Thank You, USA!

[Image from www.barackobama.com]

Thanks for choosing hope and possibility.

Thanks for seeing clearly and doing the right thing.

Thanks for coming out in record numbers, and giving Barack Obama a true mandate for change.

Thanks for having faith in our ability to unify and make things happen.

Thanks especially to Indiana for going BLUE for the first time in my memory. (Thanks to my niece, Megan, for helping make that happen!!)

Baracking the Vote

Today I went down to Obama/Biden Headquarters in Van Nuys and volunteered for a couple of hours. I've made some calls from home, but I wanted to help do data entry at the HQ. As it turned out, I became part of the phone bank, but that's okay.

This year is the first time I've volunteered on a political campaign, and I wish I'd started earlier. I made a couple of dozen phone calls a few weeks ago, got sick, and didn't start up again until yesterday.

Going to the HQ was really worth it. It was amazing to see a couple of hundred people sitting on chairs, on the floor, on window sills inside and outside, all making calls on their own cell phones. I was in a room with three other people, two of whom didn't have cell phones and didn't have any work to do, but were nice. The other woman was an incredible caller. It was fun to hear her talk to one woman in Indiana who really wanted to converse.

I left a lot of messages, racked up some wrong numbers, talked to a few undecideds and a couple of McCain supporters. I thanked them for participating in the process.

Most of the people I actually spoke with are planning to vote for Obama.

My favorite call was a guy in Ohio. The purpose of the calling today was to make sure voters know where their polling places are, and let them know if they aren't aware. Offer rides if they need them. And find out if they're planning to vote for Obama or McCain.

My guy said, "I want Bush to stay in office."

"Oh! Then.... I guess you'll be voting for McCain?"

"No, no. I'm just pulling your leg!" he laughed.

"Ha, well, you had me there for a minute!"

"Don't worry, baby. We're gonna make it happen. It's gonna be all right."

"We just don't want people to think it's in the bag."

"Don't you worry, baby. It's going to happen. You have a good night."

All in all, it was a really good experience.



And if I hadn't driven down to the valley, I would have missed the amazing colors on the drive home.



Trust me, this is way easier than dialing your cell phone.

Really Rain!

Just in case you don't believe me!
(Can you hear Dodger in the background?)

Bwaaa-ha-ha-ha-Halloween!

Our first Trick or Treater is Dodger.

Once again, he dresses as a thief.

He destroys a green Skittle, a yellow one and an orange one before I stop him. Yipes, he only weighs about 9 ounces. I think he just ate 1% of his body weight in fruit flavored sugar.

The first costumed kid arrives at 6:25. It's a little later than usual and I am a little concerned that we might get stuck with 10 pounds of Starbursts, Skittles and assorted fun-sized chocolates. (I'm not kidding!)

She's wearing a homemade bee costume. The pipe cleaner wings are already bent. I adore her. She gets a Snickers.

I admit it, when I have the time--and sometimes I don't because they arrive in rushes of ten or twelve a time--I rate the costumes and give accordingly. Handmade ones get the good stuff. Skittles are mid-range and Starburst packets are the norm. Back when I bought the candy, I got nothing but chocolate. It's cheaper when I let Hydra do the shopping.

The official greeter at Chez Sundry.

There's a great little cowgirl around 7:00. With just the most wonderful smile, dark hair in pigtails descending from her hat, holster angled across her hip, real cowboy boots.

Two packs of M&Ms!

7:15 : A teeny-tiny Sleeping Beauty just barely understandably asks, "Where is your puppy?"

I have to tell her we don't have one.

"Okay!" She turns away, completely satisfied. Her mom takes the candy and thanks me, shaking her head and smiling.

7:20 : I eat a packet of Peanut M&Ms.

Hydra checks the body count. We've jumped from 13 to 52 since the last time he asked.

7:30 : Dodger's sitting calmly on his travel cage in the kitchen, saying "Helloooo--- Hellooo---" He is not sure why we are handing all our candy to these vagabonds. Just because they asked?

We get a lot of tweens and teens in our neighborhood. Maybe it's because Acton's a small town and there's not a lot to do. Most of them make an effort to dress up. No one has seemed happier than the boy in a skirt, tube top and heavy glam make-up.

7:50 : A batch of high school students shows up, not really in costume.

"What are you dressed as?" I ask with a chuckle, "Bums?" (Oh god, when did I get so old?)

"No!" says one.

"We're from the local rehab," says the another with a smirk.

"I'm a cripple," says the girl, holding up her wrist, which is in a cast.

"Very convincing," I say, handing over the Skittles.

