Author Archives: yarnsista

Off Season, Still Prime

Posted on February 7, 2013 by yarnsista

Board Stiff, P’town

A day trip to the Outer Cape this week is significantly differently than one in prime tourist season. No, there were no half-naked people shopping or musicians in nooks and crannies…but it was, nonetheless, a satisfying jaunt.

Town Hall Front Door

The drive from Falmouth to P’town took only 80 minutes—no traffic. We got a parking space easily, just off Commercial Street. Needless to say, there were no crowds.

Commercial Street

Most stores were closed for the season, so instead of looking for merchandise, I scoped out the architecture, the sky and the sea. What went unnoticed amongst the throngs had a chance to be in the February spotlight.

P’town East Side

The beaches were empty, quiet and peaceful. The reflecting light was addictive. It’s time like this I wish I could paint. While hunting for an open restaurant, we stumbled upon two fabulous garage door paintings… too bad we don’t have a garage at the Cape!

Who cares about finding a restaurant when you find these two beauties?

The homes of all year residents stood out with winter window boxes, icy wreaths and recycling/trash tied in neat bundles, almost like presents. Tradesmen trucks were abundant as off-season renovations were underway. It was very, very quiet.

Marconi Cold

Our next stop was Marconi Station and the Great Atlantic Cedar Swamp in Wellfleet. This is one of our all time favorites during the warmer months, and we had never been there in winter. It was sound asleep, and trees sounded like old bones creaking.

Crisp Ruffled Edge

The wind had a sharp, cold edge, and the crashing waves left a white ruffle as far as the eye could see down the shoreline. A brisk walk ended up being very brisk and very short. My face hurt from the cold.

Outdoors and Indoors

The scenic route home found us meandering on Route 6A instead of the more trafficked highway. There was time to scout out the geography as well as local commerce. One previously overlooked gem in Yarmouth Port is Parnassus Book Service, a large, used bookstore, staffed by very smart, well-read folks. More than sixty years ago, the building had been a general store; now, it’s stacked from floor to decorative ceiling with the most eclectic selection of titles.

Words Floor to Ceiling

Neither my husband nor myself could figure out how these books were organized, but that really didn’t matter. To be in the presence of all these pages was a gift. We bought two books: Louise Hall Tharp’s Mrs. Jack (a biography of Isabella Stewart Gardner) and The Great Rehearsal by Carl Van Doren(The story of the making and ratifying of the Constitution of the United States). When I’m in a unique store that’s new to me, I always ask, “What should I not leave without buying here today?” I do this in cheese shops, wine and yarns stores and am seldom disappointed. These were the two books I was told I had to get— I’ll start them next week. I’ll go back to Parnassus again and again and again. What a find!

Hunger finally set in as it neared 2 pm. We passed restaurant called “The Optimist Café”—my kind of place—but with no cars in the parking lot, I turned pessimist.

Then we found two cafes open in Barnstable. One was a fancier restaurant with more than its share of upscale cars in the lot. The other was The Blue Plate Diner. The diner was friendly, the menu was tempting, service was terrific, and I just wish I had room for the homemade blueberry pie. I’m so glad that we stopped there.

Yummy find

I guess this trip taught me that slowing down and having less to distract me has its advantages. This same route in July would have yielded a very different experience. Both have merit and both are needed. It’s sort of a ying/yang rhythm that keeps one in balance. I can’t wait to see it all again in the Spring.

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Booking and Cooking

Posted on January 27, 2013 by yarnsista

Every once in a while, a book from the library falls into my hands, I burn through it, and NEED to go out and buy my own copy. That happened twice this month—and both books are worth talking about.

The Kitchen Counter Cooking School came on my radar screen in conjunction with a town-wide reading of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. To be honest, I was afraid TKCCS was going to be a mandate to eat organic radishes written by someone extremely knowledgeable, like Al Gore’s housekeeper. This was, thankfully, not the case.

Instead, I found a very well written, engaging memoir/cooking manual that taught me dozens of cooking lessons. The author, Kathleen Flinn, is a Cordon Bleu graduate who embarks on a quest to teach nine novice cooks how to make delicious, healthy, simple and rewarding meals. Each chapter covers a specific lesson, but equally shares the foodie journey of the nine students and their passionate teacher.

