Ho. Ho. Ho!

After searching in vain for purple ribbon,
I was inspired by Em to make bows out of a shopping bag this year.



"Merry Christmas to all,
and to all a good night!"

Adventures in Baking

Today was set aside for baking. Tonight is Supper Club (theme: Under the Ground) at S's and I picked a recipe that includes meringue cookies, not something I'm overly familiar with. I went grocery shopping yesterday (having taken a vacation day - use 'em or lose 'em) to run errands and tour the No Coast Craftorama with HappyHermit. I nearly forgot several things on my list, but eventually thought I was all set.

This morning, I started getting things out of the cupboards and pantry. I needed parchment paper. I opened every drawer and cupboard in the kitchen where it might be hiding. I opened scoured the pantry. Nope. No parchment to be found. Off to the nearby fancy grocery store; so much for shoveling before packing foot and tire prints into the snow. As I speed-walked the baking aisle (which is not where parchment paper resides, of course), something caught my eye: Dr. Oetker's Vanilla Sugar packets! Slam, I was back in Vienna, in the dream kitchen. After using up what I brought home as a "souvenir," I keep thinking I really ought to make some of my own (and did, once), but that involves a tiny bit of effort, planning ahead and/or worrying about truly airtight storage. Now, I know where to find it here.

My second adventure today wasn't quite so fun. I decided to deal with limited counter space by pre-measuring everything for the cookies into very little bowls. I was feeling a bit chuffed about using 'mis en place' techniques. I discovered, however, that when I set everything out, I don't read the recipe as carefully as I go. So, I forgot the granulated sugar that needed to go into the egg whites before the cocoa/powdered sugar. I thought things were not fluffing up enough, glanced at the counter, saw the little bowl of granulated sugar and wondered when that would go in. Oh, right! In the past. I tried adding it at that point - no good. So, I scraped out the bowl, washed and dried everything and tried again. Much better this time. I hate 'do it twice' baking. That's why I rarely make my own pie crust; I almost always have to toss the first attempt and start over.

Holiday Rush

8 things I'm thankful for in 2008, using the Mosaic Maker and Flickr search. Some are literal, some are not, some are both literal and representative. I don't believe in prioritizing them so don't read too much into the imposed grid.

(titles by the photographers, not me)
let the music play, crossed processed figs,
Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, The Colour Wheel according to Wollmeise,
The back of the Animas 2020, DSCN0546,
desk, Starry starry night

Happy Thanksgiving.

P is for the Pancremaniacs

Happy World Diabetes Day!

Last year, I “celebrated” with a Q&A (of which I can do another installment, if you have more questions) and some links. This year, I’m asking for a a little bit of help.

Eight years ago (or thereabouts), a group of friends rode the Tour de Cure with me, under the team banner of The Pancremaniacs. The ride was, frankly, awful. It was cold, disorganized, the route unmarked…. The only good parts were the post-ride party hosted at my house by MoD and the support I felt from my friends/teammates just a few months after I started pumping.

The Pancremaniacs 2001

This summer, two of them mentioned they’d be willing to ride again and a few others expressed interest in pedaling along. The event seems to have matured and I am fairly certain none of us will get lost this time. So, I’ve signed up myself and created a team. If you’d like to ride with us on June 6, 2009, go here and join the team. If you’d prefer to sponsor me, you can find my page here (and you'll get another chance to join the team). If you'd rather simply offer us a cheer, post it in the comments, please.

Now, go out and learn something about the bigD (Type 1 and/or Type 2, Gestational; you pick) that you didn't know and share it with your friends. After all, today is all about raising awareness.

(17April 2011: Edited to add labels)

yes WE did

All day, the significance of this election has been sinking in. The tears that welled up when I saw Jesse Jackson weeping last night keep coming back as I hear more and more people acknowledge what a huge step we took yesterday. Today, I am more proud to be a citizen of the United States of American than I ever have been. I haven't been able to find still images online that capture what I saw last night while I watched the coverage of the election. It was so striking to me to see the diversity of people gathered in Grant Park, Chicago (in sharp contrast to the pasty white crowd gathered in Arizona). That was an image of the United States that I am so proud to be a part of. And to know that everyone who makes up this United States raised their voices yesterday to elect a man who is smart, compassionate, inspiring and, yes, absolutely qualified to lead our country fills me with joy.

