fish

try this recipe. best ever. i used tilapia.

leg meat

recipe:
one upper thigh in brief contact with moving circular saw blade=lots of stitches & the rest of the afternoon off.

thanks to the lord that it didn't get his muscle.

home

i know we have a wide array of wacky things here on 48th avenue: the crack house, loud parties, bear-sized raccoons, the SWAT team, that darn! dangling steering wheel, people barging in if the front door is unlocked, pit bulls, & pep band alarm clocks. but let me tell you: i love this place. i love being home. a refuge for the travel-weary.

while driving all day yesterday, i kept thinking:
thought #1: get me back to my routine!
thought #2: i can't wait to clean the house.
thought #3: i love my bed.

so: we're back! let's have a game night. apples to apples. pictionary. anything! when ya'll free? cheryl, bring your baby!

micky macks

hope you can make it.

CAT POWER

i bought cat power's latest album today at best buy in peoria. it's awesome! if anything, download "we could". ooh la la!

drawing

another good drawing like the one daphne posted below. it's especially for all of us.

montreal

if you need to feel okay about it still being winter time, click on the link to see some absolutely wonderful photos of a snowy montreal.

port royale

here's minde with the neighborhood pirate. click on it for a bigger view.

myspace

i'm shivering up here in the balcony at harvest community church. they turn the heat off during the week. brr. i've been working on some recording & some editing of songs this wonderful morning. the light in this church is so beautiful. oh.

i've added two songs to my myspace account. you can download them there or just listen. better than not doing it & crying about it. more later.

depressed

today, january 23, is said to be the most depressing day of the year. has anyone else heard about this? it's actually kinda sunshiney out so i'll be that today is less depressing than your average january 23rd.
this sad little crooked-eyed guy was the first thing to come up on a google image search for 'depressed.' and i must say, he certainly does make me feel depressed about the future.

Darby's Mix CD

"Like A Star"

macgyver

happy birthday, richard dean anderson: heart-throb adventurer. i liked you when i was little. i watched on fridays when USA ran a marathon of your shows.

"A Mother's Prayer"

but, I think we all can identify with it.

"Dear Lord, So far today I've done all right. I haven't gossiped, I haven't lost my temper, I haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or very indulgent. I'm very grateful for that. But in a few minutes, Lord, I'm going to get out of bed, and from then on, I'm going to need a lot more help. Amen."

4 Poems by Stefan George

I. Entrance

World of beings,
long fare thee well!...
Open up, forest
of pale-white trunks.
Only high in the blue
do the treetops bear
foliage and fruit:
gold camelian.
In the middle,
near the marble monument,
the slow spring
begins its flowery play,
flows from the hollow,
softly, as if
grain after grain
were falling into a silver bowl.
Shivering coolness
closes a ring:
dawn of the morning
clouds the treetops;
expectant silence
transfixes those who dwell here...
Dream-wing, whirr!
Dream-harp, resound!

II.
Faithfulness still compels me to watch over you,
and the beauty of your suffering, to remain.
My sacred striving is to sadden myself
so that I may more truly share your grief.
Never will a warm voice greet me;
until the late hours of our togetherness
I must recognize with devoted anxiety
the bitter fate of wintry discovery.


III.
When I am sad,
I have but one thought:
I think myself with you
and sing you a song.
Then I seem to hear
the sound of your voice;
far away it echoes
and my sorrows diminish.

