Last whiff of Hawaii

 

 

Another Pineapple Express before we go back to more typical winter weather. But the bulbs are out of the ground, so there's no holding back Spring. Twisp was warm, but it felt almost tropical in Seattle when I pulled up to the house yesterday after a long, sloppy drive.

The yard in February always looks messy and slightly wrecked. Frankly, gardening is drudgery until you get things whipped into shape again. Then people assume you have a "green thumb" and it just magically happens.

Along our little stretch of riverfront in Twisp, Mother Nature is in charge for better or worse, and the beavers take their tree thinning seriously. I enjoy that yard contrast. What's the point of a vacation home if it isn't different?

Speaking of trees, the olive (above) dropped piles of dead leaves after the record length freeze earlier this month. They can usually survive temperatures down to about 15 degrees, but not for a sustained period. Time will tell.

On the other hand, my old succulent pots look none the worse after being frozen solid. 

Anyway, back to the Senior Center Cafe this morning. There's a new menu with new prices and new complaints to go with it. Oh, boy.

False spring

 

As far as driving conditions go, I couldn't have picked a better time to come over. It got up to 40 degrees yesterday in Twisp and didn't get below freezing last night. In January, the town is typically buried in snow. Winter probably isn't done with them yet, but it looks unseasonably warm and dry right into February.

I made breakfast for the family yesterday, and later, when the sun came out, we hiked up to their property. The snow is usually 3 feet deep on this hill outside of town. Nova went to Wenatchee on a shopping trip with friends, but the rest of us had fun making a snow creature then sledding down the slushy road. Has it really been 60 years since I've been on a sled?

One more day in town, then back to city reality tomorrow. 

A wintry scene

 

It's not nearly as cold outside as it looks. In fact, temperatures are staying above freezing for the next several days. The Valley has a yucky wintry mix this morning, followed by just rain later. As it turned out, yesterday was an excellent window for driving, with dry roads and light traffic.

Those are turkey tracks in our slushy driveway. This is strange weather for late January, when the snow is usually piled high and it stays way below freezing.

Amanda, Tom and Maya are driving all the way to Quincy today (about 4 hours round trip) for Nova's wresting match. I opted to stay home and putter around the house, maybe take a walk later if the weather isn't too miserable.

I had dinner with them last night which was nice. Nova had already left for Quincy with her wresting team, but Maya was home. She is growing and changing so fast, it's like seeing a new girl each time.

But other things never change, like fat Millie in her winter bed behind the wood stove!

 

Friday

 

 

Well, not so fast. I'm keeping an eye on the mountain weather this morning. I like leaving early, but there's an advisory for freezing rain on Snoqualmie Pass, no thanks. Maybe things will improve by mid-morning, or I'll go tomorrow. Or whenever. Another big atmospheric river is aimed at the northwest, which means warm and drenching wet for days to come.

Have a good weekend.

Adjusting our prices

 

Oh, dear. This sign was on the counter yesterday at the Senior Center Cafe. I doubt anyone has paid attention, besides, the print is too small for our customers. They're going to take sudden notice if the dollar cookie doubles, or the cup of soup goes from $3 to $5. 

Frankly, the bottom line issues at the Cafe are more complicated than raising the prices, but I'm just a volunteer and prepared to hear a lot of complaing. 

Well, ho hum. It can't be glamorous Hollywood stuff everyday. The C&P Coffeehouse filming was sure fun, and after any type of publicity, we have an uptick in ukulele interest. 

Probably the biggest hitch is owning an iPad, required for the music. Unlike books, they are difficult to share with newcomers, but when all is said and done, we'll have some new members. A good thing.

More weather whiplash in the Northwest with above normal temps for the next week. The mountain roads are clear, so I'm headed to Twisp tomorrow, although the weather over there looks pretty dismal (slush and rain.) It hasn't been the kind of winter they like, with lots of dry snow and blue skies. 

We haven't been to the house since Thanksgiving, so time to take the decorations down and start the Spring transition. Yea!

Lights, camera, action

 

Most of the network TV stations around the country have their local human interest news programs. In Seattle, NBC (King TV Channel 5) produces "Evening," which airs at 7:30 pm. It's like a light dessert, after the depressing real news.

Anyway, they cover whacky, off-beat stories at different locations around Puget Sound. In that category, they filmed my group, the West Seattle Ukulele Players at C&P Coffeehouse yesterday morning.  

It was fun watching  the host, Jim Dever (a very engaging guy) and his bored cameraman filming the show from the coffeehouse patio. We played for about 2 hours, with most of that ending up on the cutting room floor. However, we are featured in little segments throughout the program, if you can stand all the commercials.

Also interesting, and probably typical, was the shameless jousting of group members for camera time. I was embarrassed for some people! Ukulele players are not a shy bunch and love the spotlight. Anyway, I just sat back and watched the show going on, so you you'll only catch a glimpse of me. I'm wearing a brown Pendleton coat.

Click HERE for the link.

Go, Nova

 

The Methow Valley News (an excellent local paper) devotes a section to Liberty Bell High School sports, and Nova's picture has appeared twice this month on the girl's wresting team. Yes, girls participate in that tough and disciplined sport exactly like boys.  Nova loves it. Who would have guessed?

The kids take all this for granted, but before Title 9 girls had segregated "gym class" and the boys played basketball. At least at our provincial high school. The prettiest and most athletic girls tried out for cheerleader, and were picked by a cruel popularity vote. It was the most coveted status, and about the only place to show off female athleticism in front of a sports audience. 

