Musings

Diligent watering have produced these delicate fronds on the the Hunter-Gatherer’s carrots. I forgot they have those little hairy projections along the main stems.

Actually, I did have a bit of Real Content on my mind. In the NYTimes Week in Review (sorry, I compose this off-line, so no link), David D. Kirkpatrick writes about historical analogy in general, and the use of it by politicians to make what they see (or, in the case of Bush, their handlers see) as a persuasive argument for a particular policy stance. The occasion for this is of course Bush’s comparison of the Middle East situation (two wars, as I recall, but he’s just thinking Iraq), with Vietnam. Kirkpatrick’s observations include

Public officials, political scientists say, usually turn to history to justify policies they’ve already settled on.

and

Historical analogies in public statements are especially suspect.

Yes, and most political rhetoric must actually be considered propaganda, in that its purpose is to convince, and not to be a wide-ranging, well-defended argument. Sound bite over substance.

As a result, we depend on the press and other public outlets for more considered opinions. And on our citizenry to duly consider on their own. But we’re so far from that for most of the citizenry (give me credit for avoiding a rant here!) that I just have to be glad most don’t vote either!

Posted at 10:22 PM | Comments Off on Carrot tops

For, I believe, the first time since we arrived in good ’ol Luce County this summer, we had dew this morning. Between that and the quick shower yesterday morning, maybe the tide (may I say that?) is turning on this summer dry season.

I’ve done a dawn photo session looking through the orchard, across the field, and at the woods and sun every summer since I got a digital still camera in 2002 (and at least once before with a film camera), and the results vary by camera and conditions (of course). This year they’re on balance somewhat drab, but still compelling with judicious framing and cropping. I picked this one of the apples, to remind myself how late in the season we are here this year (usually we’re here in July), and as a reminder to pick some of the good ones for apple sauce!

These quiet dawns are one of my special pleasures while I’m here….

Posted at 6:12 PM | Comments Off on Dewy morn

Nothing says summer like eating cold, juicy watermelon.

Posted at 10:01 AM | Comments Off on Watermelon

Just how often do you want to eat food that has a mustache? Me, I’ll pass.

Posted at 10:22 PM | Comments Off on Taco mustache

Raccoons are getting more of Dad’s corn than he is. The last few years the crop didn’t “make” (as they say in the South) due to diminished rainfall, which makes this season’s loss even tougher.

Posted at 10:00 AM | Comments Off on Garden “sharing”

I though about writing something here about squashing evil, but I’ll pass.

Stories now even in the mainstream media about the extreme lack of ethics in the White House, extending, it seems, to wherever its tendrils reach in the government, so flagrantly violate the promises that the Shrub made during his campaigns, plus the promises he made when being sworn in, that I am utterly disgusted. I cannot see within the law and history of our government any clear ways to bring us out of such a morass. And it’s so loaded politically that I doubt that any of the leading/electable candidates will talk about this and offer any plan whatsoever to bring us back to a reasonable level of ethical government. So sad.

And I’m not even touching the fiscal and emotional costs we get from this war.

Just watch, when out of office, Shrub will head for his ranch and ignore or just plain be unaware of the wreckage of his decisions (or the Angler’s in his name) that we all inherit. What kind of ex-Pres will he be? You can bet he won’t evidence much in the way of a social conscience. He hasn’t so far, so why start then?

Posted at 3:47 PM | Comments Off on [Rant]

Anthropologists have actually studied color names. Here’s what a couple of researchers concluded:

The application of statistical tests to the color naming data of the WCS has established three points: (i) there are clear cross-linguistic statistical tendencies for named color categories to cluster at certain privileged points in perceptual color space; (ii) these privileged points are similar for the unwritten languages of nonindustrialized communities and the written languages of industrialized societies; and (iii) these privileged points tend to lie near, although not always at, those colors named red, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, orange, pink, black, white, and gray in English.

So, what color is this? I say dark fuschia. Or purply pink.And what is it? No-fat Greek yogurt stirred into wild blueberries (slightly microwaved frozen ones), both from TJs.

PS Kevyn was back on the air today.

Posted at 3:30 PM | 1 Comment »

I do so applaud the urban vegetable gardener. S/he’s working against the odds. This squash/pumpkin (viney, not a single localized plant, so not zucchini?) is thriving from its setting between sidewalk and street.

Posted at 6:37 PM | 1 Comment »

Since I’ve been traipsing down to Oaxaca (not that I’ve been there lately, sadly)—which would be since 1989—there’s been a revolution in the coffee available to local consumers. Back then, the best coffee we could find to brew at home was, well, mediocre, which seemed distinctly odd since plenty of coffee was grown and harvested just a couple of valleys away. I always figured they exported the good stuff.

One time, in the early 90s, we went for breakfast on a Sunday morning in Cholula (okay, that’s really in Puebla, but it’s about the same distance from the coffee-growing areas), and when we finally found a place that was open (probably not a good sign, but we were hungry!), the coffee was, well, the worst possible. The kindly owner-chef, after she sent her daughter around the corner to buy some eggs (she came back with them carefully carried in a pouch she made with her skirt hem—really!), brought us mugs of hot water and a jar of powdered or freeze-dried coffee. Now some of this stuff wasn’t too bad (e.g., Nestle’s espresso). But this particular jar had the special stuff—if you were Mexican: the sugar was already mixed in!

The look on my SIL’s face (a native Seattle-ite), who was desperate for some black drink: precious.

Now, they’ve got some fine coffees (right there next to the viscous mole negro starter paste, the all-time favorite of foodies visiting OAX), with lovely winsome lasses on the label, and we have some fresh from the southland, a thoughtful gift from considerate friends.

Posted at 5:49 PM | Comments Off on Café tipico

And “bread” for the French had extremely stringent and precise connotations, well crusted with an alveolated crumb, kneaded from white flour and made by a slow and arduous process of fermentation and baking.

Extra points for using “alveolated.”

Hand’s down, the best bread I’ve had was from Parisian bakeries, although I didn’t have any French sourdoughs.

This home recipe does just fine, though, especially in the Guru’s renditions, although I’m certain that use of a home bread machine is anathema to the French concept of bread. I was fortunate to get the Guru to make me a loaf before he left for Apple doin’s in SF.

Posted at 4:50 PM | Comments Off on “…alveolated crumb…”