a prelude to mother's day

on this picture sunday, memories of my mother. these three are from the early years in her much-too-short life. next sunday, i will post a few of her all-grown-up.
remember~click to enlarge them.



she looks about a year old here, so this must be 1930.
she lived in appleton, wisconsin. the second-born
of four children. her older sister was born just about a
year before mama emerged.




this is my mother and her sister, in front of
their home in appleton.mom is on the left.
i remember hearing that my aunt convinced
my mother early-on to be the "older" sister.
this begs the question... why?




i love this one. she looks to be about twelve here. still in appleton,
on the fox river. the land of many paper mills.
the grandfather i never knew died when my mother was three.

my grandmother had two jobs after he died. she was an elementary school teacher
during the day and an editor for the local newspaper at night.
life could not have been carefree for this young girl.
and yet, she sparkles.

thanks, shakey

my recipe for renewal-of-hope?

play "living with war" and LISTEN TO THE WORDS.

(my old pal, mister muddy boots used to say that.)


it's no surprise to me, that this album sounds incredible.

this gentleman has been in my musical heart from the beginning.

i see him play every chance i get. no questions asked.

buffalo springfield, neil and the ducks, crazy horse,

the blue notes, solo, every bit of it.

the extra-added bonus about his current release is that

it speaks to something that many still refuse to face.

that this is our time, our world, our future, or lack thereof.

those that love their country do not abandon it to these con-men.

we can do it!

"Living With War"

Click the title link to hear all of Neil Young's latest album. Including a real catchy number called "Let's Impeach the President."

If you are a Neil fan, you won't be dissapointed. If you aren't neccesarily a Neil fan, but you're fed-up with what's going on in Washington, you might appreciate what he has to say. Believe me, it speaks VOLUMES.

Oh, and here are the lyrics to "Let's Impeach the President" Come on, sing along-you know the words!

Let’s impeach the president for lying

And leading our country into war

Abusing all the power that we gave him

And shipping all our money out the door

He’s the man who hired all the criminals

The White House shadows who hide behind closed doors

And bend the facts to fit with their new stories

Of why we have to send our men to war

Let’s impeach the president for spying

On citizens inside their own homes

Breaking every law in the country

By tapping our computers and telephones

What if Al Qaeda blew up the levees

Would New Orleans have been safer that way

Sheltered by our government’s protection

Or was someone just not home that day?

Let’s impeach the president

For hijacking our religion and using it to get elected

Dividing our country into colors

And still leaving black people neglected

Thank god he’s racking down on steroids

Since he sold his old baseball team

There’s lot of people looking at big trouble

But of course the president is clean

Thank God

From Keats' Endymion...

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.

book learnin'

a friend at work just loaned me this book, and the timing could not be better.
nothing like some good old-fashioned crass humor, to lighten things up.
i just finished "like a rolling stone", by greil marcus. oh yeah, am also working on "how to be good", by nick hornby. you?

bunnyduck

this is a photograph of the creature found amid the artifacts of my aiko brother's shrine, which can be found below, somewhere down there.

the artist's name is todd schorr, and if you click the post title above, you can see much more of his art.

stanford protest

the president visited the golden state last week. he did not receive a warm welcome.
below is a shot from one of a flurry of protests that occured in northern california on 4/21 and 4/22. not surprisingly, these events were grossly under-reported.

can you say "thought control?" sure, i knew you could.

1980

my then 23-year old foot. tuolumne meadows, yosemite national park. my friend-and-fellow-camper took this. he took many amazing photographs. a little more than a year after this picture was taken, we married. he would also be the father of my two eldest children.


also in the summer of 1980... this is me with the man i would marry, at the santa cruz boardwalk. (note-we did not marry at the boardwalk!... but in pescadero.)i am wearing one of the prized possessions of my youth, an antique panama straw hat. i was completely nuts over this accesory, and wore it almost all the time. eventually, it began to disintegrate. it had a black satin band around it, and the lining was satin too. i still remember the name of the manufacturer... quick and company, chicago.



san francisco... the intended subject matter for the photo was the graffiti on the side of a warehouse, which i spotted from a now-demolished freeway. we (the man in the photo above and i) pulled off the road to take pictures. we also decided to add a few of our new-and-exciting aiko stickers to that wall. i am holding a roll of them. what was funny, to us, was the way "grateful dead" was added-to, by various people. "eat the" was added... perhaps by some punks? and "dead boyz" was a tag of some sort, no doubt.

ah, the youthful exuberance of twenty-somethings.

pasta with peas, prosciutto, and lemon

this is one of those recipes that just makes people feel good.
i like that. plus, it's a cinch.


