Seasonal change

The hibiscus may still be flowering but there is a 50% off sale at the nursery so I wandered over there this morning and selected three evergreens, two Russian conifers and a dwarf blue spruce that can overwinter in the big pots outside the garage.


Of course we'd didn't just discard the hibiscus. After the lovely surprise I had when last year's plants flowered again this year I got Sadie The Guy to dig three holes in the same sheltered south-facing spot and plant them. Even if they don't make it through the winter they will probably still flower for a couple more weeks.

Saturday Morning Quote

Today's prize for the most dumb and/or insensitive remark made in this economic climate goes to ex-"Top Chef" host and cookbook author Katie Lee Joel:

“I love real estate. To me, real estate is the ultimate tchotchke. We have five houses; we like our real estate.”
New York Magazine

Most Americans just have to worry about one house, the roof over their heads, but for Katie Lee Joel houses are just collectibles. You can enable her to pick up another real estate ornament by dropping by her book signing tour (if you're quick you can catch her at the Book Revue in Huntington, NY tonight). And with 81,312 homes being repossessed by lenders in September I'm sure they will plenty for her to choose from.

You want to know what kind of tchotchke Katie owns?


Thanks to Domino Magazine you can view her Manhattan townhouse, where she arranges her smaller tchotchkes


Then changes them (and the chairs) out for something more soothing in brown.
And there's more about her Long Island houses over here.

Friday night special: The staying in version

Friday night is cocktail night but as it's also Hallow'een and I really don't want to think of a theme and go sit in a bar dressed up, I thought I'd throw my cocktail on some beef and make Martini Brisket instead. Yes really, brisket and onions in a beefy tomato sauce, finished with vodka, vermouth and olives. What could be better? The ice cold shaken martini that will go in my chilled glass, obviously.
And while I'm happily assembling the ingredients maybe you'd like a little Friday afternoon hiphop with MC Yogi?



Remember Vote for Hope

America

A thought struck me the other day. We've now lived at The Cool House longer than we lived in our previous house on Long Island. The first four years in the States seemed to go by slowly, we learned coping strategies for the huge portions in restaurants but not before we'd each gained five hundred pounds, one of us learned to say watuh so we could get a drink with our meals, and we allowed people to bring coffee and other beverages into our car. In short we adapted. The past four years in this house have simply flown by but in all this time there was one thing that still irked The Guy, there was one image of America he'd gleaned from the movies that had never become reality. He, bless, had thought that anytime a new person moved into the area, neighbors dropped round with pie. Or at least left one on the porch. (I know. He's thinking of 1950s America. Bless again). He'd talked to Americans about this and some had mentioned being given zucchini bread many years ago, but this was in real America not Long Island.

Then on Sunday something happened that renewed The Guy's faith in his dream, his ideal America. A knock at the door, a neighbor bearing a baking dish. Pie? No. Even better, the Awesome Designer sent the Loyal Blog Reader over with Mac 'n' Cheese. Not just any mac 'n' cheese, mind you, but Mac 'n' Cheese with White Truffles. A truly magnificent dish and a gesture that meant so much to The Guy. I swear there were tears in his eyes as he ate it. It might have taken eight years but the spirit of America was embodied in that casserole. Thank you, neighbors.

Now, America, if you'd just get out and vote for Obama on November 4th, you would make my dreams come true, too.

Fall Flavors

OK, it may be autumn but I just got a new paddle for my ice cream maker and I'm in the mood for ice cream. Kind of nuts really - the weather turns chilly and I turn the ice cream maker on but I guess you could always serve it with a steaming slice of pie, right?
Anyway, I have been experimenting with mixes that don't need eggs because no eggs means no cooking and cooling so the whole pocess goes much quicker and, based on the couple of recipes I've made so far, I prefer the taste and the texture.
I was intrigued by this recipe from Jenni Britton of Jenni's Splendid Ice Creams in Columbus Ohio. It uses cornstarch and a little cream cheese but she does boil the milk. I couldn't quite see why it was necessary so I did some more research and found another recipe that didn't. However, it did call for a whole lot of cream cheese - an entire 8oz package! That's a little too much Philly for my taste. So I amalgamated the two and came up with this Maple Syrup and Ginger Ice Cream to celebrate the fall season.

