Will that be Paper or Digital, ma'am?

My Dad was, among many other things, a carpenter.  This worked out well, since my Mom, my sisters, and I were, and still are, voracious readers, constantly bringing home books and demanding "Shelves!  We need more shelves!"  In fact, I think an empty bookshelf serves almost as a challenge to read and fill the shelves as you would your own mind and then, filled to capacity, stands as a record to your accomplishment.  When my history professors would clean out their offices, I would adopt as many books as I found interesting, which is to say, most of them.  My favorite place to go when I have a night without my little boy is to the bookstore.  In fact, my favorite place to go with my little boy is the bookstore and the library.  (Although I dearly wish they didn't have toys in the kid's section at certain large bookstores.) 
I have books everywhere in my house.  Literally.  My "linen" cupboard upstairs has all the bed linens squished onto one shelf, and the remaining shelves are books, stacked two deep.  I have 5 bookshelves in my bedroom.  There are shelves of cookbooks downstairs, and books piled elsewhere beside chairs, on the stairs, waiting to go back on the shelf, hidden away waiting for Christmas morning.  My son has 2 bookshelves and 1 book-rack in his room for his own books, some of which were mine as a child.  There are also audiobooks, which my iPod is home to. 

So when I went to my significant other's house for the first time, I was flabbergasted, yes, FLABBERGASTED, by the lack of bookshelves.  How could this highly intelligent and charming, not to mention handsome, man not have books and bookshelves in every room? 

Easy, he tells me, as he holds up his e-reader.*

And so, the debate began.  "Real" books versus E-books. 

Here are some of the reasons I have been heard thus far, explaining the superiority of the e-reader:

• E-readers take up less space and you can tote around more books.
• E-readers are environmentally friendly, keeping you from cutting down trees to print more books.
• You don't need a lamp to use an E-reader.
• You can easily take notes and highlight passages in an E-reader and you can later access them very easily.  Furthermore, you can delete a note like it never existed.
• You can get a tablet style E-reader, which contains the internet and gives you the ability to get magazines and newspapers as well as books.
• Immediate accessibility in most cases.
• Cheaper prices on books.

These are all highly logical reasons why the E-reader is a good option, especially if you always carry a book or three around with you, which is what I do.  I currently have a copy of the Complete Lord of the Rings in my bag.  It's rather on the heavy side.
However, since when are human beings purely logical?  Even Mr. Spock, known for his stoic and logical nature, was half human, and as a result, occasionally cracked and showed emotion.  We attach feeling to everything.........the dog collar of your childhood dog, the t-shirt from your first marathon, the diary you kept in high school........and books.

Somehow, A Separate Peace, would just not be the same for me I if read it on an e-reader.  There's something about the well-worn pages, tattered cover, and all the notes in the margins that are as important to me as the story itself.  It's simply not something that can be streamlined.

When I asked my group of friends on Facebook how they felt about e-readers, I got a surprising answer.  I truly expected my tech-savvy friends to be excited about the e-reader, to be ready to extol its virtues to me.  Many did say how much they love their various e-readers, but of those people, there were still the moments of doubt, where they said it was weird to not know how many pages you had left to read.  There is a certain satisfaction at looking at a big fat book and watching as the bookmark moves further and further through the book.  But, I got a lot of people who simply stated "I'm still for books."  Someone I've known since childhood put it the most eloquently: 

"As techie as I am, I still like real books. I like having a library of them in my office to select from, I like the look of books on the shelf and the feel of them in my hands. I like partially turning a page as I'm getting to the end of a page letting the book know that I'm charging on in my reading. It's just not as tactile with the eReaders..."

Books aren't just vacant objects- something else to be scanned and compressed and digitized.  It's hard to put into words what it is that makes them different.  The above quote is as close as I will ever get to explaining it.  I can't necessarily argue with the logic I stated in the beginning of this blog.  There is a streamlined neatness to e-books that many find appealing.  But where is the emotional facet?  Pardon the airiness of the following comment, but books are warm, while technology is cold.  What happens when the two combine- does technology grow a heart or do books lose some of their personality?  

