Saturday, March 2, 2013
The sea and the wind
Although I'm often very late to notice these things, I have felt a strange wind calling to me in the last few days. Perhaps spring is soon on its way!
Friday, February 1, 2013
Rememberance of things past
This morning I was lamenting to my husband that, outside of our cozy little bedroom chats, I don't have a safe space in which to speak. When I try to air my views on Facebook, it seems that there is always someone there to take offense or try to convince me that I'm wrong. And while I have often said that what our society needs right now is more debate, not less, my impulse at the moment is to get some things off my chest, not to form a dialogue with others. Right now I need a place where I can explore my views, because one cannot debate with others until one has a firm idea of how one feels. And then I remembered this blog.
I'm sure that by now no one is reading this thing, but perhaps that makes this the safest space of all, one where I can explore my feelings freely without any fear of being slammed down by others. So I'm going to start writing here again, starting today.
What's really bothering me today is the sense that the world that I grew up in no longer exists. I'm not talking about a simple nostalgia for LP records and typewriters. Those types of material things have always changed and will always change, and our modern alternatives are usually far better, anyway. Likewise, ever since I ended my first year of college and came home for the summer, I've had a feeling that the town I grew up in was going on with life without me, but I think this is entirely normal as well. I always knew that if I wanted to move back there, it would be like catching up on a soap opera one hasn't watched in 10 years; some faces would be the same, some would be different, and different storylines might be at the forefront, but with some effort, it would be possible to catch up and at least understand what was going on at the present and the broad outlines of what had occurred in the past.
This is different, because now my very childhood home is gone. Ok, so it's not literally gone. We still own the house and can still enter it if we choose. I could even bring a sleeping bag and camp out in my old room if I wanted to! But all the contents have been sold off at auction. My yellow piano isn't there anymore, and neither is Buster Brown on top of the kitchen cabinet. Of course I salvaged the most important things to me and have brought them here, where I'm trying to find a way to fit them into my new life. But the whole fabric of that old life has been irreparably damaged.
Again, I guess this is something that happens to most people eventually. (Although not to my husband, who is living in his childhood home surrounded by his parents' things and complains about that too, that he feels the past enveloping him like a shroud and not allowing him to move on.) But I'd always thought that if and when this happened, I'd be able to make a new home for myself if I chose, to find a different farm in North Dakota with trees and grass and a river and live there instead. But now I'm realizing that is never going to happen. As this article in the New York Times made clear, the old North Dakota that I knew is gone and never coming back. Whether the oil boom continues and North Dakota becomes another Texas, with everyone living in McMansions and sporting bling, or it busts and things empty out again, it will never be exactly the way it was when I was a child. It will never be so unsullied again. And that I something that I mourn.
I'm sure that by now no one is reading this thing, but perhaps that makes this the safest space of all, one where I can explore my feelings freely without any fear of being slammed down by others. So I'm going to start writing here again, starting today.
What's really bothering me today is the sense that the world that I grew up in no longer exists. I'm not talking about a simple nostalgia for LP records and typewriters. Those types of material things have always changed and will always change, and our modern alternatives are usually far better, anyway. Likewise, ever since I ended my first year of college and came home for the summer, I've had a feeling that the town I grew up in was going on with life without me, but I think this is entirely normal as well. I always knew that if I wanted to move back there, it would be like catching up on a soap opera one hasn't watched in 10 years; some faces would be the same, some would be different, and different storylines might be at the forefront, but with some effort, it would be possible to catch up and at least understand what was going on at the present and the broad outlines of what had occurred in the past.
This is different, because now my very childhood home is gone. Ok, so it's not literally gone. We still own the house and can still enter it if we choose. I could even bring a sleeping bag and camp out in my old room if I wanted to! But all the contents have been sold off at auction. My yellow piano isn't there anymore, and neither is Buster Brown on top of the kitchen cabinet. Of course I salvaged the most important things to me and have brought them here, where I'm trying to find a way to fit them into my new life. But the whole fabric of that old life has been irreparably damaged.