Maple Syrup and Ginger Ice Cream
2 cups whole milk
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2 tbls cream cheese
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup candied ginger, chopped

Blend cream, milk, cream cheese, sugar, maple syrup and salt until smooth. Churn in ice cream maker and add chopped candied ginger. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze.

Then at the weekend I got in the holiday season with another kind of eggless recipe: Whiskey and Cranberry Sour Cream Ice. This one is based on this recipe from Desert Candy. It turned out to be The Guy's favorite, I slightly preferred the other but I will make them both again and vary the flavorings.

Whiskey and Cranberry Sour Cream Ice
2 cups sour cream
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup cup sugar
2 tbls maple syrup
3 tbl whisky
I/2 cup dried cranberries

1. Soak the cranberries in the whisky for an hour or so.
2. Blend all other ingredients until smooth. Place in the refrigerator and chill while the cranberries are soaking. Pour cream mix into ice cream maker and add cranberries.
If I were making this again I might add some finely chopped candied orange peel to the churning ice cream to make it even prettier.
There are no photos of the ice cream because it was eaten so quickly so you'll have to be content with the tree that I snapped while waiting for a train on Monday. Pretty, no?

40 years on

Today in the occasional series celebrating the 40th birthday of our house we bring you 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Considered one of the Greatest Films Ever, we attempted to watch this 1968 classic on Thursday evening without the use of psychedelic drugs and we were defeated. It's not that we don't appreciate the metaphors and the message but did it have to take SO. FREAKIN'. LONG?
I actually gave up at the 2 hour mark, yelling "Enough already, I get it at the screen". The Guy, poor fella, who doesn't remember seeing it before, kept saying "Wait, it's nearly over, it must be nearly over". More in desperation than in hope, I think.
For those who can't sit through the iconic movie, or don't have the requisite acid on hand, can I suggest this multilingual site. It explains the movie so you can fake it when challenged by your film buff friends and you save a couple of hours of your life.

Art Deco and All That Jazz

Ok, it was tiny, poorly laid out and badly lit but the Paris/New York: Design Fashion Culture 1925-1940 did have a couple of gems: The radiator grille from the Squibb Building in Manhattan, designed by Buchman & Kahn and the gold on glass panels from the grand hall of the SS Normandie. Then there was a tantalisingly short clip of Josephine Baker performing at a French Revue and a steel model of the Trylon and Perisphere at the 1939 New York World's Fair.
It takes almost as long to read the title of the show as it does to go round it, but really the exhibition was a sort of hors d'oeuvre - it left me hungry to know more about the relationship between the two cities in that inter-war period and reminded me to walk down Fifth Avenue soon to look at the beautiful Art Deco facades we have in New York.

Tuscan Village?

So that outing to The Arches went as well as those who know me predicted it would. I came away with a headache, a new-found admiration for the parking skills of my fellow humans and a promise to NEVER, EVER go to an outlet center again. Oh, and no, thanks for asking, I didn't buy anything either.
I knew it was a bad idea when I sat for twenty minutes waiting to get into the car park. I knew I should have turned around and gone home when the sales assistant on handbags at Saks said "Ignore those special offer prices, there's nothing here at that price. I don't know why they're priced like that, I'm waiting to speak to the manager. Oh, but you can take 20% off any handbag"...? But it was when I heard the sound of a German oompah band playing live on the Via Firenze that I knew I'd come unstuck.
Best overheard remark from two shoppers looking over the home decor section at Neiman Marcus: What's the quickest way from here to T.J. Maxx?"

