Wednesday, August 31, 2016

"A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning." ~ Brad Henry

As students and teachers prepare to head back to the classroom, one of my favorite series, Craft in America, is preparing to air its latest installment, "Teachers", on Thursday, September 15th on PBS (check your local listings). The preview is below!


Wednesday, August 17, 2016

"Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon." ~ Doug Larson

http://www.saveur.com/blog-awards
I've had a number of friends ask me abut the status of BITE (But Is It Edible), the monthly cooking group that I was in with three other adventurous cooks. Well, when it looked as though I was going to be moving away, I urged the other members to carry on and find someone (or two) to take my place. As it turned out, this was a transition time for others as well. New grandchildren; new business ventures; life's twists and turns - so things kind of came to a natural end.

Of course, it now turns out that I am remaining in the area, though in no position to host gatherings since I'm not yet in a home of my own. I'd like to think that down the road we could revive our little group, but time will tell! In the meantime, I continue to pin recipes and look through magazines, longing for the day when I am in my own kitchen again. 

One of my favorite magazines is Saveur, with it's multidimensional take on foods from across the continents (one of the true inspirations behind BITE). Saveur has recently posted its yearly Blogger Awards link, where anyone can peruse and vote on this year's nominated food blogs. I LOVE looking through these every year - there are such creative people out there, and their blogs are helping to fill my cooking void. You can follow nearly every one of these blogs on Pinterest and/or Instagram.

Enjoy and vote for your favorites!




Wednesday, August 10, 2016

"Wisdom is not the product of schooling, but the lifelong attempt to acquire it." ~ Albert Einstein



Once again, I was invited to take photos of this year's Chautauqua events. Based upon the principles of the original Chautuaqua (see below), the week-long events took place in Homer, NY. There, participants could select from any number of offerings from a lecture on this year's presidential election, to the fate of our oceans, to sauerkraut making!  There was a 5K/3K walk/run, and a number of communal meals. If you follow this link, you will see all of the wonderful things that were offered!


While I am not affiliated with any of the churches involved, I enjoyed the activities and the opportunity to get to know so many wonderful people!

"The Chautauqua Institution is a not-for-profit, 750-acre educational center beside Chautauqua Lake in southwestern New York State, where approximately 7,500 persons are in residence on any day during a nine-week season, and a total of over 100,000 attend scheduled public events. Over 8,000 students enroll annually in the Chautauqua Summer Schools which offer courses in art, music, dance, theater, writing skills and a wide variety of special interests. 
The Institution, originally the Chautauqua Lake Sunday School Assembly, was founded in 1874 as an educational experiment in out-of-school, vacation learning. It was successful and broadened almost immediately beyond courses for Sunday school teachers to include academic subjects, music, art and physical education.
While founders Lewis Miller and John Heyl Vincent were Methodists, other Protestant denominations participated from the first year onward, and today Chautauqua continues to be ecumenical in spirit and practice. " http://ciweb.org/about-us/history







Wednesday, August 3, 2016

“The four sayings that lead to wisdom: I was wrong. I'm sorry. I don't know. I need help.” ~ Louise Penny

Nearly five years ago, when I began this blog, my third post (out of 481!) was about the mystery writer, Louise Penny. With the discovery of Louise's books, I found myself in love with mysteries once again, after having gone through a bit of dry spell. That love has not wavered. 

Later this month, the 12th book in her Inspector Gamache series will arrive on my doorstep. I rarely purchase books anymore, and use the library religiously. I buy these books though, because I just don't want to wait. I always pass them on when I'm done, but I want it first!

One of the lovely things about enjoying her books is that I share this love with friends both up north and down south. I was so excited then, when I learned that she was going to be giving a talk up in Burlington, VT near where my sister lives. Making it a mini-vacation (complete with stops at three different knitting shops in one day!) a friend and I traveled north and spent a few days with my sister, with the purpose of attending Louise Penny's talk. When I told Alex about our planned gathering, he asked if the demographic was something like that at a Josh Groban concert. I said that yes, I thought it was. In truth, Louise Penny fans are a tad grayer!



What a fabulous experience! Louise (my good friend - wink) is a witty, gracious and thoroughly engaging presenter. All 500+ attendees roared with laughter, nodded in understanding, and loved
every moment. She was marvelous - that's just the best way to put it!

Following her talk, she signed books, posed for photos, and did not rush anyone on at all. She asked questions, murmured her appreciations, and made me feel like a good friend. I'm just going with it!

Please check out Louise Penny's site in order to read more about her, her books, and her awards. If you are looking for mysteries that are refreshingly mysterious rather than gory and sensational, I suspect that you will enjoy her writing!