Shrimp and okra

This is a fast and easy dinner-- you might try it, Mark.  By the way, thanks for the nice note and I'm glad the cran-apple chutney turned out.

Of course you have to like okra, which is listed as one of the most hated vegetables in America. I'm sure that's because it turns to slime if you boil it too long. I buy frozen okra at QFC (Krogers) and it's a good product. I also buy big bags of farmed shrimp at Costco, which we are not supposed to do because it comes from Thailand, but it tastes fine and the price is right.

Saute in olive oil: 1 chopped jalapeno, 1/2 chopped onion, 1/2 chopped green or red pepper, 2 garlic cloves.  Add a pinch of dried red pepper flakes.  Add 1 can stewed tomatoes, 1 package frozen okra and simmer about 10 minutes.

Then add about 20 defrosted shrimp, bring to a simmer and cook another 10 minutes or so.

Add some seasoned salt, black pepper. If you like it spicy, Tabasco, too. This low-fat recipe makes two big servings, with enough left over for John's lunch the next day.

Afraid of clowns?

I ran across this 1928 circus poster on an blog called Pictorial Arts.  Whoa.  And if you're not already scared of clowns, that should do the trick.  Apparently coulrophia (fear of clowns) is one of the most common phobias.  Not much research has been done and it's unknown just how widespread coulrophia is. But when they asked 250 children in British hospitals, all of them had a fear or dislike of clowns.

Modern circus clowns evolved from the jester.  In ancient courts jesters were regarded as pets or mascots, and had the freedom to criticize their masters or guests.  They also represent the side of us that is not neat or pretty or socially acceptable.  In the way, clowns hold up a exaggerated mirror to our inner selves. Scary?

 

Jester

William Merritt Chase

William Sommers, Henry VIII's jester

Stanczyk During a Ball at the Court of Queen Bona

Jan Matejko

Other work

MOHAI Resource Center- Georgetown

If you read the blog, I don't blame you for thinking my life is a long string of days making fancy dinners, messing with horses and dinking around in the garden. But I do some other work, too-- I just don't write or talk about it very much. I have a new temporary job (a few hours a week) organizing a personal archive.  And then there's my volunteer gig for the last three years at the Museum of History and Industry.

The beautiful old museum building near the UW is closed and destined for demolition, and most of the offices and collections have been moved to the gray warehouse building above, in south Seattle.  I show up to work here one afternoon a week.  After so many years in the same location, Georgetown is a big change for the staff and researchers who use the museum archives.  For me, the warehouse is just a short drive from home and that's nice. But I still miss walking through the old museum displays on my way down to the basement library.  

The new MOHAI

Anyway, the dazzling new MOHAI opens late December in the trendy South Lake Union district. (Think Amazon headquarters, biotec companies, Gates Foundation, fancy condos and restaurants.)  The days of pulling up in front of the museum and parking free are over, and the beloved and funky old museum is gone. I haven't been there yet, but I'm sure the Lake Union Park setting and the high tech interactive exhibits will be just perfect for the new Seattle, especially this neighborhood.

I'm still writing archival finding aids and love it, because I can take my time, learn all sorts of strange things, and eventually have the satisfaction of seeing my work published on the Internet.  The library staff is working in overdrive for the opening, so it will probably be early next year before they have time to post the most recent ones.

I've moved on from the Seattle World's Fair to more challenging and esoteric donations-- for example, a historical collection about Puget Sound underwater cable laying operations, a scrapbook documenting the career of a successful Seattle fashion model in the 1960's, photographs of the Alki Avenue regrade project in 1900, and a wild collection about Boeing's first female engineer, who worked in vaudeville before putting herself through college.  Who would guess such good stuff is going on in this nondescript location?

Driving

Psalm

So many cars have driven past me
without a head-on collision.
I started counting them today:
there were a hundred and nine
on the way to the grocery,
a hundred and two on the way back home.
I got my license
when I was seventeen.
I've driven across country
at least twelve times;
I even drive
late Saturday nights.
I shall not want.

by, Marilyn Nelson

Christmas lights

It was a sunny day in Seattle yesterday-- a nice break between soakings. The lights are going up in our neighborhood.  For the first time ever, I was putting up Christmas lights while John mowed the lawn. I thought he was done for the year, but I was happy because the mower chopped up a bunch of leaves and mess I was planing to rake.  I put the mulch on top of my new compost bin, which by the way is looking gross. Hopefully the magic happens over the winter.