Beach Finds

I never find anything useful or interesting on the beach - an empty beer bottle maybe or an old cracked comb, doggy poop certainly; but not the sea glass or shells that others seem to pick up so easily. The other day, though, I hit the jackpot - an unspoilt clamshell, a bleached white stone and this piece of amber prettiness. It doesn't take much to make me happy.

Door Lust

If I were building a house I would design it around this pair of burlwood entry doors. Simply stunning, uniquely modern.
Available from Rago Modern Auctions on ebay

Award-winning Restoration

Saturday is for... total admiration and envy. This Frank Lloyd Wright home in Millstone, New Jersey has been rebuilt by architects Lawrence and Sharon Tarantino, who also own the house.


The restoration has been so sympathetic and striking that they won a Wright Spirit Award in the private category from The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, which “honors original or subsequent Wright homeowners who have rescued a building or have demonstrated outstanding stewardship in its conservation”. Read the story of the 20 year process that included being flooded twice, and their unique solutions addressing the problem, here.

Where am I?

Spain?


France?


Italy?


No, somewhere a little closer to home.

Spoiler Alert: Dead Snake

Snake! Snake! It's a snake.

OK, it' s a dead snake, but I have never seen any sort of snake this far north before. I know we have them, I've just never seen one and certainly I never expected to see one flattened on the road outside the Cool House. Such a pity. Click the image to get the full beauty of what's left of his silvery scales. I wonder if he has any family around here?

Can You Hear Me Now?

Dear Verizon and ATT
I hear that you respond favorably to demands from damsels in distress and provide cell phone coverage to those who ask for it, no special favors necessary. I'm therefore asking you to accord me the same service you granted to Cindy McCain, so that I can be heard (and others can hear me) in this important election year 2008.
I know that you didn't grant Ms McCain any special service because Senator McCain's campaign says so: "Mrs. McCain's staff went through the Website as any member of the general public would -- no string pulling, no phone calls, no involvement of Senate staff,"(...) Just because she is married to a senator doesn't mean she forfeits her right to ask for cell service as any other Verizon customer can."
I live in an Incorporated Village where the Board decided in 2005 that we did not need twenty-first century telecommunications. I don't know the reason, the minutes aren't very detailed, but in any case I am denied coverage, which puts me at a disadvantage living in a world dominated by Blackberry's and iPhones. I am out of touch, and it is affecting both my mental health and ability to do business. It also makes us look rather backward to our friends in Europe and Asia who can't believe we live in the greatest country on earth^TM yet still cling to our landlines. I know just how Ms McCain felt missing her text messages, and I think one of those portable cell towers or "cell site on wheels" would be a solution to all my cellphone woes. Maybe you could park it right behind the Village Hall?
I know you don't like to comment on individual customers and their requests but I'm confident you will give my request the same priority you gave the McCain's and I'm looking forward to a favorable outcome and "full bars".
Sincerely
modernemama @ The Cool House.

Blog Action Day: Poverty 2008

Today is Blog Action Day '08, a day when bloggers worldwide unite to raise awareness of a single theme. This year the theme is poverty. Eight years have passed since the UN Millennium Declaration was adopted when the international community mandated to: "spare no effort to free our fellow men, women and children from the abject and dehumanizing conditions of extreme poverty, to which more than a billion of them are currently subjected."
The goals are, by 2015, to eradicate extreme poverty by halving the proportion of people living on less than a dollar a day; to achieve full employment for all, including women and young people, and to cut in half the number of people who suffer from hunger. We are currently halfway through the timeframe and while some progress has been made there are still nearly one billion people do not have access to safe drinking water; ninety-three countries, with 62 percent of the world’s population, are not on track to reduce under-five mortality by two-thirds by 2015; and, perhaps most heartbreaking of all, eleven million children below age five, some 30,000 every day, die each year from preventable causes.*
This is unacceptable and you may be wondering what we can do to help. Here's a few ideas to get you started:
- Learn more about poverty at home and globally by visiting the Millennium Campaign: End Poverty 2015
- Support local charities that work to combat poverty and join campaigns for nationwide action groups like Habitat for Humanity
- Microfinance an entrepreneur in the developing world through Kiva
- Donate at The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
- Promote awareness of poverty by joining Blog Action Day 2008

