< = >

I love TED Talks.  I have for years.  TED is one of those things that I come back to year after year... watching a handful of talks for a week or so only to forget about it for a year or so.  However, this past academic year has been different.  I recently discovered collections of TED Talks on my Netflix! (Go Netflix, go!) After watching a few (these 5 to 20 minute talks are just about perfect for my attention span these days!) I decided I was going to try to watch 4 to 5 talks a week and keep a notebook detailing a nugget of knowledge important to my life!  I have to admit I am not doing such a fabulous job on that!  But I am still watching! 

This afternoon at lunch I wanted to email my department chair the link to a particularly brilliant presentation about how our body language not only shapes how others perceive us it shapes the way we PERCEIVE ourselves! Click here to view Amy Cuddy's TED Talk. While I was tracking down the URL, I found a talk on happiness. 

I would like you to take about six minutes to meet Graham Hill of Tree Hugger and Life Edited.  He eloquently describes having a smaller footprint and fewer things to clutter our lives can lead to greater happiness. 

Less is more!  (< = >) 

https://www.ted.com/talks/graham_hill_less_stuff_more_happiness/transcript?language=en  

Are you ready for the irony?  I have just reserved a U-Haul to carry some precious furniture (things my brother has made or stuff that has been the family for years) from Fayetteville, AR to Middle Tennessee!

Saturday's Text

Saturday I received a text from my Little Bear.  It simply said, "EVERY DAMN AWARD FOR 5A!"  I was and am ecstatic!

On Saturday, October 12, 2013 Orion and the Conway High School Marching Band competed at the Showcase of the Bands at War Memorial Stadium!  While there they won, as Orion so eloquently shared via text, "every damn award!". 

Congratulations to my son, Orion and to his band peeps at Conway High.  I know you put in a tremendous number of hours practicing!  We are all very proud of you! 

To read more about their victory, visit the Log Cabin for the news article!  

Fifteen Months

Fifteen months.  It has been 15 long months since I have blogged (save for the recent fix of the failed January attempt!).  Fifteen months is too long.  A great deal can happen in 15 months.  A person's life can change dramatically.  For instance:  taking a new job in Tennessee, packing and moving 575 miles in ten days, family illnesses, family celebrations, holidays, gaining three stepdaughters and two new nieces, teaching 13 classes and learning eight new preps, and a trip to Florida via Atlanta, Georgia. This brings me to the new year- the new school year that is. 

What does this year hold?  If the past year is indication the future is unclear!  I must remember to sit back, hold on, and enjoy the ride.  And I must make a commitment to read more and to write more. 

Coffee Press

My brother makes a mean cuppa via a French Press... He rather got me hooked last summer when I stayed with him and Robin whilest finishing up the dissertation... I was tickled when he gave me his lil' Lexan French Press (You can buy your own for about $20 at Safety Central.) The Lexan coffee press is virtually indestructable and great for making a cup o' joe whilest traveling or camping. Yum! My lil' pot is 10 oz. But they come in 33 oz and 50 oz (50 oz of coffee?! I could do it! But my heart would stop!) for the serious drinker... coffee drinker that is!



Well, I was shopping the other day at the local Salvation Army Thrift Store (my favorite retail venue in the 'Burg... okay, second favorite... Highway 13 Antiques being my first!) when I found a Pyrex (!) French Press for TWO DOLLARS! Yes, $2.00. Woot! A little coffee pot cleaner and a lot of water and the press cleaned up and shined up nicely! I cannot wait for company! I am ready to press up a nifty lil' pot o' coffee!



Well now, you can go and buy your own used Pyrex Coffe Press at Ebay for about $15.00 plus shipping... Making my $2.00 pot that much more of a SCORE! And with a nod to my lil' sis... Press pots are great for loose tea! Much better than tea balls as they allow the tea to fully expand... Love it; love it; love it!

Pork Roast

I made Pork Roast for Orion and Shannon this weekend.

Pork Roast

What you Need:

4 pound pork roast
1 cup flour
Montreal Chicken Seasoning, Montreal Steak Seasoning, Garlic (because it is all I had on hand)
4 T vegetable oil
Pam

What you Do:

Heat oven to 325. Roll the roast in the flour and seasoning. Heat oil in large skillet. Drop roast in pan and sear all sides. Spray baking dish with Pam. Toss roast in pan and place in oven. Cook for 90 minutes and check internal temperature. Pull out when it hits 150 to 155 degrees. Tent with foil and let rest. Temperature will continue to rise to about 160. Yummy and moist. I impressed myself. I hope I impressed Orion and Shannon. I still need to cook up some pork for Grandpa Doug.

My Sister Looks Like Emily Blunt!

Cruising through Netflix looking for a good movie to watch I noted The Young Victoria. Here was this gorgeous gal-- looking just like my sister! Who is she? I thought. I quickly discovered that it was a gal by the name of Emily Blunt and when I saw pics of her sans her Victorian garb I was even more stunned by how much she looked like Tree. Over the years I have thought my sister looked like Natalie Merchant and
an young Isabella Rossellini.
What do you think?

