In my last post I promised more about Daniel, Mari, and Markie’s summer birthday party.  Grandma Tia (my Mom) always hosts the party at her house and its been her way of celebrating with the young set for the past several years.  Daniel’s and (cousin) Markie’s birthdays are in late July and Mari’s is in early September, so a date in mid August seems to be good time to celebrate all three at once and Grandma’s swimming pool is always the perfect antidote to the sweltering dog day heat of August.  Here are some highlights of this years little shindig.

 The party theme this year was Disney.

Somehow I got roped into making the cakes.  Grandma insisted on three separate cakes — one for each child to have candles to blow out!  Strawberry for Mari, Red Velvet for Markie, and Chocolate Devils Food for Daniel.  I had to improvise on the cake pans for the Mickey/Minnie ears — they’re 10 oz. chicken cans washed out.  I figured they were less smelly than tuna!  Plus I used the chicken to make a huge batch of ”Buffalo Wing” dip for the party. 

Here are the finished products.  Oh, by the way, if you’ve never made a cake that requires black icing, don’t!  It takes so much black tint that the icing is bitter and inedible!

Grandma and Grandpa rented an American Gladiator style jousting pit for the “big kids.”  It did a fine job doing double duty as a bouncy bouncer (and it was twice as big!)

What would a birthday party be without a pinata?

Daniel is ready to finish the job!

Sweet!  Now it’s time for Cake!

I love this picture!  Markie doesn’t want to disappoint the paparazzi photographers!

 Happy Birthday Kiddieos!

Mari, Daniel and Markie’s combined birthday party was yesterday at Grandma’s house.  (More to come on this subject later.)  This, of course, was an opportunity for family members to contribute to the kids’ ever expanding collections of their favorite little plastic things … you know, those things that go snap underfoot in the night when you make that dark trip to the bathroom… Star Wars action figures for Daniel and Polly Pockets for Mari. 

Since Polly Pocket and her gal-pals reside in a pink palace in Mari’s room, and Luke Skywalker and his buddies live on the wrong side of the (Thomas) tracks near Daniel,  I realized that the two communities had probably never been introduced properly.  Mari and Daniel brought the folks together downstairs for a little mixer!  You would be surprised what happens when people meet in new places outside of their familiar environments…

With a little encouragement from Polly, Luke and Obi-Wan get in touch with their creative sides.  Obi-Wan has some ideas about adding body to Luke’s fine textured hair.  Luke is still feeling a little uneasy.  “Relax Luke, Relax.” Polly coos.

Polly suggests a little more lift in the back and Obi-Wan concetrates on understanding Polly’s vision.  Luke is finally starting to enjoy the spa treatment.  Polly suggest a pedicure and massage for both of the Guys when they’re done with their hair.  She’s going ask Chewbacca to show her the Jedi Starfighter.  “Ooooh how fun!” she giggles. 

“Wheeeee!  Can I push the buttons?  Oh, careful, my little pookiepets…”  Chewbacca is a little bit overwhelmed by Polly’s glittering personality and Darth is secretly laughing at Chewbacca’s bashful bemusement.

Uh oh, here come Padmai.  Polly employes her usual strategy, just ignore her.   She thinks “…Who would pay attention to anyone in that outfit anyway!  My gosh where did she get it, the Imperial Surplus Outlet?  eeeoouu.”

 Whoops.  Bad move Polly.  Fortunately, Darth is there to come to the rescue.  He remembers how cranky Padmai can get when she’s six months pregnant and carrying full rebel fighting equipment.

 Polly digs down deep, (changes her outfit, hello!) and reaches out to Padmai.  She suggests a new ‘do, makeover and a little accessorization for Padmai.  She even opened up her own personal wardrobe for Padmai to pick out something a little glittery from.  The hot oil treatment for Padmai’s hair and the cucumber mask worked wonders on the uptight mother-to-be.  (And the coral pink foulard does wonders for perking up that drab olive maternity frock!)

“Ahhh, lets be friends.”… “best friends!”

Daniel and Mari came back from a visit at Grandma and Grandpa’s with these little snackeroonies.  They looked like the miniature offspring from crossing a northern Whoopie Pie and a southern Moon Pie.  Whatever their origin or inspiration, they appear to be a serious improvement over the ubiquitous, bland “chalk-olate” cookie whose name they still are burdened with.  From the visual evidence of the dropped crumbs that smooshed underfoot on my clean kitchen floor (as opposed to crumbling to dust) the little cakelets appeared to be pretty moist.  However, since I was offerred nary a nibble, I cannot relay to you the complete sensory experience.  You’ll have to ask the two little munchkins when you see them next.

