Thank God for the Laundry Rooms of Friends

The hardest part of the kitchen remodel, bar nothing, is the lack of laundry facilities. No dishwasher? We have a sink. No stove? We have a grill. No washing machine? We have...... a big rock and a garden hose? No, I don't think so.

What we do have is a short list of kind people we call friends who are willing to let us use their washers and dryers. Thank you, Jen and Garrett. Thank you, Neighbor Ric. And thank you, Robin, John, Nicole, Amanda and Tony. Thank you, thank you, thank you. We owe you, big time.

Today at Robin and John's, not only did they let us launder our week's worth of dirty underwear, they fed us brunch and their girls watched our girls as we lazed away a sunny morning, hot coffee in hand, waiting for clothes to dry. And, the girls got to see where eggs come from, kind of.

Jazzercise photos

At the request of my dear old friend, Kathie Roth (Johnson), I posted a photo of myself teaching Jazzercise on Facebook. Then, I realized that I had never posted a photo on the blog, basically because I have never had a photo of me teaching until someone (Terry E.) took a bunch on the occasion of my 40th birthday class (thus, the balloons and tiara).

So, here goes. I love these people. And, it's really true: I love Jazzercise.

Top Ten List #2: The Big 4-0

Okay, it's not so bad. Jay asked what I wanted, and I said to get my hair colored (haven't gotten around to that) and to see my dear friend Erica - who lives so close, but so far away in Portland. I got my annual ice cream cake - which is always so tasty, although I had made it clear (albeit to Mags) that I really wanted a homemade carrot cake. I also asked for a surprise party, but I suppose that's a bit contradictory. I was actually afraid I might wake up miserable, but the best cure for that is Jazzercise. At my Friday morning class, I brought one of the girls' tiaras to wear and we had a small little snack after class. My friend Jen brought balloons and some fruit, and a very kind couple brought me a potent lavender sachet (which is currently scenting my entire closet). On Saturday morning (the actual big day) I went to AM Jazzercise at the middle school. I am lucky in that Saturday morning Jazzercise is an instant estrogen party. It was packed, there was singing and well wishes and even a goofy birthday princess headband.

Later, Erica and Tim came up and we drank champagne and then all went to Pizzeria 360. Erica gave me a beautiful bunch of flowers - including the one in the photo, and we have planned a spa getaway day in PDX. Jay got me an online subscription to the NY Times Crossword. And then bedtime came and the next day dawned and so on and so on and... here we are.

It Could Be Worse...

A few weeks ago my dear friend Molly sent me a paper placemat that she had doodled on one night while eating pizza and sipping beer at her local watering hole all by herself. She's had a rough few years, and she's in a spot now where at least she can see that things could be worse. She had made some lists about things she should be thankful for and ways that her life could be worse (and there were some funny drawings...) I decided I'd be a pal and come up with even more ways that things could be worse for her. Then, I figured I'd turn it into something for her. I was working on a project for work that frequently left me sitting at my computer waiting for it to save my work, so while I waited I started thinking... Then, a little construction paper and some glue stick and here you have it - "a mixed media collage." (I've been spending alot of time looking at stuff on Etsy lately...)

Ainsley

I love this little dog! Liz and Val's little Ainsley is such a cuddly flirt that even Jay has admitted he wouldn't mind having something similar around (since I am often neither cuddly nor flirtatious), although he expressed discomfort with how he would be perceived by the street's manfolk should he be spotted promenading her up and down the road. I would just be afraid of coyotes, over-enthusiastic birds of prey who might mistake her for a large tufted field mouse, the neighbor's cat, large bugs...

S'mores

Steve and Julianne came over with their brood for a cookout yesterday that was specifically planned to end with a feast of s'mores. The weather agreed, pretty much - It was sunny and clear all the way through dinner. By the time we lit the fire, we could see the lightning and hear the thunder off to the east. As we started to toast marshmallows, a giant rainbow appeared and then the first plump drops fell. As we went into full-on s'more mode, the heavens opened up, and we had to move the fixin's into the gazebo and run out periodically to cook one up over the fire - but that just made it feel more like we were actually camping in the great Pacific Northwest.

