Story In

It's wine-drinking season. Last week Dad, Mollie and I went to a festival-type thing in a little town in Brown county called Story. Lots and lots of people came to sit around in this clearing in the middle of the woods to listen to music and sample wines from around the state. It was a neat time in a beautiful place.

These are just a couple of the many tents that line the perimeter of the clearing. Nearly every winery in the state could be found under these tents, and tastings were complimentary (of course, there was an admission charge to the festival).
I very much liked the first band... they were kinda alt-county/sea chanty music. Those who best know the types of music I like know this is perfect for me. Also, the covered stage is neat looking.
Then it rained. Most people were prepared and continued to enjoy the music.
I didn't as much like the second musician... it was a girl with a guitar. Those who best know the types of music I like know this is not at all what I want to listen to.

The drive down to Nashville then to Story was beautiful with the new leaves on all the trees that line the windy roads lined with rustic homes and cabins. It's pretty neat that such a great place is just an hour away.

I'm a Jerk

I have some stuff to blog, but my preferred computer has been infected with a horrible virus, I guess. I have pictures from last week's trip to Story, Indiana, pictures of some of the new stuff to decorate my new apartment, and will be going out of town again this weekend, so will have those pics, too. I'll get that stuff on my mac and get on it.

Tonight's last patient was an 11 year old boy for an MRI of his ankle. I went out to get him and groaned on the inside... this kid was SUCH a dork. I know it's not very nice to think that, but I did. He came stumbling back with me, walking down the wrong hallways and getting lost on the way out of the bathroom, and I was like, gimme a break. I mean, when I first saw this kid I thought, "Wow, what a relief to not be a parent... what a disappointment it must be if a kid turns out this dorky!" But he was so sweet and such a great patient! He asked a lot of questions and was very eager to see the machine and to lay very still... when I told him how important it was that he not move, he quickly laid his arms at his side and looked up at the ceiling-- he was ready to go! I burned his images onto a CD for him to take home so he could look at them and keep them, and he carried the CD out to his mom as if it were made of gold, using both hands.

Ok, lesson learned... even if a kid is super dorky he can still be nice and well-behaved and a pleasure to be around.

More Zoo

This was one of the few butterflies we saw at the butterflies exhibit at the White River Gardens at the zoo. I said, 'It looks like an owlface!' and about 12 feet away was a little sign telling us these are called owl butterflies.One of the highlights of the zoo was this tree. What kind is it? Who knows. It was really cool though, all bloomy and hangy.
Teeny daffodils that look like they top chives.
Dr. Seuss tree in the desert part.
The first peony!
I love these little dancing turtle guys that adorn a few pools in the gardens.
Makes me long for Holland.
They had some smokin orchids... this pic is my fave.

Soap Opera Blog

I'm not at all ashamed to admit that I just bid adieu to Palmer Courtland with tears in my eyes. I don't know when I first started watching All My Children... I know Dawn (who was married to Don... they were Don and Dawn), a woman who watched Scott and me before Laura was born, watched All My Children, so that's taking it back to at least 3rd grade. Was AMC a part of my life before then? I have a feeling it was... did Grandma W. watch it? Anyway, Palmer Courtland was a major figure in my childhood-- he was the most powerful, well-dressed, ruthless person I knew of. When his rival Adam Chandler came along in the mid-80s or so I scoffed... this Chandler fellow was no Palmer Courtland, that was for sure! The farewell to PC episode of AMC was pretty great, really. His daughter, Nina was there, as was Nina's mom, Daisy, Brooke (who is back and in love with Adam.... AGAIN!), Jackson Montgomery (my mom always thought it was neat that his first and last name were the state capitals of Mississippi and Alabama), Opal... it was a great episode filled with old-timers.

Work was complete shite today-- I didn't even have time to run back to the kitchen to get my salad to eat while I scanned. The best thing in the world, the thing that cancelled out the rotten day, was pouring a big glass of wine, eating that salad, and watching this episode of AMC.

Maybe Weird, Definitely Good

One time at a vegetarian (ok, THE vegetarian) restaurant in Fort Worth I had a wrap with sweet potato puree, spiced nuts, and some veggies, and it was really really good. I had a butternut squash sitting around, so I decided to give that type of sandwich or pita a try. I cut a butternut squash in half, olive oiled and seasoned it with my Everyday Seasoning Mix from Trader Joes, and roasted it until a fork easily pierced the flesh (350 degrees for about 60 minutes). Then I took my handy dandy immersion blender to turn the tender squash into a puree. That's it! It is super good, btw. It's great on it's own, but it's also great as a sandwich spread.

