A WPA Mural Tour

Sunday I led one of three tours of WPA murals. This wasn't a typical tour because it also highlighted the launch of a new audio component, Otocast. I incorporated some of the audio into the tour. I didn't really like doing that. I prefer our usual inquiry based, interactive approach.

It was nice to get back in tour mode; it's been too long.

What's Cooking?

This is the dinner that Jeff made tonight: butternut squash with onion, garlic, carrot and potato topped with chicken breast. It was delicious (and beautiful which is why I snapped this photo--it looked even better in person.)

Last Sunday I made a this recipe from our friends' blog. I had a few issues. First I didn't translate instructions from a grill to a broiler well. Secondly and more importantly, I managed to lose my grocery list between the car and the grocery store: I forgot to get kitchen string. The recipe calls for tying up  the flank steak, proscuitto and fontina cheese. Instead I used shish-kebab sticks which smoked up under the broiler. I was also making chicken broth mostly for Lola, and didn't have much counter space so I got a little stressed. The important thing is that dinner was good--although the steak was a bit rare. I added a sweet potato and salad. We had enough steak left over for a meal on Wednesday; I added more proscuitto and fontina cheese, roasted some potatoes and made a salad.

On Tuesday I made Chicken Milanese and risotto. The first time I made Chicken Milanese was from a Blue Apron recipe. I loved it, saved the recipe and made it a few more times. We recently got another Chicken Milanese recipe and ingredients from Plated. The main difference is that in the Blue Apron recipe you coat the chicken in a mustard and water mix between the flour and panko bread crumbs. With the Plated recipe, you coat the chicken in flour, then egg and then panko bread crumbs, ans serve it with a honey mustard dipping sauce. We preferred the Blue Apron version: it was less mustard-y and the bread crumb mixture held on better. Either way, it takes at least three plates/bowls for prep.

For Lola's birthday, I cooked a duck breast with a cherry, orange juice and Grand Marnier sauce, risotto (twice in one week) sauteed spinach and a carrot and dried fruit salad.

It's been a good week for cooking.

Six Months with Lola

Happy sixth month anniversary Lola!

The first time we met her she hid under a chair (as we were warned.) She was like a different dog when we went outside. She still wasn't friendly to us, but she was happy.

Another beagle was available that day, Daphne--a beagle mix. She was charming and friendly. Filing our application, we had to make a choice; we chose Lola. We decided that Lola needed us more. We don't know much about her history, but it appears she's been abused.

We've had many frustrations and a big scare.Lola is still fearful and timid, but she's making progress. Lola loves us and is comfortable with our friends.

We tell her that the rest of her life will be full of fun, good food and love. Lots of love.

A Haunting at Mill Hill

Last night Jeff and I went to the 9 PM tour by the Norwalk Historical Society. It's something we've thought about for the past few years. Either the dates didn't work for us or we forget to register (d'oh.)

We started in the main building at Mill Hill, which was decorated in spider webs and skulls, and heard the story of "The Miser of Bald Hill" a Wilton visitor. Then we headed outside, toured the grounds, walked among the headstones and heard true stories of six Norwalkers' deaths.

The stories were interesting and the actors were superb; there was no weak performance.

My only disappointment was that there were no stories related to the people buried at Mill Hill. Perhaps they didn't have interesting or eerie deaths. Maybe they were been included in earlier hauntings.

Thanks Jeff for getting the tickets.

Another DPF

Hope it's not our last. We may have one more before daylight saving time ends.

We're currently in a drought and need rain. Intermittent rain was forecast for Friday. Selfishly I hoped it would hold off and it did.

Jeff and I decided that we needed to take Lola to the park regardless of what anyone else did. I texted our friends around 4:40 and found that others would be going as well. Seven of us made it yesterday. With the shorter days we only had about an hour together but it was a nice time.

A Cranbury Park Day

We've been taking advantage of our "alleged" Indian Summer. We visited Putnam Park on Monday, our usual dog park Taylor Farm on Tuesday.

Today we went to Cranbury Park.  Basically we let Lola choose our path. Unfortunately, Lola isn't big on trails. At one point, we realized we hadn't seen any trail blazes for a long time. We made our way back without too much trouble. Lola was loving it. We hiked for just under 1.5 hours.

All in all a lovely day.

Indian Summer?

Taking advantage of the current warm spell, we hiked at Putnam Park yesterday. We had hiked there once with Spike based on an entry in this book. Lola enjoyed exploring a new place. Today we returned to our home base of Taylor Farm. It was fun to see how excited Lola got when we were getting ready to go. Where should we go tomorrow?

As much as we are enjoying the warmth, apparently, there is some controversy if this is an Indian summer.

 I was reminded of the opening of the novel, Peyton Place.

“Indian summer is like a woman. Ripe, hotly passionate, but fickle, she comes and goes as she pleases so that one is never sure whether she will come at all, nor for how long she will stay.”

I think I first read Peyton Place in high school for pleasure. I re-read it in college as part of a course, Film and American Society. I still remember that first line.

Isn't that a success for the writer? I never cared for the idea that all women are fickle, but still that line stayed with me.

Today I found that that line is listed among the great and the worst opening lines.

Whatever.