IV.
You stepped toward the hearth
where the glow had died.
The light on the ground
came only from the death-pale moon.
You dipped into the ashes
your pale fingers,
searching, touching, grasping -
Once more it comes agow!
Look what the moon imparts
with consoling gesture:
step back from the hearth
It has grown late.

painting, valentines

DARN i'm glad its saturday. just real glad.
we had a wet, heavy snow yesterday, so even though its cloudy, its still kind of bright. ajw's working on a paper at the library and i'm puttering around. went to dick blick because they're having a paint and canvas sale, 70% off. and i've been planning to paint some more. so i bought four canvases and five or six tubes of cheap student paint. i'm going to paint something white, yellow, gold. we'll see what happens.

on another note. i'm making a mix for valentine's day. ali does christmas, i feel like doing valentine's day. this is going to be an optimistic valentine's day mix, with happy-ish songs, and i'd like to know if you have any suggestions. when i started looking for happy love songs, i realized how hard it is to find any that are actually happy. please post if you can think of any. you can have a copy of the mix if you do.

she ain't dumb-she's my sister

me: game hen. that's chicken, right?
cathy: yup.
[long pause]
cathy: [strange look on her face] "what did you think it was?"
me: i don't know.

a tribute to you, cathy. even though you don't read our blog (because you can't read), you're still pretty cool. thanks for the perfect m. at charleston's. i love that one.

pee and boys

these are funny.

to prevent being peed on while diaper changing little boys.

boys eat dirt and they pee on you... I can't wait!

Boys eat dirt

There is hard-wiring into the very DNA of every boy to eat dirt, without hesitation, at any opportunity that presents itself. Boys and girls are different in this aspect, and many others.

apropos "the best cigarette"

for my early american lit class, we are reading captivity narratives. i came across this excerpt and wanted to share. just to provide a little background, this is from "a narrative of the captivity and restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson." at this point, she has already been taken captive by native americans.

"Then I went to see King Philip, he bade me come in and sit down, and asked me whether I would smoke (a usual compliment nowadays amongst saints and sinners) but this no way suited me. For though I had formerly used tobacco, yet I had left it ever since I was first taken. It seems to be a bait the devil lays to make men lose their precious time: I remember with shame, how formerly, when I had taken two or three pipes, I was presently ready for another, such a bewitching thing it is: but I thank God, he has now given me power over it; surely there are many who may be bettered employed than to lie sucking a stinking tobacco pipe."

--Mrs. Mary Rowlandson

hola, mis amigas...

just wanted to say a quick hello to all. my internet access is spotty and costly... and i'm using the email address katevenable2006@yahoo.com. please write to me! i miss you people. love, love, love -kate

The Wilsons

You all may have already visited here, but the Wilson's have their very own Blog! This is good daily reading for all.

enjoy

Gâteau Choco-Coco

it looks sooo good.

hares wares

amber's mom has a website with some really cool purses & this really great gift basket, my personal favorite.

too quiet

it's different when people are staying with you. there are always surprises. when will the attic door open? what will we do today? there's another adult to share moments with during the day. i love having company: the kind that leaves you refreshed & uplifted. so today, when i woke up & remembered that our guest had gone home, it was kind of sad & quiet.

annie & i played mini-bowling for awhile. she kept making these odd sound effects that had nothing to do with bowling: boink! dink!

renae's post about office supplies reminded me that i had gift credit at office depot. so we went & got some new supplies. and when we got home, the neighbors were making some noise. they must have known exactly what i needed.

(ps: check it out: the red kid car steering wheel is even in the picture!)

The wintery out-of-doors

There is a certain je ne sais quoi when it comes to winter. The season and its' sports in particular are curative to the soul. Silvery, packed trails stretched out in front of you with the crisp, sharp air biting you lungs - it beats the "it's dark by 4:30" lethargy right out you.

Now that is what I'm talking about!

guests are great

egg strata (domo arigato, mister roboto)

EGG STRATA

1 loaf of bread w/ crust removed
(french or italian is best)
1 lb. sausage or bacon, cooked
3 C shredded cheddar cheese
1 doz eggs, mixed w 1 C milk
1/8 tsp pepper & 1/8 tsp salt

preheat oven to 350. grease 9x13 pan.
layer: half bread, half bacon/sausage, & 1/2 cheese. repeat.
pour egg mixture over top & bake for 45 minutes (loose foil
cover for the first 25 minutes).

darby, you should post that yummy ham egg thing you made that one saturday morning. THAT was good.

remember this old quote?