The Obama website has a quote at the top that reads, "I am asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington... but in yours." What I saw and heard last night tells me that we, as a United States, do believe. And it's about damn time, if you ask me.

Thank you, Mr. President-elect. I am so looking forward to watching you work. And thank you, fellow citizens for all your hard work. It's just begining for us, too you know....

(ps: I can't hold my breath until December, but I will go blue often, I think, while waiting for the results of the Franken-Coleman recount.)

Election Day

I love Election Day. There is just something about walking through the crunchy leaves on a crisp fall day going to add my voice to the multitudes practicing their rights and responsibilities of being a citizen of this country. It’s like the proverbial first day of school feeling, without the new backpack.

I got in line to vote at about 6:40 this morning. They let us in the building (to roast) at about 6:50. There was a greeter, checking whether we were pre-registered and giving forms to those who needed to register on site. I picked up my ballot and the PaperMate ballpoint pen (seriously, can’t we get felt tips?*), and filled in the ovals completely, very glad I’d done my research and brought my list with me. There was one Soil & Water Supervisor candidate whose position statement was a rant against same sex marriage. This is why I do my homework for all the races. My ballot was number 58 into the scanner at my precinct. As I walked up the stairs, I was putting my “I Voted” sticker on the strap of my purse, just above my “Registered Voter” button. A woman asked, “Feel better now?” I replied “Yes, I do!” The person in line with her asked if we were neighbors. No. “Oh, Friends?” I’d never seen her before. “New friends?” I suppose so. I headed to work full of hope.

This afternoon, I spent four hours knocking on doors in a Southwestern suburb. We had a targeted list, but the folks who were home represented a mixed bag. We had a couple of people almost hug us and thank us for walking our feet off. We had some simply tell us they'd already voted, but "sorry, we're on the other team." At one house where we had the wife's name on our list, the husband said he'd voted for the Republican line-up, but suspected his wife was at the poll voting for Obama; she just didn't want to tell him. At another house, the husband said some really hateful things about Franken and Obama. I made a note on our sheets that it was a scary place, hoping the next pass of canvassers will spared the vitriol. I headed home exhausted. I still have a lot of hope for Obama. I'm really worried about Franken, but I've done what I can do. I've posted here (to you my loyal 2(?) local readers), I've knocked on doors in a hostile land**, and I VOTED!

Now, I'm off to a Knitter's house to eat pizza, drink beer and/or champagne, and watch the returns roll in. (Oh yeah, and knit because EZ admonished us to knit at times like these - all times.) Here's hoping we awake to a blue-ish purple map in the morning, to one America united for positive change.

Peace.


* I heard on the radio this afternoon that the preferred pen for our ballots is, in fact, a black felt-tip. Next year, I'm taking my own.
** My "I Voted" sticker fell off somewhere along the GOTV route. Sigh.

Have Passion, Work Hard

I've made my choices for the big races on the ballot November 4. I still need to research my soil & water district commissioners, but I've looked at the issues, I've considered the candidates and I know deep in my heart I'm not voting for a party nor am I choosing the "lessor of evils" in any of these races, I'm voting for the individuals I've chosen. Today, I signed up to do Get Out the Vote volunteer work on Tuesday. I'm going to work in the area near my office, rather than my home because I am pretty sure that area needs more help.

While the polls are looking good for many of the folks I like and I feel quite hopeful, I'm not going to believe it until every ballot is counted. And there are several races where it's still really close. So, today I'm going to tell you about a few of the candidates I think you should pay attention to. If you like them and you live in their district, get out there Tuesday and cast your ballot. Don't assume that it's safe enough that they don't need you. Even in our electoral college system, every vote does count. Your voice matters. And so does mine.

