L'aura del Campo

Czernina (Dirk's-blood-soup?) and Murv Jacob's mural

SPRING: 1 Jalál (9 April)

Weather where I am: 63º and sunshiny Spring.

Weather in Lihue, Hawai'i: 72º and nice. Gloom and doom predicted.

Duck blood soup

Duck blood soup, czernina, is sweet-sour and a national treasure ... of Poland. Since Dirk the Duck may be headed towards his doom, I thought you'd all like to check this out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czernina

Now if Nada's dad can't get the recipe just right, I'm sure my friend Janice Jay can. She can fly out of Buffalo or Toronto and wouldn't mind visiting Hawai'i. I'm sure something could be worked out. I just wonder if Nada's dad would like some pierogi and golombki to go with Dirk's soup. Ah, the joy of knowing who you are eating .

For dessert? Cheesecake, of course! (One of Jan's specialties)

From my original email of 17 December 2002:

Baking kindness


In memory of her Uncle Matthew
my pierogi princess in powder blue
bakes kindness into sour cream cheesecakes she'll
serve at 2 this October afternoon
and scarcely thinks of that OTHER uncle
right next to Lucifer shoveling coal.

Recipe for golombki: http://recipes.chef2chef.net/recipe-archive/27/149598.shtml

Recipe for pierogi: http://pasta.allrecipes.com/az/PierogiII.asp

Recipe for Dirk, er, duck, er, czernina: http://www.recipecottage.com/polish/czernina03.html

Cheesecake for dessert: http://www.recipecottage.com/polish/cheesecake01.html

For late breaking news on Dirk:

Nada 's report: "Invalid Entry" , "Invalid Entry" , "Invalid Entry" .

For David McClain 's report of Dirk missing: "Invalid Entry" 

Murv Jacob is a one-of-a-kind type-of-guy.

I am going through pictures and choosing some to post here. I came across one I took of Murv Jacob's mural that he painted next to his studio on Muscogee Avenue in downtown Tahlequah, Oklahoma.



Now I find out he has an exhibit in Topeka this month! Guess 'Rabbit came to Kansas'!

This is the link to the cyber story written by Debbie Duvall and illustrated by Murv Jacob, "Rabbit Goes to Kansas". I especially love the vivid use of color and, of course, the jayhawks!

http://www.jacobandduvall.com/eb01/index.html

Debbie also wrote, and Murv illustrated, "Rabbit Goes Duck Hunting". You may find more about it at:

http://www.jacobandduvall.com/gms05_rabbitduckhunt.html

Rabbit Goes Duck Hunting

— Synopsis —

Ji-Stu wakes early one morning and decides to visit his old friend Otter, who lives up the river. Along the way, he sees a giant wood duck sitting on the water, surrounded by hundreds of smaller ducks.

Ji-Stu hurries to find Otter, and when they return they find plenty of ducks, but their leader is nowhere in sight. Otter, who did not believe Ji-Stu's story in the first place, slips into the river and immediately catches a wood duck, his favorite feast.

Not to be outdown, Ji-Stu has a plan. "If Otter can catch a wood duck, then I can too. But I will catch a bigger duck!"

So begins Ji-Stu's wildest adventure yet, as he takes on the mighty Cheif of All the Wood Ducks, and this time he will need all his skills to escape!

Does Dirk undergo a similar fate? Is Ji-Stu (Rabbit = Trickster) after him too? Stay tuned!

                             

SENSED

Red dianthus; johnny-jump-ups; white thalia; light green catkins; fall leaves; cigarette butss; buzz of a haircutter; bald head; doggy kiss; doggy hair; orange crown imperial; violets; henbit and dandelions; heavy scent in the air.

Our new mayor is a barber and I saw him cutting hair on the way to Henry's for my Sunday morning coffee and chat with Hubbard. Looking in a mirror, I need to pay him a visit! Soon !!

I got a kiss from Greta, a 6 year old Australian shepard and rubbed 11 year old Calvin, a huge golden retriever who is a gormand. Met another friendly dog while I was looking for a patch of henbit and dandelion to photograph. So I met some nice dogs. Their owners seemed to be nice too.

Sketched on April 7th:

Mocking birds


The old men rest on benches,
tell stories of yesteryears,
under the trace of leaves on branches,
the chatter of sparrows they hear.

Etched to memory by youngsters,
Echoes from minds now heard
that once slew dragons and monsters
now listen to mockingbirds.

There is time on the bench to ponder
what youth forgot to forget.
Time on the bench to wonder
was life worth the effort and yet

its the hour best for snoozing,
sitting side-by-side on the wood,
sighing to hoots from the mocking birds:
the would'ves, could'ves and shoulds. [163.46]