"for a christian, there are, strictly speaking, no chances. a secret master of ceremonies has been at work. christ, who said to the disciples, 'ye have not chosen me but i have chosen you,' can truly say to every group of christian friends, 'you have not chosen one another but i have chosen you for one another' ... at this feast, it is he who spreads the board and it is he who has chosen the guests." - the four loves

"is any pleasure on earth as great as a circle of christian friends by a fire?" - letters of c.s. lewis, dec. 21, 1941

so nice to see you all on friday.

streaks on the china...

...never mattered before, WHO CARES! what a grand breakfast it was. here's the first pic. i'll post some more when i get the chance. hey, should we make this a quarterly b-fast? we could rotate homes, and whomever is in omaha could show up!

while you are sleeping

the coolest thing: kodakgallery.com allows you to order digital prints with matte finish! oh, so happy!

mice, mice baby

check daphne.

pancakes, eggs, toast, bacon, coffee, juice

CALLING ALL WHOCARESers: a breakfast at my house tomorrow morning. come as early as you like. official starting time: 8:45am. if you have some breakfast specialty that you'd like to bring, call me. RSVP. bring a friend if you like.

when the babysitter comes...

take a long walk today.

Haven't had one of these days recently...

Thank goodness I haven't felt like this for awhile, but I sure have felt like this before! It is funny to watch the idea of someone actually going through with the secret fantasy we all have at one moment or another. Enjoy!

morning by billy collins

why do we bother with the rest of the day,
the swale of the afternoon,
the sudden dip into evening,

then night with his norotious perfumes,
his many-pointed stars?

this is the best--
throwing off the light covers,
feet on the cold floor,
and buzzing around the house on espresso--

maybe a splash of water on the face,
a palmful of vitamins--
but mostly buzzing around on espresso,

dictionary and atlas open on the rug,
the typewriter waiting for the key of the head,
a cello on the radio,

and, if necessary, the windows--
trees, fifty, a hundred years old
out there,
heavy clouds on the way
and the lawn steaming like a horse
in the early morning.

Mmm. Mmmm. Good.

Was talking to Caron about that yummy Ginger-Carrot soup that Wild Oats has. Well, this is not a duplicate, but it is darn yummy and super easy to make. Give it a try.

1 T. olive oil
1 med. onion, chopped (I used frozen, pre-chopped)
1 small bag of baby carrots
1 T. minced fresh ginger
1/2 t. ground ginger
2 c. veggie broth (can use other broth)
salt to taste
1 1/4+ c. soy (or regular) milk

Heat oil in soup pot, add onion and saute. Stir in fresh ginger and saute 1 min. more. Toss in carrots. Add broth and ground ginger and salt. Simmer for 20 minutes. Puree carrot mixture with milk either in a blender or in the pot with a stick blender. Reheat soup and serve. Yum!

HA!

this is my first attempt to post a video link, or whatever one calls it, so i hope it works. a good laugh for all.

while we're talking about starbucks

they have a nice cinnachip scone. tasty with komodo blend, which they were brewing in iowa city today. and i don't usually go for scones.

other good things: i know ali mentioned it but it bears repeating. go see "pride and prejudice." forget your worries that it's stuffy, prissy, dull. it's the most real-looking period film i've ever seen. there's a lot of dirt and oily noses. and it's a great story. it'll cheer you.

last night in a fit of desperation for some light, i went to k-mart and bought some candles, including one of those tall catholic church candles, with our lady of guadelupe on the side. i think i'm going to get some more. it looks great. offsets all the calvin and luther on the shelves.

try this

i love slate.com. this article is great.

what i almost spilled

try this: a komodo dragon red-eye. that coffee + espresso is delicious! you'll have to go to starbucks. call me. i'll go with you.

