Joe's Book Cafe 11

Sculptures by Henry Moore

Welcome back to the cafe!

Favorites from 2013

Top 5

1. Longbourn by Jo Baker
2. Benediction by Kent Haruf
3. Stones for Ibarra by Harriet Doerr
4. Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed
5. The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey by Walter Mosley

Second Five

6. The Greater Journey by David McCullough
7. Wizard of the Crow by Ngugi wa'Thiong'o
8. Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
9. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
10. A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

Favorite Graphic Novel: The Nao of Brown

Three that were hard to keep off the list: Housekeeping, Song of the Lark, and How the Light Gets In

2014 American Author Challenge (kudos to Mark)

Willa Cather- January The Professor's House
Alice Walker- February The Color Purple
Cormac McCarthy - March The Orchard Keeper
Toni Morrison- April Sula
Eudora Welty- May The Optimist's Daughter
Kurt Vonnegut- June Cat's Cradle (re-read)
Mark Twain- July Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Philip Roth- August The Ghost Writer
James Baldwin- September Notes of a Native Son
Edith Wharton- October Ethan Frome
John Updike- November The Witches of Eastwick
Larry Watson- December Let Him Go

Life-changers

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll - opened my eyes to so many creative possibilities, including wordplay
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury - got me believing in school again after a soon-to-be favorite teacher assigned it
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White - took a typical self-centered kid out of himself and got me thinking about others; broke my heart for the first time, too
James Wright Collected Poems - midwestern poet caught me and fueled a lifelong interest in poetry
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - read it way post-college and got walloped; started lifelong Austen fandom

Dune by Frank Herbert - got me excited about the possibilities of science fiction, and thinking about environmental effects
Dr. Strange by Stan Lee and others - this hokey, mystical comic book was my favorite as a kid, and fueled my lifelong graphic fandom
Future Shock by Alvin Toffler - he took on emerging issues like economic disparities, overpopulation and pollution; trying to look into the future fascinated me
After the Quake by Haruki Murakami - my entry into his world that started me on lifelong fandom
Remember, Be Here Now by Ram Dass - matched my youthful hippiness perfectly, still working on some of its ideas

The Chosen by Chaim Potok - for the first time, got me enthralled by lives very different from my own
Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki - what a mensch this man was; still the best on this subject I've read
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder - made me a fan of both Paul Farmer and author Tracy Kidder, and got me involved with Partners in Health
T.S. Eliot Selected Poems - bowled me over, so I felt like a patient, etherized upon a table; got the complete works later
Thank You, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse - fueled my appreciation of the absurd and started a lifelong fandom for this author

2014 Books

January

1. Mad Mouse by Chris Grabenstein
2. A Conspiracy of Faith by Jussie Adler-Olsen
3. Kindred in Death by J.D. Robb
4. The Professor's House by Willa Cather
5. Fantasy in Death by J.D. Robb
6. Die Trying by Lee Child
7. The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
8. In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming
9. Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink
10. Japantown by Barry Lancet
11. View with a Grain of Sand by Wislawa Szymborska
12. Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch
13. High Heat by Lee Child

February

14. A Fountain Filled with Blood by Julia Spencer-Fleming
15. Boxers & Saints by Gene Luen Yang
16. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
17. Cress by Marissa Meyer
18. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
19. Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
20. Stone Cold by C.J. Box
21. The Martian by Andy Weir
22. Necessity's Child by Sharon Lee

March

23. The Orchard Keeper by Cormac McCarthy
24. Indulgence in Death by J.D. Robb
25. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
26. My Dungeon Shook by Danez Smith
27. Black Boy Suite Black Boy Sweet by Danez Smith
28. Mrs. Tim of the Regiment by D.E. Stevenson
29. Little Green by Walter Mosley
30. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
31. Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen
32. A Truth Universally Acknowledged: Why We Read Jane Austen, edited by Susannah Carson
33. Dream London by Ian Ballantyne
34. Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope
35. Treachery in Death by J.D. Robb
36. Our Friends from Frolix 8 by Philip K. Dick
37. Burning Girls by Veronica Schanoes

April

38. New York to Dallas by J.D. Robb
39. Refusing Heaven by Jack Gilbert
40. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
41. Sula by Toni Morrison
42. Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor
43. Celebrity in Death by J.D. Robb
44. William Shakespeare's The Empire Striketh Back by Ian Doescher
45. To Darkness and To Death by Julia Spencer-Fleming
46. Vagabond Vol. 35 by Takehiko Inoue
47. A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor

I'm first?!

I like the second sculpture, interesting.

Could I get an order of Ableskiver and coffee?

Congrats, Joe, on your new thread. I love Moore's sculpture. We have in Zürich also one.

>3 fuzzi: You're first, fuzzi! The aebleskivers (new to me) and coffee are on us.



>4 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara. Me, too! Looks like you might have more than one of Moore's sculptures in Zurich?

Happy new thread, Joe! That first sculpture is my favorite.

>5 jnwelch: thanks, Joe! I've not had aebleskivers since I was a child. My mother's dad came to the US from Denmark, in the early 1900's, and so I was exposed to all sorts of culinary delights, including pickled herring. :)

Joe, I love those sculptures! Oh, and happy new thread.

I like the first sculpture a LOT! Great pictures and lovely new thread, Joe.

Joe, next to that one (>5 jnwelch:) is only that one below, which is called 'sheep piece'

>6 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie! Yeah, I love that first one. Something timeless and great about the two of them.

>7 fuzzi: I saw that aebelskivers are Danish, fuzzi. I've never tried pickled herring, but somehow I'm betting I'm more of an abelskivers guy. Those look good indeed.

>8 AuntieClio: Ha! Glad you love them, Stephanie. He's been a favorite of mine for a long time. And thanks.

>9 ronincats: Thanks, Roni. It's a great location for that first one, too, isn't it?

>10 Ameise1: Cool one, Barbara. I've heard sheep are some of his biggest fans.

Happy New Thread, Joe!

Happy New thread, Joe! Nice arty toppers and you got the number right! You go boy!

From the last thread: "Debbi's going to make sure we have money for the tolls." LOL. Good idea. I don't want you guys getting arrested before you get here. Is Becca joining us?

Happy new thread!

Wanted to chime in. My favorite ice cream is:



It was on sale last week so I have some in the freezer. It tastes as close to real hand-cranked ice cream as any store-bought I've ever found. I can add in lots of extras too. I do like some of the other varieties, but I usually end up getting this one because it is so versatile.

Love Henry Moore's sculptures! All of them.

Update: refrigerator arrived a little bit early and after the two husky guys and I hemmed and hawed about whether either my old, or my new, frig would fit though the slider doorway.... the deed was done. New frig is sitting precisely in front of the cubby where it belongs. In front of because it was a 1/8 of an inch, or less, too tall necessitating the removal of the cupboard above it. I think Schelie will have to come over with the sawsall.

I packed my food into it, and listened to it whine a bit as it cooled down. Now it is totally quiet. It is pretty. And there is room to spare in the frig part and the freezer part. I'm not yet a "happy camper" as the cupboard challenge must be met, but I'm pretty happy.

We had a lovely day. I went to the hardware store and took advantage of a paint sale, and visited with a good buddy after. I now have a pretty messed up house, and book group tomorrow night. Busy girl.

>11 jnwelch: LOL

Love the all the sculptures ..... especially the first one !

Happy new thread with nice sculptures, Joe!

>12 scaifea: Thanks, Amber! Say hi to that Charlie for us.

>13 msf59: Thanks, Mark! I know, can you believe I got the number right this time? Who knows what'll happen in the future, but at least we've got the right one for a while.

Becca won't be able to make it to this meetup. She's got something going on with pals that requires her attendance. She was with us last night to see her ma perform a story at the Tow Bar. As usual, walklover killed it.

If I've got the dates right, we're hosting part of a progressive (house to house) neighborhood party that evening, so we'll have to allow for some commute time back, but it won't interfere much at all.

>14 Thebookdiva: Thanks, Abby!

>15 thornton37814: I caught that, Lori. "Chime in" for Blue Bell. There'd be groans in my house if I said it.

I hadn't thought of additions. What do you add to it?

I've had hand-cranked ice cream thanks to a friend of ours (and did a lot of the cranking). It was wonderful. If this comes close, that says a lot.

>16 maggie1944: Ah, so close to perfection, sounds like, Karen, but you'll get the cupboard taken care of. Pretty-looking and lots of room, that's the ticket.

Ah, yes, we know the messed-up house, people coming situation. At least it's inspiration for getting everything looking good.

>17 Ameise1: :-) *gives a sheepish grin*

>18 roundballnz: Glad to hear it, Alex! I'm especially partial to that first one, too.

>19 wilkiec: Thanks, Diana! They help get the day going right, don't they?

With all the sculpture love, seems like a good time for an art poem. This is one by Billy Collins about Goya.

Candle Hat

In most self-portraits it is the face that dominates:
Cezanne is a pair of eyes swimming in brushstrokes,
Van Gogh stares out of a halo of swirling darkness,
Rembrant looks relieved as if he were taking a breather
from painting The Blinding of Sampson.

But in this one Goya stands well back from the mirror
and is seen posed in the clutter of his studio
addressing a canvas tilted back on a tall easel.

He appears to be smiling out at us as if he knew
we would be amused by the extraordinary hat on his head
which is fitted around the brim with candle holders,
a device that allowed him to work into the night.

You can only wonder what it would be like
to be wearing such a chandelier on your head
as if you were a walking dining room or concert hall.

But once you see this hat there is no need to read
any biography of Goya or to memorize his dates.

To understand Goya you only have to imagine him
lighting the candles one by one, then placing
the hat on his head, ready for a night of work.

Imagine him surprising his wife with his new invention,
the laughing like a birthday cake when she saw the glow.

Imagine him flickering through the rooms of his house
with all the shadows flying across the walls.

Imagine a lost traveler knocking on his door
one dark night in the hill country of Spain.
"Come in, " he would say, "I was just painting myself,"
as he stood in the doorway holding up the wand of a brush,
illuminated in the blaze of his famous candle hat.

Teriffic poem Joe and new to me.

We were at Lincoln Center yesterday and stopped to enjoy my favorite Henry Moore in the pool outside the Theatre.

>22 magicians_nephew: Glad you enjoyed the poem, Jim.

Yes, that's a most excellent Henry Moore. I used to live near there many years ago in a studio apt. on W. 70th near Columbus.

>21 jnwelch: I love it! I have the feeling I've finally found a poet I enjoy.

I like that poem, too, Joe. I just discovered Billy Collins earlier this year when I read his latest book - I forget what it was called. Anyway, I liked it. Happy Monday to you, dear.

>24 Morphidae: Oh good, Morphy. If you like the ones you've read so far, I've no doubt you'll enjoy his others. He's got a knack for drawing the reader in.

>25 Crazymamie: Glad to hear it, Mamie. His latest that I know of is Aimless Love, which selects poems from his recent books and adds some new ones. I'm reading it now.

