Misadventures of the Monster Librarian

I had another 4 day weekend--so glad I'm spreading out my vacation days this way--and split the time between my brother A3's family in the Cleveland area, and in Michigan. My Friday night/Saturday night/Sunday morning meant talking about Baby #2, who's due in February; chasing my niece S (now 1.5 years old!) around the house, and listening to her as she spoke REAL words! And some weird Ewok-esque language. She has learned the nickname that half my nieces and nephews call me, and now calls me by name, loves to sit with me, and begs for me to hold her. And I, ever the doting auntie, can't soak up enough of this. I laughed with her, smiled when she shouted things like "RUN!" at me (during a game of chase), and marveled at this wonder who is already counting to 3. Suffice to say, it was hard to leave Sunday morning. Next I was off to my favorite aunties for a visit with Dad's family, and particularly, with my Godmother who lives in Florida. It was a nice v...

It was so hard to come back to work yesterday; I had the best weekend: hung out with brother A3 and sis-in-law Dayna, besties Lisa and Kim and their hubbies, Kate & Chris, and my old roomie Melissa. So good catching up with everyone, even though it meant lots of talk about babies (last summer all the talk was about getting married and buying houses) Learned that my brother A3 and sis-in-law Dayna are expecting their 2nd child! I am going to be Aunt-ed for the 6th time this winter! Went to a cousin's wedding on Saturday; my friend Edwin was the perfect date. Had so much fun! Edwin and I went and saw The Heat on Sunday--can I just say I love Melissa McCarthy! Felt good to enjoy a martini, put my feet up, and laugh. ...now you see why it was so hard to come back to work yesterday! Summer Reading is winding down--thank God!--this is week 5 of 6 and we're still having people sign-up, which is great! Our count now looks like this: Babies-age 5 years:    ...

There is this magic about the Farm, a connectedness you get with the people there if you let them get close enough, like that bond you get with a favorite sibling where you just know it's them calling before you even look at the caller id, or you both are humming the same song all day and realize later when you see each other--both true stories; my bros and I are just that cool. Anyway, the Farm has this je ne sais quoi, It's-a-small-world-after-all magic that allows for things to happen. This is what I was reminded of again last night when former Farm roomie and coworker, Neal, randomly texted me yesterday, then somehow caught me by phone during my break, saying, "I was sitting in a bar, having a beer and I thought of you and that I needed to call you and see how the hell you are!" I told him I would be in Maine for the weekend, but probably wouldn't have time to stop and see him--he currently lives in Portland--because we were heading straight to Acadia, he s...

Have you ever had one of those moments where you fulfill a dream? Right before it happens you have this heart pounding, adrenaline rushing moment of clarity and then your spirit kinda free falls. I had one of those moments last week; been meaning to write about it, but things have been so busy. Last Tuesday Bestie L sent her girls to their grandparents for the night, left her hubby to his own devices, and made the 3 hours trek to Cleveland so we could go to Anne Lamott's lecture--Anne Lamott is one of our favorite authors, by the way. After a quick tour of OHCity Library and a change of clothes we headed downtown to my new favorite drink spot, Bricco , for martinis and some delicious calamari and fried pickles. They have a drink called the Pink Elephant which is amazing...and enough of those will have you seeing pink elephants. Check it out if you're ever in downtown Cleveland! In no time I was watching in anticipation as Anne Lamott made her way across the stage and bega...

This week has been nuts. Instead of closing two nights I swapped with someone to help her out and ended up closing an extra night, and because my best friend L came down so we could go to a lecture I had to switch two shifts, so everyday this week has felt like a different day and finally it's Friday! Heading to the Mitten (MI) again tonight after work, this time for best friend K's bachelorette party. I can't wait to be enjoying food and drinks and naughty girl talk with the besties and others and a night out on the town. So much to say about the last week, etc., will have to post more later, so until then, enjoy this lovely poem: "Mindful" Every day I see or hear something that more or less kills me with delight, that leaves me like a needle in the haystack of light. It was what I was born for— to look, to listen, to lose myself inside this soft world— to instruct myself over and over...

