In Nashville Indiana they grow peonies as big as yer HEAD!

So we had our second annual trip to Brown County-- (you can read about the first one in the September postings). Similar deal-- log cabin home, lots of fire and Yves veggie hot dogs. I was able to document the Perfect S'More this time:

Before:After:

My trick is to hold the graham cracker with the chocolate on it over the fire (hence the little roast-y lines) to melt the chocolate, while your beloved soul mate is toasting (burning) the marshmallow to perfection. mmmmm. I salivate. No wonder my diss is about food!

And from the town of Nashville, here are some of the loveliest and largest peonies I have ever seen! Zipper's grandma PJ would love them!

Next up, "the coldest pop in town!" more photos and a recipe for super teriyaki vegetarian kebabs.

Grief and Prospectus-ing

In doing research for the next phase in my PhD-ing, I'm trying to see if my favorite authors have anything new coming out. I really wish authors had something like IMDB, so I could see if a new book might come out-- like if something is currently filming, or in postproduction. Ruth Ozeki's writing is amazing (her novels have changed my eating patterns and God willing, will constitute a chapter of my dissertation). So looking at her website, I am compelled to link to a PDF for her most recent article, called The Art of Losing: On Writing, Dying & Mom. Like any good fan, I bought her documentary Halving the Bones and absolutely fell in love with her mother. I couldn't believe it when confronted with the cremains of her mother, she immediately started piecing through ash and bone fragments with her hands, commenting on how beautiful, how tiny and fragile the shards of her mother are. Now I feel like I've lost a loved one too, although I'm just a grad student reading, and Ozeki lost her mother over three years ago. In any case, because I share her mother's fondness for chocolate and brightly colored flowers, this is for both of them.

My next post will be happier, and will explain that in Nashville, Indiana, they grow peonies as big as your head.