ANGEL HAIR PASTA WITH PEAS, PROSCIUTTO, AND LEMON


1/2 pound angel hair pasta
1/3 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 cup shelled fresh peas or frozen petite peas
4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/3 cup dry white wine
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese (about 1 ounce)

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain; reserve 3/4 cup pasta cooking liquid.

Simmer cream and lemon peel in heavy large skillet over medium heat until slightly reduced, about 1 minute. Stir in peas, prosciutto, wine, and lemon juice. Simmer 2 minutes. Add pasta and cheese and toss to coat, adding enough pasta cooking liquid to moisten. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes 2 servings; can be doubled.

his shrine

~click image for detail~

i received this picture today, with the one below.
coincidentally... the grateful dead reckoning embroidered patch, in the upper right of the photo? it's the very same patch in the black and white image of my friend, also in the post below. i didn't realize this until i put this post up. (insert twilight zone theme here.) same patch, 24 years later.

april 16th, 2006

~click to enlarge the images~




the ferry building, in san francisco. lit-up in style, commemorating the 100-year anniversary of the great quake, which was last sunday. this awesome shot was taken by my dearest aiko brother, who resides in that fair city. stuff like this makes me proud to be a native san franciscan. shucks.





flashback~~~ this is a picture of the guy that took the photo above, as a younger guy. march 1982... carmel, california. this dude and i, we go WAY back. through more changes than a waring blender, to drop a quick zevon reference.

another flesh-and-blood reason for my continued existence on this wacky planet. my "other" brother.

fare thee well

an aerial view of paradise.







... i love you more than words can tell.

i write this post today with my (aiko) sister in mind. the top photos of my friend and i are from summer, 1996. i've included two pics which she sent me, of her home. she leaves for moorea tonight.

so much changes in one's life-as-an-adult. especially friendships, or what we believed were friendships. a few stand out, in the long run. i have known and cherished many, over the last almost half-century. these days, i keep it simpler, socially.


i have mentioned my soon-to-be-traveling friend often here lately. she has been looking after her (amazing) mother in southern california for several months. i have "only" known my friend for ten years. less than some of my pals, for sure. the bond we share is so deep, so real. maybe because it evolved from one of the most monumental losses either of us had ever suffered, up to that point. the day we became fast friends, we were at aiko tim's memorial. the instant we met, we knew. it was like "hey, i know you." know what i'm saying?


travel safely, my sister. love you.

"when god made me"

my communion day.... may 1966 in appleton, wisconsin. with my brother. after the blessed ritual. this picture is a strange one, for me. i went along with all of the prescribed catholic stuff for most of my young life. then one day, i stopped. it just wasn't for me.

lyrics to a neil young song follow. this song can be found on his 2005 release, "prarie wind"
a gospel choir joins him on this tune. it's eerily beautiful, to say the least.

"When God Made Me"

Was he thinkin' about my country
Or the color of my skin?
Was he thinkin' 'bout my religion
And the way I worshipped him?
Did he create just me in his image
Or every living thing?

When God made me
When God made me

Was he planning only for believers
Or for those who just have faith?
Did he envision all the wars
That were fought in his name?
Did he say there was only one way
To be close to him?

When God made me
When God made me

Did he give me the gift of love
To say who I could choose?

When God made me
When God made me

When God made me
When God made me

Did he give me the gift of voice
So some could silence me?
Did he give me the gift of vision
Not knowing what I might see?
Did he give me the gift of compassion
To help my fellow man?

