Season of Eating

Paella Valenciana

We no longer engage in a whole lot of holiday-related things anymore. Just too old, I guess.

Except for eating. And possibly drinking. Or the other way around.

And truthfully, I've eaten quite well. Just ask my jeans.

But one of the most memorable meals for me this year wasn't over the holidays. Rather it was an early summer adventure in (tah-dah) Anchuela del Campo.

With Ati, of Wild Cat fame, acting as chef.

So, I'm sure that most everyone knows something about Spanish paella (name comes from the pan, blah, blah, blah), considering it to be a seafood dish with maybe some chicken. Not so fast.

Anchuela del Campo

There is also Paella Valenciana, which originated in the wetlands of La Albufera in Valencia where rice is grown. Think of what wetlands contain - think snails, think rabbits hiding in the grass, think ducks (or chicken) and thus, along with the rice, you have the basis of Paella Valenciana.

Chef Ati & Sous-chef Cholo

Plus you need green runner beans, lima (or fava) beans, tomato, salt and saffron. The debate over the correct type of rice may be a cause for bloodshed for some, but we're not going into that here, because I'm already hungry. Lastly, cooking over a wood fire makes it all the better.

To cook, start with the fire and add the proper ingredients in the right order to ensure that everything is perfect by the end. Simple, right? Also, note the plastic bag in the photo on the right - frozen snails from the freezer case of the local grocery. Now that would be surprise here.

And then it's monitor the fire, monitor the liquids, monitor the rice, check back with the fire and monitor everything once again.

While the rest of us sit around and drink cañas, eat jamon and offer encouragement.

MAY WE ALL ENJOY GOOD FOOD WITH GOOD FRIENDS IN 2019!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Just One More

It's been kinda chilly in the unheated and uninsulated garage these days. Meaning, it's been too, too, too freezing to have much desire to deal with grouting this last pot. Cold damp grout, sponges dipped into buckets of cold water - not very appealing at all.

But I put on my work shirt and work sweatshirt, then my heavy work sweatshirt, followed by my old fleece vest, finishing off with my work scarf. And my work apron. Then I got to work. And, as always when you finally face up to procrastination, it really wasn't so bad. Or at least it really didn't take as long as I imagined.

Can't say that I'm delighted with the results, though. It's fine, it's done, and as often happens with new projects, with time, I might just come to like it more.

Mosaic Cactus Bowl

The inspiration for this little "housing" project came from the new resident itself - this yellow and green cactus (Agave lophantha 'quadricolor') needs a new pot. Simple.

And it was pretty simple and straightforward. No fretting or stressing, and small enough (12" diameter) that it didn't take a lifetime to complete. My kinda project.

Just hope the cactus agrees.

Meanwhile, Back in the Garage...

Back in July, when I finished up one mosaic project, and before I could get distracted, I started working on finishing up another one. Yup, there is a surprising (discouraging?) amount of stuff that needs to be "finished up" in the garage.

You might even think that it's a big garage, but really, a modern-sized car would barely squeeze inside. It's just crowded. But then, I think most garages live quiet, cluttered lives.

Anyway, I constructed the form, once again starting with a ball covered in concrete, and went on from there. The resulting piece stands about 36" tall and helps keep inattentive guests from falling down the deck stairs. So I guess that you could say that it's useful. And it even is compatible with a little planter that I put together years ago. No doubt the garage was crowded then, too.

And remember, after Halloween comes Shopping Season Vote the Bums Out Day!

When Life Gives You Melons

Consider dyslexia. I have to all the time.

But in fact we truly did get melons, something almost completely unheard of in the cool and foggy Bay Area.

Yup. Five ripe ones, a number of ripening ones, and a number that are probably going to make the worms in the composter very happy.

Granted, the melons weren't that big (1-2 lbs) and could easily fit in your hand. Now I'm not completely convinced that I love them (perhaps I'm just not a melon person?) but everyone else seems to think that they are pretty alright.

So what are they? The Kazakh melon which is adapted to low water (now that's a relative statement) and cool nights. My neighbor who grew up in Iran recognized them immediately. They are very sweet, with tremendous fragrance and a medium-soft texture. Think honeydew melon, but then keep on thinking.

















I knew when I planted them that it was an unlikely experiment, but each year seems to bring out a new experiment (I'll spare you some of the other ones). Will it appear in next year's garden? Dunno yet, but there is someone here lobbying for planting them again next year, and his name isn't Princess.