Rotkohl mit Apfeln

Red Cabbage with Apples

Sounds nasty, doesn't it? I think it can be. It has always been one of those things I can take or leave and usually end up leaving. Last night my friend Mittelhauser requested rotkohl with schnitzel. I try to please. After reading a handful of recipes (some without apples, some with bacon!) I decided to marry the best a two recipes and came up with the following. It was tasty and I even I enjoyed it. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

What you need:

1 medium head of red cabbage

2 tart apples

1 medium onion (I used Vidalia as they were abundant at the grocery store yesterday!)

3 tablespoons of butter

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup of red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons of sugar

Salt and Pepper to taste

What you do:

1. Sharpen your favorite knife. Get to slicing and dicing. Peel and slice apples. I chose thin strips that I then cut in half. Not quite diced, not quite sliced. Chop the onion. Slice the cabbage (think coleslaw).

2. In a dutch oven or heavy stock pot (about six quarts in volume) melt the butter and saute the apples for five minutes. Add onion and saute for another five minutes. Add the cabbage, water, vinegar, and sugar. Stir. Cover.

3. Cook on medium low, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes or until cabbage is tender, but not mushy. Alternately you can toss it in a hot oven and cook it that way.

Click here for my schnitzel recipe. It is guaranteed to please! That is... I've had no complaints yet. Grandpa Doug, if you're reading this, I promise to come to Arkansas and make Schnitzel and Rotkohl for you. I'll even serve your peas in a separate dish!

Schnitzel

I wanted spatzle, but didn't want to put forth the effort. I've been thinking about comfort food a great deal these days and wanting ulany kluski (Don't grade my Polish spelling here!). And kluski led me to spatzle. I was very pleased to discover how similar they are, but the spatzle has more teeth, a sturdier creation if you will. Wanting the spatzle made me think of schnitzel. And the schnitzel made me think of the schnitzel at The Bavarian Inn in Eureka Springs. When I was a wee lass, Tony and Jarka Bloch always made us feel so welcome and they were good friends to my parents.

While I didn't have any veal just laying around the house, I did have some lovely pork cutlets and some pent up frustrations. The pork cutlets were made thinner, tastier, and more tender by my frustrations. Fun! But I still wanted kluski. I chatted with mom this evening had a few really good ideas... Combining her ideas and some of my own, I came up with dinner. And I must say, it was a damn fine dinner.

In case my sister is reading this, I have provided the recipes below. Tree, it didn't take any time at all to toss this all together. Maybe 25 minutes. I know Grandpa Doug would love this meal. I hope I get to make it for him soon.

Schnitzel

What you need:

pork cutlets (or veal if you can stomach baby cow - yum!)
salt and pepper
flour
eggs (as many as necessary)
bread crumbs (I used panko as I only had Italian bread crumbs, silly Kat!)
oil for frying
lemon wedges

What you do:

1. Get some plastic wrap and your meat mallet. Wrap one or two of the pork cutlets (or you can use a boneless chop, you'll just have to pound a bit longer and a bit harder...) in plastic wrap (this keeps the bloody bits of meat from flying all over the kitchen and keeps your meat mallet nice and tidy) and beat the crap out of it. Well, till it is about 1/4 of an inch thick. Place them on a cutting board. Salt and pepper both sides.

2. Heat your oil on a medium high burner. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees and get a plate or pan ready for the schnitzel. Grab the pork (or veal) and dredge in flour. Dip in egg (2-3 beaten). Press into the breadcrumbs. Place in the hot oil.

3. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side until golden. Place on paper towel covered plate or pan and keep in warm oven.

4. If you would like to go the extra step, fry an egg for each plate or serving. You may have noticed that I made one sunny side up and another fried, over easy (I'm still learning to eat things that stare back at me or jiggle.). Top the schnitzel with the fried egg, sprinkle with cracked pepper, and toss on a lemon wedge. Yum!

Kluski and Onions

What you need:

A pound of kluski (Amish made is good and available at most grocery stores...)
1/2 stick of butter
2 small onions
caraway seeds
salt and pepper

What you do:

1. Boil the water. Dump in the kluski. Cook to your preferred doneness.

2. While kluski is boiling, slice onions and saute in skillet with 1/2 stick of butter. Yum! Butter! Toss in some caraway seeds for an interesting flavor.

3. Once kluski is cooked and drained, toss with onions, butter, and caraway. Serve hot.

* Note: this is one step from lazy pierogi. Toss in some cabbage and viola... Or some rinsed kapusta (Sour kraut for my non Polish readers!).

It's a Girl!

