Enjoy!

Yeah, that's a made up name. This thing is technically a Workcycle FR8. Yes, "freight." It's made to carry stuff. It's going to carry a full load of groceries, including the milk in glass bottles I like and all the yummy things in glass bottles that I tend to buy (peanut butter, olive oil, jam). It's going to be our first ever "second car." 

Here's a link to a slide show (in case you can't see the one embedded below): http://www.flickr.com//photos/amy13/sets/72157629160908869/show/

It's been kind of warm in Chicago this year. Perhaps you've heard? Perhaps you're experiencing some of the same? It's the warmest Chicago winter in 70 years (don't quote me on that, though I think I'm right.) But the upshot is I just might be able to get out and try this thing. 

See all that melt in the photo above? I tell you, it's balmy here!

I'll let you know if it happens!

Amy

P.S. I was asked to blurb a book this week. Wow. Really? It's the first time anyone's asked. Maybe you're not supposed to admit that, but it was nice to be asked. And I did love the book. (I wouldn't have agreed to blurb it if I didn't. I got a copy, read it, and then decided to do it. Cool!) It's written by Karen Schreck who wrote Dream Journal, which is literally one of the loveliest YA novels I've read. I've never forgotten it. Reading her next one was pure pleasure, so telling people publicly to read this book was no problem. The book is another YA. It's called WHILE HE WAS AWAY. It'll be out in May 2012. Watch for it -- it's worth it. I've posted my blurb on my Goodreads account here. 

Chicago's Green City Market is starting up again on January 21st. And yes it is winter, and yes this is the midwest, but there's still lots of great food at the winter markets. Go -- you'll be surprised!

And in case you're wondering what's the best of what I canned this year: the canned tomatoes. They transform everything I put them into. It's like August in a jar. And you need August in January. 

Otherwise, the pickles from the pickle crock are already a favorite, and so is the raspberry jam. Those two are already on my list to do again in 2012.

Cool. Yum.

Now I'm going to go eat dinner.

Okay, so I'm not more of a runner than last year. A whole 12 -- T W E L V E -- months ago. I do have a running jacket though... shoes too. Bought some gear. Does that count? 

Honestly, 2011 wasn't all a bust. (You got to think of things positively, right?) I did walk more in the last year. I'm really starting to develop a yoga habit -- man, it's slow going but it's happening (and I believe that started about TWO years ago...)

Here's a list of things I'm thinking about for 2012:

1. To bike more. I'm buying a bike people. Finally! It's coming this month and it's what I call a "Bicycle Stationwagon." I want a bike that can do the job of a car. And I found one. It's got big fat tires. It's got a rack on the front that can hold 40 lbs and a rack on the back. I'm going to ride it to the grocery store and buy milk in glass bottles and ride home. (Sidenote: It's super fun to go into a bike store and say you're looking for a "Bicycle Stationwagon." You should see the looks bike store owners give you. Try it.)
2. To wear more pink. This is because of the bicycle. I've noticed that in Chicago drivers see you if you're wearing a bright pink. (Okay, this seems to be mostly men, but hey...) Since I'm afraid of riding my bicycle in the city, I want to use the Power of PINK to save my life. If you hit me, I want you to feel badly for hitting a girl -- and in particular, a girly girl. I don't have to let you know that I used to hate pink and that I went to an all-women's college out east. (Don't tell, okay?)
3. To exercise regularly. Note I'm not saying "running." The idea is to develop a pattern of exercise. Something like brushing my teeth. Don't want to say anymore, otherwise this'll embarrass me next year. Gosh, wouldn't it be nice to sport a few muscles! 
4. To keep off some weight I recently lost. See if I can "maintain" this new weight. I hear that's the hardest part. (See this article from NPR.) By the way, I used a program called LoseIt. It's online and it's an app for the iphone (and smartphones?). I love this app. And I've never been able to lose weight before. I didn't really gain weight either. Mostly I gained weight after college and I've maintained that weight for oh, let's say years and years. But let's see if I can keep it off. I think the only way that'll happen is if I KEEP using this app. So this year, I resolve to continue keeping track of what I eat (which is one of the functions of LoseIt).
5. Moving on... A big 2012 goal is to write regularly despite being in a book promotion year. I'm very excited that ONE CAME HOME is coming out, but that means I'll be distracted, anxious, etc. When I don't write I get cranky. I am worried about this in 2012. I am also worried that I'll care too much about what the critics, and random bloggers have to say about the book. (Thank you husband Phil for watching my Google Alert.)
6. To learn to make bread! Yay! Food! (Watch out #4.)
7. To make more music -- as in piano and flute. And not be so shy about singing. Why not sing?
8. To finish an essay and send it out. 
9. To read 50 books in 2012. I'm up-ing it from 40 last year. But for heavens sakes, they don't have to be "good" for me. And if I hate them, I can stop reading. More mysteries? Maybe! 
10. To do a long walk somewhere in the USA -- a real thru-hike somewhere. But no camping. I don't want a tent. I want a mattress with sheets. Now where is that in the USA? Must find.

