Ushpizin

Aaron and I watched the movie Ushpizin the other night. It's beautifully done. I don't think I've ever seen a movie so focused on the honest struggle to have faith. And the affects that struggle has on the rest of your life. Oh, it's funny too.
Five of five stars.

Ick! A Tick!

In the last week I encountered two unwelcome trespassers. TICKS! Yuck!
The first I noticed while I was at work which was bizarre because I work inside an office. But I felt something in the crook of my arm wiggling and then hurting. I lifted up my sleeve to see a big fat ugly tick gnawing away. Ew.
I wanted him off as soon as possible so I ran downstairs and asked to borrow a coworkers lighter. I then proceeded to try to burn the little bugger off. Since I only had one functional hand to do so, the procedure was not going well. The tick remained firmly clamped in place. Luckily another coworker found a pair of tweezers and we were able to yank the tick out, head attached.
Two days later after a walk in the woods, I found a deer tick on my leg. He was also firmly embedded in my skin. He was removed and destroyed. Both ticks left ugly bites, but the first tick's bites (he left two) grew into ugly looking welts and a rash formed around one of them. I started to worry something might be wrong, the rash was spreading out and looking similar to Lyme disease rash pictures on the internet. So at this point I started to worry and I'm not a squeamish person. I've been bit by all kinds of things, but these bites looked ugly enough to make me go to the doctor. And I hate going to the doctor. He told me I was fine, I just had an unfortunate reaction not a life threatening disease.

So for everyone's benefit here are a few tick tips I learned:

Do not try to chemically agitate or burn a tick off you. Doing so can make it regurgitate the contents of its stomach which makes infection more likely. Use Tweezers, they're faster and cleaner.

Ticks usually need at least 18-24 hours to infect you so if you find a tick on you and it is not engorged you probably do not need to worry about infection.

If you contract Lyme disease you will begin to exhibit symptoms of the flu. A rash alone does not mean you've been infected.

Oven Pancake

1 cup milk
1 cup flour
6 eggs
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

Wire whip all ingredients together but not too much

Preheat oven to 425

Put a 9x13 pan in hot oven, once warm drop in butter (enough that when melted it covers the bottom of the pan)

When butter is completely melted pour in egg mixture.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. It will be poofy and lightly golden.

The Groundhog

Yesterday I went for a walk because I needed to think. I walked through the woods on a small deer trail and it lead me along side a large road. When I walked out onto the shoulder I saw a lump of brown fur curled up in the grass. I was pretty sure it was a ground hog and expected it to waddle away as I approached. It didn't. I came closer and a cloud of flies exploded angrily up and I realized he was dead. It made me sad and I remembered the poem The Groundhog by Richard Eberhart.

In June, amid the golden fields,
I saw a groundhog lying dead.
Dead lay he; my senses shook,
And mind outshot our naked frailty.

There lowly in the vigorous summer
His form began its senseless change,
And made my senses waver dim
Seeing nature ferocious in him.

Inspecting close maggots' might
And seething cauldron of his being,
Half with loathing, half with a strange love,
I poked him with an angry stick.

The fever arose, became a flame
And Vigour circumscribed the skies,
Immense energy in the sun,
And through my frame a sunless trembling.

My stick had done nor good nor harm.
Then stood I silent in the day
Watching the object, as before;
And kept my reverence for knowledge

Trying for control, to be still,
To quell the passion of the blood;
Until I had bent down on my knees
Praying for joy in the sight of decay.

And so I left; and I returned
In Autumn strict of eye, to see
The sap gone out of the groundhog,
But the bony sodden hulk remained

But the year had lost its meaning,
And in intellectual chains
I lost both love and loathing,
Mured up in the wall of wisdom.

Another summer took the fields again
Massive and burning, full of life,
But when I chanced upon the spot
There was only a little hair left,

And bones bleaching in the sunlight
Beautiful as architecture;
I watched them like a geometer,
And cut a walking stick from a birch.

It has been three years, now.
There is no sign of the groundhog.
I stood there in the whirling summer,
My hand capped a withered heart,

And thought of China and of Greece,
Of Alexander in his tent;
Of Montaigne in his tower,
Of Saint Theresa in her wild lament.

