Throwback to May 18, 2016

1. “Oh goodness, those towers and banners near the stage make this place look like a scene from Harry Potter.”

2. “This is a very sedate group of parents and relatives compared to yesterday’s group at VCU. Maybe it’s because these Duke parents are still in a state of shock over how much money they paid for tuition here.”

3. “There he is! There he is! Did you spot our boy? He’s in the row that just walked in.”

4. “Russet colored hoods for the forestry and environment people? Russet? Couldn’t they find a nice shade of green for my activist son to wear?”

5. “Yes, that dean is indeed wearing a magenta robe.”

6. “The invocation would have been more touching, I think, if the chaplain didn’t use all those football analogies. Life is not a game.”

7. “Wow, Dr. William Foege deserves that honorary doctorate since he was the leader in wiping out smallpox worldwide. We should bow to his greatness–what a hero!”

8. “Wow, Charlie Rose deserves that honorary doctorate since he is one of the world’s best interviewers–and he earned 2 degrees from Duke. But is he a hero?”

9. “Wow, Mike Krzyzewski deserves to be the commencement speaker because he is the ‘winningest’ coach ever. My dad loved him, because Mike went to West Point, and Mike is from Chicago, and above all, Mike is Polish. He was my dad’s hero.”

10. “Coach K’s speech was good, but it felt suspiciously like a pep talk he would give to his players in the locker room. Did he just say, ‘It’s game time!’? Well, maybe life is a game after all.”

11. “I didn’t think I was going to cry, but I am.”

12. “Yes, he is meeting us afterwards, because we need photos on this sunny day.”

13. “I am so proud of my baby boy!”

Sunday, May 17, 2020

This morning, Facebook gently reminded me that one year ago today, I was at Nationals Park in Washington, DC, with my dear niece and her sweet friend.  These ladies drove all the way from Indiana to see our capital city and to watch their beloved Cubs play the Nats. I happily served as their tour guide for the weekend.  To make that particular evening even better, the Cubs won! My niece gleefully unfurled her “W” flag (how did she get that into her tiny purse?) and waved it as the other Cubs fans cheered.

This year, we are still waiting for the baseball season to start.  And for the first time in many years, our family members won’t be gathering together to attend the Indianapolis 500 over Memorial Day weekend. This pandemic has definitely thrown us a curve ball.

For this cocktail, I am closely following the recipe for the “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” cocktail.  Alas, I had no Cracker Jack in the house, so I decided to dip the glass rim into caramel sauce and then into salted popcorn crumbs.

In a shaker, combine 2 ounces rye (I prefer Knob Creek 100 proof), 1 ounce Frangelico, 1 ounce Amaretto, 1/4 ounce lemon juice, and 1 pinch salt.  Shake gently and pour into a glass with several ice cubes, then add about 4 ounces of club soda, and stir again.

Saturday, May 16, 2020

Saturdays are a mental-health-relief day for me.  The news cycle seems to slow down a bit on the weekend, so I try to not log onto the Washington Post page and try not to ask Alexa for the day’s news summary.  But we are in a pandemic, and I really can’t help myself. What if everyone in the White House and the Congress came down with CoVid-19 symptoms overnight? What if an effective vaccine was discovered while I slept?  What if scientists suddenly stumbled on proof that cocktails are the cure for the virus?

Today’s cocktail is my variation of the Classic Vermouth Cassis.  Crème de cassis is made with black currants, which are definitely more popular in northern and eastern Europe than in the USA. In fact, growing black currants is still prohibited by law in several states, since at the turn of the 20th century, the berry was viewed as a carrier of white pine blister rust, a then-threat to the logging industry.  But it’s our loss– the berry is high in vitamin C, potassium, phosphorus, iron, and vitamin B5. You can find black currant-based beverages, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, in England, France, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, and even New Zealand.

In a tall glass with a few ice cubes, mix 3 ounces dry vermouth with 1 ounce crème de cassis and stir.  Top off with club soda and stir again. Garnish with a twist of lemon peel or berries.