*Statistics from United Nations Development Programme

Classic/Fantastic Taccia Table Lamp

We had a very inspiring trip to the Met Museum the other day. Another small exhibition we wandered into was Classic/Fantastic: Selections from the Modern Design Collection. This show had lots of desirable pieces, we'd seen before like the Clarice Cliff pottery and the Henning Koppel silver clam-shaped serving dish, but especially the Taccia lamp, designed in 1962 by Achille Castiglione. We know we've hit upon a favourite when both The Guy and I yell out from opposite sides of the room "I love that lamp". The Taccia is glass floodlight atop a fluted column, it is at once classic and modern and fits perfectly into our style. And we have the perfect spot for it: placed on a plinth in the corner at the top of the front stairs. It would provide much needed light there, illuminate the redwood ceiling and provide something beautiful to look at even when not switched on. Luckily it's still available from Flos via ylighting for $2,548.00. Unluckily we are still forced to endure the fierce frugality measures we imposed at The Cool House in our attempt to mitigate the economic meltdown. It's a good thing we can go check it out at the Met when the need arises, no?

The Essential Art of African Textiles: Design Without End

While we were at the Metropolitan Museum of Art soaking up the sun on the roof and admiring the Jeff Koons sculptures, we took time to wander through the galleries and see The Essential Art of African Textiles: Design Without End. It's only a small exhibition placed in the middle of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas wing, but it was very inspiring.
Three pieces in particular stood out for me:


El Anatsui Between Earth and Heaven, 2006, aluminium and copper wire textile


Sokari Douglas Camp Nigerian Woman Shopping, 1990, steel sculpture


Grace Ndiritu The Nightingale, 2003, video installation

In addition to these three works, the exhibition features textiles dating from the 19th century to the present day and is held in collaboration with the British Museum, London. Catch it if you can at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY.

Fall with a hint of Guacamole

Just a few of the chores we accomplished this weekend:
1) Stained post Cabot Cardovan Brown. We would have liked to stick with Pacific Redwood Clear Coat but this wouldn't disguise the wood filler we had to use to repair the damage caused by the damned woodpecker. However, it covers beautifully and matches the protected part of the siding under the overhangs which is much darker than the rest of the house. We'll see how it weathers before deciding whether to stick with it when we next stain the siding or go with something more translucent.
2) Also stained under the overhang where The Guy filled in some missing wood and then dropped a ladder on my head. Was not crazy about holding said ladder this time but escaped with only a few drops of brown stain on my T-shirt. Whew!


3) Treated with wood hardener one windowsill and one threshold that had a spongey feel or rot. Painted another couple of frames and gave the garage door a second coat. Filled the holes, the enormous holes, holes big enough for a family of badgers to take up residence. Will have nightmares about this, guaranteed.
4) Cleaned the house from top to bottom
5) Made nachos with homemade chili
6) Dropped a pot of guacamole as I opened fridge, covered myself, fridge, floor and cabinets in green goo. That stuff can really fly. Stood dripping for a while. Eventually The Guy yelled from the yard "That sounded just like the thwack of a tub of guacamole hitting the ground". How prescient of him.
7) Cleaned kitchen, including inside of fridge, again, washed green clothes.


8) Took this photo of The Guy, still laughing.

Shiny Happy Sculptures*

Perfect weather last Friday to view the Jeff Koons exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.


Sacred Heart (Red/Gold), 1994–2007


Balloon Dog (Yellow), 1994–2000

You may think Koons' work is simplistic but I have to admire the technical genius of the construction. It's flawless. And it made me smile on a day when the financial markets were plummeting.