I support Barak Obama because:
- when he talks about health care problems in our country, I hear him articulating the things that keep me up at night. (and my bigD agrees)
- when our economy hit melt-down, he wanted to really understand what was going on. So, he took time to listen to people who know economics, then he talked to some more economic advisors, then he talked to experts about what the right thing to do for the country would be. And THEN he took action. He didn't ask the majority of the citizens of this country to like it, but he asked us to trust that he was doing the job he was elected to and looking out for our best interest. That shows me the kind of leader he is; the kind of leader I want.
- He is smart and curious.
- He is respectful and inclusive.
- I don't think he's in this for him. He's in it for us.

I support Al Franken because:
- Paul Wellstone said, "the future belongs to those who have passion and work hard." I don't know if I've seen a politician since Wellstone, other than Obama, with as much passion or willing to work as hard as Al Franken has. There's a lot of talk about taking back Wellstone's seat this election. When Franken talks about the possibility of sitting in that seat, it's with reverence. He's not pouring his soul into this campaign just to sit back and gloat in Washington if he wins; he's showing us how hard he's willing to work for the people who live in this state.
- He is smart. Honestly, I don't want a C-student leading my government. I want people who are smarter than me in those seats. Sure, they need to comprehend what the rest of us face every day, but in order to fix the problems, they have to be smarter than us.
- He's sincere. For those of you who can't shake Stuart Smally out of your head, spend some time at Al's website. Read his biography, read his plans. Get to know Al & Franni before you vote against a character he played.
- The Republicans had their chance to put into action all their grand plans. They said government was broken, got into power and proved it. But, I don't believe government is inherently broken. I believe it can and must work. And for that to happen, we need Obama in the oval office and 60 senators supporting him so the filibuster doesn't muck up the change he's ready to make.
As reported in the Star Tribune this morning, last night Bill Clinton explained this much better than I ever could: ...praising Obama's performance during the nation's financial crisis but asking "If he's all that great, why does he need Franken?"The answer, he said, is to turn back "a radical right-wing philosophy ... You've got to send him [Franken] to the Senate to make sure America doesn't blow this chance" to repudiate the Republicans' governing philosophy."[Obama] has a chance to rewrite the 21st century," Clinton said. "Let's go back and do it right this time. In order to do that, he's going to have to get some votes" in the Senate, like Franken's.

There's one more race I want to plug. I don't get to vote for him, but if you're in MN's CD3, please consider voting for Ashwin Madia.

I don't like the slippery slope we've been on for 8 years. I'm not ready to pick out my handbasket. So here I am, telling you who I'm voting for and a reason or two why. I am trying to stick with (some of) the positives because I'm so excited to feel like I'm voting FOR something this year, but if you want me to start ranting against McCain's "socialist" name-calling, for example, let me know. And come Tuesday, November 4, 2008, I'm going to cast my vote as soon as my polling place opens. Then, I'm going to help make sure a few more people do the same.
How about you?
Are you ready to vote?!

Tuesday...

...marked one year since we said good-bye. I don't miss him any less.

Expo

Oct. 11, I went to the Diabetes Expo. I was a little hesitant to go, worried that the information offered might be too basic, that the crowds would bug me, that the give-aways of diabetic friendly "foods" would send me into a rant. I'm glad I went. There was some really good information and evidence of support (see sketch above) always gives me hope.

I only went to two seminars. The first was about eye health. The first half was so-so, focused on encouraging everyone to get annual eye exams; I do that anyway. The second half was more interesting. The doctor showed images of healthy retinas and those affected by diabetic retinopathy. I like the nerdy science stuff and the understanding of what that really looks like.

The other seminar was about Continuous Glucose Monitoring, which I now think is a really good idea, despite the extra bit to jab under my skin. I'd been to the Animas/One Touch booth in the exhibit hall and learned that the latest available model is the Ping, which links the meter and the pump wirelessly and looks very cool. But, even better, they're working on also linking to the Dexcom7 continuous sensors. That set should be available mid-2009. So, a meter, a continuous sensor and a pump that talk to each other. I'm hoping my current pump holds up past waranty and the insurance battle doesn't get too ugly. Maybe I'll start the war now. Can you even ask for something that's not available?

