Comings and goings

Dhody Disappoints:

Many in the hood feel taken by Paz Dhody. He came off as such a nice man. I used the word charming. So what's up, Paz Dhody? The people in the hood would like to know why the flip? Now, no one has any say in how the property will be used. Shame on you. It's another VMU eyesore on it's way, no doubt. The area should have remained a farmers market. It's always missed and spoken fondly of come spring and summer.

I tell you something,Mr Dhody, you could make an entire neighborhood like you and want to be your best friend if you'd only go through with your plans. Why can't you go through with the original plans? We all want you to build the restaurant, put the rocks out there, make a park like setting with a farmers market and booths.

Paz Dhody needs to speak up, it's the only decent thing to do. We need to know what happened and what your intentions were all along and why it is being flipped. Tres sad.

If you want to eat at the old location before it is bulldozed and turned into a shitty Walgreens, go eat there now. Last time we were there they were picking out furniture for the new location. Yay! They are going to stay! For a while there was no telling what would happen. Happy that The Frisco remains on Burnet Rd.

Rumor has it Hey Cupcake will also be coming soon. YUMMMMMM!

El Chile will be opening near Anderson Lane soon. If you have visited the El Chile in East Austin, you are as excited as I am!

I can't believe Eclectic Furniture & Folk Art closed down. When I arrived in Austin in 1989 I would buy all my jewelry there. Wonder why it closed.

It's finally tapering off!

Last year I wanted two laying hens. I thought two hens in the yard would be cool to see. The whole urban hen movement is taking place in my hood and coops sit neatly behind nice homes. The yard was so cruddy though, I didn't want to spend much time in it. So one Saturday morning in late January I went out and started to rake leaves because I wanted chickens.

The yard had not been touched in a very long time. There was a patio furniture set and a few other yard hand-me-downs but they were sitting on dirt and weeds. There was an attempt at a patio made from rock that had become buried under wild ground cover a few years back. It never looked anything like a patio, just a reminder of how we are not the types to stick to outside projects and yard work and how inept we are at landscaping. I felt pretty hopeless.

I loved staring out into the cruddy yard because it was spacious. In the spring and summer under a canopy of hackberry trees there was green everywhere. It was nice to look at but I never wanted to be under that canopy, just admire it from indoors. I would stare at yard during the fall and winter months mostly to keep the cats companyy. There was nothing nice to look at back there. When I'd look out I'd imagine what I would like done to it and planned to hire a landscaper.

I decided not to have hens because it made me feel too earthy My Grandparents have some and they are by no means hippies but still. I would to one day have chickens but somehow the thought of having just two Bantams makes me feel a bit too close to Billy Jack. William wanted a screen door though and I thought a screen door must open into a cute yard so lets create the yard. I read books, looked up landscaping websites and blogs. We covered half the yard with sod leaving the Buffalo grass to grow on the other. Hackberry trees came down and the sunshine came in. Flower and garden beds were created. There is even a compost heap. We confronted the pit of rocks and created a real patio with sand, bricks and crushed granite. The entire process moved only too slowly and took so much back breaking energy. I kept expecting our enthusiasm to collapse but it never did. I wanted this whole thing to go up in two days but it has taken months.

This is the sort of project that never completely comes to a close but tapers off into less work. As it tapers off we feel quite hopeful in that we may get better and better at this sort of thing. It took me five tools to dig a hole but next time I know what not use and what to start with. I look at people like my mother-in-law with more admiration than before because she is an excellent landscaper and yard work is much harder than I thought. My friend, Paul, is also an excellent landscaper and plant grower. His yard was a model and inspiration. Dedication like theirs kept the momentum going.

The improved outdoor aesthetics has made it so that we get home and want to go outside and let out a big sigh. Everything disappears and melts away. I thought only a hot bath could do that. We are planning cookouts with 8mm movie showings. That's a big step for introverts-patio parties and all that. There is also this feeling of accomplishment and the fear of yard is gone. Next it's the front yard beds and I have plans to make the side yard attractive too. As for hens: maybe next year I'll acquire two eencie,weencie,teenie,tiny Bantams to keep us company while we weed and hold a Billy Jack exorcism in the back yard.

