The Wind Up Bird Chronicle - Finally!

This is an update to my Summer reading challenge.

 I just finished The Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

This book slowed down my list quite a bit. It was 607, small font, pages and a challenging read in itself. A book about Toru Okada;  a man who lost his way professionally, then domestically and personally and finally began loosing his reality. But on so many other levels it was about so much more. Without a doubt it was about more than I could glean from it!
One of the challenging aspects of this book was the Japanese culture itself. Without knowing about that, I wasn't sure how I was expected to react to some of the more surreal happenings or deviant actions. Or what I was to think of the string of increasingly bizarre characters as they entered the story. The atrocity of war I got. Dysfunctional families I know how to react to. But sitting in dried up wells, psychic healing, unexplainable events... left me a little confused.
The wind up bird was likened to a bird that turned the spring of the world and kept it running. So more than anything what I saw in this book was a perseverance. A continuing. A going on. Despite the weirdness and atrocity and dysfunction of this world.

I hope I"m close anyway.

I'm celebrating this book tomorrow with Asian Chicken salad - lettuce, tomatoes, onion, chow mien noodles, slivered almonds, mandarin oranges, topped with oil, soy and brown sugar dressing.

Next up, by popular vote

I've no doubt I'll get through this one faster, even if I do read nice and slow and savor it....because I"m told it's worth it! Wonder if I"ll have to make Potato Peel Pie to commemorate this one when I finish it. We'll see!

But I'll have to hustle to get through my challenge. Except I don't want to hurry through them because they all look GREAT!

Looking forward

Whenever I'm reading a book I ... shall we say... haven't fallen in love with... it seems all I can think of is what I GET to read next. Especially when It's such an appealing stack.

Only  part of my literal TBR pile. Except Bird by Bird, I didn't pay over $1.00 for any of them. And confession time - I bought Bird by Bird as a gift ....and because the guy working was cute and nice :)

What would you start with??

Laura

Wild Wonderful West Virginia - Hawk's Nest State Park

My Dad's 65th High School Reunion was coming up and he was adament he wanted to take me and my two daughters to meet his classmates.

Dad was raised in the coal mining mountains of West (By God) Virginia. He lives now in Evansville, Indiana and we live in Iowa.That's a lot of driving!! And that would make 5 of us going out there. Dad, Jenny (my step-mom), Me, and my girls. I wasn't really sure how this would work out. So back in April and May we started tossing around the idea.

As time got closer I thought how this would be such a good experience for my girls to spend time with their grandfather...the only male role model they have really. Even if he is 8 hours away.

Dad decided  renting a van would work and low and behold, it all worked out and last Friday I found myself on the road to Evansville, then on Sunday off to Ansted, West Virgina.

It is a beautiful, wild, woolly place!!

This was the view from our room at Hawk's Nest State Park Lodge. If you haven't been there, you can not imagine how dense that forest is!!


I used to get to spend about a week there in the summer when we would go back to visit my paternal grandparents, but this was pure site seeing...and I wanted my picture in front of the waterfall.


Yes there is a trail you can hike back to a pretty waterfall and I never had, so that was my aim.

So off to the trail we went on our last full day there.

The trail started innocently enough...but don't all scary movies too???? I had heard about this trail, people had taken the trail the day before...and there were people leaving the trail as we got there. This was not a deserted place. I couldn't wait to get to the waterfall.

We asked how far back the trail it was to get to the falls... the lady said "bout half way".

K...thanks...that clears that up! ;)

We discussed what an adventure this trip was and I commented this hike was a bonding experience. My oldest said, don't say that...when you plan bonding is always when something tragic happens... hmmm. They said my great grandmother was "FAE" or had sight you might say.  Wonder if it's oddly hereditary

But off we went....

 All set for this great Hike to the Waterfall!

The Bluffs got higher!!....

The Hills got steeper and the rocks bigger!!

The forest got darker....

We crossed an old train trestle that had a metal mesh deck installed so we could walk across it...it went over this dry creek bed...If it would have been running I may have called it quits here and said good enough. But is was just...dare I say... a ghost of a falls??

From the trestle this shot straight down. The water has made the rock look so amazing!

Can't you just imagine how beautiful that would be with water cascading down, then wooshing under you as you stood on the trestle?

We started to see chunks of coal on the trail and soon came to a side trail that went down to the old mine entrance. Needing to see as much as we could, not knowing if we'd be back, we took the side trail.

The old mine was creeeepy!!

Not sure what this was...just part of the mine...maybe a vent shaft?

It was so eerie, quiet and dark and hollow sounding... Mill Creek 1921 Colliery Co. Is what the stone says.

A little edgy, we turn to go back to the main trail and find my waterfall...the creek from it flowed closely by this mine entrance and sounded amazing!!

