A girl's gotta have a guide

I have a rather interesting memoir/collection of notions of recipes that is quite enigmatic. Mary Ann Caws's Provençal Cooking is her account of her time in France and her friendship with the poet René Char, some of whose poems she translated from the French (published by Princeton U Press). In fact, she says that Provençal Cooking was "deeply influenced by the poetry of Provence itself, as well as the poetry of René Char." What does this have to do with The Busy Girls' Cookbook? Ms. Caws mentions it: "my preference for speed, informality, and spending time with the mountains [of Provence] or my guests may be a direct product of too heavy a reliance on one of my first loves in the kitchen, and which I still recommend wholeheartedly: The Busy Girl [sic] Cookbook." So of course I had to track it down. And I thought you'd like to see some of the suggestions/recipes/artwork/typeface used.

dun, mousy, slaty, etc.

General damp, overarching gray Sunday afternoon. Visited the garden w/D; leeks soldiering along. Rabbits/deer must be enjoying all the lovely chard. Still, it lives.

Need to get over to the other blog and work on it, get it going. I really think it has potential, but right now that reads as inertia.

Because of the wonders of the Internet, we can talk to L on the phone, calling from Paris. Somehow, it costs nothing. I don't understand a bit of it. I remember many years ago not being able to call home from England because the cost was astronomical. What a lonely feeling that was.

Midway through making Indian lime pickle in this shot:

It's now actually completed, but I haven't had the courage to taste it yet . . .

Timber . . . not with a bang but a whimper

Today is the day. The Christmas tree must come down.

This is the reason I don't like to put the tree up in the first place. Taking the ornaments off is the saddest, dreariest activity. Ever. The holiday is over. It's wet, gray January. And really, what is there in the offing?

Adding up the accounts for the taxes.

Valentine's Day.

That's about it, really.

I look at all the ornaments, and we now put up only those that have been made by someone—mostly Helen's, but lots by Lucy, and others (some by me) and I think of time disappearing. Other Christmases with lots of relatives around, who no longer are here . . . Argh

All right, enough being maudlin.  Time to get down to business.

However, I may have to break my austerity pact (just this once) and buy two skeins of Madeleinetosh Tosh DK (they're on sale, and I can make the Honey Cowl x 2; presents!).

But maybe I can restrain myself.

Up, up, and

away . . . Right now, L is en route to ORD, then to CDG, landing tomorrow. It is v difficult to get up at 0300, although I'd say we all managed rather well, and before the alarm buzzed, too. D drove her to the shuttle which took her to the regional airport.

Will report back later, but man I'm tired, and I'm not going anywhere (except to clean someone's room and do a mountain of laundry . . .)

Betty C and Meredith: I will keep you posted on my plans, though I just heard this a.m. that plane fares are supposed to rise 8 to 12 percent this year.

Bagels and Books

L had to find a guide book and a French/English dictionary to be ready for next week. I had an Earth Fare coupon for a 4 lb bag of Valencias. Conveniently, the bags of oranges were right there at the door to the right as we entered. So that was that.

However, the scent of freshly fried bacon was in the air, and L was directed by it to the breakfast bar, which contained four or five white-paper-wrapped bacon, egg and cheese bagels. How could we resist? Upon unwrapping one, we were treated to thick-cut bacon (and plenty of it), real scrambled eggs and cheddar cheese. On a real (for these parts) bagel. Delicious. So big, we shared one.

Thus fortified, we headed to B&N for the above-mentioned books, and then I dropped L at New Moon so that she could meet a h/s friend.

After that, I headed to the library, where I found that  The Middlesteins was still on the shelves, probably because it was shelved in the stacks and not with the New Books.

I didn't particularly care for The Kept Man, but this got such a good review, that I'm looking forward to it.

A perusal down the New Books shelves brought this to my attention: Care of Wooden Floors. I'm hoping I like it enough to finish

The newest Ina was also on display. And Mrs. Pringle of Fairacre, by Miss Read was also a New Book, surprisingly enough. Always, as Kirkus Reviews says, "a soothing oasis of tidy living for the frazzled reader weary of an untidy world."