I realize that there are those who will see that idea as utter claptrap- a personality?  Warmth from an object?  But even as what I am writing elicits a response from you, so too do books.  These written words do not spring forth from a machine- they are thought out, written, rewritten, and shared between people.  They are more than just words. 

The reasons that I believe a lot of us hang onto our books and our book buying habits (or library going habits) can't be defined in a list of bullet points.  There's just something about them- about books.  They changed everything when they became widely available with the advent of movable type.  They changed lives and thinking then and they continue to do so every day.  There are books that you read and you are never the same after.  You finish the last page, wishing it didn't have to end, and sit back and think or say "Whoa."  and then soak it all in. 

That alone should allow the book to have its own place, its own space, in our lives and not just zipped up and turned off, as we do with so many other things.  

It's all about the Apron

I love Aprons.  Anytime I go into a store like Williams-Sonoma, Mast General, or a local boutique, I always look at the aprons.  There are heavy duty aprons and light cotton aprons and half aprons and smock aprons and chef's aprons.  My paternal grandmother never went without one- usually one of the old fashioned ones, that had been worn so long that it was softer than duck fuzz.  My own Dad, a man's man, used to wear his big chef's apron to cook, clean and brew beer.  After he retired, he would have breakfast in the morning and supper ready when we got home.  If we said anything about his housekeeping skills, he would start flapping the apron and fuss at us about how he slaved away all day and this is all the appreciation he gets.  He was kidding of course, but it created a wonderful memory.
I have two aprons- a smock like apron that covers front and back and ties on the sides that my sister made for me and the other is my favorite.  It's a regular apron from Williams-Sonoma with sunny yellow stripes on it.  I typically tuck a corner of a floursack dishtowel in one of the pockets so that I can wipe my hands, dry a dish, clean the knife, etc, etc.  I can't cook without it.  In a pinch, I'll use my Mom's apron (made with a chicken/rooster print), but it's not the same.  In a way, it might be like a security blanket.  I did some laundry last night and when I opened the dryer, the first thing I yanked out was my apron.  When the going gets tough, make some bread or cookies or tea or maybe just give the house a good scrubbing.  Just believe in the power of the Apron.

I put my love of aprons down to my family- it seems to be in our blood.  No matter which sister I go visit, they each have at least one apron.  A lot of houses don't even have that.  I found the following writing at The Open Pantry blog.  It says a lot about aprons.  And a lot about the way I was brought up. 

Irish
________________________________________________________________________________

I don't think our kids know what an apron is.

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, because she only had a few, it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.

And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be along time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.

Kool-Aid Scarves

I've been poking around, looking at crafty ideas at various blogs and websites.  I've stumbled across this idea at a number of sites and I finally tried it and am very happy with the results.  I have wanted to buy A some silk scarves to play with, but they are 8 or 9 dollars each.  Instead, I made a bunch for about $30!

Get some plain white silk scarves.  I recommend the 30x30 habotai scarves at Dharma Trading Company. 

Buy Kool-Aid.  I used 4 packs for each color as follows:
Fruit Punch= Red
Grape= Purple
Orange= Orange
Lemon Lime= Green  (I added some food coloring for a little extra Pop of color)
Lemonade= Yellow (Food color for extra Pop!)
Ice Blue Lemonade= Blue (Food color for Electric blue)
(Be warned- the Ice Blue Lemonade and Fruit Punch both have blue packets and look VERY similar)

You will also need some plain vinegar and some stainless steel pots or aluminum roasting pans or both.  The color washes right out of them.

In a big bowl or clean bucket, soak the silk scarves in some hot, hot water and vinegar.  Try 4 cups hot hot water and 1-2 cups of vinegar.  (It doesn't have to be exact.)

In the meantime, mix up your colors.  Two cups of hot hot water mixed in with 4 packs of Kool Aid (plus food color) did it for me.  Mix thoroughly.

Then squeeze out the scarves and toss them into the colors, making sure the whole scarf gets soaked with color.

Leave them in there for about 15 minutes, stirring them and flipping them around every once in a while.   (The color in the pan gets a little cloudy as it is absorbed into the scarf.)  You can also tie-dye them!

Then, rinse it out in cold water until it comes clear.  (I couldn’t get mine to come completely clear and I’m not terribly worried about it, but maybe you will have better luck.)  The best way to do it is to rinse out one of the pans and use your hand to agitate the scarf in the running water like a washing machine.

Here they are, ready to be hung up and dried.

When you unbunch them and hang them up to dry, you may have a marbled effect, which I think adds to the coolness of the scarf.  However, if you prefer to skip out on the marbled effect, then I recommend putting the Kool Aid dye into deep trays or pans where you can dye the scarf folded and flat.  I can't promise it will work though, as I haven't tried it.


Once you are all done, here is what you get for your efforts!

I have to say that the Purple is probably my favorite because it is such a deep color, but I also love the vibrancy of the yellow, green, red, and blue.  I was disappointed with the orange, which came out almost peach, but I imagine a little food color would help the next time.

Oh yes, there will be a next time.  You see, we are currently working on a tree-house and I think an extra large tye-dyed scarf would look pretty awesome up there.  Am I right? 

Irish

Smart Mama, Dumb Phone

With the upswing of social networking, e-mail, texting, and smartphones, it is possible to stay fully connected almost anywhere you go.  I don't know what the exact statistics are, but most people I know that have cell phones own a "Smart" phone, such as the Blackberry, Droid, iPhone, Android, etc, etc.  I had a Blackberry for a while, until its untimely demise and replaced it with a Droid.  I was plugged in.  Constantly.  If the phone dinged, pinged, or buzzed, I had to check it.  The little green flashing light, indicating some form of message, was like Odysseus' sirens, calling me insistently.

On top of this, it cost money.  At the time, it was $30/ month.  Not much until you start adding it all up.  Cost of the phone, cost of the data plan, and then there is the cost of the time taken away from your real life.  Those minutes when you aren't really paying attention to your family or your surroundings add up.  What seems like a few minutes will add up into hours and then days, depending on your usage habits.  This was pointed out to me in sharp relief when I spent a week at Cape Cod with my son, my sisters and their families.  While I was there, I made it a point to leave my phone behind 90% of the time.  If we went to town, I took it, but that was it.  I took pictures with my regular digital camera.  One of my sisters, who considers me a techno-geek of sorts, was constantly caught off-guard when she would ask me to look something up, call someone, etc and I would reply that my phone was back at the cottage.  The first time, her mouth dropped open and she was speechless. 

So, I went low-tech and used my "upgrade" to get a DumbPhone.  The fanciest thing about this particular phone is that it has a QWERTY keyboard to make texting a little bit easier and a small camera, which takes mediocre photos.  I must admit that the transition was odd.  I missed the nice camera and ability to e-mail photos the most of all the features.  The lack of having everyone's updates, tweets, and comments was almost a relief.  The only statuses I needed to worry about were mine and my son's. 

It surprised me that my friends had the most difficulty in my choice to "upgrade" to a low-tech status.  My nights are no longer disturbed with the dinging of my phone and I find messages waiting for me about how much I miss out on with my "non-internet phone." 

In reality, I am not missing out on all that much.  I am gaining time with my son, who is growing up WAY too fast.  I am out in the yard, helping to build a treehouse.  I am in the garage, fixing the chain on his bike again.  I am making dinner, while he sings the Christmas songs they have been learning at school.  (Voice like his mother- sounds like an angel when he sings.)

So, consider this, especially right now, during the busiest time of the year, which is supposed to be all about family, not phones.  Be present in the moment.  Enjoy the glow of the family around the table.  Technology has its place and it can be a useful tool to bring those together who are far apart, especially with military deployments. But when the phone dings or bings or buzzes, ask yourself which matters more at that moment- the e-mail/text message/ FB alert that just came in, or being in the moment.