Interest du jour: Southern passalong plants

Burnet Road's old farmer's market

With the economy the way it is, there has actually been a lot of postponed developments in the area. This is not all bad. However, everyone seems disgruntled about the postponed development of the old farmer's market property on Burnet Rd. Seems that there is the added resentment of losing Brentwood Tavern. I heard as many good as I did bad about that place. The bad was pretty awful and the good wasn't great or terrific just okay.

I was looking forward to an Indian restaurant or cafe and the plans Paz Dhody had outlined in his presentation. Should that not happen, there are plenty of ideas voiced in the hood. I think the old farmer's market should re-open as an improved farmers market/market place for local crafties, growers, etc... a community retail space. The place needs some landscaping, some sprucing up but it should be used and not wasted. Have all those people who are in line to sell at Parts and Labor sell their wares at the old farmer's market. Would be cool if for a modest fee a table or space could be rented. Buildings and property in town shouldn't stay empty too long. The ideas I have heard are:
1. An eatery that features honest to goodness yummy pizza and serves alcohol and is not a chain(apparently The Parlor is dubious to some)
2. We need more vegan/vegetarian eateries and that location would be great for one. Plants and produce from local growers should also be sold there.
3. Bring back the Gingerman and put it in the old farmer's market.
4. All of the above but allow bands and booths for artists and artisans and stay open until 9pm. Have a craft co-op sort of thing going.

It's up to Mr Dhody and I assumed he was going to proceed with his plans but recently I have heard this is now uncertain. That's the hood gossip at least. PAZ DHODY don't sell! We don't want vertical mix use or a condo in that location. I speak for hundreds based on a very informal poll!

WWII mags and going green

I received some old issues of McCall Needlework 1944 and 1945. Wow, the knitting patterns for dresses and suits are amazing. Did people really make these? The talent, the patience, the finish product must have been amazing. What also caught my eye were the tips and ads geared towards penny pinching and rationing. Sewing machines, for instance, were advertised as being in limited supply, waiting lists and refurbished models were mentioned. In the same ad it was mentioned that sewing machines were available at your local Singer store for rent by the day or you could take home and rent by the month. There was also a call for all unwanted or broken machines. "People need these machines" it said. The sewing machine was a huge asset during wartime. You could make your own clothing, decorate your house, make toys for the kids and make supplies for the troops.

The trend was to make what you had last as long as it could so as to eliminate waste. Lots of tips that would be called green today. In fact we should be trying to eliminate waste just as they did but the government is sending us money to use towards consuming more. It's a personal goal to consume less and get the most out of what I already have. It's been a process that started a few years back. So it seems that not spending that rebate check will bankrupt the world, at the same time I don't need anything so that check will be going to the bank for use at a later date and probably not to a big box retailer.

Susan and the 4th of July

When I think of Susan I can't help but think of fireworks piercing a black sky and how it rains stars after the explosion. Susan was like that. When I met her she was at the end of her life but this was the only Susan I knew and it was not long. She had just begun to struggle with a terminal illness that had secretly gripped her twenty years before. For twenty years she had lived with a small time bomb and never knew it. I think if she had, she would have only laughed more, traveled more, loved more. Knowing her fate only made her reach out for life even more and those last few years she spent hard at work letting those around her know how much she loved them.

She had a generous heart and welcomed me into her life as if I were an old friend returning where we had left off. She loved Audrey Hepburn, old movies, vintage objects and white cotton nightgowns. She looked her best in a delicate white gown, her strawberry blond hair tousled, reminiscing and laughing all the way.

When Susan passed away the little stars fell from the sky, one by one, fading fast. The colorful sparks were gone. Her friends all went their own ways. Her family changed forever. They were never again really happy, never again kind with generous spirits as she was. She had brought out their best. Susan is in the sparklers, in the fireworks on New Year's Eve and the 4th of July, she's in birthday candles before wishes are made. Susan twinkled because she loved and welcomed life.

Minuciao

I swore off posting You Tube clips because they'll disappear leaving a hole in my blog. But I must share the following. I dig his version of Lady is a Tramp (fave) the mostest! George Maharis he says!



