A little about me and one of my goals

For a geography assignment in school one year my mother told me to pick out a country that I would want to study. I picked Scotland. Braveheart was a new movie at the time and I had quickly been swept up by the story, the music, and the beautiful scenery. I dove into my studies. I still have a notebook I made with every fact I could find about the country and its history. At one time I could tell you what the average summer and winter temperatures are there. The passion for Scotland and the desire to learn more about it have never left me and it has grown with age. I have continued to buy books pertaining to not only to Scottish history but to Irish and British history as well (I know the story of William Wallace backwards and forwards-thanks Mel Gibson). I also love Celtic Music (I still watch the Lord of the Dance performance on tape) and I think I prefer British television over American.

While in my college geography class I was given the assignment of researching a culture and giving a presentation. Of course I had to pick somewhere in Scotland but I wanted it to be unique so I started searching. While reading up on crofting (something similar to sharecropping) and the islands off the country's coast I ran across a part of Scotland I had never heard of before. The Outer and Inner Hebrides, a group of islands off of Scotland's northwest coast. Many of the people on these islands still lived the crofter's way of life. In some cases towns still shut down on Sundays and Gaelic was still a language many spoke. There are several Hebride islands. I chose the largest one, the Isle of Harris as my presentation topic and got an "A". Needless to say I found an interest within an interest and I have been fascinated by the Gaelic languages ever since.

There are many Gaelic languages. Welsh (from Wales) is a language that you have probably heard of. Irish gaelic, Scots gaelic, Manx, Breton, and Cornish are others. They are spoken predominately in remote area of the United Kingdom but are also spoken in places such as Nova Scotia and France. I would like to learn Welsh and Irish but Scots is my passion.

I haven't learned much yet. I'm remind myself of a child who is just learning to speak and can tell you how to say bacon or milk or sugar (why are they all food items?)..... but one day I hope to somehow be fluent. I want to learn the language, fly to Scotland, and start a conversation with a Scots speaker. That would be the peak of success to me!

I'm currently trying to decide on a textbook curriculum with audio to invest in but in the meantime I have found a wealth of internet aids. If anyone is ever going to learn how to say any gaelic word they need audio because it just doesn't read the way it pronounces. The letters "bh" together make a "v" sound, etc. The BBC is a great source for information! All of my favorite sites are BBC sites. Here are a couple if you get curious and what to see what the heck it is I am doing.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/alba/foghlam/airsplaoid/index.shtml

http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/alba/foghlam/beag_air_bheag/

So now you know I'm weird and have interests that I share with absolutely no one else I know! Maybe I'll blog about something that makes more sense next time. One can only hope.

Squash salad recipe that is perfect for summer

Hey Everyone,

I want to share a recipe I made up with everyone. My family has a beautiful garden this year with tons and tons of yellow squash in it. My step-father had sauteed it as much as he could stand and said he wished he knew of another way to prepare it. While I fixed dinner one night last week I came up with this recipe. Its very simple and fresh and you can add it as a side to your summer meals. I hope you enjoy!


3 yellow squash, sliced & cut into medium thick, bite-sized pieces (chunks)
1 or 2 green bell peppers, diced or cut into strips
1 onion, diced or cut into strips
Zesty Italian dressing
salt & pepper, to taste
1 or 2 dashes of garlic powder
a little red pepper flakes or Cajun seasoning for heat (optional)

Toss the veggies together in a large mixing bowl. Pour enough dressing to coat or maybe a little more over the veggies and add remaining ingredients to taste. Mix together thoroughly. Cover bowl and leave in refrigerator for about 30 min. to an hour to marinate veggies. Serve.

The dish will become a little soggy on the second day but its still good. It will continue down this path of sogginess so you will want to toss the leftovers eventually.

Please feel free to change this recipe in any way you see fit. I think it could work well with other vegetables also (cucumbers, add cherry tomatoes, etc.). Make it your own and enjoy. I'm just excited that I came up with a great side dish after being out of a professional kitchen for a month! Its not restaurant fare but it sure can work for your familia. Salad Girl showed herself again! Maybe I'll come up with a few more good recipes or find some good ones and pass them on in the future.

-Danielle

Have you ever had those moments?

I have had a lot of forgetful moments lately. Of course I've always had moments, just like anyone, but I have come across a few of those moments lately that have made me laugh.
Several weeks ago I was enjoying myself on the beaches of Destin, Florida. Like a nut I went out into the water with my sunglasses on my head. Every time a wave came by I had to grab them so the ocean couldn't claim them. These sunglasses were a Dollar Tree purchase so if I lost them it wouldn't break my heart but I didn't want to. I became so used to doing this that when my glasses were actually on my face I forgot and found my self clutching my head to save them and then searching the water for the lost glasses all while looking through the very same brown, tinted shades. Thankfully, I was in the water by myself when this happened so I was saved the initial embarrassment of people watching me.
I found myself in another such moment today. My mother and I had received coupons for free film processing at our local drug store. I made it a race to be ready to leave before she was. I had everything together! Purse on my shoulder, shoes on, standing by the door with coupon in hand. At this moment my mother had the composure of mind to ask me if I had my film. No, I didn't. How could I forget that? That was the one and only reason for the entire trip!!
My mother laughed at me for several minutes and even asked if she could write about this on her blog. At least I gave her a good laugh, right? Well, in effort to beat her at the blogging game (since I wasn't able to beat her in being ready to leave the house) I'm blogging about it first. Hah!!!