I started working on a new novel, and now I have blog block.
What should I write about?
Today, Stacey Sao of Boston Central kindly tags in with a guest post sharing some of her favorite spots for fall fun (thankfully, the forecast looks good for the weekend so you can take advantage!):
Autumn is one of my favorite times of the year in New England; I love taking in the sights of fall foliage against a brilliant October sky, the smells of hot cider, and the crispness of the air. It's the perfect opportunity to create some time-honored autumn traditions with your family so I wanted to share some of my favorite spots to savor the season.
Apple & Pumpkin Picking
There are many local farms and orchards that offer pick your own fruits in the Boston area -- a few of our favorites include:
Corn Maze Mania
Work together as a team and try to find your way through a giant corn maze -- each maze is carefully crafted with a specific theme and design. Try your navigational skills at:
To find a pick-your-own orchard near you, check out our Massachusetts Apple Picking Guide -- or visit our website to find lots more things to do in Boston with your family.
Image credit: Clare Bloomfield / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
When Laurel started using a locker at school, I was immediately transported back to the days where I'd gaze lovingly at magazine cutouts in my locker between periods. Included were the likes of Michael J. Fox, Rob Lowe, and Duran Duran (and yes, I had coordinated pieces of flair for all of these artists on my denim jacket). Subsequently, I was feeling rather nostalgic when I heard that Duran Duran is playing at the Wang Theatre in Boston on October 28. Reps for the show kindly offered me tickets but I wanted to pass them along to one of you awesome readers, so read on to learn how to enter to win! Meanwhile, now I can't get Hungry Like the Wolf out of my head.
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THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
Congrats to winner Junelle!
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THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
Congrats to winner Junelle!
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Rules:
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*One lucky winner will win a pair of tickets to Duran Duran, October 28, 8pm at the Wang Theatre in Boston. Sweet!
A few weeks ago, the little angel and I found ourselves watching television in a hotel room in Topeka, Kansas. It was some chef show in which the pastry chefs had to recreate the edible forest in Willy Wonka for the original cast.
And yes, at one point when I was watching it I did ask myself seriously?
In general, I don't like competitive reality television shows. I don't really enjoy public critiquing of any sort. I don't know why I'm a writer. But this show particularly bothered me because one woman who worked extra hard on -- well, should we say the group projects of the edible forest perhaps neglected her own stuff a little, you know, for the good of the whole. And since I'm not a reality TV afficionado or reviewer, I don't remember exactly what the judges said. But it went something like this: You should've been thinking of yourself more.
Basically, she contributed to the forest in general expecting to get credit for that and didn't really focus on her own dishes. And they sucked. I don't remember what they were, but the general consensus was that they were horrible, and when it came time for judgment day, the judges were all, you know, maybe focus on you a little more. Off with your head.
Okay, so I don't even remember if she was the one who got voted off. Beside the point.
The point is I thought to myself, well, that's pretty harsh. And it got me to thinking about the world of work and the world of writing and whether or not it's true that you should pretty much eschew the community for the sake of your own projects. Truly, there is a balance, but is it as bad as all that? Should we all be pitching each other aside in the hopes we'll make our own star shine brighter?
Perhaps we should if we are pastry chefs. See how much I learned?
But in general, I think that's a pretty shit philosophy. Right? RIGHT?
In my ongoing quest to find protein-rich vegetarian meals for kids, I picked up a package of Harmony Valley vegetarian hamburger mix at Whole Foods and knocked together a batch of vegetarian chili yesterday for a gathering with friends. Though I've always found the make-vegetarian-food-look-like-meat thing a little odd, now I get it. Especially when you need help transitioning someone from non-vegetarian to vegetarian eating. This chili was a huge hit -- Laurel loved it and the grown up guests were clamoring too. Here's the how-to:
Ingredients:
1. Prepare Harmony Valley mix per instructions (so easy...just add water and let stand for 15 minutes). In a large pot, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Add onion and stir for a few minutes. Add the prepared Harmony Valley mix and stir, breaking up chunks.
2. To keep the mix from sticking, add canned tomatoes, black beans, and pinto beans -- including the liquid from the beans. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, and salt. (After all the ingredients are added, taste and adjust. I went mild on the spices because Laurel doesn't like things too spicy.)
3. Toss in the bell pepper, zucchini, and corn. Obviously, you can sub in whatever veggies you want but this collection made for a nice color contrast. Stir until ingredients are blended and veggies are heated through. Then turn off the heat to avoid overcooking the veggies (I like veggies to still have crunch to them). Serve chili with shredded cheese and tortilla chips if you like.
