Leaving 970 & Local Charity Advise Please!

We are leaving #970, it's official. It’ll take about another month and a half for us to wrap up the state-side side of our lives and then we’ll be off. It’s going to be hard to say goodbye to #970, not to mention all the junk we’ve stuffed into it’s nooks and crannies. But luckily, I have found two very good charities, ones that will get most of what we are not taking with us. Since I have so much stuff please, please, if you know of a good, reputable charity in St. Louis that accepts donations of household items tell me about them (other than the Salvation army, Good will, Am Vets, etc. Not that they're not reputable, just that I already know about those guys). Thanks!

While we wind down our US lives, Matthew is getting things going for us in Beirut, Lebanon—our destination. No, I’m not involved in this on anything other than a conceptual level. He’s managing all of it—the car situation, apartment, everything (until I show up, that is). I’m really looking forward to going back. There’s so much to do and see and this time I get to do and see it without two children in diapers.

It isn't clear how long we will stay, and Matthew and I have decided that we're fine with an undefined period of residence over there.

Beirut is where Dandelion was born, where Star learned to talk (in French and Arabic before English, actually) so it isn't like we don't know what to expect or what we're getting into. We do, or at least we know a whole lot more than the first time we arrived back in 2004. And guess what? We did not fail out of Lebanon 101.

Feed Me

Last weekend, my cousin Katherine helped us find the carnivorous plants at the Botanical Garden.

I've probably walked past these little predetors a dozen or more times and failed to notice them. Or maybe I did notice them and then I forgot that I had? The trouble with the Botanical Garden (and I'm not entirely sure such a thing can even be called 'trouble') is that you can't possibly notice everything. There's simply too much for that. It's an unimaginable luxury, really.

Kids had a great time. They always do. Here they are in the Japanese garden, looking every bit as happy as they actually were.

We had a lovely time.

Mad Art

Last night Matthew and I went to the Mad Art Gallery. It's a really fun building to be in--very nicely kept and lots of separate spaces to explore. You can watch a little movie about the gallery and the history of the building here.

We were there for the St. Louis Showcase. Here's a picture of their poster.

And here's Matthew in the Jail Cell Listening Room.

And here's a shot of one act on stage.

Those with good eyes will make out a cellist on stage. She's been teaching Matthew to play for the past year, and she's the best.

At City Museum

City Museum had been on our minds for a while, and this past weekend, we decided it was time to make a day of it.

Here we all are, on a rebar-encased airplane wing, suspended three stories up in the air.

It's one of a precious few photos of all of us.

My St. Louis

My parents moved our family to St. Louis when I was almost six. Actually, they moved us to the outskirts of West County (from Kensington, MD). They still live in the house where I grew up, about 30 minutes west of where I live now. I left home two months after I turned 17. Leaving home took me all over the place; out west, Europe, the Middle East. I came back to the US, to the St. Louis area about two years ago.

During those years away from here, I told people all the time that I grew up in St. Louis. Of course, That's really only the truth if you don't know anything about St. Louis, and at the time, I guess I didn't. But then the people I met usually didn't know anything about St. Louis either. Except one guy in the Army post office in Germany dropped his jaw when I told him I was from St. Louis. A nice girl like you?, he asked me. Really? St. Louis is tough, isn't it?

Well, out in the suburbs . . . all the way up until two or three years ago, I thought that I had been raised in the suburbs of St. Louis. But no, I wasn't. Now that I live in the suburbs of St. Louis, I realize that I actually grew up in the suburbs of the suburbs of St. Louis.

Because I grew up so far from the city, I often get the feeling that I could have grown up in any suburbs ANYWHERE in America and it would have been pretty much the same. You can't say that about cities and you can't say that about small towns either. Both have a sense of themselves as entities with their own history, character, and culture. Small town Illinois isn't the same as small town Georgia, just as Chicago definitely isn't Atlanta. But I bet you their suburbs are too similar to tell apart.

