Today I was hunting for wild rice recipes, since we seem to have hoarded a bunch of it. When I came across a recipe for wild-rice stuffing I was thrilled, since it called for four cups of rice, half of that wild rice. I failed to realize that this was a recipe intended for a large Thanksgiving gathering, and that the stuffing would fill my largest baking dish. Something tells me that we’ll be eating that for quite awhile . . .
Erin
– There are more kinds of soy-based protein products out there than I could have ever imagined. And many of them are pretty good. And Ithaca produces at least half of them.
– Along similar lines, vegetarianism doesn’t mean rice cakes and spongy tofu. Thank goodness.
– With some practice, I, too, can learn to walk up hills without fearing heart attack. Particularly if I have to sprint 90 steps up the side of a gorge every day I teach (nothing like running late for motivation!).
– If I force myself to take regular walks I will get to the point where I need them, prioritize them, and look to them for relief from migraines, desk-restlessness, and other problems. And I’ve learned that I can walk in Ithaca’s coldest weather, even if it’s less pleasant than a dewy spring morning.
– That whole baby-backpacking thing is great. Absolutely great. Here everyone does it, whether a hippie or no. I realize it’s not for everyone, but it has really worked for our family and will be a lifesaver as we move to England.
– To appreciate beautiful areas by getting out and using them, as much as life allows, and not just take a peek when we have company . . . and also to use company as an excuse to get outside and enjoy beautiful scenery (yes, all of you wonderful people who have visited, only to find yourself being coerced up a gorge ridge).
– That the compartmentalized life does not pay off. I’m reminded here of some of the benefits of having work and home not complete strangers to one another. Our department secretaries knew we were expecting a baby, so they worked out a teaching schedule for us that wouldn’t have us teaching at the same time. I see my students around town and get to watch them grow up. And I take Katherine to campus frequently, both to make use of the lovely lawn and to make lots of students smile as they pass. It’s nice to remember, every now and then, the entire world is not populated by 18-22-year-olds.
– How to run the academic marathon, rather than burn out by treating it like a sprint. I’ve seen something of the long hours my professors work, but I’ve also seen them trying to live a little, and I’ve started to find my pace.
– Moving is hard, particularly when it seems that nearly everyone in your town is doing it, too, but it’s important to make good, deep friendships regardless of the short stay. Thinking transiently serves no one.
– The more people that cook in a family (and in a community), the better. There’s always plenty of it to go around, and it’s fantastic to share the enthusiasm with your family members. The only problem is the skyrocketing grocery bill, but in the scheme of things . . . It’s also been great to live with Christi and be able to swap recipes (and just have someone walk over with a steaming bowl of curry when you walk in starving).
– That I married an impressive shoveler. Sydney can clear the driveway in twenty minutes even after a sizable snow. I’ll make sure that we spend most of our lives in a place where I can make use of this skill.
Erin
Tonight Katherine and I went to a dinner for my reading group. I’ve known some of the women in that group for four years, and we’ve covered a lot of ground in our talks about life and theology. This was our year-end celebration, and also a goodbye. I am really going to miss them!
Katherine was a hit, particularly when she moved beyond shyness and started investigating every corner of the house. She learned that, in houses where there are dogs, she’s going to have some competition for her teething cookies. I think the dog got more than half of the loot.
Erin
I need to write two conference papers and rewrite a chapter so that I can submit it for publication.
So far, I’ve written one of the conference papers.
Erin
On Saturday evening a bunch of friends from church hosted a barbecue for those of us who are leaving. Good food, good friends–and a lot of babies. I don’t usually like to post pictures of other people’s kids (cute as they are!), but I had to at least include the group picture. Katherine is the only one missing from the picture (Heidi took it), and that was because, after much fighting it, she succumbed to a nap right about then.
Heidi (a frequent commenter here and my best friend since fifth grade) drove up from DC to spend the weekend with us. It’s been oppressively humid and rather warm, but we managed to make two visits to the Farmer’s Market, walk the trail to Taughannock Falls, take a hike at Monkey Run, and go out for dinner at Just A Taste. And, as you might imagine, we’ve done a lot of catching up. A lot. As she gets ready to head home again this afternoon I know I’m already going to miss talking things out with her. And Katherine’s going to miss the extra attention!
Erin
I think we reached a major milestone today: Katherine’s wooden blocks were scattered all over the room, but, as you can see below, they no longer are.
All but two of them are in the trailer in which they belong. She suddenly got it into her head that instead of scattering them all over the place, maybe she should collect them and put them into the trailer. The resolute purpose with which she then proceeded was quite remarkable. She did not, however, have any intention of carrying blocks around the room. So she would pick up all the blocks within two feet of the trailer, drag the trailer to the next part of the floor, and repeat. Unfortunately, she tended to lose a few blocks each time she dragged the trailer. She usually went and retrieved the dropped blocks, but I guess the last two drops didn’t merit retrieval.
Sydney
Sydney’s had a very busy week, with a slew of grading and conferences with students, followed by a weekend conference at Cornell in which he’s making a presentation. As Katherine and I have been making our own fun without him, I realized that I’m scheduling more and more “final” events, fitting in last trips to favorite places around town and final dinners with friends. We’re going to miss this place! I’m very glad we’re moving somewhere we fully intend to love, otherwise moving would be very difficult.
Erin
After what seemed like a long winter of keeping Katherine inside, we’re now showing her a bit more of the world outside. Since the chickens have taken over the lawn outside our door, we roam a bit farther for our playground. I take her on a good number of long walks near our house, either in the backpack or in the stroller, and we often stop to explore the grass of a Cornell property a mile from our house. When we’re in town we’ll stop at one of the many parks, or we’ll take advantage of the rolling green on Cornell’s campus, where K is fascinated by bicyclists and skateboarders, and where she catches the eye of a lot of students (primarily women). Now that it’s also prime bird-watching season, we put her in the backpack and take her on birdwatching expeditions (well, Sydney watches, and I walk; Katherine likes to move) to half-a-dozen parks and trail systems around town. I’m going to miss this place!
When we were out on a walk to a new place the other day I discovered that Cornell owns a large meadow just down the road from our house. They have small patches of corn and shrubs there, but there are grass-covered paths for vehicles and the like. Following a path into the woods, I found myself on an old footpath that led down into Brooktondale. Halfway to the main road I came across two abandoned cars from the sixties. There was something eerie about coming across abandoned motorcars in the middle of the woods.
Far less eerie was the walk we took today around–I kid you not–Quick Cemetery, in which most of the inhabitants died before the turn of the last century.
Now that we’re the parents of a little one, we’re enjoying the opportunity to look anew at the world. And it looks pretty good!
Erin
Alan Schmierer