She's perfect! But at nearly two weeks old, she definitely needs a name. She's a Trek 7100 WSD in Robin's Egg Blue with Paisley Detail (really, all she needs are streamers and a basket!). She's a hybrid, designed for both bike paths and concrete. (She really likes the blacktop, okay, I really like blacktop!) She's fast, yet sturdy. And I love her.

So friends, please take a minute of your time and suggest a name for my newest family member via the comments section. If I choose the name you've suggested, you'll win a framed photo of me and my new baby. Seriously.

A Recipe for Tree

Tasty raviolis times fresh spinach and bacon-y goodness equals a very happy tummy. This is a quick and easy recipe and takes just about twenty minutes to make. While I would love to say that I used homemade raviolis, alas, I relied on the Kirkland (a Costco brand) cheese raviolis available in the freezer section. Give it a try! You can't go wrong with bacon!

Kat's Spinach and Ravioli

What you need:

Raviolis
8 - 16 ounces of Fresh Spinach
8 - 16 ounces of bacon (yum)
4 cloves of Garlic, chopped (or more if you prefer!)
1/2 of a Purple Onion, sliced in rings
Parmesan Cheese
Black & Red Pepper

What you do:

Slice the bacon and begin frying in a large skillet. Place a pot of water with salt and a dash of olive oil on the burner to boil.

When the bacon is nearly cooked, pour off the fat, and add the garlic and onion. Add the raviolis to the water.

Just before the ravis are ready to come out of the water add the spinach and stir until just heated through and wilted.

Toss spinach and bacon mixture with the raviolis. Add some Parmesan cheese and pepper to taste.

The Dining Room

Just about 18 months ago we were lucky enough to find an abode large enough to house all of our 'stuff' and even luckier to have several great friends help us move.

Over the past year and a half, my mother has asked me on several occasions to share pictures of my house. And honestly, I would love to. My only problem seems to stem from the fact that the entire house is never clean enough for pictures at any one time. Even when we have company, there's a room or three that is piled high with a disturbing amount of crud. In fact, much of the dissertation is in a box behind a large chair in the library at this very moment.

It came to me one day, after putting up my new china cabinet actually, that I could take pictures of each room, shortly after it is cleaned, and not worry about the rest of the house. Eventually I will photograph the entire house and family and friends far away will know what my house looks like.

Now, on to the dining room. The dining room is one of my favorite rooms in the house, yet it is rarely used. As far as dining rooms go, it is rather small. The oak table that I inherited from my mother (First it was my mothers, then my brother's, then it was my sister's, until she gave it back to him and he later gave it to me with the instructions that I could only have it if I promised not to bring it back!) is about four feet in diameter. The dining room is just big enough to fit this table with four chairs. The room shrinks a bit when folks are sitting at the table.

But what the dining room lacks in size it makes up for in storage. In fact, the amazing number of closets in this house just blows my mind! The dining room has two, built-in, dish or china cabinets. They are located on the outside wall and frame the dining room window. The cabinet to the left of the window is picture here on the left. You can see my aluminum canister set as well as my aluminum cake plate. The cabinet to the right is an exact replica.

The one on the left contains my Visita Alegre china that I purchased at an outlet mall in Lebanon, MO several years ago to the tune of 90 cents a piece. Fortunately I found a setting of eight pasta bowls, salad plates, cups, and saucers. I even found some nifty serving pieces. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to locate a full size dinner plate. So I use these brightly colored, make me happy plates, as my pasta ware. The top shelf contains a couple of my teapots, my Japanese dish set from Pier 1 that I found at the Salvation Army for $7 (W00T!) and a couple of very nice, treasured Korean pieces that Tree and PD brought to me several years ago. The bottom of this cabinet contains odds and ends: pickle and relish trays, Jewel Tea pieces, and a set of 12 Corelle dishes Crazy Daisy.

The open part of the second cabinet, located to the right of the window serves as my liquor cabinet (too dusty to be pictured!). On the shelves below you would find a collection of glass pitchers as well as an impressive collection of Corelle baking dishes of all sizes. Above, you will find assorted glassware. Left you will see a picture of my Grandma Josephine's Candlewick glasses with some Boopie pieces tossed in. What a treat. Not pictured are some gorgeous, heavy glass, orange goblets that my friend Shannon found and bought for me one day when we were adventuring south of town.

In one corner of the dining room there is a seven foot bookcase crammed with some of our cookbooks. This bookcase is just right of the pocket door that leads to the kitchen. To the left of that door is the new china cabinet. Due center along the back wall you will find my highchair from my childhood currently being used as a plant stand.

The walls of the dining room are decorated in primitive art from well known artists like Grandma Fran and Katherine Mangione. Funky plates and pottery also decorate the walls. Perhaps this is one of my favorite rooms because so many of my favorite goodies and memories are stored here.