I have made this in a pita and in a tortilla wrap, both ways produce pretty similar results. Smear the puree on, sprinkle crushed pecans (like the sweet and spicy kind!), layer sprouts, spinach, onion, add a piece of turkey or jarlsberg cheese and roll up (if it's on a tortilla). Really really good, and so pretty, what with the bright orange puree, dark green lettuce, purple onions, etc.

Blog about the foliage of the Indy zoo coming soon.

Lions and Tigers and Bears... Not Pictured

But they were there! They just didn't inspire me to photograph them. These guys did...

The desert part of the Indy Zoo was pretty neat. I was gonna say 'pretty cool,' but it was actually very warm in there.
It was just a perfect day for a visit to the zoo, or anywhere outside, really. While there were plenty of families and and kids and strollers at the zoo, I wouldn't say it was too crowded. And the landscaping and foliage at the Indy zoo is great-- I think that will be the next post.
While looking at the rhinos this little boy was standing there laughing, laughing, laughing and pointing at the rhinos and repeating, "Look it's his butt! Hahahahahahahahahah the rhino butt! Haaahahahahahahahaaha! His butt!!"
A huge walrus poking his head out and a normal-sized one swimming by.

Lots of hungry giraffes!
If you know me at all, you know I hate monkeys. I was, however, quite taken with these baboons. They were screeching and active and had little babies running around. A kid walked around the corner to see this group and exclaimed,"Look-- those baboons are having a party!"
The loner baboon.

Really great day with Mollie and Aunt Sandy. We started with lunch at a restaurant called Taste, which I guess is in SoBro (South Broad Ripple, of course). Mollie had a rare roast beef sandwich with balsamic onions and horseradish mayo, Sandy had the fluffiest quiche ever and a fruit cup, and I had a deli salad trio plate with curried chicken salad (which was awesome), orzo salad, and roasted beet salad. The portions were good, the prices were very reasonable, and the staff, while very busy, was great. I look forward to returning to Taste.

My First Roller Derby

Last night I went with Crystal and Chad to watch the last bout of the season for the Indianapolis Tornado Sirens. They are really good, I guess, because they won both bouts of the night by around 100 points. I was kinda surprised by how many normal people and kids were there. Even Mayor Greg Ballard was there. It was a fun time with good beer and great popcorn (you may not know that I don't like popcorn too much, but this was really yummy). Oh yeah, and good friends. This strange move to Indy this has been, well, strange, but Crystal continues to make it so much easier. I don't think I've ever had to ask for her help or time-- she's always there to offer before I even realize I'd need her. We're very fortunate our friendship has been so long-lasting and is at the pinnacle of strength.

So, phone photos from the roller derby...

There are about as many officials and scorekeepers and refs on the track as there are girls playing!

What, Me Whine?

Today brought another setback in the very long journey toward independent living in my home state. My soon-to-be landlord asked if I could move in a week later to accomodate the current tennant's recently pushed back closing on their new home. Seriously? I am so freaking tired of all this crap; I just want to live in a place with my stuff. It keeps getting farther away! What the heck? Last week I was 5 weeks away from moving, and here I am still 5 weeks away this week.

And work today, oh my gosh. We can get very busy, and the south side of Indy certainly must weigh more than the north side... I had 3 patients in a row tonight who were close to or over 300 pounds. Inevitably these patients complain about the small size of the magnet. Really? Don't you have that problem everywhere you go? Everything must be small to a 300 pound person. The first big guy was super claustrophobic, and was really nervous about having his knee scanned. The second lady came close to hyperventilating when I put her in the magnet to scan her shoulder, so she rescheduled her appointment to return a different day and get IV sedation. The third lady was a great patient. She knew our table weight limit was 450 pounds, but was amazed that anyone bigger than her could fit in the magnet. If a patient is much over 350, we usually can't do more than a foot or ankle, in case you were wondering.

So, that was today. It was like a 4.

The Post In Which I Request Your Feedback Twice

Guess what I just did! I mostly watched an episode of CSI:NY. I did some emailing while it was on, but I think I kinda got the gist of the show. The bad guy got away this week (sorry if you're reading this before you watched the episode on your tivo). I don't know... I think the show was pretty dumb. I've watched the Miami version of this show before, and that's kinda entertaining, 'cause that Caruso guy is funny. Without him, it's kinda flat. That's just my opinion. If you disagree, please tell me what's so great about this show.

