Musings

Having already demonstrated that The Foot is a functional gardening appendage, I did more, mostly removing unpruned azaleas. Also got soil amendment mixed in around the quince and lavender, here with added basil plants—both regular Genovese and Thai. Watered everything in, and hope all will settle in and produce!

Hit 83°F yesterday, and only a mere 82°F today. Yup, AC is on upstairs in self-defense (skylight accelerates the solar gain!), although night will be cool-ish.

Posted at 6:47 PM | Comments Off on Fingers crossed

For some in this country, it’s the ham holiday coming up. We cheated and had our ham last week (day after happy day).

Tonight we went the opposite direction: tofu veggie Thai curry. With a scatter of fresh cilantro and mint on top. Mmmmmm.

Posted at 6:09 PM | Comments Off on Jumping the timeline

Wicker waiting.

Cupcakes waiting.

Actually, I did very little waiting. I didn’t partake of the couch, but I did of the cupcakes! I skipped the red velvet, but tried the other two (45 minutes apart). Mmmm.

Posted at 6:05 PM | Comments Off on Waiting

This was not predicted. We went AGAIN, for the third day in a row, OTP, that is: outside the perimeter. This time for high-quality veggies…and other stuff. No plans to go OTP tomorrow. Seriously. Might get an affliction or something if we did…. Today’s adventure, however, was all electric—gas engine never came on…shows how short a distance OTP we went (not even a tenth of a mile).

More tree blooming documented…plum or cherry, I believe. Saw dogwoods with swelling buds, but no open blooms (in this neighborhood). And that’s the botany-bloom report.

Posted at 6:36 PM | Comments Off on Dandelions—two types!

You’ve heard of “Where’s Waldo.” This is Waldo. This is Waldo’s downtown tavern. This is where you get a brewski and a bologna sandwich.

This is winter-fallow Ohio. Note snow persists only in the shade; however, more serious winter is coming.

Teasel silhouette.

Massive mountain road cut. Ice scabs on Mother Earth.

Mezze trio. Left to right: Lebanese hummus, Syrian muhamarra, and smoked eggplant zaalouk. My first time eating the latter. Yum, however my favorite of these three is the muhamarra.

Posted at 10:15 PM | Comments Off on Short cuts

In the wee hours we heard serious wind; I was glad I was cozy indoors. When we ventured out on the road we found downed trees and many branches and so on. See the organic matter in our lane?

Farther along our trail, we found a rooftop water tower structure that lacked its tank. Absence is okay.

We picked a nearby place to eat, and whatta view! We watched the street become dark.

Best beet salad ever. All beets, no foliage.

And, as a timely capper, we reached the streetcar enclosure and started to figure out when the trolley would arrive, and presto the rain began. Lucky us, our stop was a mere 100 feet from the door to our hotel.

And now we are ensconced, warm and safe. Happy. Happy.

😀

Posted at 10:31 PM | Comments Off on Shine and rain

Yummy feasts may end with a sweet assortment to tempt the mouths of all full-belly attendees. Good times! Laughs! Great company! Thanks! Yum! Yesssss!

Posted at 10:43 PM | Comments Off on Feast night

This is certainly a hot pink camellia. Despite the overcast and rain, it cuts through the murk of the day.

The rain, or just time, brought this one down. I spotted the bright yellow among the leaves and thought: that’s too yellow for a leaf!

Hot pink plus brilliant yellow equals…? Best I can do is this bolognese-inspired sauce (aka gravy)…in the new cook pan/pot. Perfect size! [This swirl is right after I started to stir in the milk….]

Posted at 6:26 PM | Comments Off on Color equation?

Outdoor report: lights are up and the aesthetics vary. I liked this one. Should I be concerned that the rocking horse has no chocks? [Duh—use your imagination, no?]

Indoor report: we avoided the Fry-Night crush and went out tonight, a late morning spur-of-the-moment decision. Everything was tasty as usual at Babette’s Café (honoring the movie), and we were even served our entrées by Chef Marla herself! Basking in the glow of cocktail, wine, and crème brûlée, our go-to dessert. Yum!

Posted at 8:25 PM | Comments Off on Treats

I’ve been wanting a stainless cooking vessel that is somewhere between a skillet and a dutch oven. I ordered it a couple of weeks ago using two big discounts, making it less than half the most overpriced retail prices I’ve seen for it. Yay! Last week, it arrived! Tonight I finally used it—chicken with vegetables, wild rice cooked separately. Yum! Sorry; no food photo; the original, perfect, never-used pan stands alone.

Posted at 6:23 PM | Comments Off on New pot