Once I was invited, by the man himself, to catch his show in Atlantic City where he was performing with his wife and Julius La Rosa. I couldn't make it because I had already planned a trip to Philadelphia the week before and the dates and my vacation time just weren't lining up for this to happen, (Ugh, regrets, I had a few...). But he's a cool cat and you should check out more of his work.


Nomads: It's off Cameron. A sweet little oasis that can be found tucked among the fast food joints and tire shops. It has a good size patio and drink menu. What I don't get is what's with the $2 Cheetos in a cup? You get like 11 Cheetos, must be an inside joke. Just go to the convenience store next door and get peanuts and chips there or just order their empanadas, yum.

Again with the coffee. After a wonderful retro lunch of chicken salad and a side of fruit salad with poppy seed vinaigrette drizzled on it and celery stuffed with pimento next to a plate of tiny, spicy, hot pickles, I was offered coffee with lemon squares. By the way, this was the best retro lunch, based on retro recipes, even looked retro.
Me: "Coffee? Sure. Just very little with a lot of creme and sugar."
Me one hour later: "UGH! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO dummy, you can't and shouldn't do coffee. It's poison to your system!"

It had been awhile since I had coffee and this was a small cup. Actually, I was only able to drink a half of a small cup, and that managed to really do me wrong. I got chatty, then I got really excited feeling and hyper, then the billion and one thoughts racing through my mind came on, then I got the shakes. It was fun for all of fifteen minutes then I just wanted to get off. This is just regular, ordinary coffee. UGH!

Ciao, Ciao Bambina: I leave you with Yolanda Christina Gigliotti aka Dalida. Note the amazing liquid liner. If ever a rags to riches story loaded with drama and even suicidal lovers...
I venture to say that Callas could possibly have nothing on this woman? I could venture to say that... ever so softly:

Busybusybusy

The days are flying by and I find myself needing more hours in the day to start books, finish books, try out a recipe, watch some new DVDs, workout,see friends,work on projects,upload finished projects...what the hell am I doing? I'm seemingly always busy yet nothing gets done.

This is how it always seems to be after Daylight Savings Time-Spring forward. I don't quite get a handle on things until August. Don't know if it's just that I am more ambitious this time of year or if it is some perception that time is just whizzing by because I lost an hour weeks ago. One accomplishment that didn't drag on for weeks was the changing of the seasonal wardrobe. I will say, I am proud of how efficiently my new system worked this year.

I'm too busy to do anything really new. Aside from falling in love with the Turkey Reuben at Billy's, nothing really new is up, yet nothing old is hanging around either.

Updates:
Since my posting of the filthy buses the #5 has really shaped up. Bravo. (Hope I didn't jinx it by updating you on this). It's really spiffy, no odors and clean windows. Even the floor looks like it had a scrubbing. I must add there are some awesome drivers: Randy on the #5 is the best bus driver in Austin! Professional, courteous, takes pride in his job, I've known him for almost six years now and everyone misses him when they switch the drivers around.

The heirloom roses did arrive blooming and are in the backyard! I did wrap up the whole rose rustler research/interest and returned six books to the library. Now the obsession du jour is vintage kitchen textiles. Plenty of books out there on aprons, dish towels etc...Amazing what I will geek out on.

The garden is coming along. I'm still holding my breath.

Quite a few have emailed me regarding my opinion on VMUgreenurbandesnsity, I was pleasantly surprised with the response. For one, I had no idea I had that many readers who weren't friends or family, two: Everyone was in agreement. Really?! That's awesome. Thanks for tuning in and dropping a line.

Yes, I will come up with a cooler and more interesting recipe for the sidebar soon. I also received an email asking why I typed out the recipe for Chicken Burgandy and not something more Playboyish like Steak Diane. I will stay with this cookbook's recipes for awhile and try and choose more interesting dishes or at least something more "Bunny Dip" worthy. We are coming into drinks-by-the-pool season.

I put down the Schulz biography. After the first few chapters I found myself browsing and scanning it. I just couldn't bring myself to finish it. Schulz was brilliant with huge emotional issues. Reading the book, you felt like this man was living next door and you wanted to avoid eye contact when you saw him. This is to say Michaelis did an excellent job at making him all too real with all his baggage and issues, just tooooooooo real. As it turned out, I just would rather not know so much. Also, as someone who can relate to Charlie Brown, I just didn't want to keep going down that road and learning more about the man behind Failure Face.