I’ve been cooking for almost fifty years, and I learned something new and worthwhile in each chapter. There are new spice combinations to experiment with, ways to do away with processed foods and replace them with tastier, fresh possibilities, and how to do so fearlessly. I also appreciate seeing how Flinn, as a teacher, met the needs of her very diversified class. Some were afraid to cook, some were discouraged because of past failures, some think they were too busy to bother. All types move forward throughout this book. At first, I started to copy the recipes I wanted to try… then I realized that I was transcribing the book and better buy a copy of my own. I think I’ll make it a point to “cook my way” through this book, one recipe at a time. Maybe two per week—sounds like a plan. Go buy the book, please. You’ll love it.

The next book that I devoured is a thin, lean, but very rich compilation of Ernest Hemingway’s opinions about writing, edited by Larry W. Phillips. Again, I started with a library copy and kept wanting to highlight and write in the margins. I’d come across astute paragraphs and read them aloud to my husband only to realize that I was reading the whole text to him, one passage after another.

Hemingway shows what it’s like inside his head. He lets us in on the process and shares the joy as well as the tribulations. The first chapter starts off with the following quotation from a letter to Mrs. Paul Pfeiffer, 1933: “I am trying to make, before I get through, a picture of the whole world—or as much of it as I have seen. Boiling it down always, rather than spreading it out thin.”

And that is exactly what he does with his writing on writing. We get these unadulterated gems that make us think and help us write. There is a freshness and authenticity in his words that I find addictive. He reminds me to cut back any unnecessary baggage. I’m especially fond of this passage from George Plimpton’s The Paris Review interview: “The most essential gift for a good writer is a built-in, shockproof, shit detector. This is the writer’s radar and all great writers have had it.”

As an English professor, I used to write “Do you need this…Is it fluff?” in the margins of many students’ papers. I’m forced to ask myself if every word is working effectively for me. This paragraph alone survived the pruning of ten words.

I’ve always believed that writing is “re-writing” and a vehicle for thinking. Hemingway says it so well in a letter to L.H. Brague, Jr., 1959: “I love to write. But it has never gotten any easier to do and you can’t expect it to if you keep trying for something better than you can do.” This famous author reiterates that writing is simultaneously joy and hard work.

Ernest Hemingway On Writing is a book that I want to have on my shelf and be able to pick up, browse through for inspiration, and come back to again and again. I suggest you do the same.

Here’s the latest on my reading for this New Year.

I succeeded in reading five books so far in January:

Art of Hearing Heartbeats

SHED

Hemingway On Writing

The Kitchen Counter Cooking School

Candy Freak (in progress).

My goal for February is five more:

The Dark Vinegard (book group book)

Finish In Sunlight and In Shadow

The Burgess Boys new Elizabeth Strout book advanced copy 🙂

and two more titles to be pulled from the mountain motherload of books in my den—all waiting patiently.

Let me know what you’re reading and what you think of it.

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WoodNeck Beach 1/2013

Posted on January 21, 2013 by yarnsista

Anticipation

It was a day at WoodNeck Beach almost thirty years ago that caused us to buy our home here. The beach has a great children’s area with a creek that feeds into a lush marsh. Our girls grew up learning about horseshoe and hermit crabs first hand. The rest of the shore is rocky enough to keep throngs of tourists away, and sandy enough to go swimming and bask in the sun. It has always been a place that I’m drawn to… all seasons, all weather, all the time.

Last week we took some photos that capture WoodNeck’s essence on a January day. It never disappoints me. Click on the photos to zoom in.

Little Sippewissett Marsh

Just a splash of red…

Wampum

Tide lines and footprints

Underwater discoveries

Centered and rejuvenated…again.

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Falmouth Winter Farmer’s Market

Posted on January 12, 2013 by yarnsista

Falmouth holds an indoor Winter Farmer’s Market at the Mahoney Garden Center. It’s such a smart idea. There are several tables filled with an assortment of home grown or hand made goodies: everything from jams, chutney, baked goods, truffles, fruits, local veggies, wine, glass blowing, honey. I didn’t photograph that stuff.