"Ohhhh!" says Dodger in the background, "Heh-heh-heh."

8:05 : "Wow, your window is so clear!" a little lady bug says. Cute. A Twix arcs into her pillowcase.

8:57 : Time to turn out the porch light.

Total for the night: 131 critters!

The really scary thing is, I didn't open the second 4 pound bag of Skittles and Starburts, and I barely put a dent in the chocolate!

It's Raining!

I love it when it rains in L.A. Well, it's best when I'm snuggled up at home on a weekend morning, but it was so wonderful to smell the freshness pouring down from the sky!


Made for a pretty dawn in Burbank, too.


It was still all weathery when I got home to Acton.

Our house is within sight of our polling place, which is in our homeowner's association clubhouse. Probably outside the legal limit, but up in our neighborhood which doesn't have much traffic.

I planted the Obama '08 yard sign that Tomasina gave me on busier Santiago Road.

I know, it doesn't look busy, but a lot of people leave the freeway to go into Acton this way. And it'll still be on the way to the polling place for some people.

Good Night, Sweet Quince

Here's the end result of the quince experiment!

The syrup is very lightly flavored and thick. I think it would be great over finely crushed ice, like in a Sno-Cone.

I pureed the fruit with my handy hand-blender. It's such a pretty color! And it tastes great on a La Brea Bakery bread roll with a little bit of butter.

Fondest of Farewells

This is the Post Office annex, glowing in the evening light.

Shortly after sampling the quince, which we both liked, we headed once again for downtown Los Angeles. The drive was smooth, especially since Google Maps showed me a new way--taking the 5 all the way to Mission and entering downtown away from the madhouse tangle of freeways that I used to tackle every time.

[Ooh, speaking of Google Maps! Click here and when you get to the site, click on Barack Obama's Journey and John McCain's Journey. Really interesting tour of the important places in their lives.]


Oui! Kitty began her California visit with a trip to Phillippe's and ended it there, too. She likes the turkey dip, I like the beef. We split potato salad again.

I picked up a pork dip to take home to Hydra, who has never actually set foot on this hallowed ground. (Does anyone smell a field trip!?)


I had to run back to my car--parked in the passenger loading zone--to grab my camera and get this shot. Union Station is just too beautiful! (And Kitty ain't bad, either!)

She won't get home to Indiana until late Friday night. Hope it's a smooth trip.

Her visits always refresh my spirit. I'm a lucky, lucky kid.

Quince-tessential Fall Fruit

Consider the humble quince. Not really edible in it's natural state. It won't actually harm you, it just doesn't taste nice.

On the way home from the doctor's office on Saturday (allergies became a sinus infection, hence the long absence from Any Given Sundry,) Kitty and I stopped at Sanchez Produce and I saw these. I'd read about them in How to Pick a Peach.

Yeah, yeah, I know. I can't stop talking about that book!



By Wednesday I was beginning to feel human again... You know, that sense of life being worth living you sometimes get when emerging from a bad cold or flu? That was me.

It was Kitty's last day in California, so I wanted to get around to cooking this up. I may have become a bit over-excited. Russ Parson's recipe for poaching quince was so simple that I thought he hadn't given me the proportions for simple syrup.

So I went online and the first one I found recommended 2 parts sugar to 1 part water. I was thinking I was going to try to poach the quince whole, so I used two cups of water and four of sugar.

Then Kitty pointed out that the instructions said to slice the quince. Well, shoot. Of course.

We dropped the slices in with the seeds still intact, just to see what would happen. The seeds contain a lot of natural pectin, which is what helps fruit jelly become jellified.

At some point I noticed--or Kitty read--that Parsons actually said 1 part sugar to 1 part water. Too late, buster. You have to get my attention and you have to hold it.




It took a lot longer than 45 minutes for the quince slices to turn rosy and look really cooked. But oh my, what a delicate and lovely flavor.


Serving recommendation is with a couple of vanilla cookies on the side.

I think there was so much sugar, though, that I more or less candied the quince rather than poaching it.

I'll try this again using the correct recipe with less sugar. Also will probably try this recipe found online, which looks spicy and wonderful. Ooh, or this one for membrillo.

Fall Colors

The apricot tree seems to have been bisected by a cold wind that left behind a smattering of yellow leaves.

Clafoutis II - The Prequel

Started feeling a bit better by Sunday (thanks to antibiotics and anti-allergy meds) and of course that means cooking again. Wanted Kitty to see how easy it is to make and how yummy.

I'm calling this a prequel because it's the actual recipe that Russ Parsons suggested in How to Pick a Peach. It uses pears and pistachios rather than the plums and almonds I tried first.