Yes. That's the one!

>27 Crazymamie: It's a good one all right, but of course it ain't short. I read a few at a time, so I'll be working on it for a while.

Hi Joe, it'd been a while since I'd visited, and a new thread is always a good excuse to drop by! I waver in my appreciation for Henry Moore, but what I can't fail to notice is how gorgeous some of the scenery where his sculptures are located is. Every time I visit your new threads and look at your lists, you remind me I have yet to give The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey a listen. I've had the audio from the library for ages now, so it's just a question of time before I get to it.

I finished S&S a few days ago and must say that thanks to Liz again, that book has now become one of my favourites along with P&P, which is no small thing considering I was indifferent and even disliking them the first time round. I only regret we didn't have the benefit of your enlightening comments, though I know you were with us in spirit.

You can post pictures of all the ice cream you want, Joe, but until the snow stops falling out of the sky I won't be tempted in the slightest. :-) I hope it's a good day at the Café.

Hi Joe- Sorry, Becca can't join us but I understand. Maybe next time. Glad Debbi "killed" it at the reading. She's a powerhouse.

>30 rosalita: :-) Hard to argue with that, Julia. Stupidest winter ever. So far it's a very good day at the Café. I feel like we should come up with something hot for you. How about tomato soup?



>31 msf59: Yeah, Becca's bummed she's missing it. I can't remember what the event is, but she has to go. I'm sure she'll be there next time unless something like this happens again.

It was a fun evening. Debbi's story involved a lot of my growing up family, who she's come to know over the years, and they sure provide plenty of material for absurdist humor.

Taking a mid-afternoon break and roaming through to see what's what. Glad to see the clientele have been so well tended. Must head over to yelp and give the Cafe a few well chosen kudos!

*snif*

>33 michigantrumpet: Ha! Wouldn't that be something, Marianne, if the Cafe started showing up on yelp? I'd love to see what neighborhood they put it in.

>34 Smiler69:, >29 Smiler69: Major oops! I must have been distracted by some shiny thing, Ilana. Sorry!

I'd love to hear your reaction to The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey. I gave my copy to our son, but he may not have enough days under his belt yet to appreciate it.

I was definitely with you and Liz in spirit on Sense and Sensibility. I was mesmerized by the enjoyment, and really couldn't think of anything to add along the way. Among other things, you've both strongly reminded me of what a wonderful, awful character Lucy Steele is. Someone commented that today she'd be a CEO of a major corporation, and that had some truth to it. What a manipulator!

Looking forward to whatever the next tutorial with you two is, whenever it happens.

It is winter down here - again! Cold and grey. Will it every stop? I was thinking butternut squash soup.

The ginger rosewater cupcakes were a hit yesterday. They were wonderful with coffee! The ladies loved them. We also talked about Cat's Eye.

Finished Cinder last night and I am starting on Scarlet this morning.

Joe, Austen could certainly create villains you just love to hate, and now I'm sorry I didn't pick up on that comment on Lucy Steele and the kinds of achievements she'd no doubt of be capable of today, because it seems all too true!

I believe the next tutorial will be with Madeline for a reading of the 18th century gothic novel The Italian by Ann Radcliffe. It's among the famous Horrid novels that JA names in Northanger Abbey. I got a collection of all the Horrid novels (the seven named in NA, plus two others) on Kindle for a hefty 99¢, so they're certainly worth looking up if you're interested. I don't know if you saw them mentioned on my thread on your last visit? I created my own cover design for that collection this weekend because I thought theirs was just too awful and posted that cover on my page. I plan to read all the Horrids before eventually revisiting NA, which I greatly enjoyed the first time around, but I think will enjoy even more once I 'get' all the references to those novels JA no doubt inserted into the story.

>36 benitastrnad: That just doesn't seem right, Benita, does it? This lingering winter is ridiculous. Butternut squash soup sounds great - I'm not actually a squash fan normally, but I like that soup.

So glad you liked Cinder! Scarlet is just as good. My MBH is reading Scarlet right now, and said it took her a bit to get used to the back and forth perspectives between Cinder and Scarlet, but now she's devouring it. Wait until you meet Wolf!



>37 Smiler69: I've only read a graphic novel version of The Mysteries of Udolpho, Ilana, which certainly was way over the top! A tutored read of a Horrid novel sounds intriguing. I somehow missed the mention of the 7 + 2 on your thread and your cover design, so I'll go back and find it. I remember being pleasantly flabbergasted at how funny Northanger Abbey was; I came to it knowing nothing of it, and wasn't expecting that at all!

I made a great butternut sqaush soup last fall. It had an apple in it and maple syrup. It was so good. Every time my feet get cold I think about that soup. Thanks.

I have read the first 20 pages of Scarlet and it is already exciting. Except why do authors always described redheads as having uncontrolled tempers?

I love that poem about Goya, Joe.

Any more butternut squash soup left?

>21 jnwelch:
Okay I think I'm officially in love with Billy Collins ... well, his poetry at least.

>38 jnwelch: Joe, that looks a lot like the Carrot Ginger soup I've been making, the latest batch this weekend was a mix of my leftover squashes and carrots. Here is the photo from Simplyrecipes (you can click on it to get the recipe). It's really delicious—I've been having it every day for the past couple of weeks and don't ever tire or it!

>21 jnwelch: Finally, poetry I can understand! I definitely need to get my hands on a Billy Collins collection.

Hey Joe, Hope you had a good Monday.

Faavorite Blue Bell flavor:

>45 richardderus:
WANT!

I also WANT! I didn't know they made that!

It is the *shazizzle* of a flavor! I am also partial to the Hill Country Fare ice cream (only at xmastide, damn their eyes) Buñuelos. Cinnamon ice cream with bits of real buñuelos...oh my oh me yes yes yes lawd!

>45 richardderus: we got an ice cream machine a few years ago and have been on an ice cream making jag. I'm now going in search of a pumpkin ice cream recipe!

Our favorite thus far? Icewein Sorbet with fresh berries. Cinnamon ice cream to go with just about anything. Cantaloupe sorbet. And Peach Almond, and blueberry and strawberry and ...

Whenever I whip out the ol' ice cream maker, I like to make Orange Pineapple Ice Cream. Yum. Or Coconut Ice Cream.

Good morning! I will be doing various RL things until lunch time. See you then.

That tomato soup really hit the spot yesterday, Joe! It's chilly again today (28 degrees this morning!) but I hope springs eternal. Which is good, because spring certainly doesn't spring eternal this year.

Joe, where are the first two sculpures you show at the top of the thread?

All of those soup pictures are making me hungry.

The aebleskivers look like our 'poffertjes!'



And I really like the first sculpture on this thread!

>42 Smiler69: Yum...

>39 benitastrnad: Butternut squash soup with an apple and maple syrup, mmm. Wish I'd been there to try it, Benita.

I have no idea how the redhead/hothead trope got started. Maybe just the "fire" color? Fire=hot? Glad you're liking Scarlet. What a story. My MBH has fallen for Wolf. Thank goodness he's a fictional character.

>40 kidzdoc: Glad you love the Goya poem, Darryl. I'll keep bringing in Billy Collins ones, as he has a bunch of good ones.

Yes, there's more butternut squash soup to be had. I was glad to see on your thread that The Goldfinch win the Pulitzer. The others were all new to me.



>41 AuntieClio: Ha! Glad you love his poetry, Stephanie, and Billy Collins also is an appealing man. We've seen him a couple of times now; witty and humane. Not full of himself as poets and artistes sometimes can be.

>42 Smiler69: That looks delicious, Ilana. I won't click until I'm done posting, as I've lost posts by linking away while they're in process.

>43 Cobscook: Yes, go for it, Heidi. You won't regret it. The one I recommend for starters is Sailing Alone Around the Room, a collection of selected poems from earlier books plus some new ones.

>44 Thebookdiva: You know, for a Monday, it tweren't bad, Abby. Philosophically, I'm supposed to appreciate every day, right? But Mondays, after a nice weekend, can be challenging. I'd rather sleep in and poke around a bit then get up early and go to work. Particularly during the Longest Winter Ever in the History of Winters. Be glad you're at the Pecan Paradisio in Georgia. It's been a stinker north of you.

But perhaps I digress? Hope you're having a good one today.

>45 richardderus:, >46 AuntieClio:, >47 Crazymamie:, >48 richardderus: Richard, Stephanie and Mamie, this sounds like a patron ice cream discussion with no need of input from the proprietor.

>49 michigantrumpet: Those all sound mighty good, Marianne. I may start with the cinnamon ice cream.



>50 scaifea: Mmm, orange pineapple sounds good to me, Amber. I'm impressed by your and Marianne's making your own.

>52 rosalita: hope springs eternal. Which is good, because spring certainly doesn't spring eternal this year. LOL! Ain't that the truth, Julia. Glad the tomato soup hit the warm spot.

>53 ffortsa: The first sculpture, Judy, is in southwest Scotland near Dumfries. The second sculpture, Oval with Points, was in Kew Gardens, but I'm not sure whether it's still there. He did a number of these.

>54 foggidawn: Don't they look good, foggidawn? Soups like these are helping me stay sane in this stupid weather. We've been ordering soup whenever we eat out. Hopefully we'll be talking about warm weather and salads soon.

>55 connie53: Poffertjes are new to me, too, connie. They look good!



Glad you like that sculpture up top. Great sculpture, perfect location.

>56 fuzzi: Agreed on the yum, fuzzi.

Yes, safest to wait till you're done posting before clicking on links. Mind you, I always take that shortcut which opens links in separate windows which pretty well ensures against that risk, unless of course I'm gauche and get the wrong keys, in which case I've often been able to go back a step or two and miraculously find my editing box still filled with ongoing text and unharmed.

Hi Joe - I'm looking forward to the meet-up on Saturday!

>21 jnwelch: - Thank you for sharing the Billy Collins poem - good one. I'm almost done with the Lorna Dee Cervantes collection I've been reading, and I'm quite sure it will be a 5-star read. I wonder if you'd like it. I'll post one of my shorter favorites, probably "For Edward Long."

>60 Smiler69: Now that I've safely visited the link, Ilana, that Carrot Ginger soup looks scrumptious.

>61 DorsVenabili: Cool, Kerri. We're looking forward to the meet-up, too. I thought Lorna Dee Cervantes was new to me, but I must have come across her, because I know Emplumada. I look forward to your comments on the collection and reading the one you post. Glad you like that Billy Collins one. He's good, and he's more accessible than most for folks that don't read a lot of poetry. I think many of our poets have made it so difficult to penetrate to the meaning of what they write.

Hi Joe - delurking to say I always enjoy your thread (although it occasionally causes too many stomach grumbles) and I also lived on W 70th Street many years ago! The neighborhood has changed dramatically since I moved in 1983 but I've always dreamed about moving back.