Orion's 12th Birthday

Well folks, we're back! And the 101+ degree heat (with indices in the 115 - 125 degree range) didn't kill me. But not for trying! Thursday was Orion's Birthday and we zipped down Highway 13 to Springfield, MO and picked up Highway 65 and rode it all the way down to Conway. We were tired to begin with; cramming five days' work into three so we could run away took it's toll. So we took our time stopping in Gilbert for a hamburger and look at the river and again in Leslie to visit an antique shop. We arrive around dinner time and it was SO good to see Orion! He had been with Meme and MyBob for 14 days at that point and he must have grown another six inches! We had a quiet evening hanging out, watching TV, and snacking.

Friday was the day of the Party! Orion and Meme planned a Hawaiian luau complete with leis. What fun! The afternoon was filled with preparing for the party. The guests arrived around 3:00 to begin swimming. We had chicken, hot dogs, and burgers (thank you John for cooking!) with tater salad, chips, and a delicious chocolate cake (Wow, Meme! Very tasty!). I must admit, I stayed in much of the afternoon- only venturing out to view the cake cutting and present opening. I stayed inside, out of the sun, and worked on K.P. duty. It was just too hot!
Despite the raging heat and blasting sun, I do believe that fun was had by all! Orion's cousins and friends of the family all arrived to share Orion's special day!

(Orion poses with his brand new arc welder!)

Brother-in-Law Stew

Bean Curd Stew, affectionately known as Brother-in-Law Stew.

Last Saturday I had a culinary wild hair and started with Vietnamese Beef Pho for lunch and moved to a Korean comfort food, Bean Curd Stew, for dinner. This recipe is inspired by a tasty soup my brother-in-law made for me several years ago and again when I visited them last and is based on recipes from two books (*see below). It was so good that we ate two huge bowls each and there were no left-overs. My recipe follows.

Brother-in-Law Stew

What you need:

1 quart soup stock

3 to 4 Tablespoons of soybean paste

1 pack bean curd (tofu) diced

6 oz of thinly sliced beef1 small onion, sliced

3 green onions, sliced diagonally

2-3 garlic cloves, chopped (more if you like)

1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil

And an assortment of the vegetables of your choice, sliced, e.g. zucchini, potato. I used carrot (for color), sugar snap peas (because I had them), left-over bean sprouts, cabbage, and enoki mushrooms (canned ~sob~), one rib of celery (for crunch) and napa cabbage.

What to do:

Cut up all vegetables including the onions. Slice the beef if it isn’t already sliced. Cut the tofu to match the size of the cut veggies.

Heat pan, add oil, stir fry meat and garlic. When the meat is nearly done, add the soybean paste and fry some more. Add onions and soup stock and bring to a boil. Skim off the foam. Add remaining vegetables – adding fragile ones, like mushrooms, at the very last. Simmer over a low flame for a few hours. Dish up and enjoy!

Recipe inspired by:

Chang, S. (1997). A Korean mother’s cooking notes. Seoul, Korea: Ewha University Womens [sic] Press.

Marks, C. (1993). The Korean kitchen: Classic recipes from the land of the morning calm. San Francisco. Chronicle Books.

25 Bucks!

Shortly after Mother's Day we headed up the road a few miles to one of my favorite stores in the area, Highway 13 Antiques. I have found all sorts of goodies at Highway 13 Antiques: Candlewick glasses, embroidered pillowcases, cast iron, Corelle dishes, and so much more. On this particular day the boys found goodies for their blacksmithing endeavors and I found a CHINA CABINET!
I wasn't looking for furniture in particular. But I did need to find something for my teacups, they were stacked up on the roll top desk! I had looked at a wall mounted curio-type-shelf for $25 on previous visits, but didn't want to commit. On this particular day I found a lovely hutch of sorts, for $225. A rich maple with a honeyed finish tempted me; the "no-lay-away" sign depressed me. But one booth over I found another hutch. This one looked like some sort of office piece with blood or barbeque sauce all over the front of it. Honestly, it was beat to hell. (I wish I had taken a before picture...) The price was marked down to $25! Could that be right? I took the ticket to the cashier to ask if it was correct and to inquire if the seller of the maple cabinet would do a lay-away.

Long story short, the ugly, blood/barbeque stained cabinet was indeed $25. The owner of the maple cabinet couldn't be raised to answer my question so I left my number and bought the $25 cabinet. To my pleasure I discovered that the glass doors were intact and safely stored between cardboard. We were in Grace, the Kia, so we headed back home. Orion and I returned with Maggie, the truck, loaded the cabinet, headed home, and just about the time I finished the second cleaning (about an hour after I got home), the shop called and said "yes" to the lay-away. I was so tickled with my cabinet that I passed! Besides, the storage capacity of the blood/barbeque stained cabinet was twice that of the $225 maple piece.

So I cleaned and I scrubbed and I gave it the once over, twice over, and thrice over with Murphy's Oil Soap. The previous owners left a few wedding or anniversary napkins. While the hutch dried, I scrubbed the glass doors. A few passes of Old English Lemon Oil and I was looking at a nice piece of furniture.