A huge bonus is that it’s held in a gorgeous garden center, complete with exquisite flowers in bloom, all types of greenery and that wonderful earthy smell. It was intoxicating!

I did purchase organic, homemade dog biscuits for a friend’s pooches– bacon and liver, no preservatives. They look like Italian biscotti… and I’m soooo tempted to take a bite, but I won’t. The cranberry chutney also spoke to me and came home with us. The woman who made it had an entire table of preserves and pickled goodness…. and strawberry truffles. Ah!!!!

The Farmer’s Market was worth the visit, but the gorgeous cyclamen and orchids on display made my day. It’s a blast of sensuous color much needed on a gray, somewhat rainy Saturday.

Even the kale was pretty!

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12 Days into 2013

Posted on January 12, 2013 by yarnsista

Two and a half books are read so far this year and they’re all quite different. The best, by far is Julie Morgenstern’s SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life. It’s focus is not only on decluttering and simplifying, but adding some exploration about why the bad habits begin in the first place and are so difficult to kick. Unlike most books of this type, it does more than demand that you throw things out. I found it useful, and it’s in line with my goal of working toward creative simplicity. I also had the good sense to borrow it from the library and return it on time. No clutter on the bookshelves.

Deadbeat, not heartbeat

The book selection for my book group this month was The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker. It’s not often that I really don’t like a book– and this is one of those times. Honestly, if I didn’t need to read it for my group, I would have dropped it after page twenty. Disappointing…melodramatic… didn’t strike a chord, not even a note with me. It was not believable and didn’t make me care enough to embrace what was suppose to be magical. I didn’t care about the characters; they weren’t authentic. The maudlin theme of “love conquers all” was a bore. The plot was dependent upon actions that I just didn’t buy into. Get the point… I didn’t like it and don’t recommend it.

On the other hand, I’m totally engaged in Isaac Bashevis Singer’s Satan in Goray. Each sentence pulls me further into his world. It’s so well written; I often stop and re-read sentences because they are so striking. This book was a gift from one of my most outstanding students, Miki, and he was absolutely right… I love this book and can’t wait to read the next one he gave me.

Satan in Goray

Last on my review list is book connected to the What’s Falmouth Reading? initiative. The focus is on local grown and make your own food. The Kitchen Counter Cooking School is a memoir/cookbook written by Kathleen Flinn. Her modus operandi is to find folks in the grocery store with carts full of processed, unhealthy food and to teach them some basic culinary skills that change the way they eat. It’s not an astounding concept– Emeril Lagasse used to do something similar on his TV show. The information is not earth shaking, but I do find it interesting how she engages each of her students and how she teaches them new skills. It’s a good book to skim and glaze over. The primary book for this town wide project is Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. That’s on my list for next month.

My game plan for the month of January is to read at least a book a week. I’m enjoying the pace and the extended time with my nose in a book. I just got an advanced copy of Elizabeth Strout’s new book, The Burgess Boys, and after teaching Olive Kitteridge, I’m really curious to read her latest work. And then there’s my beloved Mark Helprin’s In Sunlight and In Shadow. I’m reading it in “teaspoon fulls” because I don’t want it to end. Love it, love it, love it.

Bella and The Burgess Boys

One of the side effects of my increase in book time is that I’m spending less time doing stupid things on line… like checking my e-mail a zillion times or revisiting my bookmarked sites every ten minutes. Gotta go…. time to check out the Winter Farmer’s Market at Mahoney’s.

Surf Stroll January 5, 2013

Posted on January 5, 2013 by yarnsista

Today’s walk was delightfully springlike, and I didn’t complain a bit…

Bird, foot, and snow prints

A little foam and stone

Some crashing and splashing

Treasure hunt interrupts aerobic exercise

I love being a beach bum.

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TMI TMI TMI

Posted on January 4, 2013 by yarnsista

Why do I know that Kim Kardashian is pregnant and going to workout in see through pants? Why would I want to see through Kim’s pants?

And how about the mother who went public with the rules she laid down for her thirteen year-old son’s use of a cell phone? Do I care? How does the son feel about the public announcement of family laws?

