Dear Sister,
On a cold, yet sunny, day in February I could take advantage of the time to straighten up my messy spaces, make lists of things I will accomplish in the next month before spring hits full force, and take a brisk energetic hike around the neighborhood. These are things I could do. I could do them if someone put a gun to my head.
But when I woke up thinking I smelled strawberries and the thought of a moist, tender, cake with just a hint of lemony sweetness got into my head. I knew I was doomed. Doomed from the start. So instead of engaging in a long drawn out conversation with myself about why I should not make and consume cake I gave in. Notice the incredibly thin, almost dietetic, layer of frosting.
And now it's after 2 pm. It's just downright foolishness to try and start any kind of a project at this time on a Saturday afternoon. That leaves only one alternative. A nap. A nap with a cat. A nap with a cat on my bed in the sun. A nap with a cat on my bed in the sun on a yellow blanket.
And when I get up I am going to attempt to make Edamame. I bought a bag at the store last night. I think they will go perfect with the nice bottle of Chardonnay I just popped in the refrigerator. Boil, Salt, Consume. Right? How hard can it be? Have you made them? When I come out next time I will make them. Did you listen to The Car Guys and What do you Know and This American Life today on NPR? You can learn all sorts of things on NPR. Who knew for example that Frank Lloyd Wright was such a strange dude?
Happy Saturday. Please do NOT write and tell me of all your accomplishments over the weekend. Unless they are accomplishments of a spiritual nature … like eating sweet pink cake, knitting, and napping with a cat.
Later Dad!
Sister
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Yo Sister,
I haven't done a single thing all day except stare into space. Until my reverie was interrupted by dumb and dumber who came to the door to try and get donations to go to college. I tried to stay calm but I couldn't. I even did the count-to-10 thing and breathe forcefully out of each nostril thing you taught me. See, when they left here they went next door and tricked the neighbor's dogs into coming close for petting and then smacked them with their clipboards. I almost jumped through the window and had a throw-down right there. Except for I couldn't fit through the window because of the piece of the best tasting brown derby grapefruit cake I got from Auntie Em's yesterday after work to soothe my ear ache. So I went out on the porch to do make more menacing threatening gestures which the morons seemed to think was funny. Of course I think it was nervous laughter and that they were really afraid of me. When I got back inside and calmed down a little I started wondering why I let you talk me into getting rid of Aunt Ola's shotgun that she gave me. That could come in handy tonight when/if the morons decide to come back and teach me a lesson. Oh well. I guess the baseball bat will have to do.
Yesterday morning I got this great moon shot from the back patio. I'm going to stare at it and listen to the Miles Davis cd you sent me and think of what Harry Bosch would do. Maybe I should call him.
p.s. uh…edamame next visit? I don't think so.
I’ve not seen the strawberry flavoured edamame..love those things…
they came to my house too and I yelled at them after they came in and left the gate open. Then I chased them up the street–to your house I guess..gulp! sorry
your neighbor
I’ve been waiting to hear about your sister. Even better to read a letter from the two of you. Why do I find it so lovely? I have no idea. Ah well…. Lovely none the less. Thanks so much.
This is so… intimate. I feel all smooshy.
I know you’re probably thinking that it’s because of strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting, which is the main reason I have been reading your blog for years, because you may share your strawberry cake recipe. But I REALLY feel smooshy because of getting to read other people’s mail. There is NOTHING like taking a nap with the precious angel puppy, who has sleeping well down pat. The thought of that makes me smooshy, too.
bye!
Waving a delighted grateful Hallo to you, having just met your astonishing treasure trove here this weekend. So many joys, giggles, inspirations, mysterious wonders, andandand, overhere.
And somewhere in my explorations of archives I saw that you enjoy visiting eb’s cyberhouse too. She and I recently met via our screens, too.
I am in Norwich, England.
Thank you for all your brilliant vibrant work. I’m looking forward to exploring those archives and the sidebar portals further.
And O those vids of the kids, sounding like happy birds, exploring their new stash. Just Exquisite.
ThankU ThankU xxx
(I think this may have become a Rave comment. Curbing this kind of enthusiasm didn’t make sense ~ I do hope you’ll understand…)
Thanks so for t he reipe. It will now got down in the family book as MARY ANN’S STRAWBERRY DELIGHT or something equally dramatic. Teachers are the best cooks…all that nuturing and stuff we do…
oh you are so good! you left the recipe here! my mama always made strawberry cake when i was little. and i’ve never made one even though i’ve made most every other sort of cake a girl could imagine. but now that i have seen the photo of Your cake and gotten sleepy thinking of naps with cats on yellow blankets, i know i will dream of strawberry cake and wake up having to have one. so double thank you for the recipe. xo-k
i read through many of your posts and i wanted to thank you because they just made me happy…and i need that right now.
p.s i loved your music too..
xoxo nita <3
Strawberry Cake
1 10oz package frozen strawberries thawed
1 box white cake mix (without pudding)
1 3 oz box strawberry jello
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
3 eggs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
combine all ingredients and beat until well blended
pour batter into greased 9×13 pan and bake for 35 minutes or until done
cool then frost.
Frosting
3T butter
3 oz cream cheese
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp lemon juice
beat together until smooth.
Three comments and no one mentioned that cake??
Those kids are jerks…
Now…PLEASE email cake recipe immediately.
Aiii….yiiiii, I just knew you were a kindred spirit. I’ve been so hopping irritated all day with people that have been getting on the one nerve I have left. Your entry today gave me the good laugh I needed. I always threaten to shorten the tea bags of the jerks who pick on animals. Anyhow, I accomplished some therapeutic photo-taking this afternoon (doing something creative almost always restores balance). Now I’m going to go read a great book on becoming a chocolate gourmet. Have a great rest of the weekend! By the by, I think you’re getting me worked up about garland making.
Edamame can be eda-yummy. I sometimes turn it into hummus (for extra protein muscle) but I also just like eating them.
That is SOME moon shot!
I imagined scraping icing off the edges of that slice – skillfully, so no one would notice.
I have been checking your blog off and on all day, in between making a cloth book, and auditioning collage pieces to add to its pages (so you know I wasn’t just on the internet).
I just KNEW you would have a hilarious post today, and I was right! I felt the same way about the suggestion of edamame!