Special Powers

This Sunday Aaron and I got to substitute teach the five year olds in Primary which was a lot of fun. One little boy explained to Aaron that he had a sister and a brother and his mom and dad used their SPECIAL POWERS (said with super hero emphasis) and now there's a baby in his mommy's tummy. It was very informative.

Black Bean Chilaquiles with Arugula Salad

I promised to post this recipe so here it is. It's one of our favorites!

Black Bean Chilaquiles with Arugula Salad

2 15.5-oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup prepared chipotle salsa
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. olive oil, divided
1 cup vegetable broth
2 cups arugula
3 Roma tomatoes, diced (1 cup)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 green onions, sliced (about 1/4 cup)
1 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1 9-oz. bag tortilla chips (lime chips are good too)
4 oz. shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (about 2 cups)
1 avocado, diced, optional

Directions:

1. Blend beans into food processor or unloved, overly abused blender for about 1 minute, until mostly smooth. Add salsa, garlic and oregano, and blend another minute.
2. Heat 1 tsp. oil in pot over medium-high heat. Add bean mixture and broth, and whisk until combined. Bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Combine arugula, tomatoes, cilantro, green onions, lime juice and remaining 1 Tbs. oil in medium bowl.
4. Fold chips into simmering black bean mixture. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, or until chips are soft and slightly chewy.
5. Transfer to 2-quart casserole or deep serving dish. Sprinkle cheese on top and let stand 5 minutes. Top with arugula salad and avocado, if desired, and serve.

SERVES 6

Easy open faced tomato basil sandwiches

Here's another pretty yummy recipe we have enjoyed of late. These little sandwiches make a great light meal or a tasty snack. You can blend up extra basil yogurt and it keeps well in the fridge.

1 1/2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
1 1/2 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 Tbs. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 tsp.)
3 Tbs. nonfat plain yogurt (I like the brand FAGE it has lots of protein)
4 English muffins, split
1 large ripe tomato, thinly sliced

Directions:
1. Blend basil, Parmesan cheese, olive oil and garlic in food processor or your really pathetic abused blender (like ours) until well combined. Add yogurt, and grind until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Preheat broiler. Place muffins on baking sheet. Broil 1 to 2 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Spread each half with basil mixture, and top with several tomato slices. Broil 1 to 2 minutes, or until heated through.

Ain't What She Use to Be (Me and Abby)

My sister is visiting us from SC. She is on the cross country at her school and has a summer workout program. This week she is supposed to run 5 miles every day and 7 on Saturday. Sarah and I accompanied her on 4 of her five miles and while we kept up for all but the last two minutes (I let myself walk for about twenty seconds before running the final bit) When we got home and Aaron asked who won and if I (Katy) kept up, Abby replied "Humph, It wasn't EVEN close." Ouch. Guess I need to work a little harder on my daily runs.

Run Bambi, Man has come to the Parking Lot

Our new apartment backs onto a wooded lot. This means that the only thing separating us from a dense three acers of cold hearted wilderness is a strip of asphalt. As Battle and I (Battle much more intently than I) have observed, a young family of squirrels has taken to foraging right outside our door. There's also a temperamental jay, a few cardinals, a bunny and a couple lizards that appear to be permanent residents. They scamper around all day eating who knows what off the road. The best part of it is when we drive up, there's this brilliant explosion of feathers and bushy tails rushing back into the undergrowth accompanied by the stacatto of little squeaks and chirps of alarm. It's a scene straight out of the movie Bambi. It makes me feel so powerful and sinister. As I step out of the car I can just hear that slow haunting music, the clear warning that MAN has come, which is sad but I love it.
-Katy

A Good Time Was Had By All

Last night Aaron, Randal, Theresa and I went to the 9:30 club in DC to see Feist.

Allow me to sing her praises for just a moment: Feist has one of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard. It's plush velvet, it's liquid gold, it's radiant and thick and delicious and you can't help melting into it. AND the voice is just the beginning. She is a wonderful musician and she plays with other wonderful musicians to create really fun, rich work that is almost irresistabley dance-able. And she dances too as you can enjoy in her videos. So for your own pleasure, please please please check out The Remembrance or Let It Die, by Feist.

Anyway, going in I was expecting a lot. And it was even better.