It was so nice I decided to display my china, originally my mom's china from the early '60s, Midnight Rose! Take a look below. It's gorgeous!

Happy Birthday Orion

Happy 12th Birthday to Orion Teague Leslie, founder of Kilted Griffin Ironworks.

Bulgogi on Monday; Dak Bulgogi on Tuesday

I am discovering just how much I love Korean food. I love how simple, yet elaborate Korean dishes are. Simple in that may of the seasonings are similar from one dish to the next and the most delicious recipes consist of only a handful of ingredients. However, Korean food is complex in its presentation- there are many colorful side dishes to be created and a great deal of thought and energy is given to placing various ingredients in the most aesthetically pleasing of manners. Note: The picture above is only an attempt at creating a Korean meal for my friend Shannon. You may notice the Japanese sushi dishes as 'plates' and the accompanying bowls filled with various 'relishes' (a set of 22 pieces for $7.00 at the Salvation Army!), Meme's old Chinese soup bowls (free!) are ready by the pot of wonton soup, and bowls that John and I made nearly two decades ago hold the rice, bulgogi, and cucumbers. The only Korean items in this photo are the food and the chopsticks Tree and PD brought me from Korea years and years ago.

I was first exposed to Korean food when my sister married PD. Tree met PD in South Korea over a decade ago when she set out looking for adventure- teaching English in Korea. I believe my first Korean 'food' was kimbap, what most Midwesterners refer to as sushi. I was impressed by how quickly PD was able to make these seaweed and rice rolls. I believe I foundered on them that evening. Since then I have enjoyed bulgogi, kalbi, a tubu (tofu) stew of sorts, and a few noodle dishes at the hands of my sister and PD. And now that I live only 60 miles from Overland Park, KS I find that I shop at the Korean market whenever I visit and Choga whenever I can afford it!

Monday is not the first time we have made bulgogi. John has carefully sliced the beef super thin for our feasts on several occasions. The Oriental Supermarket in Overland Park provides packages of rib-eye sliced super thin, and we always make sure there's some in the freezer! We had a feast of bulgogi for the Lunar New Year this year, but the pictures were lost. But Monday was the first time that Shannon had bulgogi. Shannon hadn't been to visit in over six months (~sob~) and I hadn't seen her since Spring Break. One of my favorite things to do with Shan, other than antique-ing, is to cook. Shan's always up for a culinary adventure and Monday was no different.

After cleaning up the breakfast dishes Shannon and I got started in the kitchen. She chopped two bunches of green onions while I scalded spinach, bean sprouts, and zucchini. Within an hour we had the assorted side salads ready and waiting for dinner. Later that night John pan seared the bulgogi while we set the table. Orion loves bulgogi and can eat his weight in rice and steak. We had only a bit of beef left over, and as soon as the kitchen was clean, Orion was back in the kitchen consuming the left overs.

I was very pleased with my most recent attempt at the side dishes. They were delicious and slightly spicy. (Not spicy enough for a Korean or my friend Sally, but just enough to make my mouth feel pleasantly warm.) Since there was plenty of lettuce and sides left, John and I had a meal of dak bulgogi (chicken) on Tuesday night.

I only wish that my brother-in-law was here to share dinner! I know he would be tickled. This summer I plan to practice making bibimbap (but I will need to find clay pots that can be heated for that) and p'a chon, a tasty pancake with green onions (and squid if I have it!).

The Indian Embassy in the 'Burg

What did you do on Memorial Day? Did you have a picnic or a barbeque? Did you go out to dinner with family or friends? Did you have a good time? We did!

While the 'Burg is a tiny town of about 14,000 folks, and the University of Central Missouri is considered a small university, we do have a handful of international students. UCM international students have to be some of the nicest folks on the planet. Every fall they cook (yes, cook!) for anyone at the university that wants to come and enjoy a global meal! Every spring they host a multi-cultural talent show.

These international students have to be some of the hardest working and generous students I've had the pleasure of knowing. Several of them volunteer to cook for the Newman Center (Catholic Student Center) on a regular basis.

Manisha, pictured below is a graduate student in Speech and Language Pathology and works as a graduate assistant in our department. From time to time Manisha has brought me samples of her marvelous cooking. And during the past year, she and Orion became good buddies as she helped him on several occasions with his (cursed) cursive, reading, and writing.

Manisha and I are always talking about cooking together, and getting together to have dinner, and yet this past semester was so busy, I had absolutely no time. Finally, we picked a date! I made it a holiday in hopes that I would be home!

(Manisha cookin' up Chicken Curry)

I picked up Manisha and three of her friends at about 1:30, just as it started to rain! Thank goodness we weren't having a picnic! We got to the house and I showed them around and they went to work in the kitchen.

