First{ish} Day of School

The first day of school there was some tweenage angst, and clothing & hair issues that culminated with only two of The Three having a first day of school pic ... Until those get dumped from the Nikon, this blurry phone photo from the first week {not day} will have to suffice.

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You say Tomato, I say Tomato

Brenda's Tomatoes in my Kitchen Windowsill

My whole house smells like an Italian kitchen. Or what I imagine an Italian kitchen smells like ...

Garlic, Basil, Oregano, olive oil and of course, tomatoes.

My neighbor Brenda moved last week and her parting love gift was permission to continue harvesting her plump juicy tomatoes into the fall.

It's sad to have a friend and neighbor move. But, for the last five years it's been our reality. We've grown accustomed to saying these kinds of good byes. We also know that friendships can be maintained despite distance. So, we helped in little ways we could, and then wished them well. We remember them when we walk past their former home, two doors down; and when we harvest their tomatoes. This winter, when I pull deliciously slow roasted tomatoes out of my freezer for pizza or panninis I will remember my friend and neighbor.

These slow roasted tomatoes are so good I want to share them with you too ....

Pour olive oil on a pan (about 6 TBs)

Generously sprinkle Italian dried herbs

Add course salt and freshly ground black pepper

Slice meaty tomatoes in half and place in the oil/herb mix

Slow roast @ 200 F for 8 hours (yes .... 8 hours of Itailian aroma wafting through your home)

Here's a more specific recipe from Smitten Kitchen: {http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/08/slow-roasted-tomatoes/}

It appears she uses smaller tomatoes and roasts them sliced side up. I roast sliced side down. After eight hours, let them cool. Peel them. Freeze them. (I put 6 to 8 halves per bag ... perfect for a pizza). And, for heaven's sake, sample a couple of them as you bag them!!

Of course if you want to have some fresh tomato delisciousness more quickly consider this great recipe from Ina (aka the Barefoot Contessa):

Ingredients

• Good olive oil
• 2 cups (1/2-inch diced) bread from a French boule, crusts removed
• 16 plum tomatoes, cut 1/2-inch dice (about 2 1/2 pounds)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup julienned basil leaves, lightly packed
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large (12 inch) saute pan over medium heat. Add the bread cubes and stir to coat with the oil. Cook over medium to medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the cubes are evenly browned.

Meanwhile, combine the tomatoes, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. When the bread cubes are done, add the tomato mixture and continue to cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the basil.

Pour the tomato mixture into a shallow (6 to 8 cup) baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with the Parmesan cheese and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the top is browned and the tomatoes are bubbly. Serve hot or warm.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/scalloped-tomatoes-recipe/index.html

Back in the {Chinese School} Saddle Again, and Riding it into the Sunset ...

Chinese school is off to a good start I think. MGJ and EHJ completed a lot of homework over the summer and are both pleasantly surprised by the new {and in their opinion, improved} curriculum this semester. The are continuing to keep up in the Heritage level classes, which is for first language speakers, and they are most certainly the only blonde children in their respective classes.

When their teachers email homework or updates, I have to run it through google translate to get the gist. I am unable to help my girls at this stage, which makes me even prouder of their independent progress. It is not infrequent that EHJ poses a Chinese query to MGJ, or I find MGJ pouring over her Chinese dictorary or on-line translator.

Mr Johnson has joined other dads playing pick-up basketball in the gym during the girls' classes. All the other 父亲 (fùqīn, fathers) speak fluent Mandarin, so he's getting a language lesson of sorts when he plays each week.

Bei Bei has the benefit of reading and phonics now firmly in her grasp, so tackling the sounds of pinyin {Romanized Chinese} where e says "uh" and i says "ee", is challenging but not entirely confusing. She did remarkably well today when the teacher pronounced various pinyin sounds and they were required to identify the pinyin sound, write it down, and indicate which of the four tones was given orally.

