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Category Archives: our family

to drive the cold winter away

23 Wednesday Dec 2015

Posted by Anna Clutterbuck-Cook in our family

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holidays

It might be forecast to reach seventy degrees tomorrow here in Boston, but nevertheless it will still be Christmas Eve and our household is ready for a week’s quiet vacation here at home with the cats. Plans include the carol service broadcast from King’s, reading, quilting, Murdoch Mysteries, writing drabbles for our TwelvetideDrabbles2015 challenge, and doing our holiday shopping, wrapping, and mailing of Christmas parcels.

Our hallway is slowly filling with Holiday greetings… pic.twitter.com/iX6FcZpR42

— AnnaClutterbuck-Cook (@feministlib) December 20, 2015

It’s been lovely to get cards from you all, adding to the festive decorations in all hallway (above batting level for curious kittens).

A better picture of @StillLifeFarm handiwork on its way home. pic.twitter.com/AYzlidXCPj

— AnnaClutterbuck-Cook (@feministlib) December 12, 2015

This year, we’ve branched out into a balsam, juniper, and winterberry “swag” from Stillman’s, our CSA farm, and it’s making the apartment smell like Christmas (at least we hope so; both of us have been stuffy with colds since we brought it home!).

Advent calendar at the Clutterbuck-Cooks, day twenty-three pic.twitter.com/3R7vd0g4bQ

— AnnaClutterbuck-Cook (@feministlib) December 23, 2015

And the advent calendar has been steadily counting down the days. Today was our last day of work for 2015 and we’re looking forward to closing out the old and welcoming in the new as the days slowly, imperceptibly, begin to grow longer.

May all of you have a safe and restorative holiday season. See you in 2016.

october on minden st.

01 Sunday Nov 2015

Posted by Anna Clutterbuck-Cook in our family

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books, boston, movies

CShFc8pWoAAlIpUMinden St. from Heath St. across the Hennigan school yard. October 2015.

October is one of my favorite months, generally speaking, in terms of both weather and rhythm of life. We’re passed the dog days of summer and over the panic spiral that is the first month of school. I’m mostly spared the academic stress these days, due to no longer being in school, but Boston being one gargantuan college town it still seeps into the cracks on the pavement affecting everyone. We’re all, more or less, on the academic timetable in these parts.

This year’s October careered by at inadvisable speed. Hanna and I were both busy at work with that busy that seems to move various deadlines closer yet never quite manages to shorten the list of things to do. I got some things done, had to postpone others.

Hanna and I both at that point in our working lives where we’re figuring out how to “lean out” perhaps more than we lean in — carving out time to enjoy each other and our life together while still taking pride in our work and bringing home enough income to put food on the table, keep a roof over our heads, and have enough “pin money” left over to enjoy our morning coffee and maybe take a trip every so often. Continue reading →

26.06.2015

26 Friday Jun 2015

Posted by Anna Clutterbuck-Cook in our family

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family, history, marriage equality, married life, politics, sexuality

wedding_hands#LoveWins

 

maine, london, jamaica plain [our june 2015]

20 Saturday Jun 2015

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boston, maine, photos

Max and Sadie watching the hummingbird feeders.

Max and Sadie watching the hummingbird feeder.

June has sped by with a lot of activity for our household: We successfully launched the Boston Summer Seminar, Hanna traveled to London for a meeting at the Wellcome Library (and to play tourist in London!), I spent a weekend in Maine with my in-laws, and of course we’ve been busy gardening.

Garden plot, April 2015.

Garden plot, April 2015.

In April we were assigned a garden plot at the nearby Roundhill St./Day St. Community Garden — one of several Boston Natural Areas Network (BNAN) community gardens in the neighborhood. Above is what our plot looked like upon assignment.

Garden plot, June 2015.

Garden plot, June 2015.

This past week, I snapped a picture of the green things growing on what used to be barren dirt: nasturtiums, pumpkins, English peas, fennel, leeks, radishes, basil, sage, and wildflowers.

The Luggage, carrying home our first CSA share of the season.

The Luggage, carrying home our first CSA share of the season.

Today, when we picked up our CSA share from Stillman’s Farm — the first of the 2015 season! — and bought three heirloom tomato plants for $10.00 to grow on the back porch.

Matt, our neighbor, helping install our Little Free Library.

Matt, our neighbor, helping install our Little Free Library.

On my trip to Maine, while Hanna was in London, I picked up a Little Free Library built by my father-in-law Kevin to our specifications (Hanna particularly requested the TARDIS blue). Our neighbor, Matt, offered to help install it with his electric drill. Thank you, Matt!

