News Trend A Decluttering Update: Family Photos|Actual

It's been two months now since I declared war on the storage facility formerly known as my garage. The lengthy delay in wrapping up the last few open items in our floor installation project has given me good reasons/excuses for not tackling the mess earlier, but in the past week or so, I've finally leaned hard into finally sorting things out.

Category 1: Photographs

We've done a thorough job of capturing our family life on film, generating a substantial collection of slides and old school prints.

As the years rolled along, I stayed on top of organizing the memories fairly well:

The slides are one hundred percent labeled, organized, and properly stored.

The best images have been curated into a series of photo albums, also well labeled and kept on a bookshelf in my family room.

But...

And this is a big but...

I have never come up with a good plan for dealing with thousands of leftover prints - those that did not make the cut into the photo albums.

Now these are still nice photos, and I've never had the heart to throw them away. All this time, I've been neatly stacking them into black storage boxes and telling myself that some day, I'll come up with a plan for them.

Well. Today is that day.

There on my table are seven of the eight boxes - one was full of our ancestors' family portraits that were patiently minding their own business so I left them well enough alone. My third-born and I have been sorting through the rest of them, one heaping and disorganized handful at a time, to establish a rough chronology.

We sort single photos into groups of related photos - fall and winter holidays of 1991, a hike at Mount Rainier, a backyard pool party with cousins - and then class the stacks by date.

This is a slow, painstaking process, and one that leads to falling down rabbit holes of delicious memories. We stop each other to look, to remember, to talk about the people and places of our lives, to snap quick photos of the photos and send them off to the other sisters.

This is a rich, rewarding process and as much as I'm overwhelmed by this mountain of mementos, I know it's time to find these gems a proper home.

So I've ordered some new photo albums for my collection, and also decided to build albums for each of my daughters. There are more than enough wonderful photos to go around.

I have no illusions that this project will end soon. I fully expect to spend days, if not weeks, getting this grand mess properly sorted. But I can already taste the satisfaction and I'm determined to surf this crazy wave to the shore.

And while I keep working away, Gracie naps nearby. I'm willing to bet she will be well caught up on her sleep by the time I finish decluttering our family photos.

* * * * *

Read more about my journey to mindful consumption:

Reading Inspiration

My Shopping Ban Rules

My Decluttering Rules

The First Test

Sometimes It's Okay To Hold On

Setting Myself Free

Armed And Dangerous

A Decluttering Update: Family Photos

A Shopping Ban Update: Three Months In

Keepers

News Trend Chocolate Chip Memories|Actual

"I'm not a chef. But I'm passionate about food. The tradition of it, cooking it, and sharing it." -Zac Posen

My friend, Kellen, tagged me to a recipe on Facebook."This is heaven," read his caption, so I hit play on the video to see what had captured his fancy.

Chocolate Fudge Stuffed Cookie Slices

What we're talking about here is a essentially a chocolate chip cookie bar with an extra layer of gooey chocolate sandwiched in the middle.

Look, I'm no mind reader, but I know a hint when I see one, and I love to bake things for other people. So after a quick trip to the store for the chocolate chips and a can of condensed milk, I set to work.

As I stirred and sifted, measured and mixed, I thought about Kellen's passion for chocolate chip cookies. He loves to eat them fresh from the panggang around bedtime, and I've seen considerable photographic evidence that he often bakes up a plateful to share with his nine-year-old son. As Kellen works to become a more present parent than he was during the early years of his son's life, cookies represent the new constancy and commitment between them, and I'm honored to be part of their chocolate chip cookie tradition.

* * * * *

And I remembered, as I often do when whipping up batches of chocolate chip cookies, my mother's story about the first time she ever ate this delicacy. Back in the 1940s, as a teenager, she went with her church choir in very small-town Michigan for refreshments at a local woman's home. This lady had a flair for fashionable developments, and she served the merk new Tollhouse Cookies that were all the rage in that day. My mom was completely awestruck by the delicious and trendy tidbits, and considered her benefactor to be the height of contemporary chic.

As part of this story, my mom also described this woman/'s astounding home - the height of mid-century modern architectural design in a custom-built jewel, smack in the middle of this tiny town of sleepy Victorian farmhouses. And in a twist of fate that always blew my mind, the story concludes with  my mother's sister eventually marrying this upscale lady's only son, and in time, moving herself, her husband, and her passel of four children into that very house.

Every time I visited my aunt and uncle and cousins there, I would try to picture my teenage mom eating her first chocolate chip cookie at the very same dining table where I sat for holiday meals. But that was far more than my imagination could manage, and the story assumed the stuff of great legend in my mind.

* * * * *

So thank you, Kellen, for inviting me into the traditions of your family and reminding me of the traditions of my own. Baking and sharing these cookies with you was more satisfying than you ever could have known when you dropped that video onto my timeline. So go ahead and hook me up with another recipe any time; you'll probably get another plate of fresh baked goods, and I'll be rewarded with more fabulous memories.

