Blog Block

I had a good talk with my creativity therapist (a.k.a. my youngest sister) this morning who encouraged me to start blogging again. (Funny to hear that particular advice coming from her since I’m the one that got her hooked on blogging in the first place!)  With a gentle nudge, she reminded me that the longer I stay away from blogging, the harder it will be to get back into it. I agreed with her and then went on to delineate some of my writing hangups which are as follows:

1. I am a perfectionist. I operate under the belief that in order for me to post anything on my blog, it must be a coherent, meaningful, polished essay. Anything less than that must wait (perhaps indefinitely) in the draft stage until it is worthy to show its brilliant, literary face.

2. I am a “slow-cooker” writer which means that I need ideas to simmer for awhile. I need a lot of time to process my thoughts before I feel they are ready to share with a public audience. This aggravating personality trait is particularly problematice since as a SAHM, I do not have large blocks of time for either solitude of meditation. Hence, my lack of prolificacy.

3. While many bloggers are quite content to be spontaneous, impulsive, and informal, I have this crazy notion that I should be the one to take blogging to a higher level–one that extends beyond the simple, random, and inane ramblings of the masses. As an idealist, I dream of being able to offer my loyal audience a thoughtful composition with some degree of edification whenever I post.

Yeah…whatever. I’m just a crazy INFP personality type that needs to chill out a bit. *Sigh*

“Think of blogging as a conversation, such as the one you’re having with me right now,” my sister said.

Okay, Beeb. I’m going to try to loosen up a bit just for you. And you’ll be proud to know I only spent an hour writing this! Ha!

Family Fun on the 4th

 

This 4th of July, the Hardman family did our usual thing and spent the afternoon at Evergreen lake enjoying the festivities. Of course, Grandpa Woody was ready to shuttle all of us to the north side of the lake in his green Model A. (The kids can’t do without their yearly ride in the rumble seat!) Unfortunately, the Model A had a break down on its third run, but Grandpa got it up and running again! Hurrah!

 

 The 4th just wouldn’t be complete without a half hour of paddling around on the lake. (Understandably, Grandma Ruth was not interested in joining us due to an accident she had stepping into a paddle boat several years ago. She was more than happy to stay with Sam on the shore, though.)

The kids got their faces painted…

 

And we had the pleasure of my 17-year-old son’s company for the entire day. He actually seemed to enjoy being with us and even liked what he called the “bumpin’” music (Sousa marches and John Williams movie tunes played by the National Repertory Orchestra.)

Sam didn’t need much to keep him happy, though he got a little blister on his ankle from walking around in his crocs.

Later in the day, we drove back down to Highlands Ranch for a BBQ at our house and just before dusk, we got ourselves settled in the hot tub just in time to watch the lame firework show put on by the Highlands Ranch Metro District.

All in all, it was a very good day. No sunburns, few bug bites, and no accidents!

Here are some more memorable 4ths (and nearly all of them involve a mishap of some sort):

1. The year my cousin chased me with a sparkler and threatened to catch my long hair on fire.

2. The year her older brother jumped a neighbor’s fence and landed in a cactus garden. Ouch!

3. The year my mother-in-law slipped stepping into a paddle boat and cracked a rib. Big bummer! (The pain from that injury unfortunately persisted for quite awhile.)

4. The year my oldest daughter slipped off the back of our hot tub and hit her tail bone on the concrete pad beneath it. (Luckily, she was okay!)

5. The year my husband and I attended the Stadium of Fire in Provo, Utah and the ignition of 1 million firecrackers just about turned it into a literal stadium of fire. I can still feel the heat from that one and we were on the top bleachers!

6. The year we watched fireworks over Puget Sound in Washington and a boat got caught on a power line.

My Favorite 4th:

Watching fireworks at Adams County Fairgrounds as a kid then on the drive home watching the fantastic lightening storms out on the Eastern Colorado plains.

Warning: Don’t Laugh At This Man!

Part II of my experiences at the Phi Theta Kappa International Honors Institute at San Francisco State University, June 16-21, 2008…

On my day off in San Francisco, I went with my friends Roxanne and Derek down to Fisherman’s Wharf. We rode the subway train (MUNI) down to Pier 1. It happened to be a free day on the MUNI for everyone in the Bay area so the busses along the wharf were jam-packed. We didn’t want to wait around for an empty bus and it was a nice day so we decided to walk from Pier 1 to Pier 43 1/2. As we were walking along, we saw this street performer standing stock still on the sidewalk. I had seen similar performers on You Tube and thought to myself I would take a picture of this guy to show my teenage son when I got home. I didn’t have a camera with me, but I had picture-taking capabilities on my cell phone.

As soon as I whipped it out, Robot Man pointed his finger at me and strode directly toward me with a mean sneer on his face. He stuck a plastic cup in my face and flicked the rim of it with his finger. Out of nervousness, I laughed underneath my breath. He said in a menacing tone, “What are you laughing at ma’am?” I reddened a bit and put my cell phone back in my bag while my friend Roxanne put a dollar in his cup to appease him.

I don’t think this is the same guy, but here’s a video that demonstrates just how unbelievably rude and aggressive these people are.

The incident rattled my nerves a bit and made me upset for several reasons: 1) The guy didn’t even perform–he just wanted money for the privilege of looking at him or photographing him 2) He was a big bully and that made me even less inclined to want to give him anything.

Another homeless man we saw at Fisherman’s Wharf is known as the Bushman. His trick is scaring people by hiding behind two big branches, growling, and jumping out at clueless tourists. At least he makes people laugh instead of intimidating them! After he surprised us, we spent some time watching him, though I admit I didn’t give him any money either. Later in the day when we passed by him, we heard him yelling. We turned around to see what he was so upset about. Apparently someone’s dog had raised its leg on his bushes as it was going by and he was not too happy about being sprayed!

