There’s no farm share this week. Well, there’s a share but it is residing in A’s fridge, as I’m jetting off tonight to visit some people who live somewhere pretty exciting. This has been in the works for Quite Some Time. I would warn you that there may be some radio silence coming up, but that’s sort of the usual for this blog. So, par for the course!
In the spirit of that jetting, here’s one of my favorite songs, Send Me On My Way by Rusted Root. Just try and not dance along – it is that infectious. It’s a good anytime song, but also good for cooking, driving, sending people off in style, doing lab work, having a personal dance party in your cubicle, or a slightly less singular dance party over Skype. Sarah, did we ever dance around the kitchen to this particular song? If not, consider starting a new tradition – those happy dancing hippies are probably Our People.
And a bonus! All that dancing or driving probably has made you thirsty. Or hungry. Or something. All I know is that a couple of summers ago, all I had to do was look at somebody the right way and they’d burst into a beautiful, haunting melody about a delicious blended ice cream coffee delight: the Coffee Toffee Twisty Frosty.
I went to a contra dance on Monday. I went with my man, who’d never been to a contra, but had been practicing during lonely times at work via YouTube. He was enthusiastic and caught on quite quickly. The musicians were really great and the crowd was enthusiastic, and even though the dances weren’t really beginner-friendly, he caught on really quickly. I sat out one of the dances in the second half and the band played one tune, called Glen Echo Jig, by Larry Unger (I went up and asked when the dance was over). The dance was so lovely and the tune was so happy, and I was so happy to be there. There was also a couple that had a baby in a Baby Bjorn. The baby was so calm, wasn’t fazed at all by all the spinning, and never spit out her pacifier, all while her parents were dancing away! I could see my friend Sarah being those people in another couple years. Anyway, the first jig in this video is Glen Echo, your song for the week! The video also shows what looks like a nice winter hike in the Whites.
In other news, I made some roasted broccoli with this week’s farm share. I followed Alton Brown’s recipe except made one minor change: I roasted the broccoli in a glass pie plate instead of a metal cake pan. Didn’t notice any difference because quite frankly, I was too busy noshing. The toasted Panko was a brilliant addition!
Look! An uninspiring photo of roasted broccoli!
In addition to broccoli, this week’s share also had fava beans, a turnip and its greens, and half a summer squash. Yum! Again, I’m linking up to the What’s in the Box series by In Her Chucks. Check out the other participants here!
Last week was really and truly hot in these parts. And my apt holds heat. I’d get home from work and everything – floor, bookshelves, walls, stuff lying about – would be warm to the touch. So I’d change into a tank top and pile my hair on top of my head and lay on the floor drinking ice water. And in this kind of weather, I find it sometimes hard to craft because there are rivulets of sweat running down my neck and my fingers are sticky. So I cut fabric instead. The above nice pile is the beginnings of an On a Whim quilt and I’m super excited about it.
I was on the phone the phone the other night with my friend Z, listing all the things that made me happy, because really, right now in my life there’s a lot of happy. Z is a friend I’ve met through blogging way back in the dark ages of the internet (read: high school) and as only children, we sort of adopted each other. He’s been around through a lot of angst and tooth gnashing, so it was happy to be able to share the happy with him. I’ve been listening to this Imagine Dragons song and it’s so happy and handclappy and panflutey – Sarah, give it a listen! I enjoyed the planets last week, thanks for sharing that. This song is good on repeat in my cubicle, good to shlep boxes to, just generally good.
And I know it’s hard when you’re falling down
And it’s a long way up when you hit the ground
Get up now.
– from On Top of the World by Imagine Dragons
The first weekend of April, my friend A and I went to Boston to hear Of Monsters and Men. WFNX started playing their single, “Little Talks,” and we discovered them at about the same time and emailed each other a flurry of excitement: “Creaky ship noises!” “Members of the band yelling HEY!” “It sounds sort of nautical and Nordic and cool!” I got their 4-song single and liked it. Then I saw that tickets to their Boston show were on sale and cheap (!!) so I snagged a pair, not knowing what I was in for.
The opening act, Lay Low was great – lovely voice, great stage presence, and A and I both decided we wanted her fashion sense, which was a cute dress with Docs. And she stomped on a drum while she played. All kinds of awesome.
Of Monsters started with Dirty Paws, the first track off their album, My Head is an Animal. They walked onto a dark stage and started playing the first verse quietly. Then, with a loud HEY, the lighting effects were flipped on, covering the entire stage, instrument platforms, and backdrop with twinkle lights.
Dear Sarah, this is your weekly song. Of Monster’s and Men’s sound is so hopeful and exuberant, tinged with fresh air, their songs populated with rivers and waterfalls and woodland creatures. They sound like summer and joy and I hope you like them!
My second year of grad school, an old friend from high school set me up with my roommate. Megan was getting married but had a friend named Sarah who had a spot opening in her apartment. Sarah invited me over, fed me delicious chicken curry, and after some weighing of options (for which Sarah still gives me grief), I moved in. The year was great – we often walked home together, cooked a LOT of good food, played Dance Dance Revolution, had friends over for late-night ice cream, read Harry Potter, and, most importantly, forged what I hope will be a lifetime friendship. She now lives in Louisiana with her husband and blogs at Harmless Color. I appreciate her optimism, cheerfulness, and whimsical outlook.
A week ago, we were emailing back and forth and we decided to send a song to each other once a week, which morphed into a new weekly feature, A Song for Sarah! Update! Sarah’s post to me is HERE, go have a listen!
Dear Sarah,
You introduced me to Ingrid Michaelson sometime during that second year of grad school. You had me look up “You and Me” on YouTube (or something, details are sketchy) and we listened to it several times that night. You thought I’d like it because Ingrid mentions giving people nice sweaters and teaching them how to dance. I tried to sing along with Ingrid when her flexible voice leaped that octave; what came out was a squeak. I sort of remember clapping and dancing around the kitchen but that may have been another night. Ingrid’s music has been a part of other great little moments in my life: speeding down the 15 towards San Diego with three of my favorite people and the windows down (“Be Ok”), my best friend sitting on my bed in my parents’ house and trying to wrangle “You and Me” from my sad and out-of-tune ukulele.
I have to tell you that I am in no way an Ingrid aficionado. I haven’t heard much of her stuff and I probably don’t realize how big she’s gotten, only that she’s seemingly everywhere. And you’ve probably heard this cut already. But if you haven’t, it’s good, despite (I think?) being about a difficult relationship. I heard it first on So You Think You Can Dance because I love that show and make no apologies for it. I love how the piano and orchestration builds and builds until it gets quiet right at the very end. I hope you like it!
I finished the Bluebird Pillow yesterday and it is now living in my parents’ three season room. The filler pillow is from Ikea – love it!
Lucymade 