Photo above is of Graham Cracker -- a dog I met in northern Wisconsin. I hope to post more photos from there soon. Sad to say, Graham Cracker died while we there. But he was a lovely, lovely dog -- faced life full-speed- ahead always, making him difficult to capture with small digital cameras. 

He makes me smile!

What are your resolutions? 

By the way, I recommend reading Heath Brother's SWITCH before making any resolutions. One of my favorite books from 2011.

Amy

P.S. I've got a new Facebook page for ALL my books. It's here. And I need 4 more people to "like" it so it stays a page. If you'd like to receive my book news on your Facebook News Feed/Status Update page, please consider liking it. It'll only be book news, but there's bound to be some this year with ONE CAME HOME coming out. Thank you! You can like it on my blog on the website, or here's the direct link.

In the end, I read about 40-ish books. Here's the list: 

Fiction: 

• Nick Hornby, A Long Way Down
• Cathleen Schine, The Three Weissmanns of Westport
• Jasper Fforde, The Eyre Affair
• Jasper Fforde, Lost in a Good Book
• Carol Sheilds, Unless
• Brigid Pasulka, A Long Long Time Ago & Essentially True
• Helen Simonson, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
• Tim O'Brien, Going After Cacciato
• Tim O'Brien, In the Lake of the Woods
• Hillary Mantel, Wolf Hall
• Laura Lippman, The Most Dangerous Thing
• Tom Perrota, Little Children
• Gil Adamson, The Outsider
• Alice Hoffman, The Dovekeeper
• Jeffrey Eugenides, The Marriage Plot

Non-fiction (essay collections included): 

• Anne LaBastille, Woodswoman IIII
• Dave Bruno, The 100 Thing Challenge
• William Dawson, The Quest of the Simple Life
• Bill McKibben, Eaarth
• A. Wainwright, Memoirs of a Fellwalker
• Kari Chapin, The Handmade Marketplace
• Scott Russell Sanders, Writing from the Center
• Scott Russell Sanders, A Conservationist's Manifesto
• Kathleen Norris, Dakota
• Kathleen Norris, Acedia and Me
• Heath, Made to Stick
• Joyce Carol Oates, A Widow's Story 

Poetry:

• Wendy Cope, Two Cures for Love 
• Wendell Berry, Given
• Wendell Berry, Leavings
• Mary Oliver, Why I Wake Early
• Corrine Demas, The Donkeys Postpone Gratification

Spiritual/Church-related:

• Francis Chan, Crazy Love
• Francis Chan, Forgotten God
• Nelson Searcy, Activate

Cooking:

• Eugenia Bone, Well-Preserved
• Lianna Krissoff, Canning for a New Generation

Graphic Novels: 

• Mariko Tamiki, Skim

Odd-Ball Books that Defy Categories: 

• Amy Krause Rosenthal, Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life
• Edward Lueders, The Clam Lake Papers

Books I'm Likely to Finish Before the Year is Out: 

• Bible (maybe... never sure about this one)
• Heath Brothers, Switch: How to Change When Change is Hard
• Annie Dillard, Pilgram at Tinker Creek (it's about time I finished this one). 

