Here is a photo of the small courtyard outside the front door of the shop (there is an exterior door on the street). This is me after shopping and buying but I wanted to show how pleasant the entry is with the flowers and plants.


Here I am in the shop checking out the fat eighths bundles. There is a nice selection of fabrics, many sewing aids, and a fair number of embroidery kits as well. It is fun to explore new places and new (to me) quilting shops count as some of the best new places.
This is the other end of the shop with work space and quilts.

 My selection of fat quarters--my husband picked out the first two so I was filling in the blanks from there. I was thinking of a small Winding Way with a floral border.

So if you get to Dijon, France, any time soon you should check out Les Quatre Saisons du Patchwork at 19 Rue Benigne Fremyon. It is just outside the old town center, within easy walking distance of Dijon Cathedral.

Monday, October 21, 2013

Fontainebleau and Burgundy

Today we drove from our first stopping place to our second, stopping at the chateau of Fontainebleau on the way. Although there was lots of over the top decorating, there was still a great deal of the medieval touch to this building. If you happen to be a Napoleonic fan there is plenty of that as well including the bee embroidered throne and many items of clothing. I always knew Napoleon was short but he was also small with very narrow small feet. In modern women sizes I would guess a 5 1/2 AAA. There are some rooms left in the style of Marie Antoinette as well. Couldn't help but think that all the pomp and circumstance never did her any good and at the end she also lost her head.

Now we are in Gilly, in the converted home of a Cistercian abbot. The countryside down from Fontainebleau was stunningly beautiful and aggressively rural. Fields of sunflowers, all dried and brown now, emerging fields of what looked like sugar beets, lots of freshly plowed fields, and all the Charolais cattle that the area is home to. Being from south Texas I know the Charolais cattle fairly well. This is also Burgundy so home to many vineyards but we have yet to see a single vine. The hotel offers vineyard tours so perhaps we will do that. The hotel restaurant is supposed to be excellent so I may bring home new meal ideas.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Travel is Enlightening and Exhausting

My husband and I are partway through our trip to France. The weather has been good up until this afternoon when "le deluge" came. We spent yesterday in Chartres ogling the cathedral and marveling at the stained glass museum. There used to be a quilt store in the town of Chartres but it is no longer there, boarded up windows with signs instead.Today we trekked to Versailles, still  home to wretched excess. French decorating has always left me cold but the size and scope of the place is incredible. The gardens are immense with music wafting through the air. Knowing the fate of the favored inhabitants made it hard to even find beauty though I am anti-monarchy and a small "r" republican.

Sunday, October 13, 2013

A Complete Meal

A couple of years ago my husband and I took a trip to Philadelphia to see the Barnes Collection in its new home. This was something of a stroll down memory lane as well since he went to graduate school in the city and our middle son was born there. Of course the city has changed in the forty years since then, most of the changes for the good. One of those positive changes is a restaurant named Little Fish in the Queen City area of the downtown. It is tiny, tiny with no liquor license but the food is wonderful and the service top notch. The focus is on seafood of all types and that's what our meals were from two kinds of fresh oysters as starters to our entrees. I don't remember what my husband had but I had jerk seasoned cobia with beans, sofrito, and coconut rice. I didn't ask for any recipes but since we came back I have made my own attempts at the meal a couple of times. Cobia is difficult to come by where I live and the type of fish is less important than the seasonings and the accompaniment. Last time I just made a grilled halibut and served it with the other three components.

Sofrito is almost like Caribbean ketchup--it is everywhere and on everything. Besides that everyone seems to have their own family recipe. Most recipes make way more than my family can eat in a year so I changed and adapted and shrunk some recipes.  So feel free to add or subtract to the following.

1 yellow onion diced small
1/2 green bell pepper diced small
1/2 red bell pepper diced small
your choice of small hot pepper diced small (if you like it hot use Scotch bonnet or habanero--for milder heat use jalapeno--in the middle there are serrano peppers) The type and amount used controls the heat and a little of the flavor
1 large ripe red tomato peeled and diced
1 or 2 garlic cloves crushed or diced
some salt, some oil, a splash of white wine vinegar

In a small saucepan heat some olive or canola oil until hot but not super hot. Add everything up to the tomato and cook for 5 to 10 minutes until the onions and peppers are softened. Add the tomatoes and cook until their liquid is mostly absorbed. Add the garlic, the salt, and the vinegar (about 2 tablespoons) and taste. Cook for about five minutes and then turn off. You can store this in the refrigerator but the amount is small enough to finish in one meal if four people eat.