Boston Summer Seminar, evening session, June 2015.

Boston Summer Seminar, evening session, June 2015.

Hanna and I were both involved in designing and running the Boston Summer Seminar, which ended up overlapping with Hanna’s travel abroad. We had three research teams of faculty and undergraduates from Hope College, Kenyon College, and College of Wooster, converge on Boston to do amazing work on food and national identity, women and education, and nineteenth century ballet.

Wife tattoos, May 2015.

Wife tattoos, May 2015.

This month marks the sixth anniversary of our coupledom. I snapped this photograph of our wedding tattoos while we were waiting at Fresh Hair salon a few weeks ago waiting for an appointment. I’m starting to hanker for another tattoo. My most recent ink was done in honor of my grandmother’s passing in 2013 and the two-year itch has definitely arrived. Not just because I wrote a piece of Haven fanfic involving wedding tattoos.

Feet selfies at City Feed and Supply, Jamaica Plain.

Feet selfies (Hanna and Anna) at City Feed and Supply, Jamaica Plain, 4 June 2015.

My #365feministselfie project continues, and in addition to posting them daily on Facebook and Twitter, I am gathering the images in an album on the feminist librarian Facebook page.

Geraldine, June 2015.

Geraldine, June 2015.

teazlesleeps

Teazle, June 2015.

What’s up for the rest of this summer? My work at the Massachusetts Historical Society will pick up in July and August as our 2015-2016 cohort of research fellows begins flooding in. Hanna, meanwhile, is taking a six week summer class at Harvard on Celtic literature. We typically don’t plan vacation time during the summer months for that reason — that’s a treat we save for Septembers, around the time of our wedding anniversary. We haven’t made plans for that time yet, this year, but we’ll probably spend a long weekend in Maine and maybe take another long weekend in Vermont or on Cape Cod, just for ourselves (finances willing).

Other than that, it’s gardening, books, and maybe I’ll make some time to finish that mosaic table-top project I started. And set up the sewing machine my mother-in-law handed off to me. And finishing my Haven fanfic. And all those other side projects that happen in the magic hours between midnight and midnight…

spring on minden st.

11 Saturday Apr 2015

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boston, photos

Spring is creeping up on us here in Boston. This weekend I noticed green shoots from the bulbs in the backyard poking up from beneath last autumn’s leaf mulch. Here’s a brief round-up of what the Clutterbuck-Cooks are up to.

100_4596I bought us a wagon! Our trust granny grocery cart, which was in attendance at our wedding, had lost all tread on its wheels last season and the local bicycle shop staff shook their heads sadly when asked whether replacement wheels could be obtained. So we’ve upgraded to a Radio Flyer all-terrain cargo wagon! Teazle helped me put it together last night.

100_4591We’re taking a quilting class at JP Knit & Stitch (thanks Mom and Dad for the Christmas gift!). We had our second of three weeks’ classes today and came home with the quilt “sandwiches” of top, batting, and backing, all pinned together with basting pins in preparation for next week’s quilting. Hanna’s is at the top, mine is below.

100_4593

100_4592Our teacher, Kate Herron, is a fellow Michigander and history nerd who consults with local historical societies on integrating craft events into their public programming — for example, a knitbombing workshop with kids!

100_4595And finally, today we attended the new gardener’s orientation at the Day St / Roundhill St. Community Garden just around the corner! We’ve secured a good-size plot to tend together and will be ordering seeds this week for veggies, herbs, and some bee-friendly plants. On the list: larkspur, catnip, chamomile, cosmos, dill, rose basil, English peas, heirloom tomatoes, leeks, and fennel. I’m sure pictures will be forthcoming once we’ve had a bit of a cleanup of our plot and begun the work of planting!

Meanwhile, we’re looking forward to Michigan faces over the next few weeks as friends fly out for visits and conferencing.

Enjoy the spring!

the long winter continues [updates from minden st.]

15 Sunday Feb 2015

Posted by Anna Clutterbuck-Cook in our family

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boston, fanfic, outdoors

The Great Snow of 2015 continues, breaking records of all kinds. It’s hard to believe a month ago, January 15th, we’d had almost no snow so far during the season.

Hanna had her gallbladder surgery on Friday, thankfully during a couple of days’ break in the intense snow. While hospitals are no fun as a general rule — can I say as the patient’s spouse that it sucks 150% not being allowed to sit in the operating room throughout? I would hands-down rather be there than stuck outside in the lobby — the staff were warm and professional, the surgery went smoothly, and the extremely unhelpful gallbladder has been removed to already-evident improvement.

So whew for having that done.