Coming Soon!

It will be May soon enough and the Paramount will be posting the movies for the summer series. I can hardly wait! Man, time flies. We still have a few tickets left from last year. I do hope they run at least one Tati film. It would be cool if they would show Cantinflas but I don't think the older and funnier classics have been subtitled. Anyway, one memory from last year that keeps popping up in my mind is of how hard we laughed when watching The Party, one of my faves. You know, Birdy Num Num......

Escape

Went to visit my family in Del Rio. We enjoyed escaping from Austin and into another world. There was lots of space, peace and quiet. You could hear birds singing. Butterflies and hummingbirds flew by. You could see all the stars at night and hear roosters crow in the morning...

There was a breeze that would catch the scent of my Grandmother's roses and sweeten the whole porch. They are reaching above the rooftop.

I met Junior, my Grandfather's Bantam rooster who was learning to crow. Actually, he learned to crow two weeks ago, but still, tres cute. He is only 1/4 the size of a regular rooster. Also got to see the goats with their new babies and the longhorn named John Wayne.

Time traveled a bit downtown.

We had fun. I miss it.

Minutiae Du Jour

I've been waiting anxiously for the documentary: The Natural History of the Chicken to arrive in my mailbox. I think today is the day. Yay!

Looking forward to meeting Junior. He is a tiny Bantam rooster that belongs to my Grandfather and is just learning to crow. I'd like to see him before he masters it.

Watched Cockfighter recently. Only Warren Oates could make enjoy a movie like that. Speaking of...there was a man at my hood meeting last night who looked just like Warren Oates circa 1971. I kept expecting him to lean over and ask the guy next to him, "What kinda sounds you like?" teehee.

I'm trying to be more civic minded so last night I attended a neighborhood meeting. There was a presentation by the city regarding flood zones and how they affect the hood. Basically I found out that many,many,many people in the Brentwood area have the same concerns I do and it felt good to know this. However, being highly encouraged by the city to purchase flood insurance was sort of worrisome.
I also learned that:
1. The City of Austin has a HUGE creek erosion problem.
2. A majority of the neighborhoods in Austin are connected by creeks and storm drains and there are very few areas that are not in danger of flooding
even if not on a flood plain.

Hello, you're on Tradio

Tradio where you can buy , sell trade or giveaway. I thought for many years that Tradio was a Del Rio invention and exclusive to the town. I was so wrong. There are still stations with Tradio around today! I remember it aired everyday for only about an hour then on Saturdays for maybe a bit longer? It was free and it worked! We would take down the phone numbers and addresses for free puppies or $50 Chihuahuas and beg to be taken to see them. No such luck. However, my Grandparents made a living out of buying old antique furniture, restoring it then reselling it and Tradio played a huge part.

One year, when I was eleven or twelve, I wanted to be Harpo Marx for Halloween. I needed an over sized, brown, men's suit and tie. My mother and I had been all over town and couldn't find one. I thought I'd call Tradio and explain what I was doing and what I needed and leave our phone number. Seconds after I hung up the phone started ringing. People had suits, they had huge blue, black, grey and brown suits, they had tuxedos, they had the tie and they had comments. I remember being asked ,"Why Harpo Marx?," and ," How old are you?". My mom didn't know what I had done and after the 3rd call in a row she came into the room. Our number was private and after I told her what I did she was irked. Tradio could on occasion encourage prank callers and my classified was one of those that was just begging for stupid calls.

My Grandmother, being a loyal listener heard me and called our house laughing. Apparently the announcer made a couple of jokes and said, "Call this young lady and help her out, she needs the largest three piece men's suit in Texas!". Finally, the calls ended and we did find a suit that day for $5 at a thrift store we found through Tradio. Oh, I won the costume contest at school. By the way, the costume, was as accurate as could be: horn and rubber chicken. I also made my little sister go as Shirley Temple and my brother was Charlie Chaplin. We all won some mall costume contest where we entered as a group. Ugh! Such a dork.