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.

the windows of my chambers

If one more person asks, "Are you all settled in?" I'm going to scream.

Okay. Maybe that reaction would be a little harsh, but seriously, sometimes that's how I feel.

I don't blame these interested parties. After all, it's a logical question to ask. And, if you've ever watched HGTV, you might think that all home design projects can occur within the span of 48 hours and for under a $1,000 (sorry... that was a little bit of a rant a la Michael Pollan's tirade against the Food Network). But, if you've been to our place, you'd realize what we are up against.

I haven't blogged about the true horror of it all (pornographic light plate switches, dirty underwear, possible blood stains on the hardwood floors?) because Mr. Beeton didn't want me to lead readers to believe that the only reason we could buy in the city was because of all the imperfections. It's actually a lovely, lovely place - very sound structurally. It just needs a lot of TLC. And, it's presented us with an array of challenges (messy woodwork, two-pronged outlets) that have taken time to overcome and which are not necessarily noticeable (unpacked boxes, paint on walls). You can see some of the horror (as well as our small attempts at remedying the situation) here.

For instance, perhaps the best example of what we are up against rests with our windows. Original to the house, they are gorgeous. But, they are dirty and broken. They have ropes.


We have to prop them open with bricks.


Everyone who went through the house - the inspector, the lead paint inspector, the structural engineer, the contractor who did our floors, our parents - said we should replace them. And we understood. But, I love them, and Mr. Beeton really, really loves them... so he committed himself to their repair. One window at a time.

He bought a book - Working Windows by Terry Meany. He took them apart. He emailed Terry Meany with questions. Terry wrote back. He visited the hardware store down the road - Galliher and Huguely - to buy parting bead and chains. He took out the ropes, added chains, worked with glaze, and painted.

Slowly, one by one, they'll be replaced, and they'll be even more lovely. The two in the front of the house are finished, and every morning, when I opened them up wide, when Ella jumps into her window, and when we breath in the fresh air, we think, "Boy. Are we lucky to have Mr. Beeton."

Keep sweeping, Martha

Watched Chloe.

PS - If you want to see the most recent updates to our house, including the painted master bedroom and the slipcover we had custom made for my Nana's camelback sofa, click here.

in the fall, in the fall when the tide took them all

Menu: Peanut butter milkshake and chocolate malt at Chick and Ruth's. Guacamole, fish tacos, gazpacho, and braised pork burrito at The Latin Quarter. Tomato carbonara (Eat, Pray, Love style) and piadina parma at Carpaccio Tuscan Kitchen and Wine Bar. Fancy drinks, oysters, crab cakes, and soft shelled crabs at Hell Point. Crepe florentine and a nutty banana at Sofi's Crepes. Sashimi, a California roll, and a spicy tuna roll at Joss Cafe and Sushi Bar. Pizza and grilled cheese ordered through in-house dining at the Westin Hotel.

Keep sweeping, Martha

Finished reading Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. Watched Get Him to the Greek, Killers, Me and Orson Welles, and Shutter Island.

500 days

The other day, Mr. Beeton and I had the horrible realization that the summer had passed us by without our having engaged in some of our very favorite summer activities. We've been so busy visiting family, entertaining friends, writing treatises, and repairing atrocities that we had neglected to eat ice cream, visit a farmers market, and see an outdoor movie. This past week, we tried to correct these mistakes and cram these last few days of summer chock full of fun.

To start, we visited Moorenko's in Silver Spring, Maryland just a short drive from Quackenbos Street. While parking was terrible and an aging hippie less than welcoming (not to mention not very deft at packing a cone - my two scoops became one after the first lick!), our ice cream - Guinness flavored and ginger - was delicious. And, we were equally delighted when the shop got a shout out in the most recent edition of the Post's Sunday magazine. The Post also mentioned Summer Delights in downtown Takoma Park, so we headed over there last night. The ice cream wasn't quite as good, but you can't beat downtown Takoma Park on a hot summer night.

Last Friday, we went with our new neighbor and friend, The Rockstar Librarian, to the Petworth Farmers Market, which despite having lived in the adjacent neighborhood since May, we had not yet visited (read about it here). We walked around, bought beautiful red peppers, a big purple eggplant, some yummy tomatoes, and cucumbers. And, with our leftover change, we picked up two pieces of Dangerously Delicious Pie - Baltimore Bomb and raspberry. The Rockstar Librarian then headed to DuPont Circle to pick up some obscure DVD, and we headed across the street to the newly opened Sala Thai for sushi. Afterward, we took a long walk with Ella around the neighborhood. She especially likes to run in the fields by Coolidge High School.

While we still haven't seen an outdoor movie this summer, we did go see the summer blockbuster Eat, Pray, Love. And soon, very soon, we're headed out of town for a little 72-hour vacation before the madness that is school starts - just me, Mr. Beeton, and Ella.

Keep sweeping, Martha

Watched Date Night and Eat, Pray, Love. Been re-reading all kinds of food memoirs.

mess o'

I blame the picklebacks for my absence of late. They really derailed my progress in a number of areas of my life. But, I'm back on track now - writing book reviews, painting, organizing, and blogging. Oh, and picking peppers. While my tomatoes did not fare very well in our (sometimes) neglected garden plot, Mr. Beeton's peppers have been growing like gangbusters. Here's just a few we picked this past week.


Keep sweeping, Martha

PS - Check out our new Flickr photos. We've made quite a bit of progress on both our master bedroom and bathroom.