abbondanza

I'm re-reading Plenty today in preparation for a paper that I'll be giving at the Mid-Atlantic Popular/American Culture Association conference in Alexandria, Virginia this weekend. The book, which chronicles the local eating adventures of J.B. MacKinnon and Alisa Smith in Vancouver, far surpasses Barbara Kingsolver's local eating manifesto. Don't get me wrong. I love me some Kingsolver, but this co-written memoir is more deftly written, in my opinion, and much more compelling on a number of levels.

We've been in a rut here on Quackenbos. In part because it's that time of the semester when students seem a little less patient (and sometimes even less kind), when the work just piles up (preliminary exams, grants, grading, applications for sabbatical), and when the air starts to get a bit colder promising that winter is on its way. To add insult to injury, we've been feeling a bit under the weather, our appetites not what they used to be. What we needed was a little reminder of the plenty that still surrounds us in fall.

I headed up to the Takoma Park Farmers' Market this morning. Mr. Beeton was studying, but I needed some apples. Correction. I needed some apples, some cucumbers, the last of the garden fresh tomatoes, some sourdough bread, some sweet potatoes, and some string beans. $45 worth of fresh produce. Totally worth it. I toasted the sour dough bread and smothered it with tomatoes, garlic, basil from our garden, oregano, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. I mashed up the sweet potatoes, melted some butter on top, and sprinkled them with salt. I made applesauce according to Laurie Colwin's directions (another author I'll be talking about in my paper). And tonight, we'll make a modification of Rachel Ray's tomato soup accompanied with grilled cheese on sourdough bread (of course).

Slowly, the stresses of fall are fading away. We've got plenty of other things to occupy our time.

Keep sweeping, Martha

wood-working

While there has been lots and lots of excitement this fall in the Beeton household, very little of that excitement has had to do with homekeeping. Instead, we've been enjoying time with new friends (Grapes With the Apes), old friends (a fabulous Washington and Lee 10 year reunion), and family (a happy 65th birthday at Old Ebbitt Grill). The fall has also been jam packed with regular old back to school madness (see here and here for previous examples of such), which is why our home renovations have come to a halt.

Until this past weekend, when Mr. Beeton and I decided to paint the woodwork in our guest room - a big move for us since we have been committed to keeping all the original trim original. But, we realized that in this one room in particular our best bet would be to go white. You see, this room is the one we deem our own little "crack den." When we first looked at the house, it was the room which had large black stains in the middle of floor (miraculously removed by our awesome floor refinishers). It also literally has dirt caked on the walls (I want to again apologize to K&D for making them sleep in that room when visiting!). And, the window sills looked rotted out. Our guess was that an air conditioner had leaked, causing the discoloration.

We really did want to try to keep the original wood in tact, but we also realized that painting all the woodwork white would immediately eliminate a major eyesore. So, on Saturday, I sanded the stained woodwork and painted the first coat. I think it's going to look terrific once we get the walls themselves painted a beautiful sea glass (thank you, Martha Stewart). Our other plan is to wallpaper the alcove in the room and install bookshelves. Should look good once all the work is finished.

Maybe come June? Now that would be exciting.

Keep sweeping, Martha

golden times two

It's my 100th blog post...



And, I have to say that despite the failed GW alumni day lecture, the stacks of grading that Mr. Beeton and I have to do, and the hole in my heart from missing a trip to Savannah we had a pretty darn good weekend. I mean, not many people can say that they had their dog blessed at the National Cathedral and that they hit #100 all in the course of 24 hours.

Cheers to me.

Keep sweeping, Martha

Watched City Island.