Cranberry or Pinto Beans
Soak one cup of dried cranberry or pinto beans in 2 cups of water overnight or do the quick soak by covering with two cups of water, putting in the microwave, cook on high for two minutes, then let soak for an hour. Drain and rinse the beans and put in a pot with 3 cups of water, one or two dried red peppers (whatever kind you like), half an onion sliced into chunks. Bring to a boil and then turn down to simmer for 2 to 3 hours or until the beans are soft. I live at altitude so this takes a while here. Do not add salt until the beans get soft or they will have a very strange texture. When the beans are fork tender, pick out the red pepper pods and most of the onion. Add 1 garlic clove, half an onion diced, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, some fresh or dried oregano (about half a teaspoon dried--a teaspoon fresh minced), Add salt and pepper and taste. Cook another half hour or so until the beans are very soft and the cooking liquid is thick.

Coconut Rice
1 cup Jasmine rice (you can use plain white or brown rice but the flavor is not the same)
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
1 shallot sliced very thin
About two tablespoons grated sweetened coconut
1 garlic clove crushed
Water
Oil
In a pot with a lid saute the shallot in about a tablespoon of olive or canola oil until it is quite soft, then add the grated coconut. Watching carefully, cook the shallot and the coconut just until the coconut begins to brown (the shallot will be browning as well but the coconut is more sensitive to the heat because it is sweetened). Add one cup Jasmine rice and stir to coat and mix. Add one can of coconut milk and one coconut milk can of water and the garlic. Bring to a boil and then stir, turn to simmer, and put the lid on. This takes about 18 minutes where I live but your time may vary.

Your fish can be sprinkled with jerk seasoning (look online for ideas) or just salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Everything else is highly seasoned so putting jerk seasoning on it seems unnecessary unless you want to. Plain grilled halibut was delicious with the beans, rice, and sofrito.

Put the rice on the plate, put beans on the side, place the grilled fish on the rice. Put a small amount of sofrito on the fish and put the rest of the sofrito in a bowl on the table for everyone to add to taste. I like lots of sofrito with everything.

This makes a great meal even if the recipes didn't come from the chef at Little Fish. If you get a chance you should go there though. It is fabulous, inventive, fun. My dessert was strawberry rhubarb tart with black pepper ice cream.

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Pork Ragu--My Revised Version

Several months ago the New York Times ran an article and recipe for pork ragu as served at a Manhattan restaurant. That version was more of a carne en brodo meal than the one that I have devised from it. My cooking is similar to my quilting  in that I start with an idea that I see somewhere else and then manipulate that idea to fit my own tastes and needs. So this is similar to the recipe the NYTimes gave out but is not the same in several places, beginning with the very first step.

The original recipe was for more people than usually eat at my table (empty nest couple) and even this version makes leftovers but that isn't always a bad thing. Start this earlier in the day because it needs some cooling time prior to completion. None of the steps is difficult but the whole dish takes time so a weekend is a better bet for most people.

One small pork shoulder or Boston butt. I don't always check the weight but somewhere between 3 and 4 pounds is about right. Don't worry about the skin or fat on the shoulder.
1 fresh fennel bulb, white part only, sliced lengthwise into thin strips
1 or 2 white onions depending on how large they are and how much you like onions
1 or 2 stalks of celery sliced including leaves
1 quart chicken stock
a nice handful of fresh thyme, stems and all and a nice handful of fresh sage leaves tied together with kitchen string
1 or 2 garlic cloves sliced thin
salt and pepper
a little canola oil

Some pasta, some lemon juice, some shaved Parmesan cheese, some fresh arugula or fresh raw spinach leaves.

Preheat your oven to 300 F. In an ovenproof pot (Calphalon or something similar) heat up a small amount of oil. Brown your pork on all sides, and season with salt and pepper. Remove from pan and place on plate while you continue with the recipe.  Throw the fennel, onion, and celery into the pan and cook until softened. Then add the garlic and the bouquet garni (herbs) and cook until you smell the garlic easily from a standing position rather than leaning over the pot. Put the meat back in the pot, add the chicken broth, then put the pot in the oven with the cover on. Let cook in oven for about 3 to 4 hours until the meat is thoroughly cooked. Timing depends on size of shoulder. Remove from oven and remove meat from pot to a bowl or board to cool down.