When I was a kid, downtown St. Louis was a foreign place. We went into the city on rare occasions only. Mom infrequently went to Soulard's Farmers Market, and there was a sheet-music shop not far from the market where she bought etude books for me and Joe and Suz. Add to those destinations a baseball game or two, and that would be a fair summary of my childhood exposure to the city of St. Louis. Everyone out in the suburbs believed the city was a dive, and either they were all wrong or they were all right. I might never know the answer to that particular mystery.

The city didn't start to become a place of interest for me until I was a teenager, but then I left at 17 before getting to know the city at all. One of the best things about coming back to St. Louis has been getting to know it and really feeling at home here. I'm really glad that I've had the chance. For me, St. Louis will always occupy a favored spot among all the places I have lived in the big world beyond the suburbs of it's suburbs.

Evasive Maneuvers

That's me, playing chase with the kids last weekend at Tower Grove Park.

I'm kind of a camera hog, so normally, I would have been holding the camera and Matthew would have been running around with the kids.

I think I might just add this picture to the small collection I have of myself with my kids. A keeper if ever there was one.

Gelateria Del Leone & Pho Grand

Suz was in town today. Her visit with us was brief. She'll be leaving for California soon. It isn't every day that one's sister comes for a final visit ahead of a cross-country move, so we decided to make an occasion of it and meet for lunch.

That took us down to South Grand, where we chose to try out Gelateria Del Leone.

It was very nice. Sometimes it hits me how many things my children see, do, or experience that were not part of my childhood. Gelato is on that list. I had my first in Rome (of all places!) when I was 19. It felt a little like Italy in the Gelateria--the portions were just right and the flavors were bright.

Matthew and I didn't order anything but the girls were happy to share. They had Mexican chocolate and three different berry flavors. Yummy.

After that it was off to lunch with Suz, Joe & Katy at Pho Grand (literally next-door to the Gelateria). We've been there more than a few times over the past two years and it's a favorite. It's my habit to order something I've never tasted before when I go there; easy to pull off considering their extensive menu and my general inexperience with Vietnamese food. Is it luck or just a sign of quality that I've enjoyed everything I've ever had there?

Sitting on Art

While doing my daily check-in on the blogs I follow, I read Joe's post about Citygarden, a new sculpture park in the heart of downtown. His post has it all--video, pictures, and this closing line "Citygarden had the magical affect of making me look up and admire the city's skyline - something I actually can't remember doing on Market Street before."

That is the stuff envy is made of, at least if you're me. For it's part, envy is the stuff plans are made of. I took a quick peek at a map, got the girls into their swimsuits, packed a picnic lunch, and we were off.

The kids got right into the fountains and stayed there for most of our visit. Eventually, Star needed to refuel. Here she is sitting on Jonathan Clarke's 2006 Lifestyle.

Later, we moved on to Tom Claassen's 2004 Untitled (Two Rabbits).

The whole experience was fantastic for the kids, who explored Citygarden in the most tactile way possible--splashing in the pools and fountains and climbing all over the art--none of which was in any way discouraged.

And of course, it was profoundly pleasant for me. I went there with one Sister-in-Law in tow and ran into another soon-to-be while we were there. We sat in the shade together talking while the girls paddled about making friends in a nearby pool.

Often, envy ruins it's objects--spoils them because the envied thing can't live up to the anticipation or the desiring of it. Not so with Citygarden. Maybe it was running into Katy, having grown-ups to talk to, or the nice weather. Or, maybe it was just Citygarden. Being there was wonderful--far and away better than I had imagined it would be.

Recently, At the Reptile House

We spent a very rainy 4th of July morning at the St. Louis Zoo, scurrying from one covered spot to the next.

We took shelter in the Reptile House for a good deal of time that morning. Here's Matthew, making the exhibit come alive for the girls.

From where I was sitting, watching my family I had a nice view of the atrium.

As a work of architecture, I really like the Reptile House. It's one of the oldest buildings at the zoo. I wanted to find out more about it's history so I checked the zoo's website. Turns out that the Reptile House is exactly as old as #970. Both were built in 1927.