>63 vivians: Hi, Vivian! Thanks for delurking, and I'm glad you enjoy the thread. Mark talked me into giving it a try a few years ago, and we've just kept going with it.

The neighborhood around W 70th St. sure has changed, hasn't it? I left in 1979 for Chicago. Back then Columbus was ragged and a bit dodgy. I was working at a bookstore and perhaps not the world's finest dresser. I can remember a street guy (not sure we were using "homeless" back then) coming up to me near 70th to give me a hot tip on some clothes someone had thrown out onto the sidewalk that he thought might fit me. Yes, I did check them out, but didn't find anything. :-)

What are the odds of two LTers living on the same street like that? Very cool. Nice to meet a fellow West 70th Street-ian. What were you up to back then?

>55 connie53:, >59 jnwelch: Connie and Joe, is that something like profiterole? I love the French way most (profiterole cut in two pieces, filled with vanilla ice cream and topped with hot liquid chocolate)

>55 connie53::Connie 53: Poffertjes! I saw the similarity too from our life long ago in Holland.

As I'm the proud owner of a poffertjes pan and the flour to make them, you've inspired me! Yum!

My Boston buds are all abuzz about the wonderful tribute by the ChiSox hosting the Red Sox last night. White Sox earring Boston Strong t-shirts, a video on the big screen. Very classy. Much appreciated.

>65 Ameise1: Hiya, Barbara. Wikipedia says, "Poffertjes . . . are a traditional Dutch batter treat. Resembling small, fluffy pancakes, they are made with yeast and buckwheat flour. Unlike American pancakes, they have a light, spongy texture. Typically, poffertjes are served with powdered sugar and butter, and sometimes syrup." So they seem to have some similarities to and some differences from profiteroles. I love profiteroles like the ones you show!

>66 NarratorLady: Good to see you, Anne! The things one learns here - for one thing, I didn't know you lived in Holland long ago. How was that? Do you miss it? And I didn't know there was such a thing as a poffertjes pan. Impressive that you have one. I have to try a poffertje some day.

>68 jnwelch: Good to hear, Marianne. Yes, there's a powerful feeling here and I'm sure elsewhere in the U.S. of sympathy and solidarity with Bostonians. Loving the resilience and mettle being shown in your adopted city.

>57 jnwelch: I tried to find out where the red-headed temper (passionate) stereotype came from and it's so old, no one knows the origin - like medieval times old.

Good morning, Joe! May I have some bacon for breakfast. I'm feeling a little peckish, and that little tub of Greek yogurt didn't do much to fill in the empty spaces.

>69 Morphidae: Thanks for looking, Morphy. Lost in the mists of time. Red hair supposedly occurs in only 1-2% of the population. I had bright red hair when I was young (it turned to kind of a sandy blonde later, and then, for some reason related to raising kids, disappeared altogether). We traveled in Mexico for a month after my dad's beloved dad died, and locals would rub my head for good luck, saying "Rojo, rojo". At 5 or 6 years old, I got a kick out of being good luck.

>70 rosalita: Good morning, Julia! It continues to be a treat to have you back among us. Some bacon for the peckish empty spaces? We have a bacon assortment for you.

Mmm, lovely. I like the addition of cherries and apples to imply nutritional value -- or maybe there are cherry and apple flavored bacons? I've heard of applewood smoked bacon. Hmmmm.

>72 rosalita: Yes, you guessed it, Julia. You've got applewood-smoked bacon, applewood-smoked peppered bacon, "hand coated with fresh-cracked Tellicherry peppercorns", and wild cherrywood-smoked bacon. Of course, all made here, but we got the idea from Nueske's in Wisconsin.

Since folks have been enjoying Billy Collins' poetry, here's one more to amuse you.

Another Reason Why I Don't Keep A Gun In The House

The neighbors' dog will not stop barking.
He is barking the same high, rhythmic bark
that he barks every time they leave the house.
They must switch him on on their way out.

The neighbors' dog will not stop barking.
I close all the windows in the house
and put on a Beethoven symphony full blast
but I can still hear him muffled under the music,
barking, barking, barking,

and now I can see him sitting in the orchestra,
his head raised confidently as if Beethoven
had included a part for barking dog.

When the record finally ends he is still barking,
sitting there in the oboe section barking,
his eyes fixed on the conductor who is
entreating him with his baton

while the other musicians listen in respectful
silence to the famous barking dog solo,
that endless coda that first established
Beethoven as an innovative genius.

Hi Joe! Just popping in to say howdy and check in on the Cafe. Did you guys get snow yesterday? We did (UGH!) but it didn't stick around, thankfully. What'cha reading these days?

>74 jnwelch: Love it, Joe! I know exactly how he feels, too. We've all been there, haven't we, with the incessant barking of a dog in the neighborhood?

>57 jnwelch: Thanks for the soup, Joe! Right, all of the books that won or were chosen as finalists for the Pulitzer Prizes were new to me, except for The Goldfinch. I am disappointed that Five Days at Memorial didn't even warrant a mention, although I haven't agreed with nearly all of the choices by the Pulitzer committee in recent years.

>74 jnwelch: I had MrMorphy read that one. It makes me want to go out and BUY one of his books! Love love love it.

>74 jnwelch: there are a lot of reasons why I wouldn't own a gun, but an incessantly barking dog might make the list.;-P

>77 kidzdoc: joining the chorus of disappointment Five Days at Memorial didn't make the list. Just finished and admired it a great deal. Like how the author provided tons of info yet left it for the reader to make the final judgment.

Hi Joe- Hope your Hump Day is going smoothly. Not a bad day out here. Just breezy.
On audio, I started Dare Me, a dark YA. Have you read or heard of this one? It is about sinister high school cheerleaders. LOL.

>75 LauraBrook: Howdy, Laura! Good to see you. Yes, we got that dratted snow yesterday, and I was still seeing vestiges this a.m. The step-up in warmth today should help get rid of it entirely, but we're still not getting into Spring weather the way we should.

I'm reading Celebrity in Death, which is getting me perilously close to caught up in that mystery series, The Empire Striketh Back, a humorous ER mashup of Shakespeare and Star Wars, The Graphic Canon Vol. 1, which has topnotch gn artists interpreting classic works (it's huge!) and Aimless Love, poetry by Billy Collins.

>76 rosalita: Yes, we all sure have been there, Julia. We were just at the symphony last week - no dog performing, but it's easy to picture it. Glad you got a kick out of it. He's got a good sense of humor, doesn't he?

>77 kidzdoc: Oh man, you're right, Five Days at Memorial should've at least been in the mix. Yeah, it's like the Pulitzer committee has gone off into its own little world. I was happy about The Goldfinch, as I'm one of those who thinks it's an exceptional accomplishment.

>78 Morphidae: Isn't that a fun one, Morphy? Did MrMorphy like it? Collins has a whole bunch of them that are likely to get a similar reaction from you.

>79 michigantrumpet: Yeah, me, too, Marianne. We used to have a dog next door who for years didn't bark incessantly, but he did bark a lot any time I (or anyone) walked by, like he'd never seen me before. Very annoying, even though he was a nice enough dog once he calmed down. His successor, Doogie, is an entertaining mix of lab and dachshund, with a huge lab head on a relatively small barrel of a body. He's a sweetheart, and a dear pal of Becca's Sherlock.

I'm with you and the chorus on Five Days at Memorial. Seems like a perfect fit for the Pulitzer.

>80 msf59: Hey buddy. Yeah, pretty smooth Hump Day, I must say. My sister is in town from Pittsburgh, so I'll see her tonight, along with Becca and Sherlock.

Dare Me is new to me. Sinister high school cheerleaders, eh? Makes me think of that good movie Heathers. Look forward to hearing what you think of it.

Wonderful poem Joe!

his head raised confidently as if Beethoven
had included a part for barking dog.

Just perfect!

>64 jnwelch: I grew up in NY, but on the other side of the park! I moved back for grad school and lived in a very sketchy, pretty scary block on W 111th Street in a 2 bedroom apartment that is now renting for about $3,000 a month! I moved to 70th Street when I got my first job in commercial banking. (Although it was on Wall Street it was not one of those predatory investment banking jobs.) I loved my apartment and the neighborhood but was (reluctantly) persuaded to move out of the city by my then boyfriend, now husband of 30 years, who had always imagined himself on a 400 acre farm in some rural outpost. We compromised on Westchester, and have been arguing about it (remember the "Green Acres" theme song - that's our life's refrain) ever since.

Woops, maybe that was too much detail!

>84 vivians: :) I liked your detail!

>81 jnwelch: Oh, yes. As soon as I read it (and stopped laughing), I called MrMorphy over. I posted after he read it... and stopped laughing.

>84 vivians: Ha! Thanks, Vivian. 30 years of marriage is impressive, and worth it, although I'm a city guy (thank goodness my wife is, too; we're coming up on anniversary #31). I'll bet it was very sketchy on 111th back then! Amazing how things change. About $3000 a month now for it. Jeesh. I worked in a grimy, down and dirty Soho on Spring Street; now that area's glitzy and has big fashion-filled display windows. (I liked it my way better).

My MBH's cousin lives in Westchester now for the schools; she and her husband are the ones who have vowed to move back into NYC as soon as their little girl is in college.

>85 fuzzi: Me, too, fuzzi.

>86 Morphidae: Ha! Good. Thanks, Morphy. Glad to hear the esteemed Mr.M enjoyed it.

A poffertjespan!



I really love the poffertjes discussion!

*delurking* Hi, Joe. Cafe, as usual, makes my mouth water! Hope all is good with you.

>80 msf59: Mark, aren't cheerleaders sinister already?

Just stopping by to say hello before I miss another of your threads! I cannot keep up with you. Love the ice cream talk! :)

>88 connie53: We sure learn a lot here, Connie. I'd never heard of poffertjes before this discussion, and had no idea there was a special pan for them like the one you posted. And I visited Amsterdam way back when - how did I miss those? We should bring some more out for everyone, don't you think? Maybe with mandarin jam?



What else do people put on poffertjes?

>89 maggie1944: All is good with us, Karen, thanks. My sister visited last night, and we had a good chance to catch up over Jett's pizza and salad. The wily Sherlock sat at the head of the table in a chair, looking longingly at the food. Hope all is well with you, and you're enjoying that new refrigerator.

>90 AuntieClio: Good point, Stephanie. I knew some nice cheerleaders back in high school, but I never trusted the ones named Snidely and Boris.

>91 tymfos: Hi, Terri! Thanks for stopping by. Yeah, I know, we get revved up on whatever, and it can move along pretty fast. We've got a time jiggerer, but haven't yet figured out how to slow down the thread for thems that would like that.

Glad you're enjoying the ice cream talk. I certainly now know about some beloved brands that were unknown to me before. One of these days, maybe we'll get a store-bought and homemade cookies discussion going, as I'm more of a cookie and pie and chips monster than an ice cream monster.

Dare Me is an amazing book! I love Megan Abbott.