And that's it! Super easy, loaded with protein and fiber, and kids will enjoy too. Yay!
Image credit: Harmony Valley. They have lots of recipes if you need inspiration, but basically, use the vegetarian hamburger mix as you would ground meat. I will definitely be using this again for vegetarian tacos and lasagna.
Gardening Note to Self Number 425: Do not use too much mulch.
Last spring I had one of those "if a little is good, a lot is BETTER!" moments when figuring out how much mulch to buy for my flower beds. I ended up with a lot left over. The intelligent thing to do would've been store it for later. But no, I just went ahead and put it down anyway.
Beloved took one look at it and said, "That is way too much mulch."
And I completely ignored him.
Fast-forward to last week. I started noticing mushrooms. And the sort of huge black flies that come up from the maws of Hell to announce the sequel to Ghostbusters. And a ... stench. Of rotting things.
Yesterday, I removed all that mulch. I have blisters and aching muscles and the woods behind my neighbor's house are filled with a four-foot pile of half-fermented mulch, mushrooms and one-eighth of my immortal soul.
But it is gone. Lesson learned! I WILL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN.
We're hosting friends today so I'm just popping in quickly to share some fun event ideas for this week, spanning Hispanic culture, green living, babywearing, fossils, a shopping extravaganza, opera for kids, and a lovely event for bookworms young and old. Have a great Monday and to my friends northward, Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!
Image credit: JFK Library & Museum
Today, Stacey Sao of Boston Central kindly shares a guest post including a fantastic roundup of activities for the holiday weekend:
Happy October! This massive event roundup should help everyone get into the autumn groove. There is much to cover so I'll just get to it! On the fall festival scene, there'll be lots to see and do at the Annual Cranberry Harvest Celebration in Wareham. If pumpkins are more your thing, you can pick out this year's pumpkin at Pumpkin Day at Bourne Farm in Falmouth. In Providence, families are invited to see thousands of nifty jack-o-lanterns at the Jack-o-Lantern Spectacular at Roger Williams Zoo. It's also the final week to visit the Topsfield Fair.
If you're heading up to New Hampshire to get a sneak peek at the foliage, you can swing by the Pumpkin Festival at Charmingfare Farm in Candia, the Warner Fall Foliage Festival, or the Milford Pumpkin Festival featuring the famous Punkin' Chunkin' Air Cannon.
For Columbus Day weekend, take advantage of the extra day off at the MFA's Annual Fall Open House with free admission and special activities to enjoy. In addition, The Fenway Alliance: Opening Our Doors Day 2011 will be granting free access to 22 other cultural gems in the Fenway Alliance. View the entire list of venues that will be welcoming visitors at no charge this Columbus Day. Additionally, you can celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at the JFK Library & Museum with a festive Mariachi Band Performance with Veronica Robles free of charge.
For those who love a quest: Partake in a fun, outdoor Columbus Day Scavenger Hunt at Gore Place in Waltham. Or, if you dig archaeology, check out the AIA-Museum of Science Archaeology Fair at the Museum of Science for lots of interactive exhibits. If you are on the hunt for a great deal, swing by Family Swap Day in Somerville with a bag of gently-used clothing, toys, games & costumes, then fill up a bag full of new-to-you consignment treasures to take home. Recycle and rejoice! Finally, if a new pet is what you seek, trek on up to the New England Reptile Expo. You'll find reptiles, invertebrates, and amphibians galore!
On the music and theatre scene, The King & I is playing at the North Shore Music Theater. This show is a real crowd pleaser with lots of singing, dancing, and an amazing set. At the Regent Theatre in Arlington, SteveSongs (aka Mr. Steve from PBSkids) is back in town for a fun new CD Release Concert. And on the literary front, the Wellesley Players will be performing Little Women, the Musical.
Lastly, the food truck craze that's been sweeping the nation will be hitting Metrowest in Framingham on Sunday. Enjoy your favorite foods to the tunes of live music at the WBLX Monster Food Truck Festival at Shoppers World.
For lots more family-friendly event choices this month and all year long, visit BostonCentral.com.
Image credit: Arvind Balaraman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
"The leaves are starting to fall, Mommy."
"Yes. That front tree will go first. It won't take long. It usually loses all its leaves a day or two after they start to drop. Then the three in the back take a lot longer."
"Maybe that's the mommy tree, showing her babies it's okay to drop their leaves: Just relax and let go."
I thought of all the layers to what she'd said, what leaves provide to a tree, what faith a tree would have to have the first time it dropped its leaves if trees have souls.
Stunned into silence, I watched the leaves flutter to the ground.