Again, I guess this is something that happens to most people eventually. (Although not to my husband, who is living in his childhood home surrounded by his parents' things and complains about that too, that he feels the past enveloping him like a shroud and not allowing him to move on.) But I'd always thought that if and when this happened, I'd be able to make a new home for myself if I chose, to find a different farm in North Dakota with trees and grass and a river and live there instead. But now I'm realizing that is never going to happen. As this article in the New York Times made clear, the old North Dakota that I knew is gone and never coming back. Whether the oil boom continues and North Dakota becomes another Texas, with everyone living in McMansions and sporting bling, or it busts and things empty out again, it will never be exactly the way it was when I was a child. It will never be so unsullied again. And that I something that I mourn.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Et tu, Breyer's?
So I was very happy to report a few months ago that Edy's is now making real ice cream instead of frozen dairy dessert, but it seems that good news has been balanced out with some bad news. Breyer's is now apparently making frozen dairy dessert instead!
A few weeks ago, I decided to branch out a little bit and try a new Breyer's flavor, butter pecan. To my surprise, it just didn't taste right, and it had a sort of a sticky texture, so I finally looked at the box and noticed it said "frozen dairy dessert"! Most, but not all, of the other flavors in the black box line are still ice cream, but I guess this just proves that you always need to read the label, even with brands you think you trust.
A few weeks ago, I decided to branch out a little bit and try a new Breyer's flavor, butter pecan. To my surprise, it just didn't taste right, and it had a sort of a sticky texture, so I finally looked at the box and noticed it said "frozen dairy dessert"! Most, but not all, of the other flavors in the black box line are still ice cream, but I guess this just proves that you always need to read the label, even with brands you think you trust.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Blue Bunny
Blue Bunny has always been one of my favorite kinds of ice cream. As a teenager, I knew it only from the small dixie cups available at Pizza Corner in Valley City. Later, when I moved to Iowa, where the Blue Bunny plant is located, I became entranced by all their unique flavors, and it was the only brand of ice cream I ever considered buying while I lived there. Now that I'm here in the Mid-Ohio Valley, it's once again become a rarity for me, as the only place it can be found here is at Wal-Mart. However, I'm starting to wonder if that's really such a bad thing.
I've had a couple of bad experiences with Blue Bunny lately. The first was coming across a flavor that I absolutely hated: homemade turtle sundae. I picked up a carton of this when we were recently at Wal-Mart, and it sounded like something the whole family would like. But I was very disappointed, as the ice cream had a very artificial taste to it and the little turtle candies were extremely waxy and unpleasant. I can be kind of an ice cream snob, but when my husband and 6-year-old stepson also refused to eat it, I knew we'd hit upon a clunker. And looking at the long list of ingredients, it's not surprising it's either artificial or waxy, is it?
I still thought this just might be a bad flavor until I attended my nephew's birthday party this weekend. They served bulk Blue Bunny ice cream in the pail, both chocolate and vanilla. It didn't taste too bad, actually, but one of the little kids decided not to eat his ice cream and it just sat on the table for hours. Although I could tell it had melted, the little scoop held its shape and didn't spread out. That is not the sign of a natural kind of ice cream! I know it's got to be full of all kinds of stabilizers to do that, and it kind of turned my stomach to think it might be doing similar things inside of me.
I'm not saying I'll never buy Blue Bunny again, but I do think I won't go out of my way to buy it from now on. It just isn't that special anymore.
I've had a couple of bad experiences with Blue Bunny lately. The first was coming across a flavor that I absolutely hated: homemade turtle sundae. I picked up a carton of this when we were recently at Wal-Mart, and it sounded like something the whole family would like. But I was very disappointed, as the ice cream had a very artificial taste to it and the little turtle candies were extremely waxy and unpleasant. I can be kind of an ice cream snob, but when my husband and 6-year-old stepson also refused to eat it, I knew we'd hit upon a clunker. And looking at the long list of ingredients, it's not surprising it's either artificial or waxy, is it?