 

1.”College Girl and the rest of the sculpture majors are toward the very back, so we won’t see her at all from our seats in the balcony.”

2. “I am glad they got this goofy saxophone ensemble to play Pomp and Circumstance. I have never heard it played quite this uniquely before. I like it fun.”

3. “Those caps are the best-decorated I have ever seen. Glitter and sequins and flashing lights. Is that a bird on top of that one? But this is fitting for art school, when you think about it.”

4. “The commencement speaker wants all the grads to ‘brand’ themselves and learn from their failures? Brilliant advice.”

5. “Wow, look at all the smart, hard-working graduates out there–dancers and actors and musicians and artists, making the world a better place for us.”

6. “Oh my goodness, she doesn’t realize she has a whole clean slate ahead of her now, does she?”

7. “OK, so when they call her name and she walks across the stage, we all need to wave and scream.”

8. “Brown hoods for the art school grads? No worries. Who’s going to look at your hood if you are wearing fabulously colorful and/or sparkly shoes?”

9. “The announcer just mispronounced both her first name and her last name. Geesh!”

10. “Aw, I like how this is probably the fifth time today they have mentioned that the VCU School of the Arts is the number one ranked public art school in the country.”

11. “I didn’t think I was going to cry, but I am.”

12. “Yes, she is supposed to meet us afterwards, but she is still inside where it is nice and dry and we are now outside in the pouring rain.”

13. “I am so proud of my baby girl.”

Throwback to May 16, 2016.

1. “I am so glad College Girl is sitting with the band on the stage, because now we can clearly see her during the whole ceremony.”

2. “I am glad the band is playing other music in addition to Pomp and Circumstance. I like it classy.”

3.”Those robes and caps and hoods look so anachronistic. Or even silly, really, when you think about it.”

4.”The commencement speaker wants all the grads to kiss their mommas? Brilliant advice.”

5. “Wow, look at all the smart, hard-working graduates out there–doctors and engineers and all these PhDs…”

6. “Oh my goodness, she doesn’t realize she is graduating with honors, does she?”

7. “Why are those people waving and screaming at their kids? Show some dignity, people!”

8. “Brown hoods for the Art School grads? Brown? For all those creative people? They should be sparkly and colorful! Even the engineers have bright orange and the dentists are wearing lavender. Geesh!”

9. “The announcer is doing a fabulous job with all of these difficult names.”

10. “Aw, I like how they mentioned that the VCU School of the Arts is the number one ranked public school of art and design in the country.”

11. “I didn’t think I was going to cry, but I am.”

12. “No, she is not meeting us afterwards, because she needs to pack up her music and hurry back to campus for the next part of graduation.”

13. “I am so proud of my baby girl!”

 

 

Friday, May 15, 2020

The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Ralph Northam, has given permission for most of the state to reopen today. It’s Phase 1 of a long process. Some businesses and customers are delighted, but polls show that many citizens are worried that we are moving too quickly. I have mixed emotions–of course I want the economy to get going!–but I am still very wary of going out in public. Yes, the family will still support curbside pickup and/or deliveries (buy local!), but no, we don’t want to sit on any restaurant patio just yet.

Today’s drink is my version of a cocktail called “Cherry Bomb.”  Do I mean the name to portend the possible dangers of the weeks ahead?  Perhaps, but I would be happy to be proven wrong.

In a mixing glass, combine 4 fresh sweet cherries (halved and pitted), 1/4 of a lemon, 1/4 a teaspoon of lime juice, 5-6 fresh mint leaves, 1/2 ounce simple syrup, and 1 dash Angostura bitters.  Use a muddler to smash the fruit.  Pour into a smaller glass, add 2 ounces of dark rum, and stir. Add ice to fill the glass. Top with a splash of club soda, if desired.