The Shape of Things to Come

Little did I know that this skeleton waiting outside Don Cuco's was a harbinger of doom.

Well, not so much doom as a sinus infection. Hence my absence from the Internet for the following week or so. Sigh.

Hyrda's Big Project

We started breaking up the branches and twigs in the back yard Friday night (from the downed tree) and filled a big trash container and six or seven big bags.

I sawed up some of the medium branches that evening. Today Hydra bought a chain saw and got to work on the bigger branches.


Wow, what a lot of work! That's a 4 pound hammer. I tried splitting one log and it was about all I could do to get through it.

Gonna get the IcyHot ready!

Kitty and I were shopping in Palmdale all afternoon. We were tired too.

Solving Solvang

We drove three hours there and three hours back to visit Solvang. I've heard about this little Dutch-influenced town since about the time I moved to California in 1985.

The long drive probably puts more pressure on the place to please, but I have to say, I don't get it. It seemed mostly like a lot of overpriced shops selling things you could get anywhere with different town names stitched or painted or screen printed on them. We looked for a cowboy museum that was on a map, but which didn't seem to exist any longer.

This sandwich plate Hydra ordered at Bit o' Denmark, which I later found out is the oldest restaurant in town, was nice. So was the one that Kitty ordered.



This tasted better than it looks. It wasn't made of real wax. It was pork sausage and red potatoes.


The cultural highlight of the excursion: the giant bust of Hans Christian Anderson in the museum dedicated to him which is housed in the comfortable and inviting Book Loft bookstore.


I like this painting of him very, very much.

It wasn't a large exhibit, but it told about his unrequited loves and his publishing history, and there were lots of nicely illustrated books lying open inside cases. Would love to see more of the illustrations.


We wandered into an antiques place and wow! There were more grandfather clocks in this one shop than I had seen in the whole of my life before this day. They are amazing pieces of furniture with amazing prices like on sale for $34,000.00!

I tried to open the Louis the XVI cabinet to see if there were any deals on vintage Pyrex refrigerator containers, but it was locked.

Harumph.


Pretty gate on one of the side streets away from the commercial streets.


The drive up there and back through the Santa Ynez Valley was very pretty. Lots of rolling grassy hills dotted with live oaks...some of my favorite California landscapes.

We stopped to have a look at Lake Cachuma, which was created in 1953 by the construction of a dam. Amazing blue in the middle of the tan hills.

Rocky and Champ Hitch a Ride

These two fellows were pretty impressive on the trail this morning. We came up over a rise and there they were.

Yeah, I'll admit to a second of expecting to see coyotes up there rather than dogs. And another second of wonderful if these two German Shepherds were friends or foes.

They made it pretty clear pretty fast that they were easy to get along with. They were a very close team. They'd trot ahead of us and then pause with their haunches together and look over their shoulders for us. When we whistled for them, they came to us.

We realized that they are really big dogs without leashes and we were walking them into our quiet little neighborhood where lots of people walk their bite-sized dogs in the morning.

So we each took one by the collar, promised them water, and let them pretty much drag us the last few hundred yards to the house. We got them some water, shut them in the garage, and Hydra called the number on Champ's collar.

We found out that they were about a mile from home and that the dogs are owned by a father and son, and the son was miffed that the dad had let them out. Apparently, he let them out to "potty" and they never came back.

Ahem.

They'd probably traveled about a mile. (And it probably wasn't lost on the son that they were headed toward the freeway.)



This is what it would be like all the time if we had dogs.

Hmm, have to say that happy as we were to spend a little time with these gorgeous mammals, dog breath is not something you miss a lot.

Parrots have really lovely personal habits.



I love this shot. What a beautiful day for a romp and a ride home.

Return of the Giant Bowl o' Butter

If you've been reading for a while, you may recall that this is not the Giant Bowl o' Butter's first appearance on Any Given Sundry.

In these confusing economic times, I think the Giant Bowl o' Butter is a sign of hope. Or at least, a sign of faith that a large quantity of pancakes and toast will be sold today in one diner in the middle of the San Fernando Valley.

If you're wondering what the heck is going on in the economy, let me steer you toward a couple of terrific episodes of This American Life. It's an NPR radio show that you can listen to online or download to your mp3 player.

#365: Another Frightening Show About the Economy explains in a very simple way--it has to be for me to understand it!--what they're talking about when they talk about a credit freeze. It's a follow-up to #355: The Giant Pool of Money, which explains the mortgage crisis. The two are related, as you probably guessed. But there's this whole world of high finance that I never really knew about, and it's what's behind your mutual fund investments, etc.