So far, a calm, productive, satisfying day

Telling the Bees

Noodling around on YouTube, I discovered this mesmerizing pairing of images and the haunting music of Telling the Bees. and this, a companion:

Paris to the Moon . . . or Something

Yes, L is off to Paris for the semester. So many unknowns still, though. Where will she end up living? There is the problem of the cell phone. What service? How much to pack? What? There is the tricky problem of what kind of shoes (how many pairs?).

She's not taking Air France, but this photo will have to do. She has gotten around quite efficiently the past few years, so she's a seasoned traveller.

I'm wondering how much it will cost to get around. Will she live near enough to her classes so that she can walk?

More to come!

New Year's Cactus

I hope that 2013 brings an end to much bickering and divisiveness, on many levels. 

 Happy New Year to all.

I noticed the blooms and bud and took the photo on January 1, 2013.

Not ANOTHER New Year's Eve post. Certainly not

I do resolve to change certain habits, for instance, sitting hours on end in front of the computer, without getting out for a walk. This is my priority: move. Editing on the desktop isn't even as active as the old paper-pencil variety, although I can still heft the Webster's 11th one handed. Spending the better part of a morning or afternoon getting to/participating in/returning from Pilates or yoga is something else I really need to consider. Is all that time really worth it? And the money? Especially when I can practice yoga here with a bit of discipline. I'm also trying my mightiest to stick with my resolve not to buy any superfluities that I brought up on an earlier post. There is so much stuff here: books, CDs, clothes, shoes etc. etc. that should go off to the second-hand bookstore/Goodwill/wherever else to be gotten rid of. All in all, I want to lighten my load, physically around me as well as on my person.

Blogs

I've got to say, I'm really enjoying getting back to reading blogs. Writing? Well, maybe, but reading a bit of what someone is really thinking about is quite a treat.

Christmas Eve

The way in Heath . . . Commonside. Merry Christmas

What fresh Hell is this?

Why, it's putting up the Christmas tree! yes, tree from Ace Hardware, soaking up water for a week, upon entering the house shed practically every needle it had. Also, the stand we've had forever failed to hold the tree, because its trunk is too narrow. Of course, if we had put the tree up last week, we would have known this. But D, well, you can guess that he prefers to wait until the last minute. So at the 11th hour, out goes D to Whole Foods for a natural regional tree. Good! Then, we wrestled the tree into stand. Stand does not hold because it is bent all out of shape and giant screws screw toward space between stand and tree rather than tree itself. So it was not slender trunk, but stand itself that was to blame. D, out again, gets NEW stand. Upon returning, he says he'd rather wait until "later" to put tree up. Tree is up.

Countdown . . .

haircut today, a razor cut that G learned in NYC. My body may be in the mid-South, but my hair is Downtown. Off to Cincinnati on Saturday. Poor old Remus is consigned to the kennel for 3 nights (no snoring under the sheets for her!), but L wouldn't hear of D driving alone through the wilds of Kentucky. Not that I'm much use; I tend to panic on the highway, and end up driving at an appalling 45 mph. D knows someone who had a sales territory out West and refused to drive on a highway for similar reasons. It took days and days for her to reach her clients because she would take only secondary roads. Such is the life of a neurotic. Tomorrow the tree is going up and the lights are going on it. Then L can decorate to her heart's content when we get back.

Just musings

Bay

Pulling the final (maybe) leaves out from underneath and inbetween the prickly leaves of the ugly ivy-ish plants along the garage [how did this last bit get left out?]. Whoever thought foundation plantings were a good thing?
Soul was out front in solidarity, rolling around in the dust in the driveway, acting very spry.

There is some mysterious work being done on the foreclosed house next door, vacant since 2010 . . . Still, I'd rather the weather be less fall-like and more wintery, although D is heading up to Cincinnati to rendezvous with L Saturday/Sunday. Maybe I should go; I'd rather not.

