Book reviews

Varying levels of reviews from the past few months.

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick

Originating from a series of interviews, this book, written in story format, follows the lives of North Koreans prior to their defections.  It was an excellent read, and although it was not intentional on my part, it laid the perfect background for the next book I read.

At the same time I was reading Nothing to Envy, my sister was reading The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson. She highly recommended it, and it was a perfect "follow up" book. I appreciated already being familiar with the North Korean geographical areas and could easily understand the inferences into the endless government intrusions. Without giving key parts of the book away, the story follows first the career and later the personal life of the title character Pak Jun Do, including his infatuation with Sun Moon, the national actress. Midway through the book, the narrator began to change occasionally, without warning, but I was able to easily keep up.

At times, it took weird turns, and I feared it would end similarly to The Life of Pi (but it did not) Another good book, very interesting, well-written.

Sold by Patricia McCormick

A new, young adult non-fiction book at our library, Sold follows the life of a Nepalese girl sold into India's sex trade.  I was taken aback by the "free verse" form of writing, but it did not distract me from this heartbreaking book.  Such a depraved world in which we live . . .




Follow the River by James Alexander Thom

This fictional account of the real kidnapping of a white woman by Indians from the New River Valley, just south of us here in Roanoke. Taken first to Indiana and then to Kentucky, Mary Ingles escapes and makes her way back following the rivers she traveled with her captors.  I love these kinds of stories. This was nothing short of remarkable, and I am again reminded of the incredible bravery and courage shown by the settlers of our country.

Buzz Around Town

We love cicadas. As a kid, I never knew what that loud buzzing noise was, and it drove me crazy.  It's Robert's favorite summer sound, and he's passed that love on to the rest of us. The cicadas we usually see each summer are the green "dog day" cicadas.  This year, however, we were in for a treat.

This is the summer of the 17 year cicadas. Everyone's talking about it, everywhere you go, and in every local paper. It's so unreal, fascinating, interesting.

They've been in the ground, as nymphs, feeding on tree roots for the past 17 years.  And then they burrow out.  These are their exit holes, in comparison to Robert's shoe.

Sounds like something off of the sci-fi channel, right?

They crawl up onto bushes or into trees where they molt.

Their shed skins stay behind.

And they land land nearby while they wait to dry off their wings.

So amazing!

They fly up into the high trees, and the droning is nonstop for weeks.  A friend described it best, as an alien ship landing a few blocks away.

They last for several weeks before the females lay their eggs in the tree branches and die.  The babies hatch, go into the ground, and the 17 year cycle begins again.

Here's a video that shows some of their noise.  I mention a lawn mower in the distance, but it's not audible on the video.

(Ahahaha, I can definitely tell that my speech pattern has changed and has more of a drawl since moving here five years ago!  Too funny!)

For more info on the 17 years cicadas, click here

Text from Holly

"Its past seven and i am a hungry child and its ur job to feed me"

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Hahahahaha! Poor starving little girl who is locked out of the kitchen! (Not to mention she sent this in her bedroom, and I am in the kitchen!)

Recipe -- Broccoli, Grape and Pasta Salad

From Southern Living Magazine, I found this somewhere online and made it at the last minute when friends came over this week. I doubled this recipe, which was a good thing. It was a huge hit!

BROCCOLI, GRAPE AND PASTA SALAD

8 oz. box of farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
1 lb. fresh broccoli
1 c. chopped cashews (original recipe called for pecans, but Trevor is allergic)
1/3 c. diced red onion
1 c. mayonnaise
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. red wine vinegar
1 t. salt
8 cooked bacon slices, crumbled
2 c. seedless red grapes, cut in half

Prepare pasta according to package directions. When cooked, place in colander and let cold water run over pasta to stop cooking.

Cut broccoli florets from stems and separate florets into small pieces (much smaller than bite-sized). Peel away tough outer layer of stems, and finely chop stems.  Put broccoli into large serving bowl with nuts and red onion.

Whisk together mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar and salt. Pour over pasta, stir, and chill until ready to serve. At last minute, stir in bacon and grapes.

Recipe -- Homemade Ranch Dressing

I really need to be making these simple things at home.  They are fifty times more healthy, not much more difficult than opening an envelope and mixing with mayo and milk, less expensive than buying at the store, and I always have the ingredients on hand.