(Manisha, Sadiq, Tanvi (in the back), and Towino smile as they work in the kitchen)

(Sadiq and Tanvi peel potatoes for samosas. Sadiq later made six quarts of lhassi: strawberry, blueberry, and plain)

I was so impressed with how hard they worked and how much fun they were all having. Manisha showed off her "management skills" by organizing everyone and creating chicken tandoori, curry chicken, samosas, pakoras, vegetable Basmati rice, and she applied henna to my hair!

My friends Sally and John arrived at about 3:30. There was nothing for us to do but sit back and watch these students cook up a storm.


Around 5:30 John left to retrieve four more students from campus: Mona, Ankita, and Poorvi (Tanvi's identical twin), all Indian students, and Phat (a young man from Vietnam). Now there were six to eight 20-somethings cooking in my kitchen at any give time!

(No room for me in the kitchen!)

(Towino was only invited for his onion chopping skills! Or so we were told!)

After roughly five hours of cooking we were ready to eat! I couldn't wait! My house smelled great! There were 13 of us eager to eat, eat, eat!

(Manisha stands ready to start the meal!)


(Clockwise from top: curry chicken [short pot], Indian soup made by Sally [tall, shiny pot], 10 pounds of tandoori chicken, samosas, pakoras, and vegetable rice in the center)


(Ankita samples the pakoras)

(Orion and Poorvi fill their plates)

(Sally contemplates all the tasty choices)

I had such an amazing time. Of course, I haven't posted any pictures of myself as my hair was covered in mud and I looked rather scary. We all laugh, visited, ate, and had a marvelous time. I ate too many samosas to count and ate two more before bed! Oh my!

I was impressed by many things yesterday. The first being the amazing taste of everything that was prepared. John and I agreed that this was THE best Indian food we had ever eaten. Yum. The second being that my kitchen was clean before we even sat down to dinner! All we had to do after dinner was put away left-overs and toss the dinner dishes into the dishwasher! Thirdly, I was so tickled by the friendships that these students had forged- their cheerful banter, singing, and joking filled the house. It was a great feeling!

Thank you Manisha for bringing your friends to my house and for cooking for my family and our friends. Thank you Sadiq, Towino, Tanvi, Ankita, Poorvi, Mona, and Phat for your culinary talents, your hard work, the great fun, and a taste of India.

Shaken, Not Stirred!

Tree zipped me an email earlier today announcing that she, PD, and the wee ones were fine, okay, and alright! Seems Mexico City was swaying to the beat of a different drum! One located several miles beneath the surface of our Earth and about 100 miles southwest of the city! I wonder how far the tremors were felt? Did my friends in California or Texas feel it that far north?

Spring Break 2009

I am blessed! Last month I had to opportunity to share one of my most favorite places (Steel Creek on the Buffalo) with some of my favorite people! I think it is safe to say we all had a marvelous time.

Spring Break couldn't start soon enough. I think we all needed a break. I planned for weeks and was excited that my Arkansas buddy, Shannon, would be meeting us as well as my Missouri friends. Email were sent. Directions given. Meals volunteered. It was set! We were ready.

Friday the 13th of March started early. We were up till 1:00 or 2:00 the night before, packing and organizing, and when I woke up well before the alarm Friday morning at 4:30 I went ahead and drove to Wal-Mart for the last minute groceries and goodies. It was cold. And had snowed the previous day in Ponca. We didn't care! We layered on the duds. By 9:30 were were headed south on Highway 13. Only four hours to Ponca! Four hours to heaven. The truck was piled (seriously) with the stuff we would need for a week and then some.

We made good time. We didn't stop till we got to Alpena and then it was nearly too late! I really had to pee! Nola and Minion held it. About 15 minutes later we stopped at Osage to say howdy to Newt and set up a time to bring the crew over for a visit. We made it to the campsite by 2:00. Sites were already filling up, but we were able to score our favorite site, tucked away in the corner against the trees and close enough to the river to hear the water.

It was cold. But the work of unloading loading the truck and the excitement of setting up camp made up for it. We worked hard for several hours in anticipation of our friends' arrival later that night for dinner.
It didn't take long to realize that Orion was feeling quite poorly. Shortly after getting everything set up we sent him to bed in the tent, tucked inside a sleeping back inside a sleeping bag (yes, two- it was cold!). He made us promise to wake him when the others arrived. Shannon arrived shortly after sunset and we enjoyed dogs and brats with some camp beans! By this time Orion felt so bad he didn't even wake up. Not even after we inflated Shan's bed and stuck him on one side of it.


As soon as the sun set, any hint of warm disappeared. A huge fire kept us warm as we waited for Jennifer and Aaron. Shortly before 10:00 Shan and I hiked to privy to wash faces, brush teeth, and take care of business. I had nearly given up on Jennifer and Aaron. Knowing they couldn't reach us via cell phone in the valley, I figured it would be Saturday before saw them! But they arrived as we were conducting our ablutions! Hooray!

We three a few more logs on the fire, had a few more dogs and brats, and finally headed to bed! A reunion!

