Hot (and I mean hot)

Amanda and Tom grew these lovely jalapenos up on their hill garden.  There are tricks to growing the hottest of peppers: not too much fertilizer, let them dry out between watering, let them age on the vine. Whatever happened, it sure worked. The heat is more like a Scotch Bonnet or Habanero pepper.

From The Cool Science of Hot Peppers:

Biting into a jalapeño pepper has the same effect on the brain as touching a hot stove. The heat of a chili pepper is not actually a taste. That burning feeling comes from the body’s pain response system. Capsaicin inside the pepper activates a protein in people’s cells called TRPV1. This protein’s job is to sense heat. When it does, it alerts the brain. The brain then responds by sending a jolt of pain back to the affected part of the body.

Anyway, what doesn't kill us makes us stronger, and you can't waste good homegrown vegetables. Aren't these pickled slices pretty? It's nice seeing our jars of chutneys, fruit and pickles lined up on a shelf in the basement.

Speaking of food, we're not especially heavy eaters, but it's surprising how many groceries we go through making three meals a day at home.  Fortunately I love to cook, but like everyone else, get tired of it sometimes. 

We can always get takeout, but it's not usually worth the trouble. I miss simple, taken-for-granted things, like sitting in a fast food restaurant having a hamburger or a taco for lunch. Or actually meeting a friend inside for a cup of coffee.  

Life probably feels more like normal in other places.  However, Seattle has the lowest infection rate among major American cities. Las Vegas, not surprisingly, currently has the highest. Doing the right thing is hard but I guess we're proof it works.