Potatoes in the Mist

Just finished another Lucy Knisley comic book/graphic novel, called Radiator Days , about her life at art school in Chicago. When she graduated, she didn't know what kind of job to get, and had a hard time getting one (sounds familiar), so she worked at a cheese shop for a bit. Of course this made me want to work at a cheese shop. She had to remember 500 types of cheese, and did this by giving them personalities (a smelly Spanish lord, a laid-back California surfer). We got back from Miami recently, it looked like this: Sometimes I don't know why I live in the Northeast.

Today Z had a playdate with a girl from school. The girl has a nanny who picks her up from school. So we walked from school to the girl's apartment, then upstairs to this playroom where we met some other kids, and another girl from school came over. I was talking with the girl's nanny, and I found out that the girl's mother doesn't work outside the home. Obviously I have nothing against stay-at-home moms (I am one), but if you don't have a job, why do you need a nanny? I talked a bit more with the nanny and found out that her duties consist of serving lunch to the girl, taking her to the playroom upstairs, and picking her up at school (a few blocks away). I didn't say anything, but I really don't get it. Z's school is in a different neighborhood, and I have noticed they all have nannies whether the mothers work or not.

Just finished Displacement: A Travelogue  by Lucy Knisley. So good! It's about going on a cruise with her elderly grandparents. They are both in their 90s (the author is 27). The story also includes fragments from her grandfather's memoirs. He was a pilot in World War II. Very interesting. I also like the book's format. Knisley writes graphic novels (comic books for grown-ups). I also liked her previous book, French Milk. 

I just finished A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler. What a good book. And unfortunately, it is supposed to be her last, according to a friend. (She's still alive, but supposedly retiring from writing.) I can only hope she will be like Cher, who has one farewell concert after another.

I just made some cupcakes from a dark chocolate cake mix that was on sale at Gristedes. For the frosting, I softened some butter and added salt, confectioner's sugar, and a few drops of milk. It came out better than when I have followed icing "recipes." And everyone looks down on cake mix, but these cupcakes may have converted me, a former vanilla fan. It's starting to snow outside, big fluffy flakes falling lazily down.

Can't seem to stop making these. Working my way through some bulky yarn.

I got an early reviewers' copy from LibraryThing. It's called The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce. It's the sequel to The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. I liked that one, but the sequel is even better. One of those rare, magical books. It's worth the reading glasses I have to put on to read a non-Kindle book :-) I also conducted a consumer experiment, ordering the same shoes from L.L. Bean and Land's End. Who does it better? L.L. Bean. By a landslide.

I just finished knitting this cowl. I really like it. I recently realized I like cowls better than scarves. The pattern is on Ravelry; it's called "A Cowl'd and Frosty Morning." (Bad pun, I know.)

Recently found out that someone I know is an anti-vaxxer (her two-year-old had not been vaccinated for anything). This was worrisome because of the measles outbreak that has been spreading (14 states now, according to the New York Times) and various other reasons. Fortunately we have talked her out of it. She was planning to use a "religious exemption" to New York state law to avoid getting the vaccines for school. But recently a federal judge upheld a New York City school's decision to keep unvaccinated children home from school for months at a time, because of the health risks they pose to other children. So I'm glad she changed her mind.

Tomorrow I think I will try to make a "Dutch baby," i.e., a pancake that will feed 3-4 people. You cook it in a cast iron skillet in the oven. Then you can scatter some apples, sauteed in cinnamon and sugar, on top. The cast iron skillet is very heavy - the first thing I thought when I lifted it was, "murder weapon." Not that I am going to kill anyone - but I read a lot of murder mysteries. I took a "What is your spirit animal?" quiz on Facebook, and it said I was a cat. I love when you get the exact result you want :)

Funny how when you see examples of good decor online, they are usually white (living rooms, etc.) Can't decide if it looks classy or sterile. Would also be a disaster with small children.

I want to make this . (There's a lot of text before the recipe...but it looks good.)

Discovered a new series by M.C. Beaton today. I've been reading her Agatha Raisin series for years. This series is about a Scottish detective named Hamish Macbeth. You really can't go wrong with this writer.

So I read online that if you put Vicks Vapor Rub on a child's (or adult's) feet, then put socks on, coughing will vanish instantly. I checked on snopes.com and found out that, even though no one knows why, this works 100% of the time. So I'm trying it for Z tonight. She was coughing for about an hour in the middle of the night, ugh.    

I took a friend's advice and dusted off my Etsy shop. I'll be gradually adding items. If you want to take a peek, the URL is etsy.com/shop/bearette24.

I woke up to this (our first real snow of the season), through a screen window: I was surprised they didn't cancel school, but NYC is tough about that. Upstate, outside of the city, most of the school districts were canceled. The snowfall seems to be slowing down now, though.

Just finished reading A Conspiracy of Friends by Alexander McCall Smith. He's an extremely prolific author who has written about 5 series. This one was particularly fun, including a scene where a loathsome character got trapped in a particle accelerator. Instead of "atomizing" him, as one physicist feared, he took a turn for the better - becoming more altruistic.

I finished another piece of knitting. It's called a shawlette, but could easily function as a large scarf. I like the way it came out.

Just finished knitting a sweater. Very happy with how it came out :)

One of Zoe's teachers (a "permanent floater") made hats for all the children. Zoe's hat is very cute. I noticed she incorporated pink. One of the teachers calls her "Pinkalicious."