The zoo structures built during this period incorporated animal figures into the low-relief sculptures ornamenting the building's facade. Creepy, perhaps, but also didactic in a charming sort of way.

At Papa's Office

Recently the girls went on a trip to papa's office.

They wrote a bunch of important stuff on the wipe-board walls.

Then they hung out in the break room.

After that, it was time to go out for Japanese.

It was a rough day.

Ok, So I Did Watch TV

Last night the girls and I watched Iron Chef in our resort on vacation. It didn't really keep their interest or mine until I realized that Isaac Mizrahi was one of their judges that night. As a kid I guess I got swept away by Isaac Mizrahi when I saw Unzipped, the documentary of the creation of his fall 1994 collection. Ever since I've been delighted every time I come across more news of him. He's become a sort of happy angel that flits in and out of my world. And so there he was on TV, a judge on Iron Chef.

I'd heard him interviewed on Splendid Table a while ago, so I wasn't really suprised to see him in the food genre. Mizrahi does everything. He has written comic books about would-be fashion model, done a little acting, hosts a talk show, etc. But now, just NOW I read that he is also going to be designing Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music at Opera Theater of St. Louis. In his spare time he's coaching the singers and planning spring galas. Gosh. Isaac Mizrahi is the best.

Twelve Dumpling Dinners

On a somewhat routine basis, Matthew drops in at our neighborhood international market on the way home from work to pick up a few bags of the world's best frozen pot-stickers (or as my kids call them, dumplings). One bag feeds the whole family and costs about $4. Star LOVES dumpling dinners, but that's not all she loves.

Not too long ago, Star drew me this picture:

Here, she said. This place. I want to go to this place.

The bus on the roof was a dead giveaway. Star had captured the essential features of the City Museum.

We've been twice, but those visits were more than a year ago. Star's memory bowls me over, though the City Museum is not the kind of thing that she would easily forget. It's an engaging place to be no matter how old you are. Kids enjoy the tactile aspect, climbing, sliding, swooping, exploring their way through the interior and exterior. Adults can do all that too, but they'll likely also notice that whimsy and artistry pervade the entire structure. It's just cool. And they had a circus. No wonder Star wanted to go back.

Of course, she wanted to go now right now! Can we please? But it was late in the day. Maybe around 4 pm. So, really, with entry tickets at $12 a piece, no. No, we won't go to the City Museum that late in the day. Star, I said, for all of us to go, we would have to spend as much as 12 dumpling dinners, and we wouldn't get to play very long because it is so late.

Once I converted the currency from Dollars to Dumplings, I was talking Star's language. For most kids, money doesn't make any sense at all so I think I'm on to something with this.

Mr. Ugly

A little while ago, Matthew and I made a date of a late evening stroll through the old-timey main street of a neighborhood not too far from our own. Everything was closed, so we were actually, literally window shopping. It reminded me of Germany and Lebanon at the same time, because we did that in both places. Not much reminds me of both places at once. Yeah, it's pretty much just babies and window shopping.

Anyway, we stopped to look in the window at Plowsharing Crafts. Like other shops nearby, their window display was attractive. I noticed, tucked in at the corners, clay pots. They were nice and big, pretty colors too, and perfect for being indoors or out. And since Frugalein must be satisfied about this kind of thing, I also noticed the price tags. Reasonable prices. Not a dime more (actually, several dozen dimes less because you don't have to pay tax at Plowsharing) than what I'd have to pay for the same product somewhere else. I made a mental note, because Mr. Ugly needed to be repotted and taken out for the summer.

Who is Mr. Ugly, you ask? Well, actually, his real name is Herr Häβlich, but Häβlich isn't the easiest thing for my kids to pronounce plus they sadly have no idea what all those sounds mean, so we anglicized it. This is a picture of my Mr. Ugly that I took back in February. He was overwintering in the dining room and has grown quite a lot since then.

Late last summer, my neighbor invited us to come see her Night Blooming Cereus open up on a still and cool summer evening. A few weeks passed, and then she brought over a mason jar with cuttings from the plant. They rooted well and I planted them in the only unused pot I had and kept it in the dining room. Not more than a week later I had my parents over for dinner. When my mom walked in and saw the plant she instantly (and delightedly) declared that I had a Mr. Ugly plant.

