They teach you in physics class that in nature opposites attract, and you learn in life that the same goes for love. Barefoot in the Park is a delightful example of this law of attraction and all the havoc it can wreak on the first few days of a marriage. Paul Bratt, an even-tempered conservative lawyer, has just married Corie, a crazy, free spirited girl who just wants to run barefoot in the park.

The story starts out with Corie’s idyllic vision for the Bratters clashing with Paul’s sensible mindset in every way. But they’re newlyweds, so it’s really nothing a kiss can’t work out. At first, that is. But quickly Corie’s free-spirited antics begin to wear on Paul, beginning with her dream apartment- a fifth floor walk up with a broken glass ceiling, a too-small bedroom, and a flirtatious, imposing neighbor whom against Paul’s wishes, Corie befriends. She finds all of Paul’s annoyances charming and doesn’t understand why he doesn’t lighten up. It finally takes her mother’s worrisome adopting of Corie’s carefree attitude to instil some sense into the young bride, but by that time Corie’s afraid she may have lost Paul forever.

Barefoot in the Park is one of Neil Simon’s hysterical and relatable play-turned-movies, which is actually based on his first marriage. It’s full of wise insights into human nature, but the story is never slow or dry. Robert Redford also starred in the original stage production, and he played really well against Jane Fonda in the movie version. She isn’t normally a great favorite of mine, but she may have been perfect for this role! You kind of love her and hate her at the same time. (Phil still talks about how annoying Fonda’s character was! But he’s more of the even-kealed Paul type guy.) I enjoyed Corie’s fashion sense, their quirky just-starting-out apartment’s style, and, of course, watching Redford on screen is never dull, am I right?

Psst… recognize that poster on their apartment’s wall? I told you Corie had good taste!

Welcome to a new regular feature here at Making Nice in the Midwest! Betcha you knew this was coming, eh? I figured I should get this started now that Lucy is fitting into some of her cute 0-3 months clothes, and before I have to pack them away and shake my head wondering how she managed to grow up so quickly.

When I was pregnant with Lucy, we found out she was a girl a little past my halfway point. That very day I left the thrift store with a few bags of baby clothes, and the rest of the Summer visited garage sales, resale shops, and charity sales to put together a cute collection of clothes that will last her quite a while, if I guessed her sizing right! When we’re at home, she usually just wears plain white onesies or simple sleepers, but it’s so fun dressing her up when we go out! At seven weeks old, here she is in the first of her outfits I’ll be sharing- and I labeled where the top and jumper originally came from, even though they were both resale shop purchases.

Before heading to the grocery store, I like to scour my pantry and refrigerator for anything I can use to throw together one last meal. Curried chickpeas and rice is a favorite pantry-purging meal of mine. You can use any root vegetable of your choice, and season it how you like- it’s an easy, versatile, one-pot meal.

I N G R E D I E N T S *

• 1 can of chickpeas
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 1 potato, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• Seasoning to taste (I used curry, salt, cayenne pepper, and black pepper)
• 2 cups of rice, uncooked
• 2 cups of vegetable stock
• 2 cups of water

*I also like to use white wine for some of the liquids and add garlic when I have it on hand.

M E T H O D

Heat up some olive oil in a deep pan (that has a lid), and saute the diced potatoes and chopped onions (and garlic at the end, if you’re using it). After the onions carmelize a bit, dump in the rest of your ingredients, stir to combine, and put a lid on it. Let the pot simmer on low for about 45 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed all of the liquid.