Category Archives: Family

Adventures in Cooking, Family, Philosophy

One Big Rock

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Shortly after the last post, it became quite clear that I had just one big rock in the jar right now and it is called work. After working pretty hard for a couple of weeks, we took off for Albuquerque and KlubFest 2007.

For the uninitiated, “Klub” (pronounced “klooooooobe”) is a potato dumpling cooked in ham broth. This is a shot of Dave and two of his sisters discussing the proper ratio of shredded potato to flour. Making (and eating) Klub is a Norwegian tradition passed down to Dave and his siblings by their mom.

The best part about KlubFest 2007 was spending time with family. Visiting Albuquerque and Santa Fe for the first time was an added bonus. And the Klub was pretty good, too.

Family, Philosophy

Giving Thanks

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It is a week past Thanksgiving and I’m finally getting around to posting something about it. Most of my family was here. We had a good time, ate a lot of good food, and had at least one hysterical laughing jag. We have much to be thankful for.

It’s easy to be thankful for one day. It’s much harder to maintain a consistent attitude of grace. Yes, it’s lovely to have a four-day weekend, but then too soon it is Monday morning and the furnace is busted, the coffee machine spewed hot coffee and grounds all over the counter, the email has piled up, and the phone starts to ring. Suddenly that glass is half empty again and it’s hard to remember how good we have it.

So we muddle through and think sullen thoughts about how short that weekend really was. Until something brings it back into perspective — a beautiful choral concert or a visit with a friend calmly facing the start of chemotherapy next month.

I’m jolted back to the realization that I can get that damn furnace fixed or even replaced if I have to, the coffee is all cleaned up now, and I’ve managed to wade through those emails and phone calls. They don’t count. All that counts is the quality of this moment. Right now.

Family, Music

High School Musical

I am currently sharing piano duties in a production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” at my niece’s high school. Hanging around the school has brought back memories of my own high school musical experiences, and other general high school memories. Also, this particular choice of musical is steeped in 70s culture.

Compared to my niece’s school, I went to a big, anonymous suburban institution. There were some 700 kids in my class alone. My younger brother graduated with 900 in his class. My niece’s school has 150 kids total by design.

I’m not particularly nostalgic for high school. When I was about 23 years old I felt immensely relieved that I was no longer subject to the vagaries of high school popularity. It wasn’t bad, but I was perpetually ill at ease during my four years. I was quiet and moderately well-liked. I had a few good friends, a “safe” boyfriend who wasn’t likely to break my heart, activities I enjoyed. But I never really relaxed into anything.

How does one get to be so wary? Is it some kind of survival instinct? Empirically, I was never treated badly. I was never elected prom queen only to have a bucket of pig blood poured on my head for a joke. I’m sure someone must have been a little bitchy to me at some point, but nothing stands out in memory. I had no excuse for hanging back so cautiously.

This week of rehearsal immersion has been a lot more fun than I remember high school being. There’s an enormous co-operative spirit that is uplifting. And the music really does rock.