Lucky

 

I feel like the luckiest person in the world when I have this for breakfast. Avocado toast made on something called "Super Bread" from Trader Joes. Kind of a weird, low-guilt bread, filled with with orange bits (carrots?) and twigs and bird seed.   

Anyway, I used up the healthy calories yesterday-- worked all morning at the Cafe then hit the canning treadmill in the afternoon. 

No, I didn't also hit the bottle. Ha! We rarely ever drink anything but wine, and I found this old bottle of cognac in the basement. So I made 7 pints of spiced brandy plums with a recipe from the Internet. 

No idea how they will taste, spiced with star anise and cinnamon sticks. Ask me around the holidays, because it's going to be that long until I can eat a plum again. 

Today a batch of plum chutney-- then the plum orgy ends. Hope to get as many off the tree as possible so they don't fall on the sidewalk and rot. We're taking a short trip this weekend, more on that later.

Now I remember...

Why I don't can quart jars anymore. I bought some new ones in Twisp for pickled garlic scapes and brought them back to use on plums, since we have so many. But quarts are heavy work compared to pint jars, just getting them sterilized, filled, then safely in and out of the boiling water bath.

Of course, this is just a hobby for me. I kept thinking about our mother, who canned dozens of quarts filled with fruit and vegetables for the winter, out of necessity. In a small old farm kitchen with kids underfoot. She would rather have bought her canned peaches at the A&P! Most housewives of her generation loved the new processed convenience foods. Who could blame them?

Anyway, the reward is seeing all those pretty jars lined up on the shelf. This afternoon, I'm trying a batch of Asian plum sauce. Tomorrow, our standby plum chutney recipe. John likes to do all the precision chopping on that one. And then, if I'm not completely plummed out, spiced halves canned in syrup with star anise and cinnamon sticks. Sounds good on ice cream.

OK, then. Switching gears. First day of school picture yesterday. Nova sure looks ready to take on high school!
 

 

 

Raining plums

 

Sure glad I drove home yesterday, because it's raining across the state causing all sorts of havoc on the roads. The rain is welcome, but people apparently forgot how to drive in wet weather. It's pretty simple folks-- just slow down.

Ready or not, a feel of fall in the air this morning. This is the first day since June when it won't reach 70 degrees in Seattle. The parched garden is perking right up. Soon the fall weeds start popping up. As you know, our summers are brown and winter looks green as Ireland.

We picked all those plums in about 30 minutes yesterday. Probably around 100 pounds there, and many more still left on the tree, unfortunately up too high to reach without a ladder. 

So I'll be busy this week. There are so many good plum recipes, where to start? I'd like to make some spicy Asian plum sauce. My neighbor is concocting a homemade plum liqueur that involves an entire bottle of vodka and lots of sugar. She got the recipe from a very elderly lady, who knows a thing or two.  It should be ready in December, so Wendy I'll be over for a Christmas tipple!

Late summer

 

I drove Nova to the horse barn on Sunday morning, the same place we went on that cold evening in March, when the muddy snow and frozen manure covered the pastures. What a difference.

In exchange for doing light chores, Nova gets to ride Ginger, a fine horse. Their excellent instructor, Annie B,  gave the girls a surprise lesson in the outdoor arena. 

Watching took me back to my own attempts with Sizzle to become a better rider through dressage lessons. An old Quarterhorse and a cowgirl at heart.  Neither of us were crazy about lessons and happier just ambling down a trail in a western saddle. A "lazy" rider.

But as you can see, Nova is becoming a fine and poised rider. She's also a good student with a great attitude around horses. It's hard work.

Anyway. It was hot and the flies were really pestering the horses so Nova gave Ginger a nice cool rinse afterwards with the garden hose.

Everyone is busy here with friends and activities, as it should be. School starts tomorrow, and things will get even busier.  But this was a good visit. Maya and I also had a bit of quality time making a cake-- a German style plum kuchen. As usual, I went to the Saturday market with Amanda and the girls.

Speaking of plums, time to pick and start canning ours. John said people have been knocking on the door, wanting some free fruit. They are pretty tempting from the sidewalk, and I guess people assume they are going to waste. The fact is, we always give the extras to our friends and neighbors.

Relaxing moments in downtown Twisp. 

Things are quiet on the river and the deer seem unnaturally tame. The construction does not faze them at all. The fawns walk right by my river chair, looking clueless and bleating for their mothers. I suppose they are being weaned and ignored. They pick at leaves but don't seem happy about it.

