perspicacious

perspicacious \pur-spi-KEY-shuhs\, adjective:

1. Having keen mental perception and understanding; discerning.
2. Archaic. Having keen vision.

Perspicacious is derived from the Late Latin word perspicācitās meaning "sharpness of sight."

While I was working at HUD, the state director, Terry Goddard, described me with this word and I thought "uh-ho" my chances at continuing with the HUD Tucson office are now doomed for sure. I knew that my director (she who shall not be named) was already "nervous" about me and feared that I wanted her office director job which I definitely did not. And yes, my HUD career ended with my two year Fellow contract.

As this word popped up on my daily word email, I wonder if this characteristic has become "archaic." More and more in my community development profession, I have concluded that an emerging asset is to not see too much or say too much--but to just know enough to get along, get the "job" done. Yes, this is a cynical conclusion which is one of the main reasons I am shifting my professional efforts into writing which, I hope, is still an area where having keen sight is a strength not a weakness and certainly not a liability.

In your profession, is being perspicacious valued?

serry

Another word play for the day:

serry \SER-ee\, verb:

To crowd closely together.

Serry is from the Middle Frenceh serré which was the past participle of serrer meaning “to press tightly together.”

Serry in a poem by afonte

As I sit at my desk,

clicking the computer keyboard

to the rhythm of Mozart,

I see my late morning birds

as they serry around seeds

and soothe their fluffed feathers.

word play

I have been saving up some of my favority "word for the day" links and am going to play with one for you today.

The word is "persnickity":

persnickety \per-SNIK-i-tee\, adjective:

1. Overparticular; fussy.
2. Snobbish or having the aloof attitude of a snob.
3. Requiring painstaking care.

Persnickety dates back to the late 1800s. It is a variant of the Scots word pernickety, which is of uncertain origin. Pernickety is perhaps related to other Scots words with the per- prefix, like perskeet which meant "fastidious."

Example (true one)): "Don't be so persnickity, young lady," my Grandmother Dice would admonish me, referring, as I recall to how particular I could be about getting my clothes folded "just so" when I stayed overnight on the farm. Somewhere along maturity, I let go of that craziness and now you could hardly call my socks, etc. drawer the evidence of a persnickity personality. Same goes for housecleaning which Mark and I seem to "trim" to bare essentials every other weekend. My Aunt Margaret used to iron sheets and underwear (so I am told) for her family, and my mom never did that. But she was "fussy" about her housecleaning and even in her late 80s she would pressure my dad to clean the chandelier in their Green Valley townhome when the slightest coating of dust was seen on the glass.

I like the word for the way it sounds, too: when you say it out loud, the mouth has to purse up and pull back tightly--so the sounds mirror the meaning.

Do you have a fav word you can "play" with today?

reflection on a sculpture

In mid January, my hubby and I visited the Phoenix Desert Botanical Gardens where these lime-green glass sculptures greet visitors as they enter the urban oasis.

A winter storm was beginning to emerge from the west coast.

One element that intriques me about this photo, as I gaze on it in the quiet of my home office, is the variety of textures in the shot.

Those textures are in the rocks, wall and plants surrounding the man-made artwork. How many can you find?

local eats in Long Beach California

Ten days ago, I was enjoying a brief vacation in Long Beach, California. My husband and I like the area very much and we have extended family nearby, so each year, we try to make the time for a visit. Maybe, eventually, we will be able to spend summer weeks or a month there, but, for now, we just savor our short airplane "hops" from Tucson to LB. This time, we nixed the idea of driving back and forth to the Getty Museums and, instead, kept our mileage range short but our curiousity expanded as we tried out two new places for lunch.

Our first stop after settling into our hotel was at Michael's Pizzeria, recently opened adjacent to the finer dining restaurant (of the same name, Michael's) next door. Located in the district known as Naples, with canals, gondolas and vias named after the original city in Italy, the two lower photos show the $8.00 lunch specials--Margarita Piccola and Rotolino Carcifi. The second entree was new to us is described as "roasted artichoke wrap with melted mozarella and pesto". I watched the chef roll the dough, layer the soft, white cheese balls over the pesto and artichokes, pinch the dough together and wrap it into a small, wreath-like shape, before placing it on the paddle and into the oven. Both entrees were delicious. We let the server know that I wrote a blog and while we only order one scoop of hazelnut gelato (from the producer, Ciao Bella), she brought us a "sample". This included their homemade pistachio and two homemade sorbets: strawberry and white grape. While the mass-produced hazelnut was very good, the homemade gelato was excellent: smooth and cream like I recall from my trips to Rome and Florence. The strawberry gelato had a fresh, tart tang to it and the white grape was surprisingly crisp. Can you tell that we love our dolci as well as our pizza? So, of course, it is the first photo you see. Visit Michael's Pizzeria at 5616 E. 2nd Street in Long Beach. http://www.michaelspizzeria.com/

