The Wine Commonsewer™

Homework Wine Pairings

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

By junior high school, the House Blond's academic achievement put her well past my ability to offer any meaningful help with her homework. My desk is big enough to perform an autopsy on, but the sink is on the bar, not the desk. There's comfortable work space for two people across from me, and that's where Katie spent many of her evenings during the school year.

During tax season, she and I often worked together. Taxes on my side of the desk. Chemistry and such on her side. Every so often I'd throw a tax question at her, just to show I wasn't no dummy. Most nights, though, my intention was to offer a little moral support while KT diligently worked her way through stacks of biology and statistics homework. Moral support included suitable fortification. And sometimes some decent music.

As Always,

The Bogle Old Vine Zin Had Turned

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

I hadn't seen her since we moved her into Claremont McKenna dorms in August so I was happy to have lunch with The House Blond at The Host Bar and Grill, which is an Asian/Fusion place located in the old citrus packing house in Claremont. Love the creaky old wooden floors and the faint aroma of Watco.

When my glass of Bogel Old Vine Zinfandel appeared, it was apparent that the bottle had been stored next to the portal to hell for several days. I don't mean warm or even ordinary summer room temperature. It was hot enough that a handful of ice from my water glass immediately melted. I'm easy going and if the ice would have helped I'da been okay with that. But, the wine was definitely going off. Turned. Meaning: turning to vinegar or worse.

The server, Maryanne, returned and the conversation went something like this:

The House Blond turns Eighteen (Where's Her Birthday Hat At?)

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

When KT was born, I worked out how old I'd be on her eighteenth birthday. Don't ask. Let's just say old. Some people my age have grandkids her age.

At the time, it seemed way off in the murky distance somewhere, like when we were kids and made a game of figuring out how old we'd be in the year 2000. And I can't exactly recall how eighteen years have slipped away since The House Blond slipped into this world. Long days. Short years. From Polly Pockets to a graphing calculator in.....I'm tempted to say......the blink of a young girl's eye. But I won't say that, mostly because I've said that before.

She's already well into her first year at Claremont McKenna, one of the top liberal arts schools in the US. She could have gone to UCLA~~or several other UC's~~ on a free ride, but chose CMC for its top drawer faculty, mostly smaller class sizes, and quality of life. It's a good fit for her. Thankfully for mom and dad, CMC has been pretty generous, something she earned with her hard work and determination in HS.

Hard science is her thing. Chemistry and biology. She sees her interests leading to a career in genetics, neuroscience, or possibly medicine. She hasn't yet chosen a major, but her minor is likely to be economics. Her days are filled with chemistry and biology classes and labs, economics, literature, and cross country.

She's my Renaissance Girl, she can do about anything. Except the dishes.

That's us on move-in day in front of the dorms at Claremont McKenna College.

 

The House Blond Turns 17.....where's her birthday hat at?

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

My Renaissance Girl is a senior in high school and the mailbox is filled with glossy solicitations from colleges and universities across the country. I swear, those boys, spend enough on printing and mailing that they could give my kid a free ride for a semester. Plenty of that interest is due to the girl's 4.67 GPA. She don't like me to say so, but there's a thousand kids in her senior class and she, along with a handful of others, are at the pinnacle of achievement, academically.

That girl can run three miles faster than I can walk one. In addition to her scholar athlete and MVP award, she set a school record in the 800 last year.

That's us on 4th of July in Tubac Arizona.

And she can shoot.

And you can dress her up.

Sunset At the Red Sand Beach

Wakeboarding

Some years ago I titled a post commemorating The House Blond's birthday this way....

The House Blond Turns Eleven (Where's Her Birthday Hat At?)

Several grammar cops took me to task over it, which means they didn't even bother to read the post, or they would have gotten the context.

The day Katie was born was the first time The Boy and I shared a meal together. Once we settled into the booth he looked across the table at me and asked it it was Katie's birthday. I responded that it was, and he then said to me:

If it's Katie's birthday, where's her birthday hat at?

As Always

The House Blond Sets A School Record for the 800

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

The House Blond called me around six to tell me the district finals were running way, way ahead of schedule. Since we're like a Dwight Yoakum tune (a thousand miles from nowhere) I hopped in the truck and skedaddled.

And, of course, there's a school play at Centennial HS as well as the track meet finals, so the parking is sparse. I'm about to the gate when I hear the announcer say.....and, Santiago's Katherine Snell......But it doesn't register immediately. Cuz she's not Katherine, she's Katie.

Precious seconds later I'm running for the gate almost as fast as she is running the track. Running and fishing in my pocket for the wad of cash Mrs TWC left on the dresser that I knew I'd need. The big guy taking the money, who looks like he played guard for USC ten years ago, sees me coming and makes me out as a gate crasher. He's half out of his plastic cafeteria chair with thoughts of the glory days running through his head when I throw the five dollar bill at him while shouting that my daughter is running RIGHT NOW. I didn't bother with the senior discount.

