Books, book, and books

or What I am mostly not reading

Are you one of those people who like to be reading several books at once? You may have one by your bed, one in the living room, and one in the bathroom. Or you may have a novel, a how-to, and an inspirational book that you're perusing. I'm usually not one of those people although I know many that are. I like to be focused on one book until I complete it and then move onto something else. Occasionally I vary from this, but that is the method I am most comfortable with.

Therefore, I was surprised at how many books I had checked out from the library. I knew that I had several, but decided today that I should gather them up to see what I actually had. And I found that I had more than one, more than two, and more than three--the numbers with which I am most comfortable. How did this happen? Well, the first thing is that I work in the library and am surrounded by interesting  (and not so interesting books) everyday. However, I don't really have time to look at them during work, so anything that catches my eye, I take home for further investigation. I'm not sure why more things have been catching my eye recently, but it may be related to the fact that I can't seem to settle into a book right now.

Nevertheless, here's what I found on my book hunt today.

The Mad, Mad, Mad, Sixties Cookbook by Rodgers and Maclean--This book caught my attention when another staff member was reading titles of some of the recipes. They reminded me of all of the good stuff I'd had at cover dish dinners both long ago and recently. Some recipes never get old.  So far, I've only read the introduction, but I hope to spend more time with this book.

Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho by Fodor's--I hope we can go on a vacation to these areas this year. I will look at the book more if I can get the rest of the family to agree on a time that they can go.

Sarah, Plain and Tall by MacLachlan--One day the children's librarian was saying how this book is beautifully written with just the right amount of words. I haven't read it in a very long time, so I thought it was time to revisit it. I haven't opened it yet and it may go back before I do. There are plenty of copies, so I should be able to easily get it another time.

Help, Thanks, Wow by Lamont--This book about prayer was actually a gift, but I want to read it. I'm just getting  into it, but I really like Lamont's style. She puts things in a very accessible way whether or not you are a religious person. I started this book with Wally and hope I can continue it with him.

The Peculiar by Bachmann--One day the children's librarian was listening to some music by the author of the book. This exceptional kid wrote the book when he was sixteen and has composed symphonies as well. When I asked her if the book was any good, she said that it was and it showed up on my desk a couple of days later. I've only read a couple of chapters of this dark fantasy novel and while I would like to read the whole book because it starts out with an intriguing story, I don't know if I will finish it before it is due back.

Repairing Antique Clocks by Smith--Theo is learning to repair old clocks, so I though that I would learn a little about the subject myself. So far, I have only looked at the pictures, but Ward is reading the book. He is finding it quite interesting.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Skloot--I read this very good book a couple of years ago about the life of Henrietta Lacks, her contribution to science, the ramifications that had for her family. This is our book this month for book club, so I'm trying to read it again. If you haven't read it, I highly suggest that you check it out.

South Dakota's Black Hills and Badlands by Insider's Guide--another vacation book that hasn't been opened.

The Diet Cure by Ross--I am usually not attracted to diet books. There are so many of them and they all claim that they have THE answer. So I don't really know why I brought this one home except the cover said that it would end food cravings and right about then I really wanted some Oreo cookies. However, I skimmed the entire book and started reading the first couple of chapters. I may actually spend some more time with this book. It seems very reasonable so far.

Home to Harmony by Gulley--This is a charming book about life in a small town much of which I can relate to. However after I read a few chapters in it, I lost it for a couple of weeks. I finally found it at the doctor's office I had taken it to to read while I was waiting for my appointment. If I hadn't lost it, I would have finished it. But I'm not sure how it will stack up against the rest of this pile before it has to be returned.

So there you have it. A big pile of books, none of which is getting the attention it deserves. If I had any doubts before, they have been to put to rest. I can't seem to manage a lot of books at once. But how nice that I have a library that let me try this experiment.

What is your reading style?

Food Waste Friday and True Food Confessions--Mar. 8,2013

It's time for Food Waste Friday, when the Frugalgirl encourages us to post pictures from the previous week of wasted food from our household. This accountability hopefully will help us to be more careful with our food and maybe save some money. Also, I am using this public forum to encourage us to eat out less which includes better meal planning. You can follow how we are doing in this endeavor by reading True Food Confessions.

 This Week's Food Waste

Nothing

Hip, Hip, Hooray!

This Week's True Food Confessions

Some of the food we enjoyed last week.

Last week, I went out with friends one night, and Wally and Ward planned their own night out. However I had chili in the crock pot ready for their dinner, so they decided to stay in. But they didn't stop thinking about their plans. Therefore on Friday, we had pizza at the local pizza shop and Sunday they met Theo for brunch while I was at work. The rest of the week we ate at home. The surprise treat of the week (besides Girl Scout cookies) was a cantaloupe. I let it ripen on the counter for a week before I cut it and it tasted just like it had ripened on the vine in the middle of summer--sweet and juicy. I bought another one and hope the results will be as good.

Our new recipes for the week were Almond and Oat Crusted Chicken Tenders and roasted carrots. We roast many of our vegetables here, but had never roasted carrots before. I read several different ways to do it, but of course, picked the simplest way. We tossed them with olive oil, salt, and pepper and roasted them in the oven for 20 minutes at 400° F. They were wonderful. Theodore, who says the he doesn't like carrots, ate more than any one else.