When God made me
When God made me

When God made me
When God made me

"living with war"

last night my man told me about a brand new neil young release-soon to be available.
the title is appropriate and timely. if you click on the title link above, you can learn about this "metal/folk protest album."

he ain't singin' for pepsi, he's singin' for PEACE.

thank you, neil.

april 16th

october 1990... my father and stepmama. she is as wonderful as he. a match, in every respect. this was taken at my middle child's 4th birthday gala. we lived in a great place overlooking elkhorn slough, a wetlands preserve.



dad and my youngest, last xmas.





dad at 15 months of age. that would have been july 1936. how about that playpen? yikes!


this photo sunday, i have posted a few pictures to honor my father's day of birth, which happens to be today.

i won't go into too much mushy stuff. let's just say that this man makes my life and the lives of his grandchildren so much better, by merely existing. it's never been easy, raising my kids without my mother around. and yet, he makes it all okay. happy birthday to my dad.

recipe day

this week it's a dessert recipe. sometimes a little something sweet seems right, when little else does. you know? this is another recipe from moosewood cookbook author, mollie katzen. scrumptious!

CHOCOLATE-TOPPED ALMOND CAKE

Adapted from: Mollie Katzen's Vegetable Heaven
Preparation time: 1 hour, 10 minutes (20 minutes of work)
Yield: 1 9-inch round (about 6 servings)



A classic Italian-style cake, this tastes best if wrapped tightly and refrigerated for 24 hours before serving. The almond flavor ripens, and the chocolate topping becomes delightfully crunchy.



A little butter and flour for the pan
3/4 cup (4 ounces) almonds, lightly toasted
2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs

FOR THE TOP:
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Confectioners' sugar
A few extra almonds (slivered, blanched, and lightly toasted)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.
Place the almonds and 2 tablespoons sugar in a food processor or a blender, and grind to a powder in a few short bursts. Stir in the flour and set aside.
Combine the 1/2 cup butter and the sugar with the extracts and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl, and beat with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
Sprinkle the flour-almond mixture over the top of the butter mixture, and use a rubber spatula to fold it in with a few deft strokes. (Don't overmix.)
Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until it is golden and the top springs back when lightly touched. Let it sit for 30 minutes, then remove the cake from the pan, transfer to a plate, and cool completely.
Melt the chocolate chips gently in a double boiler or in a microwave at a low power. Sift some confectioners' sugar onto the cake, and sprinkle with slivered almonds, if desired. Use a small spoon to drizzle the melted chocolate over the top in a lacy pattern or an abstract expression. Let the chocolate harden before serving.

"if you've seen one redwood"

... you've seen them all, according to the late ronald reagan.

i beg to differ.

he obviously never saw "big red" - the ancient giant in our front yard.

pull up to the bumper, baby

the circle game

my son after a recent musical gig. photo credit must be given to his art school friend, who continues to take some fine shots of the lad.


my daughter on sunday, 4/9... after she got the haircut she has wanted for many months. they cut off about 10 inches of her hair, and it will be donated to the "locks of love" charity.

one pretty much grown, one well on her way.
the birthday felt sacred to their mama. it always will.

april 10th...twice

my first born, my son-at about a week old. date of birth:
april 10th 1982.


my youngest girl-child at about a week old. date of birth:
april 10th 1992.


tomorrow is quite a day. my oldest and youngest child were born on that date, ten years apart.

who knew?

happy birthday to my april 10th babies.

avgolemono soupa

(greek egg and lemon soup)

this week's recipe comes from my friend's mom, maggie. this comes from one of her cookbooks, called "cold spaghetti at midnight"
i mentioned her in my recipe saturday post last week. this is a lovely and comforting soup. it's a good time for lemons around here, with the constant rain and chilly temperatures. hat tip to my favorite blog hostess,for the the idea of a
lemon-y recipe today.


8 cups strong clear chicken broth

1/2 cup long-grain rice

4 eggs

juice of 2 lemons/meyer's lemons are best

parsley clusters

bring the broth to a boil. add the rice and cook until the rice is tender, about 20 to 30 minutes.

turn the heat down. beat the eggs with a rotary beater until light and foamy.
add the lemon juice and beat again.

wisk in 2 cups of the hot soup and beat until well mixed. (or put the eggs in a blender, cover, and blend 1 minute. then add the 2 cups of soup while the blender
is going.) add the diluted egg-and-lemon mixture to the rest of the soup., beating constantly.

heat almost to the boiling point, but not quite, or the soup will curdle. serve immediately, sprinkled with parsley clusters.