I still thought this just might be a bad flavor until I attended my nephew's birthday party this weekend. They served bulk Blue Bunny ice cream in the pail, both chocolate and vanilla. It didn't taste too bad, actually, but one of the little kids decided not to eat his ice cream and it just sat on the table for hours. Although I could tell it had melted, the little scoop held its shape and didn't spread out. That is not the sign of a natural kind of ice cream! I know it's got to be full of all kinds of stabilizers to do that, and it kind of turned my stomach to think it might be doing similar things inside of me.
I'm not saying I'll never buy Blue Bunny again, but I do think I won't go out of my way to buy it from now on. It just isn't that special anymore.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Edy's is back!
I think it's been about 3 years since I regularly bought Edy's ice cream. When they switched most of their flavors over to the "Fun Flavors" line, which meant that they stopped being called "ice cream" and became "frozen dairy dessert," I stopped buying it. Now, I don't want you to think that I'm some kind of ice cream snob who made this decision based upon the names alone. (I like a good generic vanilla as much as the next girl.) I first noticed that Edy's all of a sudden seemed really weird and sticky, and it was only as I was trying to figure out why that I realized this change had been made.
Well, my boycott has finally been lifted, because Edy's has announced that they are doing away with the "Fun Flavors" designation and returning all their varieties to their old recipes. It's taken a few weeks for the new stock to appear in my local Kroger, but most of the flavors are now in the Grands packaging again instead of the Fun Flavors kind.
I decided to be a doubting Thomas and actually do a taste test to see if Edy's is really up to snuff, so I bought a carton of Edy's Grand vanilla and another of Turkey Hill homemade vanilla, and my husband and I tasted them both side-by-side. The winner, by a photo finish, was Edy's, so I can officially announce that they are back in the game again, tastewise at least.
One concern that I have is that although Edy's is now using real milk and cream again instead of whey, their products still contain several different kinds of gum. (The vanilla ingredients include guar gum, carob bean gum, carageenan, and xanthan gum.) Again, I'm not an ice cream snob who rejects all gums on principle, but with my sensitive stomach, the more gums you add to a product, the more likely one of them is to make me feel ishy. Only time will tell how I feel about Edy's product along this axis.
Well, my boycott has finally been lifted, because Edy's has announced that they are doing away with the "Fun Flavors" designation and returning all their varieties to their old recipes. It's taken a few weeks for the new stock to appear in my local Kroger, but most of the flavors are now in the Grands packaging again instead of the Fun Flavors kind.
I decided to be a doubting Thomas and actually do a taste test to see if Edy's is really up to snuff, so I bought a carton of Edy's Grand vanilla and another of Turkey Hill homemade vanilla, and my husband and I tasted them both side-by-side. The winner, by a photo finish, was Edy's, so I can officially announce that they are back in the game again, tastewise at least.
One concern that I have is that although Edy's is now using real milk and cream again instead of whey, their products still contain several different kinds of gum. (The vanilla ingredients include guar gum, carob bean gum, carageenan, and xanthan gum.) Again, I'm not an ice cream snob who rejects all gums on principle, but with my sensitive stomach, the more gums you add to a product, the more likely one of them is to make me feel ishy. Only time will tell how I feel about Edy's product along this axis.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
2012 Fall TV Season
It feels like it would be wrong of me to let the month of May go by without my traditional post-upfronts rundown on the TV schedule for next fall. I'm sorry for the delay this year, but as those of you who know me in real life understand, I've had a lot of issues on my plate in the last few weeks.
At any rate, here goes. I'll use the same format from previous years, giving my thoughts on each timeslot in the week.
Monday
8:00-- My stepson loves How I Met Your Mother, and after watching it last season, I've become a fan, too. So we will watch this on the hour, and at the half-hour we'll try new comedy Partners, about two formerly-single friends who try to adjust their relationship now that they've both found love.
9:00-- There's really nothing in this hour that I want to watch, as new show The Mob Doctor sounds too on-the-nose to bother watching.
10:00-- Castle! Also, we will probably record Revolution, a new drama about the aftermath of a world catastrophe in which everything that runs on power of any sort stops working. The preview we saw didn't fill any of us with great expectations, but we like to watch every new sci-fi show that comes along, so we'll give it a shot for a few weeks at least.
