Smartwool Socks- Amazing Discovery!!!

I thought I had found the secret to life- and that was men's socks, but now I have found an even more amazing discovery--- Smartwool socks!!! They are wool and while you might think they would be itchy, they are not. They are amazingly warm and keep my cold feet warm and toasty! I can say they have been tested by my youngest daughter who recently went skiing in Steamboat, CO.

Of course, finding Smartwool socks was not my original discovery-- I have my mountain climbing, philosopher daughter to thank for introducing us all to Smartwool socks. Thanks sweetie for educating your family to the finer points of winter footwear :).

If you have cold feet try these-- they are really "warmlicious!!!"

Snowy Days

This winter we've had several snowstorms and and last week was no exception. It's almost become a snow storm every week! Fawn loves it though- she loves to frolick in the yard, and is good at getting Phil to play ball with her.

Barefoot by Elin Hildebrand

Yesterday I did something I can't remember ever having done before-- I opened a new book to read at 4PM and finished it by midnight!

I seldom read novels, preferring instead the nitty gritty of stories drawn from "real life." However, this novel was a fun, light read- although the story of one of the heroines struggling with chemo treatments was a bit heavy-- but just imagining a summer on Nantucket was what I needed amid all this cold and snow!

The ending of the story was less satisfying. The young Nantucket man who saved the day by becoming the family's babysitter for two little boys, in the end seemed cast off with a paycheck and a great big "Thanks- we couldn't have done it without you" spiel. From a conflict perspective-- the ending pointed out class differences; from a structural-functionalist perspective-- the ending simply ended; and from a symbolic-interactionist perspective-- the ending showed how each character, in a different stage of life, placed meaning in his or her summer experiences.

Erwtensoep (Dutch Pea Soup)

One of my favorite things to cook on cold winter days is Erwtensoep, or Dutch Pea Soup. It's a Dutch version of "soul food" or simple peasant food that's so satisfying to the senses.

The key ingredient is to have a good stock-- in this case we cooked the ham bone left over from our Christmas ham. It's amazing how much meat is left on a hambone that can then be picked off the bone and cut up for the soup. Simply simmer the hambone for several hours while also soaking a bag of split peas. I like to simmer the split peas for 20 minutes and then soak them for 3-4 hours. After they've finished soaking, drain the water from the peas and rinse them in a colander under fresh running water. Strain the stock so as to remove any chuncks from the hambone. If you cool the stock before adding the peas then you will need to scim off the fat. Drain the water from the peas and add them to the stock. Add a large chopped onion, several chopped carrots, several chopped celery sticks and several boullion cubes to taste. Let the soup simmer for several hours as this will reduce the stock. About an hour before serving, add several cubes potatoes. This will thicken the soup and give it its heartiness. Enjoy with nice bread and a glas of white wine!

Birthday Walk

All I wanted for my birthday this year was to go on a nature walk with my family-- and I got my wish! Simple things are always best:

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amcGIfMu0bw&feature=related

The Search for al Qaeda

This book has been widely read in the Obama administration as it seems to be one of the most definite books ever written explaining the origins, philosophies, and operations of the al Qaeda organization. When crafting policy about how to deal with Afghanistan, President Obama himself is said to have turned to this book for understanding about the challenges the US faces in its war in Afghanistan (See the Bob Woodward book Obama's Wars,2010).

This book explains the history of al Qaeda and how it came into existence. Whereas the Western world seems to suffer from memory loss, the Arab world seems to suffer from too much collective memory and not being able to let go of any past memories that do not help to strengthen governments and peoples in the 21st century. Holding on to old grudges fester like wounds that do not heal.

Read Search for Al Qaeda book if you are interested in understanding the Arab-Western world conflicts.

Poffertjes (Dollar Sized Pancakes)

One of the most wonderful things about Rotterdam is eating poffertjes in the poffertjes tent aan de Hoogstraat. Situated right in the center of Rotterdam's shopping district, eating poffertjes has been a tradition that I used to engage in with my Uncle Willem, with whom I used to go to the market and then eat poffertjes. He was an artist and lover of antiques. He taught me how to look for authenticity and detect the fakes from the real antieks. Uncle Willem was an artist, and lover of all things that had stories about people in them. Now, eating poffertjes is my commorative practice that makes me think of him and remember those times. Although I go to a different poffertjes tent, every time I do go, I toast my cup of coffee to him and eat poffertjes to sustain me until my next trip. I guess you could say it's my personal tradition to remember members of my family.

Hiking At the Nature Preserve

Today was a dreary, gloomy weather day. Grey skies and the smell of rain in the air made for a lethargic mood. Even though the ground is wet and somewhat muddy from the melting snow, Phil and I took Fawn for a walk at the nature preserve nearby. The girls had done this last week and marveled at how nice the trails were and how close this was to our home. Somehow we wound up on the Tree Top Trail, going up and downhill which amounted to good exercise for all!

A Week At The Airport: Book Review

Finished reading A Week at the Airport by Alain de Botton. At first I wanted to write about how awful this book was, about how the writer had no focus, and about how he violated basic writing principles such as switching point of view in the middle of a paragraph, and about how he just really put together a hodge-podge of writing into a 63 page book. But as I reflected on this book it occurred to me just how much of a social scientist I had become... I was attracted to this book because I hoped it would be a detailed ethnography about the aspects of airports that we don't see as travellers. I hoped for enlightenment and understanding about the "secrets" of airports behind the scenes. Instead, the author wandered about for a week with little focus or purpose and the result was a thin description of airport life behind the scenes. This would make for a great doctoral dissertation-- or the very least, a great research project conducted as an ethnography!!!

New Year Traditions

Our family's New Year tradition is to have lobster for dinner on New Year's day. This year I also incorporated an old Southern American tradition-- and that is cooking black-eyed peas. The dish is simple peasant food-- cook the black eyed peas on New Year's Eve so that you could have them on New Year's Day. The recipe is very simple: cook a half pound bacon along with large chopped, yellow onion, and a clove of crushed garlic. Then add two stalks of celery (chopped) and two chopped carrots. Then add two cans of black eyed peas. It's great with rice and thus makes a complete protein. Great for the vegetarians in the family!

Black eyed peas on New Year's day is supposed to present good luck for the New Year.