Apparently, years ago, she had a plant like this. One of us named it Herr Häβlich (we all had German in High School, so it's anyone's guess where that name came from) and the name stuck. Mom had no idea that it was a night bloomer, though. Her Mr. Ugly stayed in the house year-round, so he never got the chance.

Earlier today I went back to Plowsharing shortly after they opened, selected a large pot, and brought it home. While I was there I found out that the store is run entirely by volunteers, they're a non-profit, that they have been in St. Louis for nearly three decades. To me, that's almost as impressive as the help they have provided to people who need it. Fair trade allows artisans throughout the world to benefit from the sale of their products in wealthy markets like the one down the street from me. From now on, when I need a gift for someone in town, Plowsharing will be my first stop.

This evening (I had to wait for sundown. I just can't take the brightness or the heat or the skin-burning.) I repotted Mr. Ugly into the Plowsharing pot and found a place for it outside where he will get just the right amount of sun.

Too Many to Count

It's been a really nice, really full day. It started with guacamole, homemade by me, because I felt like having it for breakfast. Here's how I did it:

1 ripe avacado, seeded and mashed
1 t. lemon juice, though lime's better if you've got it
1 T hot salsa
2 T fresh cilantro, cut up into tiny bits.

Blend it all together and serve with chips--package and send some with your husband who doesn't hold with early-morning guacamole.

Next up; a trip to the Botanical Garden. The purpose for this particular visit was to find a suitably "spring"-like present for the girls' cousin. We did, and we also wandered around and took a lot of pictures while we were there. Here's one:

So much was blooming. In the Climatron we saw, among other things, limes budding on a lime tree and a (pink!) pineapple growing like nobody's business. The roses were spectacular. Star happily wandered the hedge maze in the Victorian garden while Dandelion refused to be photographed. They both adored the tiny frogs swimming merrily in the pool where the Angel Musicians danced overhead.

Our plan was to go from the Garden to the Airport, where Aunt Terra would catch a flight to NC for the weekend. We had a few extra minutes, so we ducked into Sweet Art for cupcakes.

I'd been curious about this little shop for ages. The proprietors are a couple. She bakes, he paints. Sweet. Art. Lovely. The cupcakes were good and the art was lyrical. Their savory menu looked marvelous, so I'll have to go back some time when I'm thinking "meal" and not "child-appropriate snack".

The rest of the day didn't photograph quite so well. We dashed to the airport and then dashed back to the house where I threw together a sack lunch for Star to take to her school picnic. I took the kids to their schools for the last time--summer break is setting in. Got home and worked a bit on the back-yard fire pit. Tried to cleaned the gutters but realized I really am too chicken to clean the ones on the back of the house (where there's no porch to catch me if I fall). Went shopping and bought blackout fabric for curtains in the girls' room, a birthday present for a party Dandelion's going to tomorrow, and a swim cover up for me. Picked the kids up (from school and the bus stop) for the last time--it's officially summer break. Took them to the pool. Dandelion went down the slide! Came home. Made dinner. Got the kids to bed.

And that brings us to me, sitting here typing this. Hopefully, in the next few days, I'll sink into a rhythm for the summer. Maybe, even though the kids will be with me all day every day, I'll finish some of the things that I'm in the middle of (too many to count, actually) and when I do I'll share pictures of it with you.

Musical Listen-and-Learn with Zimbabwe Nkenya

Here's a picture of Matthew, Terra, and the kids (seated dead center) enjoying the Mbira music of Zimbabwe Nkenya at the St. Louis Art Museum.

The performance was done in conjunction with the museum's African Arts Festival, and was a pure delight. Prior to the performance the kids were invited to make hand-held shakers, like maracas without handles. Of course they still had them in their hands when the performance began, and Nkenya was visibly pleased when his performance was punctuated with enthusiastic shake-a shakes from the kids surrounding him.