New Year's

Betty C. asked if I was getting the blogging bug again. Yes, I am. FB is nice, but it's too immediate, and especially now I find myself either posting something I wish I hadn't or not posting at all. I think I like this blank page better, and visiting other blogs, though some of my regular reads will have to wake up and do some posting jumping-jacks to get back in the fray. I know it's hard to shake off the creakiness of posting one's real thoughts. I was looking around at my accumulations of, mostly, books since moving here in 1999. Really, there is no excuse for it. Amazon is like opening a vein. Argh. So, whilst vacuuming the stairs this afternoon, I had a chance to think about 2013 (not liking that 13, but ...) and I'm going to play a little game with myself. No purchases that aren't necessities in 2013. None. No books. No magazines. No mysterious lotions/potions from DHC. Nothing. And, since Everyday Food ceased publication, every time a subscription comes due, I'm not renewing. That is my thought for today, on the cusp of Christmas.

yes, this is what I like

Sequentia; group founder is an Oberlin graduate.

Yawn, Stretch . . .

Some Carnival Band for you. Personal to Helen: Thank you for the lovely note, and encouragement!

Scarf

I am determined to finish this thing for L, so she can wear it this winter. However long it is on Sept. 30, is how long it will be. Right now it is as long as I am tall, which is to say 5'2''.

The pattern is one that I discovered on a 2004 Sheep in the City blog post. I'm knitting up Malabrigo worsted weight Velvet Grapes on size 11 needles. I'm into my second skein.

Fall Around Here

 Yes, the melons themselves; finally. Very cantaloup-like in texture, though not as sweet. JGH, we got maybe eight or nine! Next year, I'm planting more. It was the right combination of intense heat and rain that really allowed these to take off. Sometimes, things work out.

Unfortunately, it was a banner year for the Mexican bean beetle, so we got very few beans.

Tomatoes also were a bit disappointing. Lots of peppers. Canned 4 pints of tomatoes, though. But still . . .

Below, you see the small plants we got last Saturday at Crabtree: kohlrabi, leeks, Bright Lights chard, cauliflower, broccoli, lettuces. I think they are still a bit small to be planted, and we're forecast to have a drencher on Monday, so maybe next weekend. I hope they don't become rabbit or deer food.

Its Royal Ripeness

Well, a bit out of focus. JGH sent me a packet of Minnesota Midget seeds. This spring, I planted four. Four burst from the soil of their little cell packs under the kitchen window in the makeshift greenhouse I fixed up. A sheetcake container from the grocery store is excellent for this purpose.

Four were transplanted to the community garden (veg) patch.

Four went into plant shock (would they live?!). Speculation abounded

Four survived, prospered, flowered, were pollinated, and produced many many melons!! (see my FB banner for two beauties that were sacrificed too soon to my utter ignorance of what it means to be a ripe melon.

They are a bit flowery tasting, not exactly the cantaloupe we are used to. How satisfying to have such a thriving plot.

Otherwise, tomatoes were ok, though we had a volunteer from last year take over: a tiny gold tomato that you must eat immediately upon ripeness, or it rots as you look at it. Peas: gone before they produced.

Mexican bean beetle had a field day, but we still got several meals out of them.

Peppers were plentiful (though small) enough to make stuffed peppers for the freezer.

Zucchini were great tho scarce. Very hot, this summer was.

Thank you, Roy and Kurt, for rallying around!

hello

Knock, knock. Who's there? I've been on Facebook but that's not exactly the same as posting what you think in a substantive way. I'm still wondering how I can start to post and whether I should.

father

you know that rant from Mel Gibson to Joe Eszterhas? How shocking it is? How loud? How, well, crazy?

Well, when I was in high school, that kind of rant was my reality. Every. Single. Night.

I feel that this needs to be exposed, because Mel and my father can't be the only two.

new post?

working through it all; I have my Owl books, which help. Who knew that reading Alan Garner's The Owl Service as a teenager would have made such an impression on me so far in the future?

where were you?

Man, just saw a piece on them on Entertainment Tonight (yes, I do); forgot how much I liked them as a kid and how much an abusive father takes his toll (actually, I didn't forget about that)

Soul, thus completing the triptych

Bear (second in a series)

Frank

writing

thinking about writing about my father; really really thinking about it. but it's so complicated.

Haiku-ish musing

l'Heure Bleue: 

Remus and I are out for a postprandial amble. 

Soul is busy in the leaves with his own ablutions. 

