White Columbine with bits of Purple Salvia
It’s been a while since I’ve posted, so I decided to just write up a review. And show off my white columbines with fuzzy purple dots that are really geranium sanguineum (cranesbill) in the background. I assume a deer ate the tops of some of my columbines; I don’t think the ground hogs can reach up that high.
I’ve been very busy with work and with a few (thankfully minor) family crises (an infected finger by one child, a tummy virus right before a big talk by another, a fall with only bruises by an older family member). Hope life goes smoothly in the future, (but it never does, does it?).
Every year we decorate old oatmeal containers (and sometimes matza meal containers) with pictures and coat them with modge podge to create Purim gifts. We give these away to some of our friends. This year, my son decided to put comics and homemade Purim cards on his containers. My daughter opted for photos of her friends on her containers.
Elsewhere in the Blogosphere
Learn about how you can help agunot (an agunah is a woman who’s husband won’t give her a get, a Jewish divorce) on Mom in Israel’s post.
On the blog Jewacious, there are often fabulous reviews of interesting books. For example, here’s a review of An Italian Renaissance: Choosing Life in Canada, by Robert Eli Rubinstein. “He writes forthrightly, but beautifully, detailing his parent’s journey to Canada, to start life anew, and unbeknownst to them, in a city that was filled with antisemitic individuals. His family and the other Jewish refugees were known as “greenies”, a derogatory term, and one used frequently when being spoken of. “
Three dogs on the Asbury Park boardwalk, summer 2011
When winter feels like it’s dragging on, I share with you a photo of three dogs on the Asbury Park boardwalk, taken sometime last summer. My daughter was working on a cover for a Cinquain poetry booklet for her class, and she wanted a dog to represent friendship. We were going to use this shot, but instead we chose a vertical image of one of the dogs standing up against his master.
On My Blog
Elsewhere in the Blogosphere
Hannah wrote a post on garnishes in cooking, and it inspires me to consider a series of posts photographing beautiful bits of food: a bowl of parsley, a dish of grated carrots, a plate of purplish red beets. The photograph series hasn’t happened, yet, but if I write it here, maybe I will proceed.
There is a review on Jewaicious of a book called Songs for the Butcher’s Daughter: “The primary character, Itsik Malpesh was born in Kishinev during the the Russian pogroms, to a well off family. The events of his birth, as told to him by his mother, are what has shaped his life, and shaped his perception on love. This novel is Itsik’s story, although it reads like a memoir that could be based on an actual person. “
Batya has a preview for next week’s big event: Tu B’Shvat.
I wrote a post on how one might use Pinterest for a small business. I have ideas for this blog (meaning my Here in HP blog) regarding Pinterest: maybe Pinterest and the Parsha or the much more general Pinterest and fine art. I posted my cardinal watercolor on Pinterest, as this week’s parsha B’Shelach, we are taught to feed the birds.
Coming Soon: Interview with an artist who illustrates ketubot (Jewish marriage contracts), draws comics, paints figures and is working on a graphic novel on new immigrants to Israel.
lighting a candle at Dunkin Donuts for Chanukah, a Rutgers Hillel event
On Tuesday night, the first night of Chanukah, the daughter, her friend and I wandered over to our local Highland Park Dunkin’ Donuts for a Rutgers Hillel candle lighting. We just went because it was a convenient time while we were waiting for the rest of the family to come home. The guitar playing and singing were quite nice, and thank you to Rabbi Esther Reed of Rutgers Hillel for the role she played in organizing the event. It was a fun way to start Chanukah.
Little Mermaid and Ursula the 14-headed Sea Witch
Last week my daughter (see green arrow) was one of the 14 heads of Ursula the sea witch in the Middlesex Theater Camp production of the Little Mermaid. The main mermaid was played by a teen who went to school with my middle son, so we “sort of” knew her (at least my daughter and middle son know her). Tomorrow is the final production of my daughter’s summer; they are putting on Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. My daughter is one of Veruca Salt’s sisters. She needs to act snotty and rich and put on a British accent. Veruca is played by our friend’s daughter, so that’s exciting, too.
Elsewhere in the Blogosphere
If you like beautiful scenery, if you like finding out what an adventurous young woman with a degree in English literature is doing, if you want to find out what a young Jewish woman will do in a Scandinavian country, if you have any interest in Norway, you might want to follow this blog: Nestled Between the Mountains and a Fjord. Disclosure: author is related to me.
Mrs. S. teaches how to make waffles. I’ve never made waffles, unless you count taking one out of a box in the freezer and sticking it in the toaster oven.