While the meat is cooling, remove the bouquet garni from the broth and discard. Drain the liquids from the solids but reserve both. Skim fat from the liquid. When the meat is cool enough to handle, pull off the thick skin and fat layer, then pull the rest of the meat apart, stripping it of fat and tendons as you work. You will have a lot of meat and it is up to you how much you put in the final dish.  Place the meat that you will use back in the pot and add enough of the cooking liquid to nearly, but not quite, cover. If there is other meat left, place in sealable bag or similar container and refrigerate or freeze. Then blend or process the soft vegetables and add them to the pot and stir to coat.

When it is just about dinner time, cook some pasta (broad flat types are good). When the pasta is cooking reheat your meat mixture. When the pasta is done, drain and add to the meat mixture, stir to mix and coat with sauce.To serve, put some fresh arugula or raw spinach in the bottom of individual bowls. Top with the meat, vegetable, and pasta mixture. Let everyone add fresh lemon juice and parmesan cheese to taste.

The original recipe did not brown the meat, threw away the vegetables, and had no garlic. It makes more of a soup course though a filling one. The leftover broth, if any, can be used for all sorts of recipes including hot and sour or wonton soup.  If there is any leftover meat it can be changed entirely into pork enchiladas, or chili verde or something.

Friday, October 11, 2013

Applique Complete

I finished the applique portion of Felix Navidad II(Mistletoe) today. That's good since I have two classes of sophomore essays to score this weekend (The Grapes of Wrath again) and then packing for the trip. I have only read one of the essays all the way through but if that one is an indication of capability it will be a long weekend. As I  wrote previously, if the prompt wants to know how sustained allusion to some other work enhances meaning, the argument in the essay must begin with meaning. Simply writing that the novel has meaning that is enhanced and then retelling the story of Moses doesn't cut it.

Anyway, I still think this is very cute. Sometimes I think I have a good idea. Then I work to produce that mental image, transfer it into cloth and stitches, then view from further away than my hands' length and realize that the idea and the design are both flat. This time, my original idea looks good (to me anyway). There is one small spot in the "wiring" for the Christmas bulbs that needs a little fix (can you find it?). Once that is fixed the top will be done.

I don't think I will layer and start quilting, but I will have a project waiting for my return.

Tonight we are having Pork Ragu, a recipe that I modified from one made by a well-known Manhattan restaurant. It's another one of those wonderful winter meals. I will add the recipe later so come back for updates.  

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Seasonal Fare, Pumpkin That's More Than Just a Pretty Face

Now that Halloween is almost here, pumpkins are showing up at the grocery store. Not just those large ones suitable only for jack o'lanterns but the smaller pie type pumpkins as well. Besides pumpkin pie and pumpkin ravioli, what are these good for? How about Afghan pumpkin, a sweet and savory side dish.

One small pie pumpkin(sugar baby type)
small amount of cooking oil
a little salt
fresh garlic
1 tablespoon dried cardamom
1 tablespoon  dried coriander
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (or to taste)
one teaspoon dried cumin
one small (12 oz) can diced tomatoes or enough chopped fresh tomatoes to equal 12 oz
1/4 cup sugar

half a cup of Greek style yogurt
fresh garlic
fresh cilantro

In a skillet heat some cooking oil while you peel and cut into one inch by two inch sections one small pie pumpkin (you can also use butternut squash).
Saute the pumpkin until lightly browned on both sides.
Add the spices and as much garlic as you like (I use two medium cloves crushed) with a little salt and saute until the spice aroma fills the air at the stove.
Add the tomatoes and the sugar and stir to combine.
Put entire mixture in an ovenproof baking dish and bake at 350F for about 30 minutes--or as much as 45 minutes--you want the pumpkin cooked thoroughly.

Serve with a mixture of yogurt, garlic, and cilantro.

This is one of those dishes that allow for individual variations. Don't like it so sweet, cut the sugar. Want it more savory, add some red pepper flakes. You get the idea. Afghan pumpkin is good with roast chicken, pork chops, etc. and makes a nice fall addition to the menu.

