My Over the Top Downtown Party Idea

Photo by Brian Hines 

The last Summer in the City event (what year was that?) felt uninviting and surreal to me: core downtown streets were fenced off with chain link. At one end, a giant blow-up liquor bottle swayed in the breeze, while unnecessarily loud bands made my ears bleed. You were either in the street or on the sidewalk. It wasn't possible to do both--not much fun for downtown businesses.

"We're having a party at your house, but you're not invited."

My over the top idea? Round robin volleyball tournaments (definition here) taking place at the edges/ends of blocked streets. Beer and wine tasting going on in various businesses and a food truck area. A kids' space, with a game, crafts and a bike rodeo. A passport/stamp game, to see how many stamps you can collect at local shops. And evening entertainment, with bands that don't make the ears bleed.

What would your Summer in the City look like?

June Good-byes

These past two weeks we've been reminding the short folks daily about upcoming endings and beginning: "This is the last time we'll be doing science in kindergarten. The next time you have science, you'll be a first grader."

Yes, I'm doing my yearly June routine of becoming one of those annoying people (on New Years Eve) who say things like, "this is the last time I'm washing my hair this year!". My short audience loves it, which makes it fun for me, too. But I don't do it just for fun, it's part of the process of encouraging them to start thinking about the cycle they've just begun. The cycle of beginnings and endings, hellos and good-byes, and climbing the ladder of responsibilities.

Yesterday, we had our end of kindergarten celebrations--no, not graduations. I chafe at the term, "kindergarten graduation". Graduation, I believe, should be reserved for those big moments when diplomas are earned. Besides, celebration fits this group best--they definitely know how to enjoy each moment.

This past school year has been full of changes, a reunion with a teacher I love AND two groups of very energetic children. And yet, with all of that going on, I'm feeling a strong connection to this year's group of short folk. It must go both ways, because several parents came up to me during our celebration to tell me how often my name comes up at home. I won't lie, it warms my heart to know the connection goes both ways and to know all that love I put into my days makes a difference. {sigh} Now it's nearly time to spend my summer break basking in that glow AND regenerating for the next group.

One of my own dark stories . . .

I was a broken child. Broken, because I lived in the path of someone dealing with the powerlessness of adolescence and sexual frustration. (But that's another story.) When you're broken, your boundaries and decision making processes become flawed and skewed and simply screwed up. Add that onto adolescence and you end up with a story like this.

My first 21 years were spent in a small town. It was known (I was told) as an I-5 drug hub. Though it's possible that was part of the 70's folklore of the time--when the adults were trying to figure out what was wrong with those danged kids.

And because it was a small town, the school campus was shared by kindergartners all the way up to seniors, only separated by a short exterior walkway. While moving from grade to grade, it was apparent to us what privileges were coming next. When we became 7th graders, we knew it would finally be our turn to be a part of the "Sweetheart Contest", THE annual fundraising event. Each grade, in high school and junior high, would elect a princess. The decision of who would be queen was determined by the class who raised the most money.

I remember the excitement our entire 7th grade class felt. We were finally old enough to participate! My friend Tammy's family had saved up an entire (floor to rafters) garage worth of empty beer bottles, still in their cases. Our group was allowed to carry the cases into one of the local taverns. Oh the thrill felt by those 12 year olds! After that, there were bake sales and another family had donated several loads of firewood to sell. We were in charge of splitting, loading and unloading. For a reason I've never been able to understand, a small group of us were left alone at the wood lot. I suppose it's possible we planned it. One member of our group pulled out a Mason jar of Everclear and naively we began to pass it around. Not only had we just barely become teens, but I'm sure it had been hours since we had eaten. Truly a recipe for disaster.

Tammy, Teresa and I, must have either decided to walk to Tammy's house or to walk off the effects of the alcohol. My next memory was of staggering along with Tammy and Teresa on the side of a country road in the dark. And that's when Tammy lost her footing and rolled down into a deep ditch. I crumbled to my knees--could this night get any worse?! Rather than scramble down in the dark to help a friend out of the ditch, Teresa and I, ran across the road to an Assembly of God church. I can still remember the feeling of the enormous letters on the church as we hung on, both of us praying loudly and urgently to please help us get out of this mess.

