SATURDAY NIGHT I had an art adventure in the Exploratory Arts Studio at the North Fourth Art Center. Deborah Brink’s Arts Adventures teen program presented their rock opera film. The Tragic Tale of Adam and Sissy, a hilarious blend of high jinks, low comedy, spirited music and a fine display of talent and camaraderie. I think it’s a story about two people who fall in love even though they’re incompatible, wander around a magic forest with a lot of snakes involved and finally get to Vegas where Elvis marries them.

Arts Adventures is an arts-based respite program designed to appeal to youngsters with autism spectrum disorder. For those of you unfamiliar with autism here is a very small description from Wikipedia. Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication,  and by restricted and repetitive behavior…An estimated 0.5% to 10% of individuals with ASD show unusual abilities, ranging from splinter skills such as the memorization of trivia to the extraordinarily rare talents of prodigious autistic savants. Many individuals with ASD show superior skills in perception and attention, relative to the general population. And if the filmmakers/performers are any example these kids all have superior skills in music, dancing, humor, and having a really good time.

The Brinkster, leader of the gang.

SUNDAY

I COOKED. I am a recovering anti-foodie now but in former lives I was sometimes a prolific baker and cook. It comes and goes! As a kid on the Minnesota farm I baked every kind of cake imaginable. I resumed my cake habit a few years ago but after several disasters I have been on break.

As one of four girls living in a Minneapolis apartment, I learned to do many things from a cookbook called “100 Things to make with Hamburger for $1.00.”

As a wife and mom I was far more adventurous. Especially in the Philippines where I had a maid to help me clean up. I am remembering that more than half of the recipes I gathered from cookbooks, magazines, mom and friends turned out delicious.

Lately I’ve been feeling a stirring in my foodie lobe. It is getting stronger. I’ve even been trolling cooking blogs. They are beautiful. I want to do that. So I’m ordering new kitchen things from IKEA and may polish my nails in case a hand appears in a photo. Maybe I’ll buy colorful dish towels.

This has been my version of a beautiful foodie blog. It can only get better.