« March 2013 | Main | May 2013 »
Meal Monday
Sometimes it seems as if it's always almost dinnertime. As in, OMG, it's almost dinnertime already and I haven't thought about it/shopped/defrosted/prepared ANYTHING. Oops.
But necessity is the mother of invention, as they say, and I usually find my most creative meals come about when I have to put something together using whatever I happen to have in the house.
Truth Thursday
You inhabit the land of grief. You can’t run away from it, back away from it, ignore it. You can’t shroud it in euphemisms – “pass away” – when someone has died. They’ve died. They’re gone. Trying to make it sound easier, softer, gentler, does nothing. In fact, whenever I hear that phrase my body stiffens and I want to scream.
My mother did not pass away. My infant son did not pass away. They did not “pass.” They died. Call it what it is. Run into it and face it down. It’s the only way to work through it.
“The Still Point of the Turning World” is Emily Rapp’s meditation on grief. Her infant son, Ronan, was diagnosed with the always-fatal Tay-Sachs disease in the first months of his life, even after she had had the requisite genetic tests.
Rapp is sad. She is angry. She is full of questions, both spiritual and grounded. She uses words to process and delve and deny and question. She paints descriptions of her son’s first and only full year of life – of his body, of his eyes, of her pain and her husband’s pain watching him regress.
She wonders about the hierarchy of grief. Who is more entitled to be sad? Who has experienced more pain? Those of us who have wandered in these hills understand these questions. My second son died when he was five days old, after a troubled pregnancy and five days of hope and wonder. I grieve his loss, and will to the end of my days.
Guest post by Chuck McCutcheon
With Earth Day here, and summertime following after that, more attention will be paid to the problem of climate change. But even for adults, it can be a confusing topic. Too many Americans still don't believe it exists, and even among those who do, there's a tendency to think that a period of colder-than-usual weather means that the effects of climate change are exaggerated.
As someone who has written a critically acclaimed book for students aged 9 and older, and who has given lectures at schools around the country, I'd like to offer a few helpful areas to emphasize, based on the questions that I most often get asked.
Climate change is real, and people are causing it. There is no debate about this among international scientists. If you or anyone you know doubts this, please look at Grist.org's handy guide. But if your children are confused, you can simply tell them that science is not just like math; it doesn't always produces a single, universally agreed-on answer.
Global warming is a part – arguably the major part – of climate change. Global warming refers to the increase in the average temperature of the earth over several years or decades. Climate change refers to global warming as well as other changes in climate, like more common and intense extreme weather, and a rise in sea levels.
Continue reading "How To Talk to Your Kids About Climate Change" »
Truth Thursday
Oh god, it’s happened again. A terrible news story, a la 9-11, a la Newtown, that marks the end of what started as a normal Monday.
This time in Boston. Two bombs. Three people dead. Two more undetonated bombs destroyed. At least a hundred people injured. Scores more probably to come. And a nation finding itself, once more, grieving.
This is a different world than the one I grew up in. Back then, the violence and carnage was always far away, overseas (except, of course, for the civil rights movement, and the ugly and ferocious backlash against those who were fighting for their rights on our own soil.)
We thought that by living on a continent buttressed by two oceans and two friendly neighbors we would be protected forever. We thought that the stirring words of our forefathers – enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution – proclaiming ours a shining democracy, one in which all would be equal under the law, would shield us from the horror of chaotic, despotic governments, of the hate and ignominy of the world outside our borders.
We were wrong.
For over a decade, we have lived with the now-deeply-embedded muscle memory of fear. Fear that there are forces out there that hate us, that are beyond our scope of protection. Fear that we will perhaps someday be the target of something so huge, so protracted, that Armageddon will ensue.
So we keep emergency evacuation kits near our front doors. We know the best routes out of our towns. We have plans solidified as to where to meet our family members if an attack shuts down the normal workings of our city.
1 In a large saucepan, sauté the onions in the olive oil on medium high heat until well browned, but not burned, about 30-40 minutes (or longer). Add the sugar about 10 minutes into the process to help with the carmelization.
2 Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the stock, vermouth or wine, bay leaf, and thyme. Cover partially and simmer until the flavors are well blended, about 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Discard the bay leaf. If you like, use a hand held soup blender to puree the onions and make the soup smoother.
3 To serve you can either use individual oven-proof soup bowls or one large casserole dish. Ladle the soup into the bowls or casserole dish. Cover with the toast and sprinkle with cheese. Put into the broiler for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F, or until the cheese bubbles and is slightly browned. Serve immediately.
Yield: Serves 4-6.