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Tuesday, 09 February 2010

  • Snow

    As much as I've complained lately about all the snow, I have to admit it is very beautiful.  Here is the view from my kitchen door.  It's snowing again this evening.

    Meadow

     

Tuesday, 02 February 2010

  • Moody Waters

     

    With temperatures bitter cold and snow on the ground for more than a couple of months now, I have begun to long for warmer weather.  In this frame of mind I ran across some photos from our Michigan vacation last August that reminded me of lovely, warm, sunny days.  I had tried to capture in these photos the many moods of nature.

     

    What is it about water that is so relaxing?  Looking at water is mesmerizing.  Whether it’s a stream, lake, or ocean, bodies of water just seem to drain away all my worries and cares.

     

    Steam rising over the cove at dawn was ethereal.

    Steam on lake best

     

    The same small cove at twilight was equally dreamy.

    Entrance to cove at sunset

     

    Natural objects added interest to the water surface.

     Water's edge at Grand Traverse lighthouse   Lilly pads

     

    Manmade objects also presented contrast.

     Sunset over Traverse Bay Yachts

     Sunset with  water pump

     

    And who can quibble with the beauty of the sun setting over water?  It is always magnificent.

    Sun nearly set

     

Tuesday, 26 January 2010

  • Robert Burns Dinner

     

    Every year around January 25th, all over the world people of Scottish descent gather together to celebrate the birthday of the venerable Scottish poet, Robert Burns. 

     Programme

     

    The Scottish Society of Bloomington held their dinner celebration last Saturday, two days before the actual birthday of Robert Burns.  The evening was filled with food, music, laughter, poetry, and toasts.

     Pipes at Tudor windows

     

    The Southern Indiana Pipes and Drums group opened the program and played at strategic points throughout the evening.

    Pipes and Drums

     

    For the last six years, the dinner has been held in the magnificent Tudor Room of the Indiana University Student Union building which contributes its own very festive atmosphere.

     Tudor Room ceiling

     

    We joined good friends for the evening.

     Friends

     

    The multi-course, traditional Scottish dinner was begun with the Selkirk Grace:

                Some hae meat and canna eat,

                And some wad eat that want it;

                But we hae meat, and we can eat,

                And sae the Lord be thankit.

     Menu

     

    Piping in the Haggis.

     Piping in the Haggis

    Consomme Haggis

    Stuffed Chicken Cloutie Dumpling

     

    I expected to see many different clan tartans, but this year my eye was caught with the infinite variety of the traditional jewelry adorning the plaids.

    Clan Badge  Sash pin

    Clan Badge                                       Sash pin

     

    Kilt pin Shoulder pin

    Kilt pin                                                           Shoulder plaid pin

     

    Following dinner, many entertainments, and many toasts, we enjoyed a ceilidh or concert featuring the Highland Reign band.

     Highland Reign Band

    Ceilidh

     

    Although Robert Burns lived a very brief life, 1759-1796, he wrote poems and songs prolifically.  During the course of the evening, we could all agree on the sentiment of these lines:

                My heart’s in the Highlands, my heart is not here;

                My heart’s in the Highlands, a-chasing the deer.

    Piper

     

Tuesday, 19 January 2010

  • Hiding in the Spotlight

     

    The story of Zhanna Arshanskaya, a musical Jewish child prodigy in the Ukraine from 1941-1946, is told in this very different Holocaust tale.  Written in a direct, objective, non-emotional style, author Greg Dawson tells his mother’s fantastic childhood story.  It is a potent statement illustrating the dichotomy of inhumanity and goodness present in mankind.

     

    Zhanna was the first-born child of an entrepreneurial Ukrainian peasant who built his own candy-making business under Lenin’s Communist policies.  Both his daughters, Zhanna and Frina, were exceptionally talented on the piano.  Their talent was nurtured by family and state until the secular Jewish family was beaten down by Stalin’s oppressive regime and finally destroyed by Hitler’s ethnic purges.

     

    On a forced march to the Drobitsky Yar killing fields, Zhanna’s father bribed a guard with his gold pocket watch to allow his daughter to run away from the column.  As Zhanna was urged by her father to flee, he whispered these words, “I don’t care what you do, just live.  Go!”  And so began 14 year old Zhanna’s flight for life.

     

    Through an incredible life journey, Zhanna and her sister eventually made their way to the United States, Julliard, and ultimately the world renowned Indiana University School of Music where Zhanna taught piano performance.

