Velvet Freeze

This is raspberry frozen yogurt with a square of white chocolate thrown in by the stylist. Basically, we take a cup of sugared fruit and add it to two cups of whole milk vanilla yogurt, throw it in the machine and voila.

We all heard the first Wednesday emergency siren test today. It always makes me think of tornado drills in St. Louis. My St. Louis memory for this month is Velvet Freeze's strawberry ice cream. I used Alice Water's recipe from Simple Food for the batch in the freezer, and I think it's pretty good, not as pink, but pretty good.

First Wednesday Homesick Drill

I did not hear the emergency siren drill last month, but I hear it now and I'm homesick for St. Louis. This is the snowstorm that hit the street I grew up on yesterday. It's early Spring when California seems farthest from Missouri. The crabapple tree outside my kitchen is about to bloom, and when the wind blows pink plum blossoms fly across the window like someone's just been married in my backyard. I miss St. Louis snow days.

I did make a happy St. Louis discovery lately, a new way to feed my sock yarn obsession: the Loopy Ewe. I love the search by color option!

First Wednesday Homesick Drill

They sounded the emergency sirens at noon today. Coincidentally I was adding glitter to some old St. Louis postcards for Christmas. I decorated the trees in front of St. Johns Hospital and the pillars of the Jefferson Memorial. These will make nice gift cards. I may take some photos from my album and photoshop them to look like old postcards and decorate those as well. Glitter is so gratifying!

First Wednesday Homesick Drill

The emergency sirens were tested today at noon reminding me of the St. Louis tornado sirens. This month I would like to ask, "What the heck happened to the Mercantile Library?" I see it has moved out of the city. I see I could not even take the Big Bend bus to the old Mercantile Library anyhoo. I sound like an old person. I'm sure there's much more room out there for all those lovely folios and books about rivers and sandbars and neighborhoods where the highway is now - "just 12 minutes from Clayton via the Innerbelt."

Dress up

On Halloween the two best houses to visit in our neighborhood were the real haunted house up the street and Mrs. Cushing's house two doors down. Mrs. Cushing set her diningroom table with candles and silver platters of full size candy bars and a guest book that everyone signed.


I think her house is the only home where I've signed a guest book. Mostly you see them in politicians' offices, fancy shops, and funeral homes. My Mom inherited the book before Mrs. Cushing passed away, and now children can look up the names of their parents in its pages. If you're on Plant Avenue tonight, stop by.

Rach, we look like bag ladies but Kate has a cone hat! Somebody get Mom to recall the theme here.

First Wednesday Homesick Drill

At noon they tested the emergency sirens and like every month, it reminds me of the tornado sirens in St. Louis. This month is the tenth anniversary of the City Museum. Pictured above is a portion of the outdoor playground. Hey Eleni, they're putting a vintage clothing store on the fourth floor! The best part is the Enchanted Caves, beautiful by candlelight.

First Wednesday Homesick Drill and Beginning Pottery

The emergency sirens tested on the first Wednesday of the month sound exactly like the tornado sirens in St. Louis, and it makes me homesick. On this first Wednesday homesick drill, I would like to ask, "What the heck happened with Bissingers?" My friend Eleni tells me they moved, but she didn't have a chance to go in. Did they bring the little desk in the corner? Where else will customers get out a calling card and draw a line through their name and write a little message, before enclosing it in a tiny envelope and attaching it to the chocolates?

Today was also Beginning Pottery. I have 10 lbs of clay, a set of tools, a cubby, clay spatters on my jeans, and a huge shoulder ache.