Drama Queen

Today, Pixie had her toenails trimmed at the vet's. The reason she had it done at the vet's is that we have escalated at home from a sweet, placid dog who snoozes while her nails are being clipped to a gnawing maniac dog who acts as though you've just suggested that as long you have her paw in hand, you're going to chop it off with an axe.

She continued to harbor this belief at the veterinarian's office. It was a traumatic experience for both the dog and the vet tech, who, though used to working with large, unruly animals, still came away with scratches. Pixie herself got a nosebleed afterwards. I've never in my life met a dog who had a nosebleed at all, much less after grooming.

I do not understand this. I do understand that I have somehow compounded the problem in the eight months that I've had her. Ever since my family's first dog, Cid, I have a psychological resistance to dog toenail trimming. It's always been a big event, involving every family member capable of holding down a limb. The dog is never happy, the trimmers never sharp or fast enough, and someone always ends up bleeding. There's got to be a better way.

Even my beloved, well-trained Shetland Sheepdog, Duffy, who would fall asleep and snore through meticulous, full-body blow-drying, was not a treat to trim. And I disagree with Cesar Milan's assessment about being the pack leader. Duffy hung on my every word, obeying all of my commands at a distance or by hand signal only. He worshiped me. But he begged to differ, with all due respect, as they say, about the nail trimming. Am I doing it wrong?

Should I buy one of these? (Be sure to stay for the video. Why do all the spokespeople sound like they were recruited from the Lubbock WalMart?)

Should I hire a dog trainer? Cesar Milan says to tire the dog completely out until she can barely move, then utilize an assistant and a towel and say "tsch!" a lot. The perky English woman suggests I should distract Pixie from the unpleasantness with a treat in her face whenever I approach her with the trimmers, but I only have two hands. I can't hold the dog, hold the paw, hold the trimmers AND hold the treat. So it goes like this: Paw. Good. Treat. Good dog. Trimmers up, treat away...paw away. Paw. Good. Treat. Good. Trimmers. Oh no, paw away. Paw back. Treat. Good. Paw. Good. Whoops! Repeat until you collapse or give up.

Another site I found suggested that to reassure a dog who has had a traumatic clipping experience, I should start slowly and progress over a period of weeks, maybe even months, feeding my dog a stream of her very favorite treats while initially touching her paw, then holding it, then touching one toenail with the clippers but not using them, then squeezing but not cutting, and on and on. Is this really what it takes? Isn't there some dog toenail-whisperer who can walk up to a dog, and with the force of his or her Robert Redford-like will, subdue a pooch into a state of calm submission and wordlessly do the deed?

I can't believe I'm here. I can't believe that I, a mature, college-educated person, can't figure out how to trick a dog into letting me groom her in peace. She takes bathing in stride. I could probably brush her teeth if I wanted to. But until I figure this toenail thing out, she will remain the queen.

(Please feel free to send your stories of toenail clipping success my way. No horror stories about dog nosebleeds, please.)

Why the Blog Hasn't Been Updated

Facebook, I've decided, is like a cute boyfriend with a teensy drinking problem: charming, fun, distracting, irreverent, irresponsible and ultimately not good for you. Best taken in small doses.

The night before last, I was IMing three different people, rapid fire, at the same time (sorry, I didn't think it was a good idea to tell you that you weren't the only one). I sort of fb'd myself out. This is not to say I am sooo popular that I can't keep up with all my "friends". I don't have that many, and I don't go around collecting acquaintances like so many Easter eggs in a basket. I just think everyone happened to be on at the same time, so while I was having a long conversation with one person, I was chatting lightly with a couple of others for part of the time.

Here is the kind of witty repartee that results from the fb experience:

one of my friends was telling me about the great day he had snowshoeing in the morning and going to the beach at night, and I said that would be my idea of a perfect day if it included bacon, and he said bacon rules, and I said I'm going to sign all of my emails bacon rules from now on and he said are you a fan of bacon and I said does bacon have a fanclub? and we both ran over and found out that yes it does and we joined it

...and that is the kind of stuff that happens on fb. So far, three people (not that I'm trying to sound popular) have asked me about the bacon fan club or joined it themselves.

Is it fun? Yes. Is it sort of dumb? Totally. Is it an interesting trend that people are seeking the anti-social social? Yes. I could pick up the phone and talk to each of these people, but I don't have anything that important to say (obviously). It's the tech version of the teenage phonecall "What are you doing? Nothing. Me too." that can still last for hours. I don't know if they're busy, and I probably should be doing something else myself. It's multitasking, it's checking in on the ones you love, albeit peripherally. It's good to have a sense of what is going on in friends' lives, because sometimes the things that make up our lives from day to day aren't the big, life-changing news things, but the little every day things like eating scones, planning a birthday party, going snowshoeing, or liking bacon. Enough to join its fanclub...

