Sunday, November 13, 2005

Progress


Terry came over this afternoon and helped me move some things I couldn't do by myself. I am so thankful. He has been such a trooper the whole time I've been working on this house project.

He also carried the rest of the slate tile upstairs for me. I thought I'd take a package up everytime I went upstairs but it was so heavy I couldn't carry it up. He carried it all up - one package at a time. I owe him dinner.

I sent him off with some potato soup I made earlier today, but I need to do something more than that for him. He was so very gracious in helping me with all these projects, and especially that one. I'm so, so, so, so, so happy to have it out of the living room.

I need to get the piano and the couch moved into the sunporch and then my living room can be made liveable again. I'm so very eager for that. I have some paint touchup to do in there, but I'm not repainting so it's nothing major.

I also got a corner of the library finished today. I have worn out the sponge I was using so I guess I need to buy another one. Terry brought in the shelves for me that go up there so I can start putting those together. Then they'll have to be carried upstairs but at this point getting them all put together seems overwhelming enough. One thing at a time.

It will feel so good to get books on the shelves. I haven't had all my cookbooks out for a few years. It will be like Christmas seeing them all again. The next step in that process is getting the shelves put together. It's not a job I enjoy, unfortunately. But, it's a job that has to be done nonetheless.

Kathleen Sebelius Top Five Governor


Governor Kathleen Sebelius has been named one of the Top Five Governors by Time Magazine. I can't wait to see the article.

On the other side of the coin, Bush's approval rating has dropped to 36%. The lowest one ever was Nixon at 24% right before he resigned.

It's Paula Deen's Fault


I adore Paula Deen. She is the epitome of southern grace as far as I'm concerned. And "the boys" are just too cute for words.

This morning I sat down to take a break and Paula was making potato soup with shrimp. Now I don't really care for shrimp but I sure do love potato soup. Guess what's on my stove right now?

I didn't have any leeks in the house but I did have some shallots, which I also love. And, I had both butter and cream on hand, so it will be quite the rich concoction. It's simmering now. I love to cook it a really long time so the flavors all meld together.

I called Greg's mom this morning to see how she was feeling and she's doing much better today. She had gall bladder surgery on Wednesday and is still recuperating.

Well, I'm going to go move more things. Although, I'm having a cup of constant comment before I do. I know the tea snobs look down on teabags and such, but I love the convenience and I adore constant comment. My favorite orange flavored tea is by Lipton - it's a delicate flavor - but I can rarely find it around here. I know, Lipton, lets all look down our noses. But, hey, I like it. So, there you go. Maybe my tea tastebuds just aren't sophisticated enough, but they work for me.

In Praise of Small Towns


I'm working on a freelance article about ethnic food traditions in Kansas. In the course of writing it I've had reason to talk to people in various small towns.

Yesterday was a prime example of why small towns are so wonderful. I called a cafe in Wilson to ask about Czech traditions. The woman there referred me to the lady who started the Czech festival, who gave me a wonderful interview.

When I did news, I learned to always call the grocery store, post office or bank to find things out in a small town. Whoever answered the phone knew what you wanted to know. It's a beautiful thing, really.