Saturday dawned damp and grey. The low Friday night was around 26 degrees. (My teeth are chattering just writing about it!) Orion was surprised to find Shannon next to him. His 102.5 degree fever broke during the night, but he still felt pretty cruddy.


Shannon signed up to make her signature breakfast burritos that morning. We were famished! And the day had just begun. Orion wasn't having anything to do with food! I drove to the pay phone at the horse camp and called Meme in Conway. Hooray for Meme! She offered to meet me in Jasper at 12:30 to take Orion someplace warm and dry for the week! Orion was disappointed to miss camping, but being with Meme for the week more than made up for it!


Saturday turned out to be a lazy day. We spent the day sitting around the fire. Mother Nature misted on us from time to time. Sally arrived shortly after noon. After Shannon drove Orion and me to Jasper to meet Meme we returned to laze around the campfire. We recovered from the previous weeks at school and the drive down on Friday.

That evening, about an hour or so before sunset, three young men hiked down the side of the mountain and set up camp on the other side of our compound. I was impressed. They packed everything in. In minutes they had their tiny tents up. After okaying it with the group (Saturday was Jennifer and Aaron's night for dinner) we invited the boys (Josh, Ben, & Travis) to dinner. Tuna and ramen or free-range, hormone-free ground beef and veggie foil pack dinners. It didn't take them very long to decide. We went from 6 for dinner to 9. During dinner we discovered that Josh and Ben were masters students in geology (!) and Travis was a business major. Josh and Ben met Travis on the hike and they decided to join forces. Dinner was great!

Sunday found us all in good spirits! Ready to start the day and investigate Arkansas. We had a tasty breakfast of bagels and lox (Thank you, Sally!). The bagels toasted up nicely on the fire! Yum! Was there something in the cream cheese? I don't know. It could have been the lox. Whatever it was, it had the entire crew begging for beads. Don't ask, because I surely do not know!





























It was decided we would drive up Cave Mountain and head out to Hawksbill Crag (a.k.a. Whittaker Point). I assured everyone that it was a fairly mild 3 mile hike (It's just the last 1/4 of a mile up hill that gets a gal!). It was suggested (Not by me!) we hit Lost Valley later in the afternoon. I didn't have to worry!

We all piled into Sally's new S.U.V. and headed up the mountain. Six adults and two dogs! And I think we could have squeezed in another person! Or not! Jennifer and Aaron were rewarded for being the most fit and slender by getting stuffed in 'third row seating.' It's not always a good thing to be the skinniest! Jenn and Aaron are ever positive! They even kept up with Minion!

We were impressed with the tree damage from the ice and took a moment to look out over the valley. We parked at the trail head and started down the hill and across the ridge to the crag.

The trail had changed since my last trip out to the crag. Several huge tress had to be gone under, around, or over. It slowed me down a bit. Nola is turning out to be a good trail dog. She's handy to have on an incline as she pulls gently. This was Minion's first trail and if Jennifer and Sally hadn't rescued her, I'd have killed her. Being small, she went over, around, and under every tree and wrapped herself up good several times. She nearly sent me heels over head a time or two.

The first place we rested was the Faerie Glen (So named by Shannon, I believe!). Below Shannon stands at the tiny cliff above the glen. The glen was complete with mossy rocks, waterfalls, and graffiti.

Sally was most excited to find a variety of rocks including evidence of Leisengang Banding (?). (You don't want to know what we called it!). Despite our geological irreverence, we learned a bit during Sal's mini-lessons and I caught my breath! At least most of it.

Nola and Minion (no so) patiently waited as we rested and investigated the glen.

But soon, it was time to get back on the move! Upwards and onwards. We took the trail that led us along the bluff with gorgeous vistas of the valley below. Talk about homesickness!



Just around the next bend. I know it! And there it was- Hawksbill Crag! A pretty impressive sight, any time of the year. And a great place to rest! Many photos were made and stories with passing hikers shared. A favorite was of a group that hiked to the crag, changed into their wedding duds, and married on the point! How romantic!

(Aaron, my hero, and ME!)
(Shannon and me!)
(Sally and me!)

(Jennifer and me!)

(Jennifer & Aaron)

(Crew on the crag!)

The hike back seemed to take longer. I am sure it had something to do with the many breaks I took along the way. That last quarter mile up the hill nearly did me in. I was down to my sports bra on the last 150 steps or so. Yeah, it warmed up nicely! The first third of the gang arrived some 30 minutes before I did, the second third roughly 15 minutes before I did... I was happy to bring up the rear! We piled back into Sally's car gulping down more water (I drank two bottles on the hike!) and crunching on G.O.R.P. We returned to camp a few hours before dinner.

(Dinner for 9?)

