Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Coming to a MN Lake near you

Oh, the quiet and relaxation I will be experiencing in less than three days... sitting on the deck, watching the bats swoop down over our heads at the gnats waiting to eat us alive, swatting at mosquitoes, running after Nicolas as he attempts to dive kamikaze-style into the lake, catching Tin as he jumps Scooby-doo style into my arms after he hears a "scary dinosaur" in the woods behind the cabin... I can't wait to be in MN!

Oh the fun we will have! Cabin visits, baby showers for my sister Amy, playdates with friends I haven't seen in a LONG time, treks to the library (working on those biceps in order to carry away piles of books), shopping, shopping and more shopping (our true obsession - how lucky am I to get a husband who likes to shop more than me!), walks around the lake, sunlight until 8 or 9 pm, battling the mice in my grandma's basement, taking long drives around the state. We've got trips to Duluth, Two Harbors, Pine City, Mille Lacs, Stillwater (not really a "trip" per se), Hinckley (oh yeah, cha-ching!), downtown Mpls, and possibly Red Wing, planned.

We are arriving on Delta on Friday morning at 10 am, and I cannot wait for the heat to melt me! Won't be long now...

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

This is what it is all about

I am flattered and excited. Recently I put up an article on Suite 101 about making Chicha de Avena. Now, most of you are probably wondering - what is chicha de avena? It's a fruity oatmeal drink, something quite popular here in Ecuador, and something I love myself. But if asked if it was something people would be looking for on the web, I wouldn't have really thought so. I myself, of course, have tried to find something, but never have.
Well, as the most wonderful creative writing teacher and one of the nicest, best people I know, Deborah Keenan once told me that, if you can't find it, then your obligation is to write it. (I've butchered what she said, of course. My writing is still rusty, and having two small boys at home isn't helping. But that was the essence.) Of course I believed her, but I'd never had the opportunity to experience it in action. Well, wasn't it my pleasant surprise to find Francesca, who, on her vegan blog, was very happy to (finally) find a chicha de avena recipe (with pineapple! my personal favorite, too) on the web. And wasn't I happy to see Deborah's advice become reality. So, watch out world, here I come, writing all the things I've wanted to read myself but have never been able to find! (Uh-oh, head for the hills!)