The mower ran out of gas right when John was finished so he didn't need to drain it, and that made him happy, too.  It probably sounds weird to mow in December, but the grass is still growing from the rain. 

I love Christmas lights, especially when other people do the work. I only decorate the arbor by the back door.  My excuse is we only have one electric outlet on the deck, but really I don't have the patience to do more, because something annoying happens every year. Yesterday all three new colored strings turned out to be defective (what do you expect for $2.99?) so I went to Bartell's for more and decided I like white better, anyway.  They worked out fine, and now we have something bright and cheerful to look at into January, if they last. 

There wasn't much to photograph in the garden, but I took my camera out anyway. It seemed like the first time in weeks that it was dry and light at the same time.  Mother Nature resting is a soothing sight, not to mention, just looking around for a change, and taking a break from being garden manager of the universe.

  

Hey, precious

 

Bye-bye, for now...

Nana and Grandpa are headed home.

What a difference

 What a difference a month makes.  This was our view of the Twisp River in October, and this morning we woke up to this:

We had a great Thanksgiving, and enjoyed a fabulous meal with friends here in Twisp. 

Along with turkey (good job, Amanda!) there was baked salmon, ham, stuffing and home grown vegetables dishes.  Oh yes, followed by desserts and more desserts. I decided potluck is the way to go, especially when you have friends who can cook!

We're a little slow getting moving this morning, but there's talk of a trip to Winthrop to look for Santa Claus in the snow.

Happy Thanksgiving

And the seasons, they go round and round... 
and the painted ponies go up and down.

.

Home away from home

We're in the same room we had on our last visit, which is pretty nice because we know how the fancy light switches work. It's too cold to sit outside and look at the river without a down jacket, but we have all the conveniences of home. Plus a little gas corner fireplace, nice for warming your feet while you surf the Internet and wait for the wife to make breakfast :-)

The leaves are off the trees, fall is over and the valley feels ready to hunker down for a long winter. The mood here is a mixture of anticipation, preparation and resignation that doesn't apply to us city folks, who are merely inconvenienced by winter. The temperature is in the 30's, and it looks like a mix of snow and rain for the next few days.

Everyone is well, and in the month since we last saw her, little Maya has changed from newborn to little baby. Nova is the sweetest big sister.  More pictures soon...

Pilgrim's progress

We're headed East this morning, over the river and though the woods...up and down the mountains.

There was record rainfall in Seattle yesterday, but hopefully the long and winding road will look like this: wet, sloppy, boring. No snow. Kind of like the pilgrims on the Mayflower, just headed the opposite direction in Little Beep, with a thermos of coffee and a ham sandwich, with the company of 18-wheelers rushing home for the holiday.

Even a Puritan can have a twinkle in his eye.

Turkey chutney

Well, it isn't just for holiday fowl. Cran-apple chutney is pretty good on ham, too.  Years ago I found this recipe in Sunset magazine and make it each year for Thanksgiving.  It has a long list of ingredients, but once everything is chopped up and cooking in the pot, you're done.  Best of all, chutney is the most forgiving thing.  Are you distracted, stressed? A teaspoon off here and there?  No matter-- everything blends together in the end, and no one can tell the difference.

The only warning is, if you like to heap cranberries on as a side dish, think of this more as a condiment.  It's very flavorful, and nothing like the jelly stuff out of the can. Also, chop the ginger, don't grate it.  Then you won't have to explain to people (like I will) that those stringy bits are not hair.

Here's the list of ingredients:

1 Granny Smith apple, chopped
1 cup dried crarnberries
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 tbs. mustard seed
1 tbs. minced fresh ginger
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Combine everything in a saucepan and add 2 cups water.  Bring to the boil then simmer, stirring often until thick and most of the liquid evaporates. 

It looks something like this.  As nice a by-product, your house will smell really good. Cran-apple chutney keeps several days in the fridge, or you can freeze it.

Don't worry, be happy

On this day in 1928, the first cartoon starring Mickey Mouse was shown at the Colony Theater in New York. "Steamboat Willie" lasted just seven minutes, but changed the world. You might be surprised at the earthy humor.