The exhibit hall was, like most conventions, a mixed bag. The lines for 'food' were very long and there was a lot of stuff I didn't care about. But, I got a tip from one rep about trying a different format for my pump back-up insulin (get a pen instead of a vial). And, in addition to hearing about the new Animas products out and coming, I learned that there's new software, now compatible with my meter and with Mac. No more need to split my hard drive to run a program in Windows! (see above, I'm a nerd.) Still waiting to hear back on getting that upgrade, but I have a little time before next endo appt....

Coming of Age

Last Thursday, my bigD turned 18. I realize that one's chronic condition cannot actually pull the lever (or mark the ballot with a crappy ballpoint pen as happens in my jurisdiction), but there was something motivating about realizing that I've been living with this disease long enough that it has turned voting age. I typically think to myself, "I haven't had bigD that long." But, you know, I really have. And it is still a challenge every. single. day. (minute?) Sure, there are days I don't let it worry me as much, but if someone were to watch the neurons firing in my brain on any given day I think we'd all be amazed how many of my thoughts are related to making up for my slacker of a pancreas. The tools have gotten better, but in those 18 years, we've seen no cure, the technology still requires a huge amount of user input and the risks are as high as ever. Oh, and the costs are phenomenal. I'm still waiting to understand my out-of-pocket expenses for all the supplies and dr. visits with my no-longer-new health insurance. Today, I picked up a refill of my insulin. Walgreen's has started putting the retail price on the info sheets. My two bottles, which last me ~1.5 months: retail $209.99; I pay $30. I'm not changing insulin - this one works for me really well and my life depends on it. But, holy hannah that's a big price tag. Without insurance, I'd be in a world of hurt. And I know that doesn't hold a candle to the pump supplies, test strips.... Ok, so I see the stats about how chronic diseases account for 3/4 of the nation's health care expenditures and I look at these bills and have a hard time arguing the point. But, here's the kicker: the expense of my diligent self-care is a tiny fraction of that 75% they throw around. The really big price tags come from end-of-life care and treating critical complications that could have been prevented by increased support for on-going self-care (statistically speaking that is; the hard work doesn't guarantee no complications for an individual, nor does less diligence guarantee tragedy).

So, all this is bouncing around my head and I decide to check out the Health Care Plans of the two major presidential candidates. No, I didn't expect this research to affect my choice, but I did want to see what they're saying. To be honest, neither quite has it to a point I'd like to see. The one that used a few key terms I was looking for had enough fluff to make me question whether any of the changes suggested will happen. The other talked "preventative care" but it sure didn't sound like he was talking about the sort I do every. single. day. Based on the health care plans, I can't endorse one over the other. I've got a favorite based on a more holistic view and I'm putting my hopes in that basket. Here's what I hope you'll do (I guess this is mostly for my US citizen readers):

1. Register to vote (if you haven't already).
2. Research the candidates, even the watershed district commissioner (you never know who will end up a VP candidate someday). Try to figure out, honestly, how they stack up with your values and the real issues that matter to you.
3. Talk about those issues with your friends.
4. If the candidates aren't getting the point, let them know (I need to write a letter or two myself - and I may just post them here to satisfy item 3).
5. On November 4, VOTE DAMMIT!!!! I'll be taking bigD with me, as always.

Le Fin du Tour

It's all over in Paris. The champagne has been drunk (while riding no less), the final winners' jerseys zipped up, the photos taken. I'm guessing the riders are sleeping soundly or maybe they're soaking exhausted muscles in posh bathtubs....

A few hours after watching the pageantry, my Notre Dame de Grace pullover is complete as well. There was coffee drunk while sewing up the seams and weaving in the last ends, the photos follow. Now, the dear garment is soaking in a bucket, bleeding out the excess dye and waiting for a good blocking.

I can't quite believe I did it, but even with a few days of debating strategy during the last stages in the Alps, I finished the sweater in the time limit. Ok, she could use a button, but that's icing. And I'm still considering whether she needs an edge of black at the cuffs (already plenty long) and hem - feel free to weigh in on that, dear readers - but she is wearable. I slipped her on ever so briefly this steamy afternoon to be sure I didn't need to start looking for someone worthy of such a gift (she's all mine).

