On Two Acres In Town

"Kisses On the Bottom"

2012-02-07T19:24:00.001-05:00

An early valentine to myself. I heard "Get Yourself Another Fool" on MVY radio a few weeks ago and made sure I downloaded the album first thing today. Lovely. Thank you Sir Paul.

Jon Stadt & Flour City Pasta

2012-02-05T17:52:00.001-05:00

David Lassman / The Post-Standard

One of the busiest vendors at The Regional Market is Jon Stadt of Flour City Pasta. I wasn't shopping for pasta yesterday but I stopped in my tracks when I saw a bag of Red Fife flour amidst the boxes of pasta. I couldn't be more pleased to discover one of my favorite bread flours is now being grown and milled locally.

Neil Miller of Farmshed Nation was also at the market yesterday and posted some wonderful photos of Jon and his new grain mill.

February 2012 Desktop

2012-02-01T16:51:00.000-05:00

ceocrocker

A Touch of Winter

2012-01-15T09:55:00.000-05:00

-5.3º/-20.7º this morning. I wish I could call this post 'careful what you wish for' but I can't. This bit of arctic air is just a reminder of what winter is supposed to be and the first snow we shoveled yesterday was hardly better than nothing.

At least for the next few days the mud will be frozen.

I'm avoiding social interaction these days. I can no longer be civil when yet one more person with a moronic grin dares to ask me about the "wonderful weather". I ask people if they're going to be happy when all the mature trees (and the maple syrup) are gone due to the lack of dormancy but their eyes just glaze over and they change the subject.

Another sign of disruption is the scarcity of birds at the feeders. The numbers pick up when there's a bit of snow but I've never seen anything like this in the twenty-three winters we've been here. I hope it's just a matter of less need for calories and other sources being accessible, not the toxic Scotts birdseed or the female red-tailed hawk that's taken up residence. Among those absent is the crow family which was such a constant presence until late last summer; they haven't returned to keep the hawks from getting too comfortable.

Besides the moss, the other unwelcome sign of change around here is the mildew. Since the furnace isn't running nearly as much the house simply doesn't dry out the way it used to and the resultant humidity level is nurturing the mildew making it a year-round problem. I also see more condensate on the window during the brief cold snaps.

So Very Wrong

2012-01-12T15:06:00.000-05:00

It's impossible to look out my window and not realize there are forces at play that are going to make for a very bleak not-to-distant future.

The lush moss on the cottage roof in January is a disturbing reminder of the instability, environmentally and societally, ahead.

We have not shoveled snow once this season. Just typing those words makes me heartsick.

Posole aka "Hog & Hominy"

2012-01-01T11:56:00.001-05:00

Our family tradition on both sides was pork and sauerkraut for New Year's and I did that myself for many years. More recently I've done some other traditional New Year's dishes including cotechino con lenticchie and Hoppin' John with collard greens. This year I made a boatload of posole to be topped with napa among lots of other garnishes. Funny how it always seems to come down to pork and some member of the legume and/or cabbage family...

January 2012 Desktop Calendar

2011-12-31T08:30:00.000-05:00

peejayveee

Ending On A High Note

2011-12-26T09:33:00.001-05:00

I searched online, found several helpful sites but still had to extrapolate time & temp without knowing exactly what cut I was dealing with, the age or condition of the animal or how it was handled in the field.

In the end it came down to luck and I was lucky indeed to have been given such a gorgeous piece of venison by The Mister's friend, Dallas.

My first venison roast and it was splendid.

It looked good when I opened the package and dried it off. It smelled wonderful as I browned it with a light rub of crushed juniper and fresh rosemary, salt and pepper, and then while it roasted in the oven. But it was when I took the first pass with the knife that I knew it was a beauty; it absolutely cut like butter.

It was tender beyond description, mild and slightly sweet, a perfect Christmas roast served with garlic smashed potatoes and pan roasted Brussels sprouts. Not such a low-keyed Christmas after all...

A Low-Keyed Xmas

2011-12-25T09:41:00.000-05:00

I looked at the mantle this morning and realized it represents the sum total interest we have in Christmas. Every year the holiday seems more hollow and only the presence of our nephew the past few years made it worth recognizing at all but this year he's spending Christmas with his new ladyfriend and her family.

While I don't miss much about Christmas I still wanted to bring out my mother's paper mache deer. A few greens, a bayberry candle and that's it. Oh and a figgy pudding...

Back In Business

2011-12-19T11:12:00.000-05:00

Back in business and glad of it. Unfortunately the repairman, anticipating that he would be replacing the hinges, made matters worse with the door but I can make do.

The latch on the microwave door has also broken so the stars align and this spring we will be putting in a new cabinet with new ovens. I just hope this will be the last time I will ever have to do this.

For the moment though the oven works. On Friday I set it to self-clean while I cleaned the racks and the screen and the bread dough rose. It seems the new element will require some adjustments in my baking but now there's homemade bread in the house once again.

A Little Light

2011-12-16T09:38:00.000-05:00

I took Buster #3 down to Cindy yesterday. If I had thought to take a camera I might have gotten a good picture after Cindy transfered it to a larger cage. It put on quite a display, bouncing around, looking for a way out, giving my friend, Genie, her first look at a flying squirrel.

I'm not sure what The Mister will want to do now but I don't really want to move anymore flyers in the hope that there are still some around to take up residence in a box next year.

Meanwhile after a long night of gale force winds the temperature has dropped. This morning while it feels more like winter it doesn't feel like the solstice is only a week away.

The only irrefutable sign of the season is the length of day.

I've never minded the shorter days this time of year, at least not at the beginning of winter. I welcome the excuse to burn candles in the evening including some true bayberry tapers made by my neighbor, Tom Helsher and always, always, burned to the socket.

Buster #2

2011-12-14T08:48:00.002-05:00

We've had more nighttime noise in the attic recently so I reset two traps. I didn't expect any success after finding the traps closed with no quarry on several previous tries and I certainly didn't expect another flyer but that's what we caught last night shortly after midnight.

In the spring when we repair the vents I'd like to put up a flying squirrel house. I found plans for one along with a lot of other information at FlyingSquirrels.com. Thank you Steve Patterson!

Museum Glass®

2011-12-12T04:00:00.000-05:00

I have renewed appreciation for another framed piece that belonged to my parents, a watercolor of the Lake Erie shore (possibly near Rocky River) by an artist they knew, Shirley Akeroyd. My mother had it reframed years ago with non-glare glass which obscured the painting from the beginning and then discolored over time.

When the old glass was removed I was again delighted to see color and brushwork that I didn't remember having seen before. Since I wanted to keep the original frame I didn't hesitate to choose Museum Glass for the glazing. I think Museum Glass maybe one of the most exciting things I've come across in a long time.

Tru Vue

Mostarda di Mantova

2011-12-06T13:20:00.000-05:00

Cooking with Amy

Mustard seed is also one of those things, like coffee or chocolate, that makes me wonder about the people who first thought to make something edible from it. Accounts vary widely but I think mustard seed was probably used to flavor something like mostarda and then came to dominate the condiment.

The last of the quince got a bit dry so I used it in a batch of mostarda. I used Amy Sherman's recipe and replaced the apple with quince.

