The Professor's wife

I'm pleased to introduce to you.....The Professor's Wife! 

This is my friend Kim. We go way back, as far back as playing Strawberry Shortcake and wearing jelly shoes together. And then our mothers, well they go even farther back, but I won't divulge any details that would give away their ages. 

Kim and I have lots in common, both grew up in Calgary, both have an older sister, both have two children of the approximate same ages, both love our husbands enough to follow them to the ends of the earth in pursuit of their passions. Coincidently, both Robin and Greg found reason to move their families from Canada to the United States this previous summer in pursuit of these passions, pottery and theology respectively. 

While we were packing up and heading south to Utah, Kim

 and Greg were also on the move south from Ontario to Louisville, Kentucky. After many years studying and

teaching at McMaster University in Hamilton Ontario, Greg accepted a position as Professor of Theology at Bellarmine University. And yesterday the whole family became permanent residents of the USA! Congrats on a smooth immigration process.  

Something that I have realized is that it's comforting to know that someone you know, knows what you know.....if that makes any sense? And although I wouldn't say this transition has been a walk in the park, and that I openly admit to giving myself the occasional back pat for playing the supportive role in all of this, I can honestly say that Kim should get the gold medal for what she has endured the last six months. 

First Hurricane Ike, and now an Ice storm!  And I was complaining about a puny inversion. 

Thankfully they are one of the lucky homes in Louisville to still have power. I suppose the weather is one of the quirky things you grow accustomed to living in the south, while Utah of course has it's own quirkiness. 

P.S. The other thing we share in common is our ability to make incredibly cute children of course. 

Rx for Moodiness

The crummy weather was really starting to get to me last weekend. I attempted another trip up to the ski hill on Sunday, hoping that we'd find a little sun above the clouds at the higher elevation. Both Isla and Roscoe took it upon themselves to be miserable the whole drive out, and if I hadn't offered to drive a friend to the hill, I certainly would have turned back and put my kids right to bed. We didn't find any sun but ended up having an alright time. Isla tolerated a few sled rides around the base of the lodge before I called it a day and packed them up to head home again.  

Monday it rained and we spent the day waiting for the milkman, which only further furrowed my brow. 

Tuesday we woke up to frigid temperatures but blue skies and a blanket of new white snow. By the afternoon it had warmed enough that I ambitiously packed the kids up and headed out to Green Canyon for a second attempt to X-country ski. A friend here in Logan has lent me the ski attachment for my double stroller, which enables me to turn the stroller into a sled which I then harness to my body and can pull it behind me, in theory anyways. My first attempt was over a week ago, I took the kids, stroller, attachment and ski gear out to the trail and spent 20 minutes assembling the rig in the parking lot while my kids grew more and more impatient, only to find that I was missing a part. 

This second attempt turned out to be far more successful after a quick stop at the hardware store for a couple of bolts to secure the harness. I hit the trail at around 1:30 p.m., questioning how far I'd really get pulling two tired and irritable children in brisk weather conditions. I made sure they were both well bundled, had ample snack supplies and was determined to not let this second attempt be a failure. To my utter amazement, within 10 minutes of readjusting straps and getting used to pulling their weight, I hit a stride and looked back to find them both asleep! I skied for nearly an hour in blissful sunny conditions before Roscoe woke up. I was practically euphoric by the time I got back to the car and kissed their sweet foreheads thanking them for being such wonderful kids. It was all I needed to get me out of my funk. 

  

 

Waiting for the Milkman

Don't get the wrong idea. I really did wait around all day today for a legitimate milkman to bring us 2 gallons of farm fresh dairy goodness and nothing more. Honestly! 

A friend had tuned me into a local dairy that also provides a delivery service for their products. After doing the research and talking to them, I realized it was a fantastic deal. Affordable, hormone-free milk from a local source for the whopping delivery charge of three dollars a MONTH! 

Our first delivery was to arrive today. We had timed our milk supply appropriately with Roscoe finishing up the last of the carton last night. So when his nap time came about this afternoon with no sign of the milkman, I started to get a little anxious. Roscoe went down surprisingly well without a bottle, but by 5 p.m. we were still without milk and there was no way he would have tolerated going without, a second time. 

After leaving an obviously perturbed-mother-without-milk message on the Dairy's machine, I packed up the kids and ventured out to get milk from the store. (See carton on the left). 

At 7:30 p.m. a very apologetic sounding fellow called muttering something about not being able to find the house and that he'd be right over with our milk. 