The group of parents in Bei Bei's Chinese as a Second language class are different from last year's group. Only two families have some Mandarin background, although all but three (including Bei Bei) are of Asian decent.

In this environment, there is an unfair amount of pressure put on a child who looks Chinese but cannot speak Chinese, and the blame is almost immediately put on the parent. {At this beginner level parents are required to attend with their children.} Parents that speak Chinese are grilled about why their child's level is so far from proficient that they must be placed in a class for 'foreigners' (a term that is extremely interesting, since by 'foreigner' they mean non-Asian, non-Chinese speaker, of which there are only three in our class, not to mention that the class is taking place in the Chicagoland.)

Parents who speak some Mandarin squirm as they try to explain either that their 'foreign' spouse doesn't speak Chinese, or doesn't permit excessive demands of language learning. But what is refreshing, I think, in our current class, is that most parents, whom are mostly younger that last year's group, and mostly second or third generation Chinese (or Malay, Indonesian, Taiwanese, or even Korean) simply shrug and say, "we just don't speak Mandarin." I wish that this group would be applauded for their efforts, because even if they don't speak Chinese it is their desire that their children might learn. They are young and modern and American, but they want to identify with part of their Chinese heritage.

But shame has long been part of the teaching and learning process in China. Asian looking kids should know how to speak Chinese. And if they don't someone must be to blame.

I got my own dose of Chinese Shame today when I ended up seated beside the only 'Fresh off the Boat' mom in our group. Her son is in her class because, I heard her explain last week in Mandarin, her 'foreign' husband doesn't speak Chinese. She speaks Cantonese at home with her son.

Today she erased the answers on her son's oral quiz and coached him with the correct answers for the pinyin sounds and tones. He got a perfect score. (Bei Bei got 11 out of 13, and did them independently).

I asked the FOB mama, in English where she was from.

"China." She replied.

I asked her, in Mandarin, where in China.

"The South," she replied.

It was clear from her Mandarin pronunciation she was more comfortable in Cantonese. I had a hard time understanding her.

{My layman's description of the differences would be Mandarin has four tones and a harsher sound. Cantonese has six tones and is more singy/songy ... I think Cantonese is more the sound people think of when they stereotype Chinese language}.

"How long where you in China?" She asked me.

Her Mandarin was poor, and my ears are rusty. I stumbled, and presumed she had asked me how long.

"Five years?" she said skeptically... "your Chinese should be much better."

Another Five Minute Friday :: Older

Before They Grew Older

August 2005

Older ...

Bei Bei lost her first tooth, in the first week of first grade. Just another reminder that she is getting older. We are entering the phase of gap toothed smiles and lisps and change from the tooth fairy. And all too soon those big teeth will descend and her smile and face will change forever. My baby is getting older.

Older ...

Each of the three are now enrolled in the next grade ... legs a little longer, faces a little thinner, baby fat now really just a distant memory.

Older ...

We can wax wistfully about them growing up ... each year closer to that gown and mortar board and tassel, to that day when their full names are read formally and they walk that stage and shake a hand and accept a diploma. But there is joy in this growth, in watching them become something more, while at the same time retaining that distilled sweetness that is their own unique personality.

______________

The Scoop on Five Minute Friday:

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking. 2. Link back to the Gypsy Mama {http://thegypsymama.com/}and invite others to join in.
3. Get a little crazy with encouragement for the five minuter who linked up before you.

OK, are you ready? Give me your best five minutes for this week's prompt: Older

{August}

Xiao Shan zai na li?

Our Yard @ The Bungalow

August 2011

Another Roadtrip :: Milwaukee

It's still quiet in our Crowne Plaza hotel room this morning. Mr Johnson snuck away an hour ago, and The Three are still sound asleep. Next week at this time we'll be doing final backpack checks & packing lunches. This week we can chill...

Which is also why we could tag along with Mr Johnson to Milwaukee!



