Catching Up with The Girl

Jill Aigrot

Isn’t she lovely? She’s French. And tiny. And so gracious and delightful. Her name is Jill Aigrot. If, like millions of other people, you saw the movie La Vie en Rose you have heard her voice. She provided the singing voice for the actress who portrayed Edith Piaf. We were delighted to have her appear on our stage this past Saturday night. She was a huge hit! We’re still getting positive feedback this morning. Usually, we in the box office only hear about it when people have something to complain about. It’s so nice when the audience leaves a performance as happy as they did Saturday night.

I took tons of photos but haven’t had time to process many of them. This was my favorite of the few I looked at. Concert photography is so challenging. There’s nothing more frustrating when it goes badly – or pleasing, when it goes well. At first blush, it appears I am going to be happy with this batch.

Smallpines rattled my cage this morning, reminding me that it’s been a while since I’ve updated. I think it’s time for one of those “dishwater” posts, as he calls them.

Work has pretty much consumed most of my life lately. I haven’t had a day off all month – and probably won’t get one until Good Friday. It’s wearing thin.

I’m looking forward to a few days off in mid-April. I’m flying to Philadelphia for a multi-purpose four-day weekend. I’ll spend a couple of nights at my sister’s in Bordentown, NJ. I’m hoping to take the train into the city to see my niece…and get her to freshen my haircut! Before flying back to Tennessee, I’m attending an annual gathering of a group of women I’ve shared some amazing experiences with. I’ll fill you in on that little group later.

And…I’m getting healthy. I really am. You know, all my life I’ve heard “diet and exercise.” “Diet and Exercise.” “DIET AND EXERCISE.” You know the drill. The diet sometimes works out – but usually not the exercise. Well, I’m here to report that there’s something to this exercise thing. About six weeks or so ago, I started walking. I didn’t take it on as a project. It was just a nice day – and I started walking. THREE MILES LATER, I thought I was going to die! But, I was so proud of myself. Later that week, I did another 3 miles. And another. And on and on. Now I average 4.5 miles three to five times per week – and I’m feeling GREAT! The weight has begun to come off, too. It took a while, but these last two weeks have been very productive. I’m not even dieting. Just exercising. Who knew?

I’m actually taking the rest of today off. I brought my exercise clothes – and I’m outa here!

See you on the trail!

Happy St. Patty’s Day!

Isn’t everyone a little Irish today? I know I am. I don’t know why, but I have always celebrated St. Patrick’s day with a fervor. Maybe there’s some sort of genetic programming buried deep inside me. I have a new green shirt to wear today. I know…I’m silly. But, it’s fun.

I decided to bake cookies for the office, even though my biggest fan is off on spring break. We’ll have to muddle through and consume Chris’ share ourselves. I wanted to display them in a little classic end-of-the-rainbow pot, but couldn’t find one. I probably should have given that some thought around Halloween, when they might have been available as “witch’s cauldrons.” I decided a leprechaun’s derby would work just fine. I made these cookies using my standard cookie recipe, which I posted earlier this year. Here’s the link to the stand-alone recipe.

They’re decorated with an icing that uses a somewhat exotic ingredient. Normally, I would balk at posting a recipe calling for something that the average household does not routinely stock.
But, this icing dries with a smooth, shiny surface, yet stays soft enough to bite right through with ease. It’s perfect for decorating cookies, and it’s worth the extra trip to get stuff you need. The mystery ingredient is meringue powder. It can be found in cake decorating sections of stores like Michael’s and Hobby Lobby. You can substitute dried egg whites, if your supermarket is one of the rare stores that stocks it.

I’ll be using this combination of cookie dough and icing again in a few weeks when I do my Easter egg cookies. If you like to do decorated cookies, give these a try. I think you’ll like ‘em.

Suzette’s Decorating Icing

1 Pound Powdered Sugar – sifted
1/2 Cup Butter (do NOT use margarine!)
3 Tablespoons Meringue Powder
1 Teaspoon Flavoring of Choice – I like Almond
5-6 Tablespoons Water or Milk

Cream the butter, then add the powdered sugar and meringue powder. Add the flavoring and 3 tablespoons of liquid. Blend until smooth. Add more liquid until desired consistency is reached. If you want totally smooth tops, you will add maybe even more liquid than called for. Keep adding it until a ribbon of icing drizzled back into the bowl slumps smoothly into the icing remaining in the bowl. Color as desired and pipe or spread onto cookies. Allow to dry overnight before stacking. Eat bunches!

Note: Using water makes for a quicker-drying, slightly firmer icing. Using milk makes for a slightly richer taste, IMHO – but the decoration is just a tad more fragile. Try it both ways. You’ll probably have a definite preference one way or another.

Gold Mining!

OK…if you’re squeamish, just click away from this page right now. If you’re a 12-year old boy…or anybody else who thinks gross things are kind of funny (sometimes), forge ahead.

So, let me tell you a little bit about my dentist. He’s very cautious. Before he will permanently cement a new crown into place, he makes his patients wear them with temporary glue for about six weeks – to make sure the fit is perfect, doncha know. Sounds good. But, temporary glue is not meant to last that long, and they always – ALWAYS – fall off, causing frustration and discomfort to said patient. That sets the scene.

Let me tell you a little bit about my dog, Sassy. She’s a Jack Russell terrier. Jack Russells bark a lot. And hop around a lot. And eat everything in sight – even things not meant to be eaten. But, among things that are actually edible, Sassy has a few passions. Carrots are one. Marshmallows are another.

