Sound Familiar?

Thousands of people out of work...

People losing their homes...

"Immigrants" desperate for a job (any job)...

Employers cutting wages, knowing desperate people will work for less money...

I'm actually not talking about our current economic situation. I'm talking about the John Steinbeck classic The Grapes of Wrath.

I somehow managed to make it through a Midwest adolescence without ever reading this book.

And I'm SO glad!

I know I wouldn't have appreciated it at that age.

And I doubt it would've been as powerful if I'd read it while we weren't going through a similar situation.

The book tells the story of the Joads - one family affected by the industrialization of the agriculture industry.

But really it tells the universal story of the disenfranchised - the struggle for survival, the resilience and resourcefulness, the quest for a home, the desire to retain their dignity, and hope.

Steinbeck's direct involvement with the plight of the Dust Bowl migrants created his obsession with telling their story honestly. "This must be a good book. It simply must. I haven't any choice."

He succeeded - it is a good book.

If you've never read it (or only read the Cliffs Notes!), now would be a great time to fix that.

My Kind of Town

Chicago is.

I Don't Want to Work

A few years ago, I was walking through an old building in downtown Chicago on my way to lunch.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a girl standing in a flower shop.

The sun was shining through a window, and she was making a bouquet, her hair pulled into one of those messy buns that I can never do.

Earlier today, I started to fill out an online application for a Financial Analyst position at a software company.

But for some reason, the image of that girl popped into my head, and I stopped.

Then closed the website.

Being a Financial Analyst in another company isn't going to make me any happier than being a Financial Analyst where I am.

I want to do something like this...

Jennifer Aniston (in Love Happens), not some girl in Chicago

Chose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.

- Confucius

How to Make and American Quilt, Pt. 2: The Blocks

I've finished the blocks that will be used to make my first quilt.

This is just a sampler - so each block is different.

Log Cabin

Log Cabin (variation)

Churn Dash

Nine Patch in Corners

Double Nine-Patches on Point

Puss in the Corner

Pinwheels in Corners

Sawtooth Star

Ohio Star

Next up: Sashes and Borders!

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

But probably not the cowgirls at Sisters on the Fly.

The group was started by two sisters, during a fly-fishing trip, and has now grown to over 1,000 women ("sisters") between the ages of 21 to 88 who go on fun outdoor adventures.

Eventually, they created the "Cowgirl Caravan" of vintage trailers, so the sisters can sleep in their own beds at the end of a long day.

I've always said "I don't camp", but I might have to reconsider...

Whiskey Ho - Obi-Wan - Sister # 12

Joie de Vivre - Sister # 823

Miss Rodeo - Sister # 6

So cute!

Banjo Players are Picky

A few months ago, I saw a girl on the downtown A train carrying a banjo.

I was intrigued.

A banjo?

In New York City?!?

She had headphones on but I got her attention and mouthed the words "Is that a banjo?", while pointing to what was obviously a banjo at her feet.

Well, she couldn't have been nicer!

She told me she was taking lessons at The Jalopy Theater and School of Music, a place in Brooklyn that offers bluegrass and folk concerts, as well as lessons in guitar, fiddle, mandolin, ukelele...

And (of course) banjo.

I told my dad this story ("You really can find anything in New York City!"), and was happily surprised when, months later, I opened my Christmas present and it was...

A banjo!

I had my first class last night, and while I'm clearly no prodigy, it was a lot of fun and the people are really nice.

And, as Steve Martin once said...

"The banjo is such a happy instrument--you can't play a sad song on the banjo - it always comes out so cheerful."

I Found My Thrill

When I was little, I loved Betty Crocker blueberry muffins.

It never occurred to me to bake them from scratch.

But yesterday, as I was flipping through the Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook, I noticed a recipe for Blueberry Crumb Muffins.

And it looked good.

And, it IS good! (Even better than Betty Crocker!)

So, enjoy...

Blueberry Crumb Muffins

Ingredients

1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 large egg

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup fresh blueberries

10 tablespoons Crumb Mix (recipe below)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lightly grease muffin tins, or use paper muffin cups
3. Cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla on medium-high speed
4. Sift together the dry ingredients into a bowl
5. Add the egg to the butter mixture and blend until combined
6. Add 1/4 cup of the sour cream to the butter mixture, then half of the dry ingredients
7. Mix and repeat with the remain sour cream, ending with the dry ingredients
8. Fold in the blueberries until evenly mixed
9. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins, leaving room for the crumb mixture on the top
10. Top each muffin with 1 tablespoon of the Crumb Mix
11. Bake 25 - 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into one of the muffins comes out clean
12. Cool for at least 10 minutes

Crumb Mix (makes enough for one batch of muffins)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 stick (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cubed

Mix by hand until mixture is pea-sized

Store in a cool place until ready to use