Our ski trip: The good and the not so

No time to post pictures as I do 900 loads of ski laundry, throw together three days' of food, and pack the car to run up to Tahoe for some more of the stuff, but when I return I'll post pictures explaining why my Alta trip started out here and ended here.

Spoiler: My dad took a huge cartoon-like (but not funny) biff and broke his leg (really badly) on the third day (thank goodness not the first). He'll have surgery to get things pinned back together and plates added in about a week after the swelling goes down, and we expect to see him back on the slopes (I recommend at a slower speed, but he never listens to me about this) next year.

The silver lining? (I'm always looking for it.) I had anticipated this being a stressful and complicated day, but it pales in comparison to the complications of the past day and a half where I had to coordinate people and luggage—some on the mountain, some down at the hospital—to get the right people and their luggage going to the right place once we decided where that was. Many thanks to a great group of friends who were there to help at every turn, a fleet of radios that kept us all in contact throughout it all, wonderful ski patrol and mountain clinic staff, a rockin hospital, Southwest Airlines for flexibility, my sister for receiving my parents on the other end, and my brother-in-law for replacing my parents' blown hot water heater by the time they got home. Teamwork, you know.

I'll be back in the mix on Monday. In the meantime, have a good weekend!

We're packing up the sticks!

And all sorts of other gear to head to Alta, Utah tomorrow in search of snow. Not hard scratchy stuff that melts in the day and freezes again at night. We've got that in the Sierras. We want the real stuff.


This is our first destination ski trip as a family. Amazing the amount of stuff needed (this isn't all of it).

For the three of us, we have five sets of skis, ski boots, snow boots, apre ski boots, helmets, radios, ski clothes, dinner clothes, and sandwich makings. Yes, the lodge where we will be staying serves breakfast and dinner but not lunch, which I've been convinced to supply. It won't be the first time I've slapped together sandwiches in a hotel bathroom.

We're a little concerned that we have too much stuff.

Could we save by shipping the kid and her skis? Blogger pal Katie offered to receive gear we might want to ship. Do you think she would mind this package?

We fly home Wednesday night, do a quick turnaround on Thursday (wash the ski clothes, pack more food) and drive up to Tahoe that evening so Sophie can be on the slopes first thing Friday morning for her NASTC Kids Ski Camp. Did I mention I have a moms' (no dudes or kids allowed) ski trip the next weekend? I know. 

But what did they have to eat??

At the inauguration luncheon, that is. That is my question about almost every event or occasion, especially a luncheon, which we all know is vastly more important than just a lunch.

In case you're wondering, here's what they had, with wine pairings:

First Course

Seafood Stew in puff pastry
Duckhorn Vineyards, 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley

Second Course

A Brace of American Birds (pheasant and duck), served with Sour Cherry Chutney Molasses Sweet Potatoes
Winter Vegetables
Goldeneye, 2005 Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley 

Third Course (some people call this Dessert)

Apple Cinnamon Sponge Cake and Sweet Cream Glacé
Korbel Natural “Special Inaugural Cuvée,” California Champagne

Well, then. That sounds like a lot of food and beverage for a midday meal. Was it followed by an inaugural nap?

And I have a few other questions:

Since when is asparagus a winter vegetable? According to the recipes Di Fi has thoughtfully made available, the vegetables included carrots, Brussel sprouts, wax beans, and asparagus. Asparagus in January? That's just unpatriotic. No way that was grown in the U.S. At least Di Fi used her clout to insist all wines be from California.

What is a brace of birds? I looked it up. Merriam-Webster's 11th lists a panoply of definitions, many of which are clearly not what is meant here. But there is 6: a position of rigid attention. Could be. Maybe they had those birds sort of propped up. Or 7: something that arouses energy or strengthens morale. Yes—that's got to be it.

Why didn't they let George Bush stay for lunch? According to the schedule, they put him on his helicopter and waved him away just before lunch. Maybe he got a boxed lunch. Could that be what Michelle had in that box?

What I thought of it all

I know everyone's just dying to know, so here's my wrap up, illustrated by photographs shamelessly borrowed without permission. We'll go in chronological order.

THE GLOVES

I am crazy about most things green, so you can imagine what I thought of Michelle Obama's green gloves. Which matched her green shoes. So happy about that.

THE MUSIC
While I didn't think Aretha Franklin sounded on the top of her game (I can imagine Jennifer Hudson having sung this better), there is absolutely no doubt that she was working that hat. To wear a hat like that rather than having the hat wear you is something only she could have pulled off. She looked fabulous.

I absolutely loved the adaptation of Copeland's "Simple Gifts" performed by Yo Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Anthony McGill, and Gabriele Montero. My MIL appreciates Ma's playing but is consistently disturbed by his facial expressions and movement, feeling that it distracts from the music. To me he looks like a man who takes joy in the music and the connection with other musicians, and I love seeing it. Too bad they look like they're playing in front of a baseball backstop.

THE BIBLE

Hmmm. As a nonbeliever (did you hear the shout out to us in the address?), I'm uncomfortable with invocations, benedictions, references to god, participation of clergy (especially one of these), and bibles in public ceremonies. Separation of church and state anyone? But the history of the bible used today was undeniably interesting. Not only was this bible used for Lincoln's swearing in, but Lincoln's oath was administered by Robert Taney, the Supreme Court justice who wrote the majority opinion in the Dred Scott decision, which extended slavery into the territories. And today a black hand rested on it to take the oath of president.

