Too Much Fun

Monday, February 24, 2014 – Too Much Fun

It’s happened again.  I scheduled too many fun activities these past few days. The frenzy started on Friday when I hosted a tea party here at Thompson Manor for a dozen or so AHS friends.  I got so excited about all the good healthy snacks I could serve that I spent hours in the kitchen before my guests arrived after school.  As usual, I over-prepared, so we now have a refrigerator full of leftover egg salad, Indian spiced red lentil dip and lemony-garlicky white bean dip (both original recipes), crudités, cheeses, edamame, and more – not to mention all the yummy chips, crackers, nuts, dried fruit, and Trader Joe’s cookies (lemon thins, ginger thins, almond windmills) and candies (chocolate covered cherries! chocolate covered blueberries!) that I can’t resist.  

 

After pigging out all day Friday, I should have given my stomach a break for the rest of the weekend.  However, I didn’t.  Before Cheri and I went to see a play at the DCJCC on Saturday afternoon, we stopped in at Malaysia Kopitiam on M Street for a bountiful South-East Asian lunch.  After the theater, I cooked up a big pot of steamed mussels for dinner.  On Sunday, I joined a group of Hadassah friends for Lebanese lunch at Me Jana in Arlington.  Afterwards, I should have gone home for a nice long nap.  Instead, I went with my friend Michelle to a late afternoon performance of the Mark Morris Dance Group at George Mason’s Center for the Arts.  In case you’re wondering, Elliott did just fine in my absence.

Fortunately, I had a little more downtime today so I’ve been able to catch my breath a bit.  Mainly, I managed to drink a lot of tea and read a couple of chapters in the book for my history class.  And just when I was bemoaning the lack of exciting foreign travel in my life, Elliott has offered me an adventure into the unknown.  He wants to send me up a ladder into the unfinished attic, armed only with a flashlight, headlamp, and a camera, to track down the exhaust pipe from the kitchen fan.  Since there is no floor in the attic, I’ll have to step gingerly onto the beams as I traverse the space.  There’s a good reason for this project.  For several years now, the exhaust fan hasn’t worked properly, resulting in a houseful of smoke whenever I cook a steak or burger in the grill pan.  Now that we’re about to re-do the kitchen, Elliott has decided that we must determine the cause of the malfunction.  My assignment is to take photos that he can study, and to monitor the fan (sounds, vibrations, etc.) as he carries out a series of experiments in the kitchen.  I hope to report the results in my next post. 

From the Aisles of Home Depot to the Banks of the Occoquan

Wednesday, February 19, 2014 – From the Aisles of Home Depot to the Banks of the Occoquan

Yesterday, I spent what seemed like an eternity cruising the aisles of Home Depot with Elliott.  It’s part of our kitchen project, of course.  He is determined to do much of the work that is normally done by the general contractor or installer.  We started our afternoon Home Depot adventure by looking at range hoods and under cabinet lighting, just to get an idea of what’s available.  But the main focus of our recent mission involved moldings.  The previous day, Elliott had devoted several hours to measuring how much molding we would need in various places – along the floor, above the cabinets, along the sides of cabinets, etc.  Since I can recognize quarter round, I felt like I had a pretty good understanding of the subject.  Once we got to Home Depot, however, I was in for a big surprise.  There were hundreds of different kinds of moldings, in different materials, different sizes, different finishes and different styles.  There was a wide range of prices, as well.  At Elliott’s insistence, I took copious notes on all of the moldings we examined.  Over the next few days, he’ll study all the information, do some calculations, and make final decisions about the molding order.  I can’t help but wonder – does everyone who remodels a kitchen go through a similar process?

Fortunately, Wednesday provided a change of scenery.  Elliott, Marshall, and I drove down to the town of Occoquan, situated along the banks of the river of the same name, to meet family members Karen-Elise and Gene for lunch at a cute little Belgian restaurant called Cock & Bowl.  We didn’t sample any of the Belgian beers, but we consumed plenty of calories.  I have no regrets, however.  The tasty moules (steamed mussels) and decadently delicious wafels (waffles) brought back memories of our summer 2007 trip to Brussels and Antwerp.  This afternoon, the sun was shining, the temperatures were hovering in the upper 50s, and there was a hint of spring in the air.  It was enough to make me forget all about the kitchen project for a while.  