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

(Adapted from Cook's Illustrated New Best Recipe Cookbook)

Ingredients
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1.5 lbs rhubarb, ends trimmed, peeled if tough, and cut into 3/4" slices
1 cup plus 1 T sugar
1 recipe pie crust for a double crust pie
(2.5 c flour, 1 tsp each sugar and salt, 1/2 cup each shortening and butter, ice water)
1 lb strawberries, hulled and quartered
3 T arrowroot powder (you'll like this, go ahead and buy some)
Pinch salt
1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)
2 teaspoons grated zest of 1 orange
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Tools
Food processor is handy for crust
Parchment paper handy for rolling
Knife and cutting board
Skillet or saute pan

Method
1. Preheat oven to 475. Adjust a rack to the lowest level and place a rimmed baking sheet on it.
2. Saute rhubarb briefly in oil to remove moisture, toss with 1/4 c sugar, refrigerate to chill.
3. Make and roll out bottom crust, place in pie pan
4. Mix together 3/4 c sugar, arrowroot and salt. Add to hulled, quartered strawberries. Drain rhubarb and mix with strawberries. Pour all into pan and flatten lightly.
5. Roll out top crust, place on top (*To use a pie bird, cut and x in the center of the crust when folded. Insert bird in filling and place crust on top.), trimming ends and rolling top crust edges under bottom crust edges. Press to seal, flute or crimp with fork.
6. Make plenty of vents in top of pie or use a pie bird. (This is a juicy pie.)
7. Brush top crust with beaten egg white, sprinkle with 1 T sugar.
8. Place pie on baking sheet, reduce temperature to 425.
9. Bake for 25 minutes, rotate pie and reduce temperature to 325.
10. Bake 30-35 minutes more, remove and cool at room temperature 3-4 hours.

Yes, you can eat this pie hot right out of the oven, but allowing it to cool completely will gel the filling so that it stays with the piece it belongs in, so I say wait.

Do refer to the real cookbook for detailed instructions and explanation of their methods.

Damn, I make a nice crust.

Online Eye Candy Link-O-Rama

One of my favorite Sunday afternoon activities is leafing through a link-rich publication like Bust or Readymade, and then checking them all out on line.

Here are some links for your day off perusing pleasure: airbedandbreakfast (rooms for rent in private homes all over the world), sharesomecandy.com, ffffound.com, photojojo.com, domestic-construction, theselby, thedesignfiles, truefilms, duluthtimber, lavender and limes, jensiska, smart girls at the party. These are just a few of the sites I noted last night. I also love to surf Bust's entire music section, including the music ads, looking for and listening to things I never would have found in my own plodding progression through Amoeba.

PS- 26. I collect vintage train cases. If anyone has one lying around, or comes across one cheap at a yard sale, I'll take it. I lean toward the older, straight-sided cases in cool, natural colors like aqua, cream, yellow, caramel, green and modern prints that will look good in my bungalow, but I have cases of all shapes and colors. I envision a wall of them someday.

27. I am not interested in scrapbooking.

Abbie's Visit

looks like I need to re-export some bigger images...

Two More Things

24. I want to like Nina Simone, I really do. This is a great song, but sometimes her voice sounds like someone trying to put a cat in a bag.

25. I walked in a wedding with the linguist who created the Klingon language.

Go Ruth

"Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, so slight, so frail, so like your bubbe in her tight bun and Boca-size glasses, was pissed.When she read aloud from the bench a summary of her dissent in Gonzales v. Carhart, her words were incandescent, shimmering with rage and steely reason.

The protection of reproductive rights, she said, is not a matter of "some vague or generalized notion of privacy" but of "a woman's autonomy to decide for herself her life's course, and thus to enjoy equal citizenship stature.""

Read the rest of Rebecca Traister's article about Ruth Bader Ginsberg at Salon.com

23 things

For facebookers, or fb-ers, who have "tagged" me with 25 facts about themselves, here's the post I wrote a week or so ago with 23 things about me.

By the way, I have been at the computer for an hour this morning and have accomplished nothing thanks to facebook.

I Love Lucy

One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn't pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself. -Lucille Ball

Kid Fix

Last night I chilled with my homegirls Maggie and Molly (hee). Our project for the evening was pie. The girls peeled the apples, stirred, cut the butter, rolled out the crust, and helped flute the edges. They were very good little pastry chefs. It was deeeeelicious. Not to mention the fact that they were absolutely adorable, kissy, giggly and sweet all evening. Just what I needed. Don't tell their parents, though. They still think I'm doing them a favor by watching the girls.

Pictured

The cookie pictured in the header is this one from last Valentine's Day. I don't recommend using the Meyer lemon. It weirded out the flavor. A classic shortbread recipe would be better. Maybe one with less than three sticks of butter in it. But they were pretty.

Quick Chicken Noodle Soup

Mike has had strep throat this week, so I made up a big pot of homemade chicken soup. We had it for two dinners plus a lunch with toasted sourdough bread and butter, and a sprinkle of pepper flakes. This can be completed in approximately 30 minutes. As you prefer, all of the ingredients can be diced in little squares, or sliced to make a chunkier soup.