The chicken was also a big hit. I got the recipe from the Weis grocery store magazine, Healthy Bites. They put this out every couple of months with recipes and tips on healthful eating. The latest one featured the baked chicken that we tried. The chicken coating in this recipe was different than most I've made before. It included almonds and oatmeal, and also, the chicken was dredged through Greek yogurt. Something else I've never used with baked chicken. The spices included smoked paprika which added a good flavor. Everyone in the family was very happy with the chicken. It will definitely be added into our regular rotation of meals.

I've included links above for the recipe if you want to try the chicken. A couple of comments that I have from when I made it. I had a lot of  yogurt and coating leftover. You may want to adjust the amounts or cook more chicken. I didn't add the cayenne pepper because I don't like hot things. I don't think the recipe suffered at all and neither did the rest of the family who like the hot stuff.

Not sure what's up for next week except I have a lot of fresh vegetables in the fridge that we're going to have to pay attention to in a timely manner. Until next time...
_______________________________________________________________________________

But Wait there's more,
Is anyone else as confused as I am about when to use healthful vs. healthy? I used to understand it, but I think the uses have blurred overtime. I think soon we will be able to correctly use healthy in all instances. I rarely even see anyone use healthful these days. 

It's Girl Scout Cookie Time

This time of year abounds with girls of all shapes and sizes selling Girl Scout Cookies. It is estimated that approximately 200 million of these cookies are sold with Thin Mints being the most popular. It is the Girl Scouts' main fundraiser of the year and has a long tradition. As early as 1917, girls were selling home made cookies. In 1934, the first commercial Girl Scout cookies were sold in Philadelphia and that blossomed into the tradition that continues today.

I was a part of that tradition long, long ago. Girl Scouts were a big deal in my family of four girls. My mother, bless her heart, was a Girl Scout leader for 23 years and was cookie chairman many times. However, my sisters and I were not top sellers. We lived in a neighborhood with many older people on a fixed income and my mother wouldn't let us go to those houses. In addition, I was often competing with my sisters which further narrowed down the pool of potential buyers for each of us. However, we did sell some cookies which was very important because a portion of the profits went to help us pay for camp. The rest of the profits went to troop and council activities.

I had one favorite customer every year, Mrs. Thompson. She was an older person in the neighborhood, but had a little more money than some, so we were allowed to go to her house to sell. She always bought a couple of boxes. However, the best part was when I delivered them. She invited me in, opened a box of cookies, and offered me some. She said she didn't like sweets and I would do her a favor by eating some cookies. I don't know if that was true, but it sure made me happy.

Today, when I see a girl selling cookies, it takes me back to an important part of my youth when I was a Girl Scout. As a scout, I learned many things and had some interesting and wonderful camping experiences that I will never forget. I want to support that for girls today, therefore I am a softie every time one of them asks me to buy a box. I say yes to all of them. Luckily, I live in a small neighborhood and I've never had to buy more that 5 boxes any one year. However, my sister has a different approach. She gives a small donation to the troop of anyone who asks her because she doesn't want the cookies. She trying to cut back.

As long as the cookie tradition continues, I will be one of its supporters. I guess it doesn't hurt that I have a big sweet tooth and like cookies. Someday, maybe I will just make a donation like my sister and leave the cookies behind. In the meantime, I'm off to have some Thin Mints.

Did you ever sell Girl Scout cookies?

A Second Look--March 6, 2013

Yesterday there was nothing. Today it appeared, in the middle of the yard in a patch of grass--my first crocus. (A squirrel must have planted it there.) I'm glad that I found it before it gets covered with the foot of snow that is predicted for tomorrow.

Also, I found four more bones this week, and I'm not sure what to think about that except there must be a lot of critter activity carrying these bones from place to place. Actually, I need to not think about these bones so much. Tonight at dinner, my half-eaten grill chesse sandwich looked like a squirrel jaw bone to me. But you know, I find it all so darn interesting.

Here's what I saw this week during my Second Look.

Lone crocus in the middle of the grass.

Downy Woodpeckers--female (l), male (r)

Bunny fur

This sky does not look like snow is coming soon.

Female cardinal

White-breasted nuthatch

The skeletal parts I found this week.

A Visit with the Naturalist--Part One

or What's this bone?

This winter while doing Second Looks, I found several bones in the lower part of my yard. They held a great fascination for me as I tried to guess what animal they came from. Recently I visited with Lynn, a naturalist at a local park, to see if she could give me any clues about what I was finding. While much of what she told me may be old hat to the biologists and naturalists out there, I found it all very interesting.

Since I've been finding mostly jaw bones (mandibles), she focused on teeth. Apparently herbivores have a space between their front incisors and their back grinding teeth, and omnivores and carnivores have a continuous set of teeth from front to back. There are variatons on this theme, but it holds true in most all cases. Next, she looked at size and shape, and then considered where the bone was found. With all of these considerations, Lynn then gave me her best guess as to what I had.

Below I've tried to represent what I learned about my collection. The information is not absolute, so kids, don't use this a reference for your school report. :)

 

We were all sure that this belonged to a deer.

The striations on this bone probably came from mice chewing on it to get calcium.

Notice the eye sockets are large and to the side. This is typical of a prey animal that must always be on the lookout.

This is the same skull as above turned over.

The large front gnawing teeth are missing.

Note the relative sizes of the deer, raccoon, young groundhog, and squirrel bones.

There, wasn't that interesting? (if you're into this kind of thing.)