My mother had an antique cast iron Aebleskiver pan, much like this one:

>93 seasonsoflove: I didn't realize you'd read that one, Becca. Mark is enjoying it so far. Hope you're enjoying your day off and your time with your mamma.

>94 fuzzi: Antique aebleskiver pan! Another new one for me, fuzzi. Cool stuff.

We're going to have to add storage in the kitchen for more poffertje pans and aebleskiver pans. I did find this mini cakelet pan back there.

OK, we've had good luck with the Billy Collins poems. Here's one that I get a kick out of.

Litany

You are the bread and the knife,
The crystal goblet and the wine...
-Jacques Crickillon

You are the bread and the knife,
the crystal goblet and the wine.
You are the dew on the morning grass
and the burning wheel of the sun.
You are the white apron of the baker,
and the marsh birds suddenly in flight.

However, you are not the wind in the orchard,
the plums on the counter,
or the house of cards.
And you are certainly not the pine-scented air.
There is just no way that you are the pine-scented air.

It is possible that you are the fish under the bridge,
maybe even the pigeon on the general's head,
but you are not even close
to being the field of cornflowers at dusk.

And a quick look in the mirror will show
that you are neither the boots in the corner
nor the boat asleep in its boathouse.

It might interest you to know,
speaking of the plentiful imagery of the world,
that I am the sound of rain on the roof.

I also happen to be the shooting star,
the evening paper blowing down an alley
and the basket of chestnuts on the kitchen table.

I am also the moon in the trees
and the blind woman's tea cup.
But don't worry, I'm not the bread and the knife.
You are still the bread and the knife.
You will always be the bread and the knife,
not to mention the crystal goblet and--somehow--the wine.

Good afternoon, Aethelfrith. Hope all is going well with you there in Wild Onion.

Hi Joe,
All the poetry is great. I love that one^!!
I will be seeking out more by Billy Collins, I think.

>92 jnwelch: People put a lot of things on poffertjes!

1. Butter and Brown sugar
2. Appelstroop = Apple syrup
3. Aardbeienjam = Strawberry jam

It almost always is something sweet!

Those pans are a vision. And the poffertjes are wonderfully yummy looking. Your cafe is not helping me stay away from white flour, not at all. I can take comfort from the fact that it is virtual and not real life. It those were in front of me now.... well, I would eat them. Yes, I would eat them and suffer the consequences.

By the way, hello and I hope you are enjoying whatever you are reading right now

>100 maggie1944: the picture in >55 connie53: is from a batch of gluten free poffertjes!

>97 richardderus: Good afternoon, King Cearl! How I miss Northumbria and Abbess Aebbe. Do you suppose Aethelfrith and Aebbe ever ate aebleskivers together? (That took some digging - I do know Aethelred from the Bernard Cornwell books).

All is well in the Wild Onion, aka Chicagoua. Wild onions, or ramps, are prized in the spring at a number of restaurants here. This is a ramps risotto.



>98 EBT1002: Isn't that good, Ellen? I love his sense of humor. Hard to do that well in poetry.

Hope the workadays are treating you well. Good to see you posting amidst it all.

>99 connie53: Yes, all those sound good and make sense, Connie. We'd probably try maple syrup (which is sweet) on them, too, in this part of the world. Strawberry jam would work for me, but any of those would, really.

>100 maggie1944: I've been hearing more about how good gluten free can be, Connie. A friend of ours, who has no gluten problem, ordered a gluten free dish at a restaurant we just were at, because she'd tried it before with a friend and liked it so much.

Ooooooh, that risotto looks amazing! Can the chef please whip me up another portion? *slight drool leakage*

>102nThere is no reason why diet food can't be tasty!

>103 richardderus: Yes, indeedy. Makes me want to try it, too, RD.



>104 connie53: Ain't that the truth, Connie? How about some gluten-free brownies Chocolate Goodness bars?

Thanks, Joe. They look delicious!! the first pic you posted: the chocolate goodness bars!
The gluten free browies are a bit too 'brown' for my taste.

>105 jnwelch: Wouldn't that scrumptiousness look even better with some bacon crumbled on top? *floods of drool*

Ah yes. Aethelred the Unready, wasn't he known as? I can't remember what book I read about him, but I'm sure it was a book!

>106 connie53: Interesting, Connie - I thought the chocolate goodness bar pic was a little dark. But if you liked it, we'll get it back. It does look delicious.

>107 richardderus: Is there anything you wouldn't like better with some bacon crumbled on top, Richard? Nonetheless, that does seem like a good idea with the rampsotto.

>108 rosalita: Bernard Cornwell has a Saxon series, beginning with The Last Kingdom, Julia. I made it through 5 of them so far, and our friend Aethelred was in Sword Song. I'm sure he pops up in other books, too, but that's the one I know.

I don't think I've read those Cornwell books, Joe, although they sound like something I'd like. Sigh. Onto the wishlist they go.

>110 rosalita: Cornwell does a good job, Julia. I was introduced to him by his Sharpe books, which are set during the Napoleonic wars. Some of my favorite books ever. Sean Bean played Sharpe in the British tv films, which you can get in the U.S. on dvd.

This ER book, William Shakespeare's The Empire Striketh Back is a fun read for those who enjoy the Star Wars movies and Shakespeare. Doescher does a creditable job of providing Elizabethan dialogue for the movie scenes, and has some creative moments, including a nice allusion to “Exit, pursued by a bear” from The Winter’s Tale, and many other tips of the hat to Shakespeare's plays. Here's an example, from a troubled Vader:

-Hath not a Sith eyes?
Hath not a Sith such feelings, heart, and soul,
As any Jedi knight did e'er possess?
If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you
Blast us, will we not injur'd be? If you
Assault with lightsaber, do we not die?
I have a body as do other men,
Though made, in part, of wires and steel. And aye,
I vari'us passions feel, as all men do.
So I, a Sith, shall not distracted be
Till I attain the thing for which I seek.
Therefore I shall pursue this Skywalker
Unto the limit of the galaxy.

The banter between Han and Leia is quite funny, and the "asides" as those two explain their views of each other are, too. We get some Benedick and Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing in these parts, among other things. The ruminations of Lando Calrissian actually better explain his motivations and change of heart than the movie did. Doescher also makes a clever choice with Yoda, explained by the author in the afterword. He has Yoda speak in Haiku:

Help you I can, aye.
{Aside:} I, indeed, more help shall be
Than he imagines.

Given the indelible inverted phrases Yoda is known for, this works surprisingly well, and in some ways is less wearisome.

The Luke/Vader dynamic, in which Luke learns the truth of his birth, of course makes for good Shakespearean tragedy. This book is already on the New York Times bestseller list, so it needs no help from me. For all its cleverness, it doesn't really bring out something new and different in the story, or change the reader's perspective in more than a ha ha way. But I found it a fun diversion and enjoyable reminder of the movie.

>92 jnwelch: Especially the cheerleaders names Snidely and Whiplash.

Hi Joe- You'll have to ease me into poetry one of these days. For some odd reason, I still haven't made the leap. Fear, intimidation, I am not sure.

Glad you had fun with The Empire Striketh Back. It does sound like a hoot.

>105 jnwelch: Those chocolate goodness bars look good. They remind me of one that I've had at parties around here that have nuts and coconut in them too. YUMMY!

Happy Easter!

>113 AuntieClio: And cheerleaders named Boris and Badenov always worried me, too, Stephanie. Not to mention Natasha.

>114 msf59: Billy C. can be a most excellent gateway into poetry, Mark. Or we'll get you to a slam one of these days.

>115 thornton37814: Don't those look good, Lori? I've had similar ones, too. The ones I really miss are the date bars my mom used to make when I was a kid. Woo, I would scarf those down.



>116 wilkiec: Aww, thanks, Diana. Irresistibly cute! What do Fijne and Paas Dagen mean?

Happy Easter to you!

>117 jnwelch: Fijne Paasdagen = Nice days of Easter = Happy Easter :-)

Happy Friday, Joe! It looks like it will be a nice one out here today. Maybe, I'll try Collins. I have to start somewhere, right?

Hi joe, Fijne Paasdagen from me too! ;-))

Date Bars!!!!!! I love Date Bars. Can I have some more?

Did you catch the NPR review of the BBC America show "Orphan Black" this morning?" If not here is the link.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2014/04/18/303758926/tatiana-maslany-on-looki...

It sounded so interesting. I watched two of the shows last season but didn't watch consecutive ones so didn't quite catch what was going on. I may have to sped up buying that DVD player and then I could NetFlix the 1st series and watch it through. The technical parts of making this show sounded so interesting. Best of all, the show is on Saturday night and not Sunday night as my Sunday nights are full of PBS shows.

>118 wilkiec: Makes sense, Diana, thanks!

>119 msf59: Nice out today, and even better tomorrow, Mark. Plus we're closing mid-day here, so I'm going to join Debbi for lunch at a restaurant in our 'hood.

Collins seems like a reasonable place to start, for sure. You know, song lyrics often are good poetry. A book of Beatles or Springsteen lyrics, or Broadway lyrics like those of Rodgers and Hart, would qualify, as far as I'm concerned. Remember when Dylan called Smokey Robinson America's greatest poet?

Readers are just as divided about poetry as every other genre, so you'll like some and be meh or get it away from me about others. Collins successfully reaches a wider swath of readers than anyone else right now.

Here's a short, sad one I'm pretty sure you'll connect with, by Randall Jarrell, called the Death of the Ball Turret Gunner: http://unix.cc.wmich.edu/~cooneys/poems/jarrell.turret.html

I'm not posting it here because it's pretty strong stuff.

For me, it's the concentrated "punch" (impact) you get in good poetry that makes it worthwhile.

>120 connie53: Hi, Connie. Thanks! Fijne Paasdagen to you! (Some day I'll have to learn how to pronounce that).

>121 benitastrnad: Date bars are so great, aren't they, Benita? I'll have to peruse that NPR review (if I go now I'll lose this post). The previews for Orphan Black that I've seen on tv have been impressive. There are so many good shows on these days that I always have to think about the time investment. And make sure to leave room for the escapist stuff that my MBH and I like to watch together, like Castle and Almost Human.

More date bars:

The weather here has been crappy. It is more like February than it is April. Not freezing but cool during the day and then almost cold at night. This is not good for the azalea's and the hydrangea's. They need it to be a little warmer so that they will bloom evenly.

Tomorrow is the A-Day game here on campus and the crowd's are already building. The Port-A-Potties have been moved in and the restaurants are crowded. There probably won't be a bagel to be had in Panera tomorrow morning. Usually the azalea's are past blooming for this game, but this year they are right in the middle so the campus looks pretty even if the blooming is spotty due to the cold weather. There is a cold rain today so that should keep the crowd's off the Quad for the rest of today, but it won't help the traffic.

I am doing a story-time for Kindergartner's today. A class from a local elementary school is taking their field trip to campus and we are one of the attractions. We are doing the Bremen Town Musicians because we have lots of musical instruments in our collection that we can have the kids blow, bang, and dance to. It is going to be a blowout day in the Curriculum Materials Center at UA!