* To sing along, click my playlist at the bottom of the page

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

It's 60 years since the most vital, and the most translated, document in the world, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, was signed. Human Rights Action Center puts the declaration into a memorable video format that can be easily understood by everyone. Spread the seeds of human rights by signing the petition to include The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in your passport and join the U.S. Campaign for Burma.
Pass it on.

Adding value

Walking through the Incorporated Village on a superb Fall Sunday I was struck by the progress that has been made on a few houses. One is in the midst of an attic conversion and new dormers and a cupola have been added since I last walked this street, another has new windows and siding while the third has dramatically changed the entrance with curved stacked stone walls and piers supporting wrought iron lamps. It looks like a million bucks and is rumored to have cost only slightly less than that. I remarked to The Guy that the number of houses on the market seems to be matched by those that are being "pimped" and that maybe when we have weathered the current market meltdown, unclogged the conduits of credit, and allowed the current of finance to flow freely again (yes, we made these up while we were walking) we should think about tarting up the front adding value and a WOW factor with something spectacular like this driveway:


So I have a question for you, no, not how many years will it take to get ourselves out of the economic morass, but rather:
If money were no object, what would you add to the house exterior or yard to boost curb appeal?

Eggsplosion

High speed photography by Stefan featured at web urbanist.

Terminator Bath Tub

Am I the only person who when they see this


thinks of this?

The Teuco Swarovski Bathtub, made to order in Italy from Teuco.

Finally...

Well, economic meltdown or no, we can't just sit around here doing nothing. But we have to be very, very frugal, so instead of buying $3000 worth of tiles, a $2500 shower system and four $500 faucets to finish the master bath, we bought a can of paint ($14) to finish the ceiling of the boys bath. The ceiling that we primed, oh when was it now? April 2007.
We didn't mean to be so lax but we figured we should leave the final coat to the ceiling until the master bathroom was done when, we planned, the painter could do a professional job on both bathrooms at once. Ha, in this house great plans have a habit of curling up in the corner for a long snooze and, apart from the occasional snore to remind us they are still alive, can be ignored until we are forced (by the imminent arrival of visitors, or the need to sell up and move to different continent) to dust off the cobwebs and ACTUALLY PUT THEM INTO ACTION. Anyway, we are no nearer getting the master fixed-up than we were eighteen months ago, so I called it diy time. Two trips to the paint store, one for a can of paint and one for a liner for the paint tray and we were ready to go. That was until we discovered that we couldn't get the stepladder into the shower to paint the ceiling without some serious trauma. One more trip, this time to Home Depot, and we scored a two foot step ladder for $13.95. An hour later we had a bright, clean ceiling, and we can finally, finally call that bathroom done.

The Voice of Reason

Amongst all the desperate pre-election name calling and innuendo, one person, who lived through some of this country's worst history, is telling it straight. Donna Brazile at the New Yorker Festival; rational, impassioned and honest.

Crisis, Panic and The Weather

Well of course it rained over the weekend but we managed to get the death out of the pool and the guys are closing it up as I type. I sent The Guy up on the roof to clear the gutters and resisted the temptation to remove the ladder while he was up there. Why would a contemplate doing such a potentially dangerous thing? This is why. See, you couldn't blame me, could you? Anyway, when push came to shove I just couldn't leave him up there and besides I needed him to get back up the ladder to fill in the woodpecker damage to the pillar on the front porch. It looks a whole lot better now and it will be almost invisible once we can stain the whole post. We couldn't do that on Sunday because
a) it rained
b) the local paint store only had a gallon of stain and we wanted a no more than a quart
c) the other branch they sent us to that had quarts available (they checked on their computer) was CLOSED on Sundays. They didn't check that on their computer for us, did they?
We were forced to postpone the Met visit, and more seriously, our forthcoming trip to Europe. Obviously the weather was to blame for the former, the latter we can attribute directly to the global financial crisis. Instead of getting on a plane in a few hours I will be staying home learning to weave warm blankets from discarded animal fur and making soup out of nettles.