Quick Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients
2 T olive oil
2 celery stalks, sliced or diced
3 carrots, sliced or diced
1/2 large onion, cut in half again and then sliced or diced
1 teaspoon thyme
salt and pepper

1/2 package di Cecco fettucine noodles (you can use any noodle, just choose the amount for the number of portions you want to make)

Chicken stock, veggie stock, or Better than Bouillion
+/- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, diced

1 cup frozen peas
2-3 chard leaves, stemmed and roughly chopped
1/4 cup parsley or flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Tools
Large saute pan
Large saucepan or med stockpot
Knife and cutting board
Wooden spoon

Method
Heat olive oil in a large saute pan. Add cut up chicken and brown partway. Push chicken to the side and add onion, celery and carrot to pan. Sprinkle with a little salt, pepper and thyme. Stir.

Fill a large saucepan or stock pot 2/3 with water or chicken stock. (You are not going to drain the noodles. If using bouillion or stock concentrate, add later.) Cook noodles until 2/3 done-- when the white in the center is gone, but they are still firm.

While the noodles are boiling, saute vegetables and chicken until veggies are softened and slightly golden and chicken is cooked through. Deglaze the pan with a ladle full of chicken stock or water from the noodle pot. Add contents of saute pan to almost-done noodles and water/stock in saucepan.

Add peas, chard and parsley. If you don't have enough liquid in your soup, or you need to feed more people, add a little more water or stock at this point. Add bouillion or season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring up to a simmer. Remove from heat when carrots and noodles are al dente, or to your liking. If the noodles are not overcooked to begin with, they will keep some of their bite when reheated. Serve with buttered, toasted sourdough baguette slices. Add a pinch of chili flake if desired.

I like chard, because it's a nutritious dark green that blends in with whatever it's cooked with. You can use more or less than I did. Any number of different vegetables could be thrown in here, such as roughly chopped spinach, kale (be sure to remove spines and tough stems), or anything else leafy and green. You could even use cabbage, just not too much.

******
For dessert lately, I've been liking fruit-based desserts with a small scoop of ice cream, rather than the other way around. Half of a baked apple topped with ice cream and sprinkled with cinnamon feels wintry and comforting. The apples at Whole Foods right now are so great-- I tried Honey Crisp and Pink Lady varieties yesterday and both were delicious raw and cooked. Good mixed because they differ in texture when cooked.

Or a sliced banana with whole toasted almonds (salted, smoked and raw almonds are great, too) ice cream and cinnamon sprinkle. This seems to be a good way to have dessert and not feel terrible about it, not to mention making the ice cream last longer. Cinnamon is also supposed to aid in moderating blood sugar, so I try to include some with dessert if I can.

Spring for Those Who Don't Have It Yet

The valley is ablaze with yellow flowers, and I thought you all could use a little sunshine. Now if you could pass a little of that rain our way, we'd be much obliged.

Me, Meet....Me

I have a truly modern dilemma: somehow I have created two Facebook profiles. So some of my "friends" are attached to one profile, and the other half to the other... I don't know how to merge them or if this is at all possible, so I decided to try to become friends with myself. Then at least my friends would have a mutual acquaintance.

So, I sent myself a friend request. Simple enough. When it arrived in the email box that both of me share, we gladly accepted it. Except I was already logged in as the me who had sent the request, so I had to log out and log in as me again. In order to do that, I have to log in with my log-in email, which is exactly the same as the other one. So it thinks I'm just me again, poking around the same profile with the same friends. It became necessary to change "my" contact email and send a confirmation to "myself" so that "I" could then accept the change of email address and log in as "me".

Tapping the keys gingerly, I logged in. But until I confirm my change of email to my alternate email, I must still log in with my original email. Which takes me to..........my original profile. I can search myself on Facebook (who started this stupid site, anyway?) and find both of myselves, but only one of me is now accessible by me. The other one is off-limits to anyone but me.

This all came about because a year or so ago, I put up a rudimentary Facebook page just to see what would happen. NOTHING did. Nothing. For a really long time. So I canceled my page. Apparently one of the ways they (oh, those evil they) get you hooked is by leaving your name in the files, even if you go away, so that as your former friends and long-lost stalkers are sitting in their cubicles, staring at the clock at 3:18 on a Wednesday afternoon, after clipping all the binder clips within arm's reach to each other, they can type your name in and unknowingly entice you to rejoin. Again and again. Sort of like stepping in gum.

So, my message is this: If you are looking for me, and you find me on Facebook, just pick the me with the friends you like the look of best, and you can be part of that group. If you want to gossip about me to me, I can't wait to hear the dirt. I have been very naughty lately, or so I've heard.

Or, better, send me your email address as a comment to this blog if you don't know my email address, and I will answer you and we can be friends, and not "friends". If I don't answer you, you can always try my evil twin.

Love,
Tam

Tableau

Tableau

Two pink porcelain roses
beneath an ornate, carved
jade-colored
asian vase

Graduated pelicans
form an accusing trio
looking down their long
salmon-colored beaks

One lonely walrus
on his island of driftwood,
his hide and tusks
made from originals long-dead
overlooks

a red-clawed family
of turquoise crabs

1/21/09