Happy Thanksgiving Recap

Good news! The dog survived the pies, he may be a few pound heavier and not so into regular dog food anymore, but is no worse for ware.

The pies my son made were actually quite good! He followed the recipe on the back of the can of pumpkins, didn't leave out any ingredients and didn't quadrouple the amount of salt.

So, when it came time for desert yesterday there was plenty of pie to go around. What's more, there was a lot of fun to be had with the can of spray whip cream. It seems that the pies weren't the only thing getting doused with whip cream. Did you know it is rather comical to see a dog licking whip cream off his nose?

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and had fun with your own pies and whip cream!

When the dog eats the pumpkin pies

It couldn't be more clichè...but the dog, it seems, has eaten the pumpkin pies that were cooling on the counter. I got a panicked call from my son on my cell phone shortly after I had left the house. "MOM, the dog jumped up on the counter and has eaten both pies!" I guess the dog, not content to eat the butter left out on the counter, has moved on to more delicatable treats...OUR THANKSGIVING DESSERT! My son came to the rescue though. Feeling partially responsible, seeing as he was babysitting and in charge of curtailing any doggy destructive antics, proceeded to whip up two more pies to replace the ones the dog had devoured. I guess I have a lot to be thankful this Thanksgiving...a dog that makes me laugh and a son that makes me proud.

Wondering about Giovanna

It's FAME week again at the elementary school. We are presenting Jan Van Eyck's painting of the Arnolfini Wedding & listening to Bach's Toccata e Fugue and dancing to his Minuet in G.

I had fun this month putting the lessons together and decorating the stage. The painting itself is small, so I painted murals featuring the oversized figures from the van Eyck painting. I also highlighted the symbols found in the painting (i.e. the single candle in the chandelier that represents the eye of God, the dog that symbolizes fidelity, the shoes that represent sacred ground & the fruit that represents innocence), so that the kids could see them better. I made a green cloak to be worn by the picture presenters, to match the gown worn by the Giovanna Cenami in the painting. I wanted the docents to wear the costume and bunch it up around the stomach to show the same puffiness as in the painting. Everyone always says the the bride is pregnant in this painting...but in reality it is the style of her dress and part of the symbolism of fertility that is found throughout the picture. On the bed posts, for instance there are carvings of St Margaret patron saint of childbirth.

I have been looking at and thinking about van Eyck's painting all month. It has been proped up in my office so that I can view it while I work. I have developed a special connection to the couple in this picture, an Italian merchant, Giovanni Arnolfini and his bride Giovanna. They were wealthy enough to have had a picture commissioned to celebrate their marriage contract and Van Eyck worked diligently to endow the picture with all kinds of symbolism that speaks of love, fidelity and fertility. I wonder about this couple from Italy and what they thought about life in the Netherlands.They must have missed the warm Italian weather and lamented the fact that they had to wrap themselves in heavy cloaks to stay warm in their drafty northern house, even if the cloaks were opulent wraps of velvet and fur. And, despite all the hopeful forshadowing that this loving couple would have a houseful of children, they never did. I wonder what kind of life Giovanna had, so far away from home and unable to have children. All I have is the reminder of her hopeful beginning.

when the dog won't let you work

What do you do when the dog won't let you work? I love my new dog but he has started this habit, which I will admit at first was sooo very cute, but now has become a bit of a problem. When I sit down to work at the computer and he wants my attention (which is pretty much all the time) he stands up on two legs, rest two paws on my leg and nuzzles his nose under my hand that is working the mouse. He literally gets his entire head under my hand and pushes it up and off my mouse, as if to say "stop working! put that mouse down! pay attention to me!" While this was very endearing at first, it is becoming a huge distraction when I have a web site to design or a blog to write. So, here I sit today in front of the computer, dog bisquits in my left hand and my right hand firmly gripped around my mouse, resolved to train the dog that "down" means DOWN! So far so good, sort of...I guess. He got tired and is now asleep at my feet. He is wedged between my chair and the CPU...so trusting, as at any moment I could forget he is under my feet and wheel back in my chair and run him over.

(dog update: yes, we are keeping him...my son's allergies seem non existent, I think he has willed them away out of sheer desperation to keep the dog. So far so good. There have been only a couple of peeing on the carpet incidents - but I would have to say his whole bodily function thing is well under control. He has managed to survive eating BabyRuth bar that one of the kids dropped on the floor out of their Halloween stashes of candy (who knew that chocolate is bad for dogs) and drinking blue water out of the toilet. I am getting used to having a constant shadow (I can't go anywhere in the house without the dog following me) and his insatiable desire to be loved and patted. All in all, getting the dog was a really great idea. I do get those every so often!)