I love date bars with coffee! It makes me think of Sunday afternoon coffee's at my Grandma's and Grandpa's. Maybe I should make some tomorrow instead of going out of town to avoid the crowds?

Enjoying the "easy entry" poetry!

Looking for some help over on my thread. Perhaps you can help with some inspiration!

>124 benitastrnad:, >125 benitastrnad: I had to look up A-Day game, Benita. Up here in the highlands we aren't (at least I'm not) prepped on the UA football traditions, but I'll bet it gets a big turnout! Should be fun with the Kindergartener's - my storytelling MBH would be all over that one. She does them for grownups now, but made her name here telling children's stories.

Making date bars sounds like a fine way to spend a day away from the crowds. Yes, they have that family feel to me, too. My mom knew I loved them, and I'm sure got a kick out of my eyes widening when I saw she'd made some.

It helped that I was a skinny teenager, and could eat all day and all night with no perceptible effect. I had a coach who instructed me to eat toast and a milkshake at every meal, in addition to the meal, in an attempt to get me beefed up some. Didn't really work. Ah, those were the days! Nowadays I have to be sure to get enough exercise so that the police don't pull me over for illegal blimping.

>125 benitastrnad: You can tell I'm a big Billy Collins fan, Marianne. Easy entry is good; we've got more than enough of the elusive and obscure.

I'll stop by and see whether I can help in some way. Hope you're setting up for a good weekend.

Ooh, those date bars look good...

>122 jnwelch: that is a good one Joe. World War I turned out some amazing poets. Perhaps the only good thing that can be chalked up to that wars account

Have you ever read The Great War and Modern Memory ?

>128 kidzdoc: I may to find some, Darryl. It's been years and years since I had them in RL.

>129 magicians_nephew: Thanks, Jim. Isn't that a good one? Yeah, I hadn't thought about it, but you're right about WWI turning out some amazing poets.

I haven't read that Paul Fussell book. Looks like a good one.

Fried Apple Pies from the Apple Barn in Sevierville?

*ahem*

Seconding Joe's recommendation of Billy Collins as an "entry poet." I've never read a poem of his that I loathed. Most ~meh~ and a few "WOW".

Which is beyond excellent for a poet versus me.

Poking my head in to say hello, can't wait to visit with you tomorrow!

So, Japanese cuisine has their own take on Aebleskiver-type food called Takoyaki, which is savory (mostly). According to my google-fu, it is more based on the dumpling, though. Kind of reminds me of aperitivos or tapas with how fancy they are getting.

>122 jnwelch: Hi Joe - our local paper just announced a Billy Collins reading at a fundraiser next weekend (I believe he lives nearby). It's about 1/4 mile from me.....I've never been a poetry reader but am thinking this may really be worthwhile... Enjoy the weekend!

>129 magicians_nephew: Oh, The Great War and Modern Memory is a great book!

Remind everyone to take lots of pictures at the meet-up, Joe!!!

Joe, I wish you and a long weekend full of reading.

Morning Joe! You must be sleeping in or getting mentally prepared for later, so I won't bother you for very long. See you soon.

ETA- I really liked " Death of the Ball Turret Gunner." Short, sharp, precise. Thank you.

>131 thornton37814:. That fried apple pie looks really good, Lori! Now I have to figure out how to get to Sevierville.

>132 richardderus:. Thanks, Richard. That should help encourage folks to try Billy C. Your lack of affinity for a whole lot of poetry (poultry) has been well- documented. I'm glad you like this guy's stuff. He deserves it, IMO.

>133 leperdbunny:. See you soon, Tam. That takoyaki looks and sounds intriguing.

>134 vivians:. Oh, do go, Vivian. Billy Collins is really good live! He's a very appealing, modest performer. You'll have a good time.

>135 AuntieClio:. I've got to remember to put it on the tbr, Stephanie. I'm glad Jim brought it up.

>136 ronincats:. Will do, Roni. I'm bringing my phone, so I'll try to remember to take a couple of pics meself.

>137 Ameise1:. Thanks, Barbara! Same to you. I finished a Clare and Russ mystery, and started the RD-rec'd Symphony of Echoes. Also started the Mark-rec'd A Constellation of Vital Phenomena.

>131 thornton37814: Oh my good lordy lou, I need one of those!!

Hi there, Joe!

>138 msf59:. We were out getting coffee/chai and visiting Becca, Mark. Poor furry Sherlock stepped on some hidden broken glass and got a nasty gash on the side of his paw. Sedation, stitches, a wrap, and a cone for his head to keep him from unwrapping it. Poor little guy. His mom's taking good care of him.

Glad that poem worked for you. It gets me every time.

See you soon!

>141 scaifea:. Glad you mentioned it, Amber! I'd lost it on the iPad, and it looks mighty good. Hope you're having a relaxing weekend.

Have a great time at the meetup Joe! Would love to be there of course, but I'll be thinking of you all.

Happy Saturday, Joe! I know you will have a great time at the meet-up today - how fun! And I loved that Billy Collins' poem up there - I'm thinking it was one of the ones in Aimless Love, as I have read it before. Makes me laugh every time!

Joe, I directed part of a post on my thread at you.

Obviously, I've gotta read more Billy Collins.

>146 foggidawn: *ahem*

You cannot go wrong, pick a collection, but I myownself have bought three (3) copies of Picnic, Lightning to replace the ones I've given away.

*dignified yet celeritous retreat*

>147 richardderus: Thanks! I will give that one a try ASAP.

Joe, I'm sending healing vibes to poor Sherlock! I enjoyed visiting with you and the Mrs. She sure is a cool lady, I can see why you are with her. Maybe i'll get to meet Becca and Sherlock soon. :O)

Saw the pics on Mark's thread from your meetup today, Joe. Looks like you all had a marvelous time!

Have a great rest of the weekend!

^Front row: Linda, Tamara & Julia
Back row: Mark, Kerri & Joe

Morning Joe- Another terrific Meet-Up. Plenty of good gab and good beer. Can't beat it. Great to see you and Debbi. And thanks again for the Revolution bombers. Yum.

Happy Easter, Joe! And lovely meet-up photo!!

>151 msf59: Usernames, please?

Good afternoon, everyone! Gorgeous day here, 70s and sunny. Finally!

>143 Smiler69:. Thanks, Ilana. It was a fine time indeed.

Gracious hosts (thanks, Mark and Sue), good beer (for me, alaganash Belgian ale (not sure I got that name right) and pours from a Half Acre growler that Kerri and Joe brought, and veggies and cheeses and dips and chips and so on, followed by Home Run Pizza (a local favorite) and a delicious chocolate cake with strawberries. lots of talk with LT pals Julia(rosalita), Linda Panzo (lindapanzo), Tam (leperdbunny! Kerri (dorisvenabli), Walklover (Debbi - what a lovely and talented woman; hope to see more of her), and Joe the Mysterian, an exceptional beer expert.

Wish you could have joined us!

>144 Crazymamie:. It was a blast, Mamie. There are no better folks than LT folks, as far as I can tell. Long drives for Julia, Tam and Kerri. - so glad they came.

I'm almost certain you're right that the Billy Collins poem came from Aimless Love.

>145 AuntieClio:. I'll have to come over and see, Stephanie. You can tell I'm moving a bit slow today. We just took a humongous walk through a nearby park.

>146 foggidawn:, >147 richardderus:, >148 foggidawn:. Yes,good idea, foggidawn, and good recommendation, RD. I'm glad this has given folks a chance to sample Billy Collins' wares. He's just got a wealth of ones that will grab you.

>149 leperdbunny:. Thanks, Tam. Walklover sure is a cool lady, isn't she? Yes, I hope you get to meet Becca and Sherlock some time. She normally makes the meetups, but had a get-together with friends in the same time slot. Occasionally son Jesse pops his head in - Mark got to meet him at Printers Row.

It was a treat to see you! I was telling Debbi about how we all missed you after you came to that first one a few years ago. Plus I know so much more now about the rich history of takoyaki. :-). It's fascinating how one country will adopt, translate and modify the food traditions of another, isn't it?

>139 jnwelch: To get to Sevierville, take I-65 down to Louisville. Then take I-64 to Lexington. Then take I-75 down to Knoxville. Get on I-40 East and go to exit 407. Head on down the road. Take a right when the road makes a T several miles down. (You are already in Sevierville by this time.) Continue until you see Apple Valley Drive on the right! You'll end up right at the Apple Barn!

>150 Storeetllr:. Thanks, Mary! I've got to get over to Mark's thread and see more of the pics. We did indeed have a marvelous time. I'll be able to post pics tomorrow, when I get off of the iPad and onto my PC.

>151 msf59:. Woo-hoo! Thanks for the pic, Mark! I'll pay you back tomorrow. What a stellar crew, eh? A terrific time is right. That's some impressive man cave you've got there. Glad the Revolution Double Fist worked out. Linda P and I had fun figuring out what brews to bring you.

>152 Crazymamie:. Oh, I love that old-fashioned Easter card, Mamie. Happy Easter to you! The meetup was fab - wish you could have been there.

>153 Morphidae:. I gave them up above somewhere, Morphy. I know, our double identities can be confusing.

>156 thornton37814:. Thanks, Lori. That's not as unlikely as it otherwise might seem. We have relatives in Gatlinburg, and it's a short drive to Knoxville.

^That tasty brew is Allagash Dubbel. The Tripel is really good too! The growler was from Half Acre but the beer was from Buckledown Brewery, in Lyons, near Kerri and Joe's abode.
Yes, I am crazy about the Double Fist. Hope you have fantastic Sunday. We are heading out for dinner in a little bit.

I went to see two movies last night. "Grand Budapest Hotel" was wonderful! Also saw the new Captain America movie which was Ok for a shoot 'em up bang-bang movie. I had a terrible time getting to the theater because the movie started at the same time as the A-Day game was ending. I should have known better and gone to the movie today. But today I have a nice relaxing day planned with some cooking in the works and then a full night of PPBS watching.

Glad you guys had a fun meet-up. Looks like there were some great bruski's.

>159 msf59:. There it is! Thanks, Mark. I was struggling to remember the name. Mighty tasty! Now I understand the growler jug delectable, too. Excellent beer, excellent time!

>160 benitastrnad:. You saw two movies I want to see, Benita. Very different, but I've seen positive reviews for both.

Hope you have a relaxing day. Yes, fun meetup, great bruskis. Taking it very easy today, then we're off to the Bulls playoff opener this evening.

What a nice photograph. I wonder if LT bosses might not like to create a collage of Met-Up photographs?

Have a great Spring is Here weekend.