The Menu:

Julianne's Stuff:

Baked Beans with Bacon, Molasses and Maple Syrup

Cabbage Salad

Salmon with Fresh Parsley Pesto



My Stuff:

Green Bean and Almond Salad with Ginger, Green Onions and Cilantro (Cook 1 pound of green beans in boiling water for 5 minutes. Rinse under cold water. Add a handful each of: thinly sliced green onion and chopped cilantro. For dressing, mix 1 1/2T each of rice vinegar and vegetable oil, 1-2t minced fresh ginger, 1-2 minced garlic cloves, 1T soy sauce, S&P. Toss with dressing. Before serving, top with a handful of chopped tamari almonds - I buy them in bulk at the grocery store - or use 3T of soy sauce and cook up some almonds in a frying pan with it until they absorb the soy sauce, then chop them up.)

Whole Wheat Pasta Salad with Dijon Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette

White Bean Dip with Crusty Bread - (Blend together one can of rinsed cannelini beans, 2 cloves garlic, 1T each of fresh rosemary and thyme, a little pepper, 1 1/2T olive oil)

Marinated Flank Steak

Bring Rocks and My Kids Will Be Happy

...and a dozen beers works pretty well with my husband.

Chris stopped by with both on his way from Hawaii to Alaska to the San Juans to Portland to the gorge to Eugene to New Jersey to Florida to Hawaii... He had just driven down the Alcan and had gathered some rocks along the way (no, really?) Ellie is a sucker for a good rock - Mags needs a little more convincing, but a little bowl of water to dip them in to bring out their colors and she was on board.

When you tell a Jazzercise class that you've just left your former boyfriend and your husband at your house drinking beer, there is an audible gasp, but really, it's fun when Chris blows through town. And blow through he did... He's off now to the next stop, but not until we had some fun last night at the house and this morning at Starbucks. Maybe we'll see him again over the summer... Hey, Chris - nice beard.

Running into Kirk

On Saturday, I was transported back to Newton, NJ, circa 1991 or so.

After teaching Jazzercise (because when you run into people from high school, you always hope that you are really, convincingly smelly...), I stopped at IKEA to pick up a present for our neighbor's daughter's college graduation party. It had been my intent to go in and buy a gift card because who really knows what a 22-year old girl wants except to decorate her own space like an adult? Of course, once I got there, I was overcome by both a desire to shop and an unexpected sappiness that had me buying things and subsequently adding the accompanying labels:

- A mirror (so she can always keep sight of what matters)
- A set of candles (for when she needs to shed a little extra light on things)
- A glass jar (for spare change or wishes or whatever...)
- A bamboo shoot (for luck) - and a vase to put it in
- A basket (for when she needs to get her shit together)
- An IKEA stuffed heart with arms (for when she needs a hug)
- A pair of rubber gloves (for when life gets messy)
- AND, a gift card.

Anyway, I had just made it to the cashier and was wondering how much my purchase would amount to and if/how much I was still going to put on a gift card. I'm sure my brow was furrowed in the most lovely way because I have not worn my glasses in a long time AND I was trying to do basic addition in my head when I heard from behind me, "This may be a long-shot, but Colleen???"

And, there was Kirk, Newton High School class of '86, former next-door neighbor to Lori, my best friend from childhood. The guy who could stop a kickball game dead in the water when he'd kick the ball down the hill onto Main Street. The kid who did not (to the best of my recollection) get angry when, during an adolescent party of some sort, my dog Ping Pong peed on his leg - right in my parents' living room for no apparent reason. The boy who cleaned out his middle school locker and offered me a small wooden "C" that he had probably made in Mr. Beierle's wood shop in 1982 because he liked the Cincinnati Reds or something. (Said "C" is sitting on my dresser - and I don't collect a lot of stuff, so I can't really say why it's still there.) He is also the same guy who built a very cool pasta company in Eugene, OR after he moved out here, and recently sold it... which brings me to the next kind of weird part of the story.