Oh, for the record, the kind staff at Borealis Yarns helped me select Cascade Pastaza for the shoulders and collar to complement the Wollmeise Worsted I nearly ran out of. It worked out just fine. Now, I'm going back to lace on size 3 needles and socks on 0s, neither with any particular deadline - my "champagne."

Tarte au Citron

Le Tour de France KAL has a regional challenge going...
If I'd been thinking ahead, I would have taking the biking option as I did pump up the tires on my old Giant Iguana yesterday for a cruise past Borealis Yarns, over a bridge w/harrowing switchbacks, through an industrial area, around Como Lake and back. I could have rigged up a bike cam and it would have been a blast. But, all I did was ride and wish I weren't being all responsible and wearing a helmet.

So, instead, I'm taking the France option. I want to send you to my favorite spring recipe: Bon Appetit's Lemon Tart from the May 1999 Provence "special collector's edition". There are a bunch of great recipes in this (now stained and dog-eared) issue of the magazine, each featuring one of 20 signature ingredients of the region. In addition to the out of this world lemon, you'll find Lamb, Zucchini, Artichokes, Goat Cheese, Asparagus, Almonds, Beef, Anchovies, Garlic, Honey, Herbes de Provence, Tomatoes, Wild Mushrooms, Swiss Chard, Fennel, Eggplant, Basil, Olives, and Bell Peppers. Just flipping through these recipes again, I realize why I'm in love with Provence. Or maybe Provence is why I'm in love with these foods. Either way, the flavors of the French countryside are calling to me again. Do you think I can hush them just a bit by whipping up a tart? I may just have my theme for the next time I host our cooking club....

I hope our Garmin-Chipotle boys get to taste a few of these flavors while they rest up tomorrow for another big mountain days.

As for my knitting, I feel like the chain is about to come off.... I'm down to very little yarn and am not done with the sleeves, much less the collar. I have sent a desperate message to a friend in Munich who may be able to help me out, if I'm very lucky. Even so, I think my sprinting days of 2008 are almost over. If he doesn't have a skein of what I need (or a way to find me another source), I'll be looking for a solid (black? green? blue?) yarn of comparable weight to redo the shoulders and collar (and add a tiny boarder to the hem and cuffs). After I get over my depression, that is. Good thing cold weather is still hard to imagine.

tricotage dans l'obscurité

(knitting in the dark)

I managed to miss the deadline for the 1st intermediate sprint in le Tour de France knit along. I really meant to sit down to write this post in plenty of time to finish before midnight, Paris time. Zut alors! Instead, I've been making stuff....

In the past week, I've made a lot of progress on the Notre Dame de Grace pullover (my entry for le Maillot Vert). I cruised through the back:

and cast on immediately for the front. In my hurry (in part due to fear that I'm going to run out of yarn), I started the neck opening a little early and the shoulders much too soon. I had to rip back the shoulders a couple of times, but eventually got them to match the back:
At one point, I noticed something didn't feel quite right. The cable of my Knit Picks Options needles had pulled out of its metal connector end. I saved the soon-to-drop stitches on the cable, switched to another cable and kept going.

Here's the neck in detail. Also, note the areas of blue and areas of green....
This yarn has been hard to photograph accurately, but you get the idea: there's some significant variation in here. I'm liking it. Except, I won't be able to cross my arms when wearing this sweater. Look at the start of the sleeves:
One very green (and to my eye much like the majority of the sweater). The other, very blue. I've been knitting in the basement with minimal lighting to supplement the glow of Versus TV's broadcasts of le Tour. So, I didn't notice this color deviation until I took everything outside for pictures this evening. I suppose I could alternate skeins every couple of rows, but I know I don't have enough yarn to start dealing with extra ends to weave in. And, I hate knitting one sleeve at a time (so I could carry the yarn up the edge) because I have enough trouble keeping track of the shaping when I knit them at the same time. So, I've decided to accept the quirks of this gorgeous Wollmeise hand dyed yarn and knit on. C'est la vie!

