Day 2 Day radishes

fMarch 26/ Blog vacation

I am taking time off from my blog.  I have been sick and nothing sounds good about which to  write. I am thinking about ten days.  Hope that my sense of humor and creativity return as well as my health.  Love to my readers.  Sally

March 23/ shopping

If you were confused by my last post, you were not the only one.  What happened to Spring, among other bewilderments. 

I do not know, maybe it is my cold, maybe it is the weather, but everything looks neutral.  I worked very hard to get mt house to look neutral, because it is the easiest on the eyes and I like it not to compete with the view. But after all these months of winter, and this year it was all gray in one form or another, I must have color. And retail therapy seems to be the cure.  Some people think that retail therapy is really something that just masks a suppressed something , and you might as well deal with the real cause. The real cause is lack of sun, and a trip to Arizona is out of the question this month. One would think that  with Day Light Savings time and the days getting longer, this would help.  But no, it is the lack of SUN.

Given the above conditions, retail therapy does help. Yesterday I went to Seattle and spent 40 minutes at Sur La Table.  There I purchased 2 blue coddling cups, 20 pieces of green handled flatware, 2 corny yellow place mats and one pastel blue spoon with sparkles, and 20 tulips.  While this is just a start on color, this is making me feel better.

March 21/Politics and Spring

I kind of like the President Vaclav Klaus of the Czech Republic who yesterday sent a letter to Congress saying that Communism has been replaced by the threat of "ambitious environmentalism". When asked by an agressive reporter if President Klaus didn't think we were ruining the planet?  Presiden Klaus replied, "Let us pretend I didn't hear you."

Not long ago the Seattle Times talked about the end of the world as we know it, due to our over use of cars.  You could tell me a lot of scenarios and I could believe them.  You could say that in ten years will will blow ourselves up.  You could could say that in the next ten years  a virus is going to take the lives of three fourths of the people on earth.  You could say that there are sun spots that are getting worse and it is affecting the weather.  I could believe that. Mars is melting, sort of. Another theory is that the earth is heating up from within.  It could be.  But you can not tell me that if we stop driving our cars, anything is going to change except the traffic congestion, and fuel consumption. We wouldn't want to be using less fuel than anyone else, would we.  That would be showing off. 

As President Klaus says, "This is such nonsense".

March 20/Last day of winter and illiterates

It is supposed to be the last day of winter and that is good, but I don't believe it. Today it is cold and I see nothing to make me feel it will be warmer/sunnier tomorrow. 

A lot of chatter is going on about the District of Columbia Chamber of Commerce study of illiteracy in their district.  Apparently one third of the adult population is considered functionally illiterate, up from one fifth. This is due in part to the increased numbers of Hispanic and Ethiopian immigrants who do not know English.   Adults  are considered functionally illiterate if they have trouble doing such things as comprehending bus schedules, reading maps and filling out job applications. I can do none of the above.

March 19/ I wouldn't go there . . .

Last Thursday I went to the dentist on a consultation for having my front teeth capped.  I did not know actually if it was capping or a veneer or what, but the dentist had said that he would give me a good price as I did not have dental insurance.  My teeth are alarmingly short in front, sensitive, and they are a millions shades.  I would like a better smile, but I want to keep what teeth I have. 

I took my husband with me as sometimes, in trauma, I forget what was said.  Law Bloke remembers the details.  On the way to the appointment I asked my husband, how do you ask someone their credentials?  he said, "Oh, in this case,just ask him how many of these he has done."

I am in the dentist chair tipped way back, with gunk on my face from my impressions, when in waltzed the dentist with the importance of Santa Claus. He leans over me with his white smile and says, "I understand you have some questions."  I said, I did, how many of these have you done", even though I am not totally sure of what is going to be done.  He pulled back and straightened  his shoulders, and said, "You know Bride's Magazine, I have done the teeth of two covers of Bride's Magazine. I gave you a good price, but I do not need your money.  I am doing this as a favor to you, I thought it would improve your smile, or I wouldn't have mentioned it to you." I do not remember if he stomped around, but he might as well have, as that is how the body language read.