LOST

So we moved last week and as with every move, there are always a few casualties. We have unpacked most of our boxes and are still missing the following items:
The plug to recharge my digital camera
The second season of LOST which belongs to the library
My favorite running shorts
My belt
And worst of all:
My Cell Phone
It wouldn't be so bad but the phone is out of power rendering it undetectable among the horde of remaining boxes. I'm starting to realize if I ever want to see my phone again, I am going to have to finish unpacking. And so I think, I never really liked my phone anyway.....

What's in a Name?

As has been alluded to before, Aaron is quite fond of his last name, Cummings. He wants me to have it, he wants our children to have it, he wants our possessions to be labeled with it, and so on and so forth. BUT when I referred to our cat as Mr. Battle Cat Cummings, Aaron became deeply annoyed. He said that the cat did not deserve his name. I asked Aaron if Battle could have the name if he was a better cat (he tends to destroy futniture and occasionally attacks our guests), but Aaron said his animal nature disqualified him from the name of Cummings. Aaron also believes that when Battle dies he can NOT live with us in heaven (or wherever else we go) because he's not really a part of our family. Poor unloved Battle.

Pretty Good Peanut Curry Recipe

Katy and I found a pretty good peanut curry recipe. It's not very spicy, but is otherwise pretty good. Add another teaspoon of curry paste or two or three to make it more exciting.

2 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/2 pounds chicken breast, cut in 1-inch pieces (yuck)
OR
One package FIRM Tofu
Salt and pepper
1 cup green beans (fresh is best)
Sliced peppers, about 1 1/2 - 2 peppers. We used one red and one green.
Snow peas are a good addition in place of or in addition to green beans.
Onion is pretty good in this also.

For sauce:
1 1/2 cups light coconut milk (a can is about 2 C, you can add all the cocunut milk to the curry, or mix the leftover coconut milk in with the rice wish is HIGHLY suggested)
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1/3 cup chunky peanut butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice
Rice
Cilantro sprigs or line wedges for garnishing (obviously optional)

Heat oil in large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add cut up chicken, season and saute until cooked through stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add veggiesand continue cooking for 3 minutes.
While chicken cooks, start the peanut curry sauce. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together all ingredients for the sauce. Pour sauce into a frying pan over the chicken and vegetables, stir to combine. Turn heat up to high and bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Serve over Coconut Rice or plain steamed rice.

Oh, and Katy recommends this with tofu instead of chicken. To make decent baked tofu, get firm or extra firm tofu. Cut it into cubes, about 3/4 - 1". Let the tofu drain a little or dry it off by pressing it gently with a paper towel. Then, lightly oil a small casserole pan and put the tofu cubes in. Bake at 400 F for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Often it works best to turn the tofu at least once. Mix i to the sauce after the curry is finished cooking.

Radio Days

We watched Radio Days last night. It gets 5 of 5 stars. I was hesitant when I saw the cover, which looks sort of like a bad Harley paint job, but it was surprisingly funny, to the point of hilarious. I laughed out loud through a lot of it but it was heartwarming and oddly familiar in that nostalgic way. There's a dance scene performed by the cousin that defies description, but I am so happy I saw it before I died. Aaron enjoyed the communists. We highly recommend it for your netflix queue.

HYPHEN

Aaron would like everyone to know that he deeply disaproves of the hyphen in our blog address. For the record, he wants everyone to know he never before and never will appreciate such a difficult punctuation. He is amending that, he only disapproves of hyphens found between names.
He thinks it is illegal to Germany and it should be illegal in America and in our marriage. Is it illegal in Germany? I doubt that. They seem like such a friendly, liberal country, just like our marriage is such a friendly liberal relationship. He is happy to accept suggestions for a new, better and unhyphenated address. I am less happy to accept such a change.
-Katy

In the Game

Howdy folks. As everyone spreads to the far corners of the earth, we thought we would put up a little blog to keep in touch. I'm also hoping to assuage some of my guilt of being out of touch since I haven't always returned every call or listened to every message. (For those of you who don't know, I answer my phone probably three times a week and I check my messages about once every two months. If you really want to reach us, call Aaron.)
Anyway, the point is to say hi. And if I remember the password to the blog, unlike my last, now lost-to-the-sea-of-internet-wreckage blog, whose password I forgot, I think we'll post some recipes, some pictures and some of the going-ons of our rather average existence.
-Katy