Mustards

2011-12-05T09:00:00.000-05:00

I love mustards, I suspect because, as my mother did, I love vinegar.

I used to have many varieties of mustard and vinegar in my pantry but I have cut way back on both. Even though I know it's still probably more than most people keep on hand, I take it as a small point of pride that I now limit myself to:

a Dijon, usually Grey Poupon
a classic yellow, French's, Plochman's or another
a course stoneground such as Pommery Moutarde de Meaux (if only I could figure out what to do with the crocks...)
Anton Kozlik's Triple Crunch and usually a couple of others from him
Ridley's Fuggle Mustard

And now perhaps my all-time, eat-it-with-a-spoon, favorite:

I first heard about this mustard in a newsletter from ChefShop.com and couldn't resist it at the mention of the Banyuls vinegar. I've ordered more from Honest Foods and this time it's coming in regular jars so I won't have to worry about anymore little crocks.

I am sorry this wonderful mustard comes all the way from California but at least one of the goodies I like to put in on comes from much closer to home:

Hartmann's smoked liverwurst

December 2011 Desktop Calendar

2011-12-01T10:01:00.000-05:00

suzi46

Buying Time

2011-12-01T04:54:00.001-05:00

There are no longer any replacements for the hinges but the repairman seems confident a new heating element will give me time to make a decision about the oven, the cabinet, the rest of my life in a kitchen.

The entire world seems to be about buying time right now but of course that can't go on forever. I just wonder if the center can hold until spring...

Budget Buster

2011-11-28T07:30:00.000-05:00

When we moved into this house we replaced very old, very beat-up built-in kitchen appliances. It didn't seem a wholly unreasonable thing to do since we weren't replacing the cabinets. It was only a couple of years ago when a stop on the oven door, possibly a spring, broke that I fully realized the additional cost of built-ins and that I was right and truly stuck with them.

Now the bottom heating element in the 23-year-old oven isn't working. I have to do something but I don't like my choices.

For one thing, I do not like 'stainless' appliances. I do not want my kitchen to look anything like a commercial enterprise and I do not want to clean more fingerprints than I already do but it's gotten nearly impossible to find anything other than 'stainless'.

It also irritates me no end that these things are being built with shorter and shorter life expectancies. I had to call Dacor to find out if they even make a replacement heating element and the young man I spoke to said they estimate the life of their new ovens to be seven to ten years!!! I don't know about Electrolux; I don't think I want to know.

What I would like to do is just bite the bullet, buy the Electrolux and slide it into the cabinet even if it doesn't fit perfectly.

But no, it won't fit, even imperfectly. It turns out manufacturers have resolved one of the problems I've had with my old oven, the shallow depth. The new ovens require the full cabinet depth and a junction box below the cutout floor.

We are now looking at a new oven and a new cabinet. Just shoot me.

The repairman comes today. I know it doesn't make much sense to put money into the old oven but even if we were ready to order things today it would several weeks before I would have a working oven again. I'm just hoping the heating element can be fixed...

And I'm just glad I wasn't planning to host Thanksgiving.

I Once Was Gaga for Aga

2011-11-28T07:00:00.001-05:00

Thinking about the kitchen and ovens reminds me of one of my favorite fantasies, having an Aga cooker. Maybe I'll at least visit one again someday at The Sugartree.

Graham Hewison and Maxine Longmuir

A Cactus Reborn

2011-11-20T09:22:00.000-05:00

My husband used to pick up a little floral item for my mother when he stopped to see her on his trips to visit his own family. Several years ago he gave her this Thanksgiving cactus. My mother liked it because even when it wasn't blooming it provided a welcome bit of color.

One night during her last winter at Governor's Pointe, the cactus froze when it was left on the sill of an open window. My mother kept it in its freeze-dried state until her move last November when I half-heartedly packed it with the stuff I brought home.

I don't really know why I bothered but I put it on the porch and every once in awhile I gave it some water. Last spring when I was potting up seedlings I finally repotted the cactus and a few weeks later I was astonished to see little bits of new growth. I've never had one of these cacti before so it's been fascinating to watch this sad thing come back to life after months of absolutely nothing.

And now it's blooming!

End of an Era

2011-11-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

Every so often these days something reminds me anew my mother is gone. Not being able to share "The Goat Rodeo Sessions" with her (we listened to a lot of Yo Yo Ma in her last days) is one thing. My current jam & jelly inventory is another.

Over the years the jam making fell to me. After my mother moved to assisted living she actually went through more jam because she would take a jar to the dining room at breakfast and share it with her tablemates or give a jar to someone as a thank you gift.

Over the past year my mother wasn't using much jam at all and – I'm not sure why – I haven't been giving away as much as I used to so now it comes as a bit of surprise every time I open the freezer door and see it only half-full.

(Even though I don't make freezer jam I keep my jam in a freezer because the color and the flavor hold up so much better.)

The Goat Rodeo Sessions

2011-11-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

I haven't enjoyed a new recording this much in a long time. I can't count how many times I've played it in the past week and it's still making me smile.

Toni Onley 1928-2004

2011-11-10T10:12:00.001-05:00

I first saw the work of Toni Onley in a gallery in Victoria, B.C. years ago. I always thought it would be a daunting task to chose one of the many luminous landscapes he painted but if I had $15,000 to spend today – and a wall big enough – I think I would chose the 40x30 oil,

"Pond, Asuka, Japan".

As it is I was happy to find a limited number of Onley's watercolors are still available as prints and from them we chose "Heel Rock" to commemorate #40 . I love it and at 27.5x21.5, framed, I didn't have to build an addition to hang it...

Autumn 2011

2011-11-08T07:58:00.004-05:00

It has been a spectacular fall here and I feel lucky to have had the chance to get caught up on so much of what I wasn't able to do this summer. Last night it didn't get below 48º/9º and while I'm not sure that's a good thing, I'm happy to be heading back out this morning to reclaim the beds in the front of the house.

My father always insisted that an Indian Summer could only occur after a killing frost and while the temperatures may not be quite warm enough this week, it's Indian Summer in my book.

Garlic & Aioli

2011-11-05T08:46:00.000-04:00

Thermadrone Garlic

I didn't plant garlic last year so I bought more than usual this year including a couple of first-time varieties, Thermadrone and Leningrad. I made aioli with three small cloves of the Thermadrone and after tasting it I selected twelve big cloves to plant in the garlic bed this past week. I really can taste the reason why this garlic is preferred for certain dishes.

I got my Thermadrone, Metechi, Chesnook Red and some Nootka Rose in my first-time order from P D Farms through Gourmet Garlic Gardens. I will definitely order from them again; all the garlic I have from them is an exceptionally nice size, very clean and well cured. I've also planted some Music again, this time from another GGG grower closer to home, Eric Hickey. He also grows the Leningrad. Last but not least, I'm trying some Red Toch again from Big John's Garden.

I know enough now to order early but I'm sorry that it was only after I had blown my garlic budget that I discovered an organic grower I patronized several years ago at the Regional Market is now exclusively growing garlic!

I will order some garlic from Darren and Salvere Farm next year.

