NorthDownMuse

Half a Yellow Sun

My reading material has progressed from the horrors of China from the 1920s to the 1970s to the horrors of Nigeria in the 1960s. This book is about the establishment of Biafra, a state within Nigeria created after atrocities a muslim tribe committed against another tribe that was predominantly Christian--but

Secret sauce

My friend Hema stopped by the other night and I pumped her for information regarding a spicy vegetable dish she made when we visited recently. One of the secret ingredients is a paste made of garlic and ginger. You put equal amounts of each in a food processor with some

USA USA USA

They played so much better against Portugal than Ghana. I was so sorry they couldn't eke out a victory. 6/22

Making the grade

The big news in the local paper is about the high school football stadium. A booster club talked the school board into a $1.1 million renovation of the stadium. The booster club would raise $600,000. You know where this is going, right? The cost has soared past $2

No visa yet

I had hoped to hear this week on the application, but no news. I'm reading another book--something I struggled to do when I worked. I'm planting a second garden for mom. I run every other day. I e-mail my friends. I miss my dog. I have

What's wrong with this picture?

I asked my neice in England if I could bring her anything back from the U.S., where clothes are extremely cheap. She requested something from Hollister. Do you think their advertising has anything to do with it? And yes this little hottie was in my bed. I put it

David's Birthday!

Is today. He started early, taking his daughter to Belfast to take the bus to Dublin. She had retuned the prior evening from France, where she attended an animation conference. Then he went back to Crawfordsburn to walk Maysie and shower, then to work. This afternoon he'll go

FIFA

I've watched bits and pieces of the World Cup. My two cents: The U.S. needs to pull it together and play more aggressively. It can't count on getting lucky again, as it did due to Ghana's poor aim when it had a shot

Photos of my hard work

West Virginia's red clay soil makes me miss Pennsylvania's boulder-filled soil. At least, once you get the rocks out, the soil is good in PA. Here are my shoes after planting the laurels: The job entailed digging five big holes and mixing peat moss into the

China Syndrome

Have you ever read a book that was so bleak, it seemed to suck energy out of you every time you picked it up? I'm reading Wild Swans about three generations of women in China. It is tough going. We start with the warlord system, where women'

Back to the garden

Today I helped a neighbor remove a honeysuckle tree and I transplanted some lamium from her garden to my mom's. Later, mom and I went to a nursery and bought five large mountain laurels, which I will be planting along the back of the house. Mom's

Hema cooked!

Tonight we had dinner with Hema and Shri, who live a few doors away. Hema is a phenomenal cook. When I saw The Lunchbox [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2350496/], I immediately e-mailed her telling them to see it. It's about a woman who uses her skills as

I cooked!

Mom has been cooking for me since I got here. Every time I suggest helping out, she's all "No, you sit down and rest, this won't take long." Today I insisted and made a spinach-quinoa-egg-feta cheese dish that she really liked. Yay! All credit

Doc who rocks

I took mom to the doctor today for a check up, then blood work, then x-ray. The friendliness of everyone we encountered reminded me that West Virginia was my back-up plan if I didn't make it to Ireland. The doctor explained a lot of things to mom that

Allergic reaction

In the midst of Radnor horse country, a doctor has an office in her stone farmhouse. She's an allergist. When I looked up her practice, I found that Malvern Prep, up the street, has an Allergy Action Plan. Might the amount of chemicals dumped on our lawns, the

Ruby red at Ruby Tuesday's

I'm NOT out of battery. The cute barman at Ruby Tuesday's said I could move my laptop to the bar, pass him the cord, and I'm plugged in (is that another Freudian thing?). He's from Parkersburg but lived away for a while--in

On the road again

After a final excellent meal with Aunt K, mom and I headed west, back to Parkersburg, WV, where my mom has lived since 1982. Here's today's insight. I should be very happy about not reporting to my cube every day for a 10-hour shift (four days

Another world

I've been staying within a stone's throw of the Radnor Hunt. When I run in the morning, I see hundreds of acres of mowed fields (mowed!) around very large and imposing homes. Talk over drinks the other night was about the price the M. Knight Shamalayan

Aunt K

Mom and I are staying with my namesake, Aunt Kathleen at her eclectic barn conversion-house in Malvern. She is both an amazing cook and a gifted decorator who travels around the world decorating clients' homes. She loves entertaining and it has been a hoot watching her and mom compare

You can't go home again

Today was busy. Haircut in the morning, lunch with my peeps at Vanguard, then a long visit with a former neighbor, who was kind enough to give my mom a tour of her antique doll house collection, then I went back to my house on Kimberton Road. I sold the

Rx

One of the things I love about being back in PA is hooking up with my support team. Chiropractor, massage therapist, hairdresser. I've seen them all at this point and am feeling much better. I was under a lot of stress before I left town, due to the

Aunt and Uncle

My mom was one of 10 Caseys, five of whom are still living. Today we went to see the oldest sibling, my Aunt Rosemary, who is also my godmother and my idol. She is 92 wise years old. Until very recently, her mind was sharp and her perspective on life

Billboard blues

When you live in the U.S., you may not realize the extent to which advertising has invaded every available inch of your peripheral vision. As I left town, I tried to count the number of signs stuck in the grass beside the road. Along Route 401, I saw signs

No photos

I realize there has been a dearth of photos in recent weeks. The visa process has been all consuming, so I haven't taken any photos. I'm writing blog posts in volume today at a Panera's because I can't seem to access my

Mom's house

One of the great things about my mom's house is the constant stream of friends that stop by. West Virginia ranks right up there with Ulster for the friendliness of the people. I'm not here 24 hours before I've visited with Nancy, Judy, Shree,