It was the Leslie's evening to make dinner. I tossed about 15 taters in the fire (I wanted extra for breakfast the next morning!) and chopped up a variety of veggies for one of the Dutch oven. John roasted two chickens in the other Dutch ovens! Our friends from the previous evening joined us. Dinner was late, but quite tasty! (Thank you, John!). I think the worst part was that we couldn't build a GIANT fire to warm ourselves. As soon as those taters and chickens came off the fire we tossed on several logs in an attempt to feel our fingers and toes again! Brrr!

I wasn't looking forward to Monday. Shannon, Jennifer and Aaron were going to eventually head back. Why couldn't they stay the entire week? No fears! Monday turned out to be fabulous as well. Shortly after Jenn and Aaron broke camp, they drove up the mountain and around the bend to get cell coverage so Aaron could call in for another day of vacation! They stayed one more day! After breakfast of eggs, taters, and two pounds of bacon (No kidding! Thanks Jennifer and Aaron for breakfast!) we all headed to Lost Valley for a nice hike up to Eden Falls and the cave.

The Monday was much warmer than Saturday or Sunday and folks were crawling all over Lost Valley. I was sore from the previous day, but had full intentions of crawling into that cave! Shan and I had to stop at our hollow tree for a photo. I was please to note how much skinnier I look in one layer of clothes than three (See previous pictures!). John and the dogs remained at camp. But I think he was feeling the previous day's hike to the crag. Warrensburg is pretty darn flat!

Sally snapped photos of rocks, plants, and us! And instead of geology lessons from Sally like the previous day, we got botany lessons from Jennifer! Fabulous!

We finally made our way up to the top of the hill where we rested a bit at the mouth of the cave. Shannon volunteered to watch our packs. Sally and I strapped on knee pads and headlamps and the four of us (Sally, Aaron, Jennifer and me) headed into the cave! The water was up! The water was cold. And the rocks were slippery!

Slow and steady wins the race. There were a few tight squeezes, but having good friends took my mind off the close-ness. Once in back, Sally was there to answer our questions! We came back out and it was time for me to hop over a gap in the rocks. I made it on the way in, but my feet were dry and my muscles were less fatigued. I was tired. Sally stood below me and urged me to STEP ON HER SHOULDERS! I didn't want to! I just wanted to jump back over, but knew my shoes were slippery wet! "JUST STEP ON ME," she urged! Eee gads, I thought! And I did it. We both survived.

More water, more G.O.R.P. and I was good for the return trip. By the time we made it down the hill to where the path levels out, I could feel the near 8 miles I had hiked in the past two days! Thanks goodness for Advil, and lots of it! Aaron hung back and walked with me as the others moved forward. I think he was bored senseless waiting for me on the last hike! We said good-bye to Shan as she headed back home from Lost Valley.

The best part of spelunking was the hot shower at Lost Valley Canoes! Sigh! It's a good thing that Monday night was Sally's night to cook! She did a marvelous job with camp fajitas!

Tuesday morning John made pancakes and sausage. It was cold and damp again. We huddled around the fire. This time Jenn and Aaron had to break camp for good. As did Sally. Down came Sal's tent and Aaron and Jenn's pop-up. We all drove into Osage to spend some time and money at the Clayworks. It was wonderful to see Amy and Newt! And it's always fun to bring something home from the pottery! We said adios to Aaron and Jenn and headed back to the river. We took Sally for a joy-ride down to Kyles Landing! We were surprised! There was some serious ice damage to the trees, but what really caught us was the damage to the road down to the campground. Perhaps it was from last year's flood. But it made for some fun manuvering!

(Satan's Lil' Minion suns herself at the Buffalo River)

We made it back to camp at 3:00 for a late lunch and then Sal had to head back to the 'Burg. I spent the rest of the afternoon soaking my feet in the icy waters and making rock art. It was a quiet afternoon and evening, just me and my old man around the fire. We were pretty tuckered and ended up eating a hot dog each before turning in early!

(The Buffalo River)

Wednesday it was time for us to break camp. We had hoped to stay till Friday but we missed Orion terribly and needed to pick him up in Conway. We took our time breaking camp, but by the time we tossed the last item on the truck I was ready for the air conditioner. Yes, that's right. The sun was wicked hot that day. I was miserable and wished I had brought shorts! What was wrong with me? It was just a little heavy lifting!

When I started the truck I noted it was just after 2:00 p.m. and the thermostat read 87 degrees! I was justified! I couldn't believe it was so warm! We drove slowly out of the valley, already missing the river and the trees and the mountains. We stopped in Jasper for a hamburger (Yum!) at the Ozark Cafe before driving down Highway 7 and on to Conway. We arrived in Conway to find Orion driving the four-wheeler around the yard.

We spent a quick two days in Conway. Orion and I made a trip to the doctor for his cough and fever, which had returned. Meme and My Bob took good care of all of us! We headed back to the 'Burg on Saturday, stopping several times along the way. We arrived home to some very lonely cats.

I had an incredible time with my family and friends. I can't wait till our next adventure. But I have to tell you, I'm still unpacking!