Back to the city today.

Birds are dinosaurs

 

And if birds aren’t dinosaurs, then we have no idea what they are. Birds share many features with theropods and there are no other candidate fossil groups.

Anyway, if there's still doubt in your mind, watch a flock of young turkeys grazing. It looks like Jurrassic Park in miniature. I'm always surprised how successful these hens are, raising large broods to adulthood. At least here in town-- there are probably more predators in the wild looking for a turkey dinner.

High in the sky early this morning, a wedge of honking Canada geese over the house. If that doesn't say fall, nothing will. The lower sun angle and dark, cool mornings give a real changing season vibe.

And in other birds news, I just heard a Kestrel call. I'm not a good enough birder to know that without my Merlin sound ID app. Well, it's not like you hear a Kestrel everyday in Seattle.

It's still pretty rough-looking down in our corner of town. For over a month, they've been replacing main sewer and water lines and are finally wrapping up. Despite the dirt and inconvenience, everyone says the outside construction company has been considerate.

People are a little more stoical and accepting here. For example, the water was off for almost 12 hours yesterday, which would be a national emergency in Seattle and a project like this would take hundreds of workers (most of them supervisors standing around.) My neighbor said it's all been done with a relatively small crew down in those dangerous, deep trenches. That said, everyone will be glad when our streets are repaved again.

I have the day ahead entirely to myself, which is kind of nice occasionally. Amanda and her best friend Gina are taking a group of Nova's friends to the water park in Chelan and won't get back until late. Decent air quality and not hot, so a good day for a long bike ride before it gets parked for the winter.

Back to school

 

Cute hair cuts yesterday for Maya and Nova. School starts for them around Labor Day. It will be 5th grade for Maya and 9th for Nova this year. So officially a high school girl. Goodness. 

I was reading in bed with the window open last night and heard an unfamiliar sound. It was rain. Not nearly enough to water down the dusty yard, but what a pleasant sound and the garden perked up. I did some transplanting yesterday-- good timing there. 

Already a feel of the seasons changing. Might as well think positive: 

"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall." -F. Scott Fitzgerald.

The air quality is excellent in Seattle (at the moment) and improving somewhat on the dry eastern side of the state. They also had some rain, never enough, but every bit helps with the wildfires. I'm planning to drive to Twisp tomorrow and maybe spend a long weekend. We haven't been to the house for over a month. 

"Days of miracle and wonder"

A terabyte of storage in the size of a credit card? To visualize how big a terabyte is, you could store about 100,000 smart phone photos or 250,000 documents.

I finally decided to back up my 21,000 photo library to an external drive, like any sensible archivist would have done years ago. Of course this cute blue "drive" has no moving parts at all. 

My photo collection goes back to 2004, when I was still carrying around a digital camera. There are also hundreds of old family snapshots which I laboriously, individually digitized on our flatbed scanner. How did I ever find the time? Anyway, all of these digital photos (and some videos) live on my elderly laptop. Yes, we have an Apple backup time machine in the basement, but I don't entirely trust it. And the pictures are not "in the Cloud" for a technical reason I won't bore you with.

Other people's computer problems are tedious, so I'll just say it was a false alarm the other day. A single click brought my librarian masterpiece of photo organization back into view on Photos. Duh. Operator error, of course, but I learned much in the process of muddling through. With a little help from my friends. Google has 4.3 billion users worldwide, and you can bet your problem (personal or technical) is not unique. Just ask. 

So I'm sitting by an open window, perfectly fresh air and 55 degrees outside. Almost a feel of fall in the air. All the smoke has been scoured clean out of our side of the state-- for now.  

And a pretty green dots on Purple Air. We might even get a few sprinkles of rain tonight.

Flutes in the Forest

On Saturday afternoon we went to a flute concert in Schmitz Park, a natural area just down the hill from our house. I heard about "Flutes in the Forest" on our excellent West Seattle blog, which posts free community events. It was fun and casual (bring your own chair) with a good turnout. The trio played for an hour-- a nice program of classical and popular music.

The best thing about the concert was sitting under the beautiful tree canopy enjoying a "forest bath." Have you heard that term?

"Forest bathing" emerged in Japan in the 1980s as a physiological and psychological exercise called shinrin-yoku, or “taking in the forest atmosphere." The purpose was twofold: to offer an eco-antidote to tech-boom burnout and to inspire residents to reconnect with and protect the country’s forests."