Homage to Tony Liu

2011-11-04T09:54:00.003-04:00

What a truly glorious thing; this phal has been in bloom for over four MONTHS! I bought it last year when I was mourning a big phalaenopsis I'd lost after more than fifteen years, and this is the first rebloom. This year, for the first time I can remember, all my orchids bloomed at the same time but this one has lasted by far the longest with eighteen 4½" splendid blossoms.

Thank you Tony Liu.

I usually take a few minutes before I check out at Wegman's to look at the orchids from Tony Liu's The Orchid Place. Usually I'm satisfied to just look but this lovely pale pink phal came home with me and now it has done so well, seems to be so strong and healthy, that I may add another someday.

November 2011 Desktop Calendar

2011-11-01T22:52:00.001-04:00

Sun & Snow

2011-10-31T12:04:00.001-04:00

We couldn't manage a trip to the cape this month but it was important that I at least get to Massachusetts to see my oldest living relative, my soon-to-be-97-year-old Aunt Bert. I was there for the first few inches of snow on Thursday but I left before the major storm on Saturday. I dread these early or late snow storms with heavy, wet stuff that takes down tree limbs and power lines and I feel for the people who are dealing with aftermath of this one.

Fortunately before the weather deteriorated I was able to have a good visit with my aunt and cousin. I stayed in the charming Chocksett Inn and we found a wonderful menu and great food at Cristina's.

Unfortunately I did not stop at the Donovan family farm in North Brookfield as I had hoped because my brother, for some unknown reason, still hasn't gotten around to sending me a portion of my mother's ashes to leave there. As far as I know he hasn't done anything with with them so today I'm going to call to tell him that I will be picking up the ashes and taking them to the cemetery myself before Thanksgiving. I will not leave Ohio without making sure this last bit of business is done and dusted.

Wool

2011-10-24T08:30:00.000-04:00

due to arrive today from Aran Sweater Market

New subject: wool and whatever happened to it.

I live where it's cold in the winter – and in the late fall and early spring. I live in a house that's old and bigger than two people really need so we try to keep the thermostat as low as we can. We dress for warmth.

I wear wool. I have a collection of wool sweaters but as I've had to retire a few of them in recent years, it has come as a great shock to discover how few wool sweaters are being sold now. It's one of my great regrets that I never mastered knitting so I don't know what I would do if it weren't for The Irish and their loyalty to the wool sweater. (Erin go bragh.)

There's another Irish-American who still seems to wear wool and doesn't he wear it well? I've been watching NBC's "Prime Suspect" in part because of Himself but wouldn't you know it, in this scene, Timoney (Bello) makes a crack about Sweeney's (Quinn) sweater! Arghh.

8:00 PM

The sweaters are perfect!

Roofs & Roofing

2011-10-21T08:47:00.001-04:00

The Mister, working off the rent on our first abode, circa 1972

They finally finished the roof on Monday. The roofers understandably are trying to do too much before the weather changes so there are few details to take care of and more clean up to do but the new shingles look very good.

I hope this is my last roof, the last in a lifetime marked by several roofing jobs.

The Mister was doing roofing the first summer we lived together and then did the roof and siding on the house we rented after we got married. 129½ West Washington Street, Athens Ohio.

After several years in Connecticut and New Jersey we bought our first house in Ashland, Kentucky. It was fairly decent new construction but the roof was put on without any felt and The Mister ended up putting on another new roof by himself while I repainted the siding.

Twenty-three years ago we bought these two acres knowing we would have to have professionals replace the original roof of cedar shakes covered by two layers of asphalt shingles, three layers on the porch. We used our lifetime allotment of landfill with the debris from that mess. I also remember we had an official drought that summer of 1988 until, of course, the roofers started to do the tear off and before they were halfway through we had a torrential storm that forced the closing of part of 81 due to flooding.

Now we've had this one done again and I'm glad to say it's probably the best looking roof we've ever lived under even if The Mister didn't do it.

Shutters

2011-10-21T08:47:00.000-04:00

Although we didn't do the roofing, we did replace the double-hung windows ourselves that first year. The working shutters we removed in the process were in bad shape and for various reasons we put off replacing them – for twenty-three years. Where does the time go?

Anyway, the roof looks so good now and there seem to be so many more replacement shutters available nowadays that we're planning to replace the working shutters in the spring. We'll also be replacing the front door and I plan to finish it a chestnut stain. It's gonna be beautiful!

Buster!!

2011-10-17T14:07:00.000-04:00

Buster, October 17, 2011

The saga continues. I suspect that Buster returned to see if the red squirrels were still occupying the attic, to see if the attic was going to be available for the winter. Cindy will keep it in her barn for a few days and then let it come and go, eventually deciding for itself whether or not to join the other flyers on and around the farm.

I'm not sure what we'll do now and Cindy says it's up to us. We don't want red squirrels in the attic for any length of time but as it gets colder the flyers are at risk if they're stuck in a trap for long. I guess we'll keep the traps going for a couple of weeks and then see where things stand. I just wish we could get the red male...

Not Buster

2011-10-16T08:45:00.001-04:00

I'm not at all sure how I feel about this but the squirrels we're currently removing are NOT flyers after all, they're just some of the troublesome red squirrels. I don't know what happened to the flying squirrels that were in the attic last winter, I don't know if they left of their own accord or if the more aggressive red squirrels drove them off but none of the squirrels we've trapped in this week (now five) were Buster.

I didn't really look in the traps Thursday for fear of disturbing them but Cindy told me Friday and when I took a close look at the next capture I saw it was indeed a red.

Still neither The Mister nor I will forget watching Buster glide from the top of one chair to another one evening last winter before we ushered him/her out the front door. I hope there are flying squirrels gliding around somewhere nearby and I get to see one again.

Meanwhile I haven't checked the attic this morning but we will continue to trap what we can until spring when we'll remove the end-wall of the closet and critter-proof the vents.

Page Wildlife Center

2011-10-14T08:56:00.001-04:00

I just can't believe the ~~flyers~~ squirrels stayed in the attic through all the roofing and I can't understand why I didn't trap any for a week or more and then yesterday, two! This morning I heard noises while I was still in bed and when I went up to check there were two what-look-to-be youngsters eating the seed that's scattered around the trap. This may take a while...

At least it seems flyers are a favorite of rehabilitators including Cindy Page and she will be eventually releasing these squirrels on her beautiful farm near Delphi Falls. Thank you Cindy and all the other dedicated people who do this kind of thing.

As for the attic, I don't think the squirrels are showing up in the traps because the they can no longer get out. I'm embarrassed to admit it but I think I finally figured out the most obvious entry point yesterday.

I had been focused on the driveway end of the house because of the dilapidated chimney. I knew the screen on the vent next to it had rusted away but the chimney ran inside the house and there wasn't purchase for critters to get to that vent. I completely overlooked the fact that the situation at the other end is an entirely different matter.

Unfortunately previous owners built a simple but useful closet at the other end of the attic and in doing so they eliminated human access to the two vents on either side of the fireplace chimney, the chimney that runs on the outside of the house giving the flyers an excellent climbing surface. It's one of those features of, as people often point out, an Amityville Horror House.

Buster's Back?

