Good News, Bad News

The good news is that we’ve had so much rain lately, the Twin Cities is more or less out of the drought.

The bad news is, well, you can have too much of a good thing.

The good news: Lawns all over the metro are green and lush like you’ve never seen in August. Look at the photo below! So loverly.

The bad news: Thanks to the rain and lack of sun, my tomatoes are either cracking (and then rotting) or just plain not ripening at all. They’re just these hard little green balls sitting on the vine, mocking me.

The good news: Birch trees, like the one we have out front, are notoriously fragile and drought-susceptible, so they’re loving the rain. Our tree is probably healthier and happier than it’s been in many a summer.

The bad news: Remember when I was all worried about having too many tomatoes? Not really a problem at the moment. In fact – and I’m sooooo pissed about this – we had to buy tomatoes at the Farmer’s Market last week!

Crazy Photos

The Awesome Neighbors^TM just upgraded to a new digital camera in advance of their vacation to Yellowstone and were taking some practice photos in the backyard last night. Evidently, one of the features is the ability to have the subject in the foreground show up in black and white, while the nearby background is in color -- "Just like in Schindler's List," as it was explained to me. Take a look.


The camera also takes amazing photos at night. Here's a photo of Tim taken in almost complete darkness, and look how well it came out -- crazy!

Snuggles with Sam

Let There Be Light!

I've been doing some on-again off-again ruminating all summer on the subject of outdoor lighting. I like the little solar lights we have along the edges of the beds, but while they're pretty, they emit very little usable light. And given how nice the patio can be at dusk, it would be great to have a lighting option that doesn't require a fire in the firepit.

Somewhere (I don't remember where, but I don't think this was an original thought of mine), I got the notion to find an old chandelier, wrap it in outdoor Christmas lights, and hang it in the tree closest to the patio. M and I chatted about whether other options would be easier or more practical, but as the Cathy/Harvey engagement party approached (which was, in theory, going to be outside), we knew we wanted to get something done on this topic.

So I found a $20 chandelier at the ReUse Center, bought some black chain and a hard-core extension cord, and with lots of help from M and Awesome NeighborTM Tim, it all came together beautifully! You can just see the glow of the lights in the upper-right corner of the first photo below, with close-ups in the other two photos.


The photos look a little odd, but during the day, you barely notice the chandelier at all -- it's tucked up in the branches a bit. But at night, it gives off this gorgeous ambient glow. Even Tim and M -- not terribly likely to be awe-struck by outdoor decor -- were really impressed. Thanks for the help, guys! :)

Red Beauties

They're small, but they're living up to their "Red Beauty" name!

Engagement Party for CatDog and Harvey

Found it (OK, M found it) just in time for a little get-together at our place to celebrate Cathy and Harvey's engagement. :)




Our friend Jen made a wonderful salsa called "cowboy caviar" about which everyone raved, so she graciously shared the recipe.


Cowboy Caviar
Boil 1/2 cup cider vinegar and 1/2 cup olive oil. Take off burner and add 1/2 cup sugar. Stir until dissolved. Cool completely.

Mix the liquid with:

• 1 diced red pepper
• 1 diced yellow pepper
• 1 diced green pepper
• 1 diced onion
• diced jalapeños to your taste
• 1 can whole kernel corn with most of liquid
• 1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)

Chill overnight or for several hours. Drain some of the liquid before serving.

Thanks, Jen!

Charlotte and George

Remember this guy?

Turns out that he is probably a she, a female Araneas spider (from what I can tell).

Awesome NeighborTM Tim pointed out her presence this morning as she was (we thought) in the process of tearing down her web and reconstructing it up in George's top branches. Now, most of what I know about spiders comes from Charlotte's Web, which -- although wonderful (I highly endorse the unabridged recording narrated by the author) -- may not be the most accurate in terms of spider biology, what with the talking and the writing words into webs and all that. So I did a little Googling to learn more.

A search on "Minnesota spiders" directed to me the Common Spiders page of the U of M's extension service site (a treasure trove of info that I've often consulted on gardening matters), from which I was able to gather that our visitor is an orb spider, probably an Argiope (commonly known here as garden spiders) or Araneas (barn spiders -- and the same genus as Charlotte!).

After looking at a bunch of photos (and let me tell you that perusing photos of spiders is a fairly shiver-inducing endeavor), I think, based on its banded legs and duller color than is typically found on Argiopes, that it's an Araneas. I found more detail at Wikipedia, which explains that:

Like many other species of orb weavers, it takes down its web and rebuilds another web every evening.

So that fits with what we saw this morning. Regarding orb spiders in general, Wikipedia states that they aren't harmful to humans, except in defense. Rather, the main danger is the one I was first concerned about:

The average orb web is practically invisible, and it is easy to blunder into one and end up covered with a sticky web.

Ew. So although I'm happy to have Ms. Areneus around catching less-welcome visitors, I think I'll need to keep an eye on where she spins.