I'm off to an "orphans" dinner this mid-day. Expect to be home early enough that I can get some more percentages of The Steady Running of the Hour: A Novel read. I'm liking it a good deal. Briefly, a modern day young man is led to believe me might inherit a sizable fortune if he can prove his direct line from a woman who disappeared during World War I. Young man is American, Woman is Swedish/English/French. Solicitors in charge of the money are in London. Story switches back and forth between early World War I in England; and the present day while the young man pokes around looking for proof. Quite well done, and I'm hooked. Its is a Booktopia book and I'll have no problem finishing it before I go to Boulder.

Happy Easter Joe! What a nice meet up you had.

Happy Easter, Joe! It was wonderful to meet you and Debbi yesterday. A good time was definitely had, at least by me!

>158 jnwelch: If you come down, we'll have to have a Knoxville area meet-up! We can meet at a bookstore over in Sevier County or at McKays in Knoxville! Unfortunately there is not much room for visiting in McKays, but the deals are outstanding! Of course, Knoxville has other bookstores too.

Hi Joe!

Love the meet-up photo!

Glad y'all had fun!

>112 jnwelch: lol. that one sounds like a laugh!

I had the most delicious chocolate espresso fudge bar today at a cafe.....I am thinking your chef might like to try it :) It did just the trick as a half-way stop biking home with Wilbur.

>151 msf59: love it! And what a gorgeous book-den :)

>162 maggie1944: Hiya, Karen. I like your idea of a collage of LT meetup photos. Once again we were struck by what lively, smart and friendly people LTers are. It's quite a group.

We had a great Spring weekend. Lots of walking in beautiful 70s weather, and catching up with neighbors on the front porch. Poor Bulls lost last night, but maybe they learned a lesson. They had a nice lead and relaxed too much and poof - lost it.

The Steady Running of the Hour sounds intriguing; glad it's a pageturner for you. Is the author going to appear at the Boulder Booktopia?

>163 luvamystery65: Hope you had a Happy Easter, Roberta! Yes, it was a lovely meetup. Good folks with all the trimmings.

>164 rosalita: What a treat to finally meet you in person, Julia! That was a good time, wasn't it? Appreciations again to our hosts. Loved Mark's book cave - it had a complete home makeover since I last saw it.

>165 thornton37814: Sounds good to me, Lori! That would be fun. We haven't been to the area for many a year, but both my MBH's brothers now will be living in Gatlinburg, so it'll become a regular stopping point. One is moving from Western Mass, an area we love, but my MBH's aunt and uncle still live there, so we'll continue to visit them.

>166 SuziQoregon: Thanks, Juli! I'll post a couple of more meetup photos today, once I get some things out of the way. We had a great time. I was glad Walklover could come. Can't beat meeting up with members of the LT clan.

>167 LovingLit: Thanks, Megan! It is a laugh, and a fun reminder of the movie.

Mark's book-den is gorgeous and comfortable, an ideal combo. This will no doubt surprise you, but he has skads of books, he does. Better browsing there than a lot of bookstores.

Biking home with Wilbur sounds like a pretty good book title, doesn't it? I imagine he loved it.

Chocolate espresso fudge bar, eh? Yes, that does sound like one our chef would like to try. Here we go.

yes, Joe, The Steady Running of the Hour is a Booktopia selection. My second one I've tackled before going to Colorado. I hope to get at least another couple of books finished.

Your Meet-Up looked like great good fun! And the fudge bar.... yummy.

Have a great week!

>157 jnwelch: I know! I saw Linda's name and thought, "They met Whisper? Hey!" But it was a different Linda! LOL

Group photo from the Mark book cave LT meetup:



Clockwise from the top left, Mark the esteemed host, Kerri (dorisvenabili), Joe (jnwelch), Julia (rosalita), Tam (leperdbunny), and Linda (lindapanzo)

The start of the show was Riley, reportedly the Best Bad Dog Ever:

>169 maggie1944: Debbi and I may try to go to a Booktopia next year, Karen. Boulder would be a great location - one of my best pals and his wife met there, and I visited many years ago. Nice part of the country, and a town that reminded me of my hometown Ann Arbor. I look forward to your travelogue about it.

>170 Morphidae: It would be great to meet Whisper in person, Morphy, but it's always a treat to meet up with our local Linda. She and I consulted on what beers to get our esteemed host. He's in beer heaven for the near term.

Lovely meet-up photos. Also, date bars and ramps risotto! (Although I prefer mine without the bright green color.)

The date bars remind me that I'm supposed to make some peanut butter & jelly bars for a friend's daughter's First Communion next weekend.

I love the MeetUp pictures. As mentioned on Mark's thread, I really need to stop over longer than just for a few hours of transit in Chicago one of these days so I can join you guys on your next one.

>173 laytonwoman3rd: Thanks, Linda. It was a good 'un. I've never had ramps risotto - I thought the green was natural. No?

>174 cameling: It would be great if you could stop over long enough here for a gathering of LTers, Caro! (If we we have group identifiers like a gaggle of geese, an exaltation of larks, a parliament of owls, and so on, what should we call a gathering of LTers?) I'll keep my fingers crossed that that will work out some time.

I've never had peanut butter and jelly bars, but I know you have a special relationship with food, so I bet they're good. :-)

Hi Joe- Hope you had a good Monday. Great temps today. Thanks for sharing the Meet-Up photos, including wily Riley.

Wouldn't it be great to have Caro join us? She would fit in perfectly.

>175 jnwelch: If we we have group identifiers like a gaggle of geese, an exaltation of larks, a parliament of owls, and so on, what should we call a gathering of LTers?

A binding, obviously!

And I would love to meet Caro someday. We need to make that happen!

>176 msf59: Hiya, Mark. You're welcome re the meetup photos. T'would be great indeed to have Caro join us. She'd fit in perfectly all right. Maybe she'll be able to create some LT time here on one of her journeys.

How about that Hawks win? Crawford and the defense - outstanding. We're going to the late (8:30 start due to TV) Bulls game tonight.



Hope you have a good one today.

>177 rosalita: Ha! A binding of LTers! I like it, Julia. All right, let's make the Caro meetup happen!

>175 jnwelch: Yeah, it's natural. It comes from pureeing the tops of the ramps, but the color reminds me of pesto, which is not something I've ever cared for.

>179 laytonwoman3rd: Phew! That makes me feel better, Linda. It would be goofy to unnaturally make it green. I can see the pesto color comparison, but I love pesto, so the color works okay for me.

I suppose we should get some breakfast going out back, eh?

That's lovely!

Wow. 282 behind...

So, um... Hi Joe!

I'll take that comfy seat in the back right if everyone doesn't mind. Next to the — are those watermelons on the back table? Yum.

>181 foggidawn: Isn't it, foggidawn? I'd be happy to start my day there and make a long, easy morning of it.

>182 mckait: Ha! Hi, Kath! No worries. I'm glad you could squeeze in a visit with all you've got going on.

>183 rosalita: Excellent pick, Julia. :-) That is watermelon back there.

>180 jnwelch: Now that green I like! I will not wrastle anyone for the watermelon, as I unaccountably don't care for that either...what else ya got?

Hi Joe, hope you bring better luck to the Bulls tonight at that late night game.

We need to get the out-of-towners to stop here more often for some impromptu meet-ups.

I've been called Chicago Linda, sportsfan Linda, even the Queen of Disasters, but never Local Linda. It has a nice ring to it.

Lunch out at Super Dawg today, I think. Cooler than it has been but still pretty darn nice out.

Hi Joe- Hope you are having a good day and getting geared up for the big game . I hope they come back strong. Go Bulls!

Linda- I like the sound of Queen of Disasters. QOD, for short, of course.

I want a group of LTers to be called a giggle.

A binding! I like it. Has that certain je ne sais quoi.

I got a book today! Silly to be excited, isn't it, but it's one I won on a friend's blog giveaway: Age of Shiva, part of a series exploring different pantheons.

>185 laytonwoman3rd: Woo, I guess it's a no on the pesto watermelon cocktail we were going to give you. Probably a wise decision on your part - that sounds awful.

What else have we got? What else would you like? We've got a nice selection of cupcakes if you're in the mood.



>186 lindapanzo: Me, too, Linda. I think Noah was a bit out of it last game after the surprise death of his mentor, and I think they let up when they thought they had the game in the bag, always a bad idea. We'll see.

Having out-of-towners stop here more for impromptu meetups sounds good to me. The crossroads of the world we are, aren't we?

Ha! Local Linda does have a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Some LTers still call me "Tequila Nose" after an unfortunate post a ways back.

I took a walk at lunch and really enjoyed this weather. Cool, but not too cool, and sunny, works well for me.

>187 msf59: Hiya, Mark. Good day so far, with one major annoyance, but what kind of day would it be without at least one of those? I'd start taking things for granted and quaffing umbrella drinks until they threw me out, I suspect. Go Bulls! I'm looking for them to be much better tonight, but I've got to say, Washington is playing really well.

QOD, which Linda has demonstrated, QED. I've got a true crime aficionado daughter and a disaster aficionado LT friend. Sure makes life interesting, doesn't it?

>188 Morphidae: I love that, Morphy. A giggle of LTers fits, I can say from recent experience.

>189 richardderus: A binding of LTers also has a certain wizard/witch element to it which I like, RD.

Congrats on winning the book - winning anything feels pretty good, unless it's winning first target for the death ray or something like that. But winning a book exceeds just about all but winning the Powerball or Lord of the Wild Rumpus. I took a look at the Age of books, and I suspect they're not for me, but I know you're an enjoyer of them, so this seems poifect.

Ahhh, cupcakes! Love them!

Hi Joe!!

>191 connie53: Hi, Connie! Glad those worked for you. Here's a Spring one I thought was cool:

Ahh, Lovely. I just have to find someone to match the 'L' ;-))

>180 jnwelch: Joe, how lovely this place is. I take any meal here, could stay the whole day long. I love the meetup photo. You are a fantastic group.

>194 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara! You're a sweetheart. Please find a comfortable chair and stay the whole day long. :-) We had a great time at the meetup - it's always a pleasure to get together with our LT gang.

>195 jnwelch: Joe, that sounds terrific. Thanks for offering a chair. I finished work for today and intend to do some reading. :-)
I hope you have a wonderful wekk so far. *waves*

Hi Joe! Sorry about the Bulls. Had to be a tough one to watch. Are you dragging a bit today?
Lots of sunshine out here today but not much warmth.

>195 jnwelch: You're quite welcome, Barbara. I'm looking forward to finishing work and getting to some reading like you. Good day so far, although I had a late night last night so I'm poking about a bit.

>197 msf59: It actually was a surprisingly good game, Mark. Close and hard fought. Kudos to the Wizards, who played well and shot well. But it was a late one - why the TV honchos can't simply do a doubleheader with an eastern team and a western team, with the former starting around 7 or so pm EST, and the latter around 6:30 or 7 pm PST, so the latter's start time is 9:30 or 10 pm EST, is beyond me. Instead they double up the eastern teams, and push back our start time last night until 8:30 pm. Huh? Why? And the only answer is, because they can. They have the big wallet and can set it up any way they want. Annoying. So we got home around midnight.