Late Harvest

Some say it was the cool weather in August, or the lack of sunshine from those smokey days of those terrible wildfires, but in my yard at least, most every crop has come on very slowly. Except the cucumbers. And they're still going strong, so much so that some neighbors walk away rather quickly when they see me with one, or two, or six in my hands. I guess it could be worse - they could go hide when they see me around empty-handed...

"Art" in Action

So last Wednesday we went to help make banners for the "Rise for Climate" March in San Francisco, printing and then painting fabric to be mounted on poles (believe me, there were many more steps to it than just that). But it was a fun and productive afternoon, even if ink landed on a few more surfaces than originally intended - yeah, yeah, it was an old shirt, but not that old...

Yesterday at the March, we saw so many of the banners that we and many, many others helped produce. Let's just hope it can make a difference.

Photos Courtesy of Michael Reardon

Whirlwind Week

They came. It took them twenty hours to get here, but they did finally make it.

They ate and ate and ate and ate - ah yes, the teenage appetite. They got stuck in traffic while visiting Point Reyes, the Academy of Sciences, Ranger Betty, the Golden Gate Bridge, the beach, etc. They went lawn bowling and then moved on to bocce. And then more bocce.

Got lucky enough to sample both the deep dish and thin style pizza from Zachary's. They wouldn't quite commit to it being the absolute best ever, even though they ate it all. Further tastings may be necessary...

Glen (left) and Ian (right) two of the best nephews to come visit.

Somebody's Happy

It's about as tall as I am, and I really don't know the actual number of blooms, but who's counting? Yes, it's time again for the Philippine lily (ilium philippinense). Last fall I transplanted it to a new location and goodness, have my efforts been rewarded. 

Gabe's Basketball

2016

Once upon a time ago, my friend Gabriel played basketball. And then he didn't. So when he and his family moved, there was this slightly spongy, spare basketball which came to my house. Well, the garage, actually.

Where it happily stayed for a looong time, until at last I covered it with concrete for a mosaic project. It was a good start, but that's all it was for another couple of years.

Until this summer, when it became clear that the only way to prevent the garage walls from bulging out and buckling was to finish up some of those semi-started projects. In truth, it probably would have been more efficient to simply throw them all away.

Audio books* to the rescue. For the past month, I have spent some part of most every day in the garage, listening to something good. It got pretty messy, the grouting part, not the listening part, but Gabe's basketball is now completely disguised.

And the work table is again available for the next garage-saving project.

2018

* Wolf Hall and/or Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

  Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

Great Bees of Fire

Not really. Not of fire. But just busy and helpful to us, so perhaps we should extend a helping hand in return. For example:

The Great Sunflower Project (GSP) is an on-going, citizen-science, hands-on (just how many hyphenated adjectives can I string together?), participatory activity with over 100,000 members that helps scientists better understand bees and other pollinators.

I encourage everyone with any sort of garden to volunteer with the GSP. You can even do it from your home. Right now, the GPS is looking for people to commit to at least 4 data counts during the year - 40 minutes total. And if you live in the Midwest, please start the counting, because info from there is really incomplete. This map tells the story.

I have been participating in the GSP for 10+ years, and back then I would grow sunflowers in the parking strip. Needless to say, the sidewalk in front was pretty entertaining, but more than a little crowded.

So I wised up and planted coreopsis. My coreopsis counts cannot be used as part of the official GSP pollinator surveys, but are useful in helping identify important pollinator plants. And yes, even if they don't officially count, bees and other pollinators absolutely adore the coreopsis.

Perhaps that is the big lesson - just plant some bee friendly flowering plants. The pollinators will love them and you, even if you don't get around to counting.

The Cruelest Month

This year it would seem that the cruelest month is June, not April, what with families being split apart with no easy way to be reunited, and legal authorities determined to, well, I'm not at all sure what they're on about. I just know that it doesn't make for happy reading.

When I'm done with the letter-writing, phone-calling, petition-signing, oh-do-I-have-to activities, I have a few methods for coping:

o   Elizabeth George mysteries;

o   Working on mosaics in the garage;

o   Searching for my new baby friends - the return of the katydids!


Let's all hope that July will be better.

The Rain in Spain Had a Silver Lining

Although Audrey Hepburn would tell you that "the rain stays mainly in the plain," nearly everywhere was wet. So rather than heading north for more days of soggy weather, we turned south. To the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba:

It was a very good decision. 

Further south in the Sierra de Grazalema, the rains had produced the most astounding wildflower displays. The ground was rocky, but entirely covered with blooming plants.

My inner Flower Floozy was never happier.

Identification Resource: Wildflowers of Andalucia

The Color Purple:

Just where does it begin? Or end?