The deer emerge and hightail it, almost silently, through the woods.

welcome January

Well, after roast beef at Christmas, duck for New Year's, and various restaurant meals, I'm officially back to basics. I cannot eat another rich thing. I'm now on temple food (to take a phrase from Nigella). Well, maybe tomorrow. There are still those mince pies that cannot go to waste. I will not add the pun. I refuse.

New Year

After a year in limbo, I feel ready to get back on track. I'd rather not follow a pattern, but break out and follow the cracks I make in doing so. See you next week.

Just about the way I'm feeling

calling all readers

Any interest in resurrecting Virtual Book Club? I think if we readjust how we do things, it just might work this time.

creak . . . emerging from silence

the last of the garden tomatoes. I'll wrap each one in newspaper to redden up in a week or so.

the fruits of my labor!

Recipe above from Canal House:

tomatoes and pickles; the pickles are made from the huge cucumbers that lurk under the leaves and are as big as you calf.

well

can you see the link between the Tea Party and Hitler Youth? I'm scared witless

Guest photographer

Helen sent me this photo she took on Avery Brook (hope you don't mind seeing it "in print"!).

L and she share the ladybug as their connecting symbol. The ladybug (or ladybird, or any of the other names you'll encounter) is considered good luck, too.

hmmm

should I change my blog design?

Just thinking that parenthood is sometimes quite like being stuck in the horse latitudes. jotting this down. Sometimes you don't even hear the creak of the lines. other times, you're in a gale force, getting it full force over the deck into your face.

monsters!

The first of the tomatoes

Making blackberry vinegar using the very odd-looking jelly bag

coding, coding, and more coding today. My hand is about to fall off. Or something. Would much rather be in the garden or the kitchen.

Post!

I need to get off Facebook; it's too . . . unsatisfying, ultimately. Plus Scrabble is too addicting.

Intention:

to blog and write more. There, I've said it.

Interactive Tuesday

I had a visitor; actually there are two here. There was a territorial dispute (at least, I think that's what it was) and they both ended up on their backs. One righted himself, and then worked very hard to right the other, who remained firmly withdrawn in the shell. I came back 5 minutes later, and both had vanished.

back?

The world in an onion blossom

Dinner!

Thank you, Helen! I'm adding chicken, though; sorry, Vegetarian Times.

whoops!

missing out on the finishing of my stint with NaBloPoMo. I'm sorry about that, but glad I'm very busy with work

NaBloPoMo

I don't have much to say, that I could offer in this format. I do suggest you make the acquaintance of Kate Atkinson, however. I can't put down her newest in the Jackson Brodie series, Started Early, Took My Dog (please don't take a break, Kate). As I felt with Inspector Morse, so do I feel with Jackson Brodie.

hoarder

found all these in the garage; disappointed in self

pea pickin'

Hoping to harvest pounds of these expensive snow and sugar snaps

damn

I'm still here and so is the laundry . . .

Friday

Looking good around here.

What will happen tomorrow, if no one is Raptured up? Will there be general disappointment?

finally

getting there; actually accomplished everything on my to do list and then some. Feeling a lot better, and wondering what it was that struck me down.

Remus is excellent at looking out for her cats; I heard a furious barking, and when I went to look, there was Black Cat, lurking at the perimeter. The police brought by a trap for him, so we'll have to bait it with food, though a cursory look at it reveals it to be pretty flimsy. I can't see it holding Black Cat for long. We'll see.

better

but not 100%. Still, I'm proofing some books for my niece, managing editor here. These are fun little reads for the 8 to 11 set. There seems to be bad guys, pirates, treasure, the ocean, ships. Anyway, check them out.

Tuesday

not so good around here; I don't know whether it's a bug or pollen, but I'll spare you the details. Busy with work, though, so that's a good thing!

Time out

of the four pets living here, two have vomited today. Rather operatically, I may add. Cleaning agents were involved in the tidying. Sorry to burden you with this, but . . .

Early Spring around these parts

Steps need some tlc; we'll get to it this summer. We fixed our fireplace ourselves last year, so we'll mix up a batch of cement and get conversant with our trowels.

Out back, the chives are doing extremely well, as is most of the rest. Some lemon verbena is poking up under the window, in amongst the weedy lemon balm.

