Croissants, Hansel and Gretel, Summer Solstice Time

I have to put in a little plug for these "mini-croissants" from Trader Joe's. They come frozen (as shown on the right) with the instruction to rise overnight. Rise, they did! I made them for the first morning that my mom was here and they truly hit the spot. We had really marvelous breakfasts when she was visiting--my favorite being chocolate chip cannolis bought the night before in the italian neighborhood of Boston. We also toured two art museums (I was scolded by a security gaurd at the contemporary museum where I got way too close to one of these sculptures) and saw a play at the Boston University Theater. . .

This week I've spent transitioning back into real life mode and starting to read seven versions of Hansel and Gretel. I found out that in September I get to present a paper I've written about Hansel and Gretel at a conference in Canada, and so I want to make sure I have my facts straight. By far the best illustrations are in this one.

The sun rose at 5:08am this morning, and it isn't slotted to set until 8:25pm, so I'm off to enjoy the extended blue skies.

Pink Roses and Pink Lemonade

These are the rose bushes right outside of our building; like us they're starting to feel the effects of Boston's mini heat-wave. Walking down this sidewalk, though, is such a treat because they smell all rosy and they look like they're trying so hard to keep their blooms up in the rain and sun. I have a small collection of scratches on my right elbow from when I've gotten too close to the thorns.

Boston is starting to feel different now that students have left for the summer and vacationers have gone to their summer homes in the Cape. The business commuters have loosened their ties and lowered their heels. The trains have emptied out a bit, letting me overhear so many sweet things lately. The other day, when I got on the T, this poor, possibly homeless, guy who seemed kind of disoriented, kept loudly asking everyone their destination and repeating to everyone to make sure they grab the poles. Some people gave quick answers and some looked away, and then this woman, probably eighty years old or so, took the seat next to him and started putting on her makeup. She introduced herself and told him where she was going and asked him where he was going and they kept on talking about little things like the restaurants that the train was passing. He started talking in a normal volume and she told him that she used to think about opening her own restaurant up, and he told her that his father died last year. She told him that it took two years to feel better after her father died. The woman got off at the same stop as I did, and when she did, they nodded their goodbyes to eachother; I think it was the nicest interaction I've seen between strangers.

As I mentioned before, we're in a mini-heat wave, but we're coping quite well with two newly installed window air conditioners and lots of lemonade--normal yellow kind mixed with pink lemonade, making a pretty light pink lemonade. And, honestly, it feels good to sweat a little after so many months of scarves and ear warmers.

What do these things have in common?

. . . Lobster roll, sangria, goat cheese empanadas, cinnamon buns, portobello mushroom sandwich, garlic shrimp, lobster pizza, creme brulee, chinese wontons, fiddlehead ferns, raspberry cobbler, chicken in wine sauce, champagne. . . Well, I consumed all of these things this weekend (and more actually, but the list was getting excessive.) My dad and Colleen came to visit us this weekend and we walked around the city almost as much as we ate. Let's just say today's breakfast of oatmeal and lunch of turkey sandwich have seemed very, very bland.

Lilac Time and the Livin' is Easy

...Or at least it would be easy if I hadn't come down with a massive cold two days after I finished my semester. Cold aside, I've been using my newfound freedom to try new recipes--so far, I've made sherried tomato soup, honey-lime chicken, spicy sweet potato fries, cherry cheesecake, mexican corn pudding and experimented with wildberry sherbet smoothies.

I've also had time to browse the bookstore, where today I overheard a mother reading to her little daughter in the tiny chairs of the children's section. She was really trying hard, doing all of the voices and taking extra time to look at the pictures, "Priscilla was glowing, she felt like a star," she read, "And if that's how you feel, then that's what you are!" I heard the little girl gasp as that last line was read, and when I turned to look at her,her hands were covering her open mouth...What a revelation for a five-year old on a Saturday morning with her mom.

It's Not all Reading and Writing. . .

I'm off to my last class of the semester where I'll present a paper and. . .


I actually had to make this graphic representation to present along with it. I hope that the wood glue holding those shelves up will do OK on the T ride over. . .

Petals: The New Snow

The Spring petals covering the trees and the ground here are such a welcome sight. I took these pictures of the tree on our corner on my way to the library. I am always on my way to the library these days so it is nice that there are pretty trees along the way. Today I got there just before opening time (10:00) and there was a kindergarten class making their way up the walk as well. They were so disappointed when their teacher tried the door and found it locked. I cannot even tell you how much. "Oh,Sasha!" said one little girl, "The library is locked forever!" About fifteen seconds later a librarian came to open the door and all of the kids broke out in a round of applause so wild I literally looked inside to see if there was a zebra or water slide or Thomas the Train. One of the smallest boys with glasses with round, bright blue frames, started pumping his fist and yelling, 'Allllriggghhhhht!'(someone may have been watching their dad cheer for the Red Sox really carefully). . . all that to say, their enthusiasm definitely took away my paper-writing weariness and replaced it with a renewed vigor for studying children's literature:)

You know you've been studying too long. . . .

