Old Smokey

On top of spaghetti all covered with cheese.
I lost my poor meatball when somebody sneezed.

It rolled off the table, it rolled on the floor,
And then my poor meatball rolled out of the door.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Tune by The Weavers (On Top of Old Smokey)

http://bussongs.com/songs/on-top-of-spaghetti.php

It all comes down to food in the end, doesn’t it? I have tried to avoid the subject, but there is no getting around it, is there? Here’s my recipe for Italian meatballs for the classic dish of spaghetti and meatballs.

1 lb. ground beef

¾ cup Italian bread crumbs

1 egg

½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

2 slices American cheese, torn into bits

½ tsp. Kosher salt

¼ tsp. ground pepper

2 Tbsp. olive oil

Using hands, combine all ingredients thoroughly. I usually use disposable plastic gloves for this part to preserve manicureJ. In non-stick skillet, warm olive oil at medium high heat. Form meatballs into walnut sized, tightly packed orbs. Gently add each one into the pre-heated pan. Continue until all of the meat mixture is used. Gently turn with spatula until centers are fully cooked—20 minutes or so.

This recipe is a direct descendent of my mother’s recipe. Her meatballs were the size of tennis balls; mine, the size of walnuts for quicker, easier, more thorough cooking. Same evocative taste though. Funny how food, music, and fragrance can transport a soul right back to childhood, college life, travel on the road…

When I smell the classic Chanel No. 5, I invariably expect my dad to appear in his tuxedo (with extra wide bow tie a la 1970’s) and my mom in her gown, complete with (fake) fur, ready to go out for the evening. This meant only one thing, of course, the impending arrival of a babysitter with the chance to sneak by bedtime into the wee hours of the night (10pm). Accompanying this fragrance is the wafting from the oven where aluminum trays of Hungry Man tv dinners were heating; Salisbury steak with apple pie being the cuisine de choix. My brothers and I could and would sing rousing renditions of the children’s classic, On Top of Spaghetti while we waited for the events of our parents’ evening out to unfold.

So I make these meatballs every so often for my family to the same rave reviews. It puts persons in a great mood; but strangely enough, leads to arguments after this particular meal more often than not. Why is that? Arguments in the present and a generation ago. Strangely odd odds… Feels better to put this tidbit of my childhood out there in the “ether”.  Perhaps someone can add to this phenomenon if it resonates?

Cloud Collage

This late day cloud formation is lit in such a way that it seems as if the clouds were made of paper and were pasted on top of each other.

J. Vermeer View of Delft (1659-60)

http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/v/vermeer/02c/13view.html

Another influence on my photographic efforts must come from studying the small body of paintings (only 35 canvases) of J. Vermeer. He was interested in realistic perspective, use of the camera obscura, and of course, lighting on his bourgeoisie subjects.

In the View of Delft (above), Vermeer creates actual texture via the pigment and brushstrokes for a sandy, grainy, coarse foreground where the smaller scale persons are standing. The surface of the river water is relatively flat and smooth on the actual paint surface compared to the buildings and ground. The chiaroscuro found in the sky with dark and light clouds influence my photographic sensibilities with my cloud work. (I first learned of these techniques from a PBS program on Vermeer).

Topsy-turvy Eden

What is going on here?
Perhaps it is a zero-gravity nursery?

Monster sunflower in a community garden in Frederick, MD.

Garden Hose Mandala

Orange

Here's a homegrown dahlia in an Orrefors vase (a wedding present from kdw).

I like how the parallel lines of the placemat pattern is refracted through the crystal.

Who likes ranunculi?

I am a big fan of the soft, multi-petaled, fickle-to-grow floral.

Who can identify this landmark?

Hint: it houses landmarks.

Bonus: What is the subject of the frieze?

First one to answer correctly (in comments) has my kudos and certain bragging rights....

Rockets' Red Glare

A Proper Sunset

Fourth Fireworks

At Langley

Badge of Honor

shout·cast

[showt-kast, -kahst]verb, shout·cast or shout·cast·ed, shout·cast·ing, noun, adjective, adverb, verb (used with object)

1.   to transmit (message) at high volume person to person at close range, usually unintentionally. See vintage “Saturday Night Live” skits, “News from Ten Feet Away” http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xktxv5_saturday-night-live-news-from-ten-feet-away_fun .

It’s funny what kids remember and when they choose to share their recollections. My son recently recounted an episode from his days almost a decade ago at his Montessori pre-school. A little background first—he’s always been drawn to badges: shiny sheriff’s badges in the shape of a star, Boy Scout merit badges, and the like.

Moreover, he really enjoys figuring out how things operate. So he spent a lot of time using the pump-action little sink in his pre-school classroom. He told me that he would spend as much time as possible trying to fill a little bucket, ounce-by-hard-earned-ounce, before the “directress” (Montessori speak for teacher) would re-direct him to another activity. I disabused him of the notion that this little wooden cabinet with sink was attached to the main water line. Always the empiricist, he asked for proof, which I provided in the observation that the assistant directress would bring in a fresh bucket of water in the morning and put it in the cabinet. We think there was a second bucket for the drain!

Once this Everest was climbed, my dear son turned his attention to the chair and desk washing activity. A Montessori classroom, where “play is the work of the child” (Maria Montessori), is an orderly display of “gifts” (F. Froebel) accessible for educational exploration. Once he received the lesson on chair/desk washing, he enlisted the help of his fellow explorers. With a rousing call to rival Henry V on St. Crispin’s Day, my son said, “Let’s scrub them so clean, we’ll get a badge of honor!” And so they set out to do so.

At the end of the long arduous day (noon), his directress presented him with a… wait for it… Badge of Honor! By his own account, she “totally blew his mind! How did she know?!” She, of course, being the ever-vigilant but never-interfering directress, was in earshot earlier in the day whilst the plans were being made; or as my son puts it, “probably shoutcasted”.

Thanks to KK for making a distinct difference in my son’s life…

Veddy Arch

Flamingos in the Garden