dadish

i was holding a coffee, trying to put my seatbelt on & trying to merge onto 15th street, but i couldn't get the buckle in the latch. i was feeling slightly irritated but then started laughing when i realized how many memories i have of my dad doing the same thing. he'd get so frustrated (because he'd usually spill his coffee somewhere): his face would get red, he'd mutter something like, "stupid thing" or "man, cmon!". but then he'd look at me and start laughing at how ridiculous he'd been. "good start to the morning, huh?" he'd say. there are a lot of funny & endearing memories i have with my dad.

like the time he didn't know cathy had parked her car behind his & he gunned it out of the garage. that was a stressful ride to school. but the memories i have of my dad are always chased with laughter because he would, for the most part, turn his mistakes into something lighter. he didn't dwell on them.

here's to you dad. what a funny picture.

kemba & amb

i love reunions!

eating babies

i was just trying to figure out when violet can start eating certain foods. and look what i found!

you know how they say that dogs and owners start to look alike? as you can see, whitey and i are starting to resemble one another. darby helped me take these pictures while i was visiting her in iowa city this weekend. then caron helped me import and post them. she helped me change the licence plate. i admit it. like paul simon, i've got the paranoid blues. whitey always makes me nervous on road trips. as you can see, the hood is sort of mashed in, and when a person gets going at a good clip, that hood bounces. watching the hood bounce then becomes a vortex of impending doom. so i try to ignore it. see, once the hood flew up and smashed the windshield while my mom was driving whitey, so my fears are not unfounded. although i didn't want that car at first and schemed to get something else, i'm really grateful for it. you can't beat free. thank you, God.

anyway, like a true friend, whitey got me there and back safely. and we had a great time (darby and andrew and i. whitey waited outside). lots of reading. lots of eating. we saw "pride and prejudice" and we both felt uplifted by it. it's a good chaser for some of the season's more depressing and serious movies. it was a great time. thank you, God. amen.

--ali

cry cry cry

do you ever have times when you just break. it could be one little thing someone said to you that really wasn't even that bad. just enough to put you over the edge. and then you cry. you cry a little, and you stop...
then you visit your sister in laws bathroom and then you start crying again. and you cry and cry. you can't stop. everyone else is eating subway in the room next to you and you want nothing more than to join them. but you can't. because you are still crying. you cry until you look like a zombie. and your eyes crust shut the next morning. and you miss church.

everyone needs a good cry every now and then... don't be afraid of it. embrace it.
and that, my friends, was my saturday night.

try try try

if you get in a bad mood. say, where you're just mad & can't stop being mad & can't figure out why you can't talk yourself out of all of your irrational feelings. you are tired & you are mad & then you are crying because as hard as you're trying, you feel like you're still becoming your mother (and would that be SO bad?). the harder you try not to do something, you're actually making yourself be more that way because you're being so neurotic about not being her.

if this happens: take a walk. as jason said to me: go somewhere, walk for a long time, listen to some music, & think about nothing.

it works.

yuk & pancakes

ali came over for some pancakes, eggs, bacon, & the last of the christmas blend. (you left that coffee here). said she couldn't remember when she showered last. me either. she looked nice & well-kept, though. i had this "i'm going to see dave matthews" stoner look, which is reserved for select friends & the comfort of my own home.

so much for the new year's resolution happening just yet. darn! and i thought i was doing so well: washing my face twice daily, taking a shower daily, SHAVING DAILY! but then, well, i binged on grossness. i'm a grime junkie. join me, each one of you.

i would be sulking...but...

we sure had fun today. my mom met linus & was quite taken with his storytelling ablilities. he was calling mom "grandma" & on our way home he shouts, "jesus is god".

then the girls & i went to panera & met up with some of my old high school pals, dayna & francesca. dayna has spent the past 2 years in mozambique working with peace corp. we had a fantastic time catching up & reminiscing. i think we all came away a bit comforted, that we three are still going through some of the same things with our families now that we were going through ten years ago. there is something so wonderful about shared memories & knowing people for a long time. it's reassuring & warm.

oh, and we decided that we're not going to our high school reunion this summer: we're going to meet in europe instead. we just need a benefactor.