Tuesday
8:00-- I'll be recording Hart of Dixie, which was my favorite new show of the season. What we'll watch live is Raising Hope, which I've always loved and which has grown on my family over time, followed by new sitcom Ben and Kate, about a brother and sister who live together.
9:00-- We'll watch New Girl, which was never quite perfect last season but has kept us coming back, followed by Apt. 23, which I think is just fine and my stepson adores for some reason. I also plan on recording Emily Owens M.D., which stars one of my favorite young actresses, Mamie Gummer.
10:00-- I will check out Vegas, which is a period piece about the rise of that city in the 60's and the old-fashioned sheriff who tries to keep the peace.
Wednesday
8:00-- The Middle, followed by Suburgatory, which I liked more and more as the season went on. The men in my life also want to watch Arrow, a drama about the Green Arrow of comic book fame.
9:00-- Modern Family! Afterwards is a new comedy called The Neighbors, which had me when I read the description (unsuspecting family moves into new suburb filled with aliens) and then lost me again when I actually saw the preview, which looked excruciatingly dumb. Still, I'll give this a chance for a week or two just because of our devotion to sci-fi (as stated above).
10:00-- I want to watch Nashville, if for no other reason than that it stars Connie Britton and Hayden Panetierre, two of my favorite NBC stars of recent years.
Thursday
8:00-- This is the only hour where we have a three-car pileup. I definitely need to watch The Vampire Diaries, and the men in the house definitely need to watch The Big Bang Theory, but we are all mildly interested in Last Resort, that odd new drama about the crew of a nuclear sub who mutiny and declare themselves to be a nation-state. If we don't like that show, there won't be a conflict, but if we do, I guess I'll be watching The Vampire Diaries online.
9:00-- Glee! Also, I'd like to try out Beauty and the Beast, which is based on the CBS show of the 80's and stars Kristin Kreuk, the former Lana Lang of Smallville.
10:00-- We are all somewhat interested in Elementary, the new Sherlock Holmes show where Watson is a woman.
Friday
8:00-- Nothing.
9:00-- Fringe! Also Grimm, which I didn't expect much from last fall, but which has actually turned out to be a solid, if somewhat formulaic, hour of television.
10:00-- "There is only nothing again."
Sunday
8:00-- Once Upon a Time. This is another show that has performed solidly, and I'm interested to see what will happen now that the curse has been broken.
9:00-- Revenge. I really loved this show for the first 15 episodes, and then I feel like it drove off a cliff for the rest of the season. Still, I'm willing to give it another try. Also, The Good Wife, which will cause me to have to deal with CBS football overruns for another year.
10:00-- I'm interested in 666 Park Avenue, which has a old-fashioned vibe and stars another one of my favorite TV actors, Dave Annable.
At any rate, here goes. I'll use the same format from previous years, giving my thoughts on each timeslot in the week.
Monday
8:00-- My stepson loves How I Met Your Mother, and after watching it last season, I've become a fan, too. So we will watch this on the hour, and at the half-hour we'll try new comedy Partners, about two formerly-single friends who try to adjust their relationship now that they've both found love.
9:00-- There's really nothing in this hour that I want to watch, as new show The Mob Doctor sounds too on-the-nose to bother watching.
10:00-- Castle! Also, we will probably record Revolution, a new drama about the aftermath of a world catastrophe in which everything that runs on power of any sort stops working. The preview we saw didn't fill any of us with great expectations, but we like to watch every new sci-fi show that comes along, so we'll give it a shot for a few weeks at least.
Tuesday
8:00-- I'll be recording Hart of Dixie, which was my favorite new show of the season. What we'll watch live is Raising Hope, which I've always loved and which has grown on my family over time, followed by new sitcom Ben and Kate, about a brother and sister who live together.
9:00-- We'll watch New Girl, which was never quite perfect last season but has kept us coming back, followed by Apt. 23, which I think is just fine and my stepson adores for some reason. I also plan on recording Emily Owens M.D., which stars one of my favorite young actresses, Mamie Gummer.