When your rear end actually hurts from your lap-top bag slapping it so many times on your rounds around the library looking for needed books. . . or when you hear the library closing announcement and that just means it's time to change your working location. . . or maybe when you go to check your email and you realize that you're typing in your password for EBSCO Host. . .

I'm in my big paper crunch time these last and next few weeks and I'm already over-indulging on coffee and baklava and burritos, not all at once, but those are a few of my favorites lately. . . The hard part about doing so much homework right now is that the weather has been absolutely beautiful--the kind of days when the sunlight seems elastic and the air feels cool but not cold on your skin. Japanese magnolias, hyacinths, tulips, daffodils, and soft green grass that make me want to be outside smelling them or at least inside painting my toes to match them. . . When I've turned in the last of my three papers, I'll post some spring pictures, until then maybe I'll start carrying my lap-top:)

An Official Goodbye to Winter, Which Seriously Hasn't Left Until Now

This beautiful reservoir is a suprise that I found just across a couple of streets from us! I guess that I just never noticed it hiding under so much snow. Imagine me getting a glance of these shimmering waters for the first time when I was just out for a walk among zooming and honking cars and apartment buildings and laundromats.


Goodbye floofy down comforter and scarves both scratchy and smooth. Goodbye to microwaving hot coffee so that it keeps my hands warmer for minutes longer. And to the radiator and its hissing, steamy, steam. Goodbye icy puddles and glittery, sugary snow. And frozen toes and hot cocoa with cool whip and my thick aqua robe. Goodbye hypothermia from walking to CVS in my flip-flops and Sumanth having to pour scalding water on my feet to revive them. Yes, Goodbye to that. See you later snow days from school,wintery dry hands and my Christmas tree pajama pants. Byyyeee red wool coat and the cold, cold walks to the T. See you next year cozy cream mittens and snowflakes and hot lemon tea. . . For now, I am off to say hello to spring in Chinatown in a sundress I bought two months ago when there was still ice on the ground.

The T, The T

Here is a picture of our most chosen mode of transportation. . . These little trains squeal around the corner to pick us up almost every time we go out and I've become quite fond of them. One day last week, their were some Ts that were out of service on the D line that I take to work and so I had to wait with many anxious commuters quite awhile for one to come through the tunnel. Well, when one finally did, I wasn't quite aggressive enough about getting on and by the time I made my way to the stairs it was pretty full. I didn't want to keep waiting though, so I tried to squeeze myself in, thinking 'there's always room for one more, right?'. . . evidently not, because everyone on the train actually groaned "NOOOOOOO" as they saw me easing my way in. I think I remember seeing an example like that in my abnormal psychology book in college. It had a caption that said something like, "people experiencing extreme paranoia may feel that no one wants to be around them."

Then yesterday, I went to do homework at a library about 3 miles away. On the way home, I just missed the T that I wanted to catch, and again, I didn't feel like waiting, so I decided that I could run along with the train and meet it at its next stop. So, laptop bag and groceries flapping in the breeze, I went, only to, of course not be able to catch up with the locomotive at its next spot--what was I thinking? Anyways, I was still thinking that, because the Ts have to stop at traffic lights, I had a chance of catching it down the line... I probably don't need to tell you that I never caught up with it, that I walked/ran all the freezing way home, and that I actually missed two other Ts that passed me, headed in my direction. I think next time I will just wait the eight minutes for the next one.

A sweet T story to end the post on: Last week I was in the T during the morning rush hour, when the T cars are so full you kind of have to give up any ideals you had for personal space, and two mothers with three almost-toddlers came on. They were really having a hard time with all the babies gear and keeping the kiddies with them in the crowd. The T driver turned off the train and came marching back to the car where I was standing along with the mothers, almost-toddlers, and a sea of business people. I was worried that he was going to have the moms and babies get off because there are these new controversial laws that might go into effect that prohibit strollers during rush hour. Instead, though, this huge man started pleading with everyone that had seats to give them up for the kids and their moms. "Can we PLEASE get some seats back here? We've got some REAL little kids on board?" And all of a sudden, everyone, absolutely everyone got up to give the moms/babies their seat, leaving the moms/babies with quite a choice, because now all of the seats were empty. The moms let the little kids pick which seats they wanted and they sat down and everyone else remained standing up, almost in reverance for the "REAL little kids" that the T driver had made them aware of. That was my stop, and it really was sweet, as I walked away, to look back and see, through the windows, the little kids bouncing around in their open seats.

Ode to this Saturday Morning. . .

And its soft sheets and new pajamas and clear, bright sun on glossy wood floors. To its two hot cups of almond coffee and its hours stretching ahead.


Here is Sumanth working on his story, and my spot where I am reading articles about young adult literature. Below is my stack of fun books that I need to read for class; read some of the titles and try not to feel jealous that this is my homework;)



Although with the wind chill, our local temp is 19 degrees, I'm so grateful for blue skies and snow-free streets. Today is an easy Saturday; we're trading in some books at the used book store and making buffalo chicken wraps and lounging around in pajamas.