Spring Temps

There's a rather narrow temperature range that I consider to be ideal spring weather but yesterday was spot on and I spent over three hours at the park. The ramps are up about an inch and the bluebirds and the white throated sparrows are in good voice.

Erin Go Bragh

Poor Ireland. I guess they're really takin' it in the shins after being caught up in the financial smoke & mirrors of the past decade. I myself got a warning lesson from the old country when I returned a sweater to Cash's a few days before Waterford announced it was going into receivership. Now I guess I'm at the end of a very long list of creditors but I remember that every time I consider buying something else.

In honor of St. Paddy's Day I made soda bread with an adapted version of the Landmark Tavern recipe. The Landmark was a great place to eat when we lived in NJ and used to take the ferry from Weehawken to NYC especially when we took out-of- town guests on the Circle Line tour. We used to eat so much bread that we couldn't finish our meals.

The week ahead is looking good in CNY; we've had several days of sunny, dry weather and there's only a modest chance of precip in the forecast. I should be able to get some fava beans sowed before the end of the month and a bed of mesclun started under cover.

Old Jars

I spent some time last week visiting my mother in Ohio.

My mother has a new tablemate, a woman in her early 90's who was living in her own home until she moved into my mother's assisted living facility a week ago. Apparently she and her daughter and son-in-law are just beginning the process of emptying the contents of the house including a collection of canning jars. They've suggested I can pick up the jars on my next trip.

I'm not sure what to do. I've seen a lot of old canning jars in a lot of old cellars and most of them are unusable. I guess if they're still available in May I'll take them; Ohio still doesn't do much recycling.