Our second day we went downtown to find the visitor's center (tucked into a stall by the transit stop) and on our way, saw a sign with my name on it. Of course, we had to go into the Cafe and have two iced coffees (served with iced coffee cubes which made the sweet coffee taste linger) and talked with the manager about the connection of my name to the coffee. He gave us several complimentary Fonte paper coffee cups which I packed up and shared with family members to their surprise. We went back to the Cafe, named simply for the address Cafe 301, at 301 E. Ocean Blvd. in Long Beach and split a generous chicken and pesto panini ($6.75), served with artichokes and sun dried tomatoes and fresh greens. This is another locally owned foodie jewel I would recommend when you are in downtown LB. And the coffee has its own story at http://fontecoffee.com/ .

Out for a stroll

It's early Sunday morning and unusually "crisp" for this time of year: still only in the 50s. We savor this break from the heat and gladly put on our sweaters for a walk or stroll in the morning's gentle light. Yesterday, we walked along the Rillito River which, I must describe for non-Arizona readers, is without water for all but the heaviest of monsoons or mountain snow run-offs. This year, because the rains lingered in September, the vegetation along the banks is deep green and we spotted late blooming yellow flowers and black-eyed Susans bobbing along the mesquite and palo verde bushes. Dogs and their owners were pounding the sand and a red-tailed hawk lifted along the thermal drifts.

This morning, as I sit and write, it is the parade of our neighborhood dog walkers strolling by--some retired couples or singles, a few early rising UA students, all with a dog or two on leash, enjoying this brisk autumn air.

I am watering my lazy morning glory so that her blue blossoms will last a bit longer into this season. I think that vine has become a symbol of this year for me. It planted itself next to a dying oleander and began its climb up the dead branches a couple of months ago. It is now filling out that empty space with huge leaves and blossoms and surprises me every day with its persistence growth. I like to think its endurance represents my spirit and so I water it to keep it widening its arch across the back patio.

Is there a tree, a plant, a flower or vine that symbolizes your growth or spirit this year? And have you tended it, and yourself, well?

La Cocina Restaurant Cantina and Coffee Bar

Do you want to savor a succulent pulled pork (or pulled chicken) and gouda sandwich that my husband, the conference-traveler, says "is the best since I ate in Tennessee?" Start a meal with a soft, thin quesadilla (here served without green chilis per my request), with sides of chunky quacamole and salsa? Or you can pick another item: there are many more choices on the menu from La Cocina, located at 201 N. Court Ave./Old Town Artisans in Tucson. The owner, Jo Schneider, also owner of Bentley's Coffee and Tea which I reviewed earlier, has a gem of a location just footsteps away from the Tucson Museum of Art, Public Library and government offices and parking was easy for us to find (after 5 p.m.) on a side street.

We visited her place on Thursday night before we went to Cinema La Placita. It was a lovely early autumn evening so we sat outside and enjoyed the golden light in the plaza and watched the trees change color as the sun set. As darkness unfolded, twinkling lights came on and so did local musician Stefan George who played his acoustic guitar and sang vintage ballads to us and others gathered for a fine meal. La Cochina offers gluten-free menu options, a wide range of veggies and protein in the form of chicken, tofu and tilapia. Her breads (such as the ciabatta which my hubby said "hugged the pork perfectly") comes from the Tucson Bake House.

Service was attentive, friendly and paced so that we could enjoy the music and our meal. If I had wanted to, I could have leisurely shopped the galleries and shops, but I will do that on another night. We saved room for dessert and so glad we did: a fudge-icing brownie that Jo described aptly as "chocolate on steroids." She told us it was a homemade recipe and the "birthday cake of choice" by her two sons.

Jo is dedicated to making La Cocina a downtown foodie success and she is open seven days a week with brunch on Sundays. Her commitment to the Tucson community goes back thirty years and we Tucsonans and visitors need to do our part to keep this gem glowing in downtown Tucson. So visit La Cochina next time you are in the area and say "hi" to Jo as you settle in for a taste from her kitchen.