2011-10-13T09:24:00.001-04:00

WR&E

Damn. I was trying to beat the rain yesterday and didn't check the traps before I scrambled out to the garden. Since the work started on the roof I'd had two traps set in the attic but when the days passed with no sign of the squirrels I'd figured they had moved on. Anyway this morning I found a squirrel in one of the traps and I don't know how long the poor thing has been in there. He seems okay and now I'm just hoping I can keep him alive until I can get him to the rehabilitator this afternoon. Damn.

Wicked Good Quince

2011-10-10T08:06:00.000-04:00

I still haven't made a galette but I did cook up the first of the quince on Saturday. The week gave them a chance to ripen further. By the time I cooked them their fragrance filled the house and the cooked fruit is proportionately intense in flavor, absolutely wicked good.

The weather has been spectacular and should continue a few more days. I'm trying to use every moment to do what didn't get done the past couple of months for various reasons.

Today I head to garden where several of those reasons wait to be relocated. Halfway through my reconstruction of the garden beds I ran into a cache of debris that must have been buried when the flagstone walkways were constructed at the back of the house. I take these rocks as a particularly nasty insult because I really dislike the flagstone...

The Cradle Will Rock

2011-10-09T09:15:00.000-04:00

We had a lovely evening out last night. We had a nice Chianti with my paella (a delicious, very rich version, more like a risotto) and The Mister's jerk chicken at Dolce Vita before we walked over to the theater to see SU Drama's "The Cradle Will Rock".

Rodney Hudson and his students staged another top notch production and fittingly ended it with no curtain calls. There are occasions where I often find curtain calls unhappily break the spell created by the performance and especially with works that have real dramatic impact, I prefer to hold on to the experience as long as possible. Sometimes I don't even want to talk about it too much.

Driftwood

2011-10-06T09:21:00.001-04:00

The truck arrived at 8. I think they should have waited until the roof dried off but they're hoisting the shingles up and slowly moving around as they unload them. Everything is very wet this morning from a very heavy dew. The neighbors' roofs look like there was some frost but the vegetation I can see from the house doesn't look like it was cold enough to kill anything.

So we're gettin' 'er done. The old shingles were still okay but like so many things they were going to have to be replaced while we're still here and only likely to get more expensive over time. There's also the happy prospect of not having to look at the shabby old, stained, faded, moss covered roof any longer but I'm not sure exactly what the new one will look like. Picking out the new shingles was a bigger chore than I expected.

I looked at brochures, samples and online photos and I swear no two looked the same for any of the colors I liked. We finally dragged home full sheets of several colors and I ended up holding them from a window while The Mister took pictures.

It was worth the trouble I think. The color we first picked turned out to be almost as light as the old faded shingles so we've ended up with the darkest of our choices, Driftwood.

Quince!

2011-10-02T10:11:00.000-04:00

It was a dreary morning so I putzed around and got to the market late. I knew it was my only chance to get quince and I knew I was probably too late to get any of the small crop that's usually available but, lo and behold, there were five baskets left! And I took them all!

As the dozen I have in the kitchen have warmed up, I've been able to catch a whiff of their lovely fragrance. First I'll make a galette to follow a dinner of Canada goose breast with porcini and polenta. In my book that makes it officially fall.

October 2011 Desktop Calendar

2011-09-30T08:30:00.000-04:00

I was going to try a new image for October but I'm going back to this one because I still love it. I know I'll be sorry to change it out again at the end of the month.

Keepers

2011-09-28T09:07:00.001-04:00

With some things there's never been a moment's hesitation; I always loved this relish dish. It was a wedding present to my parents from someone who must have known how much my mother loved Lilly-of-the-Valley. When I was growing up it was my job to arrange the cornichons, olives and crudité on this plate for special occasions.

I've had this plate now for more than ten years but during that time it was still, to my mind, my mother's plate. It's one of those funny, unexpected little shifts in the universe that happens when someone dies but only now does it feel like it's my plate.

The question remains what to do with it. I don't see the point in having such things just to stick them in a cupboard somewhere to be brought out for the increasingly rare, more formal dinner party and I don't have a breakfront where these things can be displayed.

I do have a lot of table top that I prefer to keep free of clutter but I've decided that I'm going to change that and keep at least one 'heirloom' on the dining room table or the sideboard, changing it every so often.

For the time being, the relish plate sits on the sideboard.

Delish

2011-09-26T08:30:00.000-04:00

I have a habit of putting the last of something special aside, hoping to delay the final moment of pleasure as long as possible. Unfortunately I often wait too long and whatever it is goes bad before I eat or drink it.

There have been a few bottles of wine that we have finally opened when the wine had passed its peak and I was prepared for as much when I pulled a crumbling cork from this bottle of 1989 Mount Veeder Meritage Saturday evening. But, BUT, it – was – fabulous!! It still had plenty of tannin and a big smokey, spicy, plum flavor. Delish.

This was the style of wine that got us interested in wine over thirty years ago but that's no longer made. Now no one wants to wait fifteen to twenty years for a wine to mature naturally. It's all made to drink as soon as possible and very little of it is likely to be around in twenty-two years if anyone dares drink it then.

Trappy

2011-09-24T07:57:00.000-04:00

This is Trappy. Trappy was with my mother's unit in Belgium in 1944-45. My mother was a nurse with the 30th General Hospital. She and four of her classmates from Johns Hopkins School of Nursing joined the army and served together in Europe for over two years. They called themselves 'Riff Ram'.

One of the group bought Trappy in Brussels and gave it to my mother's closest and dearest friend, Peggy. Peggy was also one of the most important women in my life and before she died she gave Trappy to my mother with the understanding that he would eventually be with me.

Now he is and he has been reunited with Joshua, another charismatic little monk that Peg picked up over the years.

Clearing Out

2011-09-23T14:26:00.000-04:00

Being away so much this summer the garden was pretty much a bust. It seems strange not to be spending long days in the kitchen, canning tomatoes, chutneys and such. On the up side though, this winter, for the first time in a long time, I may actually empty my cellar shelves of all the canned goods.

I've been spending the time instead clearing out the attic. Over the years my mother foisted upon me boxes of things that belonged first to my grandmother, then my great aunt, followed by remnants of my parents' move from house to condo and then my mother's move to assisted living. I often took some things with me on my visits and we reminisced as we went through them one more time, making decisions as to their final disposition but there were still a lot of boxes in the attic.

The attic is big and it's been easy to just keep hauling stuff up there but now there's no point in keeping most of it. No one else has shown any interest in any of it and I have no children to whom I can leave even the things I will be keeping.

I guess I will never understand the lack of curiosity that characterizes the surviving members of my family. My mother and father weren't anything like that, my grandmother wasn't either. That's why there are so many letters, photographs and mementos in my possession. It's a rich history, well documented, and it seems it will disappear with me.

A Revelation

2011-09-22T09:37:00.002-04:00

My grandfather gave this watercolor to my grandmother on their 10th wedding anniversary. It became part of my life when I was little and visited my grandparents in Lakewood. In the past twelve years I made sure it stayed with my mother through her various moves but when I visited after my brother moved her last year I found the painting had been stuck behind a dresser. I pulled it out, cleaned it up and put it on the wall.