That water had come down my falls just up ahead!!

And then

On our way back to the main trail...my oldest spied a piece of sparkly coal...she wanted it for her boyfriends rock collection. To take to him as a 'real' souvenir.

I bent down to see it too... but I never got a look at it because out of the corner of my eye I spied this.... Not 4 feet from where she was standing!!!!!

I sent the girls up the path after telling them it was there. I told them it wasn't about to attack but we needed to go... but not panic and not run. If there were others we didn't want to put them on the defensive.

Maybe a little crazy...I knew no one would believe me so I snapped this picture. I couldn't believe as much as I was shaking and as hard as my heart was beating that it wasn't blurry!! I easily cropped and blew up our little Copperhead friend for better identification....

That's when I remembered there were postcards with that D*mn waterfall on them up at the lodge. And we moved swiftly, without running, back to civilization.

And see there are even photos of it on the net.... I found this one in about 2, domesticated, air conditioned, seconds!!

It does seem a shame to have missed it...It is pretty. :) Ah well, maybe someday...


Linking to Outdoor Wednesday over at A Southern Daydreamer.. come join us!! :)

Movie Night!!

I"ve been pooped all week and the kids are out of the house tonight with their friends and I don't have THAT much else that i OUGHT to be doing...so it's Movie Night!

My new netflix is here - The Last Station

Who doesn't love Helen Miran! And James McAvoy is awesome!

I didn't get to see the end, but my girls bawled their eyes out in Remember Me.

I did see most of it and I'm telling you, Robert Pattinson is a way better actor than he's been allowed to be in the Twilight Series!! Youngest Angel cried so much she had wet spots on her shirt!! Seriously have to see this movie!!

I did finish and fall in a weird dysfunctional sorta love with The Jane Austen Book Club.

I shouldn't have liked it because it's a neat package and I hate neat packages... I think, because I DID like it! Very Much! And I longed for a group of friends like those who would sit around basking in Austen! awww. Sorta like Bloggers ;)

Off to make popcorn :)

Awesome Awesome!!

I just finished my first book for the Summer Reading Challenge I joined.

The book was Will Grayson Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan.

I've read every John Green book and didn't really expect to like this book, or at least not much. I mean face it, John Green's writing is incredible so I would only assume David Levithan's would be good too. But the characters in Paper Towns and Looking for Alaska seemed to blend in my mind a bit, so I guessed this book would be more of the same.

But it really wasn't. It was in a way, in that "unrealized expectations idealist youth meets reality" sorta way. But the rest was pretty fresh and turned more to how fast teens move and how much they miss that's right there with them because they don't take 1 second to appreciate anything.

All in All... Abundance of Katherine's will be my favorite forever because it was my first, but Will Grayson Will Grayson will be a milisecond out of a tie for first. I loved this book.

As a disclaimer --  it is a young adult book...but make no mistake the emphasis is on the ADULT. Language and discussions are not really for the tweeners. High Schoolers will do just fine with it.

Thanks John and David for a great read and as always.... DFTBA!!


(oh yeah...that's Don't Forget To Be Awesome, John's Vlog brother's moto)

Stormy Night!

Here's what blew through our neighborhood last night.

This is my mom's house.

 This is part of what it took to get this off of there

An Enchilada Fest!

I hadn't made these in awhile. I try to avoid the oven mostly now that it's summer, however... back by popular demand, it was Chicken Enchilada night!

It's sort of a time consuming recipe. Which I also try to stay away from in the summer as well since I don't really want to be in the kitchen of all place when it's nice out. And it is nice out, I couldn't have decided to do this on a rainy day, nope beautiful out!

Oh well, I"ll console myself when they come out of the oven. :)


CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
Chicken Breast, no skin, 2 breast, bone and skin removed
* Green Peppers (bell peppers), 1 cup, chopped
* Onions, raw, 1 cup, chopped
* Garlic, 1 clove
* *Mission whole wheat tortillas, 10 serving
* Cream of Chicken Soup, 1 can (10.75 oz)
* *Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce (Medium, 10 oz.), 
* Sour Cream, .5 cup
* Mozzarella Cheese, part skim milk, 4 oz
* Cheddar Cheese, 1.5 cup, shredded

Directions

Place chicken in large pot and cover with water.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and boil until chicken is cooked through.
Remove chicken from water and shred using a fork.
Reserve about 1/2 cup of the water from chicken and discard remaining water.
Return shredded chicken to pot and add peppers, onion, minced garlic and water.
Cook until peppers and onions are tender. Add Sour Cream and Mozerella cheese and stir until well blended and creamy
In a separate bowl, combine cream of chicken soup and 1 1/2 cans of the enchilada sauce; stir until blended.
Put about 1/4 cup or the other 1/2 can of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish and coat the bottom of the dish. (Helps keep it from sticking so much)
Spoon chicken mixture onto middle of tortilla. (About 1/2 cup)
Fold edges of tortilla up over the chicken mixture and place tortilla seam side down into baking dish.
Pour remaining enchilada sauce mixture over top of tortillas.
Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and sprinkle cheddar cheese on top. Return to oven until cheese is melted.