I gave been in one other similar situation when I asked ,in opening small talk,  a doctor where he got his degree.  That doctor attacking said I had a chip on my shoulder.  That doctor made me cry and then he was left picking up my pieces, which was not easy, and I let him grovel a while.

The dentist did not reverse course.  I said to myself I had been there before. Just give me the pitch. 

I did not discuss this with Bloke until the next day, but when I did, he said, "Why did you stay sitting in the chair? I'd been out of there", as he motioned ripping off a bib. My husband, as a professional, would never,ever speak to a client like that. I did call the office today, and say that I decided not to go forth with the procedures, and send me a bill for what had already transpired.  I am looking for a new dentist.

March 18/ Ceasar

The Ides of March is March 15th. 

And you came to the right person regarding why it's significant.

Until Julius Ceasar crossed the Rubicon in 49 B.C., he did what no other previous military leader had - he violated the law that required military leaders to leave all their men, weapons, and mititary equipment at the Rubicon, the river that borders Northern Italy. Ceasar had just conquered Gaul (France) and was pissed that Cassius and Pompey (the other two people in the triumverate - the ruling body of the period) wouldn't let Ceasar stand for re-election in absentia. So he showed them!

Below is a comment from Leezer on the Ides of March entry.  I republish it here.  All of us can stand a little brush up. The he in the opening sentence refers to Julius Cesar.

After he crossed the Rubicon, there was a civil war lasting several years. Basically, Ceasar won and made himself dictator for life. The Senate was furious, because until then, the Senate had control of Italy. Ceasar made the Senators mothing more than book keepers and treasurers. At that point Senators Brutus and Crassius conspired to kill Ceasar.

So in 44 B.C. on March 15th, Ceasar came to work to go about the job of dictating, and he was surrounded by all the senators and stabbed 23 times. He was said to have covered his face with his toga so no one would see him die. Then there followed many more years of civil war until Octavian became Ceasar Augustus, ushering in Rome's "golden age." After Octavian died, Rome pretty much went to seed.

March 18/ St. Paddy's Day

I have had a bug for several days which has required me to lie down, and to not think.  Hand eye coordination has been out of the question.

I missed my daughter's St. Paddy's day party.  But we did celebrate here, albeit from a prone position for me.  We have an Irish music collection of which it will take to the end of next week to complete. We had corned beef, and Irish coffee.  And we had a short Irish film festival with the Quiet Man, and the Secret of Roan Inish.  We would have played Waking Ned Devine , if we could have found it. 

To our shock, the Quiet Man was colorized.  It was also shortened, which to my way of thinking, did not hurt it. One thing that struck me,  compared to today's movie stars, Maureen O'Hara was  not androgynous.  She had weight, lipstick, boobs and hips.   She looked like a woman. She was not Kate Hudson, Cameron Diaz, Cherlyn who ever, Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman. The aforementioned women are sticks.  These women all look so Gweneth Paltrow fragile.  Not Maureen baby.

I loved the Secret of Roan Inish.  Set off shore  near Donegal, I loved the acting, the scenery, the frankness, the idea of hope in this "fable for all ages".  As they say, "check it out".

march 13/ Ides of March

Beware of the ides of March.  I have forgotten what that means, but it could mean the day of the death of Julius Cesar. 

I could be getting a major cold.  I have a minor cold now.  Good thing that it is an easy blog. 

This is one of those unwritten recipes.  But it is a favorite of Law Bloke.

Radish's Corned Beef

The important part is the cut.  Get the thin slabs of corned beef, not the big clods.  Slather it with  bottled grocery store, BBQ sauce. Bake it at 275 degrees for about 2 1/2 hours.  If the meat isn't cooking , turn it up the heat, if the meant  has shrunk to a hockey puck, turn off the heat.  Add more BBQ sauce as desired. 

I am off to see if I am getting my teeth lengthened.