The morning before I left on my last visit I asked my brother if he wanted any of the artwork hanging on the walls. He looked around and finally said he'd like to have the cardinal, a print that my mother never really liked, that I kept moving with her just because it fit in anywhere, filled a space on a wall.

I told him I was taking the watercolor. I reminded him of its history but he didn't shown any sign of recognition, didn't seem remotely interested in its significance.

I've known it for some time but somehow that last conversation with my brother made it final; it was probably the last time we see each other. There is no longer anything binding us.

The most remarkable thing though, about this painting is that it now binds me more strongly to people who have died.

I thought my mother had had the watercolor reframed at some point but when I took it to my framer and we began to disassemble it, it seemed clear to both of us that we were removing the original framing. We worked on it face down and when it was free the framer lifted the bare painting to face me.

It was such a revelation I cried. Over the years there had been so much ghosting and discoloration of the old glass that much of the painting's beauty was hard to see. The color and detail that I saw that day at the framer's was breathtaking. For the first time I could remember, I saw what my grandfather saw when he bought the painting and what my grandmother saw when he gave it to her.

September 2011 Desktop Calendar

2011-09-01T10:38:00.001-04:00

After only going west on 90 for so long I'm hoping to go east to the cape in October...

Done and Dusted

2011-08-12T20:32:00.021-04:00

mjb8216

I am home, I am home. I feel like I've been away for months but now I'm home. I made it in my sleep-deprived state because my mother sentRed-tailed hawks to watch over me as I drove east on 90. I must have seen a dozen hawks yesterday, not perched in trees or on poles as I usually see most of them but circling overhead on a perfectly glorious afternoon.

I'm not sure if I will ever be able to voice in detail what I experienced Tuesday evening but I know with every skeptical fiber of my beingthat my mother's essence, her consciousness, her spirit, her soul, whatever one chooses to call that ephemeral thing that makes us each a unique being, I believe it left my mother's body in those moments. I didn't fully recognize it myself at the time but later I realized it was then that everything changed and while there was still a breathing body my mother wasn't in it.

My mother to my mind is gone and she went in peace after a week filled with many lovely moments. No one should have any regrets, my mother would never want that and it would be unloving not to let go of everything but the sweetest memories.

Earlier on Tuesday I asked her if she would like to go out with Yo Yo Ma playing and she said, "I would." We listened to the music and I opened the window. I told her the robins that had been nesting when I was there the end of June were now outside the window feeding theirfledglings and she said, "Nice." I wiped her face with a cool washcloth and put some of her favorite perfume, the Hermes Caleche, on herforehead where I then gave her lots of kisses. I said, "Lots of kisses to the end" and she said, "'Till it's over."

All week long as we took care of various end-of-life tasks I would tell my mother, "Done and dusted", a phrase she and her mother used a thousand times over the years. It still rings in myears.

August 2011 Desktop Calendar

2011-08-01T00:19:00.002-04:00

photo by Wanda1948

Teasers

2011-07-29T09:27:00.002-04:00

As usual the first tomatoes to ripen were the yellow cherry varieties, Mirabelle, Sungold and Sundrop. I picked the first almost two weeks ago and they were followed within days by Supersweet. I might have had some black/brown cherry tomatoes and some Isis Candy but I put them in the Boxelder bed and the Damned Doe got to 'em. This week we ate the first small tomatoes, Jaune Flammè, Tigerella and Stupice and a few Black Plum, Brown Berry, Super Snow White and Green Grape. The first Marmande sits on a windowstill, the first Ramapo should probably be brought in before some critter takes a nibble and there will be several Carmello tomatoes this week.

But we're still savoring each taste and making sure we have enough for the next few days. I'm ready for the more-than-I-can-eat harvest to begin...

Le Tour 2011

2011-07-24T16:48:00.002-04:00

I swear if it hadn't been for Le Tour I would have thrown myself in front of a bus last week. The heat, the vehicular homicide in Yates County, the carnage in Norway, my mother's day-by-day condition...

It was a spectacular tour, the final standings only determined on the last days. Now I go through the usual withdrawal. If only the tomatoes would speed it up...

July 2011 Desktop Calendar

2011-07-01T23:02:00.000-04:00

New Neighbors

2011-06-22T07:51:00.000-04:00

Several weeks ago when I was out back repotting veggie starts I thought I heard a faint call that I've never heard around the yard before, I thought I heard a bluebird. I listened but didn't hear it again, didn't leave my pots to go looking because I couldn't believe there were bluebirds in the neighborhood. I heard the call at least a second time but again didn't take the time to look for the source.

Monday morning I heard it so loud and clear that I had to look and there he was, a beautiful male blue bird on the top of the feeder pole! And then I saw a female on a little stake at the edge of the new bed! I tried to take some pictures but the light on my dirty window made it hard to get a clear image. They spent about an hour repeatedly dropping down to the grass where we could see every bit of their bluebird-blue.

We aren't seeing them often so I think we're on the periphery of their territory. It didn't seem like they were feeding nestlings somewhere and there weren't any fledglings around so I don't know if we'll see anymore this season or not. I'm just grateful for their visit.

Meanwhile the two houses that have been on the market for the past year or more have sold so we wait to see what the new human neighbors are about...

And So It Goes

2011-06-05T08:57:00.006-04:00

So March was consumed by pneumonia, April by the monsoon weather, and May by the termination of The Mister's employment and my mother's order for hospice care days before her 92nd birthday. The Indians are not, at the moment, the pleasant distraction they were and yesterday I found my first tick bite on my leg, near my knee. My primary source of discomfort however is still the damn pollen.

June 2011 Desktop Calendar

2011-06-01T21:06:00.000-04:00

Wet

2011-05-20T07:34:00.003-04:00

photo by Genie Dibble

The owlets are wet just like everything else in upstate New York. After the wettest April on record this last week has put me hopelessly behind. Moss and slugs, that's about it. There is some particularly good rhubarb but I still don't have any fava beans sown or anything else for that matter.

Still I marvel at the green of it. Everything is so very, very green, shades of green that we only see this time of year.

On the Wing

2011-05-11T20:48:00.002-04:00

I didn't spend much time looking for great horned owls this spring but Genie did. Once again the crows eventually lead her to a nest but the two owlets were already close to fledging. She kept me posted with photos including those above.

I wasn't able to get over to the park until yesterday and I went primarily just so Genie could show me the location of the nest since the owlets had fledged a couple of days before and the new leaves were filling in the canopy. The crows were mobbing something so I watched for awhile but couldn't see any owls. Then just as I was climbing up on my way out I turned and took a last look with my binoculars. There they were in the top of a hemlock, a clear view of both fledglings almost at my eye level.

I was especially pleased to see young owls again since the peregrine falcons in Syracuse didn't produce any young this year. It's actually been difficult to watch the female, Fancy, at the empty next box. I hope this is just an off-year for them and not the end of their tenure.

.714

2011-05-04T13:06:00.005-04:00

As if to erase the last doubt I have about the world being upside-down, The Cleveland Indians have been in first place for over a month now and earlier this week they held the best winning percentage in the major leagues, 714!

