La Familia Brophy

Happy Halloween!!!

One of the things that we got in Vermont was some non-homogenized milk. I have never had it before. I think that homogenization was fairly standard by the time I started drinking milk. There is a small movement of people who believe that it is healthier to consume the fats in milk as they occur in nature rather than as they are with the mixed up molecules homogenization creates. It makes sense to me. But what is more incredible is the unbelievable taste difference. No wonder kids don’t like drinking milk anymore. The ultra-pasteurized, homogenized stuff you buy in the store, particularly if the cows were poorly fed, tastes nothing like the real, minimally processed milk of a grass fed cow.

I wish I could send you all a glass. I also wish this was available in Boston. I have a friend who goes to New Hampshire every week to get her milk. She is really hard-core since she likes it unpasteurized.

If you ever get a chance drink a nice glass of this stuff. It is soooo good.

P.S. For all of you old-timers. What did you do with the layer of cream on top? I just spread some on bread and it was good. I thought I remember people saying they just ate it with a spoon. That’s intense.

We drove all over Southern Vermont yesterday, mostly in the drizzle occasionally in the rain. Despite the weather, because of it even, the drive was beautiful and fun. The car drove really nicely. It was a rainy Monday after the leaf season and before the ski season - it felt like we were the only three tourists in the state. The leaves were still beautiful - I like them in the late season when they are yellow and orange edging into brown.

Our inspiration for the trip was to go cheese hunting. We almost drove right by the Westminster Dairy, operated cheese craftsman Peter Dixon. A Jersey cow watched us pull into the empty dirt parking lot. A nice old dog greeted us. As we looked around the store we hear and catch glimpses of the famous cheese maker mixing curds or something in the back room, but he seemed to be pretending we weren’t there. The store was a mess, empty cardboard boxes littered the floor. The coolers had were half full with delicious looking cheeses, most of which were unlabeled. We selected some fresh mozzarella, which this farm is famous for. We wanted some of his aged provolone as well. I approached the work area and called out “Hello?” eventually he came out to sell us some cheese. It was clear he would rather be making cheese than talking to people, “Do you want help with something?” he mumbled. He told us he was out of provolone and offered a choice two asiagos and a toma. As we were leaving he livened up a little and called after us “I hope you enjoy your cheese.” We had macaroni and cheese made with a colby cheese from Crowley Cheese Company for dinner tonight. We’ll try Mr. Dixon’s cheese tomorrow.

Here’s a photo Lisa took of Nathan and I crossing the Main Street Bridge in Brattleboro.

I added a little PHP script that pops a random photo on my homepage. It was so insanely easy. Much much easier than messing around javascripts to do the same thing. Web hobbyists out there - here’s how you do it.

I was just mentioning travel to Colombia. Here’s a blow by blow account a first day in Colombia just last week. It’s a long read, and fairly hilarious (for the reader if not the author). I’m looking forward to reading about day 2.

Salon has an article about how navel gazing Gen X parents are writing volumes about there parenting experiences. I have no idea what they are talking about.

The Christian Science Monitor has an article about Colombia’s attempts to woo back tourists. You’d think it would be a hard thing to do, but lots of people are willing to try. Friends or ours are going soon. I’m psyched to go back. I think it may be the most beautiful country in the world - I’d like to see more so I can be sure.

We visited Stacy and Matt in Acton today, and went pumpkin shopping (part 2 of this year’s Fall Harvest). It was a beautiful ride west and north. Lisa dreamed up crazy highway-avoiding routes both ways and we got turned around a few times. The leaves were peak, though, and Nathan didn’t mind the long ride.

My cheeks feel all rosy from our wholesome family outdoor fun. I love this time of year in new England, but it’s hard not to feel the winter approaching. Better enjoy it while we can! Maybe we should take a little trip to Vermont or something before it gets to cold…

In my search for good Colombian news in English I cam a cross this review of a Los Aterciopelados concert. I have two of their songs in my play list. My favorite is Baracunatana. You can hear a sample on Amazon. I wish I new more good current latin rock. If you know any good bands leave a comment.

Nathan is having a growth spurt in the area of cognitive development. He is just brilliant. Today I was reciting his favorite book Squirrel is Hungry from memory. I was in the living room and Nathan was in the dining room at the time. When he heard me, he promptly came crawling over, passed right by me and went straight for his books. He pulled them out until he found the right one and he handed it to me!!!!!! I read it to him and when I got to the last page he took the book from me, closed it, and handed it back to me. I read it to him 6 times and then passed it off to Ben who got to read it 3 times more. I guess this is why I have my master’s degree in child development. I just find it so utterly amazing.

Signs of genius from this story I have told:
~ He recognized the story I was reciting and associated it with the book.
~ He got the book.
~ He handed it to me, knowing that I could read it to him.
~ He knows the end of the book and knows how to start it over.
~ He had the attention span to sit fully focused on the story for 9 repetitions.

Please feel free to add your own conclusions in regards to Nathan’s incredible intellect to the comments section below.

There was this moment when Grady Little went to talk to Pedro Martinez on the mound, and you could see Pedro nodding like “Don’t worry, I’m fine.” That was it, the moment the Sox fell apart.