I like marshmallows, too. Especially the little ones. A handful makes a great, non-fat dessert.

So, two nights ago, I was relaxing in front of the TV, munching on a handful of mini marshmallows. The dog was watching every little morsel go into my mouth. It was just like the crowd at Wimbledon. Head to the left…head to the right…head to the left. You get the picture.

Wouldn’t you know…the temporary glue on my latest crown gave way, and the thing came out of my mouth, with a mini marshmallow attached. Unhappy about having to once again deal with a wandering crown, I set it on the coffee table and finished the rest of my snack.

The dryer full of clothes finished drying. Time to fold!

You already know where this is going, don’t you?

Yup! When I returned from the laundry room, my crown was nowhere to be seen. I’d like to say that Sassy gave a satisfying burp, but she didn’t. I JUST KNEW!!!!

Here’s where the goldmining part comes in. I will spare you the unpleasant details, but I’m sure you can fill in the blanks. Jack Russells have very fast metabolisms. About 24 hours later, I had my crown back. Unscathed.

The question is…how clean is clean? How many chemicals must I soak this thing in? How many ways can I scrub it? Should it be autoclaved?

I think my dentist and I will have an interesting afternoon.

And, the moral of the story is…JACK RUSSELLS ARE NOT PICKY EATERS!

‘Maters!

Today, Noble Pig featured a recipe for homemade tomato soup. It looks and sounds so yummy, I said to myself, “I can’t wait until I can make this with my own vine-ripened tomatoes.” Then, I realized I hadn’t talked about my garden.

Late last week I got a head start on spring. I planted three kinds of tomatoes in starter pots…Early Girl, Steak Sandwich Slicer and Sugar Snack (a cherry variety). They sprouted right away. I’ve pulled out all but the most vigorous plant from every little pot, and now they’re getting big and strong out in the garage under artificial lighting. I had to put them in the garage because the cats are really bad about eating tender greens. Boy, would that have TIKT ME AWF!!!!!

Once these babies have real leaves and strong stems, I’ll put them outside for a little while each day to “harden” them, and eventually they will be planted either into their permanent pots or into something a little bigger than these starter pots so they can be given away to friends.

I’m now in the market for ‘mater containers. I’m thinking trash cans. Or something along that line. It needs to be big enough that a tomato cage can be accommodated – and so that the water won’t evaporate too quickly. I need to cruise the dollar store. I found the perfect containers (medium-sized storage boxes) at Walmart, but they’re about $8 each, and that just seems a little high for setting up an entire container garden. I may go for them, though. Depends on what I find elsewhere.

This is all in reaction to my earlier panic about the economy. Oddly, I’m feeling a little more comfortable with things (even though the economy looks much worse than it did back in September). But, I still want to try my hand at patio gardening. I have SUCH a tiny space. It will be interesting to see what I can get out of it. I’ve also got lettuce and radish seeds, but I think it’s a tiny bit early for those to go into the ground. I’ll probably plant those when the tomatoes are transferred to their final homes.

This will probably be a summer-long battle between me, the elements and the bugs. I’m looking forward to it. Come along and watch me struggle!

Incredibly Boring….

I’m just so very bored, I thought I’d write about it.

The day started out with such promise. I went for an early mammogram. I thought it interesting that torture can be scheduled for 7:30 in the morning. You’d think dungeon masters would prefer sleeping in, wouldn’t you?

After the medical stuff, I remembered that my car registration was a week past due. I had time. Plenty of time. So, I dashed over to the vehicle inspection place and responded to mumbled instructions as best I could. I must have done it all correctly, because a mere hour after arriving, I drove away with my treasured “passed” receipt in my hot little hands.

Having still more time to kill, I decided to swing by the county clerk’s office and finish the registration process. No lines. No waiting. No “take a number and be seated.” Three clerks said in unison, “Can I help you?” as I walked in the door! It felt like something out of a strange dream. So, less than five minutes later, I was gluing on my new plate sticker….and I was still early for work! (We open at 10.)

That’s when everything started slowing down, like some distorted, creepy movie.

NOTHING is going on here. We’ve sold 11 tickets all day long – mostly for one of the two kiddie shows we’re having this weekend. No calls to speak of. No mail that’s worth opening. It’s now 3:35, and the most productive thing I’ve done all day is find the box of coffee stir sticks for a coworker.

I have read the obits from my two former hometowns and was once again relieved to not find my name among them. After that, I decided to research ways to strengthen my shins in order to make my walks more comfortable. Who knew I’d be contemplating shin strength in my sixties?

I tell you, it’s one big party here in the Memphis suburbs. Maybe I’ll go home and put the pantry in alphabetical order. I can’t wait!

Sparkling in the Sun

Just a quickie to show off our big snow of last night. Down here in the Mississippi Delta, snow is a very big deal. Any kind of snow. We got a nice blanket last night, so we’re really excited. Of course, the sun came out this morning, so it’ll be gone by mid-afternoon. SIGH….

The daffodils have been in bloom for a while. The trees were well into the budding stage. That made for some big, fluffy clumps on the branches. I wonder if they’ll have to start all over, or if they will survive? It didn’t get all that cold, really.

These are the shrubs at the corner of my house. I tried to capture the sparkles. Can you see ‘em?

Gotta run now! I have to leave for church in less than an hour…and I’m a mess. Just wanted to show off our Wintry Wonderland!