Poetry Friday: Ducks' Ditty

For Poetry Friday here is a sweet little poem from the Wind in the Willows.

`Ducks' Ditty.' by Kenneth Grahame

All along the backwater,
Through the rushes tall,
Ducks are a-dabbling,
Up tails all!

Ducks' tails, drakes' tails,
Yellow feet a-quiver,
Yellow bills all out of sight
Busy in the river!

Slushy green undergrowth
Where the roach swim--
Here we keep our larder,
Cool and full and dim.

Everyone for what he likes!
WE like to be
Heads down, tails up,
Dabbling free!

High in the blue above
Swifts whirl and call--
WE are down a-dabbling
Up tails all!

I’ve been reading the Wind in the Willows online in search of the roots of my adverb habit. I had a hunch that it goes back to the audiotape of the Wind in the Willows I had as a child. I listened to it over and over and the voice of the narrator reading dialogue liberally sprinkled with adverbs is permanently implanted in my brain. The hunch was right ...

Observe. This is what comes right after the above poem –

`I don't know that I think so very much of that little song, Rat,' observed the Mole cautiously. He was no poet himself and didn't care who knew it; and he had a candid nature.

`Nor don't the ducks neither,' replied the Rat cheerfully.

See what I mean? Here’s more dialogue from Chapter One:

'Is it so nice as all that?' asked the Mole shyly, though he was quite prepared to believe it as he leant back in his seat and surveyed the cushions, the oars, the rowlocks, and all the fascinating fittings, and felt the boat sway lightly under him.
'Nice? It's the only thing,' said the Water Rat solemnly, as he leant forward for his stroke. 'Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing— absolute nothing— half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. Simply messing,' he went on dreamily: 'messing— about— in— boats; messing— —'
'Look ahead, Rat!' cried the Mole suddenly.
It was too late. The boat struck the bank full tilt. The dreamer, the joyous oarsman, lay on his back at the bottom of the boat, his heels in the air.
'—about in boats— or with boats,' the Rat went on composedly, picking himself up with a pleasant laugh.

Feel like messing about in boats yet ;-) ? Anyway, I am in adverb rehab under the strict supervision of my critique buddies. Remind me why I shouldn’t be using them? OK, OK, stepping slowly and carefully away from the last adverb I wanted to use. For the record, I LOVE that book, adverbs and all.

Haven’t read it? The full text is available here …

The Wind in the Willows

I think switching to 1st person POV for my current book has helped no end with the adverbs though. No idea why …

Round up is at Mommy's Favorite Children's Books

* picture of duck by Dvorscak from flickr creative commons

JAI HO!

Slumdog Millionaire won eight Oscars last night. It had been widely expected to win, but I still stayed up late to watch. And I'm glad I did. Because when they brought out the dancers, drummers and singers for the songs from Slumdog and Wall-E-- I cried like a baby.

What a day for Bollywood! And for Mumbai, where the great majority of the cast and crew come from. Like the six young people in the photograph above. Bollywood has always been compared unfavorably with Hollywood, but an awesome British director, screenwriter, and other team members notwithstanding, last night was Bollywood's night. It was so nice to see familar faces like that of Anil Kapoor (who has acted in more than 100 Bollywood movies) up there. And true to Mumbai's cosmopolitan spirit they were Hindu, Muslim, Catholic, Sikh and probably more.

I still can't believe that A.R. Rahman and Gulzar WON! Music like theirs is the heart and soul of Bollywood. Gulzar has been writing the most beautiful lyrics for Hindi movie songs since before I was born. A.R. Rahman is the best composer and music director of this generation. And last night they won the Oscar!

I wish I had the footage of the actual performance of the songs to share, because they were outstanding.

Did you know Jai Ho, means Praise Be ? It is used in many inspirational songs from religious to patriotic. All I can say about their Oscar win is - Jai Ho!

Poetry Friday : Day Lilies

Day Lilies

by Rosanna Warren

For six days, full-throated,

they praised the light with speckled tongues and blare

of silence by the porch stair:

honor guard with blazons and trumpets raised

still heralding the steps of those

who have not for years walked here

but who once, pausing,

chose this slope for a throng of lilies:

Read the rest at http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/20473

I had to relearn gardening when we moved here. The tropical plants I grew up with in India and Australia can’t grow in Zone 6-7. I still remember how heartbroken I was, that first winter, when everything I planted died. I didn’t know about perennials, hardiness zones, or bulbs sleeping in the soil, waiting for spring. But I learned.

Funny thing, the plants I paid money for never did well, but the ones given to me always did. My friend Nancy was the first to dig up a row of hostas from her garden for me. They’ve grown and multiplied. An old man I didn’t even know gave away heaps of iris corms on a sunny July day after our town parade. They have also flourished.

But my favorites are the day lilies that some previous owner of our house planted on the slope behind our house. Over the years I’ve moved many of them to the front yard, where my small perennial bed is. The rest still grow wild on the hill. And now that the snow is slowly melting I know they’re stirring in the ground.

I love this poem because it reminds me of them.