Also, let's take a poll. Who believes in ghosts and stuff like that? Who's lived in a place that was haunted? I'm not saying that place I subletted was haunted, but I'm not saying it wasn't. I have been told (a couple of hours ago, by Crystal) that I don't seem to be the type who would believe in ghosts, but some people I trust believe in ghosts-- I don't think those people are wrong. Up until now I'd just decided to not think about stuff like that, and I guess I still would like to just not think about it. But, was that house haunted? I don't know.

Thai Chicken

I'm writing this from my new (temporary) home. Of course, over the past year each of the 5 places I've lived have been temporary, so I guess mentioning that this too is temporary isn't necessary. Anyway, I'm staying at Dad and Mollie's for a few weeks until I move into my new PERMANENT place. By 'permanent' I mean I've signed a year lease.

And it's time for a first... here's a recipe I made but haven't tried. I started some food before I left Illinois yesterday, then Phil ate and photographed it when he got home. I can't tell you if this recipe is any good (it looks really good), but I can tell you Phil said it was great (but he's not too hard to please). I look forward to trying this sometime.

Thai Chicken in a Crockpot

2.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken

onion, sliced

1 c. salsa

1/4 c. peanut butter

2 T. lime juice

1 T. soy sauce

1 t. fresh ginger, grated

1/2 c. peanuts, crushed

cilantro, chopped

rice

Place onion in crockpot, then put chicken on top of the onion. Combine salsa, peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, and ginger, then pour over chicken and onion. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Serve over rice, sprinkle with peanuts and cilantro.

The lime garnish was Phil's idea. I like it. Also, I've noticed the time stamp on my blog is set for Pacific time zone. Hm.

Cheap Wine Revisited

Oh my gosh, you guys... remember way back when I did the other blog and I mentioned this $3.97 bottle from Walmart was not very good?

I opened it Friday night and it was, well, kinda yucky, but I kept it corked on the counter. Got home tonight, thought I'd give it another try, and it was much more palatable! Not bad at all, really! Yes, I've been reluctant to call it 'good,' but what the hell-- it's good! Just needed to breathe, I guess.

Also, I miss Illinois.

Also....

I have a new favorite local (to Murphysboro, at least) winery. Nestled in the middle of the Shawnee National Forest is Hickory Ridge Vineyards, the beautiful home to some of the best dry reds in the area.
This place is not super easy to get to, but boy is the drive out to it amazing. They've got two lovely decks; there was a group on the front deck, so we went to the back deck and had the place to ourselves. We spent late Sunday afternoon chillin' here.
We did a tasting and really liked all the reds (even the Chambourcins, which at some places are not so great), and I got a glass of Cab. Franc to sip on. We bought the wine glasses to take home, as well as a few bottles.
I didn't like their Traminette or their Rose too much, I think there are better in the area, but as a fan of the dry reds, I was pleasantly surprised.

Happy Dog

And this is how much Henry loves sunbathing. Much of the (perfect) day Sunday I was indoors cleaning, and Henry was outdoors sunning. All the windows were open and the breeze was blowing and the sounds of the neighborhood were mixing with the Smiths playlist I had going on Pandora.com... it was such a nice day.
This is me spying on Henry from the kitchen window. He loves to sit in the sun! He's so awesome.

Spring Spring Spring!

Look what was waiting for me when I got back to Murphysboro! I didn't see many lilacs the past several springs in the southwest, so I was very happy to see and smell this in Phil's backyard. I promptly cut several sprigs and pretty much carried the bouquet around with me from room to room.

This is a picture of Saturday night's dinner. Phil got creative with the salad and I used spinach linguine to make linguine and clams. This is how I did it:

Linguine and Clams

8 oz. linguine

4 large cloves garlic, chopped

1 T. olive oil

1 T. butter

1 10 oz. can clams (liquid reserved)

1 c. white wine

1/2 t. dried thyme

4 T. parsley, chopped

grated parmesean

S and P

Cook and drain linguine. Saute garlic over med-low in butter and olive oil for a few minutes. Stir in liquid from clams, wine, and thyme. Cook over med-low for 5 minutes. Stir in clams, heat on med-high for a few minutes. Toss linguine with sauce, add S and P to taste, sprinkle with parsley and parmesean. Serve with the wine you used for the recipe.

There was a lot of liquid with this recipe, so we just used a slotted spoon to get the linguine onto our plates. It was delicious, as was Steve's Sav. Blanc we used to make it.

New URL

This is the new home to my blog. I messed the other one up, I think, by changing stuff around every 2 days, so this one will look like this forever. And I had a great weekend and lots of stuff to post from it, so stay tuned!