You can see one very simple Mbira that Matthew bought in Nairobi in this post from my old Beirut blog--it's shown in the picture; number 2.

At the Green House Sale

Weekend Highlights

It has been a dizzying weekend. Here are some of the high points:

The kids both earned yellow belts after 3 months of Karate-on-Saturday.

The Lavender and Chives finally sprouted. I hadn't given up watering even if I had given up hope.

My sister and her family came to town and we celebrated niece B's birthday with a trip to the Butterfly house. Star remains (inexplicably) terrified of them--maybe because they flutter?

To decorate the birthday cake, Suz brought the most enormous gummy butterflies from a little shop in Tipton.

We found out (from the people who work there) that of all the families that bring their children to our gym's child center, we are there most often.

Dozer really is a charming puppy, even if he does more jumping and climbing than my girls know what to do with.

Oddly, I had a crop of unexpected daffodils in the back yard this spring. They popped up out in the grass, getting in the way of Matthew and our lawnmower. So I dug them up. Any takers (from folks in town)?

We got a package from Oma Bonnie and Grandpa Dan with super birthday presents inside.

The girls and I cleaned, organized, and completely rearranged their room. Now, all their toys are in their bedroom instead of in the play room. It's better this way.

I have resumed composting, and the thing I like most about it is how very little ends up out at the curb on garbage day.

My Very Own

A little while ago I posted a tiny quote from the Southern Living Garden Book about my favorite herb: Aloysia Triphylla, the beloved Lemon Verbena.

About a month ago I began noticing signs all around our neck of the woods advertising for the Webster Groves Herb Sale. I wanted to check it out last year, but missed it. When I saw the signs this year (that popped up overnight like spring crocuses) I decided to check for a website so I could check for a comprehensive list of herbs-for-sale, to check for Lemon Verbena. Well I checked and found all three. I was so very excited about. I was going to have my very own Lemon Verbena plant. In my very own yard. Later this summer I would have leaves to make my very own, very favorite tea.

But I missed the sale. Sadly, it coincided with our celebration of the girls' birthdays at the Botanical Garden's Chinese Culture Days. I was pretty broken up about it, as you can imagine. Stupid scheduling conflicts. Stupid laws of the natural world that won't allow me to be in two places at once. When I realized that I had missed the sale I spent the next 48 hours in search of other herb societies that might be having other sales. I thought about calling local elementary schools that raise money by selling plants. Maybe they would have it, I thought. I also considered trying my luck with an on-line purchase. Normally I wouldn't want to buy a plant sight-unseen, but for Lemon Verbena I began to think that I just might.

The thoughts of tracking down my favorite herb didn't last. I replaced these thoughts with feeble attempts to forget about it and not feel too disappointed.

And then today I saw a notice (on Facebook!) about an upcoming plant sale at the Botanical Garden. The Greenhouse Plant Sale will take place in a little less than a week, the notice said. I didn't dare hope that they'd also have my coveted Lemon Verbena. After all, it's a bit obscure, at least it's obscure in the tea isle. Plus, I expected that a Greenhouse sale would feature exotics and tropicals; things like that--things that would require a Greenhouse.

Though the odds were against it, I checked their website to check for a comprehensive list of herbs-for-sale, to check for Lemon Verbena. After finding all three, I had a smile on my face. So what if there are scheduling conflicts? So what if the laws of the natural world won't allow me to be in two places at once? Somewhere in this fine city, there will be another plant sale, and that sale will have exactly what I want. And in about a week, I am going to have my very own Lemon Verbena plant. In my very own yard. And later this summer, I am going to have leaves to make my very own, very favorite tea.

At the Zoo

Attagirl

Today we woke up early and drove to Forest Park for the final 1.2 miles of Star's mile by mile marathon. Here's our happy finisher with her gym teachers. Way to go!

Go!St.Louis did a great job with this event. The instructions they gave us were perfect, the event was well-planned, their volunteers (who managed every step of the event for parents and kid-participants) were effective, and the whole thing was a lot of fun. I'm glad we chose to be a part of it.