It's been a pleasant diversion through a miserably wet spring, April being the wettest on record here. I don't like to complain when so many people have had much worse weather to deal with but we're reconstructing the beds in the fenced garden this year and the wet conditions have put us behind schedule.

But sun today and perhaps some dry weather next week.

May 2011 Desktop Calendar

2011-05-01T10:43:00.001-04:00

About a Week Late

2011-04-12T22:47:00.002-04:00

Given recent health issues I guess I'm glad to be only a week behind in my seed starting. The flat of eggplants, peppers and small/cherry tomatoes is looking good except for the Slim Jim eggplant for some reason.

Christmas in April

2011-04-04T14:38:00.000-04:00

April 2011 Desktop Calendar

2011-04-01T10:22:00.001-04:00

Castagnaccio in March

2011-03-29T09:34:00.004-04:00

This is a perfect example of how much of the past nine months I lost due to dental problems and pneumonia. I finally made the castagnaccio that's usually part of Thanksgiving. I didn't even get it made for St. Patrick's Day, the 17th of March also being the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy, if I have that right.

But I kept my chestnut flour in the refrigerator; it seems to be fine and the cake was as good as ever.

The URI From Hell

2011-03-21T11:58:00.004-04:00

I have not been sick like this since I had hepatitis A thirty years ago. I don't remember the last time I took an antibiotic other than on two occasions for dental work, but even with the clarithromycin it's taking a long time to kick this, apparently an indication that the URI had progressed to pneumonia.

So I'm eating more yogurt in an effort to avoid any side effects from the antibiotic. To cheer myself up a little I made a batch of matcha marshmallows, one little bit of green for St. Patrick's Day.

There Are No Words

2011-03-14T08:17:00.003-04:00

Another Lost Week

2011-03-12T11:00:00.006-05:00

Last weekend brought a melt-off of all but the largest piles of snow. Then, in the blink of an eye, everything was white again in one of the biggest dumps of the season. The official measure was 13 inches at the airport but that was the western edge of the system and here at the house we got another 12 at least.

Digging out on Monday and some strenuous snowshoeing on Tuesday apparently gave the upper respiratory infection that had been lurking in my sinuses, an opportunity to move to my chest in what I'm diagnosing as tracheitis. The congestion seems to be breaking up today but if it persists on Monday I will trying to score some antibiotics.

I really don't want to lose another week.

"Black Swan"

2011-03-08T09:57:00.003-05:00

After digging out from under more than 2 feet of snow yesterday we had dinner at Dominick's and went up to The Palace to see "Black Swan". I have absolutely no idea what people see in this film. It has been described as "melodramatic" but it is so much more heavy-handed than that term would suggest.

I found absolutely no reason to care about Portman's character or any of the others so it became tedious to watch. There isn't much dialog, the film is largely dependent on Portman's face in various expressions of madness.

The dancing wasn't even good and I found the angles and the editing that were required to give even the pretense of good dancing annoying.

Best. Game. Ever.

2011-03-05T18:21:00.007-05:00

...or at least one of the best games I've ever seen as Syracuse beat Virginia yesterday evening, 12-10. I think this may be a photo of Tim Desko as he made an absolutely phenomenal goal, one of five.

Dick Blume / The Post-Standard

March Desktop Calendar

2011-03-01T08:28:00.002-05:00

photo by 400F28

I believe I'm finally over the hump with a head cold or sinus infection or combination of both. Between my head and yet another dump of snow on Friday, last week went by in a blur. Now it's already time to complain about the early start of daylight savings time.

Starts, False and Otherwise

2011-02-20T08:31:00.012-05:00

I knew perfectly well winter was far from over but I don't know why it had to return so rudely yesterday after two days of sun and spring-like temps, especially on the one day of the week I was planning to be out and about. Instead while The Mister skipped a Ski Patrol obligation to nurse a head/chest cold, I shoveled out. Again.

Among other things, I didn't make it to yet another meeting of Edible Gardening. I'm sorry I missed an opportunity to discuss seed-starting with other gardeners but I'm glad the prospect of the meeting motivated me to get my plans organized last week. I even went back to using a spreadsheet, a mixed blessing as it turns out. When I saw everything listed I realized that once I get my Ramapo seeds I will have seeds for 25 varieties of tomatoes this year. Keeping track of them will be a challenge but at least I now have a plan.

tomato starts 2011

eggplant, pepper, tomato starts 2011

I hope I make it to the next meeting and find some gardeners who will be interested in any extra seedlings.

additional tomato varieties: Marmande, Costoluto Fiorentino, Ramapo, Power's Heirloom, Djena Lee's Golden Girl, Tigerella

Ramapos Are Back!!

2011-02-11T16:55:00.011-05:00

I was leafing through a catalog from The Natural Gardening Company (a lovely catalog but why anyone would think I'd be likely to order plants from California is a mystery) and I felt disoriented for a moment when I saw Ramapo tomatoes listed. But it's true! After I'd given up looking for them a couple of years ago it seems more persistent gardeners persuaded Rutgers to reintroduce them.

After years of growing some perfectly wonderful tomatoes we still remember the Ramapos I grew in Somerville, NJ in the 70's as the best tomatoes we've ever eaten. Even if they don't meet our fuzzy recollections I'm going to enjoy growing them again.

http://njfarmfresh.rutgers.edu/RamapoTomato.htm

A New Visitor

2011-02-05T17:47:00.004-05:00

photo posted by dypepper on Weather Underground

What a treat, a lovely Carolina wren poking around the wood pile this afternoon. I just hope it sticks around for awhile and maybe even vocalizes a bit...

February 2011 Desktop

2011-02-01T10:22:00.013-05:00

photo by Amy @ Minimally Invasive

(I love her tag-line: "one little bite won't kill you")

An Evening With Harry Belafonte

2011-01-31T09:13:00.003-05:00

Michelle Gabel/ The Post-Standard

He spoke for almost an hour, no notes, he held the attention of his audience the entire time. Eighty-three years old and the fire burns as brightly as ever. He told stories, some funny, some poignant, he talked about his friends and connections in Syracuse and the Onondaga Nation, he talked about his life of activism and his disappointment in the changes of the past thirty years.

Organic Food in America

2011-01-29T11:39:00.003-05:00

In a stunning reversal, USDA chief Vilsack greenlights

Monsanto’s GMO alfalfa.

Tomatoes 2011

2011-01-25T01:07:00.006-05:00

A Cooking Life

Jaune Flammé
Babywine
Stupice
Carmello
Chianti Rose
Mortgage Lifter
Paul Robeson
Black Zebra
San Marzano 3
Brown Berry and Brown Cherry
Isis Candy and Bi-Color Cherry
Sundrop
Miribelle
Sun Gold
Super Snow White
Green Grape
Sugar Sweetie

The first seeds have arrived and they are of course, tomato seeds. The fresh seeds, the new (for me) varieties make me believe that I might just rekindle my enthusiasm for the garden.