     

    I have always particularly appreciated stories about people whose lives have been tangential in some fashion to mine.  In this book I found an uplifting reading experience about an Indiana University colleague previously unknown to me.  I was impressed that this woman could maintain her gentle strength and innate sweetness while enduring such terrible tragedy. 

     

    Dawson, Greg, Hiding in the Spotlight:  A Musical Prodigy’s Story of Survival 1941-1946, Pegasus Books, NY 2009.

     

    FTC Disclaimer:  The writer of this blog has received no remuneration from either the book author or his publisher in exchange for these positive comments. 

Wednesday, 13 January 2010

  • Food, Family, Friends

     

    Why is it that nearly every event that we label “a good time” includes food?  As I was sorting holiday photos for my personal albums, I found many photos featuring food.  Thinking back on the last several years, I can’t remember any gathering with family or friends where food wasn’t also an invited guest.  Like Julia Child, I love to eat.  And like her I am very interested in food preparation.  But it seems to me that there is more involved with the social aspects of food than just my own personal interest in it.  So for a couple of weeks I’ve been ruminating on the issue of food and fun without reaching any successful conclusions.

     

    As a child I clearly remember food present at every gathering of friends and family.   My mother, who was a southern cook transplanted to the north, firmly believed that good hospitality meant having more home-cooked food on the table than anyone could possibly eat.  Take a peek at the food present for several occasions this last year, and you’ll probably agree that my mother’s thinking has influenced my personal entertaining philosophy. 

     

    Here was the party we hosted for the retired military officers last December.  It was potluck where every person brought a dish or two.

     Groaning tablexmas08

     

    Then there was my sorority’s party held at my house last June.  A committee prepared the food and scrumptious it was.

     PIX party table 09

     

    Family events saw tables plentifully laden with good food.  Our Michigan vacation in August had us eating gourmet burgers, fresh corn and fresh tomatoes at this meal planned and organized by my gourmet-cooking son-in-law.

     Family at dinner Traverse City 09

     

    We toasted marshmallows at each evening campfire.

     Toasting marshmallows

     

    We all expect a groaning table at Thanksgiving dinner, and even though our Thanksgiving this year was held at our very rustic vacation cabin in western Kentucky, we had enough food for several meals.

     Thanksgiving Table 09

     

    Even the youngest member of our family is enthusiastic about eating.

     Feeding Granddaughter09

     

    We ate until we nearly burst when our German friends visited in September.

     Dessertwithfriends09

     

    This January when we hosted friends to celebrate the New Year, of course we did it as a dinner.  This array is just the appetizer board before dinner.

     New Year Party appetizers10

     

    Food preparation is a fun activity in our family.  Our youngest grandson has a special platform in the kitchen that he stands on to reach the counters to help cook. 

     Baking with grandma 09

     

    On New Year’s Eve my oldest daughter and I spent the entire day baking a cake we admired in the latest issue of “Fine Cooking” magazine.  It was a big effort using an unbelievable 2 ½ pounds of butter, but she and I had a wonderfully pleasant day together cooking.  The rest of the family assisted in devouring the results.

     Making a cake 09

    Finished cake

     

    Commercially prepared food can also be part of memorable gatherings.  At last January’s Scottish Society’s Robert Burns Dinner, we enjoyed a lovely menu which featured a stuffed pork roast.

     EntreeBurnsDinner09

     

    At a conference in Atlanta, we ate gourmet food at most meals all week.  Here is a caprese salad in the foreground and scallops in risotto at the back.

     CapreseSaladAtlanta09

     

    Cruise lines understand the importance of good food, so they go to great lengths to present a bountiful table with delicious cuisine beautifully presented.

     Table at dinner 2 Cruise

    LobsterAlaska08

     

    What is it that marries good food and good times?  Is it the comfort from eating?  Is it security in having more than sufficient food?  Is it the pleasure of taste and smell mixed with stimulation of positive emotions?  I have considered this for a long time, and I still really don’t know.  What do you think?

     

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About Me

  • I am an Educator working at Indiana University, Kelley School of Business. I administered and taught the required class for seniors, Career Planning and Placement here for 10 years and have moved into a staff position where I generate and execute career initiatives for both the undergraduate and graduate career services offices. I am active with a philanthropic sorority, Psi Iota Xi, which supports Speech and Hearing and all the Arts. I have been the chapter treasurer for 9 years. I also am involved with the University Club of Indiana University where I co-chair the Gourmet Cooking interest group. I am state secretary for the auxiliary of the Sons of the American Revolution and am a fairly new member of the DAR. My primary patriot ancestor is Peter (Looney) Luna.