I took a break from knitting this afternoon. Yesterday, I made a little pilgrimage to Crafty Planet. I picked up some fabric, which I prewashed yesterday, thinking I would wait a while to actually sew anything up. But, today, I was hit with a jones to sew. I thought I'd satisfy the urge by cutting out the pieces, but not actually finish anything today. I even left the house for a while after cutting, but I came home wanting to keep going. I now own a second Barcelona a-line skirt. This time in a hard-to-photograph green (seeing a trend here?):

The lining isn't very exciting this time, just a solid seafoam(?) green that approximately matches the mid-tone swirls. I think the sewing (and pressing), including hand-hemming the exterior skirt took about 4.5 hours. Not too bad, actually. Only needing to take over the dining room for one day is sign of a great project in my book. I think I'll need to make more of these.....

Next up for sewing projects, though: Fancy Pants. They were going to be attempted first in a big cream on brown floral fabric, but the pattern label didn't clarify (like I see the website does) how much fabric you need if you have one less than 60 inches wide. I did not have enough so I think that will become tote/shopping bags. I picked up some lightweight denim on sale at Hancock this afternoon. It's washed, dried and ready for cutting/sewing. Now, for the luxury of a whole day (or two)...

Tricoteuses, allons y!

It's finally here: le Tour de France is about to begin!

In the knit along, I've been assigned to Team Garmin-Chipotle which we've modified a bit to suit our "sport": Team Garment Crafters, powered by H2O (we Knit Clean!). On Thursday, the team introduced their new kit - what could be more knitterly than the blue and orange argyle?

My kit is in pretty good shape, too. I've got my yarn wound up, swatch complete and the first few rows knit up (in March) to be sure everything is in working order.

It seems fitting that I'm knitting a green sweater on my quest for the green jersey. I don't wear much green as it's tough to find one that doesn't make me look ill. I have hopes for this one that has a lot of blue in it.


I was a bit concerned about using a variegated yarn for this stitch pattern, but I'm liking the texture and pattern combination.
Today, we'll be flipping channels between le Tour and Wimbledon. Time for me to get knitting!

Ich ließ mein Herz in Wien (Teil zwei)

I left my heart in Vienna - part 2

The Saturday of my stay in Vienna, we left town for the day. Lois Gangl makes the wine served at theDiningRoom and works at the national park Neusiedler See in Burgenland. So, Angelika, her mom and I took a road trip to visit.

There was a little delay en route - A. drove on a bike path short cut that looked like a road to me, but she announced, "I'm not supposed to do this." As we continued straight onto what was designated a street, a cop pulled us over. In addition to the traffic maneuver, A's driver's license photo dates back to when she was about 18. Apparently the Austrians don't automatically get new ones every four years.

Back on our way (after laughing quite a lot), I got to hear stories about Angelika and Herbert driving out to the See (lake) to go sailing.

When we got to the winery, Lois' wife, Yvette, served us coffee and a little snack. Then, Lois took us for a tour of the park. The bird watching was spectacular and I wished I had a telephoto lens. The day was hazy so the landscape shots seem a bit washed out. That's reality, but I would like to go again, to see different seasons and light levels. Angelika has a series of four paintings in the Dining Room - 4 seasons of Burgenland. I want to take the photos...

and get a level for my camera...

Here is a photo I did not take..... there was a wild field of poppies sprinkled into the high grasses, the red blooms turning to a dark pink haze, the stalks a pale spring green. I don't believe a camera could capture the ethereal blending/shifting of those colors and watercolor would bleed into an ugly neutral. But there, in nature, were red and green vying for first position, stunning and subtle at the same time.


The park runs a few programs restoring endangered species of domesticated animals. The pig one is no longer a part of the park because the farmer running it has let two breeds cross so the curly haired ones we saw aren't pure. Out of respect for Lois' disdain for this, I'm leaving out the photo. Besides, dark pigs on dark dirt don't make for much of a photo.

There are horses and ponies (both too far for my lens to catch) and cows.