4/5 benny

when i opened the door this morning & the paper hadn't come again, i felt a little crabby. i walked to the edge of the porch and didn't see it anywhere. what i did see, though, caught my eye. i tiptoed, barefoot, to the sidewalk & picked up a wet $20 bill. i went back up the stairs & then thought to look around some more. there was another $20 at the end of our driveway, another one in Elvira's yard, & one more in the middle of the street. $80!

guess i shouldn't be so mad that the paper still isn't here!

movers

i went over to cathy's yesterday with the new camera. we had 6 kids crawling, running, or rolling around. it was chaos & a lot of fun.

(from left: sophie, annie, & violet)

when you're tired & driving a big car

i got up to go to the ymca. it was pretty early & i was pretty tired. driving down cuming street, i nudged a sign post that must have been hit at some point by another car because it's sort of looming out over the road. so now, our passenger side mirror is permanently folded in & broken.

so, what's good about today? i ran into (figuratively) mindy reznicek on the precor. we got a new camera (like kate's) last night. new mercies each morning. it's january & almost 50 again! and it's almost saturday: anne marie returns!

happy hump day! [smirk]

almond joy cookies!

if you like coconut, you'll love the new almond joy cookies. we had some this afternoon.

cheryl, mother of dos, came to our house with her cute little baby in tote. ada is adorable. you have to meet her.

when annabelle & linus don't play well together, it reminds me that all of us have those kinds of days.

and cheryl got this cool jacket that i've been eyeing everytime i'm shopping on saddle creek. watch your back, sucka.

what we were doing

we had some friends stay with us this weekend. ja made some fruit crepes for breakfast & we got to see some of their photos from a ski trip in colorado. AB was so excited to have them come back to our home & sad to see 'em go. they were definitely full of kindness & love. thanks for stopping by--kelly, sally, marie, anna, noel, & jeff.

when i saw ada

we went to the bookstore to get a budget workbook that we have but can't seem to find. and when i saw a cute little blonde headed boy walking down the front aisle, i wanted to squeeze him so tightly: it was linus! we haven't seen linus in weeks! his dad, kyle, was close behind & when i heard that cheryl was in the store, i was zooming around each aisle. finally i found her & little ada & couldn't help but cry because she is, my friends, SO BEAUTIFUL! and cheryl looked beautiful! what a reunion!

new year's

the funnest new year's i've ever had. all you need is a funny mask. (the non-mask picture is cathy after trying some red wine. ooh, she hates it!)

the quick brown fox

i got home from the movies & ja's pals were here. we talked. laughed. and talked about pangrams. here are a few. one especially for you, cheryl:

-The sex life of the woodchuck is a provocative question for most vertebrate zoology majors.
-Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs.
-Waltz, nymph, for quick jigs vex Bud.
-An inspired calligrapher can create pages of beauty using stick ink, quill, brush, pick-axe, buzz saw, or even strawberry jam.

new years day

did anyone witness the dick clark debacle last night? his speech was almost totally unintelligible. i think it was the result of a medical condition, not an alcohol condition, but everyone at the whealys paused mid-merriment to listen to him muttering into the microphone. we think we heard "happy new year" but we're not sure.

this morning i went down to the old market. walked around. it was nice and mild, but no place was open for a coffee except the place next to fringes. cappu-gino's. i hate that name. anyway. i came down town mostly to go to grace u. and get things set up for a wintersession class i'm overseeing. had to make copies. put readings in students' boxes. so on and so forth. but coffee first. so i read _the reader_ for old times sake, sat by the window, contemplated. then i walked south on 10th street to grace, my head full of nostalgia. the countless walks i've taken on the 10th street bridge. looking down at the train tracks and the busted out warehouse windows. back when.

for new years i hope each one of you gets a moment to yourself to think. lots of changes behind us, lots of changes coming up.
cheers.

Happy New Year to the Fabulous Women of "Whocares".