Last weekend I had dinner with B1 & B2 and Jay. I brought the dessert: homemade pumpkin pie. Mmm...right? Wrong. I was so dissapointed; not only was my "fast" crust terrible, but the pie itself was also flavorless. The three other diners were more than gracious. For whatever reason (I think the excess of rain due to Irene and other coastal storms) has left the pumpkins less sweet this year than in years past--my pumpkin, my only one, rotted because of all of the rain! Anyway, I learned my lesson last weekend, so when I offered to bring dessert to a dinner at M & N's this week, I vowed the pies would turn out better. I again returned to Mark Bittman's How to cook everything-- no longer blaming him for last weekend's failure--and decided to try doubling everything in the recipe. The recipe should be called, "How to double everything pumpkin pie," har har. Anyway, I literally doubled everything: the cream and the eggs, doing this made the pies eve...

Had another great dinner last night. I help Jay milk the cows Sunday afternoons. The girls were milked, the milking dishes were all done and things were tidied up, and we'd just gotten into the truck to leave when we heard some horrible screams coming from the Pig Palace. A piglet had gotten his head stuck in the fencing around the pen while he was trying to munch on the weeds just outside the fencing. It seemed like the poor little guy had all but used up his energy by the time we got up there--he was panting and gurgling for breath. Jay wrestled with the fence and tried to push the piglet back through or pull from behind, but to no avail. While I tried the same he ran and got bolt cutters and in no time the piglet was back playing with his siblings and, as Jay put it, probably saying, "man, my head hurts!" I had to laugh when Jay said that we got some good karma for getting the piglet out. After a quick swim in a nearby swimming hole we met up for dinner at my cabi...

Had another great summer dinner this weekend at B1 & B2s house. We'd talked about having a "bring your own grill items" night since the start of the summer and by golly it finally happened. Word of mouth invites were passed among our friends and Saturday early evening found us gathering at B1 & B2s house; B2 had the grill heating up, Sierra was shucking corn, Beth was slicing Farm cheddar for burgers, and I was finishing a Farm cabbage coleslaw. The dinner was perfect because we had some staples: coleslaw, cucumber salad, burger fixings and beer, and then wound up with a variety of choices with what everyone brought: B1 & B2 had the burgers, I brought hot dogs, TSO and Brett brought venison pork sausage and lamb sausage, RugbyGirl brought Farm steaks. And the grilled corn--AMAZING! It felt nice to sit around and talk and laugh. If the worst complaints of a summer night are that mosquitoes were present or that the beer wouldn't stay cold enough long eno...

Part of what makes the best summer dinners is the food, but the other equally important part is the company. This past Wednesday Ian and Sascha (his gf and my Kitchen coworker), Jay and Pico came over for a grill out at my cabin; what came together was a Farm meal of cosmic proportions: marinated Farm ribeye (beef) steaks; potatoes, (white, red and fingerlings), garlic and onions from Jay's garden; lettuce greens from Sascha's garden; turnips from the Farm's gardens; cranberry lemonades with vodka from my refrigerator.  Ian oversaw the grilling, so the rest of us kicked back and chatted, enjoying the summer early evening. Everything was amazing! Here's how we made everything: Steak: Marinated for 5 hours in olive oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, maple syrup, oregano, rosemary, paprika, garlic powder, chili powder, salt and pepper. We didn't put anything on the steak after it was cooked (medium rare), the marinade left the MOST AMAZING flavor. Potatoes, onions...

Duke Humphries, Ole Shillelagh's, Kennedy's Pub, Four Green Fields, Patrick O'Ryans--all pubs which I haunted in my younger days. I think fondly back to those days, and today especially, miss the pants off those nights: sitting around drinking beer with friends; rehashing the week and talking about papers; making plans for places we'd go to together, things we'd see; just being together. The soundtrack to my young twenties definitely would include many a funny Irish song, including this one. Happy St. Patty's Day everybody!