What a difference a day makes. On Sunday we woke up to this. On the west coast, we are well-acquainted (unfortunately) with a computer app called "Purple Air." An amazing bit of technology, in an awful way. Purple Air gives real-time air quality measurements, anywhere in the world.

 

The color dots say it all, or just look out the window at the yellow murk. Bad as this was in Seattle, the air is even worse in central and eastern Washington.The entire state is dotted with out-of-control wildfires. We spent yesterday entirely indoors with the doors and windows closed and both large air purifiers running. 

The streets were deserted of dog-walkers. This is a familiar drill and most people take the health risks seriously. The Canadian wildfire smoke this summer came as a unpleasant surprise to folks on the east coast.

Anyway, the air should gradually improve for us today, as the wind shifts and marine air pushes the smoke east. There is some hope that the remnants of Hilary will bring a few drops of moisture to the parched eastern side of the state. 

I haven't been to the Twisp house since July, but until the air improves there's really no point in making the long drive. It's been a disappointing summer for me in that respect. Hopefully I can still make it over this month for a short visit. If not, then fall should bring a few nice visits before the snow flies. 

"And the seasons, they go round and round..."

Too fast.

Sweater weather

 

What a difference a day makes. The marine clouds moved in overnight finally bringing relief from the heat spell. Way down in the 50's this morning, and today a high of only 75. It is a remarkable feeling, a very unique Seattle thing, laying in a sweltering bedroom with the window open when the natural air conditioner suddenly switches on and cool, fresh air pours in the house. 

Anyway, we were busy early this morning making some corn salsa. Lots of work for just 4 pints, but hopefully this is better than what you can buy. Trader Joes has a corn salsa, about $4 for a tiny jar, and it's as sweet as candy. 

Also computer issues. I've been in denial about the age of my Mac laptop but the writing is in the wall. I don't know if it's related to senility (the computer, me, or both) but the Photos app is acting up. I can't find any photos in there more recent than 2015. Arg! We are talking about many thousands of pictures, obsessively organized into folders and albums.  Fortunately I have the images "somewhere else" on the laptop, they are not actually lost, but thinking about losing my labor intensive catalog scheme is making me crazy.

Embroidery

 

Most women my age were expected to learn a little embroidery as kids. Remember those tedious shoe lace stitching cards for toddler girls? I was a tomboy and happier running around outside or playing with animals.

It's always been considered just a feminine pastime, but embroidery is an ancient art form and has been around for 30,000 years, basically as long as humans have had fabric and leather to decorate.

Anyway, embroidery has become trendy once again. I've enjoyed doing some simple little kits that also teach you the stitches. The instructions are usually in badly translated Chinese, but there's always a nice YouTube lady to demonstrate anything to do with sewing. 

I'm partial to flower kits. Maybe because I like drawing flowers sometimes. That slightly sloppier one in the upper left corner was my first project, so guess I've gradually improved.

 

These inexpensive kits come with everything you need, and of course who cares if you take creative liberties with the colors. It takes considerable time and effort to excel at it, like anything else. 

I am not a perfectionist and there are always petty frustrations in sewing, from sticking your fingers to knotted thread. But in general, embroidery is calming and I like the way everything can be carried around in a little box. What they once called "hand work."

They say the act of embroidery, like knitting and crocheting, releases neurotransmitters that promote well-being. Making something mindfully, no matter how slowly, channels negative energy into something positive. In other words, it gives you something else to think about. And obviously good for your brain, hands and eyesight.

Well, one more hot day with this mini heat wave. You can already feel a slight change as the marine air starts to push inland. Tomorrow morning they are talking about drizzle and 20 degrees cooler.

Ha ha

A priest, a rabbi and a vicar walk into a bar. The barman says, “Is this some kind of joke?”

My therapist says I have a preoccupation with vengeance. We’ll see about that.

Doc, I can’t stop singing the ‘Green Green Grass of Home’. He said: “That sounds like Tom Jones syndrome.” “Is it common?” I asked.  “It’s not unusual” he replied.

A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse. “But why?” they asked, as they moved off. “because,” he said “I can’t stand chess nuts boasting in an open foyer.”

I’m on a whiskey diet. I’ve lost three days already.

 

What to eat?