We made our requisite stop at the Cheese Castle after crossing the state line.

While Mr Johnson attends his meetings, The Three and I explored the Brewing City. We've visited the Basilica of St Josaphat, constructed by Polish immigrants over a century ago using recycled materials from the former Chicago post office and Customs House ... Shipped by rail on 500 flatbed cars and designed by a German architect in the style of St Peters.



We also discovered the historic Third Ward and the shopping & restaurants of this trendy reclaimed factory district.

We spent time at a park on the shore of Lake Michigan and obligatory time in the swimming pool and club floor lounge (a perk garnered from our nearly month long stint in a Holiday Inn Express earlier this year.)



{I love how the Crowne puts a personal welcoming note on the TV screen upon your arrival!}

Mr Johnson took us back to the third ward for dinner, where the girls and I schemed how we could remake the baked Brie appetizer @ home.

We have the balance of the day in Wisconsin, before heading home from our last foreseeable roadtrip for a while.

We will trade suitcases for soccer cleats this autumn, falling back into the routines of school, Chinese lessons and extra curriculars.

But, we've had a fun ride this summer!!
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Iowa Roadtrip :: Amish Country

Washington County Iowa is home to the largest Amish community West of the Mississippi, and the oldest in Iowa.

In fact, 小山's momma was raised on an Amish farm.

Iowa Roadtrip :: Old Capital Building in Iowa City

Dog Days

We flew home from Canada at the beginning of August, to the muggy oppression of Midwest's dog days of summer.

Mr Johnson flew directly on to Dallas, where the triple digit heat proved even more oppressive, leaving me & The Three to head back to the Bungalow (that was thousands of degrees after being shut tight for nearly two weeks). I cranked the a/c in my room, spread sleeping bags in the floor and we had a all girl slumber party.

The next morning we slept late, ate a meager breakfast of just expired yogurt, repacked an existing suitcase and headed West. (After a brief, but obligatory visit to the dentist.)

We've decided to grow our family by one member. We finalized arrangements while in Canada to add a Bernese Mountain Dog to the Johnson ranks.

After an overnight in Iowa City (another post soon on our adventures there), we swooped down curvy farm roads, passed Amish buggy carts and dark Amish raiments billowing on clothes lines to collect our pup.

We've called her 小山.
Xiao Shan
(small mountain)
(though, by all reports she won't be small for long!!)

We're Going on a Bear Hunt ....

We really hoped to spot a bear or two while in Jasper.

{From the safe confines of our vehicle, of course.}

There was even rhythmic chanting from the back seat!

"We're going on a bear hunt,

We're going on a bear hunt,

We're not scared ....

The park service has warnings and notices of bears everywhere.

The trash cans are bear proof.

But despite going to all the known bear 'hot spots' ...

{The Miete Hotsprings, Maligne Canyon, and the Road to the Columbia Ice fields}

Despite my auntie having seen seven {seven!} at the National Park the week before ...

We didn't see any.

But that certainly doesn't mean the bears aren't there.

.... Check out this evidence!

Wildlife :: Jasper National Park

Just another day in Jasper ....

Going eye to eye with an elk.

Waiting for big horn sheep to meander across the TransCanada highway

{to the consternation of truckers and the awe of tourists,
including the three blond Americans
buckled into the backseat of our rental car.}

Watching caribou casually munch on grass and wild flowers.

It wasn't long after entering the park gate ...
watching the glacier water race by in road side streams
and the wild life creep out from craggy cliffs
that the girls fell in love.
They loved our mini vacay inside our vacay
{We took three days and headed West to the Rockies
during our visit with my parents and Canadian fam}

The Three are already talking about what they want to see "next year"!

Photo Credits :: Mr Johnson

{I was navigating around the wildlife behind the wheel!!}

Jasper National Park :: Jasper, Alberta Canada

Photo Credits :: by EHJ age 9.5

{Yellow Wild Flower and Blue Wild Flowers}