So there it is. Now for analysis. Okay, it's less than I thought I'd read. I think of myself as a "reader." But what was I thinking? Something like a 100? To do something like that I'd have to read every single night to do that. (Though to give myself some credit, I did not include books I was reading for research, or any kids' books.)

Other things I notice: I read fiction primarily for pleasure. And I LIKE reading fiction for pleasure. It's so nice to read a story before bed! (So honestly, I'm not looking for something I've got to struggle through -- like Joyce's ULYSSES, for instance.)  I also read fewer mysteries this year. I wonder why that happened? I like a good mystery, but this year? Not so much. I think the closest on this list is Laura Lippmann's The Most Dangerous Thing. Interesting. (And right now, I've got my eye on P.D. James, DEATH AT PEMBERLY. Jane Austin mystery? I'm in.)

Favorite books this year? Tim O'Brien is a new favorite author -- that's certain. I enjoyed Jeffry Eugenides, The Marriage Plot. And I was challenged by Kathleen Norris's Acedia and Me. The Heath Brothers are also a team of writers I'll be watching for -- I found their business books to be clearly written, funny, and with an unusual depth of insight. (I see those glossy business book covers and think it's going to be all surface with no meat -- which is not the case with these guys.)

I'm also enjoying reading more poetry. This is a new development in my life (last 2 or 3 years). It's become a sort of habit to read a poem right before sleeping. Not always the serious stuff either -- Wendy Cope makes me laugh out loud -- she is the funniest poet I know. But I'm wondering if reading poetry has something with me getting older (enjoying slower pleasures), or maybe it's a product of my search for the contemplative life -- which has been a theme in the last few years. I mean, poetry seems a natural sort of discovery in that sort of journey... Hmmm.  

So there you go. 

Want to see how I did? Here's my Goodreads "Read" page:

http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/664518-amy?shelf=read

What did you read this year? 

My little brother -- way back when.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Amy

It was crazy, and fun, and the performances (what my husband was a part of) had lots of sensory experiences colliding all at once.There were poets reading T.S. Elliot. There were actors who were using their voices in ways I've heard only in France at the Roy Hart Center which does "extended" voice work. It's amazing to hear, though sometimes quite jarring (in the best possible way). And then there were the musical quartets -- a string quartet, a trombone quartet and a percussion quartet. I'd never heard a trombone quartet (very mellow and as visually soothing as a lava lamp to see the slides shortening and lengthening) or a percussion quartet (they did a piece all on high-hat which made me want to jump up and do calisthentics). 

(By the way, the links above will take you to the musicians' home pages -- in case you want to hear more.)

Burlington Vermont is my kind of town -- truly. Love this place!And we got to go to Cambridge (love the Harvard Bookstore), Burlington Vermont (which is clearly my town -- where I'm meant to live the rest of my life with its bicycle bread delivery, the co-op and a library that checks out gardening tools as well as books) and NYC (where I found my dream bike and bought a pink Nutcase helmet). 

By the way, that was a long sentence that probably shouldn't have ever been written. I'm not sure it hangs together and if you survived it, dear reader, I salute you!

We travelled by sleeper car on Amtrak both ways (from Chicago to Boston, and from NYC back to Chicago). See photo above -- gives you a sense of the space. 

Now I'm really happy to be home, but I got to say that was a fun trip -- an adventure. 

Here's a Flickr slideshow. I didn't document everything like I usually do, but I got a few good ones from each location . . . (If you're on an ipad and you can't do flash, here's the link: http://www.flickr.com//photos/amy13/sets/72157628310886225/show/ )

Enjoy!

It's lined with Phil's old Daffy Duck t-shirt: 

It only took a few hours (amazingly), and I'm sort of proud of myself for actually doing it.

Yay!

Yes, butchering, drawing and quartering. I have no mercy even though many of my winter squash have been used (manipulated?) as art objects: 

I want to eat them.

