Mulberry country update

The mulberry syrup finished steeping and now adds color and flavor to all sorts of liquids, including iced tea a la Snapple.  We tried it with Nancy, and agree that the sweet red syrup retains the subtle taste of fresh mulberries.  We hope to try the recipe with blueberries in NH, so the tartaric acid will travel with us.

In the past few weeks I've followed up on an author I first encountered in Gourmet magazine - Edna Lewis, 1916-2006.  If you don't know her, Craig Claiborne called her "the South's answer to Julia Child".  She grew up in the African-American farm community Freetown in Orange County, Virginia, on farmland given to her grandfather by his former slavemaster Claiborn Mason (yes, that Mason family).  She became a famous chef in NYC in the 50s, known for her elegant southern cooking for celebrities such as Marlon Brando and later collaborations with Alabama-born star chef Scott Peacock. 

Her legacy rests on the lyrical cookbooks/memoirs she wrote about growing up in Freetown. Nothing mars her memories of childhood in the segregated South, nothing bad happens inside their self-sufficient circle fed by the bounty of field and forest. If you loved the Little House books in your childhood, you'll love reading Edna Lewis and making her recipes now.  Just be forewarned – lard butter and cream are not dirty words in her dishes.

I'd determined to try her recipe for mulberry syrup out of free berries that shower down on our backyard. What to do when I lost a foot and hand? To the rescue – my Intrepid carpool partner Toby and her husband Dennis who had harvested their mulberries in years past. Two days ago they picked 6 cups of beautifully purple berries for me. My patient kitchen assistant Art then procured the secret ingredient, tartaric acid, from our beer/winemaking shop, and mixed it and boiling water with the mulberries. Today, we dissolved  sugar in the mulberry juice and decanted the syrup into Mason jars  for two weeks of aging. Thank you friends and family for saving mulberry season for me!

Birding update

 I've since added a few species to my birding list. A evening grosbeak pair and a purple finch pair came to splash in our three-tiered birdbath fountain.  the flycatcher has come back a few times. Identifying a large brown bird fly mixed us and visiting bird expert sister Nancy, so we gave up and decided it was  a young crow. It definitely lacked to the purple or gold highlights of a grackle, purple Martin or starling, and didn't match the cowbird description either.

The irresistible birdbathp

Disability has given me time for and interest in bird-watching. It offers fun and challenge to someone who has to keep a seat. Today I added a new species - the great crested flycatcher, which looks like a little  yellow/green kingfisher. So cute to see at birdbath fountain. 

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Falling

Free-falling off the edge of the pavement resulted in a fractured left  5th metatarsal and right elbow. Happened in a moment of focusing on my companion instead of the road. One of those "before-after" moments, similar to waiting for test results and wondering Will my life change irrevocably? Thankfully, probably not this time. 

Taking the boat safety course has dredged up memories and caused bad dreams of the fatal fall in 1995. The girls and I are lucky to be alive considering the many ignorant, arrogant chances we took  on the sailboat.  This time we won't repeat those mistakes. 

Random observations

There's not enough time in the day to do all I want, even with an extra 10 hours that used to be work.

It's easy to spend the whole day putting out brushfires. And not getting to the longer-term projects that you swear you'll do after you don't have to go to work.

My mom still comes up with great insights and pithy observations. Today she said in the midst of a long call, this is a special time that we have now and we need to make the best use of it. I was impressed by that insight and agree completely. That was one reason I decided to pull the plug a little earlier than expected.

Getting to Steinmart 2x in the first week was pure joy. I got cream towels with embroidered birds for my and moms bathroom - they look so good! Haven't gotten hers up yet but I know it'll make a big difference. 

Trying different permutations of bread, but conflicted about eating more bread, gluten, calories. But it tastes so good, like in France. 

1/9/14 - met Art's sisters in Florida. Another example of how folks can surprise our preconceptions or stereotypes.  They had little wealth or health. Both made bad early marriages. Neither had much education. But Marti had wanted to be an attorney and clearly had the intelligence and drive to do so if she'd had more encouragement and money. She had great photo displays all over her walls. Mica had a wall display case of oriental style vases and plates, and giant fans on her wall - just something she'd always liked, without any personal or academic background in China. Her 3 daughters, only hs diplomas and the 2 mothers unmarried, were friendly, smart, and good cooks interested in wide range of topics. Their kids were friendly and polite. The husband was friendly and had interesting insights from fishing. All seemed to get along and be close. Maybe tighter than any of our families. Could just be the situation but they live close together, shared housing for awhile, and seem to visit and help each other. So wealth/class doesn't buy everything. 

Another celebratory photo

I'm hoping this will come in without complaint, unlike the last post.

Cards and flowers from family and friends. The only blank, uncluttered staging spot is a corner of the floor in the dining room. 

Some photos from my farewell party, 10/30/13

The office gave me a wonderful send-off.  Laura took these photos for me, and I'll add more later.  I'll also scan in a copy of my farewell remarks (other people asked for copies!), my farewell email (a tradition here), and the citation on my Secretary's Achievement award, which retirees with over 25 years get.  The unique element is the citation which I wrote; of course they have very strict style and word count parameters!

Room before everything started.




 Food, including tons of shrimp!  They asked what my favorite color was, and I said "Caribbean blue", hence the aqua theme.

A signed whiteboard - great memento

Loaded up with gifts.  The room got super-hot so everyone peeled off layers.

My gifts: Secretary's Achievement Award, a flag that has been flown over the Department, and a glass laser sculpture of a famous bronze sculpture in our courtyard behind the wall of flags.  Those are official gifts received by every retiree with 25+ years.  The gyroscope clock, with plaque, was from my office.  It's really fun to spin it!

Current and former EC colleagues

Style matters for a big event

I'll add a picture at some point, but because you know I take style seriously I'll tell you the meaning behind my party attire today (10/30). Not so different from medieval Europe where the different hat styles all conveyed a message!

I won't wear a hat, thank goodness, but I have on a jacket I bought years ago, maybe with VWS, at our local boutique Lemon Twist. It's a black/red/gold reversible jacket woven with Chinese motifs.  Since China has played a large role in our family and provided my living for many years, I wanted to honor the connection.  I'm wearing the gold chain I bought in Hong Kong in 1976 (!), the pendant from VWS and DMS with the girls' birthstones, and the emerald one from Art. On my right hand is my "family ring" of garnets and 4 tiny diamonds that I bought from a Foreign Service friend when I worked in the Refugee Bureau in the 1980's.  She bought stones in her different postings and had her father in Florida work them into beautiful jewelry.

As a final touch I'm wearing the little silver/ruby ring that Dad bought for Grandma Anne Ware in India back in the 1970's.  She passed it to Mom, who lent it to me for my college graduation!  You can see it on my hand reaching for the diploma in my official Wellesley photo.  This is another "graduation" where it can shine.