Project Humanity

At the beginning of the summer I mentioned that One Project Closer was running a competition for the best makeover with proceeds benefitting Habitat for Humanity. The competition deadline has passed but the fun continues. Now it is up to you, dear reader, to vote for the most impressive Before and After project. There are fourteen good'uns to choose from (including mine), and the lucky winner gets a $50 gift card.
Remember, US readers, that there are important elections coming up next month, and you need to get your technique down now. We don't need another hanging chad debacle, so practice for Nov 4 by selecting the most appropriate candidate at One Project Closer: Before and After.

Maple leaf

A little reminder of Canada in our own backyard.

House porn in La Jolla

Totally. Love. This. House.


Stunning views of the ocean


married with seclusion in the subterranean living area
Via LA Times Home & Garden

To do list and city fun

Ok, so we have a few things to get done this weekend:
1) Tackle the new hole the blasted woodpecker has made in the post by the front door before the porch falls down.
2) Clean out the gutters. Again. Yes, someone is going back up on the roof. And yes, that would be the same someone who forgot our anniversary. As both this and chore #1 require someone else to hold the ladder, I can foresee all sorts of calamities before we are done.
3) Clean out the dead moles from the pool filters so the guys can come and close it up without being totally grossed out.
4)Run into the city to see the Jeff Koons exhibit on the roof of the Met before it closes.
All these things require fine weather, so it BETTER NOT RAIN BEFORE SUNDAY EVENING.

Farming out the economy

What's warm and fuzzy and might stave off financial ruin? Alpacas. Or at least alpaca farming. Maybe I should consider a change in career?

It's the economy, stupid

Overheard outside a store:

"Man, it's slow today"
"Why isn't anyone buying anything?"

Obviously not everyone has got the whole the economy is tanking, credit has dried up, pretty soon we'll all be unemployed, homeless people with no healthcare so we're not spending anything message.

Someone's in Trouble

Short post for The Guy. Barack Obama may be unsure just how many years he has been married to Michelle but AT LEAST HE REMEMBERED THEIR ANNIVERSARY.

Before long we'll just be eating soup

The market is banking on it. Shares in Campbell's Soup rose as the market plummeted.

YSL Retrospective

One of the highlights of my recent trip to Montreal was visiting the Musee des Beaux Arts to see the Yves St Laurent retrospective. The exhibition, which opened only a few days before YSL died, spanned forty years of innovative fashion design and was awe inspiring, not least because you could really get up close and examine the garments to see the work that the couturier put into each outfit.


It is only when you get within two feet of a dress that you can truly understand how they can cost thousand of dollars.


All the designer's work was represented from Le Smoking, via safari jackets and the yeti style jackets to the transparent blouses and glamorous evening gowns


Memorable designs were the lattice beadwork fringed tribal dresses and this tiny little black micro minidress on the right designed for Diane Von Furstenburg by Yves St Laurent in 1990. Exquisite.
The retrospective in Montreal has now closed but will open at the de Young Museum in San Francisco on November 1st. Go, and be inspired.

Scratch-free

I got really excited when I read the headline for self-repairing paint. Turns out it's for cars, but car today, house tomorrow, right? I could sure do with some instead of constantly having to touch up the animal-inflicted nicks and scratches on the walls and trim at the Cool House. Until then I'll have to make do with this handy little gizmo.
Of course what I'm really waiting for is a self-painting wall....

Imagery

As the financial meltdown continues, with news that Playboy is now a junk stock with no future, I stepped out to the beach to take some shots. It's pretty stormy out there, too. These are the words that kept leaping to mind: Bail, bailout, maelstrom, sinking, ship.....


Then, to the side of the road I spotted one perfect, beautiful flower on a scrap of wasteground, thriving in spite of the wind, the peeing dogs and the occasional truck. There's always hope....