Morning Time Bread

We get up early to get to school and work.  My son is usually watching Wild Kratts on PBS when I sit down with him for a few minutes.  This morning was no different.  They were learning about Draco lizards, which can glide through the air.  I leaned in to give the sleepy boy a kiss good morning and he says "Mama, why do you smell like buttered toast?  I would like some buttered toast.  Just like you smell."


I don't actually smell like buttered toast, but I had just eaten some.  :)  I make my own bread, so we are rather fond of buttered toast in the morning (and Morello Cherry Jam, which tastes like Cherry Pie to me.)  It's a crazy easy bread recipe too, with no kneading.  I originally learned it from Sami at My Barefoot Farm.  I'm still playing around with it and have successfully made it several times, in different ways.  So far, my favorite is to make a loaf of bread, instead of rounds.


Here's the basics:


2 packs Active Dry yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
3 cups warm water
6-6 1/2 cups flour


In a big bowl (I use a clear glass bowl so I can watch it rise.), mix the yeast, salt and warm water together.  Just kind of swish it around and the yeast will dissolve.  Then mix in the 6+ cups flour.  (I find the extra half cup to be a bit much, but the air is very dry this time of year.)  It will look kind of sloppy and maybe a little wet and floury, but that's okay.  Cover it.  (I use saran wrap).  Let it sit until it doubles in size.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Butter a loaf pan and take about half the dough out of the bowl (it will be slightly "goopy") and put it in the loaf pan.  (You can refrigerate the rest of the dough.)  Let it rise again, pop it in the oven, and bake for 25 minutes or so.  (Tap it on the bottom with a butterknife handle.  If it sounds hollow, it's done.)  Let it cool for a few minutes, take it out and place it on a cookie rack to cool. 


This makes a dense loaf, but it is very good.  I will post pictures of how to make rounds with the same dough, but I will take pictures as I go so you can see what all is going on.  Don't get frustrated if it doesn't work out just right.  It will still taste good.  I tried to make rounds once and they came out like thick frisbees.  It was really dense, but also really good.  It made good hearty toast to go with some Camp Stew.  (Another one of my favorites I will be sharing with you at some point!)


Coming up, I will show you what I did this weekend (with pictures!)- dyeing silk scarves and making homemade frozen burritos.  Stay tuned and enjoy the buttered toast while you wait.

Irish

Still Dreaming......

As it stands right now, the Sweet Honey Rose is still a dream of mine.  Some days, it seems far closer to realization than other days.  Hoping and wishing don't get you very far though, so there are some plans being made and thoroughly thought about.  We know that there will definitely be chickens, honeybees, maybe dairy goats, possibly an orchard, definitely a garden, and perhaps berries.  (Mmmmm......what's a farm without fresh berries?)


I grew up on a small farm, without a lot of chores to be done, so my own experience is limited.  There is going to be a steep learning curve in many areas.  We will have to start small and grow incrementally to keep a steady balance and not overwhelm and terrify ourselves.  It would be amazingly easy to do.


For now, I am going to set myself to learning some basics and reading and listening.  I have a list of things I would like to learn, one by one, as I start out on this adventure. 
-Home canning (tomatoes, pasta sauce, jams/ jellies, peaches)
-Beer brewing  (not from a kit)   
-Jam making  (raspberry, strawberry, blackberry, apple, lemon curd, and strawberry sauce)
-Good sewing (not just missing buttons and easy hems, but skirts, aprons, dishtowels, maybe shirts eventually)
-Knitting (working on it now!)
-Animal care (goats, chickens to start with)
-Land care
-How to use a tractor efficiently and effectively


I know there's going to be a lot more than that to learn, but that's a pretty big start.  To my credit, there are some things I can do, such as baking and cooking, yard maintenance, and herb care.  Maybe we can stand to learn from each other.  I plan on posting some of my favorite recipes with directions and I will share my progress in all things farm and otherwise related. 


I'm a historian as well, focusing on American and Irish history, so don't be surprised if some history and anthropology slides into these posts every once in awhile.  You might also see some music, some stories, a little bit of everything to keep things interesting.  Let's see how it goes..........


Irish