Then, there are Lois' charge: the albino donkeys after which he named the wine Cremello. (I brought a bottle home.)
We stopped to looked at the blooming grape vines (Kracher's, not Gangl's) before returning to town for "lunch".

It seems wrong to post all the food from a meal Angelika didn't make, but this was a really good meal, paired with Gangl wines and Angelika got to relax and eat and enjoy being a guest for a change.

Prosciutto, garlic toast and red currant jam

Sarah takes after her dad who helped me fold napkins for the opening party at the Dining Room a year ago.

This was a vegetable pasta with two types of fish (Zander and Wels?). It was delicious and I almost forgot to take a photo before I'd cleaned my plate.

Why have just one dessert when you can have three?

or four? this is a special blue cheese developed for/by wine maker Kracher. It's served with a red wine jam (for lack of a better term) and a Kracher dessert wine. Rather decadent, no?

This huge bottle of anniversary wine came out with fireworks shooting out of the top, but I was so surprised, I missed the pyrotechnics. Like the opening celebration bottle, this one will be opened at the Dining Room family Christmas party. Do you have any idea how much I want to be there this time?

One more installment to come, but I have to get ready for the start of Le Tour...

Ich ließ mein Herz in Wien (Teil eins)

I left my heart in Vienna (part one)

Thanks to a one-day sale on airplane tickets, I was able to go celebrate the first anniversary of the Dining Room with my dear friend, Angelika, in person. As the restaurant's "godmother" I would have been devastated to miss the party earlier this month, but it was so good to be there for so many reasons.

I arrived on a rainy Thursday morning to a warm welcome and a bit of confusion. The partnership between Delta and Air France had my host looking for a flight from Paris; I came through Atlanta. The newest addition to theDiningRoom family drove and we all chatted away about the plans for the next day. We carried my luggage into the house, Gino brought me a shoe (the way he greets all family members, I now know), I got a shower and a little rest and was treated to a three-hour lunch that started with "my" soup. It felt like home already. That night, we went a little trattoria where Angelika likes to go after a week of serving others great food.


We didn't bother with the menu, just told the chef/owner, Massimo, that we wanted what he felt like making for us, as long as he didn't include any shrimp. He whipped up a lobster pasta dish and then a huge fish plate. Both were extraordinary. And the octopus was like none I've ever tasted - very firm, but not at all rubbery. Delicious! There was a fluffy mango creme dessert. Then, I was offered a glass of elderflower grappa. And so began the week's refrain, "sure...." I think if I stayed, I might weigh 300 pounds and be a drunk, but for a vacation this is a great way to respond to every offer of food or drink.

Friday was all about getting ready for the party, but it was much less work than last year. Angelika decided to keep the party like the concept of the restaurant, an intimate dinner to celebrate life. Instead of inviting hundreds of acquaintances and associates to sample bite sized versions of her cuisine, she set a table for twelve and served us a meal of (some of) her signature dishes. This scope meant I got to spend a lot of time sitting on a stool in the kitchen, knitting, picking up tips on making bread, the secrets of the chocolate cake, and catching up with my dear friend.


I have photos of every dish Angelika served that night, with and without flash, but I realized today, I want to show you the people more than I want to show you the food (which is, all on its own, worth a trip to Vienna, by the way).

the hands that put so much love in that delicious food

theDiningRoom family:
Angelika with the young and exquisitely professional servers

bread sommelier, Gino, accepting the heel of the parmesan

Angelika with her proud parents

all hands on deck for the party
here, the guests pitched in finishing the risotto to exacting specifications
(Angelika might also be asking Eric, an architect originally from NY, to give me a job to keep me in town)

my favorite photo of (most of) the group
there was so much laughter that night and it felt so good

Angelika's father reminded me of my grandmother - never set the camera down...

"godmother," supreme hostess, and Chocolate Heaven
the knitters among you might also recognize that shawl

next episode: a trip to the Gangl winery and a national park....

L'été est arrivé!

Happy summer everyone!

