The Cat's Table

There's nothing like a library deadline to help you finish reading a book. I wasn't expecting that The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje would have a hold on it, but there you have it. It was just the push I needed to get going on the story. It starts out a little slowly, and it was unclear to me what this was about, besides a coming-of-age story. This story centers around a 3-week journey ship from Colombo to England by an 11-year-old boy in the 1950s. Starting out innocently enough, the story finally picks up steam where details about events on the ship come into focus through the lens of the future where the protagonist looks back upon this voyage. The cat's table refers to the dining table reserved for the lowest social strata on the boat, the table farthest from the captain's table.

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Day 8 - Clutter Cleanse: Another book bought at a library sale makes its way to the purgatory donation pile.

Mission 4/1 Earth: 50 Great Days

This morning in church we heard about the UCC mission to be actively engaged in being good to the environment for the 50 days between Easter and Pentecost. Apparently you can log on and count your participation in three different goals: 1) 1 Million Hours of engaged earth care, including clean up, advocacy, and education (does this blog post count?) 2) 100,000 trees planted 3) 100,000 letters of environmental advocacy written and sent to elected officials and media.

This got me to thinking that I should really revisit my idea to compost. I've thought about it off and on, but it seems a little daunting to me. Just how will I compost? How can I make it easy enough that I will actively compost every day? I certainly have plenty of food scraps from dinner and lunch prep that we could eventually use in our garden. Maybe over this week (CUSD spring break!) I will carve out a little time to plan what I should do.

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Day 7 - Clutter Cleanse: While sitting in line for gas today, I went through the glove box and found all the old, expired paperwork (car registration and insurance, tire receipts). Shredded!

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchilada Skillet

While in Cambria a few weeks ago, we had dinner at Medusa's Sunshine Taqueria, and I particularly enjoyed my butternut squash enchiladas. I thought I would try to duplicate them at home and looked for a recipe and came up with this Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchilada Skillet which is way easier than making individual enchiladas while still having that flavor.

Next time I make them I may substitute sweet potatoes for the butternut squash and also green enchilada sauce for red. This recipe was recommended because it is fast and easy, and if you use the pre-cut butternut squash, it really is.

Butternut squash and spices in olive oil

                                      

Added cheese and cut-up corn tortillas

 After time in the broiler, throw some cilantro on top

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Day 6 - Clutter Cleanse: While going through the kitchen I spied a little french press that I have never used in 5 years and do not know where it came from, and also some Tupperware cups that we haven't used in forever since H does not like the way that water tastes in them. One of five flower vases rarely used and a cold drink cup never used. All donated.

Bobby McFerrin

My friend Susan had an extra ticket to see Bobby McFerrin at Disney Hall on Wednesday night and offered it to me. I was very happy to accept. His program, entitled "Spirit You All" or "Spirityouall" consisted of spirituals. He had a 5-piece jazz band with keyboards, drums, bass, guitars and even a fiddle. He also improvised with his band, which always amazes me that people who play with each other long enough can work together in something unscripted.

One of my favorite parts was audience participation. He did some call-and-response, some sing-alongs, and at one point he invited anyone to come sit on stage with him and sing Amen. If we had not been so far away, I would have easily accepted the offer. Imagine! Sitting next to Bobby McFerrin and singing with him.

I came home and perused his recordings on Amazon and purchased the CD Circlesongs. One of the new Amazon things is that if you buy certain CDs, you get automatic, instant mp3 downloads of the songs, so I have been enjoying these minimalist improvisatory acapella songs.

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Day 4 - Clutter Cleanse: I'm going through my collection of CDs and making sure that I have the songs I want on my computer (which is backed up in several locations). The home-burned ones (about 10 at this point) are going in the trash.

Day 5 - Clutter Cleanse: I sent one book I bought at a library sale off to a new owner on paperbackswap.com

Etsy Shopping

I've known about Etsy (the website where you can buy handcrafted items) for a while now. My cousin has an Etsy shop called Prairie Path Wool where she sells items made from upcycled wool. Right now she has some adorable chickens in her shop. 

I finally got an Etsy account because I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for in the stores. This week I have gotten the my first two items - a barrette and a business card holder. I like the fact that I am buying directly from a small business owner. I also like the items since they are distinctive.

Day 4 - Clutter Cleanse: Speaking of shopping online, recently I bought a small glockenspiel to use at school and it came with a whole bag full of Kindermusik books (used worksheets included!), and I'm pretty sure I won't be using those in class, so those will first be offered to my Music Together teacher friend, or they may just end up in the Goodwill donation pile.