BREAD_2-14-2015

We’re particularly excited about the fact that it looks like Hanna’s gluten sensitivity may have been a byproduct of her chronic gallbladder malfunction, and that now her digestive system isn’t struggling we will be able to bake with wheat flour again! I celebrated yesterday by making homemade bread, which made the kitchen smell absolutely divine.

We’ve stayed in today, what with the snow and bitter cold wind whipping about. It’s been so cold and so snowy for so long that while those of us in more comfortable circumstances enjoy a record number of snow days, many people are reeling from the impact of skyrocketing energy costs, hit-and-miss childcare, and cuts to their wages as stores close early or open late — or the underfunded transit system fails to provide them with a way to get to their jobs.

If you can, consider donating to the Greater Boston Food Bank, a well-respected local organization dedicated to feeding those who face food insecurity.

You can see how the wind is making snow canyons up against our fence. The compost bin is in that drift…somewhere. Hopefully cooking away underneath all the insulation making us good dirt for the spring.

I’ve been spending a lot of my time while Hanna sleeps her way to recovery watching Haven on Netflix — and this morning I wrote a little ficlet that Hanna says gave her cavities. So I guess you’re warned. The title, “A Windless Peace,” comes from a poem by Elinor Wylie that I sang on youth chorale — it would have been two decades ago now! Somewhere my parents have a cassette recording. Here’s a children’s choir from Ann Arbor, Michigan singing it:

I also posted parts two and three of the Jack Robinson/Phryne Fisher porn I started last July and had cold feet about. “Placetne” is now finished, and I’ve invented the tag #queerhetsex because I’ve decided that’s what I write.

This has been an update from Minden St. Now I’m off to watch Duke, Nathan, and Audrey flirt shamelessly over dead bodies and steel myself for tomorrow morning’s shoveling.

week in the news … from minden st.

16 Friday Jan 2015

Posted by Anna Clutterbuck-Cook in our family

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boston, thankfulness

So this new relationship we’re in with 2015 has gotten off to a rocky start. First there was the Boxing Day visit to the emergency room — technically the final throes of our dysfunctional relationship with 2014, but resulting in a diagnosis for Hanna (gallstones) that will be following us into the honeymoon period with 2015. And then last Friday, January 9th, we came home at 7pm to this:

100_4417

Frozen pipes, caused by the improper winterization of the foreclosed unit below us, had thawed and burst during the workday. Water was pouring down the outside wall of the building, had saturated the unoccupied flat and the basement, and had finally started to bubble up through a crack in the kitchen cabinet of our apartment. Flooding the kitchen floor into the hallway.

100_4415

 

The blue bin above, at the source of the leak, was filling about every 20 seconds as we frantically hunted for the water main shutoff (protip: if you are a tenant and don’t know where the water main and electric main are in your building, find out!) and got on the phone to our landlord’s maintenance guy. He eventually had us call 911 for assistance from the fire department (wonderful, wonderful emergency workers who arrived when we needed them!) who shut off the water, electric, and heat pending a full inspection and restoration of utilities the following day.

Did I mention we’re in the middle of a below-freezing cold snap? Thank heaven our cats can self-warm with fur and we were able to decamp for a hotel that night.

100_4419

(When I returned Saturday morning to meet the plumber, this is what the outside wall looked like.)

We are back in our apartment now, with the utilities mostly functional, and face only the long tail of damage assessment and repair. Thankfully, our own belongings were minimally damaged — it could have been so much worse! As it is, we only lost one advance review book I’d left on the kitchen floor and a scratching post of the cats that was on its last legs anyway.

It’s been a rough week, but we’ve had lots to be thankful for:

  • Hanna’s parents, who were willing to wake up in the late evening to let us decompress.
  • My parents, who offered to help with some immediate out-of-pocket expenses.
  • The fire personnel who were there when we needed them, and did a professional job.
  • The kind hotel staff who warmly welcomed our rather careworn selves at 10:30pm.
  • The waitstaff at the Paris Creperie who made me crepes and hot chocolate to go fifteen minutes before closing.
  • The barista who, the following morning, made me a mocha free of charge (I tipped him generously) after hearing my response to “How are you this morning?”
  • Our landlord, who was on the phone with us almost daily this past week to ensure we were on the same page and that we were back home as soon as possible. We are so grateful to have a good working relationship with him and hope to continue that partnership for years to come.
  • Our landlord’s plumber and electrician who both put in long hours on the weekend to get us safely back into our apartment.
  • The city inspectors who have followed up to ensure the situation was being addressed properly and in a timely manner.
  • All of the colleagues and friends who’ve listened to the telling and retelling of the story with sympathy.
  • The colleagues who have accommodated scheduling hiccups as we need to rendezvous with various service providers.
  • The fact that our own living space was minimally damaged, and that we can continue to live in an apartment/neighborhood we are growing to love.
  • The fact that our cats were a bit freaked but safe and sound when we got home to the flooded kitchen.
  • The opportunity this experience is providing us for learning all about how condo associations, foreclosures, and homeowners insurance works!
  • Our childhoods, which provided us both with the rough-and-ready experience of managing when faced with sponge baths, jury-rigged plumbing, and the necessity to bundle up in the short-term as long-term repairs are being made.