Bear or Frank? I can't tell.

peas

I harvested more snow peas this morning. I think I'll blanch and freeze as they come along. They are $4+ a pound, so my incentive is clear: I should have quite a hoard for the winter.

The cat remains on antibiotics for his wound, which is healing very well. I hate to let them out, but there is no way at this point to contain them.

Miss Mouse and I discovered a SP**MER! Quite an exciting exchange this morning on FB messaging.

Finally, and most important, it was strawberry milkshakes and Southwestern burgers (with bacon) for lunch from Petunia's Airstream trailer. We shared the burger and tried to eat a quesadilla too, but it proved too much. That shake is worth every penny. There are no words, really, to describe this food. It's heaven.

posting

I hope my post from yesterday reappears . . . if not, I will cobble something together. You do want to see the Space House, don't you? There, I've gotten at least some interest.

Soul has been to the vet, and his hideous wound (under his tail) is healing. Time to roust this feral feline from the woods, though I'm sure at some point he was the house pet of some horrible family. A family, I'm sure, who moved away and didn't bother to call him home in time to get in the car.

I happened to see a truly crazy person being interviewed on TV this morning. Ron Paul is certifiable; I think there was spittle flying out of his mouth. No federal government. My head is in my hands (not literally, of course). What must Rand Paul be like? Can you see the two of them in the White House? But, why, if they don't believe in a federation, would they want to head one up? Maybe Donald Trump could be Secretary of State, and that Bachman woman could be . . . I can't even imagine. Geez. Thanks, McCain for unleashing S. Palin and the entire Tea Party movement.

Have a great weekend

hey

D arrived back from the garden with this handful of snow peas! From the number of plants and blossoms, I may be sending a few in your direction, gentle reader.

D was supposed to have gotten me an anise hyssop plant yesterday at the farmer's market, but he FORGOT, even though he called to make sure (men). Then he was stuck for an hour going up the mountain in a snaking standstill of cars, because a tour bus had gotten itself stuck halfway up, near the Space House. I don't think I've shown a picture of the Space House, have I? I pass by it almost every day, and rarely think about it, but really, how odd, isn't it? just another Southern eccentricity that has become commonplace.

image thanks to Creye-Leike Realtors

hot hot hot

Newt is running; the governor of Indiana pulled the plug on Planned Parenthood. Misogyny is not only alive and well, it's more in control than ever. Centrist and left of center representatives from all levels of government and industry, please step up to the podium before all is lost. We need sane voices, speaking out for us.

heat

it is very hot out today; like summer, really. And I saw my first flea of the season yesterday on Remus. Damn! Now it's time to flea all the animals.

***
Also, yesterday after dinner, I heard a tremendous caterwauling out front. I rushed out front to see Soul at the mercy of Black Cat, on his back under the crushing, brutish power of this interloper. I yelled, and both cats took off in opposite directions, a goodly bit of Black Cat's fur blowing around the driveway. Soul hurried in, to crouch in the hall, growling, for a while. Then he repaired to the back of the couch. Where he remains almost 24 hours later.

This same Black Cat was responsible (I'm certain) for the puncture wounds on Frank's back that took a lot of time (not to mention money) to heal. I'm hoping Soul is only psychically, not physically, wounded.

Black Cat is too feral to lure inside, and I think the  three cats, not to mention Remus (who has been in to check on Soul several times throughout the day) would come apart at the seams if he were to come into the house.

Soul, in a more relaxed moment

Busy bee . . .

bee hives, Crabtree Farm, Chattanooga

Spent the day at the computer and at the desk, trying to make sense of it all—at least what is on the screen and page. Getting steamy out there; hope we are not in for another summer of extremes.

Mother's Day

Planted six fledgling fennel plants up at the plot; hoping they swell up into beauties later this summer. The peas are coming along amazingly well; D really did a great job planting them and rigging up a trellis out of string and stakes for them to climb on. Plus there are lots of ladybugs on them! Now the owners of the plot next to us needs to stop with the Miracle Grow and pesticides and it all will be good.