There’s more… the mother of an autistic child writes a very public essay detailing the challenging aspects of her teenager’s condition, complete with information that is sure to scar the autistic teen forever.

And then there’s the person, you know who I mean, who sends a photocopied Christmas letter outlining every burp, sneeze, hiccup and prize connected to every member of the family that you never see. One dysfunctional correspondent included the meds her children were on and the therapists each were seeing. TMI TMI TMI

Nothing is private any more. It’s not like Big Brother or Big Google is divulging this information. The individuals, themselves, are violating their own privacy and that of their family members quite flagrantly. True, talentless Kim Kardashian needs to grease the publicity machine daily in order to stay in the headlines—maybe that’s her business and part of her marketing plan. I understand that, but think it’s awfully pathetic that there’s an audience wanting to see her in her latest display of anything formerly private. Reality TV proves that absolutely nothing is sacred or personal anymore.

We learned when Bethany’s husband was horny and when Bethany had a headache; now we know they’re getting divorced and he’s drinking coffee alone in café wearing his wedding band. Ugh!

The mom of the autistic teen undoubtedly thought she was doing a good deed by giving strangers insight into life with autism. But this kid’s life is forever altered by the mom’s tell-all. Who is going to befriend this kid in school or hire him for a part time job? Doors are closed for this poor teen, and the article could have been written without identifying the parent or child… but it wasn’t. I found the article to be interesting and informative, but not worth the cost to the child.

Likewise the mom with the cell phone rules for her 13 year old. Honestly, how do you think that son is being treated in school now that his mom has made their family phone rules a public announcement? There’s also nothing so incredibly meaningful about her rules that merited the publicity. It’s the kind of information that used to be discussed within the family and agreements made based on trust.

Where does one draw the line between public and private? Facebook’s latest prompts want folks to “share” their feelings… “How’s it going, Diane?” I have this rebellious urge to type…”Go screw, none of your business.” But that would only serve as my status and wouldn’t accomplish what I wanted. And many Facebookers divulge far too much information on a daily basis. What’s private to some is glorious public fodder for others. My statuses tend to focus on what I’m reading, knitting, my community and, yes, some pictures of my cat. I’m sure someone reads these posts and thinks—what blather—who cares. Well, they can easily “defriend” me.

I’m more self-conscious about what I write in my blog. Am I, too, blurring the line between public and private. My quest for a more simple, healthy, well-balanced life is something I blog about. I’m cautious about the unintended consequences of the written word escaping my control and spreading across the web. I don’t share anything except my own news and my own thoughts—so I can make the disclaimer that “no family members, animals or other living beings were hurt in the creation of this writing.” But the question about what should remain private still haunts me. Growing up, there was information that was kept under the roof and processed by family only. It worked. It was a safe environment to bear one’s soul. We problem-solved around the kitchen table, not in a public forum.

I do think individuals lose a piece of themselves when they expose all to the public eye. It’s giving up too much of one’s “self” to an audience that doesn’t deserve it or even care about it most of them time. I think there’s value in sharing news and working through issues with people you care about and trust. Broadcasting private issues in very public arenas subtracts far more than it adds, in my humble opinion. I feel like a voyeur looking at something not so attractive and want to turn away.

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2013: Chunk it

Posted on January 1, 2013 by yarnsista

Surf Drive New Year’s Eve

Sorry to disappoint you, but there won’t be a long list of witty New Year’s resolutions for 2013. The big Catholic school master list with master rules just isn’t my style; it never really worked for me.

I’m a firm believer in “chunking” a huge task into bite size pieces, so that’s what I’m going to do with my resolutions. Instead of making a yearlong commitment to be perfect, I’m going to look at what I really want and possibly might really be able to accomplish just in the month of January. At the end of the month I’ll reevaluate and take it from there. I’m capable, right???