And at 9:30 p.m. this evening, he finally arrived. (See bottles on the right) I never did catch his name. 

A spicy delivery

Last week a package arrived on our doorstep with some delectable surprises inside. 

We had put in a request of some friends to send us some saffron from a local corner store that we used to frequent while we were living in Calgary some years ago. Since our move west, and then south, we've had to remember to stock up on our saffron stash each time we make it back to cowtown, but since those visits are becoming further spaced apart, our stash was getting dangerously low.  

They generously added a few more treats to accompany the saffron down across the border, some sweetly pungent Hungarian paprika and a bag of yummy chocolates.

So this week while we've been stuck indoors, we've at least had the pleasure of cooking and eating the Basque Skillet Beans recipe (with saffron) and an all time favorite Cabbage and noodles with oodles of paprika dish.  I realize that a Cabbage and Noodle recipe sounds suspicious, but it is a perfect meal for an overcast, dreary, winter day. 

Here is the recipe, if you are so inclined:

Cabbage and Noodles (Moosewood New Classics)

2 cups thinly sliced onions

1/4 cup butter

2 Tbsp Paprika

8 cups finely shredded red cabbage

2 tsp salt

12 ounces of medium egg noodles

black pepper

sour cream 

Cook onions in butter until golden. Add paprika and saute for a few seconds more. Stir in cabbage and salt. Mix well. Cover tightly and cook on very low heat for an hour, stirring occasionally.  

Cook noodles separately, drain and toss with cabbage mixture. Serve with freshly ground black pepper and top with a dollop of sour cream. 

Many thanks to Christine and Rob!!!

Cough, cough, choke!

Did I mention the poor air quality in Utah????

This was something we found out after we moved to Logan, that the air quality in northern Utah is considered near the worst in the whole nation!! Not that it is always poor, in fact it only gets bad when a high pressure system settles over this part of the state, trapping soot and pollutants close to the ground in the mountain basins. The Cache Valley (which includes Logan) is apparently particularly susceptible. 

We've been experiencing one of these inversions for several days now. I first noticed the smog earlier in the week when I drove into town, descending into a thick layer of yuck as I left the perch of Hillcrest (the community where we live). Today it seemed considerably worse, even the higher communities becoming enveloped in the smog. 

There is even a website that does forecasts and posts warnings. air quality reports. When it the air quality exceeds a certain standard, the local Health Department issues a red air alert, encouraging people to limit exertion while outdoors, bans all wood smoke (including kilns) and suggests limiting vehicular use if possible as to not contribute further air pollutants to the problem. 

What we need is a big storm system to roll in and move the clouds upwards and onwards. And until then, there won't be any pots getting fired in the USU kiln compound. 

Happy Retirement George W!

Yesterday was a monumental day in this country's relatively short history. Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States in front of 2 million spectators that converged upon Washington's Lincoln Memorial to witness history in the making. 

Besides the hordes of people that travelled from around the globe to stand in security lineups for hours in order to be present for the actual event, there were likely many more millions that sat by television sets and radios to hear what the new President had to say. 

I heard through various people throughout the day, how accommodations had been made in the schools here and at the University in order for students and staff to be able to watch the event happen live on television. It has been amazing to hear from and see directly how many people are deeply affected by this change in power. 

I was able to listen to the speech live on the National Public Radio station, purposefully packing the kids up in the car for a drive at that time so that I could listen to the full 20 minute speech without being pulled away by little people's demands. 

I found Obama's message sobering, yet hopeful. I too was moved by the relevance of the occasion and importance of his words. It is indeed an incredibly interesting time to be living in this country. I am hopeful that he will indeed deliver the change he has promised. In many ways he already has. 

The BEAV!

This is Beaver Mountain, our local ski resort, aka the BEAV! 

Today I packed up the kids and made the 30 minute commute through the canyon to the ski hill and joined some other families for an afternoon of spring-like conditions. 

We didn't even make it to the rope tow, instead Isla happily toured around the lodge and base managing ski boots for the first time, (takes a little getting used to.) 

It was a gloriously beautiful day, with above freezing temperatures. My expectations of actually hitting the slopes were set low and therefore I wasn't disappointed, in fact I didn't even bring my gear along. 

It just felt great to be hanging out at a hill again, amongst lots of little ones sporting oversized helmets, running around the lodge with wet socks and begging for cafeteria fries. Isla will fit right in.