A big bowl of steamed mussels for Elliott

The cozy interior of Cock & Bowl

Marshall enjoying his Belgian waffle

Elliott and Robin at Cock & Bowl in Occoquan, VA

Hello, Snow!

Friday, February 14, 2014 – Hello, Snow!

A major winter storm finally arrived in the DC area on Wednesday night, bringing us at least a foot of snow before tapering off on Thursday evening.  At my insistence, Elliott relinquished his snow shoveling responsibilities several seasons ago.  Since then, I’ve used snow shoveling as a form of aerobic and muscle toning exercise.  While freezing rain was falling on Thursday morning, I braved the elements and managed to clear the driveway, from the garage all the way to the plowline at the street.  Three hours of lifting and dumping shovelsful of heavy wet snow left me sweaty and exhausted.  However, a cup of Trader Joe’s “Coffee a Cocoa” helped revive me.  (If you haven’t tried it, rush out to your nearest Trader Joe’s and get some!)

Coffee with a subtle hint of cocoa from Trader Joe's

The backyard after the big snow

 Today, I’m nursing a few sore muscles, but no serious aches or pains.  I was really glad to see the sun come up over the horizon as I was eating breakfast.  The backyard still has the pristine beauty that deep drifting snow brings to the winter landscape.  After breakfast, I was eager to get outside again to finish the cleanup (the steps up to the front door, and the additional inch or so of snow that fell on the driveway later on Thursday).    

While I was tackling snow yesterday and today, Elliott was hanging out in the cabinet under the kitchen sink, making detailed measurements and drawings of water lines, drains, etc.  I’m not sure how necessary this work is, but he certainly is enjoying himself.  We’re inching forward on the kitchen project with an appointment (our fifth?) at Lowe’s this afternoon. 

Elliott Thompson, Man of Many Talents

Monday, February 10, 2014 – Elliott Thompson, Man of Many Talents

I’ve always known Elliott was handy around the house, but he generally has avoided working in the kitchen.  Since his vision isn’t too good, I’d rather not entrust him with knife wielding tasks such as chopping vegetables.  And a few decades ago, he discovered that dishwashing aggravated his back pain.   So I’ve gotten used to handling meal prep and cleanup on my own.  Today, however, he surprised both of us by fixing an expertly made Reuben sandwich for his lunch.  (For those of you not familiar with this deli specialty, it’s a grilled sandwich of corned beef, cheese and sauerkraut with Russian dressing.)  As you can see in the photo, he’s beaming with pride in his accomplishment.

Elliott shows off his Reuben sandwich.

 Aside from cooking, Elliot has been busy getting a head start on the destruction/reconstruction of our kitchen.  Over the course of the past week, this involved pulling off baseboard moldings (there were splinters of wood everywhere) and perching on a ladder in the laundry room to explore plumbing lines that run under the kitchen.  We are continuing to refine the specifications for the cabinetry.  

Elliott in a familiar pose

 We both had a marvelous weekend with Elisa and Christian visiting from New York.  We’re especially fond of Christian’s new look, inspired by Elliott, I’m sure.  While Christian was at the Georgetown basketball game in DC on Saturday afternoon, we got together with Matt and Lauren (Elisa’s dear friend and a long-time friend of the whole family) for lunch at a new restaurant called Passion Fin Asian Bistro in Merrifield.  Elliott raved about his teriyaki steak (finally, an Asian restaurant he can get excited about), and Matt was similarly impressed with the Thai basil chicken dish he ordered.  The girls and I splurged on some special sushi rolls.  Before lunch, we stopped by Greenspring to say a quick hello to Grandma Katie.

Special rolls at Passion Fin Asian Bistro

Dinner was a home-cooked meal with a western Mediterranean accent (think Morocco, Spain):  codfish filets baked in a zesty tomato and spice (cumin, coriander, smoked paprika) sauce, espinacas con garbanzos (spinach with chickpeas, one of my favorite tapas dishes at Jaleo in DC), garlicky roasted eggplant with peppers and red onions, a beet salad with fresh orange segments, a crusty loaf of bread, some Spanish Iberica cheese, dried figs, and plenty of red wine. 

