So, we don't have internet at home. And the only time I'm on campus is long enough to run to and from a French class.
When I have office hours again, I'll blog more. Promise. :-)
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Sunshine, Iowa farmland, and the best pickle ever
This will be a long post.
I went to Kalona, Iowa today with Mom. It's home to the largest Amish community west of the Mississippi. I have no idea how to summarize the experience. It sounds cliche, but it was really a perfect day.
On a practical, sort-of-boring-mom note, BeeBoo maintained her good potty-training habits and was accident-free despite the fact that we were travelling all day. This was wonderful, and reinforces my perception of her as the amazing baby (I guess she's really the amazing toddler, now)
On to the truly good stuff. :-)
The sunshine was the first best part. We expected a sort of cloudish day because the weather in Iowa has been sketchy. We set out in a sort of chilly, grey morning, but before we had driven 30 minutes, we were into blue sky and sunshine that turned the new green of the trees (yes, there are LOTS of trees in Iowa) and the fields a shade that made me feel really happy, springy, and just plain alive.
Part of what made the day so wonderful consisted in its total lack of stress. We had a very basic plan of a few things we wanted to do: see the Stringtown grocery and buy some bulk food items for Mom to show me how to seal with a dry canner, see cheese-making and buy cheese curds at a local cheese factory, go to a fabric store and a bakery. We ended up doing all of these things plus a few others. And it was okay to deviate from the course!
We hit the grocery first because it was our most purposeful spot. We both had things we wanted/needed to buy. We picked up a wide variety of storable things (wheat, barley, split peas, oats, grits, pasta) and then some spices. I also bought some teas/ingredients (which, of course, make me extremely happy)...I got oak bark, pennyroyal, and red clover blossoms. There were two Amish girls in the store that caught my attention...one stocking shelves and the other running the cash register. The girl stocking shelves was wearing a really beautiful shade of dark purple. She smiled at BeeBoo when she realized that my two-year-old was saying her ABCs (even though BeeBoo consistently omits "p"). And the girl at the register was more reserved, but also friendly.
As we came out of the store, a man drove by in a horse and buggy. BeeBoo pointed and said "pretty horsie!" The man didn't react...I don't know if he heard her or not.
We went to the cheese factory next. They had plaques all over the walls from the Iowa state fair and other exhibitions they had won or awards they received. It was a smaller operation, and they didn't offer tours. (This was good....BeeBoo won't last through them) But there were windows you could watch the giant forks rake the cheese curds as they fell out of giant tubes into big rectangular troughs. BeeBoo was quite amazed.
We bought cheese curds and dill pickles. Mom and I both have an attachment to dill pickles for a couple reasons. 1) They taste awesome. Way better than sweet pickles, which are a plague. 2) The little girl in "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" talks about pickles in a way that reminds us both of childhood and the delight in simple things that kids have. And I try to imitate/not lose. So we ate our very salty, very garlicy, very strong, very WONDERFUL pickles and then some cheese curds. If you have never eaten cheese curds, it's something you should try. They're good cheese for one thing, but for another, they squeak against your teeth when you eat them. It's really funny. I couldn't convince BeeBoo that she should go for it.
Then we went to the bakery. The ladies there were the smiliest people we saw all day. One cute little girl was sitting on a bench in a copse of trees eating her lunch from a woven basket. She smiled at me and BeeBoo when I got little one out of the car. We bought oatmeal bread that I smelled, poked, and pulled for about two minutes before I ate it. It was light enough to not be chewy but heavy enough to fill me up with one slice. And it smelled like early mornings at Mamaw and Papaw's house (Hannah, T, Mom, and Pat, you know what's up). BeeBoo even ate it. We also bought a dutch apple pie for us and a raisin pie (I know, weird, but Ron doesn't like sweet stuff) for Ron. And, best of all, we bought CHOCOLATE CRINKLE COOKIES! They're brownies that think they're cookies. Yummy soft chocolatey goodness with powdered sugar on top.