I devoutly hope 2015 has thus far treated you and yours well! Enjoy your long weekend & look for more regularly scheduled programming soon (I’ll be back to reading books, fingers crossed, as our life settles back to a hum of routine).

new year’s eve epiphany presenting!

31 Wednesday Dec 2014

Posted by Anna Clutterbuck-Cook in our family

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cat blogging, holidays

Given that the last few days of 2014 has kicked our asses, it was nice to wake up this morning feeling halfway normal and be able to walk out in the winter sunshine for breakfast at Fazenda and a visit to Harvest Co-op for groceries and Papercuts JP for a few final Christmas-cum-Epiphany presents. This evening, after naps, Teazle and Gerry assisted us in preparing hot cocoa mix to be included in some of the Epiphany parcels.

Has there ever been a prouder kitten? We think not.

Teazle wishes you all a 2015 full of muttering to yourself, eating things not meant for consumption, chasing your buddy’s tail, touching your toes to your nose while you sleep, and going out … and in … and out … and in … and out.

christmas on minden st. [photo post]

25 Thursday Dec 2014

Posted by Anna Clutterbuck-Cook in our family

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boston, cat blogging, holidays, photos

It was raining steadily in Jamaica Plain when I woke up this morning. While Hanna slept in, recovering from a long night of bad dreams and insomnia, I unboxed the gifts that had arrived in the mail. We’d left them packaged until this morning because Teazle (as you will see below) loves ribbon.

One of our neighbors had departed yesterday, leaving a small tree “gratis” out on the curb, which we rescued and put out on the back porch. We left it undecorated so Teazle wouldn’t electrocute herself.

Last night I made us tea and thumbprint cookies rolled in coconut and filled with wild blueberry jam. They turned out a bit on the toasty side, but that really only enhanced the coconut flavor.

Once Hanna had woken up and done yoga, we sat down for our eggnog au lait, corn honey muffins, and of course unwrapping of packages. Teazle helped.

Y’all are so generous! Epiphany packages and thank yous will be in the post before our Christmas vacation is finished, but in the meantime some thank you snapshots . . .

Who doesn’t need TARDIS (TARDII?) Christmas lights to adorn their houseplants?

. . . and Hanna’s face lit up when she unwrapped this adorable coloring book . . .

Having a mother-in-law continually working on spinning, dyeing, knitting, weaving projects means that Christmas is often full of new handmade things to keep us warm and our home beautiful.

My brother and sister-in-law sent, among other small goodies, this delightful tin ornament that we’ve hung on the knob of a kitchen cupboard, where it swings in the heat from the stove.

Art from my parents (right) and brother and sister-in-law (left) gave us an excuse to finally get out the stepladder and move our collection of stuffed creatures up atop the kitchen cupboards where Teazle cannot steal them for cat toys.

Yes, the rabbit print does — delightfully! — proclaim “fuck you.” And the print on the right is this whimsical Kliban.

Now there is a cake in the oven, Gerry is asleep on a kitchen chair, I have a glass of Merlot, and am off to find a broadcast of Handel’s Messiah or similar before settling in to finish a crocheting project or perhaps a bit of steampunk YA for the late afternoon.

This has been a photo post from Hanna, Anna, and the cats. Hope all is well with you and yours.

twelve days of christmas

24 Wednesday Dec 2014

Posted by Anna Clutterbuck-Cook in our family

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holidays

100_4260Merry Christmas Eve to one and all!

This year, Hanna and I have twelve days off between Christmas Eve and January 5th, when our libraries open back up for the new year. We’re looking forward to doing … not very much. 2014 whupped us good and hard, as it did many folks in our circle, and we’ve chosen to clear the final days of the year as a time and place of rest and recovery. I hope that wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, and whomever you’ve chosen to share those activities with, is exactly where you want or need to be this season. Be enough. Care for yourselves. See you on the flipside.

(Except maybe for some photos … if this damnable rain clears or snow begins to fall!)

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"the past is a wild party; check your preconceptions at the door." ~ Emma Donoghue

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