Elliott and enjoyed an unusual concert at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts on Sunday afternoon.  The King’s Singers is a men’s a capella group from England.  They performed some traditional Negro spirituals, but most of the music was from The Great American Songbook, i.e. songs from the 1920s, 30s, and 40s by composers such as Harold Arlen, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Rogers and Hart.  They are an incredibly talented group of musicians, with voices ranging from bass to counter-tenor.  I still can’t get used to hearing falsetto male voices in the soprano range, though. 

With no subbing on the schedule this week, I’ll be able to concentrate a full range of activities, including exercise at the gym, some tutoring at Beth El, the reading assignment for my history class, and a couple of lunch dates with friends.

Celebrating The Year of the Horse

Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014 – Celebrating The Year of the Horse

Wearing red to celebrate the Chinese New Year

It’s great to have another reason to celebrate in the middle of winter, so we welcomed the Chinese New Year with enthusiasm.  First of all, I invited Elliott, Marshall and Matt to join me for lunch this past Thursday at P.F. Chang’s.  It may not offer authentic Chinese cuisine, but the restaurant has been a family favorite for years.  I can’t seem to shed my teacher habits, so I did some research online and made up a quiz to teach the boys a little about traditions related to the Chinese New Year.  Of course, you probably already know that this is the Year of the Horse.  But did you know about the five elements (metal, water, wood, fire, and earth) that interact with the 12-year cycle of animals, thus creating 60 different combinations?  So this is actually the year of the wood horse.  We also discovered that in China the festivities last for 15 days, commencing on the first day of the lunar month, when we don’t see any moon at all, and culminating on the 15^th day of the lunar month, when the moon is full.

In addition to being an educational experience, our lunch at P.F. Chang’s was a tasty treat, especially the dessert – chocolate-raspberry fried wontons.  Not traditional, but so delicious.  And when Elliott broke open his fortune cookie, this is what he found:  Your example will inspire others.  It couldn’t get more perfect than that!

Chocolate-raspberry wontons - yum!

"Your example will inspire others."

I continued celebrating the Chinese New Year on Saturday with dinner at Mala Tang with my friend Michelle.  Mala Tang’s specialty is the hot pot, which is ideal for a chilly winter night.  This is a fairly authentic Chinese restaurant, so we didn’t find any chocolate-raspberry wontons on the menu.  However, we shared an order of mochi – adzuki-bean flavored ice cream inside a ball of sticky rice paste.  It was the perfect cool finish after the hot pot.  By the way, Elliott stayed home to eat his leftovers from P.F. Chang's. 

Ready for hot pot with Michelle at Mala Tang

Mochi - a cool finish after the hot pot

Good news at Elliott’s latest medical appointment.  His pulmonologist was very pleased with his condition.  In fact, the doctor was amazed that his COPD hasn’t progressed.  So we’re expecting to celebrate his 102^nd birthday in a little less than four months.  We don’t have any big trip planned for the occasion, but we hope that the new kitchen will be installed in time for a little party at home.  Elliott’s approach to the kitchen remodeling project is very thorough and he won’t make any decisions without a great deal of deliberation.  (I tend to be a little more impulsive.)  Although we still haven’t made a final choice for the cabinets, we were able to reach an agreement on the kitchen layout.  The goal is to begin the actual work early in April. 

I have had a busy couple of weeks, with subbing at AHS, trips to Lowes and other vendors for the kitchen project, and keeping up with homework for my class at George Mason.  I managed to squeeze in a quick trip to The Kennedy Center for a fascinating performance called Beyond the Score: Dvorak’s New World Symphony.  It was a multi-media presentation that featured archival photos and film, actors, a singer, and a full orchestra.  Unfortunately, Elliott wasn’t able to join me because it was one of those bitterly cold nights when it was dangerous for him to be outside.  But we’re planning to go to more concerts in the near future, especially now that I can get free student tickets to events at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts, which is only ten minutes from home.