 

Hamburgers topped with some of our home-grown grilled peppers. It gets old trying to figure out endless meals, especially when the weather is hot. We rarely eat out anymore--mostly because of the big hassle factor in West Seattle.  

So my latest credit card spending report said my largest category is "groceries." That's right, not travel or restaurants, airfare, clothing or gas, but food. The proof is in the math. Shopping and cooking are my biggest and most expensive hobbies.  

Pretty lame if you ask me, but at least we eat well, and the knife expert gets lots of food prep practice.

Like this very nice, precisely diced fresh mango salsa. Looks like a machine made it!

That we had with soft chicken tacos. Maybe a tortellini salad tonight.

Today is the hottest day of the week, about 90, but by the weekend we'll be back in the pleasant 70's.

Heat wave

 

Early every morning, I fill the bird bath with fresh water for the little birds. Yesterday I was sitting inside listening to them happily splashing and chirping without a care in the world, when there was a sudden violent commotion-- followed by dead silence. 

That always means a predator, in this case a Coopers Hawk. We caught a glimpse of him in a shrub looking pretty annoyed. A near miss.

In past centuries, Coopers Hawks were much maligned as "bloodthirsty" bird and chicken killers and hunted almost to extinction. It was an unfair reputation. Like lions at a waterhole, they are attracted to bird feeders, and in the summer, a bird bath does nicely. 

We see hawks in the yard so seldom, maybe once a year, so I feel honored when they pay a visit. Not to mention, a raptor like that surviving in this tough town? That's pretty amazing in itself.

It’s hot this week, as you may have heard on the news. When I opened the window this morning, it was almost as warm outside as in, which is pretty unusual. It will only last until Wednesday or so, then we're back to more normal temperatures. Not a drop of rain in sight so fire danger is very high. We have some smoke drifting into Seattle from the North Cascades Sourdough Fire, which still has Highway 20 closed across the mountains. 

 

Happy birthday, Amanda

 

Yes, two special birthdays in one week. Life is good in August. Yesterday, the family took a hike up to the Lake Agnes Tea House at 7,000 feet. Looks chilly!

They had plenty of company in line for hot drinks and goodies.

Anyway, sounds like a memorable day, finished off with a nice birthday dinner at Deer Lodge near Lake Louise.

We haven't been to the Canadian Rockies since way back in 1998. I'd like to go again, although it takes some advance planning, since this is one of the most popular destinations in the northern hemisphere and the tourist season is short. Banff is about 600 miles from Seattle, so not a casual weekend trip.

Anyway, nothing that exciting happening here in Seattle. We're headed into hot weather next week, good for ripening all those thousands of plums. All at once.

Happy birthday, Nova

 

First steps on your first birthday, which seems like just the other day. Happy 14th!

The usual summer chores

 

One of these days, we're going to have the deck and the railings rebuilt. I stain it every summer to disguise the old splintering wood for a little while longer. Yesterday I thought there was just enough paint left over for one more coat, then I couldn't find the can, which meant a trip to True Value to buy a fresh new expensive gallon. Annoying.

Anyway, since I went to all that trouble, I picked a slightly different color, more of a brick red. Who needs a new deck? Anyway, along with making chutney, I tackled garden digging projects. Enough hard labor for one day. 

A few pictures from the kid’s camping vacation this week, up in the Canadian Rockies.

International Cat Day

 

The oldest domestic cat ever was Creme Puff, at 38 years and 3 days. The heaviest domestic cat was Himmy, who lived in Queensland, Australia, and weighed over 46 pounds.

Slow news day here. Just got back from a too early dentist appointment and puttering around making date-apricot chutney. John is doing all the precision dicing, which might turn into an all day project. 

 

Oh, dear

 

Too much a of a good thing. So many plums on the tree, the heavy boughs are starting to break off. And the tree is so tall, there's not really anything we can do about it. 

I shook the lower green ones off to relieve some weight on the branches, but many hundreds are out of reach. They will eventually rot and fall on the sidewalk. What mess. The poor tree needs a good pruning this winter, that's for sure.

The weekend was overcast and humid, but unfortunately the "monsoon" clouds brought little rain. But I'm listening to the birds in the yard this morning, all excited this from just a little moisture. 

Our air quality is still good, but there's a new fire burning in the North Cascades National Park that is very concerning. It is near Ross Lake, and they've closed the Highway 20 route across the mountains. It's smoky once again in eastern and central Washington. So far, this fire season was just too good to be true.