Spotted Around Campus

cornell campus--

Need a place to tarry in idyll? Cornell's got it!



Daffodil Deere makes a stop at Olin Library



Hey, forget about those daffodils! Look at us!




Is actually someone who doesn't have enough of these?



Librarian, stuck inside all day, maintains sanity by beautifying workspace...



Snapped as the chimes were playing "Jingle Bells" (preceeded by the theme from Star Wars, followed by "Hey Jude")




Hey, is that...? Yes! Hooray!

The Neighbors

lodi town and vicinity-- Have you ever wondered what our neighborhood is like? Wonder no more!

Hello... Heathcliff? It's me, Cathy

But you should see the daffodils! Curb appeal!

Come set a spell

Santa Fe East

The red door really works

The lively center of Valois

... and finally, La Casa Verde... ahora, con amarillo!

NOW DELI.V.ERING

rt 96 outside jacksonville--

This week's double bill at Rascal's.

Signs of Spring: Compare to Last Week

cornell campus--

I don't know how to do side-by-side photo layout yet and it's too nice an evening to spend time finding out, so I hope you won't mind checking the pictures below against those in the April 11 posting to see how Spring is progressing on campus.

By the parking lot...fall back




Behind Sage Chapel...fall back




By the Music Building...fall back

Things Crossing the Road

state route 414 and searsburg road--

Last night:
A fluffy-tailed bunny

This morning:
First, a hawk with its freshly killed squirrel dangling from its claws. Its meal interrupted by the barreling danger of the Jetta, the hawk had attempted to take flight but couldn't gain elevation due to the heavy squirrel (flashback to Texas, 1993 -- Darren, I'm talking to you). The hawk finally dropped the squirrel and made its ascent just in the nick of time.

Next, a wild turkey, who swerved in the same direction that I did. Fortunately, it managed a flappy fly-skip-hop maneouver and thus another unhappy encounter was averted.

Whew.

We Love Our Neighbors

caywood station--

The beautiful sight that greeted us at our doorstep this Sunday morning.

Winter Walk

caywood--Spring took the day off, and we took a stroll down the lane with neighbor Lucy and guest Bosun. A beautiful day in Lodi.

Living Legend Visits Ithaca!

cornell campus-- Alison Bechdel, graphic artist, spoke on campus last night. She is famous for her comic strip, "Dykes to Watch Out For". Last year, her first graphic novel, Fun Home (now available in paperback-- buy it!) was published. In a nutshell, it tells of growing up with a closeted gay father obsessed with restoring their home --the town's funeral parlor-- to its Victorian glory.

Interesting trivia! Alison's hometown is not far from where Karen's family lives. Karen asked Alison what became of the home she wrote about. Answer: She had heard a gay couple was going to buy it (a fitting next incarnation for the Fun Home!), but isn't sure if that happened. Currently, a Mennonite family lives in it. The New York Times did a piece on Alison and this house when Fun Home came out, but Alison said no emotional revelations occured.

"Dykes to Watch Out For" celebrates its 25th Anniversary this year! Karen figured out she has been reading it for 23 years. The early editions are now almost impossible to find in bookstores (why? No independent bookstores left on the face of the earth!) so we are looking forward to the anthology of all the old strips which is forthcoming this Fall.

At the reception, Karen entertained Alison by telling her how she read Fun Home continuously-- and it was always new-- while she had a her concussion a few years ago.

All in all, Alison was as smart, funny, approachable and nice as you might think she would be. She has a new graphic novel coming out in 15 months and is kind of nervous about finishing it!

Let's all support her by buying her stuff!

Now, some bitchy comments on Cornell's event coordination capabilities:
1. Why, when the venue had no fewer than four microphones cluttering up the podium, could no one from Cornell ensure one was working?
2. Ever hear of giving a speaker some water or refreshments?
3. Why did the crabcakes at the reception smell so bad?