So, here’s the game plan for January:

Exercise every single day; our 45 minute brisk walk has been an antidote to a host of problems. If the weather is truly (note the word “true” is in truly) inclement, the elliptical and several interesting podcasts are waiting for me.
Buy nothing except essentials food, medical stuff, utilities. Less is more, and abide by the “Need it, Use it, Love it” rule. Minimalism rocks.
Do something creative every single day.
Do some random act of kindness every single day.
Read a book a week: on the schedule are

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats (Jan-Phillip Sendker),

Satan in Goray (Singer),

Candy Freak (Almond),

In Sunlight and In Shadow (Helprin)

Knit one fabulous warm sweater for me
Knit one pair of mittens and socks for me
Knit one heavy weight shawl for me. (Notice a trend here…)
Don’t take anything personally—behave like Teflon, nothing sticks.
De-clutter my studio (Ok, at least begin the process).
Reevaluate this process in late January and make a plan for February.
Is this a short list? (Yes, last year’s was 174. Really, no kidding, sick))

Wish me luck, and I wish you the best year ever! Happy 2013.

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Christmas Memories

Posted on December 23, 2012 by yarnsista

I love Christmas. Making the presents, wrapping them, putting them under the tree that is loaded with ornaments that track our family’s history—it makes me obnoxiously happy. We’re together to relax, celebrate, retell stories, and laugh.

Each year we try not to overdo the excessive buying aspect of the celebration. We don’t always succeed, but this year we’re behaving well. Each present is something we thought about before slapping down the credit card or clicking the “submit” button online. There’s hand knitted socks, hats, blanket, shawls and mittens; the folks who wanted hats, got hats—I didn’t mess around. Each knitted project also served a purpose for me; I made it a point to learn something from each present. Perhaps it was a new technique, a new yarn, a new design… each one kept me engaged and taught me something in addition to the joy of giving.

If the presents under the tree aren’t made of fiber, they’re probably books. Throughout the year, I keep my eyes open for titles that I think my loved ones might enjoy. Could be a book of walking tours through their new neighborhood or cookbooks that are unusual or something they might have mentioned, but haven’t bought for themselves. I like how this practice keeps Christmas alive throughout the year.

One of the most fun parts of the celebration is stuffing everybody’s stocking with little goodies: a favorite candy (not a whole bag!), some cool spices from Trader Joe’s, a handmade bar of soap or moisturizer and something funny that they’re not expecting (no clues given here now!) We’ve got the same stockings that the kids had growing up—and David’s stocking from when he was a young boy—ironically it’s knitted and has his name knitted around the cuff.

The tree is up, fully lighted, but won’t be fully decorated until our daughters arrive. That’s just something we do together. We all gloat over our favorite ornaments, and you can hear “I remember this one”… over and over again. There’s Christmas music in the background, but not the regular stuff. David has collected CD’s that really mark our season: Charlie Brown, the Canadian Brass albums, Dave Bruebeck’s Christmas album and many more.

This year all three women will be cooking together in the kitchen; it will be a menu that satisfies all of us, regardless of allergies, gluten intolerances, vegan regs, paleo regs, and Mom trying to lose weight. Per Tim Gunn, “We make it work” and it’s joyful. Every once in a while we find a recipe that all of us can eat, like zucchini noodles, and then we get really happy.

Lots of good, old memories get stirred up this time of year. I appreciate remembering them and having them come alive once more. When I was a kid, my dad was Santa at the church fair. He rode around town on the fire truck and then sat for hours in a throne like chair in the school auditorium while long lines of nervous children waited to sit on his lap and tell him their wishes. He was the absolute best Santa in the world: he listened, smiled, laughed, and looked soooo real. I have a photo of me sitting on his lap completely unaware that it was my dad. It’s one of my favorites. He made my childhood Christmas full of wonder and love.

Another standout memory is how every Christmas Eve, I’d hear sleigh bells and thumping on the roof. My heart would beat a million miles an hour, and I’d pretend to be sound asleep, just like Santa expected. Years later, I learned that it was Papa Louie Andiorio who did the honors every year. That was one of the many memories I have of that special man.

This Christmas, there mostly likely won’t be snow here at the Cape, and I probably won’t see Santa at the mall, but I will look for him in the sky and listen for reindeer hooves on the roof knowing that David’s probably throwing the pebbles. Merry Christmas to all.

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12/12/12 Stroll Downtown Falmouth

Posted on December 13, 2012 by yarnsista

Yesterday’s forty five minute brisk walk was an evening tour of downtown Falmouth. Living here is like living in a Norman Rockwell painting. Hope you enjoy the stroll.