The round up today is at the holly and the ivy.

* picture of day lilies from Flickr creative commons by clairegren

The Great Call of China

Today is the release day for Cynthea Liu's The Great Call of China.

Cynthea has been a generous mentor in the children's literature world, with her websites AuthorsNow and Writing for kids and teens, that have been great resources for newcomers like me.

Read an interview with Cynthea at Heather's Frolicking through cyberspace, and attend the cyber release parties at Tara Lazar's blog and Cynthea's website!

The book sounds awesome. Here's a blurb from amazon.

Chinese-born Cece was adopted when she was two years old by her American parents. Living in Texas, she’s bored of her ho-hum high school and dull job. So when she learns about the S.A.S.S. program to Xi’an, China, she jumps at the chance. She’ll be able to learn about her passion—anthropology—and it will give her the opportunity to explore her roots. But when she arrives, she receives quite a culture shock. And the closer she comes to finding out about her birth parents, the more apprehensive she gets. Enter Will, the cute guy she first meets on the plane. He and Cece really connect during the program. But can he help her get accustomed to a culture she should already know about, or will she leave China without the answers she’s been looking for?

Let's PARTY!

How to make Chicken Tikka Masala

I’ve been meaning to post my version of the recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala since some of my friends asked for it.

Here it is.

You’ll need:

Chicken breast – about 2 lbs

For Marinade
Ginger root – 2 inch, peeled and grated
Garlic – 2 tablespoons minced
Yogurt – 4 tablespoons
Lime juice – of half a lime

Red food color (I use Betty Crocker gel colors)
Coriander – 1 teaspoon.

For Sauce
Tomato puree – I used two 14.5 ounce cans of diced tomatoes and pureed it in the blender.

Heavy cream – 1 ½ cup
Cilantro – a bunch
1 tablespoon spice mix (ground pepper, cloves and cardamom)

For Heat
If you like it hot add 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper to the marinade.

Preparation:

Ginger/garlic paste: Peel and grate the ginger. It is actually best to pound the garlic and ginger into pulp in a stone mortar and pestle. I don’t have one so I grate the ginger and use store bought minced garlic (or press fresh garlic).

Ground spices: I usually get the kids to do this (evil!) I put equal measures of black pepper, cloves and cardamom (not the whole green one, the black seeds inside) in my (small) mortar and pestle and let the kids pound it. Actually, they love doing it! If you have a coffee grinder or spice mill you can use that. Skip it if you don’t even like pepper/clove heat. The cardamom is not hot.

Stage 1: Marinating the chicken
Cut the chicken into bite size pieces.
Mix with half the ginger root and garlic, and all the yogurt, lime juice, coriander, cayenne pepper (if you’re using it), and red food color.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but for best results, overnight.

Stage 2: Baking the chicken
You can grill or bake, but the key is to put the chicken in HIGH heat for a SHORT time.
I usually bake it. If that’s what you are doing, then preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Put the chicken pieces directly on the broiler pan (with the drip pan under it) and bake for ten minutes. Take it out (CAREFUL - it's HOT) and spray the chicken with vegetable oil. Turn over with tongs and spray other side. Bake for another 5-10 minutes.

Stage 3: Making the sauce
Put the tomato and cilantro in a blender and puree.
Put some vegetable oil in a large pan and heat on medium heat.
Add the remaining ginger/garlic paste to the pan.
Add the ground spices and fry for a couple of minutes.
Add the Tomato/cilantro puree.
Add the heavy cream.
Let this cook on medium heat for about five minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the chicken. Lower heat and let it simmer for about half an hour. You can add some butter at this point.
Garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve with basmati rice. Enjoy!

P.S. There is no such thing as Chicken Tikka Masala in India. The closest thing to it is Murg Makhani (Butter Chicken) which is a staple in Punjab and Delhi. That too is a “restaurant” dish that people don’t usually make at home.

P.P.S. Please ignore the crud on my cook-top. I love to cook. I do not love to clean.

Devising deadlines

Until recently, I had no idea how much I relied on reading my WIP to the kids to keep me writing.

After-school snacks also included the mandatory “so what did you write today?” interrogation. But since I switched from my middle grade (now finished and on submissions) to my current YA historical romance, I’ve stopped reading to my under-ten-year-olds. Along with the daily reading, the urgency of having something for them every week-day disappeared. This was NOT good!!!

There are so many distractions, like the two week illness we’ve had in the family recently, or the ongoing February vacation, that I NEED someone to say – what’s next, what happens next, write darn it !!

What to do?

Luckily, I have resources. Like my fabulous sisters. They may be on the other side of the planet but that’s no barrier in our connected world. I recruited sister Number One to be my weekly reader. Read for me, I said, and every week I will send you an installment by Saturday morning, Australian time, ready to read with your morning cuppa.

I have managed three installments so far. The last one behind schedule by a day, after a stern – “Oy, where’s my Leela installment already?” e-mail from an irate Minni Didi (Padmini, goes by Minni – the Didi means older sister, did I mention we have rhyming names?)