In some fit of insanity, I've signed up for the Tour de France Knit-along again this year. This year I'm going for the Green Jersey, meaning I've selected a project of average skill-level for myself (the Notre Dame de Grace pullover designed by Véronik Avery and appearing in the Summer 2007 issue of Interweave Knits - can you get more French than that?) with the intention of finishing the whole thing during le Tour. I did gauge swatches and knit a few rows in March, but it's been taunting me from the basket since then.
Wondering where my self-diagnosis of insanity comes in? Well, there's the fact that this year, I have a full-time (plus) job where last year I was reveling in my last month of "sabbatical." Work may interfere with speed knitting. Also, I've chosen to knit this sweater with some gorgeous Wollmeise worsted weight yarn. This means I'll be holding a sweater's worth of heavy wool in my lap in July. Sticky fingers tend to slow my progress. So, 5-27 Juillet you'll likely find me camped in front of an air conditioning vent.

eta two things: 1) Despite the blog telling you I posted on 6/14, I originally posted on 6/21 - first day of summer.
2) in answer to Em's question, Robbie McEwan appears to be favored for the green jersey. Tom Boonen was up there, too, until he tested positive for cocaine. Sigh.

"Birth"days

Since November, I've been trying to write a post about Loyd. I've been trying to get all the Loyd stories into one, well-written, poignant yet funny post. It's not going well. I can't quite capture his spirit or my love for him yet. But, I couldn't let this week go by without a mention. Friday was the anniversary of the day Loyd moved in with me. I know people who would get special cakes (or at least treats) and have other doggie friends over for a party. I never did much to acknowledge the start of our life together. Sometimes I made a point of taking him for a long walk, but mostly I just let it be another day with the Big Dope (as my parents call him since he left us). Great thing about a dog: you give him food, shelter, love and there are no expectations about special occasions or anything beyond the next few minutes. So, clueless as I was about dogs, I simply loved him every day and I believe he loved me back.

I think it's time to start getting the Loyd stories out there, one at a time. I'm going to start with the story of how we met...

Loyd picked me.
On May 23, 1997, I went to the Humane Society, ready to bring home a dog. Loyd (Elwood at the time) was the only dog in the kennels not barking as I walked through. I stopped to pet him through the bars (I know, I wasn’t supposed to, but he gave me this look that made me melt….). I asked a volunteer to let us go out to the runs so I could get to know him better. He was so excited to be able to run around and to play with a tennis ball. He grabbed that ball and sprinted up and down the cage. He didn’t need me for that game, but every lap or two, he’d stop and lean against my legs to be petted or scratched behind the ear. The volunteers are taught to maintain a level of skepticism when addressing potential adopters. They are supposed to reinforce the reality of taking home a (in my case) large, young dog with little training who had lived with two families and been left at the humane society twice. The volunteer with me, during one of Loyd’s leans, said only, “so, you’re ready to take him home?” and I didn’t sense that it was a question. Shortly thereafter, I had a Gentle Leader, a leash, a bag of dog food, a list of vets and one very large dog loaded into my Ford Escort for the drive home. I don't remember the drive, but I can't believe he stayed in the back seat.

Pomp, Circumstance and Delicious Food

On Sunday, E'Yoak graduated. He got a Master's of Public Policy and is Pi Alpha Alpha (or some such Greek letters that indicate he got really good grades).

looks pretty happy to be done, no?

E'Yoak w/his Capstone project partner. Looks like B. finally got some sleep after they finished the paper.

We threw a party to celebrate. Normally, you hear there's a party at our house and you expect E'Yoak to be serving up a feast. This time, we just opened the doors and our cooking club volunteered (?) to cater. You can read about it at MoD's blog, too. Here we are, drooling over the amazing spread of Spanish tapas.

half of us got the memo re: dress code...


the leftovers are still amazing

The moms were recruited to help fill the party favor bags with Maple-Chili Popcorn.

My niecely looked on as the results of her mother's attention last weekend were devoured. Thanks for letting her focus on us, FiG. And thanks, A-Mo, for your assistance with that (and the to-die-for tomatoes).

nice Chucks, kiddo!

(in case you're wondering, no, he doesn't know what's next.)