Do some of you have similar desires? Nothing to be embarrassed about... But maybe you're unsure how to satisfy this desire. How exactly would you (in of course a hypothetical case) go about cooking one?

Here are directions. For years, I didn't know you could eat these things. I thought they were decorations for entry ways, or front stoops. But then I ate one, and that was that. I found out that they often tasted better than pumpkins, and could be swapped into any recipe calling for "pumpkin" or "pumpkin puree." Once I discovered this, there was no stopping me -- I've been hatcheting them up ever since.

(One of my cookbooks says that you can drop them in order to split them. This sounds like a lot of fun. Please somebody do it and send me photos! Also it sounds like a good way to get kids involved in cooking). 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. (As usual, I am not strict about that. Still, this is the way recipes are supposed to begin, right?)

You oil a baking sheet. (Baking sheet should have a lip. Squash like to squish and then ooze, and no one wants THAT smoking all over the bottom of their oven.) 

Then you chop up the big old squash into pieces and arrange:  

Save the seeds! They're very good roasted (more on that later) -- a special treat!

Cover the squash with tinfoil: 

Cook: 

I know you want me to say HOW LONG you should cook here. But I can't. Every squash has it's own personality. Some give in sooner. Others resist. But you are the squash's master -- do not doubt this.

I will admit that a big squash will take at least an hour in the over. So set the timer for an hour, and then you do this: 

That's me pressing the side to see if it's soft yet. This one isn't ready yet. It is a resister! (One of my cookbooks says it's hard to overcook squash -- a good thing to know.) This one is going back into the oven. I check it in 15 minute intervals until:

This one was so soft I accidently broke the skin! That doesn't usually happen, but the finger indent stays. 

Now I let it cool a little, and then: 

I scoop it up, put it in plastic freezer bags (date it) and freeze it. Now it's ready for muffins, breads, pie, custards, biscuits, and lots and lots of soups. 

(As a side note: I'm not crazy about using the plastic bags. I think some of you know how I feel about plastic. It gets in the ocean. It seems to leach into our food, and eventually you end up throwing these things away -- which kills me. But so far I haven't found a good substitute for stacking things like cooked squash in a freezer. I only have so much room for Anchor Hocking Glass -- which is great (like the ones with glass tops). If you've got a good solution let me know -- I'd like to hear!)

I'll do a toasting seeds entry soon!

Happy Cooking!

See that photo on the front? That's my photo. Yes, mine. And it's on the cover! That's my bag and my camera bag. That's my shirt on the chair. And those books? They're all Corinne Demas' books. (I'd just seen her. She was my writing mentor at my alma mater, Mount Holyoke College.)

Funny thing: When it came in the mail, I thought I'd already gotten a Glen Workshop brochure because I recognized the image. I thought, Why are they sending me all these brochures? Then I realized WHY I recognized it. 

Oh. Really?!? My photo?  

Okay, I do wish I had not left my strawberry tops on the arm of the chair. But hey, maybe it's charming? I mean, it is a legit thing. I was sitting there eating those strawberries. I took the photo for myself and for the blog and because it's fun to take photos with my tiny Canon Powershot S95. (It's just this little thing, but it takes the nicest photos. I swear it practically grins at you after taking them too -- sweet, sweet, sweet.)

By the way, the Glen folk asked if they could use the photo. And yes, they did give me credit in the brochure. (If you squint, you can see my name on the bottom of the page with the little photos.)

Truth? This is the first of my photos to ever be used in a professional sort of way. So it was very exciting. 

Also, they used my photo of a tree way up at the top. That big old tree up there? That's mine too. 

Two photos! Yay!

The Glen Workshop is very good. This year at Glen East not only can you study with Scott Russell Sanders, but Kathleen Norris is going to be the acting chaplin. That sounds like a knock out of the park to me and I wish I could go. Maybe you should go. I am still working off the notes Scott Russell Sanders made on my manuscript last summer. I got more than my money's worth. 

Here's a link to the blog entry I wrote about my experience. 

And here's my Slideshow: