Teas and T's: Failed

Thoughts and Quotes: I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving.

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Whew! Thank you, Mr. Holmes, because I'm a major failure when it comes to my Challenge 2, but the yard is looking better and better.

One bathroom drawer or shelf

One linen shelf

One kitchen drawer

My hidden object drawer.

Now I have to deal with the things I took out of the drawer.

Try one kitchen gadget (I have a bazillion I've never used); keep or discard.

Watch two videos

My second video.

Watcht two DVD's

Watch two DVR's

Transfer one record set to computer and/or permanent storage

Listen to three CD's

Listen to three tapes.

Read one book

I finished the Truman book, and highly recommend it.

Try three new recipes

ALBONDIGAS SOUP

Meatballs

1/2 lb ground beef, 87% or leaner

1/2 lb chorizo

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

1 cup soft bread crumbs

Soup

1 cup diced celery

1/3 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

1 cup finely chopped onions

3/4 cup sliced carrots

1 28-oz can diced tomatoes

3 cups beef broth

1 Tbs sugar

2 cups cubed zucchini

1 cup frozen corn

Combine ingredients for meatballs and form 30-32 balls. Refrigerate.

Combine all soup ingredients except zucchini in a large soup pot.

Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add meatballs, cover, and simmer another 15 minutes.

Add corn and zucchini and simmer 10-15 minutes. Taste, add salt and pepper if needed.

Photo later

CREAMY TORTELLINI SOUP

1 Tbs oil

1/2 lb ground beef, 87% or leaner

1/2 lb mild Italian sausage, bulk or casings removed

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 tsp salt

2 Tbs flour

1 qt (4 cups) chicken stock

1 8-oz tomato sauce

1 9-oz refrigerated cheese tortellini

1/3 cup cream

Salt and pepper

Fresh baby spinach

Heat oil in a large soup pot.

Cook beef and sausage, crumbling as it cooks. Drain excess grease.

Add garlic, onion, and salt. Cook and stir until onions soften.

Stir in flour, cook and stir one minute.

Stir in chicken stock and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until slightly thickened. Stir often.

Stir in tortellini, cover and cook until tender, 5-7 minutes.

Add cream and heat through. Add salt and pepper, if needed.

Finely julienne spinach. Put in serving bowl and add hot soup.

Photo later

Make measurable progress: crochet, cards etc., other I made two more hangers and finished the doily.

Organize one color of clothes; hem or fix any which can't be worn yet.

I finished Pink

Organize one recipe category in Pinterest I finished three more: Appetizers, Bars, Beef

Watch one hour of Todd Mohr YouTubes.

Work on unfinished travel journals. Working on it. Here's Day 2.

March 29, 2003

Due to last minute cancellations, our group was only 23 people, mostly from Canada, Great Britain, and USA. I called every day for a week before we left, because I wanted to be sure we were going to Hong Kong. SARS seemed to be increasing. I was assured that we definitely would end our tour there.

I was up at 2:30 a.m. reading. I made tea and ate my lemon cookie from the plane, catching up with the news on CNN, the only available news channel.

Breakfast was at 6:00 a.m. The Renaissance must have a central food preparation point which ships all over the world. The hotel in Amsterdam caters to Chinese tourists and the breakfast buffet was almost identical. In addition to Western breakfast dishes, they served rice gruel, miso soup, sushi, pickled vegetables, fish in soy sauce, and salad.

I opened my drapes and discovered a beautiful park about the size of two city square blocks, with lakes, flowers, and willow trees with branches drooping into the lakes.

I walked over and found groups engaged in Tai Chi, some others with big yellow or red fans, some with swords (most with 2’ red silk tassels), and some couples ballroom dancing. Individuals were walking, jogging, doing stretching exercises, or just sitting on benches reading the paper. Some had their legs hoisted onto the rails around the lake pavilions like practicing ballerinas, and these people were not young. Exercise seems to be a part of the culture, which might indicate that their lack of body fat is not entirely due to diet.

I returned to the hotel for our day in Shanghai. First stop, the Children’s Palace, which is an expensive school for extracurricular activities. China’s one child policy enabled couples to concentrate on their little Emperor or Empress.

They were learning computers to convert English alphabet to Chinese words, calligraphy, ballet, art, physical, and music (singing, 2-string folk violin, European violin, and a many-stringed Chinese instrument which rests on its back on a table while the player plucks the strings forward and backwards with picks attached to her fingers with bands (only females can play this instrument).

We watched several classes in session, many with parents watching or assisting their children. We also saw an art gallery with paintings and scrolls created by the children. Our last stop was a large gift shop with everything artsy or souvenirish, and “all made by the children.” Sure.

The Children’s Palace had lots of deferred maintenance. The building was constructed as a rich man’s mansion in 1930, later “converted” to state property. The former opulence was evident, but many hours of scrubbing, varnishing, repairing, painting, and patching were needed to bring the property to merely acceptable.

Ceiling fans and window air conditioners were “stuck on” here and there without regard for electrical safety or esthetic value. The disregard for maintenance seemed to have been passed to the children, evidenced by the accumulated resin on the violins and the dust on the “zithers.”

Lots more photos HERE.

Off to the waterfront called The Bund. We were on the European side with ornate buildings from the 19^th century Colonial period. Across the Huang River was the familiar skyline of modern skyscrapers. The area was clean and modern with lovely landscaping. More photos Here.

In the center is the entrance to the subway.

Then off to a lovely Chinese restaurant where we had lunch at round tables served family style from lazy susans.

Our afternoon tour was the Yuyuan Gardens. We walked through a market area, and as it was Saturday, I experienced firsthand the Chinese hordes. To reach the gardens, we crossed a zig-zag bridge over a dirty koi pond. The gardens are inside stone walls with lots of water, sculpture, and terra cotta carvings. One room in one building was furnished so that we could see how the rich people lived before the Revolution. Again, lots of deferred maintenance. I’m sure things have been cleaned up by now. More photos Here.

We returned to the hotel for a Swiss-German buffet and then off to see an acrobatic show at Carlton’s Auditorium. The performers were unbelievable; expert jugglers and magicians, acrobats so limber they could fold themselves in half and perform tumbling stunts like Olympics medal winners. No photos allowed. Guess some didn’t get the message. Click Here.

By the time we reached the hotel, it was after 10:00 p.m., and I went to bed exhausted, but then up at 2:30 a.m., ready to go.

To be continued . . . . .

Organize one of my many, many notebooks. Working on it.

This and That: My little huntress.

This is what she does to spiders, then she leaves them for me to handle. She doesn't eat them; only moths and flies are edible. Oh, and crickets, except for the legs.

And all this work exhausts her. Time for a sunbath with her bird.

And there's a new critter, as if squirrels, skunks, possums, and raccoons weren't enough. Mr. Grounhog was walking across the back when I spotted him. By the time I got the camera, he was sitting on the raised bed, checking out a big zinnia. He doesn't have a long tail; that's a shadow from the white pipe. I took the photos with zoom, so it's not very clear.

As most of you know, my son had a really bad heart condition. He made his sudden transition around midnight Sunday night. I'm still trying to come to terms with the reality of this finality. Also, as most of you know, I approach life in ways which may seem outside the norm. Please do not send cards or emails. Please don't call to console me. In college, I wrote a paper on how to deal with emotional difficulties. My paper was titled "Get Busy," and that's my answer and my plan. Since my son won't be here to help my daughter-in-law when it's my turn to leave, I must really concentrate on my goals so I can downsize and make her job easier.

My Son, The Fisherman