I thought it might be a good time for potterdad to get a fresh facelift.  Of course I know where to find the freshest faces around.  The two most beautiful kids in the world were photographed at Symphony on the Prairie this July 4th.  We’ve gone to Connor Prairie for the last five years to enjoy a picnic, patriotic tunes and see a great firework display close up.  Its a family tradition we’ve really come to look forward to every year.

I thought this picture in the header which was taken by Grandma Diann was so beautiful I made it my wallpaper on my computer and had to find a new blog look to show it off too. 

I think we’ve been on a Thai kick around here lately.  Todd had the forethought to plant a few specialty plants in our garden (Thai eggplant, Thai basil and cilantro) that would satiate his yen for Thai cuisine since he isn’t able to find the time to visit his favorite restaurant on his lunch hour.   The benefit, of course, is that we get to experiment with new recipes and share our asian culinary experience here at home.  (The downside is that someone doesn’t serve you and wash the dishes!)   With a couple staples in your pantry and a few of these fresh ingredients, you can throw together a dish fit for a Suphawut (king.)

 Last night we didn’t want a heavy supper since we had eaten late after church.  Todd suggested a Thai Cucumber salad, which is one of his favorites on the cold buffet at Thai Spice.  I googled the recipe name and found several interesting variations.  I took what sounded good from several and came up with my own combination.  I figured, its a salad, one of those things that you get to put whatever you like best into and there are no hard and fast rules.  (Are there any when it comes to recipes?!!  Not in my kitchen!)

Anyway, here’s what I put into my Thai Cucumber Salad:

• 6 medium cucumbers (6′-7″ picklers from our garden)  peeled and sliced
• 1 medium sweet onion (yellow, vidalia, etc.)  thin sliced
• 1 red sweet bell pepper cut into long thin slices
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 6 dashes of Thai Kitchen fish sauce
• 6 dashes of hot sauce like Cholula or Tabasco
• 3 large cloves of garlic pressed
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tablespoon whole corriander seeds crushed or ground in grinder
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Thai basil leaves and flowers
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh corriander leaves (cilantro)

I just threw everything together and mixed it all up.  It marinaded while we finished off a Barley Island Pale Ale.  (I had to explain that since I didn’t have the forethought to take the bottle out of the picture!!!)

When I asked Todd to run out to the garden to get a couple sprigs of Thai Basil, he came in with a load of Thai eggplant too!  I guess that’s another meal waiting to happen.  So I guess I’ll throw out an open invitation for curried eggplant with chicken …bring a can of coconut milk if you come, my Thai pantry stocks are getting low!

 

Yes, that cunningly clever wizard in training can do anything it seems.  And now, alas, Harry Potter has taken time from his ever so busy schedule, one day before Potter Mania erupts with full effervescent force, to rescue…well…little ol’ potterdad.

 I should clarify that it is the blog, “potterdad,” that Harry has saved, not the person.  By waving his encapsulated phoenix feather wand*, he has apparated* into my computer (he doesn’t need to ride his Firebolt* now that he’s 17 and can apparate* legally) and doused it with a dribble of skele-grow* to get it up and running again.

I have to say that I am as amazed as anyone that Harry Potter has this power!  You see, I have been on a wonderful family vacation, gotten a new job, and been on a retreat with an amazing, nationally renown leader –  all more worthy and wonderful things that I should have been bursting to share!  But who is it that musters the magic to wake up this sleeping muggle’s* blog?  Ah, yes, that master of mischief who can’t manage to stay where he’s supposed to, good old lightning brow* himself.

 But someone must have slipped a little veritaserum* into my coffee this morning!  I have to confess that it really was not Harry Potter that has broken the obliviate* charm that seems to have been cast on my muggle* memory for all things potterdad.  It was in fact Jim Dale who cast the alohomora* spell onto the invisible lock that has kept the lid to the potterdad blog sealed for almost two months! I wonder if Mr. Dale knows he has that power?  I suspect he does…

Who is Jim Dale you ask?  Well, for those of us with a love for books and words — the originally chosen, authored words — but with not enough time to sit down and read, Jim Dale is the one who brings those words to life.  He is the “voice” of Harry Potter…and Ron* and Hermione* and Ginny* and Luna* and Draco* and Dumbledor* and…you get the picture.  Jim Dale is a talented actor and has been the audio narrator of the Harry Potter books in the United States since the first volume.  (His countryman, English actor, Stephen Fry, narrates the U.K. audio version.)  Jim Dale is a marvel!  His ability to create different and distinct voices for hundreds of characters is nothing short of genius.