Finally, I love that Wikipedia includes this:

This spider was made well-known in the book, Charlotte's Web, with a particularly interesting point that the spider's full name is Charlotte A. Cavatica, and the barn spider's scientific name is Araneus cavaticus. Also, one of Charlotte's daughters, after asking what her mother's middle initial was, names herself Aranea.

No Pics

I'd really like to share some garden photos right about now. Actually, let me clarify: I'd really like to take some garden photos right now. The "Red Beauty" peppers are starting to live up to their name, turning a glossy crimson. The Ageratum is once again deeply and profusely purple, and I want to take some "before" shots before I move a couple of things around again in advance of an engagement party we're throwing on the patio this weekend.

Unfortunately, I can't find the rechargy thingy for the camera battery. Looked all the usual places: the basket of assorted electronics in the TV room, the mail area in the kitchen, M's desk in the office, my purse (where it's been known to end up if I want to charge the camera at work), and it's nowhere. It must have fallen into a wormhole or something. Grrr. Until I find it, you shall all be photo-less!!

Rough Night

Sam is visiting again, which, as you know, makes me ecstatic and makes M ... well, something other than ecstatic. Don't get me wrong: he adores Sam. The two of them (along with Pat, Sam's owner) have been on a number of extended camping/paddling trips together and he's pretty used to her hogging all the spare room in the tent.

That said, Sam occasionally brings out M's allergies, which can be pretty hard-core when it comes to animals, although more with cats than dogs. (When we visit Addie, Mike and Laura in Seattle, he's usually spends the entire time toked up on Sudafed because of the cats. I, on the other hand, am always thrilled for the chance to commune with Frida.) But if you have animal allergies, you know that sometimes they really get you, and sometimes, with particular animals, they're not so bad. Usually, the latter is what happens when Sam comes to visit.

In fact, M has had a good enough allergy experience the last few times she's visited that he lets her sleep in the bed with us. :) Let me give credit where it's due: this is clearly not something he would choose to do on his own, and I absolutely recognize that he allows this to happen only because I get deliriously happy about falling asleep while snuggling a puppy -- and M wants me to be happy. And I know it's a sacrifice for him: Not only does Sam sometimes bring out his allergies, but she also snores and, at least once a night, her tail really gets going (maybe she's dreaming about something happy?), which results in a lot of whapwhapwhapwhap at 4:00 in the morning. But M has put up with all of this so far to let me fall asleep with my arms around Sam, and I'm totally grateful.

Unfortunately, I think that's all about to come to an end. Last night was evidently the "perfect storm" when it comes to sleeping with Sam -- and I mean that partly literally. We had a crazy thunderstorm in the middle of the night that Sam and I managed to sleep through, but M didn't -- partly because his allergies were acting up, partly due to the noise of the storm, and partly due to the combination of doggie snores and whapwhapwhapwhap. I woke up this morning to find that M had spent several hours attempting to sleep on the sofa before giving up altogether (I didn't even realize he'd left the bed, because Sam had appropriated his entire side of our California king).

"You doing okay?" I asked when I bumped into him in the hallway around 6:00 this morning.

"Yeah," he answered, "but I think you and Sam are sleeping in the Blue Room tonight."

Well, fair enough.

Tastes Like Home

After stumbling across this ode to sweet tea from Slate, I just had to share it. My favorite line might be:

Offering up a glass of sweet tea on a hot day in the South is as welcoming a gesture as passing the doobie at a Phish show.

Summery Ingredients

Had a lovely evening with the Ds (M's folks) on Saturday night, including most of a dinner on the patio (we were chased in by rain at one point). Somehow, dinner entertaining is easier in the summer, isn't it? My amazing Burgundy Beef Stew notwithstanding, winter dinners seem to require so much more planning, time or effort. I love how summer ingredients are delish enough to shine on their own-- especially when I can pick some of them in the backyard! Here's what we served:

• Caprese appetizer: Slice and arrange, alternating, Brandywine tomatoes, Half-moon China tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and whole basil leaves. Spritz with white truffle oil; sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
• Honey-basil salmon: Chop fresh basil; mix with honey, butter and a little olive oil. Chill. Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper; grill on foil. Before serving, top salmon with honey-basil butter.
• Garlic green beans: Saute fresh garlic in olive oil; set aside. Steam beans for a few minutes in the microwave, then toss with garlic, oil, and pine nuts. Tuck into foil "packet" and toss on grill with salmon.
• Grilled bread: Save a little of the garlic and olive oil from the beans to drizzle on slices of ciabatta. Top with a handful of chopped fresh herbs. Grill until toasty.
• Fresh blueberries-plus: Whip together equal parts light cream cheese and sour cream, along with a tablespoon of amaretto. Chill. Layer in wine goblets with fresh blueberries and slivered almonds. Garnish with fresh mint.

Mmmm!