Signs of Spring

cornell campus--

By the parking lot...spring forward



Behind Sage Chapel (that's McGraw Tower you're seeing)...spring forward



In front of the Music building...spring forward



Yesterday, I was pestered by a swarming mass of gnat-like creatures. That doesn't happen in winter!

Recipe for Spring

caywood-- SUNday took its name to heart and brought us some cheering rays, along with the warmest temperatures of the season.

This called for a walk down to the lake. Along the way, a new-to-us neighbor was met, a hummingbird nest was sighted, and the first wildflowers of Spring were appreciated! Quiet, tiny blooms that they are, we didn't notice them until the return trip. Another reminder that beauty is all around, even if you aren't currently seeing it.



A quick peek at neighbors Jay and Amy's Audubon Society Field Guild to Wildflowers revealed these to be Coltsfoot.

Wondering what to do the Coltsfoot you find in your neighborhood?

Coltsfoot Flowers Sorbet
Recipe by Marc Veyrat
30 fresh coltsfoot flowers (tussilago farfara)
125 gr sugar
400 gr mineral water (4 dl)
a drop of lemon juice
half an egg white

Find the rest of the recipe here

You'll have to tell us how it is, though, because the rest of the afternoon was spent sunning ourselves on the deck. Another first of Spring.

Big Day!

steamboat landing, ithaca, ny-- No more x's on the calendar. Finally, the moment arrived. After its annual winter hiatus (an incredibly long four months), the Ithaca Farmer's Market started back up today.

Things We Ate
-FREE Maple Cotton Candy FREE
-Black bean burrito with salsa
-Calabacita (zucchini), corn, onion burrito
-Brownie

Things We Bought
-Salad mix (Yay, greens!)
-Lamb shank
-Locally made cheese
-Frozen blueberries
-Potatoes-- Yukon Gold, red
-Eggs
-Maple cream
-Wool yarn
-Notecards

Things We Saw
-Happy, happy people, faces shining like spring daffodils after a long winter underground
-Friends from Cornell

Things We Shot the Breeze About with Vendors
-The last woolen mill on the East Coast on Prince Edward Island (future Ithaca-grown wool blankets will be issuing forth from there)
-Learned the difference between and organic and conventional butchering practices
-Passive solar tunnels (long "hoop house" greenhouses that aren't heated)
-Inquired about future Ethanol plant and the potential rise of CAFOs
-Where to find crochet coaching

Question We Asked Ourselves
Are we really this crunchy granola?

Ah, it's good to be among the living!

Check out the Ithaca Farmer's Market

Check out MacAusland's Woolen Mills

Ruby's Retreat

caywood station-- You might remember Ruby. She is the shy cat you never saw when you came to visit us. L.A. stressed her out. The noises, the people, the helicopters.

You remember a different Ruby.

Now, each morning, Ruby emerges from her restful 22-hour sleep ready to greet the day! First on her to-do list? Watching the news, of course! From her favorite spot (a catnip scratching contraption adapted for re-use as a sit-upon) in front of the sliding glass door, she observes the world outside. How much snow has fallen? What birds will come to the feeder? Also, are their migration patterns changing? Is Templeton, the neighborhood rat, going to be hauling away seed? For the answers to these and other burning questions, tune in to RubyTV.

The Magic of Mushrooms

our living room-- In February, a small but heavy box appeared on our doorstep. Inside, all you ever needed to grow your own mushrooms! Since the Farmer's Market closed in December, pickin's for our "local diet initiative" have been slimmer and more centered around pale roots.

After the required week in the dark, we transferred our box of spores to the required cooler place. Yes, we have a cardboard box with a garbage bag over it as the focal point of our living room. But we don't care! We have already harvested a nice helping of criminis and 3 large portabellas... all from the comfort of our couch. Thanks to our mushroom benefactors, Jenny, Greg, and Kira, the diversity of ingredients our winter dinners has increased by at least 20%!