Ghosts of Our Youth

October saw too many teen suicides due to bullying. Many people spoke out about the subject when gay teens Tyler Clementi and Raymond Chase committed suicide after being a victim of bullying. President Obama expressed his sorrow and concern in a video, "It Gets Better" posted on the White House website and on YouTube. He said,

"I don’t know what it’s like to be picked on for being gay. But I do know what it’s like to grow up feeling that sometimes you don’t belong. It’s tough. And for a lot of kids, the sense of being alone or apart – I know can just wear on you. And when you’re teased or bullied, it can seem like somehow you brought it on yourself – for being different, or for not fitting in with everybody else."

Last week the pastor at my local Unitarian Universalist church had a lot to say on the subject as well. His sermon, Ghosts of Our Youth (podcast link) spoke to my heart , especially when I learned that two of the recent suicides were only 13 years old. Please listen to his sermon.

Rev. Cullinan asks, "Why do I feel like nothing much has changed in the last 25 years?" Please do your part to stop the bullying that is so prevalent in our society. Save lives.

Going Back Home Again

Last weekend I flew back to my old hometown area of Sacramento, California to attend my Roseville High School class of 1985 reunion (25 years). I went from 7,500 feet to 50 feet above sea level! Flying into Sacramento International Airport was a breeze, thankfully, and I had no trouble getting my rental car and heading out onto the interstate toward Roseville. I took the back way since I wanted to stop by my old neighborhood where I grew up.

Along Hwy 99 north there were houses where rice paddies used to be and I was surprised at the growth. I drove through the little town of Elverta which hasn't changed a lot. Elverta was named for a woman, Elverta Dike, whose husband donated property to the church. My old neighborhood was on the outskirts of Elverta and actually had a stop light now! The old neighborhood looked very much the same, only not as run down as I remember it being when I lived there. I was amazed to see my old house completely renovated and added onto. It stood out among the other homes, not fitting in any longer. I did notice the mulberry tree that I used to climb was still in the side yard and a pine tree rose behind the back of the house that I remember my dad planting. I did not see evidence of "Willie" the weeping willow tree in the back yard any longer. It was my all-time favorite climbing tree.

As I made my way to Roseville where I was staying (and the town that I was bussed to for high school) I couldn't believe the new subdivisions and shopping centers. So much had changed and there was so much traffic that was overwhelming. Where alfalfa or hay fields were are now all covered in suburbia. Roseville is a town that was settled by old miners from the Gold Rush back in the 1850s. It became a railroad town on the outskirts of Sacramento. Now it couldn't be considered "ouskirts" anymore since all of the individual towns merged together into one metropolis in the Sacramento Valley.

Before going to the high school for a tour and a football game, I went to In N Out Burger to eat dinner. There are no In N Outs here in New Mexico (yet) and I had to make a stop for a cheeseburger, fries, and vanilla shake.

About 10 alumni went on the school tour and we were surprised at so many changes. New and converted buildings took the place of the soccer field, auto shop, art department, and administration buildings. I was glad to see the amphitheater was still there, a place where my friends and I always had lunch and spent each day people watching, talking, and sometimes crying as teenagers are prone to do. It was so fun to talk with other alumni and to share our stories and pictures with each other as we watched the football game (and yes, Roseville won, beating the crosstown rivals Woodcreek Oaks).

On Saturday I was able to visit with a dear friend of mine that I've known since I was 11 years old. The two of us raised hell growing up and have remained close all these years. She took me to a delicious restaurant in Granite Bay for lunch.

Saturday night was the Big Event, dinner and dancing at Aura Lounge in downtown Sacramento. The filet mignon was extraordinary! About 40 of us met for dinner and it was so wonderful to get reacquainted with so many of my classmates and friends. Some classmates I got to "meet" for the first time, not having talked to them while in high school at all. Some people I didn't remember at all and some people didn't remember me. But we all enjoyed talking and then dancing the night away upstairs on the dance floor. I think an additional 10-15 people came just for the dancing. We closed the club and a bunch of us went a couple of blocks down to Ink, a restaurant where we had munchies and said our goodbyes. I returned back to the hotel at 5 am and slept 'til noon.