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Getting Closer to the Quilting

Several posts ago I wrote that I wasn't sure if I would finish The Ties That Bind before my husband and I took off for France but I was wrong. Not only did I finish that quilt (it makes me smile to see it on our bed), but I have made huge progress on Mistletoe.
Here is the little top posing with Max. What a ham. The smudgy bottom chalk marks are because I am still deciding where and how to insert my little mouse in the scheme. Everything is just push-pinned so the fabric doesn't have any stability at this point. I don't think I will get to the point of quilting before I head off to France since I have so much to do prior to that, but I do think it will get done for this Christmas not next. I am more or less determined that the mouse goes on the left hand side as you face the quilt. The string of lights will be unplugged with the mouse standing on one end of the line as the plug points to the edge.
 

Cold Weather, Hot Meals

In the summer months, dinners are based on fresh vegetables and some meat for the most part, but as soon as the thermometer reads below 50 F we start making those slow cooked meals or we change from the summer version to the winter version of a favorite. We eat Japanese katsu (cutlets) with raw cabbage and rice and fresh tomatoes when it's hot. Today it is cold so we are having katsudon instead. Most of the time our katsu are made with turkey breast or chicken breast even though pork is the more common meat, especially in restaurants. Now that grocery stores in most urban areas have Asian sections most of the ingredients are easily available.

Katsudon for Four

2 large boneless chicken  breasts cut into thinner scallops (not chicken tenders but cut the breast horizontally across the whole length)
about half a cup of flour
1 or 2 raw eggs mixed with a little bit of water
about a cup of panko (Japenese bread crumbs)
Steamed rice for four
4 cups dashi (If you can't get dashi then chicken broth will do. With all the soy sauce and mirin the flavor is altered anyway)
One or two sliced yellow onions
Roughly chopped raw bok choy
Soy sauce and mirin
Dried seaweed optional

Moving from one bowl to another, dip the chicken into flour, then egg, then panko and place on a plate or cutting board until all the chicken is coated.
Fry these cutlets in shallow hot oil until brown on both sides.

Beforehand, make your udon broth. Where I live I can get dashi "teabags". Dashi is a clear fish broth made with shaved dried bonito that is very common in Japanese dishes. Asian food stores sell many brands but the one I use, because my mother-in-law used it, is Dashi-No-Moto from Hime.  For four people you want four cups of dashi.
In a saucepan, saute one or two sliced yellow onions (depending on how much you like onions) until they are soft but not brown. Add the dashi, and add 5 tablespoons of soy sauce, and seven tablespoons of mirin (Japanese cooking wine). Bring to a simmer.
When all the chicken is cooked and all the broth preparation is done to this point, slice the cooked cutlets into strips. Then scramble five or six more raw eggs and stir into the broth.
Put a serving of steamed rice in the bottom of a decent sized bowl for each person. Top with chopped up raw bok choy, then with the chicken strips. Then using a soup ladle or large spoon scoop the now very eggy onion broth over the entire bowl.  Some of the egg gets very cooked, some is more custardy and some just blends in the broth. You can top this with shredded seaweed if you like. All the flavors complement each other and you get warm from the inside out.

Friday, October 4, 2013

Baby It's Cold Outside

It hasn't dropped to freezing yet but it snowed here this morning. The snow didn't stick at my house but the mountains that are just above my house are covered. It's pretty early in the year for the first snowfall here. All the skiers and ski companies in town must be very excited. I like cold weather better than hot weather but I don't think I am ready for winter driving yet.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Could Be a Glorious Spring

Yesterday my husband dug up our failing euonymus plants, dug up our thriving Karl Foerster grasses, divided the grasses, and then planted them where the euonymus had been. He used some power tools including a Super Sawzall (saw it on Ask This Old House) to do that. Today I planted over 100 tulip bulbs and over 50 daffodil bulbs where the grass had been. The ground was already more or less dug although there were a couple of places where there hadn't been grass. My job was way easier even though I didn't use power tools. Now I just have to wait for spring. It's funny--34 years ago I planted 50 Elizabeth Arden tulips on the day my youngest son was born. I will never forget how beautiful they looked the next spring and they held so many other memories as well. That was the baby in a hurry labor and delivery. When the nurse asked my husband and me why I didn't have a wheelchair I said, "Wheelchair? I didn't even get an elevator!" I don't remember how many flights of stairs it was from the parking level but it seemed like the Empire State building.

Now all I have to do is to put out the deer repellent before everything gets chomped.