I got about five shots of her crossing the finish line through the chain link. Give me a break, how stupid is it to have a six foot tall chain link fence around the perimeter of a football field? WTH kind of nonsense is this?

She ran the 800 meter in 2.22, which is both a personal record and a school record for her high school.

Later, she ran the 4X400, which is a team relay. Each of the four team members runs 400 meters, handing off the baton to the next person.

I wasn't quick enough with the settings to get a good photo of the hand-off in the dying light. And BTW, it was got dang windy and cold for a May evening. It happens in So Cal sometimes.

Bonus:

 

 As Always, 

The House Blond Sweet Sixteen

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

It will be a hectic Sweet Sixteenth for my Renaissance Girl. We're in the throes of a heat wave and the triple digit temps have bumped her two hours of cross country practice from after school to early evening. Unfortunately, that won't change the homework allotment, she'll just start later. I'll sit with her at the desk while she works. I can't help her with chemistry, but I can sip a little wine and keep her company. For whatever that might be worth.    

 

The girl can run a 5.5 minute mile and she's carrying a 4.5 GPA in college level advanced placement courses. She's funny, good with a camera, a .357, and she can wakeboard. She'll get her license on Thursday and that will be the last morning I drive her to school.

Bonus:

Katie shares her birthday with BB King

 

As Always,

TWC

The House Blond's Fifteenth Birthday

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

Don't exactly recall how fifteen years have slipped away since The House Blond slipped into this world. Long days. Short years. From Polly Pockets to a graphing calculator in.....I'm tempted to say......the blink of a young girl's eye.

She's a sophomore and manages an academic load that would put a lot of college kids in the dirt. She runs cross country and can scoot three miles in a bit less time than it takes her old man to walk one.

Tubac Arizona, Fourth of July 2012

Dusk at the Red Sand Beach, Hana Hawaii, July 2003

Sunset at Annapolis Harbor, Thanksgiving Day, 2011

Katie shares her birthday with Mexico, my cousin's wife, and B. B. King. And, as it turns out, September 16 is the most likely day of the year to join the parade.

She's my Renaissance Girl.

As Always,

TWC

The House Blond's Christmas Cookies

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

Last evening while The Boy was slaying something on League and moi was perusing Facebook and drinking wine, Mrs TWC and The House Blond whipped up some Christmas Sugar Cookies. It's trickier than you think and I don't have the step-by-step. I do know that Mrs TWC did a lot of the heavy lifting (prep work) while she was fixin' spicy pork and roasted garlic zucchini. 

The frosting is butter cream and I am impressed with the attention to detail, especially considering that the frosting bag was a Glad sandwich bag with the corner clipped off. 

As Always,

TWC

The House Blond at Fourteen

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

The House Blond is off to Disneyland to spend her birthday at the Happiest Place on Earth with a coupla friends. Before Mrs TWC whisked her off in the Hamster Car, I whipped out an order of from-scratch Frog Toast, which happens to be one of her faves.

Katie shares her birthday with Mexico (no, Cinco de Mayo is NOT Mexican Independence Day), Lauren Snell, legendary bluesman (come on, you can’t say bluesperson, it sounds idiotic) B. B. King, and jazz great Charlie Byrd. And, as it turns out, September 16 is the most likely day of the year to come into the world. Christmas Day? Least likely (go figure).  

As a fourteen year old freshman I think it's the right time to tell her that Aunt Laura is right, boys are from hell. Good thing she's running cross country this year. Maybe keep her one step ahead of the boys from hell. 

Piloting the Boat on Lake Powell Near Dangling Rope Marina (July 2012) 

Fourteen years ago last night, Mrs TWC quietly dragged me out of bed because she CLAIMED she was having a baby. She hadn't even packed THE BAG. We hastily threw (literally) some stuff together and careened down the hill to the hospital some 30 miles distant. Despite driving like a madman there was no police escort, because there's never a cop around when you need one.

Miraculously, as the clock approached zero-dark-thirty, my Renaissance Girl abruptly plopped into this world. The doctor handed me something sharp that you can't bring in your carry on bag. I hacked (again, literally) her umbilical cord off with a scalpel.....Dr Byrne gave me some crap about being a wuss, but it is surprising how tough that thing really is.   

Later in the day The Boy would ask.....if it's Katie's birthday.....where's her birthday hat at? 

Bonus:

As Always,

The Wine Commonsewer

Tip of the glass to Lauren Snell for the NYT birthday list

The House Blond Runs Cross Country

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

The House Blond's cross country meet at Mt San Antonio College. She's number 1945 and in pink. She also put the collage together.  

As Always,

TWC