Hurrah for deadlines! Thank goodness for sisters! Got to go, I have a deadline to meet ... :-)

* picture of deadline from flickr creative commons by Last Human Gateway

Happy Valentine's Day!

For your viewing pleasure, here is a picture of the page on Kama, the God of Love, from Sanjay Patel's The Little Book of Hindi Deities, the cleverest and cutest book ever written on the subject.

And for Chandra, my wonderful husband, a song that always makes me think of him ...




And finally, I'd like to do my duty as a member of the Consortium of Pubgoing, Loose and Forward Women, (cool name, huh? :-)) a group of Indian women (and men) against moral policing, and send the hoodlums calling themselves the Shri Ram Sena a pink chaddi !!

To clarify: men from the group roughed up young women in a pub in India recently, and would like, among other things, to ban Valentine's Day there. Kama-dev would be shocked!

Read an article about the campaign in the New York Times.

* Picture of Rudolph and the pink chaddi from flickr creative commons by feastoffools

Poetry Friday -- The art of losing

I read this last night on the blog of the wonderful Brenda Bowen. It saddens me to see something with as much promise and talent as the Bowen Press fall victim to this economy. I wish her the best.

I'll be honest; I had no idea what a villanelle was before I read this. It sounds like such a difficult form, but she makes it seem effortless and beautiful. These verses in particular speak to me ...

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.

Here it is, in full.

One Art

by Elizabeth Bishop

The art of losing isn't hard to master;

so many things seem filled with the intent

to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster

of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.

The art of losing isn't hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster:

places, and names, and where it was you meant

to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last, or

next-to-last, of three loved houses went.

The art of losing isn't hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,

some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.

I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.

--Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture

I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident

the art of losing's not too hard to master

though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.

The round up today is at Kelly Herold's Big A little a.

Dreaming of spring ...

It isn't far. My 13 year old cat, the gorgeous Miss Sona, was up in a tree today sniffing the air ... :-)

Woman as storyteller

My sister, Anuja, just won the India Today - Woman as Storyteller Award for "For successfully giving birth to words that evolve into new worlds."

Here she is, receiving the award from Erin Brockovich!

You know, I should be used to all the amazing publicity the girl has been getting since her book became a bestseller - but my jaw still drops every time it happens. I'm so proud of her!

Check out more pictures and coverage here.

Rubber-band twanger

What IS that thing?

Let me explain. That's Kiki's 3rd grade make-your-own-instrument project. Tangerine crate, pencils, rubber-bands, paint. Ravi made a rain stick last year (beans in a cardboard tube) and though his sounded really nice, I think Kiki's looks prettier. Too bad she was too sick to turn it in on Friday.

Poetry Friday - Sick Kid

Forgive me if it's horrible ... been up half the night, and have no judgement left right now ...

SICK KID

Footsteps
hot hands
3:00 am
I know before
I feel her face
“Fever ..."

We know
the drill
Medicine
Thermometer
Spare bedroom
for him

I lie awake
watchful, worrying
as she tosses ...
but finally
she
sleeps

I think
of mums
who do not
have
medicine
cabinets

What do they do
in flu season?
Sadness seeps
into relief
then
I sleep

Poetry Friday roundup is at Wild Rose Reader

Snow woes

I’ve officially had it with snow!!! Apparently we’ve broken all kinds of records for it this winter. I wish it would just melt away and fast forward to spring. Though it is not completely unlikely that it might still (horrors!) be around in April.

My van fishtails when I drive. I’ve landed on my butt more than once (despite wearing sensible boots)while walking Yogi, who seems to thinks he’s training for the Iditarod. The kids look like sherpas with all that gear they have to carry to and from school everyday (snow pants, boots, gloves, hats, extra socks). Snow banks the size of glaciers line our neighborhood streets. Parking downtown for Karate class is ridiculous. I was not made for this weather.

However, I just found THIS video featuring Jarrett Krosoczka, Jane Yolan, The Blue Rose Girls, Adam Rex, Tomie dePaola and so many more!

Feel better? I do! Now I understand why the NY conference (where this vid was played) is in the middle of winter. This is when we need something like it!!!

Muzzles and earwax

Yogi and I went to the vet today. It was a follow up visit to see if the yeast infection in his ear had cleared up.

They swabbed his ears and said he still had a bit of infection in one ear. Didn’t surprise me because he had been very bad about letting me put the ear drops in and even worse about letting me flush out the ear. They asked if I wanted them to do it. Not knowing what would come next, I said sure …

Then came the muzzle, and the lateral holding down, and the panicked diarrhea!!! And me saying LOUDLY -- Stop, I’m not comfortable with this!

Yeah, it wasn’t fun! It’s going to be even less fun when I have to do the ear flushing thing myself. But do it, I will! I’m not letting them do that to him again.

When we got home, Yogi and I went for a long walk and had fun playing out in the snow. We’ve both stopped shaking. Until the follow up in two weeks!

This time I’ll make sure we get the sweet vet who always sees my cats ...