The irony of buying and then getting rid of stuff in this post is not lost on me. However, the item I'm offloading today is many times larger than than these two small items....

Of National Poetry Month and Baseball

"Poets are like baseball pitchers. Both have their moments. The intervals are the tough things." 

- Robert Frost

Coming through the entire month of March offers its rewards for me, and I don't even live in a place where we get real winter. But after the short month of February and before the glorious greening of April, the long, long month of March stretches out.

And now it's April, and there is baseball to watch, baseball to listen to, and every team has a clean start. This is the next year for which we've waited.

April is also National Poetry Month, which often means little to the general public, but for the occasional NPR stories. 

In honor of baseball season and National Poetry Month, you can peruse this website which has complied baseball poems and songs.

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Day 3 - Clutter Cleanse: I found a little salt and pepper shaker combo that I don't even remember getting. Who needs more than one set? Donated.

Hamlet's Last Act - Wayang Kulit Style

Due to my various connections with music at the colleges, I heard about a performance of Hamlet (or the last part of Hamlet) as told with shadow puppets and Balinese gamelan (wayang kulit) on Saturday afternoon. Having had some experience with gamelan and having seen a more traditional wayang kulit, I was intrigued, so I had to go.

I did not realize that this performance was part of Pomona College's Edward Gordon Craig Conference, or even that such a conference was taking place, so I was surprised to see the auditorium at the Scripps Humanities building full on a Saturday afternoon.

The performance was just over 30 minutes long (traditional shadow puppet plays can last all night long), and it was helpful to know the story of Hamlet, since it started in the middle, but I enjoyed the different perspective of this well-known play.

A close-up of the king and queen with the tree of life (a symbol from the wayang to signify the beginning and end of the play)

A shot from the gravedigger scene (Alas, poor Yorick)

Puppets seen from behind the screen

Day 2 - Clutter Cleanse: one of two cream pitchers that I own. I rarely use one, so there is certainly no need for two.  It was a gift to me about 20 years ago from a friend who I have long ago lost touch with. I will donate it.

Spring Cleaning Year-Round

This will not be your typical Easter post, although it takes place on Easter. A few days ago I was trolling the internet for something (don't remember what), and came across this blog - clutter365.com. My faithful readers might remember posts (and posts) I've written about getting rid of stuff, and I feel that now, even more than usual, I am ready to purge. First off, it is spring, and although Easter is not the new year, spring always feels like a new start. Second of all, even though sabbatical is still about 16 months away, the sooner I can get rid of stuff, the better.   

While getting out things to put on the Easter dinner table, I ran across these little votive candles. I may have used them once or twice, but I have no idea when the last time was. I still have a few other candles around, so when we want to have a little ambiance, we can. So, these have made it to the back porch which is purgatory for stuff waiting to be donated.

Perhaps I will end each blog post now with an item that I am purging that day. I do not feel the need to devote an entire blog to decluttering, because if you google 365 Clutter Blog, you will find more than one person has done so. Wouldn't want to clutter the internet with redundancy, now, would I?

Nano Days at the Library

I just returned from the library where my friend David (physics professor at Pomona College) was hosting Nano Days, a science event for everyone. The room was bustling with people of all ages who went from table to table where they could learn about something related to nano science. Each table was staffed by a volunteer - a teacher, a student, someone who was interested and knowledgeable about their topic.

I really enjoyed the hands-on experience, which is what makes any kind of learning much more fun and memorable.

This is not the first Nano-on-the-Road experience. You can read about Nano Days at Sycamore at my friend Judy's blog.

A full room! Fun for all ages!

These people are learning about memory wire. You can stretch out a wire spring to any distorted shape, but when you heat it up (with a hair dryer this time), it returns to its original wire shape.

We learned about incandescence - from butterfly wings to nail polish dropped on water (dip dark paper into the water under the polish and create a cool oil-slick image.

Add a few crystals to water, and they absorb it all, just the way a disposable diaper works.

Egg Hunt at Vista

This is the first time that Vista has had a school-wide egg hunt, at least in the past 22 years that I've been associated with the school. At the end of school on Wednesday, each grade level went to a certain area of the school grounds, and each child could find and keep 5 eggs.  No hard-boiled eggs, just the plastic ones filled with various kinds of candy.

The hunt, similar to the one that the City of Claremont holds, takes about 2-3 minutes to complete, and we heard our friend say, "It's not so much an egg hunt, but an egg grab." True. However, I don't think we had any kids crying at school, and the vast majority of the kids were pretty clear on the 5-egg limit.

The kinders waiting for the bell

Pandemonium!

 The aftermath