 I first became hooked on audiobooks years ago when I worked as a sales rep and spent a good deal of time on the road covering sale and service issues in our territory, which was the entire state of Indiana.  Long hours on the road led me to look for ways to occupy my time between destinations and audiobooks provided entertainment or distraction and sometimes served as a way to mitigate the stress I would experience before attending to the problems of various job situations.  I continued listening to audiobooks even after leaving my job because they were the one way I could multitask and still be productive around the house or in the pottery studio.

I was introduced to Jim Dale and Harry Potter when I learned that my good friend, Lindsey, owned the the first two books on cassette tape.  (Lindsey is a Potter-y friend, wink, wink, get it? and its a good thing it wasn’t our classmate Joe or it would have been a hairy Potter-y friend! Ha!)  Anywhooo…I thought to myself “hey, this is a great way to find out what all this Harry Potter nonsense is about, and I can get an idea of what’s going on in these stories before my own children are ready to read them.”  Solid reasoning, I still believe, even now.  What I did not expect to happen was to become so totally enthralled with Harry’s wizarding world that I listened to all six volumes as fast as I could find time to plug my ears into the speaker.  I would invent menial tasks to do around the house so that I could listen and mindlessly occupy my hands with industry.  Our clothes were never folded so neatly as when I was Harry Potter mesmerized (I hate folding clothes!) 

Alas, six audible volumes were voraciously consumed and digested in what seemed like no time at all, and I, like millions of others from nine to ninety, have been anxiously awaiting the final chapter of Harry’s fate to be revealed.

While I have not been oblivious to the daily growing hype surrounding the final book in this septenary collection, I did not get energized until an article in the New York Times online caught my attention.  It highlighted the part that the audiobooks have played in the phenomenon of all things Harry over the past several years.  I was fascinated to learn that not only has Jim Dale won a Grammy for his reading of J.K. Rowlings words, but he also holds the Guiness book world record for the most character voices used in an audiobook!  Genius, I tell you, genius. 

And I am impressed that Mr. Dale has the integrity to keep a good secret.  Not a clue will he give as to Harry’s final fate.  In fact, as the NYT story tells,  Mr. Dale received the manuscript only days before he was scheduled to record the audiobook, so he would only read a few hundred or so pages ahead before entering the studio to illuminate the words with his vocal talent.  He himself did not know the ending (by his own choice) as he was recording the successive chapters in the final installment which allowed him to voice each character without prejudice since he did not know who the villain and heroes would be until the story revealed them.  (Genius, I tell you again.)

I don’t think I’ll be standing in one of those long lines tomorrow waiting to run for the first set of CD’s on the shelf.  I’ll give the crowd a day or so to die down.  But I don’t think I can wait too long,  I have a quite a few baskets of clothes waiting to be folded!

7 7 7 7 7 7 7

Now that potterdad is up and running again, I think I’m going to have to visit my pensieve* and extract some memories to share.

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*I had originally intended to direct you to a website that would explain each Potterized term.  Unfortunately I could not find a singular web place that held explanation for all the references used herein.  So, my muggle* friend, you’re just gonna have to google it!

 Now that the pressure of BRAF has passed, I finally felt like I could indulge in a little gardening time.  The past couple of years I have been trying to get some perennials worked into the beds around the house thinking that someday they’ll all just pop up in the spring, perfectly arranged and poised without any assistance from me!  (Ha! like that will ever happen!)  Anywhoooo…as I was saying…I finally was able to take the time to weed and see which leafy troopers have been tough enough to take our west facing, field-exposed winters and who the panty-waist quitters turn out to be (over the years, too many to name!) 

And so, as a treat for all my weeding and moving around, how do I reward myself?  Well, with more plants of course!  I pop into my favorite roadside nursery, Garden Thyme, and chat with my pal Kim, who gives great advice and is just fun to talk to.  I love her place because its built right next to one of those falling down brick school houses.  It’s really cool and kitchy without being tacky.  We pick out some plants that I’ll give a try for some earlier color next year:  A low pink Phlox (“Anita Kistler” ) and Salvia (“May Night.”)  Kim assured me that this Salvia is hardy, even here on the windy prairie, and shows me some nice specimens in her beds next to the road to prove it. 