Yeah, I'm dragging a bit today. I had planned to come in late, but my internal alarm clock had me up early as usual, so my current plan is to go home early. We'll see.

Sorry to hear about the Bulls, Joe. I'm hoping the Blackhawks have better luck tonight. I'm eager to get going.

I have no appetite. Don't care if I eat or not. Even cocktail peanuts seem like too much effort for no reward.

Tempt me!

>199 lindapanzo: Me, too, Linda. I sure liked the way the Hawks played last game, defensively. The power play has to come around at some point, doesn't it?

>200 richardderus: What's happening out in your part of the world, Richard? Molecular shifts with appetital influence? This is unheard of.

Hmm. How about apple-spike monkey bread? And a pitcher of milk?

All this food is a disaster, even if it is all virtual.

Jim and I are planning to be in Boston for 4th fo July weekend. Anyone else planning to be in Boston or the environs that weekend? If there is interest, I can open a thread.

The monkey bread looks good. Thank goodness!

Loved, Loved, LOVED the meet up photos. So glad to see everyone had a swell time.

>202 ffortsa: By disaster, Judy, I assume you mean scrumdiddlyicious? Good choice for a 4th of July weekend - have fun in Boston.

>203 richardderus: Phew!

>204 michigantrumpet: A swell time was had by all, Marianne. You know, I've been to bookseller conventions and the ALA meeting, which are great, but it's such a pleasure just to get together and hang out with fellow book lovers and LT pals like this.

Yes, yes...virtual cupcakes...virtual monkey bread...I've had way too much actual food in the last two days, so virtual is good. Thank you.

Thanks Joe and Richard for the specific recommendations on where to start with Billy Collins. I look forward to checking them out.

Loved the meetup photos...looks like a great time was had by all!

what da heck is monkey bread?

All caught up here Joe and I enjoyed it all from the Moore sculptors (we have several here at the Albright Knox Art Gallery), to the Billy Collins poems, to the fig bars (I make my mother's recipe every Christmas) to the wonderful meet-up photos. It's all good!

>177 rosalita: Haha.. a binding of LTers .. I love that, Julia. I'd love to meet you one of these days too.

Awww.. you guys make me feel so welcome .. and I'm not even there yet. Joe, if I were to fly straight from Boston over to Chicago rather than on my way back from a trip, I'll make some pb&j bars and bring them over with me. (hopefully nobody's got a peanut allergy.)

I had some beignets and chicory coffee today. Yum! Added bonus is that the cafe only had one other person in it. I got to enjoy my book of Atwood poetry.

*waves*

>211 luvamystery65: Oooh, now I want beignets/doughnuts.

I was just telling Mr. that we have a thread where we constantly talk about food! (Living vicariously through the interwebs calories!) The meetup was nice to get some pizza (and you know, visiting :P ). It was a nice treat since I've been so "good" lately eating healthfully.

Sweet Thursday, Joe! Hope you got caught up on your sleep. I am continuing to enjoy Just One Damned Thing and I'll be starting Cat's Eye for AA. Have a good one today.

>206 laytonwoman3rd: You're welcome, Linda. Virtual calories are the best, aren't they? They politely decline to show up in real life. Now, if I could only convince some RL calories to do the same.

>207 Cobscook: Hi, Heidi. Good to see you. You're welcome - I'm pretty sure you'll have a good time with the Billy Collins books. I may post another one today. He's a very enjoyable poet.

>208 magicians_nephew: Monkey bread is sweet, tasty goodness, Jim. Here's a map for making your own: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/monkey-bread-i/

>209 brenzi: Hey, Bonnie! *waves* Great to have you posting again. Best sign of a healthy recovery is posting on Librarything, 9 out of 10 book nerd doctors agree.

Glad it all looks good to you. I've been a pushover for Henry Moore since I was a tequila-nosed college kid. I've never read a bio about him, but I would think it would make for a most excellent life to make and situate all those sculptures.

>210 cameling: Methinks you're already an honorary member of the Chicagoland LT gang, Caro. PB & J bars would be most welcome. No peanut allergies among our book browsers, as far as I know.

We'll be sure to get Julia amongst us, her schedule permitting, when we next put together a binding of LTers.

>211 luvamystery65: I sighed a bit reading your post, Roberta. That sounds like a bit of heaven - beignets, chicory coffee, a book of poetry, some (pretty much) alone time, away from the cares of the world. Perfection.

I'm with Tam (>212 leperdbunny:), you've piqued my appetite, so here we go:



>212 leperdbunny: *waves back to Tam* Help yourself up above to beignets, Tam, and we can bring out more.

I liked that Home Run pizza at the meetup, too. As my MBH says, our daughter and I would be happy to eat pizza three times a day. We do have a lot of food talk on this thread. Debbi is happy that we've gotten past all the talk about beets. She likes beets, but felt we started to horse a dead beet, or something like that. Much better to discuss beignets.

>213 msf59: There's our guy! Sweet Thursday - I like it, Mark. Great book, and I'm going to start thinking of Thursdays that way.

I did catch up on my sleep, thanks. That was a bit of a Groggy Wednesday for me, but I'm put back together again. Nice Hawks win last night. Glad you're continuing to enjoy Just One Damned Thing. I finished the second and now I'm going to pick up the third.

We're traveling again tomorrow, this time to LA for a niece's wedding, so I'm starting to think about my plane books. A Constellation of Vital Phenomena continues to be excellent, but it's not the world's fastest read, is it? Pretty dense, but always good.

Good morning, Joe! The Home Run pizza was excellent at the meetup. I've never had it before but it was quite tasty.

Speaking of the Chronicles of St. Mary's series (as you and Mark were just doing), I had a mini-disaster occur when the second book A Symphony of Echoes, purchased from Kobo after I thoroughly enjoyed the first one, turned out to contain the text of the third book, A Second Chance. And the third book, bought at the same time, also contains the text of the third book. I am getting a refund from Kobo for the second book, but I really just want the dang book! Also, did you know there is a short story also, When A Child Is Born? It's charming as well.

>216 rosalita: Good morning, Julia! Home Run Pizza has a lot of fans here; I'm puzzled that they don't deliver - Sue was nice enough to go pick up what we had. It sure is tasty.

That is an annoying snarl-up you had there. You just want your book, not a hassle to straighten out. The second one ranks right up there with the first; charming is a good word for the St. Mary's books. Thanks for the reminder on the short story - I just picked up it and the third one for the Kindle.

Another St Mary's fan checking in...

HI Joe! Merry Thursday to you!

Is it asperagus season yet? I saw a lovely pork crown rib roast served with parmesean encrusted asperagus last night on America's Test Kitchen and I want some of that asperagus.

What a Blackhawks game last night, though I am quite tired. We were hoping that they'd win in regulation, but winning in overtime was fine by us, too. It made for quite a late night, though.

I love Home Run Inn pizza. My father is from the south side of Chicago and HRI is a south side/southern suburbs tradition. There was an HRI in the northern suburbs but it didnt' last. During those rare occasions when we venture off to the southern/southwestern suburbs, we always try to have Home Run Inn. Otherwise, we make do with frozen Home Run Inn, which is good, but not as good.

Parmesan crusted asparagus sounds delightful, proprietor, might I have an order as well? Oh, and a frittata with mixed veggies. Maybe a goodly portion of ratatouille, as well.

I seem to need some vegetables. Wonder what's up.

The Aspern Papers when read in concert with The Aspern Papers: A Comedy of Letters is a big lot of fun. I hate reading plays (this might have made the Chicago papers) and still enjoyed this adaptation-and-original side-by-side read. Michael Redgrave did a tremendous job making James' small masterpiece work for the stage.

>218 mckait: Hiya, Kath! Good to see you. I'm looking forward to reading the 3d St. Mary's. Sure enjoyed that second one.

Hope you're having a Merry (and Sweet) Thursday, too!

>219 benitastrnad: I don't even know when asparagus season is, Benita, but I know with our worldwide contacts we can find a good dish for you.



>220 lindapanzo: I'll bet your tired, Linda, but what a cool win for the Blackhawks! We had an OT game with the Bulls, too - it's tough when the game starts so late. Way to go, Kaner!

I have a friend who used to live in St. Louis, and when she came here she always wanted Home Run pizza. It's got a lot of fans.

>221 richardderus: You bet, RD. Another order coming up.



Yes, your dislike of reading plays was the subject of a fairly extensive feature article in the Tribune here. The journalist marveled at your surprising enjoyment of the Michael Redgrave adaptation. Makes me want to take a look at both. I am woefully under-fueled with Henry James, having only read The Golden Bowl.

Thanks, that looks delicious!

Henry James' novels are not as good as his shorter works, IMO. The Bostonians, The Ambassadors, and Washington Square are all terrific reads, but a lot of later stuff (notably The Wings of the Dove) are not very good.

Shorter novels, novellas, whatever, are uniformly excellent. The Spoils of Poynton and The Aspern Papers are my personal favorites. I don't know anyone who's ever expressed a dislike for The Turn of the Screw, though it's not on my life-list.

>223 richardderus: You're welcome!

The two I've had recommended to me are Washington Square and The Turn of the Screw. I'll add The Aspern Papers and The Spoils of Poynton (never heard of that last one) to those two on my sooner-than-later list.

I thought the cafe patrons would like to see the yummy dinner my daughter Katie made for us tonight....Orange Chicken!!

Just dropping by to say hello Joe, hadn't dropped by for a while. Am about to sit down for a reread of King Lear in preparation for seeing a National Theatre Live screening of it next week. What do you think would be a nice nightcap to go along with it?

Hello Joe! Is it Friday yet? *checking watch* yep! Methinks it is!

Woot! Happy Friday!

Dear Joe, I cannot pretend to be fully caught up but wanted to catch up a little before an entire thread of yours passed me by. Thanks for putting up those Billy Collins poems which are as accessible as always.
Also loved the despatches from the Book Cave.

Hi Joe- Have a safe trip to the West Coast this morning. Enjoy that sunshine & warmth. Could you bring some of that back with you...if you don't mind?

Traveling Joe? Visiting your son? Safe and fun times to you!

Traveling today. Will check in later. Have a good one!

>225 Cobscook: Doesn't that look delicious! There, Joe, another chef for back-up in the cafe. Since it has to run 24/7, you should definitely take her on!

Wishing you safe travels, Joe!

Hello Joe! The food on your thread always makes me hungry. I really shouldn't come here until I've eaten something in the morning. Hope the traveling goes well.

Safe travels, Joe! Thanks for leaving the parmesan crusted asparagus as it looks absolutely delish.

Safe journey and happy arrival, Joe, and may Jesse find a way to convince you to move to Seattle this time!

>226 Smiler69: We're going to see the Simon Russell Beale King Lear here in New York next week.

Love to hear what you thought of it after the event.

NT Live broadcast Beale in "Collaborators" and we were totally blown away by it.

Hi Joe, asparagus season is now! In the Netherlands that is. 3 weeks early because of the nice weather we are having and ending somewhere mid june.

