In the Kitchen

Private home in the Markha Valley

I've been spending a fair amount of time in the kitchen these days. I would like to say that it's because of the bountiful tomato crop, but I'd be lying. Zucchini, sure, but if the tomatoes show up for Thanksgiving, it will be a miracle. And I will be grateful. 

Other kitchens I've been visiting? The photo to the right is of a Ladakhi kitchen in the village of Yurutse (alt. 13,500 ft.), a "village" of one family, with three generations living together. We stopped for tea and a rest on our trek in the Markha Valley. The family was very kind to this tired and slightly sick traveler.

An important feature of the Ladakhi kitchen is the imposing metal stove. It is not only used for cooking, but for heat during the long winters. Surrounding the stove are cabinets containing beautiful brass utensils, cooking pots and food storage containers. Many of these items have been handed down for generations.

The kitchen also serves as the living room, dining room, playroom and, sometimes, even as a sleeping area. In fact, much of Ladakhi daily life is carried out in the kitchen. Sound familiar?

Many families in the Markha Valley now use outdoor solar cookers, especially for heating water for the generous rounds of tea which are consumed each day. Since the traditional stoves use animal dung - hand collected - for fuel, there are obvious advantages to the solar cooker.

Our traveling kitchen consisted of two gas burners, set up in a large yellow tent (smoked to black on the inside. It could have been declared a toxic waste site. Makes burning dung seem like a plausible option after all...). Our cook's meals were astonishing in their complexity, range of flavors and sheer tastiness. Needless to say, the tent also served as the dining room on windy nights, the storage area, and the bedroom for our helpers.

Gelsim cooking dinner

Relax. Think positively. Praise is Vital.

Kevin, my brother-in-law, is going in for heart surgery on Friday.  So, if you have some spare time to think good thoughts, please do.

Oh Man! Not Another Art Project!

As we all know, sharing is hard - one desk, two computers, two people. Engaged in on-going and never-ending negotiations. So finally, I took my computer and moved downstairs. No desk, though.

Craigslist was no help. And my new workroom is so tiny that only a small desk would work. Enter Ikea, with a small solid wood dining table . Very pale, very sturdy, very basic. Some fine tuning was clearly in order.

A little bit of sanding, a little wash of stain to darken the wood, a few coats of sealer, and the table top was ready to join up with some glass tiles leftover from the kitchen backsplash project. Lots of leftover tile from that job. Heck, I even had leftover adhesive.

It only took a week or so to get the tiles glued onto the table. Of course, all four corners of the table are perfectly square. But these are "art" tiles, so they are neither the same size nor thickness, nor square...  You just have to do the best that you can. After all, it's a damn art project, right, not fine building?

Professional assistance became essential in assembling the table. Though I confess it's hard to follow the instructions when someone is lying on top of them. At least I was allowed to use the screwdriver. That way I could attach the legs backwards a few times all by myself.

Voila! Now all I need now is a chair...

Trekking in the Markha Valley, Ladakh..... Say Where?

After nine years without having to travel halfway 'round the world, we blew it. We became convinced that returning to Ladakh to go trekking in the Himalayas was absolutely essential. Silly, silly us.

Door-to-door: over 33 hours in transit. Altitude: from sea level in Oakland to 11,500 ft. in Leh, the capital city of Ladakh. And only up from there. But we really loved the place then. And, for all the challenges, it truly was worth going back once more.

I am very happy to give our team -  Gelsim, Jigmet, Dorje and Norbu (left to right) - full honors, because without them, quite literally, we wouldn't have "gone the distance" (+/- 70 miles). And it sure wouldn't have been anywhere near as fun, or as interesting, or as tasty.

And to the rest of the team - names unknown - without whom none of us would have wanted to keep on going. They carried everything, including my lunch some days, when I wasn't hungry enough to haul any extras for seven or eight miles up 1000 feet or more. Usually more, and often straight up.




We camped out and hiked for ten days. A typical morning started with hot tea at the tent door, followed by bowls of warm water for washing and a large breakfast eaten outdoors in the bright sunshine.



Then we were ready to walk:






Upwards, with fabulous views of the early light on the Ladakh Range.

Along the Markha River (that's me and the teams near the water), where barley has been cultivated for centuries. There are no roads in the Markha Valley, meaning no cars, no traffic, few bridges and great quietness.

Most of the sounds came from the wind moving through the willow and poplar trees which are found anywhere there is water. And from the bells which all of the horses were wearing - we called it the Ladakhi Pony Gamelan.





To the top of  Gongmaru La (la means "pass" in Ladakhi) at 5200 meters (17,050 ft.), one of the few places where there is cell phone reception. From there, in one direction, you can see all of the Ladakh Range. And beyond. In the other direction is the Zanskar Range.














Past chortens constructed by villagers (a "village" can be as small as one or two families).