The other stores that we went to were pretty uneventful. One was a byway antique shop that a pair of sisters owns. BeeBoo wanted to hold everything. The best thing I saw there was a set of colored pencils made from straight twigs with leads inserted in the middle. The other was a fabric shop. There were some calicoes for quilts, but mostly solid staples for making sober, dark colored modest dresses.
We saw a couple of cute kids wandering around...the little girl had on a beautiful blue kerchief over her head and little blonde curls sticking out from under it in front. And one guy that was bringing a horse back from the fields smiled at us when we smiled at him as we passed. The Amish farms are impeccably kept.
During the whole day I was really conscious of my now-short hair. I usually don't think about it, but I felt really exposed with my short short hair. I also had this feeling of intruding in a world that I didn't belong in....not that any of the people I met made me feel that way. It was all internal....I felt like the way of life that the Amish live would be so difficult in some ways but so fulfilling in others. And I figured that I wouldn't be cool enough (here read disciplined and selfless enough) to do it. Disciplined because of staying in one place, selfless because of doing all the sewing/cooking/cleaning/etc that I don't want to do.
I also started wondering about being a missionary among the Amish. I know that the Church is true, and I love the Gospel. For some reason, though, I feel like I wouldn't want the Amish to give up their way of life to be like us. And I'm conflicted over how I "should" feel (however that is) and how I actually feel.
So I had a great day...good food, great cultural experience, lots to mull over now for the next little while! Perfect.
I went to Kalona, Iowa today with Mom. It's home to the largest Amish community west of the Mississippi. I have no idea how to summarize the experience. It sounds cliche, but it was really a perfect day.
On a practical, sort-of-boring-mom note, BeeBoo maintained her good potty-training habits and was accident-free despite the fact that we were travelling all day. This was wonderful, and reinforces my perception of her as the amazing baby (I guess she's really the amazing toddler, now)
On to the truly good stuff. :-)
The sunshine was the first best part. We expected a sort of cloudish day because the weather in Iowa has been sketchy. We set out in a sort of chilly, grey morning, but before we had driven 30 minutes, we were into blue sky and sunshine that turned the new green of the trees (yes, there are LOTS of trees in Iowa) and the fields a shade that made me feel really happy, springy, and just plain alive.
Part of what made the day so wonderful consisted in its total lack of stress. We had a very basic plan of a few things we wanted to do: see the Stringtown grocery and buy some bulk food items for Mom to show me how to seal with a dry canner, see cheese-making and buy cheese curds at a local cheese factory, go to a fabric store and a bakery. We ended up doing all of these things plus a few others. And it was okay to deviate from the course!
We hit the grocery first because it was our most purposeful spot. We both had things we wanted/needed to buy. We picked up a wide variety of storable things (wheat, barley, split peas, oats, grits, pasta) and then some spices. I also bought some teas/ingredients (which, of course, make me extremely happy)...I got oak bark, pennyroyal, and red clover blossoms. There were two Amish girls in the store that caught my attention...one stocking shelves and the other running the cash register. The girl stocking shelves was wearing a really beautiful shade of dark purple. She smiled at BeeBoo when she realized that my two-year-old was saying her ABCs (even though BeeBoo consistently omits "p"). And the girl at the register was more reserved, but also friendly.
As we came out of the store, a man drove by in a horse and buggy. BeeBoo pointed and said "pretty horsie!" The man didn't react...I don't know if he heard her or not.
We went to the cheese factory next. They had plaques all over the walls from the Iowa state fair and other exhibitions they had won or awards they received. It was a smaller operation, and they didn't offer tours. (This was good....BeeBoo won't last through them) But there were windows you could watch the giant forks rake the cheese curds as they fell out of giant tubes into big rectangular troughs. BeeBoo was quite amazed.