RANCH DRESSING

1 c. lite mayonnaise
1/2 c. buttermilk* FOR SALAD DRESSING OR
                           1/2 c. sour cream FOR VEGETABLE DIP
1/2 t. dried chives
1/2 t. dried parsley
1/2 t. dried dill weed
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. onion powder (I sub dried onion flakes and grind in my mortar)
1/8 t. salt
1/8 t. black pepper

Whisk all. Chilling for 30 mins. before serving will give dressing time to thicken a bit.

*Buttermilk: put 1/2 T. vinegar in bottom of measuring cup. Add enough milk to total 1/2 c. Let sit five mins. before stirring and adding to recipe.

Holly's quote

"You can tell I'm a homeschooler because I'm more excited that I registered to vote than I am that I got my (learner's) permit."


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She did both today; although she was allowed to register to vote, Voter Registration will hold her paperwork until she turns 18.

Things we did Sunday

1. Went to church. Haven't done that in quite a while.  We were already running late, and I missed the exit on the freeway!!!  I must have been thinking I was going to work. Hahaha!  So we got there really, really late (20 mins.).  On the plus side, we didn't turn around and go home, right?

2. Lebanese Festival. Ate a lot of delicious Lebanese food.

3. Stopped at the mall. Trevor and Robert ended up buying t-shirts; Holly and I bought shoes.

4. Picked up Kurt on the way home to spend the night with Trevor.

5. I came home and took a nap!

6. Holly and I played a few board and card games.  We haven't done this in several years!

7. Trevor and Kurt took Lucky for a walk.

8. Threw together a mishmash of leftovers for the kids, and it turned out well:  5 chile rellanos, rice, refried beans, chips and salsa, and I opened a can of pineapple.

9. Holly and I went for a walk.

10. Robert washed the spider out of Holly's window, so she can open her window tonight.

11. Holly and I watched Food Network Star while Trevor and Kurt played--you guessed it--video games.

Red, white and blue

A quiet Memorial Day. Holly came back from TeenPact with a cold and has been trying to catch up on her sleep. It's hot and muggy. Robert and I went to Kohl's; another unsuccessful outing at this horrid little store, surely the worst store in the chain. Trevor and I went for a walk. I admit, I am a little gunshy about everything, as my poison ivy continues to clear up (two weeks post contact). Memorial Day was celebrated with a dinner of cheeseburgers, corn on the cob, onion rings, and these adorable drinks.

Back to Tennessee

Ways we knew we were in Tennessee:

1. When the speed limit is 55 through Knoxville, everyone else is driving 70.  Minimum.  It's happened every time, and we used to it now.  Much safer to drive with the  traffic flow.

2. WE GOT HOLLY!!!!!!!

3. No, we did not eat here.  But it was literally down the street from Daisy Duke's, another place at which we did not eat.

4. Beautiful Smoky Mountains.

5. Unfortunately, I was not prepared with my camera.  I got this shot just fine--

but I missed the right side of the building. Just past the JESUS IS LORD sign is another: WE BUY GUNS.  It was a little weird.

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All in all, we flew. 

12 hours
720 miles
two food/bathroom stops
two gas stops
one change driver stop
one rest area stop
two kid pick ups

We're home and tired of driving!

May 22

Robert and I celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary.  I'd been battling both bronchitis and a nasty case of poison ivy, calling in sick two days last week. I guilted myself into working on our anniversary.

He came all the way down to work and brought me flowers.

When I came home, Robert and I went with Trevor for pizza at Bellacino's.  For the past many years, we've enjoyed going out by ourselves, but Holly was in Tennessee, and it just seemed right to celebrate with Trevor along too.

Teen Pact National Conference

Robert and I drove Holly down to Dayton, TN last Sunday for TeenPact's annual National Conference. It was a nice drive (loooong, but nice). We drove through a big rain/thunderstorm just before Dayton, but the camp was dry when we arrived.

The beautiful lodge where the girls stay

Word is that there is a record number of teens attending, well over 500. There's a live feed of many of their speakers, and I've listened for a few minutes when I can.