And back down alongside the barley fields. The white tents in the distance are parachutes donated by the Indian Army. They now serve as summertime tea houses for trekkers and other travelers.

And back into a newly set-up camp, where a snack of hot, milky tea and biscuits ("cookies" to Americans) was always waiting. Followed by a nap. Otherwise, how could you do it all again the next day?

Home Alone

It's really boring

to play by yourself

all the time.

The Poop Sisters

Susan and friend

My friend Susan and I have become regular visitors to Skyline Ranch.  I call it the "poop store" which may be why Susan's husband, Matt, calls us the "Poop Sisters."

Equipped with gloves, shovels, large bags and buckets, we drive (slowly and respectfully, of course) through the complex to a lean-to shed around back and load up. Horse manure and straw. Usually very well composted.  One time it was so hot we thought that the plastic bags might melt and the car blow up. (The obituary would have been a hoot.) And, since it is well composted, it's easy to shovel - almost fluffy, even. And entirely free.

I'm using it to help improve and condition the dense, impenetrable clay muck that is called "soil" at my house. I know it won't be a great all-around fertilizer, but it does seem to aid in breaking up those giant clods. (Gardens Alive! has a helpful overview on using various manures in the garden.)

So if your garden needs a little help from some large furry friends, go visit Skyline Ranch. No need to call first. Just drive slowly. And keep the windows open on the way home.

Good-bye Y(MCA)

24th Street Singers

When we first joined, it was the "YMCA." Now it's simply the "Y." (And the Village People? Are they now reduced to the "VP?")

We still love the Y, but we're moving on. Blame it on the yoga. My best guy's yoga-muse, Leah (and here I thought I was the only one who made his eyes sparkle, put a swing in his step, a wiggle in his ears...), well, she has now opened her own studio, and a man must follow his whoever.

Yes, back to the Y. It's a wonderful place, and there are many, many things I will miss about it. Including the neighborhood around Telegraph and 24th Streets. And not just on First Fridays:

The group of parakeets which spend their afternoons chatting each other up. For a while there was a pair of bantam chickens in one of those cages as well, but they too have moved on.

The long row of sturdy sunflowers which someone of great faith plants each spring. (This mass planting is just down the block from a prime illegal, and very active, dump spot.) Almost all of the sunflowers last into the fall with their big, fat, seed heads intact. I'm guessing that there are simply not enough marauding squirrels around. I'd be happy to export a few from around here, if anyone is interested.

To all those lovely people at the Y who have sweated and showered along with us, and those who have picked up after us, and everyone else who has helped make the Y a great place - Thank you very much!

Sugar Snap Peas Forever

We had a lot a sugar peas this year. I am not complaining, but over the course of two months or so, we had peas most every night for dinner. Sauteed with sweet red pepper. Mixed with fava beans and drizzled with olive oil. Peas with carrots. Peas with peas.

Like I said, no complaints, but at a certain point, something different had to be done. So I froze some, and then turned another bunch into Pickled Sugar Snap Peas. Good recipe, which comes from The Joy of Pickling by Linda Ziedrich. It doesn't involve canning. In fact, you don't even have to blanch the snap peas.

Everyone who tried them, liked them. A lot. And there were quite a few "everyones." (My best guy didn't try them because he doesn't really like those pickle-y things.)

I really like pickles but, for me, these were a bit too vinegary. Kinda like taking that first sip of a gin and tonic and unexpectedly inhaling all the gin upfront. Only this time, it's not gin, but vinegar. Granted, it's also flavored with peas, hot pepper and garlic, but a little strong, nonetheless.

The brine from the snap pea pickles has been very useful for salad dressings and marinades. Next season, however, I will experiment with a bit more sugar, a little less garlic and perhaps a piece of star anise. Then I will try and coax my best guy to give them peas a chance. After first plying him with a coupla of gin and tonics, of course.

Thank you Ms. Linda, for the great idea and the great way to store up some of those delicious peas. I will be adding your book to my shelf.

Goddess of Light, Ret.

I've been talking about it and talking about it and talking about it.  And now I've gone and done it.

Yup, retirement. We'll see how well it sticks.

And just for fun - after all, isn't retirement supposed to be fun? - there will be a gathering at Sue Johnson Lamps on Saturday, June 8th, as part of the Solano Art Walk.

So if you are out and about next Saturday, please stop by:

Saturday, June 8th, 2013
6 - 8 pm
Sue Johnson Custom Lamps & Shades
1745 Solano Avenue,  Berkeley

The Best Cheap Cat Toys: #1: Egg Cartons

At three months

Cardboard Egg Cartons. Absolutely have to be cardboard, 

or chewing them is really unpleasant. Or so I've heard.

Simply throw them in the recycling bin after too much fun.

The entertainment lasts for years.

At three years