Follow the directions

 

 

Not to brag, but this was the best of many pizzas I've made with the NYT simple pizza dough recipe. 

What is the secret? Follow the directions (duh) to mix the dough a day ahead, then let it slow rise in the fridge. This is the same method that gives that wonderful crusty texture in homemade bread. 

No oily salty pepperoni, just vegetables and a mix of provolone and mozzarella. Who says pizza can't be healthy? And for a change, we made it through meatless Monday yesterday with leftover pizza for lunch and tofu stir fry for dinner. 

Other than occasional Thai take out (which I can't make at home) we almost never go out to eat anymore. One reason:

"Washington ranks as the most expensive state for dining out, with Seattle rivaling or exceeding costs in places like New York City."

The restaurant sticker shock is worse for people who remember when a bowl of soup was $5 not $20. And not that long ago. 

I don't mind cooking and John doesn't mind cleaning up the kitchen, so it works out pretty well.  

 

The many colors

 

My friend Tim posted a picture on Instagram of his gorgeous hydrangea blooming in several colors at once, almost like this one in our yard. 

Apparently it happens because soil acidity is rarely uniform across a garden bed, and the plant's roots sit in different areas picking up different ph levels. 

For some reason, our hydrangeas are more beautiful than ever. Two years ago, I pruned them almost to the ground and they did nothing last summer. Now they forgave me. 

Hydrangeas actually bloom best left alone with little or no pruning, but gardeners do like to fuss with them.

For example. I passed by this one many times on my old 2 mile pandemic loop walk. On the same walk recently, it was exactly the same, blooming its heart out over the sidewalk. The yard still neglected and never pruned, watered or dead headed-- so there you go. 

Well, I don't have much news. A heavy cloud is over Seattle after the shooting last night at the Bite of Seattle festival.

Really? What will it take? We ask ourselves again and again but nothing changes. 
 

Supersweet 100

 

 

More like Supersweet "500." The plant is covered with fruit. 

After a few days of hot weather, four months of watering and fertilizing suddenly pays off. This is a good variety to remember for next year. They have that sweet crunchy pop when you bite into them and nothing compares to a warm cherry tomato off the vine. 

Not to mention, the first simple tomato salad of the summer. 

Believe it not, we eat lots of iceberg lettuce salad in this house, and you gotta have iceberg for tacos. 

Iceberg has become rather unappetizing for the time being. It's unnerving how something so ubiquitous could make you deathly sick for weeks. 

We had Italian pasta last night that Amanda brought from Italy. I usually buy whole wheat pasta so this white orecchiette was a nice change. I cooked the whole bag and will do something with the leftovers this weekend.

Yes, the weekend, here again. A slight chance of showers and a high of 75.  So pleasant. 

 My sister Marji in Las Vegas sent this photo yesterday: 124 degrees on her patio in the sun. So dangerous. 

 

The locals down there are smart as desert rats. The tourists, maybe not so much.

 

Feast or famine

 

 

Our poor old abused plum tree is just dripping with fruit, and many are on low hanging branches right in the yard, not over the outside sidewalk. John doesn't like dodging branches on his way to the recycle but too bad. He likes making and eating chutney and if it stays this warm, we can pick in a week or so. 

Last year, there were almost none! Who knows with that fickle tree? The most common reason is poor bloom time weather (cold rainy days) or the lack of a cross-pollinator nearby. I happen to know there is another Italian plum tree living just across the street. (W. please tell B. not to ever chop it down.)

Anyway, time to think about canning, especially since I didn't do much last year. We are low on good plum chutney. I am a slapdash cook but a fussy canner. Everything has to be super clean and exact directions followed for processing, so the jars are still good two years later. In fact, the chutney mellows over time and gets even better. 

Also looks like a bumper year for tomatoes. The big dark pots bake in hot sun along the side of the house, a perfect spot for ripening. 

 

For some reason, I've enjoyed the yard more than ever this year, and trying to embrace all the work with more pleasure than annoyance. We should not take for granted how long we can do these things. As the saying goes:

"Everything is borrowed." 

 

 

  

 

1374?

 

That is a screenshot from the Purple Air app yesterday. Check out the gob-smacking number "1374" on the air quality index.

To put it in perspective, the standard index tops out at 500, and any number above this (such as 700 or 800) indicates catastrophic pollution. 

The town of Nespelum on the Colville Reservation in northeastern Washington, is roughly 90 miles from Twisp. 

 

This is one of the poorest areas of the state, and now that little town (above) is surrounded by a 65,000 acre fire. As often happens, the people who can least afford it lose everything. 

 

We woke up to a red and orange sunrise, but our air quality is still OK here in Seattle. It's going to be hot (for us) today close to 90 degrees. 

That's about all the news. Oh yes, some person dumped a big pile of junk in front of our hedge the other night. Our neighbor and I have reported illegal dumping to the city, but that can take days until they get around to cleaning it up. In the meantime, I hope people don't think the ones who live here did such a disgusting thing. 

Meaningful forgetfulness

 

 

Now that is one happy dawg face after a dip in the Methow River and a picnic with her long lost family.

 

Our animals, bless them, don't need yoga or mindfulness practice to relax. They are always in the present moment and for Nica, that sad 3 week separation ended the moment her family came home and life went on just as before. 

Humans minds are usually planning for the future or ruminating about the past. Yes, we can "practice" mindfulness, but sitting on a cushion trying to empty your mind has the opposite effect for some of us. "Try not to imagine a pink elephant" and all that. 

There was an article in  the NYT this week about the resurgence of granny crafts like quilting. Anne Kirketerp, a Danish psychologist, wrote a book called “Craft Psychology,” and she calls this phenomenon "meaningful self-forgetfulness." She says: 

“When we create something that requires full attention, the part of our brain called ‘default mode network’ is diminished,” Dr. Kirketerp said. “The constant inner noise or negative ruminating thoughts are absent.”

Hand embroidery is my go-to craft at the moment, because it doesn't require set up like painting or sewing. And I can pick it up for just a few minutes at a time. I guess people will get granny embroidered tea towels for Christmas.

What glorious summer days we're having in Seattle. I'm enjoying every moment of this fine weather. (Twisp is hot and smoky at the moment.)

Our yard is filled with birds chirping from morning to night. The quiet nesting period is over, and this is called the post-breeding surge, when the population doubles or triples with family groups foraging for food. The chickadees and bushtits love that olive tree. I spray it with the hose, then sit and watch them take showers in the drops. Who needs a meditation cushion?