We've been missing her desperately at home. Cell phone reception is quite spotty.  Yesterday morning a received a quick text, "Omg I found reception!" When I excitedly responded, she wrote back that she was "good" and was in the middle of doing something else.  Oh well!  I am looking very forward to picking her up tomorrow!

End of soccer season

At the end of regular season play, our RAMS ended up in third place (out of eight teams), earning a spot in the "consolation" game between the third and fourth place teams.

We had more than the usual interest in winning this game.  The other team's new coach had left our RAMS 9-12 year old team to take on the Titans 13+ year old team. Understandably, he also took his own kids off of our 13+ team, along with several players from the 9-12 team. 

We'd already played them in our first game this season.  Despite their "new and improved strategy," we beat them in that game, 1-0.  They'd improved as the season went on, barely making it into fourth place.

We easily won our "consolation" game, 6-2.

Coming off the field after the game

You'd think we'd be jumping for joy!

But three of our players are graduating seniors, and it was their last game ever for our soccer league.

One very happy coach.

Cooling off and winding down.

"Y'all better come back next year!"  (Robert doesn't really say "y'all."  But I do.)

Reliving one really sweet victory.

Giving thanks to God for a great season.

Soccer season is almost over.  Our team has done quite well.

 As of last week, we were in a three way tie for first place. For the last regular game, we played the worst team in the league, and the other two first place teams played each other.

Unfortunately, the worst possible scenario happened.  The other two teams played first and tied.  Robert was out of town, so we didn't have our regular coach.  And we lost, 0-1. 

So a game that should have clinched our second place position ended up putting us in third place.

Not such a bad place to be, but it sure would have been nice to play in the championship game instead of the consolation game this week.

(All photos in this post were taken earlier in the season.)

Peruvian street food

I am so in love.  Holly ate this last year in Peru.  We ate it last month while driving through DC. It was easy enough to replicate, and it was delicious--ultimate comfort food.

SALCHIPAPAS

One bag of frozen fries (regular, smaller than steak fries, larger than McD-style fries)
One package all beef hotdogs, or other high quality dogs
condiments

Prepare fries as directed on bag.

Meanwhile, slice hotdogs.  Add small bit of oil or PAM to fry pan, and heat to medium high.  When it is hot, add hotdogs, frying on both sides, until just beginning to brown.

When fries are done, evenly distribute among dishes.  Top with dogs. Further top with condiments of choice (ours were mustard, ketchup and mayonnaise).

For future reference, I am noting here that I might consider trying a homemade rosa(?) sauce next time.

This is not something Robert would appreciate, but it was a perfect fun meal when he was out of town.  If you need to feel healthy, make a smoothie to go along with it.

Family History

My great-great-great grandfather Herman Franz Teupen was born in Germany in 1837. Upon arrival in the U.S., he became known as Frank Teupe and made his home in Louisville, Kentucky. He was a piano tuner and craftsman.  He patented what was known as his vertical "giraffe" piano. I am guessing that one of his children or grandchildren brought one of these pianos to Seattle, as one has recently made the news there. (The current seller is no relation.)

 After Frank's death in 1901, his daughters put his patent up for sale. I do not know if there were any buyers.

These photos are of the piano today (well, in the last few years). Isn't it beautiful?  Last I read (in the article linked above), it was for sale. I wish we had the money to buy it, but as the current sellers put over $10K into it for restoration, I'm thinking it's a bit out of my price range.

For several years before homeschooling, I worked on my and Robert's families' genealogies.  All of my stuff is either on an old hard drive from three computer back, or stuffed in file cabinets somewhere in my basement. I enjoyed it back then.  Meanwhile, several of my relatives have started a email list to discuss family, memories, etc.  I am appreciating seeing different pieces pulled together, and I appreciate that someone recently saw and shared pictures of this piano. I'd already known that our Teupe ancestor was famous for his pianos, but I didn't know further details.

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Note for future reference: Frank married Elizabeth Kortmann; their daughter Mary married Bernard Droppelmann;  Mary and Bernard's granddaughter Rose married Bernard Connor. "Mother" Rose was my mom's grandmother.

Clematis in my garden

We've always loved clematis and have planted it at every home we've lived in.