A neighbor (remember, this is a small town and there were only 4 TV channels for entertainment) must have witnessed this spectacle and called my parents. My father arrived. Tammy and I climbed into the back seat (not sure what happened to Teresa). Dad made eye contact with me via the rear view mirror and said my punishment was to watch what would happen when we took my friend Tammy home. Her mother had a reputation of being a hard woman, someone you never wanted to tangle with. I watched as Tammy reluctantly left the car and then threw herself at her mother's feet, grasping her ankles, pleading, sobbing, apologizing. Her mother never raised her voice, but the cold, cold, horrible words that came out of her mouth! It was a glimpse into the dark side of another family and it made me realize none of us can ever know what another person deals with.

Oh and the Sweetheart Contest? That was the final year. A small group of broken 7th graders, broke a small town school's tradition.

Thinking Ahead

My principal told me, a week or so ago, that she needed to trim my work day by an hour. She let me know that I do have choices. I could go to HR, let them know that I want to keep my permanent hours and that I'm willing to move to another school to do so. Awhile back, I watched another aide go through this. They opted to move and then were told there wasn't a position with that many hours available. They ended up plugged into a spot with even less hours than what they had been demoted to. Me? I'm happy to stay, but I'm already thinking about the shape of my work day.

I can do it--flexibility is on my resume. So, it's not a big problem (except for working a year or two longer than I intended), but it's never fun to hit the road running. Which is what will happen when I arrive at the same time as the students.

When I first started working in kindergarten, my day matched the students. The teacher dealt with all of the prep and the two of us used part of the students' day to talk things through. It was the same when our family moved and I found another kindergarten IA job in Salem. I can still remember when my principal (at that time), Cathy Mink, pulled me aside one day and said the district was adding an extra hour to the kindergarten IA's work day.

And now it's heading in the opposite direction. I'm a bit sad and wondering how a budget can be balanced on the backs of one of the lowest paid employees, but it's all part of the swinging pendulum of change. I wonder if I'll still be around when it begins to swing in my favor again?

Braised Greens & Cannellini Beans

F made the braised greens from the recipe below to go with a grilled rack of lamb. It was a Saturday Market spur of the moment idea. One of our favorite produce vendors (Minto Island Growers) sells spring greens by the bag, but this time they were selling braising greens instead. I nearly put them back on the shelf, but then thought to ask F if we could have them with the lamb. And because she's not as stuck in her ways as her mother, she said "yes". :>)
It was an excellent side dish and if they keep offering that bag--we'll be eating it regularly.

Braised Greens & Cannellini Bean Panini

From EatingWell:  March/April 2012
A creamy spread of cannellini beans cooked with onion, garlic and white wine is the perfect match for tender braised greens. Press the two between pieces of crusty whole-wheat bread and you have an outstanding vegan panini.

6 servings | Active Time: 1 hour | Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

Braised Greens

1 1/2 pounds (about 2 bunches) hearty greens, such as kale or collards
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large leeks, sliced 1/4-inch thick (see Tips), white and light green parts only
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 cup vegetable broth
White Bean Spread & Sandwich

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 spring onion bulbs or 3 shallots, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups cooked cannellini beans or one 15-ounce can, rinsed
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
12 slices crusty whole-wheat bread
Olive oil cooking spray
Preparation

To prepare braised greens: Strip leaves from stalks. Stack and slice the leaves into 1-inch strips. Thinly slice the stems into 1/4-inch pieces. Keep leaves and stems separate.
Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add leeks and the chopped stems and cook, stirring, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon each salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. Add the sliced greens and broth. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the greens are very tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Uncover. If there’s any liquid left in the pan, continue cooking for another minute or two until it is nearly gone.
To prepare bean spread: Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onions (or shallots) and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine and cook until most of it is evaporated, 3 to 6 minutes. Stir in beans and 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper; cook until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Puree the bean mixture in a food processor until almost smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot foods.)
To prepare panini: Coat one side of each slice of bread with cooking spray. With the sprayed side down, spread equal portions of the bean puree on 6 slices of bread. Top each with equal portions of the braised greens. Top with the remaining pieces of bread, sprayed-side up. Press in a panini maker until hot and crispy. (Don’t have a panini maker? See Tips.)