The Annual Letter

Dear Family and Friends,

Merry Christmas 2013. Happy New Year! Ruth keeps smiling her sweet smile at me and mouthing the words, “No pressure!” but I do think I need to finish this letter before becoming horizontal (again).

Now that the Blazers arena has become the Moda Center, I think it is time to sell the naming rights for various parts of the house. Elizabeth’s room could become Red Bull Arena. We think Red Robin or Disney could be a natural partner for Dan’s room. All my ideas for commercial partners for Ruth have just gotten me in trouble.

The big news for Elizabeth (age 20) has been her Labrador puppy, Finn. 12 pounds when he came home at the end of September, he is 45 pounds now. He’s a growing boy. When she took Finn the dog to meet Star the horse, the horses had to educate Finn that horses are not great big long nosed dogs. We always like it when she brings the grandpuppy home to visit. Ruth calls her for an emergency puppy visit whenever I start talking about getting my own dog. This requires a trip from Corvallis, where she is completing her junior year in Animal Science at Oregon State.  She may have spent the summer studying Physics, but at least she got to Disneyland in the spring.

Dan (age 19) came home from Wichita this summer after completing what would have been his senior year of high school, and says “I like home best.” He stays busy as his job coach, Brian, takes him to volunteer at Oregon Food Bank, Clay Street Table, and Potluck In The Park when he is not in school at the Community Transition Program. Dan and Brian go swimming and bowling each week as well. Whenever Dan displays the natural teenage boy talent for belching, we try to pass him off as a Tuvan throat singer. He misses all his friends at Heartspring whenever he thinks his parents are too strict.

Ruth is eager for me to get the annual letter out so that her fan base will know that after the 2013 Multnomah County Fair, she is once again the Sage Queen of Multnomah County. She also won the blue ribbon for brownies, and has warned that I may not disclose her secret family recipe during her lifetime. She continues to enjoy her Book Club, or is it a wine dinner club? She pursues her bucket list item of spending at least one night in every county in Oregon.

When I refer to myself as the economic engine of the household, Ruth suggests a tuneup, but I continue to work for Kaiser. Retirement eligibility looms, but seems a cruel tease.  We do buy lottery tickets as an investment vehicle. I continue to play bass for Jazz Sunday at church, and am now playing with the EVJQ. 2014 will start a new photo a day for a year project. I went to my first PAC-12 football game with Elizabeth and Uncle Walter.

Ruth is The Godmother, and I am The Guardian. Ruth enjoyed seeing her godchild walk the graduation stage at Stonehill College in May.  I am now Dan’s guardian, with all the privileges appertaining thereto.

We enjoyed visits and visiting. Family and friends came from New England and California for visits, and we enjoyed East Coast visits to our families.

We hope that the New Year finds you and yours happy and well, and brings you much joy. Y’all come see us now, y’hear?

Pat, Ruth, Elizabeth, Daniel, Star, and Finn

pdxpatfitz@mac.com

503-295-2665

Today's Photos

Pastitsio

• 1 pound ground lamb
• 1 medium onion , chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
• 6 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup half and half
• Salt
• 8 ounces (about 2 cups) elbow macaroni
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (1 cup)
• Ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450.

If you use oven safe skillet, you won’t have to transfer to a baking dish.

In skillet, brown lamb. Remove and drain lamb; in rendered fat, sauté onion with cinnamon and nutmeg until soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, garlic, and oregano, cook for 30 seconds. Add chicken broth, ½ cup half and half, and macaroni. Cook until macaroni is just tender. Dissolve cornstarch in remaining ½ cup half and half, add to skillet mixture to thicken. Remove from heat, mix in ½ cup Parmesan, season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with remaining ½ cup Parmesan, bake about 5 minutes to melt cheese.

Chili Recipe

2 pounds ground beef
1 pound hot Italian sausage (use sweet Italian sausage for milder chili)
2 large yellow onions, chopped
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp salt
1/3 cup chili powder (all ground chilis, not a mixture of chili/cumin/garlic/etc)
     I use hot New Mexican chili powder.
3 TBS ground cumin
3 TBS dried oregano
1 square unsweet or semi sweet baker's chocolate
2 TBS cinnamon
1-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (for milder chili, start with 1/2 tsp, adjust to taste)
1 28 oz can crushed or diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can beef broth
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 16 oz cans dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

In large skillet, with vegetable oil over medium heat, cook onions until very tender, about 20 minutes.

In your chili pot, combine beef, sausage, and salt. Brown meat until all pink color is gone, about 20 minutes.

Put cooked onions in chili pot. Add chili powder, cumin, oregano, chocolate, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes.  Add tomatoes and beef broth. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.

