Tapas

Had a delicious dinner tonight at a Spanish restaurant, El Meson.  We enjoyed grilled anchovies, shrimp, sauteed oyster mushrooms, and lamb brochette, accompanied by sangria.

Santa Fe

Budget Rental Cars gave us the ugliest rental car in North America.  It's a dirty mustard color.  What was Ford thinking when they added that color to their repertoire?

We saw an iguana on the wall of our condo this morning.

The End of a Marriage

Louise Erdrich is one of my favorite authors, and Shadow Tag, although different from many of her other books, is a satisfying, although disturbing, read.  It tells the story of Irene America and her acrimonious relationship with her artist husband Gil.  Irene discovers Gil has been reading her diary and begins to use that diary to deceive and manipulate him, while keeping an authentic diary in a safe deposit box.  Irene's drinking and Gil's abusiveness leave disturbing wounds on their three children.  In spite of Irene's fierce determination to protect her children, she is inextricably wound up in the relationship with Gil and unable to just end it in spite of the damage it causes her family.

My rating:  **** (out of 5)

Home on the Range

Half Broke Horses, by Jeanette Walls, is a fictionalized account of her grandmother's life in New Mexico and Arizona during the first half of the 20th century.  Lily Casey Smith learned to break horses as a child.  She learned many other skills living with her family on remote ranches and teaching (at the age of 15) in areas where no one else was willing to teach.  Although she struck me as an overly harsh mother, she certainly understood the necessity of instilling toughness in her children.

My rating:  **** (out of 5)

Next Winter's Gloves

This past winter, I wore a hole in the gloves I'd knitted for myself back in 2007.  Since I liked those gloves a lot, I made a new pair using the same pattern and yarn.  I knitted these on a trip to California to visit my son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren.  Good portable knitting.

Yarn:  Cherry Tree Hill Supersock

Pattern:  a booklet that I probably bought in the 70's for 50 cents.  It features Boye brand yarn and has about 10 patterns

Movie: "How to Tame Your Dragon"

My granddaughter and I saw the IMAX 3D version of this movie.  Great 3D effects, especially the sparks and ash floating in the air.   And what a bargain!  Only $26.

Finished Object: Plain Vanilla Socks

Yarn is Shepherds Sock Yarn by Lorna's Laces

K2 P2 rib with a reverse Dutch heel and a sewn bind off

Book: "Chronic City"

The Manhattan in Chronic City is slightly off kilter.  For example, there's a dense gray fog hovering over lower Manhattan, the New York Times offers a War Free edition, and a tiger (or is it a tunneling earth mover?) is loose in the city causing occasional building collapses.  The book is about friendship, parallel universes, reality, consumerism, and struggling to be authentic when the odds are stacked against you.

My rating:  *** (out of 5)

Pannu Kakku, or Finnish Pancakes

I got the idea for making this from my friend Kristy, who mentioned it on Facebook about a week ago.  Although it's not particularly attractive (note the small puddle of melted butter in the center), it tastes fantastic.  I topped mine with raspberry jam.  The recipe is here.