I feel like lately I have been going going going non stop; savoring time with friends, working a lot, constantly moving towards something else I "have to do." This weekend was so busy, but I was thankful for it. February in New England can feel so loooooooong; freezing snowy winter days giving way to sunny, blue skied warmish winter days--which make you hopeful for spring!--giving way to freezing rain filled winter days. This year we've already gotten feet of snow and like many others keep wondering, "MORE?!" every time that it snows--and so, it is good for me to stay busy, to make the most of these winter doldroms and push towards spring. My normal non-Kitchen work days are Fridays and Saturdays. This past Friday found me trying to enjoy my cabin, doing cleaning and then some reading into the evening. At dinner Farmer MacDonald and I met up with our friends Mummy Dearest and Hubby, M & N and assumed responsibilities of the kiddos for the evening. After m...

I was so inspired with Andrea and Taylor's--of A Farmer in the Dell -- gnocchi recipe that I just had to try it. TSO and I made it tonight and invited S to join us for a dinner of DELICIOUS spinach ricotta gnocchi, Farm roasted spaghetti squash with sage and my home-made tomato, mushroom, garlic marinara (which I had canned this summer; made with my own tomatoes!) Here are some pictures I took along the way! Blogger is being lame and I don't want to fool around with moving the pictures, so I give you dinner in reverse: 1. Farm Spaghetti Squash (roasted then sauteed with sage). 2. My tomatoes now sauced.  3. Our spaghetti squash looks like dinner for two with the forks. The rest: Gnocchi from start to finish, step by (mostly) step. The last picture is the actual finished gnocchi (after boiling!) Now I need to go get ready--Midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 1) tonight! I am getting there hours early to get in line for good seats. N...

1. Hancock Shaker Village, Pittsfield, MA. This is a photo of their round barn. Very cool looking on the inside. 2. Edith Wharton's home, The Mount in Lenox, MA. Very beautiful gardens and grounds; the house was lacking in my humble opinion. Made for some gorgeous photos. 3. Some of the fruits of my summer labors (of love). My gorgeous tomatoes (that night made into DELICIOUS BLTs). Pictured l to r: Cherokee Purples, Italian heirloom Big Boys, Romas and the Green Zebras are in the top left corner. 4. My Halloween pumpkins adorning our front porch. 5. My pumpkin harvest: 8 carving (Howden) Halloween pumpkins (the big ones), 13 (Pam) pie pumpkins (the little ones, which are long since cooked, pureed and bagged in our freezer for future pies!)

Like this: 1. My tomatoes are a go! 2. TSO working on his part of the plot. 3. More of my tomatoes. 4. My cucumber, pumpkins and watermelons--the plot which is all mine; and out of control! 5. First cucumber; pickles here we come. 6. One of my first pumpkins--teeny tiny! 7. Resting after TSO and I put my tomato stakes into the ground; very hot day. 8. View of my tomatoes (front), back to TSO's tented peas (he also has carrots growing inside the base of that teepee).

I went to such a great birthday party for Amos tonight. Fajitas and margaritas, bocce ball, ring toss, a bonfire, good conversation, sitting under a starry sky laughing. These times--precious hours with friends--have been some of the best moments of my twenties. In the midst of all the partying and fun I had to pause and snap a picture of the lovely mountain laurels growing around Snow Cottage, where B1 & B2 live. It seemed so appropriate after my last blog. As the dinner turned into dessert, a gorgeous cake made by Amos' hubby CJ, our original group grew in size as more Farmers trickled in. The lovely spring night sky grew darker and games ended, we crept closer to the fire and settled in as fireflies dotted the sky. Life is good.