RSSIMHRN, August 9

After reading the NYT's review of the B.B. King/Al Green show at Madison Square, which culminated in a description of Rev. Green's take on "Amazing Grace," the Blind Boys of Alabama are gracing my inner soundtrack this morning. Their version of the hymn -- with the traditional lyrics layered over the chord progression to "House of the Rising Sun" -- has long been an iPod staple for me, particularly after we were lucky enough to hear them perform the song live when opening for Peter Gabriel a few years back.

RSSIMHRN, August 7

One of the things we really like about Netflix is access to TV shows that we'd otherwise miss because they're on cable. There's been quite a bit of positive buzz about HBO's "Big Love," so we Netflixed it and watched the first two episodes the last couple of nights. I wasn't sure at first how much I'd like it, given the ostensible creepiness of subject matter, but it's incredibly engaging -- starting with the opening credits. They're beautifully shot and introduce the main characters and their relationship(s) in a very dreamy and slightly trippy way-- all set to the happy harmonies of Mssrs. Wilson et al. So that's the source of today's RSSIMHRN, which is fine: I could do a lot worse than having "God Only Knows" in my head for a couple of hours.

Lust Wanes, But I'm Still Charmed

When I first bought (on impulse) my Lobelia erinus hanging basket, it looked just like the photo below. Really.

Quickly, though, it became less showy, and at one point, I feared for its survival. Look how crispy it was early last week!

Since then, though, a couple of folks have mentioned that this is just what Lobelia baskets do, no matter where you put them or what you do. And while that's a shame, it does make me feel better -- I had thought the plant's more pedestrian appearance was a reflection of poor gardening. Now I don't feel quite so responsible.

Truth is, it doesn't look too terrible right now -- it's just that there's no way it can compete with its spectacular appearance earlier this year. Readjusting my expectations helps. After all, those little blooms --though there are fewer -- are still a heart-stopping periwinkle blue. I've moved it (again) to a new location with late afternoon sun and it seems to have perked up a bit. It's not so showy, but it looks less crispified. So while my lust has waned, I'm still glad to have Lobelia around.

Dog Days Are Bloom Days

Fresh-from-the-Garden Pasta Sauce

On a much lighter note than my last post, it's getting to be tomato harvest time! I'm hoping that between the six plants and four varieties I've got going this year, we'll have plenty of home-grown tomatoes for the rest of the summer.

Last night, I made a pasta sauce with whatever I could find that was ripe on the vine. (This was new for me. In the past, I've mostly used the backyard tomatoes uncooked, like in salads or on bruschetta.) I'd given away a ripe Half-Moon China and a bunch of Black Cherries on Sunday night, so all I could find that were ready were a couple of ripe Early Girls and a few more Black Cherries, but that was a great start. Then, I chopped a ton of freshly picked basil and parsley.






Great basics for a fresh sauce.






I sauteed those together in a skillet with a little sugar (to combat the tomatoes' acidity), some kosher salt, olive oil and garlic. In a separate skillet, I browned some venison Italian sausage with chopped onions. I combined the two skillets and added some crushed red pepper and a little red wine.

Mmmmm, pasta sauce, halalalamph...

I poured the whole thing over penne pasta and grated some Reggiano on top. So flavorful! The tomatoes really shrank in the cooking process, though, so maybe next time I'll wait until a few more are ripe.

The Bridge

Mom was pretty freaked out last night when she heard about the 35W bridge collapse, so I just wanted to let everyone know that we're fine. The bridge is really close to both our offices -- and to the Metrodome (Mom was particularly worried about that because it was announced that there was a Twins game last night and she thought I might be there) -- but although we do take that route to go visit friends in the Northern suburbs, it's not a road we use every day.

One of the strangest things to see has been the media coverage. As you may know, we have chosen not to have cable, so until Mom called, I didn't realize how much play this was getting nationwide. Around 10:00 p.m., M tuned into the BBC World News on public television and was amazed to see that this was the lead story -- it ran uninterrupted for ten minutes.

We've touched base with a number of folks, including a friend who called last night after seeing "someone who looks just like Mason" being pulled out of a car at the site. Another friend we talked to was in tears -- his wife uses that bridge every day and was on it earlier yesterday evening. One of the newer folks in my old department at work was on the bridge when it happened, but was almost all the way across it when the collapse began, so he was able to drive to safety. He was in before 7:00 a.m. today (myself, I think I'd take a mental health day).

It looks like anyone near a television set is going to be bombarded with this story for quite some time, so you probably don't need me to add anything more -- just wanted to let everyone know that we're okay.

D'oh!

Just wanted to share two fun Simpsons items before having to get back to work.

First, thanks to the new Simpsons movie (haven't seen it yet, but really want to), Harper's Bazaar did a "spread" featuring the Simpsons as models. Marge looking both schoolgirl and fetish in Gaultier? How fun is that!


Second, also hopping on the Simpsons movie bandwagon is Burger King. Probably inevitable that there'd be some sort of fast-food tie-in, but this one's a little more fun than usual because one of the associated Web goodies lets you "simpsonize" yourself. Just upload a photo, make some choices about hairstyle, etc., and you get a Simpsons version of yourself. Here's me:
Go try for yourself!