I'm finally going to try Stupice and Mortgage Lifter along with Paul Robeson and Chianti Rose, Sun Gold and a different brown cherry, Brown Berry. It seems strange not to be growing Brandywine and Black Krim after all these years but they are more available at the Farmers' Market so I may as well grow something different.

additional varieties as of 2/18: Marmande, Costoluto Fiorentino, Ramapo, Power's Heirloom, Djena Lee's Golden Girl, Tigerella

Fenced Garden Plan 2011

2011-01-24T18:48:00.015-05:00

While I was curled up under a quilt yesterday, trying to keep the thermostat low so my mucous membranes wouldn't turn to dust during the 24 hours of frigid temps, I started going through seed catalogs. I quickly discovered that some seeds have already sold out for the season. I decided it was time to get the garden plotted.

I think this year I will resize the beds. I originally planned to use landscaping timbers to contain the beds but I never found what I wanted at a reasonable price. At this point I think inexpensive, rough-cut boards will be just fine and the smaller dimensions will make it possible to add another bed on each side.

Now I'm just hoping that the spring weather will give me a chance to get the prep work done in time to do an early planting of favas, rapa, radishes and such.

Meanwhile the flying squirrel made another appearance downstairs a couple weeks ago. It found the sunflower seed jug and I was able to get very close and watch it before I finally scooped it up into the jug and took it back to the attic. Now I'm leaving some seeds in the attic in the hope that the squirrels will be more likely to stay up there until spring. I can see the last years of my life looking like a scene from "Grey Gardens".

The problem is that I know the last dog we had would have torn the house apart if a squirrel had gotten in so we haven't gone any further in adopting a dog. I'm so disappointed that I haven't even been able to check the website to see if Candy is still available.

2/14 Candy was adopted a week ago. I hope she has a wonderful new home.

We're Approved

2011-01-07T17:53:00.010-05:00

Our application to adopt a dog from Chow Chow Rescue of CNY has been approved. A gorgeous black male puppy, Moose, has been placed but an older female, Candy, the dog who finally motivated me to apply is still available. I plan to meet her next week. After almost twelve years without one, something I can't really identify has shifted and now I'm ready for another dog. Or at least very close to it...

January 2011 Desktop

2011-01-03T08:47:00.003-05:00

Cheap Entertainment on Two Acres

2010-12-28T15:48:00.005-05:00

photo by Linsey Boland

A Conversation with Flying Squirrel Foster Peggy Popp

Sunday night I dozed off in front of the fire to be awakened shortly after midnight by a flying squirrel doing laps around the downstairs. I went up to bed but slept with one ear/eye open so to speak.

Last night as we were about to eat dinner the little critter reappeared, still looking for a way out. Actually it was more fun than we'd had in awhile and after a few rounds we were finally able to shoo it out the front door. They are cute but I hope they stay in the attic until spring when we can get someone up on the roof to work on the chimneys.

Too Much Too Soon

2010-12-08T09:31:00.003-05:00

We are buried in lake effect snow that continues unabated. It's beautiful but it's also another thing that adds to my growing sense of unease.

December 2010 Desktop

2010-11-30T19:54:00.001-05:00

Beer Week!

2010-11-05T20:21:00.005-04:00

EMPIRE-FARMSTEAD BEER PAIRING

Monday 6:30pm-9:00pm

station #1

The Imaginary Farmer (Hamilton, NY)

food: Elm Oyster Mushroom Bisque

Brewery Ommegang (Cooperstown, NY)

beer: Hennepin

station #2

Critz Farms (Cazenovia, NY)

food: Pumpkin Spatzel with Beurre Noir

Empire Brewing Company (Syracuse, NY)

beer: Critz’s Pumpkin Ale

station #3

Back Forty Elk Farm (Deruyter, NY)

food: Elk Chili

Brooklyn Brewery (Brooklyn, NY)

beer: Local One

station #4

Meadows Kobe Beef Farm (Cazenovia, NY)

Open Roast Beef Tenderloin Sandwiches

Empire Brewing Company (Syracuse, NY)

beer: Downtown Brown Ale

station #5

Emmi’s Farm (Syracuse, NY)

food: Root Vegetable, Fresh Herb & Sheep Milk Cheese Empanadillas

Empire Brewing Company (Syracuse, NY)

beer: Deep Purple

staion #6

Brick Farm (Cazenovia, NY)

food: Creole Deviled Eggs

Southern Tier Brewing Company (Lakewood, NY)

beer: Phin & Matt’s Extraordinary Ale

station #7

Meadowood Farms (Cazenovia, NY)

Foot Hill Hops Farm (Munnsville, NY)

food: Grilled Lamb Sausage w/ Hop Mustard

Empire Brewing Company (Syracuse, NY)

beer: Empire State Pale Ale

station #8

e-Garden (Cazenovia, NY)

food: Grilled Caribbean Jerk Chicken

Empire Brewing Company (Syracuse, NY)

beer: IPA (India Pale Ale)

station #9

Drover Hill Farm (Earlville, NY)

food: Smoked Bacon wrapped Medallions of Pork

Empire Brewing Company (Syracuse, NY)

beer: Cream Ale

station #10

Kimberly’s Ice Cream (Cazenovia, NY)

food: Belgian Chocolate, Stout, Beer Nuts & Chocolate Covered Pretzel Ice Cream

Empire Brewing Company (Syracuse, NY)

beer: Black Magic Stout

station #11

Jewett’s Cheese (Earlville, NY)

food: Selection of Aged Cheddar Cheese

Primo & Mary’s Heritage Products (Cazenovia, NY)

food: Chips & Salsa

Ithaca Beer Company (Ithaca, NY)

beer: Cold Front

station #12

Thorpe’s Apiary (Cazenovia, NY)

food: Sliced Apple, Walnut & Wild Flower Honey

Empire Brewing Company (Syracuse, NY)

beer: Skinny Atlas Kölsch

station #13

Meadowood Farm (Cazenovia, NY)

e-Garden (Cazenovia, NY)

food: Belted Galloway Slider w/ Heirloom Tomato Ketchup & Pretzel Roll

Empire Brewing Company (Syracuse, NY)

beer: Amber Ale

station #14

Sweet On Chocolate (Syracuse, NY)

food: Hefe-Weizen Chocolate Truffle

Empire Brewing Company (Syracuse, NY)

beer: Empire Hefe-weizen

Sweet On Chocolate (Syracuse, NY)

food: Wailing Wench Dark Chocolate Truffle

Middle Ages Brewing Company (Syracuse, NY)

beer: Wailing Wench

eat where you live™

November 2010 Desktop

2010-11-01T10:15:00.003-04:00

photo by Mieke, Belgium

2010-10-17T11:10:00.003-04:00

Round Lake, Green Lakes State Park, October 16, 2010

10.10.10 and 10

2010-10-11T11:07:00.003-04:00

Thirsty Owl Winery on the western shore of Cayuga Lake

An Irish Lass

2010-10-11T10:55:00.006-04:00

We did part of the Finger Lakes Cheese Trail yesterday and one of our first stops was the Finger Lakes Dexter Cheese Creamery.

I would so love to have a Dexter cow.

Kitchen Glass

2010-10-07T12:47:00.005-04:00

I've never been a fan of Pyrex. For a while I thought it was me, that I was just clumsy and couldn't keep from chipping anything made of Pyrex. Then several years ago I stumbled across a glass casserole that was made in France and to this day, despite frequent use, it remains intact.