Correct seasoning, add garlic, cook 30 minutes more. Stir in beans, cook for 5 minutes more to heat beans through, serve. If there are surface fats which need binding, use a tablespoon or two of cornmeal.

Potential garnishes at table:  grated cheese, chopped onion, sour cream, saltines or oyster crackers.

Reading Update

Books Read
2013
Date finished	Title		Author	Pages
1/3/13	Among Others		Jo Walton	302
1/6/13	God's War		Kameron Hurley	286
1/10/13	The Rook		Daniel O'Malley	482
1/16/13	The Last Dragonslayer		Jasper Fforde	287
1/24/13	Mission To Paris		Alan Furst	255
1/28/13	The Leopard		Jo Nesbo	688
2/4/13	Persuader		Lee Child	465

2013 Reading Update

Date finished	Title	Author	Pages
1/3/13	Among Others	Jo Walton	302
1/6/13	God's War	Kameron Hurley	286
1/10/13	The Rook	Daniel O'Malley	482
1/16/13	The Last Dragonslayer	Jasper Fforde	287
1/24/13	Mission To Paris	Alan Furst	255
1/28/13	The Leopard	Jo Nesbo	688

2013 Reading Update

Books Read
2013
Date finished	Title	Author	Pages
1/3/13	Among Others	Jo Walton	302
1/6/13	God's War	Kameron Hurley	286
1/10/13	The Rook	Daniel O'Malley	482
1/16/13	The Last Dragonslayer	Jasper Fforde	287
1/24/13	Mission To Paris	Alan Furst	255

First Book Finished of 2013

Just finished: Among Others, Jo Walton, 302 pages.

I mean to keep track of the reading this year.

The Book Recommendation

Since reading Michael Chabon's most recent novel, Telegraph Avenue, I have been enthusiastically recommending it to every sentient reader I know. From a writer's point of view, Chabon's metaphors and similes were exciting to read, like watching a muscular gymnast doing difficult stunts and sticking every landing. Even the lesser characters seemed well developed and nuanced. The dialog was authentic to my ear.

I had neglected to mention this book to my father. Suggesting books to a lifelong journalist who seems to read a book a day is rather like carrying coals to Newcastle.  An e-mail arrived from him suggesting this book to me, and suggesting that I first get a notebook to record all the great use of language I would encounter.

Over Thai food the other night, I recommended this book to my good friend Bill Wood. Bill is someone who is not afraid to grab life with both hands and shake it vigorously. He wrote and self-published a novel, Mothertime. He wrote songs which he recorded on multiple CD's. He opens people up, rummages around inside them, and then sews them up again.  This requires a certain amount of confidence. Bill is not always right, but he is seldom unsure.

At times I am incorrect but not unsure. Through my life, whenever I am certain I am right, I offer to bet a case of beer on the issue at hand. I had never lost one of these bets -- until I recently lost a bet to Bill. I remembered that bet as I walked out of the grocery store today, and went back in to get the case of Corona which now rests in the back of my car, waiting for tonight's encounter with Bill.

I was a bit surprised by Bill's reaction when I touted Telegraph Avenue to him. In a move reminiscent of the sheriff in Blazing Saddles, he whipped out his new iPhone and went to the reviews on Amazon. Telling me that he found the top reviews less reliable than those farther down the list, he plucked out and read several reviews from readers who disliked the book enough to abandon it before completion, and challenged me to rebut them.

My first internal reaction to this challenge was to think that perhaps I was wrong about this book being good, perhaps I enjoyed the author's feats of strength while neglecting to consider the book as a whole. Like a deer in a spotlight, I stammered out my thoughts about how well written it was, but I got the impression that my arguments were not convincing to my audience.

This came to mind again today after last night's Presidential debate. This country seems to be divided just about in half, with each side thinking that those who disagree are perhaps not competent to manage their own affairs. Many are incapable of even considering a position other than the one they have already reached. I admired a friend's post on Facebook today, stating that he reaffirmed his pledge to refrain from writing about politics on Facebook. So many of the political statements on Facebook and elsewhere are toxic rants.

So, I wonder what it would have taken to rebut the negative book reviews to Bill? What would it take to respond to political statements where all the units are set to "Send" but not to "Receive" ?

365/366 Leap Day Completes The Project

365/365 Rainy Day In Portland

365/364 Juniper and Sage Landscape

365/363 Liz And Star Work Cows

365/362 Redmond, Oregon

365/361 Abstract

365/360 Pioneer Square

365/359 Wildebeest

365/358 Light Painting Chaos

365/357 Astoria Sunrise

365/356 Oregon Logs Go To Sea