10:00-- I will check out Vegas, which is a period piece about the rise of that city in the 60's and the old-fashioned sheriff who tries to keep the peace.
Wednesday
8:00-- The Middle, followed by Suburgatory, which I liked more and more as the season went on. The men in my life also want to watch Arrow, a drama about the Green Arrow of comic book fame.
9:00-- Modern Family! Afterwards is a new comedy called The Neighbors, which had me when I read the description (unsuspecting family moves into new suburb filled with aliens) and then lost me again when I actually saw the preview, which looked excruciatingly dumb. Still, I'll give this a chance for a week or two just because of our devotion to sci-fi (as stated above).
10:00-- I want to watch Nashville, if for no other reason than that it stars Connie Britton and Hayden Panetierre, two of my favorite NBC stars of recent years.
Thursday
8:00-- This is the only hour where we have a three-car pileup. I definitely need to watch The Vampire Diaries, and the men in the house definitely need to watch The Big Bang Theory, but we are all mildly interested in Last Resort, that odd new drama about the crew of a nuclear sub who mutiny and declare themselves to be a nation-state. If we don't like that show, there won't be a conflict, but if we do, I guess I'll be watching The Vampire Diaries online.
9:00-- Glee! Also, I'd like to try out Beauty and the Beast, which is based on the CBS show of the 80's and stars Kristin Kreuk, the former Lana Lang of Smallville.
10:00-- We are all somewhat interested in Elementary, the new Sherlock Holmes show where Watson is a woman.
Friday
8:00-- Nothing.
9:00-- Fringe! Also Grimm, which I didn't expect much from last fall, but which has actually turned out to be a solid, if somewhat formulaic, hour of television.
10:00-- "There is only nothing again."
Sunday
8:00-- Once Upon a Time. This is another show that has performed solidly, and I'm interested to see what will happen now that the curse has been broken.
9:00-- Revenge. I really loved this show for the first 15 episodes, and then I feel like it drove off a cliff for the rest of the season. Still, I'm willing to give it another try. Also, The Good Wife, which will cause me to have to deal with CBS football overruns for another year.
10:00-- I'm interested in 666 Park Avenue, which has a old-fashioned vibe and stars another one of my favorite TV actors, Dave Annable.
Back to the salt mines
It took me a while after my last post to remember a non-Breyer ice cream flavor we've tried recently, but it was so unusual that now I had to make a special post just to mention it here: Turkey Hill pretzel. I've always loved the Turkey Hill lowfat chocolate pretzel flavor, but as I mentioned before, I've sworn off all the Turkey Hill light flavors because of the additives they contain. So when I saw this new limited edition flavor in the freezer case, I got all excited and assumed it would be along the same lines, just with more fat.
However, when I got it home and read the fine print on the carton, I realize how wrong I was. The chocolate pretzel flavor has a chocolate swirl in it, while this flavor has a pretzel swirl. Yes, you read that right. They actually put a solid ribbon of crushed-up pretzels in the ice cream itself. It was, in one word, salty, and even my stepson, who is something of a saltaholic, thought it was too much! It turned out that I was the only person who could stand to eat this flavor, and then only if I added a heaping teaspoon of cocoa powder to it to boost the chocolate flavor and cut the salty taste. Needless to say, we won't be buying this flavor again, and you should try it at your own risk. (However, the On Second Scoop blogger loved it, so it's possible your results may vary.)
However, when I got it home and read the fine print on the carton, I realize how wrong I was. The chocolate pretzel flavor has a chocolate swirl in it, while this flavor has a pretzel swirl. Yes, you read that right. They actually put a solid ribbon of crushed-up pretzels in the ice cream itself. It was, in one word, salty, and even my stepson, who is something of a saltaholic, thought it was too much! It turned out that I was the only person who could stand to eat this flavor, and then only if I added a heaping teaspoon of cocoa powder to it to boost the chocolate flavor and cut the salty taste. Needless to say, we won't be buying this flavor again, and you should try it at your own risk. (However, the On Second Scoop blogger loved it, so it's possible your results may vary.)
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