We bought cheese curds and dill pickles. Mom and I both have an attachment to dill pickles for a couple reasons. 1) They taste awesome. Way better than sweet pickles, which are a plague. 2) The little girl in "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" talks about pickles in a way that reminds us both of childhood and the delight in simple things that kids have. And I try to imitate/not lose. So we ate our very salty, very garlicy, very strong, very WONDERFUL pickles and then some cheese curds. If you have never eaten cheese curds, it's something you should try. They're good cheese for one thing, but for another, they squeak against your teeth when you eat them. It's really funny. I couldn't convince BeeBoo that she should go for it.
Then we went to the bakery. The ladies there were the smiliest people we saw all day. One cute little girl was sitting on a bench in a copse of trees eating her lunch from a woven basket. She smiled at me and BeeBoo when I got little one out of the car. We bought oatmeal bread that I smelled, poked, and pulled for about two minutes before I ate it. It was light enough to not be chewy but heavy enough to fill me up with one slice. And it smelled like early mornings at Mamaw and Papaw's house (Hannah, T, Mom, and Pat, you know what's up). BeeBoo even ate it. We also bought a dutch apple pie for us and a raisin pie (I know, weird, but Ron doesn't like sweet stuff) for Ron. And, best of all, we bought CHOCOLATE CRINKLE COOKIES! They're brownies that think they're cookies. Yummy soft chocolatey goodness with powdered sugar on top.
The other stores that we went to were pretty uneventful. One was a byway antique shop that a pair of sisters owns. BeeBoo wanted to hold everything. The best thing I saw there was a set of colored pencils made from straight twigs with leads inserted in the middle. The other was a fabric shop. There were some calicoes for quilts, but mostly solid staples for making sober, dark colored modest dresses.
We saw a couple of cute kids wandering around...the little girl had on a beautiful blue kerchief over her head and little blonde curls sticking out from under it in front. And one guy that was bringing a horse back from the fields smiled at us when we smiled at him as we passed. The Amish farms are impeccably kept.
During the whole day I was really conscious of my now-short hair. I usually don't think about it, but I felt really exposed with my short short hair. I also had this feeling of intruding in a world that I didn't belong in....not that any of the people I met made me feel that way. It was all internal....I felt like the way of life that the Amish live would be so difficult in some ways but so fulfilling in others. And I figured that I wouldn't be cool enough (here read disciplined and selfless enough) to do it. Disciplined because of staying in one place, selfless because of doing all the sewing/cooking/cleaning/etc that I don't want to do.
I also started wondering about being a missionary among the Amish. I know that the Church is true, and I love the Gospel. For some reason, though, I feel like I wouldn't want the Amish to give up their way of life to be like us. And I'm conflicted over how I "should" feel (however that is) and how I actually feel.
So I had a great day...good food, great cultural experience, lots to mull over now for the next little while! Perfect.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Visiting Mom
I am in Ay-ah-way. :-)
We had a good, late-night trip. The BeeBoo behaved herself really well...stayed up until ten. We got in at 3 a.m. And slept. Soundly.
My mom has the coolest guest room ever. :-) She and Ron painted it a really beautiful lilac color, and then there's green accenting it in the closet curtain and the bedspreads. The bed is really comfortable...I slept so well. And she found these great antique linens with green and purple embroidery patterns (grapes, lilacs, etc). I really like it.
We're going to make a grocery list and then go to a carnival. I'm SO excited to be here and just spend time.
We had a good, late-night trip. The BeeBoo behaved herself really well...stayed up until ten. We got in at 3 a.m. And slept. Soundly.
My mom has the coolest guest room ever. :-) She and Ron painted it a really beautiful lilac color, and then there's green accenting it in the closet curtain and the bedspreads. The bed is really comfortable...I slept so well. And she found these great antique linens with green and purple embroidery patterns (grapes, lilacs, etc). I really like it.
We're going to make a grocery list and then go to a carnival. I'm SO excited to be here and just spend time.
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