It’s interesting how this experience just happened to correlate with our 2008-2010 Honors Study Topic–The Paradox of Affluence: Choices, Challenges, and Consequences. I was troubled by my discomfort with homelessness and poverty when I was actually confronted with it. I live in a pretty affluent neighborhood and live a pretty cushy life, so I don’t often encounter people in this situation. I’m of the general opinion that a hand up is always preferable to a hand out, but how should our society address this particular challenge?

The best speaker at our Honors Institute, Dr. Raquel Pinderhughes, had some interesting ideas. As a Professor of Urban Studies at San Francisco State University, she has created a working model that provides “green collar” jobs, or manual labor jobs that improve the environment, for adults with barriers to employment. Pinderhughes’ presentation was upbeat and hopeful with an emphasis on the transformative power of education and the need for scholars to walk their talk by getting actively engaged in civic issues. I was inspired by her message and although I am mostly naive, uninformed, and baffled by the complexity of local, national, and global politics, I like to think that through my involvement with Phi Theta Kappa as the Vice President of Scholarship in my local chapter, I have the opportunity to contribute to social change even if it’s on a very small scale. Certainly it’s a step in the right direction as I struggle to overcome my own barriers of apathy and ignorance.

Phi Theta Kappa Honors Institute

The Bridge looms mountain high;
Its titan piers grip ocean floor,
Its great steel arms link shore with shore,
Its towers pierce the sky…

(From “The Mighty Task is Done” by Joseph P. Strauss, Chief Engineer of the Golden Gate Bridge)

I’m back from my fantabulous, 6-day, all-expense paid trip to San Francisco with the Sigma Phi Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa and I have so much to blog about that I will probably have to break this up over several posts.

The Golden Gate bridge was lovely shrouded in wispy layers of fog the day we arrived. Here I am with our new chapter president, Roxanne and a former chapter officer, Derek on the coldest June 16th ever in the history of San Francisco. Seriously!!! I wished I had brought my winter coat instead of that thin jacket I’m wearing. Rox and Derek walked part way across the Golden Gate bridge that day, but I was a total wimp and enjoyed views of it from the car instead. With the humidity, I just couldn’t get warm! Thank goodness the sun came out the next day and the rest of the week was probably the warmest weather in San Francisco’s history.

Rox was my roomy at San Francisco State University and we got the “Penthouse suite” in the Towers on the 15th floor. Since I lived at home when I attended the University of Colorado as a young student, the experience of living in a dorm was fun–for a week! I slept surprisingly well considering we had to sleep on what we ended up calling “crib mattresses” (probably because I was so exhausted at the end of each day!) And although the cafeteria food was pretty lame, it was rather nice not to have to plan, prepare, or clean up any meals. For six days, my life was reduced to the simplicity of taking care of “numero uno” instead of me times 7. I did a lot of walking, socializing, learning, eating, and sleeping (and I savored every moment of it!)

In the lecture hall, I got to sit in the middle of a row–a simple pleasure that only mothers of toddlers can truly appreciate. Normally quite reserved, I even learned to voice my opinion, make comments in small group settings and take part in discussions relating to our Honors Study Topic, The Paradox of Affluence: Choices, Challenges, and Consequences. I enjoyed participating in courteous debate with my peers, wrestling with personal agendas and biases and grappling with the complexity of political issues–something I rarely have the opportunity to do in my everyday “mommy” existence.

In six days, I learned that a positive attitude goes a long way, that Ghirardelli chocolate hazelnut ice cream in a chocolate-coated waffle cone is just about the closest thing to heaven on earth, and that it’s not a good idea to laugh at homeless people…(more about that in my next post!)

Mashed Potatoes Can Be Your Friends

I used to think the line “Mashed potatoes can be your friends” from Weird Al’s parody of Devo, “Dare to Be Stupid”, was just a sarcastic, inane saying. But perhaps Weird Al was really onto something. There is something particularly reassuring about a home cooked meal of meat and potatoes–something that can nearly approximate the closeness of a trusted friend, don’t you think? After all, they don’t call it “comfort food” for nothing!

Growing up, one of my favorite Sunday memories was coming home from church to the smell of a roast cooking in the oven.

So over the years, I’ve recreated this tradition in my own home. And even though cooking is not exactly my thing (love to eat–hate to shop, plan, and prepare), this meal from the September/October 2007 Simple & Delicious magazine is super easy, requires few ingredients, tastes great, and makes me feel as natural in the kitchen as Rachel Ray.

Last night, my family actually applauded, “ooh”ing and “ahh”ing when I brought it to the table (probably because I once complained that moms never get any kudos for cooking–only TV chefs like Emeril!) The colorful peppers and onions on top of the roast make for a lovely presentation and the fluffy, chive-topped potato mounds are simply divine beckoning you to dive on in. Mmmmm….

Italian Roast with Alfredo Potatoes

1boneless beef chuck roast (3-4 lbs.)

1 envelope brown gravy mix

1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix

1/2 cup water

1 cup chopped sweet red pepper

1 cup chopped green pepper

2/3 c. chopped onion

8 medium red or 5 russet potatoes, quartered

2 T. cornstarch

1/4 c. cold water

3/4 c. Alfredo sauce

2 T. butter

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/2 c. minced chives

Place roast in a 5-qt. slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine the gravy mix, dressing mix and water; pour over roast. Top with peppers and onion. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until meat is tender.

Place potatoes in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, remove roast and keep warm. Skim fat from cooking juices if necessary and pour into a large saucepan. Combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth; stir into cooking juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Drain potatoes; mash with Alfredo sauce, butter and pepper. Sprinkle with chives.

Serve meal with a tossed salad and bread. Enjoy!