hey now

this is some early aiko artwork. (circa 1979) drawn by my (surviving) aiko brother. it began as a simple doodle. the eye was originally on one of mickey hart's drums. my friend drew the eyeball, and included the (misspelled)
song title from a catchy little tune that the dead had begun to cover in about 1978.
i have written about that song here before. the grateful dead's version was a crowd-pleaser, no doubt.

the song was written in 1950. it was recorded and released to the masses by the dixie cups, and covered by an interesting selection of people, including dr. john, long john baldry, cyndi lauper, warren zevon, and the grateful dead, as stated above. plus many more. it is a mardi gras standard. the lyrics vary, depending on who is singing it.

my friend (who still figures prominently in my life) could never actually explain why iko iko was spelled alternately. he knew the proper spelling. he never was a good conformist. we made a few business cards with the artwork, just for fun. we gave a few away at shows here-and-there. then i met a young man who worked for a labeling company. we went out for a while. before too long, he printed thousands of stickers for all of us to distribute. we did just that... across the country and around the world. i still have several rolls of them. since they are almost 30 years old, there is little or no adhesive left. no matter.

anyway, after saturating the scene, people started referring to our little pack as "the aiko's" it stuck, just like those stickers. that is why the word "aiko" still pops up in my language, after all this time.
yes, it's all rather silly. i mean, we were kids then. but those roots are deep-down. part of me.

*click the title, to play the dixie cups version*

a shimmery evening

this was taken at almost 7:00 this fine evening. i liked the light on the waves.
this day began with a bit of sun, turning to gray in the afternoon. still, two days without rainfall is fairly impressive. more rain by tomorrow night, and over the weekend. the sky is crying.

dylan in north beach

this photo and others of dylan, ginsberg, ferlinghetti, etc. have surfaced. they were filed away and forgotten. until recently.

when worlds collide

this is one odd photo. fall 1967, in my room. my mother, brother, and i had left san francisco. mom moved us to appleton, wisconsin. the place she was born and raised, and where her mother and other family lived. my parents divorced in 1965, and we moved away from all i had known.

i went from the diversity and excitement of north beach, san francisco to america's dairyland. in appleton, there were basically two kinds of people-catholic or lutheran! it felt nice to know my maternal grandmother and all of that family more. but i didn't much care for catholic school. and by the looks of this shot, i don't think being a girl scout in troop 262 was my cup of tea, either. but i was a good sport about it all.
note: the beatles 8x10 glossies on my wall, from the white album. also a handbill from the avalon ballroom in the lower left corner, from the yearly visit to my dad in san francisco. in complete contrast, the little holy water-finger-dipping-receptacle, to my right. i know it has a name, but i can't recall it.

i think i look conflicted, which is not surprising. we lived in appleton for about five years, until mom decided that we'd be a lot happier back in san francisco. she was right. regardless, i have some fond memories of appleton.

recipe saturday souffle

this recipe is from a james beard cook book, given to me by a childhood friend. the book was her mother's, and her mother was a san francisco "foodie." what a cook she was. some of my earliest kid memories are of being at her house, and trying strange, exotic recipes. she worked for sunset magazine for years, and also wrote several cookbooks of her own. when this woman died, her daughter was kind to give me a big pile of the cookbooks her mother had collected all her life. i treasure them. the james beard book is titled: "delights and prejudices" i have posted a photo i found tucked into the book. it is of my old friend's mother, maggie waldron and her friend, james beard. i am grateful to maggie for sparking an early interest in the preparation of interesting, delicious foods.

blend 3 tablespoons flour with 3 tablespoons melted butter, stir well and cook for 3 or 4 minutes over medium heat.
stir in 3/4 cup of milk, and stir till the sauce is thickened. cool it slightly, add 4 egg yolks and return it to heat for 2 or 3 minutes, stirring well. add flavorings (e.g., 1/3 cup grand marnier for a dessert or 1 cup grated cheese, for a savory souffle) and cool the mixture slightly. Finally, add 5 or 6 egg whites beaten stiff but not dry. fold them in with a spatula, or electric beater with wisk attachment. pour the souffle into a 1 1/2 quart container-it does not have to be a standard souffle dish-and bake at 400 degrees for 25 to 40 minutes, depending on the firmness you desire in a souffle.

p.s.
happy all fool's day.