Then I pick up some more tall white Phlox (“David”) and some Shastas (“Becky”) for some white accents later in the summer.  I pass on “Alaska,” I have one good stand of it, but the starters I put in last year petered out.  Kim says “Becky” is a better choice and was plant of the year in 2003 — or something like that.  But the fun part happens just as Kim is totalling up the green for my green.  In pulls this big dually (that is a dual-rear-wheel pickup truck for you city slickers) with what must have been a 40 foot trailer.  Kim says “who the heck is that and how is he gonna get that thing out of here?”  This smiling, good ole boy jumps out and waves to Kim.  “Ohhh,” she says, ” the metal guy.  Come look!”  The guy opens the trailer and inside is all this hand made garden art.  (Now remember, I just was at BRAF where much of garden artwork being sold was priced like a recently discovered Picasso. ) So as I looked at the all the wrought iron work I thought to myself “cool, but that’s out of my budget.”  Meanwhile Kim is looking through the work picking pieces she thinks her customers will like and setting them aside.  In this mix of artfully twisted metal are three small armillaries on graduated conical bases.  Together they look like a set that shouldn’t be separated.   The artist in me is already wondering what customer is going to come along and buy only one of them and break up the unity of the set of three.  I think of the sets of nesting bowls and canisters I have taken pains to create in perfect proportions, only to have a customer only buy one piece, then a later customer come looking for a set.  My heart goes out to the little trio.  I tentatively murmer to Kim, “those three belong together, are you going to sell them as a set?”  She shrugs, “well, you know how people are… “  I do know.  Always looking for just a little something, a snack purchase to satiate that shopping hunger.  They will get separated…

So, with a little more boldness I ask, “ummm, Kim?  How much for the set of three?”  Kim turns to the metal man and then she replies to me with an amount which astonishes me.  “Really?”  I say, “at BRAF those would go for four times that!”  “Shhh! Don’t tell anyone!” she hisses with a smile.  “OK, I promise, its our secret.”  In my mind I am already evicting some old fashioned tiger lillies by the front porch to make room for the artwork.  I also think about a bronze leaf wigelia I can cut back and move beside them to give them some low visual weight.  In the end, I take the trio of armillaries and a larger green cousin for the front.

 I feel good for being at the right place at the right time.  But most of all it is gratifying to have good relationships…, no, make that friendships…with people who make our lives rich and help make our gardens beautiful too.

 

This place is one of those out-of-the-way gems that you have to hear about from someone else because its in a place where you probably wouldn’t normally drive by.  Garden Thyme is just a mile or two down the road from Stony Creek Farm on State Road 38, heading east out of Noblesville.  Its on the eastern outskirts of the little hamlet of Clarksville.  (Not to be confused with the city of Clarksville in southern Indiana.) 

Kim has been slowly expanding her little nursery operation over the past few years and it has turned into a warm and homey kind of place that really reflects the character of the its country setting. 

I look forward every spring to stopping in to browse, chat and pick up a few new plants for my house.  Kim is one of the most unpretentious and friendly people in the whole world.  (I would stop to chat with her even is she were selling desert sand!)  I usually try to pop in on a weekday morning when the traffic is light so I won’t have to share her with other customers!  I enjoy meandering thru the rows of plant while speakers from her little potting shed serenade me with soothing tunes from Norah Jones or Eastmountainsouth. 

If you are ever in the neighborhood, drop in and say Hi to Kim.  You might find a nice perennial or two you want to try, or maybe a cute ornamental garden accent.  Either way, you’ll enjoy the country drive and the down-home hospitality.

Mari said that Miss Connie at her preschool taught her how to draw a Zebra and she demonstrated on her doodle pad.  Pretty good for a 5 year old, I think!  (But maybe I’m just a teensy bit biased… )

No, BRAF isn’t that!  It stands for the Broad Ripple Art Fair and it is coming up this weekend.  The Fair is put on by the Indianapolis Art Center where I am a perennial student and where I will also be having a student table with wares to hawk.  I promised Shawndra I would post my whereabouts when the time came.  So…Shawndra, I will be in the Photography Studio inside the building (with many, many other students….)

Come by and say Hi.  I should be around most of the time.  A little of the stuff I am bringing is below.  (David, I’m working on your stuff!  Special!)