Read Needs

Gretchen Rubin writes in The Happiness Project of her love of books. On page 229, she accepts her "idiosyncratic reluctance to read any book (or see any play or movie) that centers on the theme of unjust accusation." She then names books she will never force herself to read.

Oliver Twist

Othello

To Kill a Mockingbird

Atonement

A Passage to India

Burmese Days

Crime and Punishment

Arthur and George

I've read all but the last three. There are books I cannot read as well. And those are books of meanspiritedness. I had a really hard time with The Kite Runner. It made me ill. I've begun Lord of the Flies twice and not passed page 2 either attempt. Nowadays I can pick up a book and return it to the library after only a few pages. I can't take mean. Do you have reading limits?

Black and White

The wall over my desk is blank except for a black and white image of the Seine. The photos of the happy couple are down and the happy man is down. Vibrant, they lie on the desk. The Parisian shot is taken from a mini calendar I extracted when the year was over. Sometimes we cut up our days, keeping and tossing. My Seine is an aerial view that fits four bridges and one long and narrow island. The river flows around it. Both sides Seine. Both in Paris.

National Treasure: Jinny Beyer

 Yesterday I attended two lectures while the rain thrummed on the auditorium roof. Jinny Beyer flew out from the East Coast and spoke to quilters. I paid $25 to see and hear her which is $15 more than I paid to have Martha Stewart sign my cookbook 12 years ago. Both were money well spent. If you don't know who Jinny is, don't worry. Most quilters are not rock stars. She is however, an amazing person. I don't find her quilts to my taste; I would probably never make them. They are inspiring. Her ability with color is a show in itself. She is not trained. She has lived in India and Nepal and travelled widely the globe. She has her own business in Virginia and designs fabrics. She is known for her border prints. Her quilts are handpieced and handquilted. I think she is a national treasure.

Candlemas, mas crèpes

With lit candles, we eat crèpes. La chandeleur, mas crèpes.

Tortillas with Beans

I like them all: flour, corn, wheat, Ezekiel, and wheat and corn (Trader Joe's). I'm not super into the color wraps. Colored chips and other foods are pretty garish and don't taste super great. Back to tortillas: I love they can be warmed to a crisp or malleable to roll and dip in salsa. Today I am focusing on beans because I just made some. My favorite burrito is bean and cheese. My friend taught me a few years ago to make "refried" beans at home. I've made them ever since.

Mexican Beans at Home
Rachel Oh

1 28-ounce can of pinto beans
1 C chopped onion
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Sauté onion in small pool of warm olive oil on the stove. Once the onion is soft, pour in all contents of bean can. Warm about 20 minutes, uncovered. The liquid will evaporate a bit. Once about half the liquid is gone, use a potato masher until desired consistency. Salt and pepper to taste.