National Law Day

We don't have many organized homeschool field trips here. It's not even that we don't do them; there aren't a lot of opportunities. There are several co-ops, but the "big" homeschool group doesn't even have any sort of regular get togethers. It's more of a clearing house to get out information. One of the local moms pulled together a visit to the federal court house in honor of National Law Day.

The court house is conveniently located in downtown Roanoke, and the court staff went to great lengths to provide a full morning for our group of about 35 middle school and high school kids.

The lobby was set up with several information stations just for us. There were flow charts, a U.S. Marshals' vest to try on, photos of evidence, displays with (fake) illegal drugs, and more. Meanwhile, Holly had been randomly chosen to sit on the jury. 

Trevor and Kurt

The kids viewed a mock trial to show them how the system works at a federal level. In addition to the judge spending the entire morning with us, there were also two federal prosecutors, two public defenders, several marshals, a probation officer and other court staff. All provided great insight into their role in the system and were eager to answer any questions our group had.  (Haha, aren't homeschoolers notorious for not asking questions?)

The marshals showed us a number of very cool high tech toys that are often used when searching for bad guys.

We were shown a short video of the "crime" that took place. The defendant was a boy from our group who also plays on our soccer team. His alias was Mad Dog, and he was brought into the court room in shackles.  I called him Mad Dog a few days later at soccer, but he didn't seem to appreciate it.

The jury listened to both the prosecution and the defense, and the defendant was found guilty.  There were a few audio difficulties during the morning, which unfortunately made for too much time where we could not hear anything at all. Overall though it was fun and informative, and I'm glad my kids have seen something more real life than what is shown on tv.

The jury; Holly in the back row, second from left.

 After court, we decided with Kurt and Judy to lunch.  Holly suggested our mutual favorite Alejandro's.

Cool old church downtown

Alejandro's--yum!!

A pretty walkway.

I liked this sign: "Yes. Ladies Enjoy Eating Here."

It was a fun day. I wish we did more field trips.

Playing with Trevor

We've always enjoyed our word games, although we don't play them as much as we should. While I made every effort to win (and offered occasional suggestions to him), he killed me in Scrabble, 304 - 252.

Walk the dog

Trevor has been bringing Lucky on our walks lately. For the longest time, he's asked if he could. Lucky is so calm at home but is a pain to walk. He's excited, he pulls, and I could only remember Trevor as a little boy driving me crazy by yanking poor Lucky with his gentle lead. The gentle lead goes around his muzzle. It's easier to walk the dog--as long as it's snug enough. And several years ago, he slipped out a couple of times, which was just one more reason that I didn't want to bring him along. But that was a loooong time ago. I'd forgotten that Trevor has grown a foot since then and is old enough to walk the dog without input from me. Lucky seemed to be able to tell the difference too. He was excited, sure, but he also behaved very nicely for Trevor.

So nice to be able to get out not just with my son but for us to have our sweet doggy with us too. Lucky seems in perfect health, but at 12 (11? can't remember!), he's getting old. We've been so blessed by this puppy from the very first day that I'm happy to do something to make him so happy too.

Beach (Wednesday, Thursday)

I'm still a few weeks behind blogging. Blogger, like all else google, has undergone radical changes in the past week or so. Meanwhile, my computer started dying, so I'm getting used to my new computer, trying to gets photos transferred from the old one, and work with the blogger redesign. If I were going any faster, my head would spin!

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Wednesday at the beach. Another sunrise on the porch. No pics from the day. Trevor and I took a long walk on the beach with Dave and Janet and even saw dolphins, always a highlight! Robert and the kids back to the Boardwalk. Pizza for dinner to wrap up our last night.

Thursday. Last sunrise.

A treat for everyone shortly before we left!

I'd checked out several Peruvian restaurants near Washington, DC, along our way home. I pored over reviews, gave the menus to Holly and Trevor and told them to choose the restaurant. Their decision was unanimous.

They were convinced by the lomo saltado on the menu.  Holly had eaten this a few times in Peru and loved it.  I came nowhere close to replicating it at home.  We also ordered Peruvian broiled chicken, salchipapas, and fried yuca.  And the kids had Inca Kola.  The place was not fancy, but the food was incredible.  It was the perfect way to end our vacation, and I can't wait to go again--to both the beach and out for more Peruvian food!