March 14/ Baby Hospital 1

Three of my seven grandchildren have been born out of the country, the first two in Mexico City. Later I flew to Sicily alone to be at the birth of Meredith's first child. The day after Meredith's due date, she had a doctor's appt., and because the baby was big, we thought perhaps there was a chance that the baby  would be induced. Duncan, her husband, and Meredith and I were all laughing and joking all the way to the little hospital about what a kick this was.  We were so casual that we stopped to take pictures of Mt. Etna.  When Meredith gets to the doctors, they tell her that she is in labor.  News to any of us. 

Baby George was born in a nice birthing center which accommodated  maybe 12 women.  But the deal about this little hospital was that you had to bring every thing.  Sheets and blankets were the only necessities provided for the recuperation of mother and baby, which was a minimum of three days for everyone. They did not provide clothes for the baby, baby bedding, diapers, maxi pads, protective pads,towels, wash clothes, soap  or toilet paper, nothing.  For her they would make an exception and provide food.  Otherwise the grandmother was supposed to supply food.

We had taken the packed suitcase, which included night gowns for her, and American baby clothes: onzies, diapers, wrapping blankets, a cap and little night gowns and maybe a Carter little pull on suit or three.  I was waiting in Meredith's room with Heidi,a lactation nurse from  the Navy.  Suddenly a delivery nurse whips in the  room and asked where the baby clothes are.  We actually had them laid out ready to go.  She looks at us with wild eyes, and is forceful, no, no, no. She wants to know where the suit cases are and we get them.   She riffles through the suitcases leaving them  in a big mess, all the time saying , "No.no,no"and finally picks up the clothes that we had originally arranged for her. Meredith with Duncan returned to the room avec child and we forgot all about that last scene.

Several days later as Meredith is bored, but anxious, we are walking the halls. We approach the open door of the next room. The family, the women of the family, invited us in the room.   There are four generations of women including the baby. The sweet baby girl, half the size of George,was  dressed in matching foam green hand knitted layette (size 00 needles) a bonnet, a dress, a sweater (Italians like their babies warm), a blanket, and booties. There were more, equally  beautiful outfits. I could not even imagine washing the clothes,as they were so amazingly delicate.  No wonder the nurse kept looking for something more important than what we had brought in the way of clothes.  Carter's and Oshkosh were not cutting it. We felt especially American, and especially as it is the duty of the Grandmother to prepare this "coming into the world" layette.   I am sure that Mamas of Italy generally have nice clothes for the new babies, but now that the country has a alarmingly low birthrate, I imagine a new child is especially precious and needing an especially precious wardrobe.   

March 13/Festa D' LaDonna

Festa D' LaDonna  is Italian for  a March woman's  holiday.  And  in Italy  women really get into it.  I have been there  twice during this  holiday, once with my sister who lived north of Naples, and once when three year old grandson George was born in Sicily.  The  feast is on March  8.   All the woman go  out  together; men are on their own, which for Italian men is a big deal.   The  older women go out and have their hair done, and they get all dressed up, and they get their makeup on.  I actually  saw quite a few furs.  They  go out and drink wine and have a nice meal, and stay out as late as they care to.

The signature of the day is Acacia sprigs. There are Acacia trees with millions of little yellow puff ball flowers.  Italian women wear them in their hair, or pin the sprig to their coats. The weather was cold both times. I do not see Acacia here in Washington, but there are quite a lot of trees in California. In the United States nearly everyone gets allergies from the flowers.  People would scream if you brought them a bouquet. Or if a tree was in the neighbor's yard, there was complaining. Still the Acacia was a harbinger of spring.

When I was in Sicily for the birth of George, while my daughter was recouping at  the minute birthing center, I would go down next door to the gas station, and buy paninis.  The day of the LaDonna, young girls rushed up to me and insisted that I take their little bouquets of yellow puffs. Women were very festive, with the exceptions of the night nurses. One thing I look back on, not one woman complained of allergies.  They loved their small bouquets.