Serve with Brown rice and fat free refried beans

Number of Servings: 8

You just start with this.... and it magically becomes....

THIS! :) Yumtastic!!

They are super hot when they come out!! Be careful!

I skipped the rice and beans tonight. I just didn't have the patience!

I think I'll join in on Foodie Friday over at Designs by Gollum... not high cuisine I know, but still a very good recipe to use as a fall back! Maybe it'll become a favorite at your house!

 

Laura

3 week anniversary .. for the orphan kittens

Today it has been 3 sleepless weeks that we have been momma to the 2 orphan kittens. Which makes them about 4 weeks old. And WHOA NELLY but can they get into everything now! Scaling the furniture. Scaling my leg! The are looking healthier and hopefully happier.

Here's what they look like today

Of course you know, I'll need help when it comes time to give these guys to their new home!!

Think I'll link to Outdoor Wednesday over at A Southern Daydreamer... if I hurry ;) And yes I know it's a stretch but I love to share my baby kitties :)

On-a-whim project and hardwood floor reveal

Oldest Angel went with her school drama club to NYC. While she was gone I decided to find her floor. Not just the flatness at the bottom of her room under the mounds of teen clothes and tennis gear...but there was that too no doubt!... but the real floor. Because in her closet it's oak. And beautiful! So I hoped the rest of the room would be too!

Here is the before. Deep pile ... dare I say 'shag'... baby blue carpet. It was pretty soft though I"ll give it that.

So I pulled it up. With the help of the neighbor's utility knife I busted it right outta there! ;)

I pulled about a million staples from the pad and spent an entire evening with pry bar in hand taking up tack strip.

But here is what I found. These are untouched. All I did was sweep. I did scratch the varnish a little bit while moving the bed. But fixing it will have to wait. Luckily that's where an area rug will go.

Amazing! She was so happy when she got home and saw it. She loves wood floor and had been after me to do this for awhile.

I'm pleased with how it came out. I can't wait for her to pick out a rug. I'm looking forward to doing the rest of the upstairs a little at a time now!

Not bad for a whim project! :)

 I think I"ll like to Susan over at Between Naps On The Porch and take part in her Metamorphosis Monday. This will be my first one! :)

Crazy Cat lady

I've been a cat lover my entire life.

I own 2. They drive me crazy with their weird ways and tons of fur. I can no longer own any black clothes.
This is Turtle Cat and the Spy...see her peeking around? Actually named Romeo (he's the big one) and of course Juliette...although I got them at different times.

And all was well...mostly...until

A panicked phone call from Youngest Angel saying "Mom!! There's kittens!! and their dieing!" And she was in tears and worst of all she was right!

And along came these 2

They barely had their eyes open. The one with the white (I call lil one cuz it's half the size of the gray one) had scabs on it's face and front legs. The day was soooo hot and the sun was just beating down on them!! They were not long for this world for certain.

But she got them in and dabbed water on them. Made them a nest. And when they fell asleep the kids ran and bought KMR.

At first they were so weak the only way to feed them was off fingers. Or tiny bits from the dropper that came with the kitten rescue kit. And I tried to warn my girls that these little fellas may not make it.

It was a day before they went potty.

But by some miracle...it's been over a week since we've had them. And they are gaining well. Still some trouble with potty...tad bit (constipated).  May have to run them to the vet if we don't get something over the weekend.

They still need fed every 2 - 3 hours too. so some late nights and bleary eyes...Hey I remember that!

Here they are over the last couple of days...OH and I found a home for them...both together :) Once we get them to being weaned that is.l

See the little scabs on the front legs and on the face too. This one still has trouble walking. It's (his? Her?) back legs splay out behind most of the time

This one's ears are coming up nicely. And is gaining the most.

Youngest Angel is good at feeding them too. They were so lucky! They were found last Thrursday...last Friday was the last day of School! I only had to leave work once to go home and feed them. Good thing I work for an animal feed manufacturer! We make baby pig feed, but a baby is a baby and entreats sympathy :)

"I'm coming for you lady!"

 We love our loves too!

1 week down 4 more to go :)

The gray one just about got out of the box a few minutes ago. I keep hoping they will be ok and I'll keep working to make sure they are!

Warm fuzzies from the crazy cat ...uh rabbit? :)

Laura