Musings

Faux.

Real.

Also real: cherry blossoms. Not in the BotGarden.

Call them confused…?

Posted at 10:39 PM | Comments Off on Botanical identification

Today was ginkgo*-leaf-dump day, based on most of the trees around here (but not all; some already let go). The wind helped (breezy wind, not scary-wind).

Note to self: it sounds like ging-ko, but it’s spelled ginkgo. The word is from a Japanese word that’s from a Chinese word. I figure the sounds have drifted from the original….

Posted at 6:45 PM | 1 Comment »

So delicate and lacy, the leaves of the Japanese maple, Acer palmatum. Not so delicate…IMHO: the spots.

Posted at 11:25 PM | Comments Off on Measle-ed maple

I thought the water in the depths of Old 4th Ward Park was pretty murky until I looked along the edge-shallows…which were clear. And infested with still-life flotillas of minnows. I don’t understand the turbidity…maybe not sediment but algal life?

Posted at 10:25 PM | Comments Off on Sunny yet mysterious

Tried a dish I’d never cooked before. Not even remotely. Make a turkey breast sandwich with dressing between. Wrap first in carefully conserved skin, then in butter-soaked cheesecloth. Roast. It’ll take an hour and a quarter.

Hmm. Took much longer. Skin did get crispy. Made the dressing too wet (my error). Should have flattened the breasts a bit so they weren’t so lumpy.

Still, the meat was moist and tasty.

Reminder to self: don’t experiment for a dinner party again. (I knew this….) Second reminder: my guests love my version of pimiento cheese. I made it a day ahead so the pimento could completely rehydrate.

Posted at 10:22 PM | Comments Off on Experiment worked ~80%

Cranberry sauce was one of the good-if-I-got-this-done items on my to-do list. I bought organic berries—from Wisconsin, as it turns out—and one had an insect hole and one was a bit (only a bit) soft…so almost the total 24 ounces of usable cranberries…meaning great quality cranberry sauce for our table tomorrow. Usually I have to toss a dozen or more per 12-oz bag. Great omen!

I successfully worked through my must-do list, and most of my good-if-I-got-this-done list by day’s end. Yay!

Among other things, I made a huge batch of pimiento cheese for tomorrow’s app, which we used some of for our evening meal. Yum.

Posted at 9:29 PM | Comments Off on Chores, with payoff

I liked the pumpkin, signaling this week’s upcoming holiday…and I liked the railing-shadows.

Nut milk bag? Those words didn’t strike me as fitting together. The fine print brings it into focus, however.

Posted at 8:11 PM | Comments Off on Detail check

I thought I was leaving the house too late in the afternoon to catch much light, but I was way wrong on this corner.

Posted at 10:22 PM | Comments Off on After the first frost

Just remember: no swimming.

And: don’t eat the dwarf pomegranates.

Posted at 10:22 PM | 1 Comment »

Sock day today. A dearth was addressed.

All pairs on sale!

Posted at 10:22 PM | Comments Off on We resocked