I came to understand that all heat-proof glass is not the same. For some reason the Pyrex sold in the US is made of soda-lime glass while European Pyrex is made of borosilicate glass.

I wanted to replace my US-Pyrex measuring cups with borosilicate versions and I finally found some online at The Container Store. The first 2-cup beaker had the markings placed too low for accuracy. The Container Store sent another, one with markings too high on the beaker. In the photo each measuring cup holds 8oz of water.

Really, what's the point in making measuring cups if they aren't going to measure anything?

My October Desktop

2010-10-05T16:47:00.002-04:00

Inspired by Clotilde at Chocolate & Zucchini, I've gotten in the habit of making a desktop calender every month. For the past two years I've done something different for each month except July and October when I use the same two images. I love this photo but I'm sorry it wasn't credited when I found it.

The Poor Fox

2010-08-14T08:44:00.015-04:00

We first saw the fox maybe three weeks ago. It was so sad and scrawny. Last weekend a woman pulled into the driveway to tell us a sick-looking fox had "lunged" at her car but she wasn't from the area and didn't want to call 911 when she wasn't sure how to describe the location. Since I had seen a fox recently I went ahead and called but I never saw the police.

On Thursday I was filling feeders when I saw something moving out of the corner of my eye. The grass hadn't been mowed for a couple of weeks so the undersized fox was almost hidden in the middle of the yard. It saw me but didn't show any signs of aggression. It was spending most of its time scratching and licking.

A police officer came out and gave me the lowdown on how they handle these situations (they don't actually do anything unless someone gets attacked) and then he approached the fox, clapping his hands. The fox reluctantly moved away toward the treeline eventually making its way around the house. I saw it go between the garages before I left to do some errands so I was careful to close the door between the garage bay and the cottage.

When I got home I pulled into the garage and closed the door right away so the fox couldn't get in. Neither of us opened the garage again until The Mister came home yesterday evening and discovered the fox had apparently been inside when I pulled in over 24 hours earlier.

I feel so bad. The fox is already terribly debilitated with what appears to be sarcoptic mange and then I shut it in the garage for more than a day.

The fox made its way across the road and I ran over to the neighbors to tell them not to hurt it, that there wasn't any indication it was rabid.

Poor, poor fox. I wonder if it made it through the night...

15 August - The Mister saw the remains of the fox yesterday a short distance down the road. It appeared to have died quickly when it was hit, probably a better fate than freezing to death without a healthy coat to protect it in the winter or so I'd like to think.

In a Fog

2010-07-24T07:47:00.002-04:00

I'm glad to have this photo from cyclingfans.com. It not only captures my favorite moment in an otherwise disappointing Tour de France but also my strange summer. The video is still making me laugh: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91YQl-89Q04

Bona and Jazzfest 2010

2010-06-26T20:36:00.011-04:00

A perfect evening. A gorgeous nearly-full moon rising, Bona's sweet voice backed up by Tatum Greenblatt on trumpet, Andrew Hunter on trombone, Jean Christophe Maillard on guitar, Etienne Stadwijk on keyboards, Gilmar Gomes on percussion and Ernesto Simpson on drums for an enthusiastic audience of more than 5,000 people.

Back Stoop Redo

2010-06-22T08:44:00.013-04:00

The issue has been forced, at least as far as I'm concerned. We do nothing around here until we're forced to do it. We're just damned lucky someone hasn't gotten seriously injured making their way to the back door, that someone most likely being me.

So without much enthusiasm I called the contractor. I was fully prepared to have him simply remove the stoop and the walk and leave it at that but he had wonderful ideas about restoring the stoop and using pavers for a new walk. We're figuring out the last details but it's going to happen next month. One little – or not-so-little – thing I can actually affect in the midst of unmanageable chaos. And a chance to play with one of my favorite things: graph paper!

The pavers:

The 2010 Banding

2010-05-20T16:50:00.017-04:00

Peter Chen/The Post-Standard

It was the only news item this week that didn't make me want to take hostages. Thank you birdies.

Four in 2010

2010-05-08T09:48:00.002-04:00

Slow Going

2010-05-06T08:56:00.004-04:00

I don't know if I'm just less patient this year for some reason or if things got off to a fast, early start when the weather warmed sooner than usual and then everything slowed to a crawl when it cooled again. Even the tomato starts et al germinated quickly and then seemed to take forever to put out true leaves.

In the garden I still haven't set up for watering so things have been slow out there during the last few dry weeks. But this week we've been getting rain, lovely rain and things are growing again.

And I can finally do some easy weeding because of course the weeds managed just fine in the dry weather.

At Least Three

2010-05-04T21:49:00.003-04:00

I'm not finding much to celebrate right now except for the reports of peregrine chicks hatching in Cleveland, Montreal and many other locations. Here in Syracuse I've spotted at least three and there may very well be a fourth tucked in there. In a few short weeks they'll be on the wing.

Back in Business

2010-05-01T08:32:00.005-04:00

My first effort on the new stone was a loaf from a batch of no-knead dough made with half King Arthur organic bread flour and half Red Fife from Anson Mills. It could have baked another five minutes but it was still a treat.

Red Fife was North America’s preferred bread wheat in the 19th century, fathering many of our modern bread wheat varieties. It disappeared from production with the Great Depression and was re-introduced into Canada a little over decade ago, where it has slowly and steadily drawn an ardent cadre of artisan bakers in both countries. Cold-milled, this new crop hard red wheat produces 100% whole grain bread with profoundly herbaceous and nutty fresh wheat flavors, a moist, satisfying crumb, and a lovely crust with deep, toasty caramel notes. As a whole grain bread flour, Red Fife is unparalleled.

A New Stone

2010-04-24T08:47:00.001-04:00

Late last summer when I tried to remove my old pizza stone from the oven, I ended up with half of it in each hand. Like so many things around here, it was old and getting a replacement turned into such a pain that I just gave up.

The hardest part was finding a stone that fit my shallow oven, one absolutely no deeper than 14 inches. The one I had is no longer made of course, but those I found that were the right size were reviewed with a lot of complaints about breakage in shipping or usage shortly after purchase.

Finally in my most recent effort I stumbled across Breadtopia and their endorsement of FibraMent baking stones. It was pretty much a done deal as soon as I read that FibraMent stones have a ten-year warranty and include a stone for home bakers in a size that fits my oven perfectly.

I only hope I didn't take too many years off my life during the preliminary oven drying of the stone when it off-gased some pretty strange odors.

A Good Year for the Ramps

2010-04-22T09:27:00.004-04:00

Excellent ramps this year. They came on early like everything else and then the temps dropped to extend the season. We've had them with homemade spaghetti, mixed into cacio e pepe, in the traditional Appalacian taters n ramps and this weekend I'm going to try a Saveur recipe for Ramp and Buttermilk Biscuits with Cracked Coriander!

Zinio Rocks

2010-04-17T10:23:00.003-04:00

I have fallen in love all over again with Saveur, the website and the magazine.

But this time I'm getting the magazine in the digital format and reading it offline with the Zinio reader. It's amazing. Fabulous resolution, easy to navigate and so damn easy to store.