THE SPEECH

Sasha and I agree—a job well done. I think he hit the right notes in a message of both hope and caution. To me, this seemed like an address that reached out to and celebrated all Americans. I wonder though how it played to conservatives. If we can resist from a slugfest, I'd love to hear what people outside my liberal bubble thought. Are you hopeful? Do you feel we stand together or still apart?

I particularly liked what he said concerning one of our greatest challenges:

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict or blame their society's ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

My question is which comes first: the unclenched fist or the hand? A diplomatic game of rock, scissor, paper. Are we big enough to reach out a hand to a fist? Today I feel hopeful that we might be.

THE GOODBYE

As angry and disappointed as I have been over the past eight years, I am grateful for the goodbye being civil and dignified on both sides. Just one thing, Mr. Bush. Keep going. Don't look back. The place to look now is forward. Have a safe trip.

Organizational meltdown

Warning: It's not pretty. You may be offended and never read my blog again.

But let's agree on one thing: Most of the time I am a pretty organized person. I think it's important that everything have a place where it at least should go. In theory, you know.

Remember the cocktail napkins?

And check out my our craft supplies:

But the wheels came off the cart this afternoon while I was putting away the Christmas decorations. (We like to enjoy them. A lot. Which usually takes us well through January. OK, the truth: As long as we're getting in some skiing, we don't give a rip what our house looks like.)

The problem is that these items escaped my net:

Sophie calls this her "Jesus set," a gift from my mom. (We're devoted atheists but are down with most of the teachings of Jesus and don't mind exposing Sophie to the Christmas story in the historical sense.)

And remember these little devils, which graced my Thanksgiving table?

After an entire day of house cleaning (thank you, Dr. King), lacked the energy to open one of the boxes I had strategically fit back into the closet. This is going to have to do until next year.

Do you think Jesus would mind? I mean, he was born in a stable with animals. Or so they say.

More fun with pears:Caramel pear butter

Yeah—Christmas tree still up and not because I'm enjoying looking at it. In fact, it's really annoying me. This weekend. Really. I hate taking it down and wrapping each of the glass ornaments and figuring out how the hell to get it all back in the closet, but for a brief moment when the tree comes down, my living room looks larger. I said brief. It's usually a matter of minutes before something takes its place.

In the meantime, more canning. Pears won't be around forever, you know.

This recipe is sort of like making thick applesauce with brown sugar. The nutmeg gives it a rich flavor and makes the house smell really nice.


Do you have one of these food mills? Very useful things, and they make the most perfect mashed potatoes ever.

It's a good idea to simmer this in a deep pan so the popping bubbles don't spatter all over your stove.

CARAMEL PEAR BUTTER

1/4 cup apple juice
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
7 pounds ripe pears
3 cups packed
golden brown sugar
1 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

Combine apple juice and 4 tablespoons of lemon juice in a heavy large deep pot. Peel, core, and dice pears, one at a time, and add to juice mixture. Toss gently as you go to coat the pear so it doesn't brown.

Cook over medium heat until pears release enough juice for mixture to boil, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer until pears are very tender, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes.

Remove pears from heat and run mixture through a food mill into a large bowl. Return mixture to pot and add remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, brown sugar, nutmeg, and salt. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer uncovered until mixture thickens and is reduced to about 8 cups. Stir frequently to avoid scorching, about 1 hour.

Ladle pear butter into hot clean jars (I pour boiling water over them in the sink), leaving about 1/4 inch space at the top of jars. Cover with hot lids and apply screw bands. Process jars in a pot of boiling water for 10 minutes. Cool completely. Store in a dark place for up to 1 year. Or eat immediately.

We'll be spreading this on cinnamon toast and pumpkin bread. And I can't wait to try it as a filling for my round pancakes. Husband will probably just eat it over the sink with a spoon.

Advice needed:Fairies and pierced ears areasonable combination?

Being blissfully oblivious to the economic recession, Sophie has already settled on what she would like for her birthday. Which is in March. Didn't we just finish Christmas???

Oh, well. It's always good to plan ahead. Here is what's on her list:

She got a few of these fairies from Santa Claus, and I gave her cousin the carousel. Sophie would like a few more fairies and the carousel to add to her fairy Ferris wheel to make a fairy amusement park. Good enough.


She would also like this "-ology" book. We have a few of these books, and they are really fun. Lots of pop-ups and little compartments where you can lose yourself for hours. We always like books.

But she also would like . . . to get her ears pierced. NO! I shriek without giving it any consideration at all. But I'm willing to consider it. She will be nine. I had thought ten. She has her arguments marshaled.

Serena has pierced ears! I am not impressed. You, I point out, are not Serena.

And yes, I have pierced ears as well. But I wear thong underwear, walk around the house while brushing my teeth, and use bad words (not often at the same time). I am a grown-up and get to do all sorts of things that kids do not.

But, really. Am I completely out of step here? When is an appropriate age? Anyone?

Thanks for your help.