We had some! With eggs, ham and butter sauce

Hello Joe, hope you had a wonderful day and have an even better weekend.

>201 jnwelch: apple-spike monkey bread?
Woah, what the? That looks like it might contain some delicious brow-sugary doughy deliciousness.

I was so off the road that I read the last half of your last thread before realising that it wasn't your current thread! I blame the stomach bug I had yesterday and the consequent lack of food and hydration....which is why I am eying up that monkey bread.

Made a *real* apple cake for the boy minion's younger sister's arrival from England. After the heinous vileness of canned apple pie filling in a *shudder* box of "angel food" *shudder* mix, which absolutely no one could eat, this is already half gone. Oh to be under 30 again....

For me asparagus season started in May. My grandparents had a huge patch. For about a month we would eat so much asparagus that everybody got sick of it. And of course, we would freeze it and then have it for soup long into the fall. Lovely vegetable - asparagus.

Nobody revers it like the Germans. I believe that the Asparagus Festival is currently in full swing in Schwetszengen. That town has a statue of an asparagus seller - in bronze no less!

Joe, I wish you a fantastic weekend.

Morning Joe! Any chance of getting a mocha? I could use one today as I am completely dragging. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

>225 Cobscook: Ha! I hear there's more to this tale, Heidi. Love the pic. Good for your daughter!

>226 Smiler69: Hi, Ilana! King Lear drives me nuts - those mean-spirited, ungrateful daughters, and the stupidity of the king. Guess I have trouble with the premise, can you tell? Is it really that hard to see what a gem Cordelia is?

I hope you found a good accompaniment. I had a wonderful Bloody Mary this a.m., with horse radish, but I suspect a Bellini would have gone better with your more cerebral pursuits.

>227 michigantrumpet: Thanks, Marianne! We had a Happy Friday indeed. We're in LA for our niece Meg's wedding. She's marrying a very creative 6'6" or so graphics genius from Holland, who's one of the nicest guys we've ever met. She's a liaison (I'm sure there's a better word) in the same company with film producers, and one of the nicest young women we've ever met. She makes it all happen, and he delivers the artistic goods. They're nuts over each other, and have renovated a rundown home so that it's a beauty. (He did a lot of the work, with some help from his father). We were there last night for a pre-wedding party, and reunited with a lot of relatives on my MBH's side, and a cast of international characters, mainly from Holland and London. Great time, although we were out on our feet a bit from a long travel day. So we sat in comfortable chairs and schmoozed from there.

Hope you had a great Friday, and it's continuing through the weekend!

>228 PaulCranswick: Good to see you, Paul! Can't believe you made it, as I know you've been a busy traveler. Sounds like a great trip you had, and I can tell those back home were awfully glad to see you and your family.

>229 msf59: Sounds like our accompanying weather is going to work out pretty well, Mark. We were in the high 60s here in LA, and our hosts were apologizing for the coolness. You can imagine, we were laughing. Sounds like Chicago will be back to warming up, albeit raining some, when we get back.

Hope you're doing well. We're still enjoying memories of the great Book Cave meetup.

>230 mckait: No son this time, Kath. We're south in LA visiting Becca's cousin and our niece Meg as she gets married to a guy whose name I still can't spell, but is pronounced "Yah-roon". Her dad is over the moon - Meg and Yah-roon are two of the best walking the planet, as far as we, in our totally unbiased way, can tell.

>232 laytonwoman3rd: We can use the backup, Linda. Plus Heidi's daughter looks like she has just the right kind of personality to work at the cafe.

>233 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie! It was a long trip out, of course, but I got through a lot of magazines and some more of A Constellation of Vital Phenomena. Not a place I would live in a million years, but we're having a good time. Today we're going to see the hand prints and the Walk of Fame, which is causing great excitement among my female companions. They claim that if they featured sports legends I'd be more interested. As if! (Is there such a place? I need to find out).

The wedding is taking place in the LA public library, which of course resonates with our group! Plus it is absolutely beautiful, old-timey and huge. I took some pics, so maybe if they're any good I'll post them. Had never visited it before - it's really tucked in downtown, with beautiful grounds, too.

OK, got to go. Sorry I couldn't catch up more. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

I hope you have too, Joe! But you can't go wrong with a wedding in a Library!

Sounds like a wonderful trip thus far. Your affection for the young couple is infectious. A wedding at the public library? How wonderful! Can we hope for the patter of little pamphlets soon?

Just dropped by to wish you a good weekend, Joe, and lo' and behold, you are off travelling. Have a great trip!

Hey Joe! Thanks for checking in. I am sure you having a fine time at the wedding. I hope they have good beer. That is always the problem at a wedding. I usually switch to a cocktail in those unfortunate circumstances.

Ha! Good point, Mark. I'll report back. Love the patter of little pamphlets idea, Marianne.

Off we go to the big event.

A wedding in the LA main liberry!! What an amazing and wonderful idea.


Beautiful!


Glorious!

>234 Thebookdiva: Hi, Abby! I actually find this is a good place to start my food day, but then, I've been working here a while. Maybe scones this morning?



Got to go again!

OK, back with coffee and a bit of coffee cake, as our nieces are taking us out for brunch in a bit. One niece got successfully married last night (great ceremony - the officiant is a comedian in his other life, and was very funny without overdoing it). We get together with two other nieces today. I'll post some pics at some point. The wedding was in a big,high-ceilinged, muralled open area by the Children's Literature section (which is an impressive section of the library all by itself). Both the reception and the dinner were in pretty areas which were open to the sky. Weather in the 60s, so it was perfect.

>235 rosalita: Thanks, Julia! Travels all safe, although I've not been a passenger in a car driven by one of our nieces before, and my MBH and our daughter are warning me it will be a nail-biter. The traffic here matches its bad reputation, too.

>236 richardderus: Thanks, Richard. This is a Jesse-free trip, as he's got his gal pal moving into a new dwelling with him right now. Too bad. We love visiting Seattle, that's for sure. But we've got Chicago in our blood.

>237 magicians_nephew: Looking forward to hearing what you think of the King Lear production, Jim.

>238 connie53: Mmm, we loves us some asparagus, Connie. That sure looks good!

We were with a bunch of folks from Texel (sp.?), Holland last night, as that's where the groom grew up. No asparagus though, darn it.

>239 GeezLouise: Thanks, Rae! Good to see you. Hope you're having a great weekend at the Pecan Paradisio.

That library is absolutely gorgeous! Wow! Glad you had a fine time, my friend and found a good beer to drink. Enjoy your nieces today.

Looking forward to the pictures. I'm quickly convinced all festive gatherings should take place surrounded by books. ;-P

>240 LovingLit: Ah, hope you're feeling better today, Megan. Monkey bread is brown-sugary deliciousness, for sure. Let's get you some more - you sound in need of some good comfort food.



>241 richardderus: Mmm, real apple cake sounds great, Richard. I know, I'd love to have my younger snarfling capabilities right now.

>242 benitastrnad: That's serious asparagus appreciation, Benita. I'd love to have it fresh from the garden, like you did with your grandparents. Asparagus seller statue?



>243 Ameise1: Beautiful, Barbara, thanks. I hope you're having a fantastic weekend.

>244 Thebookdiva: We're going to time jigger this to you, Abby, as the proprietor was out goofing off again. Mocha? Here you go:

>247 connie53: It was a beautiful event, Connie. What a library.

Here's a pic of it:



Here's the happy couple in the middle, with maid of honor on one side and best man on the other.



>248 michigantrumpet: Can we hope for the patter of little pamphlets soon Love that, Marianne! Have no idea. I do know you can book a lifelong shelf of happiness for those two.

>249 DeltaQueen50: Thanks, Judy! We're having a wonderful weekend. Tough to carve out the time sometimes, but you know how much it means to family when you make the big events. We're catching up with a lot of folks we'd like to see much more often.

>250 msf59: Hiya, Mark. As I mentioned, they had good beer at the reception. Despite their entertainment industry jobs, this is a very down to earth couple, as are their parents. I had a Seizon Bretta, which I'd never heard of, but it sure was good. The label had it down as a "farmhouse ale".

>251 jnwelch: Thank you, RD! Beautiful pics, and you nailed it - your second one is where the wedding took place!

Here's one from the front:

Good beer, great place and a lovely couple. Here's a toast to their continued happiness.

ETA -- patter of little pamphlets just popped in my head and tickled me silly!

>258 michigantrumpet: Thanks, Marianne. They're off to Big Sur country to celebrate together. Interesting fact from the past: the bride, as a 3 or 4 year old, visited with us when we were on our honeymoon in New Orleans, and played "hide and sneak" with us in our old-timey hotel bedroom that had a four-poster. She was cute and charming then, too.

Aaawww. Love that image of her as a littl'un.

>261 jnwelch: She was a cutie-pie. Still is. We loved that she wore her glasses for the wedding. :-)

I love that your niece was married at the library! Why didn't I think of that? Sounds like a great time was had by all.

Asparaguts. Yuck.

There's a new book out that sounds perfect for your thread. Fictitious Dishes by Dinah Fried is a photography book coming out that displays fifty meals that have appeared in literature.

http://parade.condenast.com/279336/viannguyen/10-beautiful-photos-of-famous-meal...

Here's some food from a party from The Great Gatsby:



And from Heidi - everyone remembers the toasted bread and cheese!

A wedding in a library? Brilliant! Love it :)
Lovely couple, too...

Glad to know that a good time is being had by all :)

>262 Cobscook: Their main reason for having it in the library was wonderful, Heidi. LA is changing all the time, of course. Besides loving books, they wanted to be married in a place that would still be around when they're old and gray. Isn't that great?

>263 Morphidae: No affinity for asparagus, Morphy? Too bad - it's so tasty! One of my favorite veggies.

That book does sound perfect for the cafe, doesn't it? I'll have to explore that link. They probably don't include Inspector Montalbano's meals, but I'd love to see those. I want to be there eating with him every time he sits down to a meal.

>264 mckait: Isn't that brilliant, Kath? And what a library, as you can see in RD's pics above. I'd been here before, and had no idea they had such a beautiful library. And it's so reader-friendly inside. Our daughter just wanted to stay there, maybe forever.

All have been having a good time, all right. We just had a great brunch at Urth Cafe here, with one of our nieces and her daughter. I'll try to post some pics soon.

>265 jnwelch: Nope. I don't like any vegetables that start with A. No asparaguts, no avocado, no artichoke.

I've got it reserved at the library. I'm looking forward to perusing it!

>266 Morphidae: Well, I don't eat Awful vegetables (like beets), so I join you on that A, Morphy.

Please report back on the book. It's certainly an attractive concept.

I love all four of those (unjustly) reviled comestibles! Just not together.

>268 richardderus: Yeah, all of them together would be a bit much, RD. My MBH has been giving me trouble about my horsing a dead beet remark, so I'll leave that one alone.

OK, please come over to the correctly numbered new cafe.