Bought a salad burnett, bay, and horseradish at the Sunday Market. Now I need to find a permanent home for the horseradish so it can spread out. Looking forward to that. In Heath, we didn't realize we had a patch of it in the field next to the house. The first time we ground it up in the food processor, the pungency of it  almost knocked us across the room.

I'll put the bay in a pot, to bring in during cold snaps in winter, but otherwise it'll stay outside. Salad burnett will go in the herb garden.

***
I am halfway through my history reader (interesting for the most part) and almost done with my lab manual tome (yea!). I haven't really had a raise from that company (lab manual) in about 15 years! What's new, though, really?

Finally, Mike Huckabee hasn't robocalled me all day! I guess he takes his day of rest. Isn't he an ordained minister—or something?

one thought

Thinking about my mother, but of course my father arrives to assume center stage. Ranting and railing, cursing and name calling. So much belittling. To what end?

Still a potent presence even in dreams.

Visitor

on my herbal walk

wild food, part 1

Rachel, our walk leader, pointing out the first wild food she spotted: wild lettuce. Like many of the plants we encountered, this one is know for its sedative/narcotic and anti-anxiety qualities. As a tincture, it is a useful sleep aide. You can also cook up the leaves as you would spinach.

This cropped version, while blurry, shows the dandelion-like leaves. I had what I thought was a volunteer lettuce up at the garden, but now I know it is this. There is a row of spikes on the leaves' underside, and a milky sap that oozed out when the stem is broken.

Wild yarrow, which can be used topically for wounds:

Pick and dry the blossoms, then grind to apply on cuts. Infuse the fresh flowers in olive oil or almond oil and use as a cosmetic.

Wordless Wednesday

comrades at Reflection Riding

Bear With, Bear With

as Miranda's friend would say; I WILL get a post out on herbs. but thanks to Gretel, I am now obsessed with even more British TV:

May!

Hey, I had an entire post to put up of my medicinal herbal walk on Saturday, but it will have to wait until tomorrow. Work got in the way. One job is getting to be like the movie Groundhog Day; it just keeps coming back for more insertions. NOT my fault, btw. Not all of it, anyway.

May, Maybe

Happy May Day, Happy Beltaine.

This day found me with some strawberries I had gotten on sale from Greenlife (now Whole Foods), so after my type coding editing stint this morning, I jammed it up in the kitchen, and produced these:

I haven't made jam in several years, so I'm a bit rusty. However, when strawberry season begins in earnest locally, I think I've got the kinks worked out.

For Betty C.:

Devastation from Wednesday's storms

Devastation all around; those who could least afford it (from all angles) got pounded by tornadoes and tornadic "activity" three times: morning, afternoon, and evening.

Ringgold, Georgia; photo Chattanooga Times Free Press

Bobby McFerrin Live at 4 pm eastern Friday april 22

April!

I didn't hold up my end in NaBloPoMo last month. Had too much going on last weekend through Tuesday: seeing cousins in Cincinnati at front and back of visiting OH, staying at the the Mouse House in Cleveland, L and mono (that was why she was so tired and her throat hurt). L tried to participate, and everyone enjoyed dinner at the Greenhouse Tavern. We had our own version of the Cleveland International Film Festival at Casa Mouse. And D really enjoyed getting to know F, too.

The more familiar I become with Cincinnati and Cleveland, the more I like them. Wish we had met L's boyfriend, but it didn't work out. Now that she is feeling better, she is going to meet his family, though!

 Today's baking, in an effort to use the Cruze Dairy buttermilk (sooo good):

getting

ready to head out early tomorrow. 6+ hour drive in what is predicted to be lousy weather. Will be happy to get to Cincinnati!

Produce

from the Main Street Farmers' Market recently. I wish I'd gone to the potluck last night, but I didn't. Sometimes, running up and down the mountain gets pretty tedious. And costly.

Looking forward to going here soon, though . . .

outdoors again

More yard work today before the rains come. I hear it snowed in the Northeast yesterday! I don't miss it, certainly not in March.

However, looking forward to going up to OH and seeing relatives as well as Miss Mouse and L (and maybe L's boyfriend!!). I'm bringing the camera, so watch for photos here . . . rather than boring notes on general daily life.