News Trend Grandpa Ranger|Actual

My grandpa puppy has faced some major setbacks and health scares in the past year or so, but he has managed to stare them all down.

Sure, he has some big ol' bumps on his back end, but apparently he has decided not to let them affect his quality of life.

He's lost a lot of weight due to those ravenous tumors, which has stirred up huge amounts of sympathy and compassion from his humans. Accordingly, the treat distribution rate is at an all-time high. Forget a lifetime of boring bowls of dry food - Ranger now lives large on canned food, fresh kibble and crunchy treats served up at his request, all times of night and day.

I'm not even kidding. More than once he's awakened me in the dead of night with his sad little "I'm hungrydanquot; whine, and proceeded to wolf down a giant bowl of the good stuff. It's worth the trouble to see him sigh with satisfaction, curl up on his favorite rug, and fall fast asleep for another eight hours.

We still keep to our daily walk, though it's become a bit of an amble. Strolling where he used to stampede, Ranger has slowed his pace considerably, yet his passion for sniffing is strong as always. Best of all is our return home, when my boy flomps himself down in the cool grass, stretches out long and low, and drifts off to a well-deserved nap.

In between naps and meals and walks, my faithful dog still follows me from room to room, or stretches out on a quilt in the front yard while I do outside chores. Yes, I really do spread a bedcover for my prince - he's come to associate one particular quilt with my work sessions, and sprawls himself across it, patiently waiting while I toil away.

During my work breaks, I like to slip over to the quilt, all quiet-like so as not to disturb his slumber. I'll lie down next to him and give him a good ear rub, or a soul-satisfying belly rub. Sometimes I just watch him breathe, skinny ribs keeping a perfect, restful rhythm.

In those moments, I think to myself just how nice it is to have a grandpa dog. And I remember to appreciate him each and ever day.

News Trend Fifty Years Later|Actual

Source of photos and captions

Just after touchdown on the moon, a panoramic view of the surface with a thruster on the foreground at left, and the lunar module's shadow at right, seen through Armstrong's window.

|source of photos and captions|

I was playing Barbies in my friend's basement on a sunny summer afternoon when her mom opened the door at the top of the stairs and called down, "Diane, your mom's on the phone. She'd like to talk to you."

Huh. That was a little weird. Unless she was hailing me home for dinner, my mom rarely reached out while I was over at a friend's house. At the ripe old age of ten, I enjoyed considerable independence.

So I tromped up the stairs, my friend on my heels, both of us curious about why my mom was calling.

I picked up the Trimline and said hello.

"Ask Mrs. Dean to turn on the television right now. They're landing on the moon!"

Of course, I knew all about the Apollo 11 mission. The whole nation knew. But my parents were true space geeks so at their urging, I closely followed every twist and turn of the space race. All our lives, my brothers and I had been rolled out of bed early to watch every single launch. And thanks to my mom, I was well schooled the ins and outs of the Apollo missions - the various functions of the command module and lunar module; the nuances of the flight path; the profiles and personalities of Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins. I was as excited and knowledgeable as any ten year old could be about the moon landing.

At the moment, however, I was pretty wrapped up in this game of Barbies we were playing.

Although I don't remember the exact words, I know for a fact that my reply was something like this: "Mmm, that's okay. I don't need to watch it."

But with perfect recall, I can hear exactly what my mom said in reply.

"Yes, you need to watch. You'll remember this day for the rest of your life, and you'll always be glad you watched the first men land on the moon."

So I watched.

And you know what? My mom was right.

Fifty years later, I'm still glad.

* * * * *

For beautiful photos of the Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20, 1969

(including the ones I posted above), go here.

And for a timeline of the historic Apollo 11 flight, from liftoff to splashdown, go here.

News Trend Moodawg For The Win|Actual

Hey, remember my friend, Aqil, who built a rocket named Moondawg with 150 of his closest friends on the UW SARP team? Here, let me give you a few hints:

Hint 1: UW (pronounced "You Dub") stands for University of Washington, a world-group university here in Seattle from which Aqil just earned his bachelor's degree.

Hint 2: SARP stands for Society for Advanced Rocket Propulsion, and what members do for fun every year is build a rocket in their free time and then, come June, haul it down to Las Cruces, New Mexico for a launch competition called Spaceport America Cup.

Hint tiga: If that still doesn't ring any bells, you can always go here to read the full back story.

* * * * *

Well, I have great news. The results of this year's competition are in...And UW SARP won!

On June 22, Moondawg launched straight and true into the deep blue high desert sky, and performed just as everyone hoped it would

Go here to watch the flight from countdown... To ignition...To liftoff...To the point where the UW SARP team still seem to be tracking Moondawg's trajectory although I can see nothing but clear, blue sky.