I have been aware of Kirk's Rising Moon pasta since I first ventured out to the Pacific Northwest, although I don't remember exactly how I knew. I knew he was in Eugene, and even once walked around what I think is/was his neighborhood there with my old boyfriend whose brothers lived nearby. His sisters lived within blocks of me when I lived in Portland, and I saw them now and then... but I hadn't been in touch with Kirk directly. Last month, I was in the natural food section of Fred Meyer, and I opened the frozen food case and, I kid you not, a package of frozen Rising Moon ravioli bonked me in the head. I looked on the back, just to check in with Kirk, and I noticed that the label no longer said that the company was in Eugene, but rather was located somewhere in Connecticut or something. It struck me enough that I came home and Googled. The Rising Moon website looked way more "corporate" than I would have expected, which caused me to Google Kirk himself. This led me to his family website which includes an invitation to send off an email, and I did. So, last month, Kirk and I communicated for the first time after nearly 20 years.

And now, here we are, in IKEA at the checkout line. As we're going through the "Wow!" "I can't believe it!" stage, the kid at the cash register totally gets into the discussion and starts talking about coincidences and when he was in Europe and how he ran into the same person he knew from home three different times, and if you are at all familiar with the lines at IKEA, you'll know that they get LONG - especially at noon on a Saturday. So, anyway, I saw Kirk. He still has that kindness in his eyes and in his "aura" that probably kept him from freaking out on my head when my dog peed on him. When all was said and done, I looked back at where the line had been when the reunion began and there was only one person left in it, and sadly she was in a wheelchair and had a lot of stuff on one of their carts with the funky wheels. So, she was left to serve as our captive audience. If I knew who she was, I'd apologize, but it feels good in a "It's a Small World After All" kind of way to reconnect with the occasional person who knew me "when" back in Jersey. And, when that kind of thing happens and I can look back and feel pretty happy about the last couple of decades, life must be okay.

Thanh Thao Delight

Yesterday I had lunch in Portland with my two old friends - Erica and Thanh Thao. We were joined by Jay and the girls and Erica's husband Tim. Back in the good old Laurelhurst/Hawthorne days, Erica lived across the hall from me and Thanh Thao was an easy walk. You know how sometimes when you go out to eat, you want to try something new? Kind of take your tastebuds on a little adventure? I'm all for that, but not at Thanh Thao. Thanh Thao ain't fancy - it's like a favorite sweater - all about familiarity and comfort. So it's always as follows: for me, harkening back to my vegetarian days, Thanh Thao Delight - a scrumptious creation of veggies and tofu and sauce... Jay gets the beef Pad Thai, extra spicy. Erica and Tim get an appetizer and split the Sizzling Rice Soup. Period. And amen to that.

Not to Leave Anything Out

We had a great visit with Liz, Val, corgis, Chinese cresteds, bunnies, birds, rabbits, and Barbra Streisand. We needed a little break and were so happy to be able to drive through the blinding rain in the "emergency car" (as Mags calls my dad's van - I guess she thinks it's like an ambulance...) to see them, have a nice salad and watch "Hello, Dolly" on their giant TV. Jersey often leaves me feeling vegetable deprived in my mad rush to eat all the bagels and pasta I can ingest, and the salad was so appreciated. I think someday I may have to convince Jay that a small hairless dog that has to wear clothing to stay warm would be a great addition to our household. I know he liked how the dog cuddled up with him, but has expressed concern about how the neighbors would perceive his manhood if her were to allow such a beast to join the family. Seriously. I figure a dog like that is the perfect solution to trying to figure out if we need a dog or a cat - it kind of seems like a cross between the two.

We also got to visit with the Serafins and Boyles. They are a pleasant constant on the Jersey front - It's nice to know that they want to see us when we're around.