If you want more info on the economic situation from the folks who brought us this helpful stuff, check out the Planet Money Blog.

If you want a little fascinating escapism, check out the other episodes available on This American Life. The stories are always interesting, sometimes funny, sometimes touching.

Or check out the terrific storytelling that is going on at The Moth. I recommend Richie DiSalvo's tale of his experiences with a man named Anthony the Hat in NYC.

Another Hopeful Thing!

The candidates roasted each other at the Alfred E. Smith Catholic Charities Dinner last night.

I find it wonderful that these guys can laugh at themselves and each other. These are worth the 15 minutes each to watch.




There now. Don't you feel better?

Last Night's Debate : My 22 Cents

When I walked into Andrew's NoHo Diner this morning, this cobwebbed fellow reminded me of John McCain. There's even a reference to his military service hovering behind him.

Of course, if this were John McCain, he would be lot paler. And a lot angrier.

It became even more clear last night that John McCain has no poker face whatsoever. He keeps chastising Barack Obama for showing his cards by saying what he would or wouldn't do regarding foreign policy ("You don't say that out loud!") But seriously, McCain's furious half the time and he can't keep it off his face. Is this the man we want negotiating settlements with hostile nations?

I think not.

And stop telling me I'm angry about the country's financial meltdown. I'm--- What am I? I'm aghast. I'm bewildered. I'm a little afraid. But what does angry get you? Nothing rational.

McCain's given up trying to be rational and is just resorting to spreading rumors started by bloggers like me. (And you know you can't trust us.) He's already got his base in his pocket, what he needed to do last night was gain people who find themselves in the center politically, and I can't imagine he did that.

I agree with Barak Obama regarding abortion rights. No one wants more abortions. But I believe that it's a woman's choice and it needs to remain legal.

I understand what McCain was trying to get at when he commented on the definition of a "woman's health" being stretched to allow late term abortions to women whose lives aren't actually in danger. But an across the board ban is just wrong. As Rachel Maddow commented on the MSNB post-game show, this means you're forcing a woman to take a pregnancy to full term even if it's going to kill her. I can't agree with that.

There's no equivalent for men. There just isn't. Unless you want to say that the prostate is involved in reproduction, so if you get prostate cancer you can't treat it because of loss of potential life.

I'm excited that I might have an opportunity to opt into the same health care system that serves federal employees. As Obama said in the prior debate, John F. Kennedy didn't know how we were going to get to the moon when he set it as a goal for the end of the sixties, but you have to set your intentions if you're going to get a thing done.

I loved Barack Obama's composure. I loved that he actually answered most of the questions. It was great that he confronted McCain about the rabble rousing that Sarah Palin's been doing and which she is not responding to responsibly. McCain's claim that Obama was somehow putting down the 99% of reasonable people at the rallies where epithets have been slung--- Well, that was just a pathetic attempt to make Obama look elitist.

Guess what? I want a smart president. I want an educated, thoughtful, flexible, hopeful, inspiring president. I want the person with his or her finger on the button to at least be able to pronounce the word "nuclear."

I'll say it right out loud, I want an eloquent president.



Okay, there are probably pictures of me out there that are almost this embarrassing, but this shot from the debate last night is just too funny not to pass up. Click on the photo to see where I found it.

Craaaaazy Pumpkin

A decoration that EastCoast sent us for the office.



More decor.


Who knew there were other flavors of candy corn? There are caramel and caramel apple, at least.

Pumpkin Time

"I am sometimes called pumpkin. Because why?"



Only one pumpkin's going into the oven.


Freshly made broccoli mushroom soup garnished with toasted pumpkin seeds and mashed pumpkin with butter...and a little maple syrup too.

It's nice to work at home.

A Mighty Wind

It sounded like someone was throwing gravel at our bedroom all night. In the morning, there were branches down and the tomatoes were knocked over.

Well, the wind wasn't done with us.


After several big windy slams, the whole house shook...and our big shade tree broke and the top half fell on the house!






Hydra had the day off. Not so much after all. He spent most of the day on the roof, cutting up branches. The ladder kept being blown down, so he was at my mercy.



Now both the back yard and the front yard are full of branches and we're down our best shade tree. Sigh.

Randy Travis at the LPAC

We were impressed with all the instruments on stage. All of them were played!

It was a really fun evening. I don't listen to much country anymore, but I bought all his music as it came out in the 80s. It was great to hear a bunch of my old favorites, and I loved his new song "Everything That I Own Has a Dent." He had some good jokes and stories and seemed to have a great time, which is always fun to watch.



This poster in the lobby doesn't really do him justice. We bought the new CD, Around the Bend.