Walt Disney was the voice of Mickey.  He later recalled:

The effect on our little audience was nothing less than electric. They responded almost instinctively to this union of sound and motion. I thought they were kidding me. So they put me in the audience and ran the action again. It was terrible, but it was wonderful! And it was something new!

Stormy skies

Total precipitation forecast, next 8 days

Cliff Mass weather blog

That's an unusual graphic, probably only interesting to us weather nuts.  You want dry turkey this week?  Try Arizona or New Mexico.  Or Yuma, California.  Or Maine!  Here in the Northwest, it looks like non-stop rain in the lowlands while the snow piles up in the mountains.  Just in time for our long trek east for Thanksgiving. It will be worth it though to see our darling little girls.  Oh yea, and their hard-working parents, too :-)

An emergency banking project distracted me from early morning blogging today.  When I looked at my on-line statement, I noticed someone kindly "borrowed" my credit card to buy $25 gift cards at the Foot Locker and REI.  Since they went to the trouble of stealing a number, I don't know why they didn't spend more. Or maybe it wasn't any trouble at all to steal?  This can happen countless ways, no matter how careful you are.

Since the fraud is reported I'm not liable for any amount, but my responsibility is the time and trouble that comes with canceling a credit card for petty theft.  What a hassle. Not to mention, with each passing day, living feels a little more paranoid.

For our friends

Among other wonders of our lives, we are alive
with one another, we walk here
in the light of this unlikely world
that isn't ours for long.
May we spend generously
the time we are given.
May we enact our responsibilities
as thoroughly as we enjoy
our pleasures. May we see with clarity,
may we seek a vision
that serves all beings, may we honor
the mystery surpassing our sight,
and may we hold in our hands
the gift of good work
and bear it forth whole, as we
were borne forth by a power we praise
to this one Earth, this homeland of all we love.

A Prayer Among Friends
John Daniel

From, The Writer's Almanac

Our sweetie-pies

Thanks, Amanda for the new pictures!

Taking care of your baby sister sure wears a girl out...

Alice's restaurant

David Lance Goines, poster

The one regret I have about living in Berkeley in 1976 is that I never went to Chez Panisse, the famous restaurant Alice Waters and Paul Aratow started in 1971. It was (and still is) located in a craftsman house on Shattuck Avenue.   We couldn't afford it and besides-- few people realized Alice was on to something really big. That would have been like guessing what young Bill Gates would do with the rest of his life, because he dropped out of Harvard about the same year I was wasting time in Berkeley.

Anyway, year after year, Chez Panisse is listed as one of the top 100 restaurants in the world. Alice Waters is credited with inventing California cuisine.  And not those "wood fired" pizzas we eat at the Wolfgang Puck airport empire.

I vaguely remember walking by a poshed-up hippie cafe in an old house.  Alice was a food activist, which meant using seasonal organic produce, local sourcing, cooking quality ingredients simply and buying from a network of farmer cronies.  Old stuff now, but then-- revolutionary. From the beginning, the restaurant had a fixed menu that changed daily and they were usually sold out.  The kitchen staff partying was legendary.

Eating at Chez Panisse in 1976 would have been cheaper than Denny's is now, but when we had a little extra money, we would go for quantity over quality (Indian, Chinese, maybe a steak splurge.) So I missed out on a great line I could have casually dropped at dinner parties for the next 50 years:  Oh yea, I ate at Che Panisse once back in the 70's. 

The famous Berkeley artist David Lance Gones (b. 1945) has been friends with Alice Waters since they were teenagers. During the 1960s, Goines enrolled at UC Berkeley as a classical literature major.  Ironically, his participation in the Free Speech Movement led to expulsion, and in 1965 he left school and apprenticed to a Berkeley printer. Two years later founded the Saint Hieronymus Press. He's best known for his wonderful California poster art, and calligraphic classic called A Constructed Roman Alphabet.

Every year Goines creates a Chez Panisse anniversary poster and he illustrates the many Alice Waters cookbooks. He also designed the logos and lettering for other Berkeley-based businesses.  The label he created for Ravenswood Winery has appeared in this house from time to time on Zinfandel bottles.

An interesting side-note to this fascinating person: Goines is an advocate of the voluntary blood donor system, and claims to have donated a total of 17 gallons of blood so far during his life. 

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.

Bob Dylan