But if you want an image that captures the mood on the ground, look no further than this:

source

After a long year of long hours and hard work, nothing says, "Hell, yes, we did it!" than these five. Figures, carrying their spent rocket back to the base.

Congratulations to Aqil, the whole UW SARP team, and Moondawg too, for your brilliant, high-flying success.

* * * * *

More stories about my friend, Aqil:

An Invitation To Dinner

Aqil's Chicken

Chicken Drumsticks

Ready To Launch

An All-American Dinner

Moondawg For The Win

News Trend Rice Bowl Sauces: Mediterranean Olive |Actual

Why make just one flavor of rice bowl sauce whenyou stumble upon a recipe for five?

Once I surveyedthis quintet of delicious options, I set upon a plan to try them all.

Mmm, last night, I slipped off to Italy for a rustic evening meal of grilled sausage, fresh flakes of pecorino cheese, and a medley of summery roasted vegetables, blended together with the warm flavors of olives, lemon and parsley.

Just kidding. I ate this in my back yard.

But everything else is true and I give this week's rice bowl sauce recipe a definite thumb's up.

My family strongly agrees. Each one of them said this rich, earthy sauce was their favorite so far. For sure, we will have this again.

And now for a word about the rice bowls themselves.

I feel pretty comfortable riffing on the basic components of what should properly be called a grain bowl.

Choose a grain. I lean hard on brown rice but quinoa, millet, polenta, amaranth, farro, or orzo pasta are all options.

Add a protein. Tofu, beef, fish, lentils, seafood, eggs, cheese, beans, or pork.

Now ramp up the veggies. Mix color, texture, and raw with cooked. Go with what's in season, and what pairs well together. I like my finished bowl to be at least half vegetables, so I cook more than enough and balance proportions at the table.

Top it off. Snip some herbs, grate a bit of fresh cheese, chop some nuts, slice up a scallion. A sprinkle of something new adds interest and texture to the very first bite.

* * * * *

Now, all this grain bowl freelancing is well and good, but sometimes it's fun to try someone else's concotion. I find that other people's grain bowl recipes will lead me to try new ingredients in new combinations, and I usually learn from the experience.

Happily, each of these sauce recipes I'm trying comes paired with a grain bowl recipe, linked at the end of each section of the original post. For the first two sauces, I invented my own grain bowls, based on what sounded good to me slash what I had on hand.

But for this Mediterranean Olive Sauce, I worked more closely with the paired recipe. True, the recipe was based on polenta - a creamy cornmeal classic from Northern Italy - but I prepared the other ingredients much as suggested, and improvised my way into a happy place.

Which is one of the truly lovely things about a rice, I mean, grain bowl. Experimentation is the name of the game, and as long as the ingredients are fresh and delicious, every combination will be a delight.

Especially when eaten in the Italian countryside. Or my backyard.

* * * * *

Ingredients & Directions:

Combine 1 cup pitted olives, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons water, 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, 2 cloves garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, then blend until you each your desired consistency.

from the Kitchn

* * * * *

I've committed to a month of Rice Bowl Mondays, featuring each of the five sauces in the article. Here you go:

Orange Tahini

Spicy Sriracha Peanut

Mediterranean Olive Sauce

Hoisin Ginger

Herbed Goat Cheese

News Trend El Malecon Cloudburst|Actual

The calm before the storm.

El Malecon is a broad esplanade that winds  eight kilometers along the heart of the Havana waterfront.

During our pleasant twilight stroll along this popular walkway, the heavens parted and an unholy tropical storm beat down on our heads. While other sightseers ran for more substantial cover, my host family and I crouched under first a tree and later a cannon as we waited for my host to come rescue us with the car.

Eventually he did. But not before we were soaked to the skin and surprisingly cool in the sweltering August heat. We tumbled into the car, had a good laugh about our misfortunes, and headed home to dry out.

While I'm sure we would all have enjoyed thunderstorm-free evening at the seaside, I have no doubt that the memories of our El Malecon cloudburst will last a lifetime.

* * * * *

Check out more stories about my once-in-a-lifetime trip to Cuba and my wonderful friends who lived there:

I Will Bake You A Pie

Cuban Makan

Cuban Economics

El Malecon Cloudburst

A La Playa

Creepy Cuban Kudzu

Plaza De La Revolucion

Old Havana

Poolside in Havana

A Cuban Sunset Story

Sunset Chasers, Cuban Edition

The Puppy At The Castle

Old Havana On The Eve Of Fidel's Birthday

An ASEAN Celebration

Nayli's Bedroom

Varadero, Cuba

Winding Down

Dear Cuba

Aqil's Chicken

The Gentle Art Of Reframing

My Cuban Home

Tickled Pink

Full Circle

Chicken Drumsticks