This week Mummy and I were able to sneak away for an overnight in NYC; Mummy had a conference and I just wound up tagging along.We left Tuesday afternoon and headed into the city, driving, which was still new to me, having only ever done it with once before. We farmers traditionally drive to the train station and take a train into the city. The drive to Astoria, where we stayed with Sarah & Joel (at their great apartment), took less time than the entire train process (driving to station, waiting for train, taking train in, catching subway) and provided us with lots of time to chat. Driving in we encountered some rain, but it managed to hold out enough so that Mummy, Sarah, her Mom (who was also visiting) and I could go for a walk through Astoria Park, where we were able to admire the Triborough and Hellgate Bridges (I think those are the right names...?) Met up with Joel and went to a fun place for dinner where we all tried different things, sharing our food; felt l...

Today is a great day. It is a sit-back-and-take-stock kind of day. It is a nose hair freezing day; it is a be glad to be inside listening to the wind howl, and not outside in it day. It is a look outside and see the swirling mists of white and enjoy it because you can turn your head and feel the warmth of a blazing fire nearby kind of day. As the year wanes and former Farmers arrive for visits, I am thankful; thankful for their visits and thankful that we have a lovely, big house to use for hosting friends and hosting parties. Our friend and former Farmer--"once a Farmer, always a Farmer" (sounds a little Narnian)--Becca, arrived yesterday. After dinner she and I went over to Mummy Dearests' place and hung out and talked; so good to catch up with former Farmers because we just pick up where we leave off, reminds me how truly like family we are to one another. I was able to take the day off to hang out with Becca, and thus far have spent the day sitting and talking wi...

It felt a little deja vu-ish to be heading back to Pennsylvania this time of year; fall ripening around us, giving off those fragrant crunchy-leafed and leaves burning smells; since about this time last year I was heading to the very little town I found myself heading to this weekend. Last October TSO was moving home from WA, in time for B1 & B2's wedding--in a little, wonderful town in PA--CJ was still at the Farm, Amos was finishing college and I was a Librarian. How things change in the course of a year. This weekend found me heading to PA to see a former Farmer, Valley Girl, who has since moved back home and works in the mental health field there. I was graciously invited by B2's wonderful parents, Mama and Papa Bear, to stay with them for the weekend. I accepted. I arrived late Thursday night and enjoyed pie and a long chat with Mama and Papa Bear, catching them up on the Farm happenings, etc. Friday was spent in nearby Lancaster with Valley Girl. It was an aftern...

It is hard to think of what I want to say after posting nothing of my own substance as of late. With the holidays over and programs at the Library back in full swing, I feel like my week spent out East in Massachusetts--at the Farm I used to work out--was eons ago. Best friend K and I were set to leave for our roadtrip the Sunday after Christmas...which we did. However, we decided to leave at 1:30 a.m. instead of 5am, to be adventurers, in "true roadtrip fashion," and really because we had gone out with our friends that night and neither one of us were the least bit tired...So it began. A journey. A roadtrip. A homecoming (for me). When my Dad died just over a year ago, we spent the next 6 months cleaning out our family home that we had lived in for over 20 years. My Mom moved out. The house was sold. And in all that I really lost a sense of "home," in that Hallmark Card sense of the word; the "home" where family gathers for holidays, dinners, etc....

I am at the Farm! Oh, supreme joy! I can't post much as I am about to go to the weekly Community Meeting, but did want to post a wish of Happy Thanksgiving to all! I try and focus on the being thankful part...not the "we traded the Native Americans, in what we called the Louisiana Purchase, with some shiny objects and then pushed them off their other lands" aspect. Or the "take these pox infested blankets...it's cold out!" aspect of our history!  That said,  "I celebrated Thanksgiving in an old-fashioned way. I invited everyone in my neighborhood to my house, we had an enormous feast, and then I killed them and took their land."  ~ Jon Stewart   HAPPY THANKSGIVING!