On Sunday I drove to Davis with an old friend from the neighborhood I grew up in. I lived in Davis for about 7 years (leaving in 1997) and wanted to visit the area again. I took a picture of the duplex we lived in and the first house where my oldest son lived. We drove around the UC Davis campus where I graduated back in 1992. Again, there were so many new buildings that the school had a completely new feel to it. Davis has also grown larger with new subdivisions and shopping centers. The only thing still separating the town from Sacramento is the Yolo Causeway, that is an elevated bypass above the flood zone along the Sacramento River. Anyway, we ate lunch at Woodstock's Pizza, which was still very good after 13 years. We had pepperoni, sausage, and black olives on whole wheat crust.

Sunday evening was spent visiting more and packing up for my return trip home. I got to the Sacramento airport with no trouble and even had time to spare before my flight to explore the shops and to eat a Cinnabon. I remember when the airport was Sacramento Metropolitan Airport and didn't have shops and a food court! Flying out of Sacramento toward Albuquerque felt bittersweet...leaving an area where I grew up and people I love, but returning back home to beautiful northern New Mexico and my family. The fall colors are spectacular here right now (Santa Fe below).

One thing I'm glad of being back in New Mexico is that there are a lot less people here and traffic isn't so extreme. It might be another 5 years before I get to go back to Roseville again, but I took away some wonderful memories of this visit.

Teri's Lemon Cheesecake

A friend from work gave me this recipe for lemon cheesecake after she made it for a work party. It's been a few months since then but I finally made it myself for a party that we all went to last night and it turned out delicious. It wasn't as pretty as Teri's since the middle sank on my cheesecake whereas hers was flat on top. In any case, it isn't the looks that count. I hope Teri doesn't mind me sharing her recipe here but I've had a few requests for it and thought I'd let others enjoy this lemony cheesecake goodness. Of course, being me, I've changed it a little bit, using Vanilla Wafers instead of Barnum's Animal Crackers and not baking the cheesecake in a water bath because I don't have a roasting pan. I also didn't use a food processor to mix up the cookie crumb mixture since I don't have one of those either.

Crust:

6 ounces Nabisco's Barnum's Animal Crackers or Social Tea Biscuits (I used Vanilla Wafers)

3 Tbsp sugar

4 Tbsp melted butter

Crush cookies into crumbs (you should have about 1 cup). Add sugar and mix together. Add the warm melted butter until the mixture is evenly moistened. Transfer the mixture to a 9-inch springform pan and press the crumbs firmly and evenly into the pan bottom. Keep the sides as clean as possible. Bake in a 325° oven for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden brown and fragrant. Cool on wire rack to room temperature.

Filling:

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 Tbsp grated lemon zest

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 8-ounce packages cream cheese

4 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup heavy cream

In a small bowl, mix lemon zest with 1/4 cup sugar until the sugar is yellow and the zest is broken down. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and add the remaining 1 cup of sugar. Mix together with the cream cheese until creamy and smooth. Scrape down the bowl and add eggs, lemon juice, vanilla, and cream. Scrape the bowl again and mix one last time. Pour into cooled crust and bake at 325° for 1 hour. Turn off oven and let cheesecake sit inside for 30 minutes without opening the oven. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature.

Lemon Curd:

1 jar lemon curd (found in the jelly aisle)

When cheesecake is cool, spread the lemon curd onto the cheesecake while it is still in the springform pan. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. To serve, remove the side of the springform pan and cut the cake into wedges. Serves 12 to 16.

(Teri did have directions to make homemade lemon curd but said that the jar tastes just as good and isn't as much trouble.)

I would have included a photo but it is almost all gone.

Enjoy!

Favorite Song Lyrics Today

Excerpts from a song called, "Forget and Not Slow Down" by Relient K.

How many times
Can I push it aside
Is it time I befriended all the ghosts of all the things that haunt me most
So they leave me alone
Move on with my life
Be certain the steps of left and right don't fight the direction of upright

I'd rather forget and not slow down
Than gather regret for the things I can't change now

It's time to decide
Which is out of my mind
Cause it'll be me unless I put some thoughts to rest and leave some faults behind

Cause I could spend my life just trying to sift through
What I could've done better but what good do what ifs do

Be Happy

A friend of mine posted this on her Facebook page. I thought I'd share it here. The illustrations and captions are from the book, "Be Happy--A Little Book to Help You Live a Happy Life" by Monica Sheehan. The music is "Cuore di Sabbia" (Sand Heart) by Pasquale Catalano.