 

 

 

Throwback to May 15, 2015:

1. I could bribe each of his teachers to flunk him. Cash, food, potent potables–all would probably work.

2. I could write him his first-ever Disciplinary Report. It would have to be a doozy, though, to ensure weeks of In School Suspension.

3. I could convince the school’s morning news crew to film me singing something super-sentimental, like the opening lines of “Sunrise, Sunset.”

4. I could wear a sign on my front that says, “Ask Me About My Awesome Senior.”

5. I could wear a sign on my back that says, “Don’t Kick Me, Because I Am Feeling Down Enough Already.”

6. I could think of ruses to get him to come to every one of my classes, so I could hug him in front of my students. And maybe even kiss him very loudly. On both cheeks.

7. I could ask the School Resource Officer to arrest him, since he is 18, on charges of Breaking (his mommy’s heart) and Entering (his mommy’s every thought today).

Throwback to May 15, 2013:

1. Screens on screen doors and in windows? Optional.

2. Girls can be as oblivious to dust bunnies as are guys.

3. An acceptable apartment will have space to store bicycles.

4. Hipster neighborhoods by definition need gourmet grocery stores, ethnic restaurants, chic bars, and thrift shops.

5. Old kitchen appliances can be overlooked as long as there is enough counter space for a state-of-the-art coffee maker.

6. Good internet access is more important than good laundry facilities.

7. Even girls use PBR cans in their decorating.

8. To every thing there is a season, and my season is for living in a house that I own, so I should remember not to take that for granted.

Today, May 14, is the feast day of Saint Corona according to the Roman Catholic calendar of saints.

Feast days, or name days, are a bigger deal than birthdays in some cultures. My Polish family would celebrate the feast of St. Monica on May 4, for example, with a small gift or a special treat for me.  My mom celebrates her name day on March 2, and heaven help us kids if we forget to send her our best wishes! And tomorrow is my sister’s name day, so I had better be sure to call her.

I don’t actually know anyone named Corona/Korona (the name means “crown” in Latin). Do you? But Saint Corona was a real person!  She was tortured and martyred for her faith by the Romans about 1800 years ago.  Her remains (or relics) are buried at Aachen Cathedral in Germany.

Saint Corona has been regarded as the patron saint of butchers, treasure-hunters, and even people with financial problems. Residents of the small Austrian town of St. Corona would appeal to her to protect their livestock from contagious diseases.

Has she now become the patron saint of humans suffering from infections, specifically the coronavirus? Or the patron saint of the unemployed? Why not? Couldn’t hurt to pray for her help, could it?

Today’s drink is my version of a cocktail called “The Saint.”

Combine 3 ounces dry white wine, 1 1/2 ounces ginger simple syrup (I actually dissolved several pieces of ginger candy in the wine instead), 1/2 ounce dry vermouth, and 1/2 ounce lemon juice in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into a short glass. Top with club soda and 3 dashes of citrus bitters (I used grapefruit). Garnish with lemon peel and/or mint.

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Husband took a break from mowing the backyard this afternoon, so I joined him on the porch swing we have hanging under the deck. The back and forth, to and fro movement of the swing was very soothing, as were the sunshine, the green trees, and the smell of freshly-cut grass. And of course, the pleasure of his company made it even sweeter.

Yesterday I ventured out to the garden center at Lowe’s (wear your masks, people!) and brought home several plants to add to the pots on the deck. Fixing up the deck is part of my late spring routine. Yes, a routine! Yes, warmer temperatures! Yes, life is moving forward!

Please take time for some self-care, my friends. Find something or someone to soothe you, and to calm your spirit. (Lavender is good for that.)

This is my version of a Lavender Collins drink. Add 1 1/2 ounces gin, 1 ounce lemon juice, and 1/2 ounce lavender simple syrup to a cocktail shaker with ice. (I made the lavender syrup with some dried lavender I had among my spices. Make sure it’s edible lavender!) Shake well and strain into a tall glass with ice.  Top with club soda and stir gently.  Garnish with lemon slice and/or lavender sprig.