It's wonderful, the choices young people have. Our nephew in Utah, a senior, wins multiple awards in the school's ballroom dance program. Wow. 

Speaking of good things, we've had a wonderful visit with our Methow friends this weekend, catching up on all the Valley news and gossip. They are off to Mexico tomorrow morning, if the airline gods are favorable.

 

Ticking off the days

 

Here we are, whizzing through the longest month of the year. Minute by minute, the days are getting longer. A big warm-up on the way, with temperatures in the 50's next week. This is one place where you can say "spring is just around the corner" in late January.

I'm looking forward to the weekend. Friends from the Methow Valley are staying with us for two nights before their flight to Mexico on Tuesday morning. 

Karen and her husband, Bruce, a local artist, live just down the street from our home in Twisp. Karen is a lovely person and and we hit it off instantly. Bruce is outgoing and great company. On top of that, our granddaughters, Maya and Kate, are the same age and best friends. What fun.

Have a good weekend!

 

 

Cold scenes

 

The yard was frozen solid, so it will be interesting to see what survives. Plants are surprisingly hardy. Those frozen fatsia japonica leaves are a sad sight, but the root will probably grow back. Either way, quite a yard clean-up ahead this spring.  

Ferns and bulbs and roses don't care-- in fact, they come back even better after a chill.

We've started the warm-up in Seattle, although high temperatures still in the 30's with mixed precipitation today. Lovely weather for the Thursday outdoor ukulele jam, ya think?

To put it in perspective, the frozen confluence of the Twisp and Methow Rivers near City Park. Makes Seattle look downright tropical.

Is that a snow leopard?

Plant food

 

Papadums are a popular Indian snack made of lentils and various spices. They are hard to find, but I bought these at a little Indian hole-in-the-wall grocery at the Pike Place Market. They come in an uncooked package of paper thin, brittle wafers. Even imported from the other side of the world, very few are cracked or broken.

It only takes a few minutes to fry a dozen or so. They puff up and brown almost instantly in hot oil. Although technically fried, they aren't the slightest bit greasy because they don't absorb fat like tortillas. You finish with as much oil as you started with. 

I guess they're quite healthy, as lentils are. Especially compared to potato chips. We had papadums with tofu curry and various chutneys on our (mostly) meatless Monday. Believe it or not, it isn't all ham and brisket around here.

We've started making a pizza once a week or so. I splurge on fresh mozzarella balls now, instead of the gummy shredded cheese in a package. Always vegetarian pizza, with tomatoes, peppers, onions, olives, and sometimes marinated artichokes. I buy refrigerated crust and make a thick sauce with garlic and tomato paste. Anyway, about as guilt free as you can get with pizza.

The deep freeze is over, but what a miserable weather day in the Northwest with cold rain, and in some places, sleet and ice. I was hoping for a snow day at the Senior Center but no such luck. Off to work I go.

Side by side

 

Oh, we ain't got a barrel of money,
Maybe we're ragged and funny
But we'll travel along, singin' our song,
Side by side...

Nica and Millie, basking in front of the fire on a minus zero morning. Smart kids.

Speaking of silly old songs, we had a ukulele concert scheduled today at the Renton Senior Activity Center, but they had to close because of burst water pipes. That indeed is the big news all over Seattle this morning, with schools, houses and apartments flooded. A bonanza for the local plumbing companies.

I'm disappointed about the concert. Now the day stretches ahead with no particular plans.  

Enough already with this cold weather. It's still only 22 degrees this morning, but the warm-up is getting underway. One last spectacular winter sunset before the rain and clouds return tonight.

Meanwhile, Maya was out enjoying the deep freeze at Twisp City Park. Oh, those young bones!

 

Beautiful floaty things

It's only 22 degrees right now, but at least 10 degrees warmer than Saturday, when it didn't get above 15. Unbelievably cold for Seattle. We just stayed inside most of the weekend.

My new sewing machine. It looks fancy, but it only does basic stuff, like the old Singer I grew up with. Of course, it's built nothing like that heavy metal machine that could grind through layers of corduroy and denim. 

That old Singer was finicky but my sister and I put it to constant use. Throw-away fashion and polyester didn't exist yet. We bought cotton and wool fabric in the basement of Woolworths, and sewed many a cheap outfit in high school. 

Like my prom dress, age 15. Fully-lined blue eyelet, lace trim. Quite a project. I remember like yesterday Mom taking that picture, while I proudly posed with the geranium. White gloves a cute touch.

I'm not a recreational seamstress these days, but a sewing machine is a useful tool if you need to mend something or make a simple project. I had an awful electronic Brother machine (bought at Costco years ago) which was always flashing error codes and jamming up thread. I dreaded hauling it out, it was nothing but frustration. It had 250 decorative stitches and a confusing pile of feet and attachments. Anyway, good riddance-- now donated it to a local charity chop.

So far so good on this new Singer. Saturday afternoon I made new fleece covers for our collection of little TV watching pillows. I didn't swear once.

Sunday was still way below freezing but bright and sunny. We ventured downtown in the afternoon to the Seattle Art Museum. We usually do those excursions early to avoid crowds, but I didn't think it would be so busy on a frigid day in January.

Wrong. The museum was jammed-packed with a long line snaking through the galleries to see an exhibit inspired by Hokusai's famous "Wave" woodblock. You know it from endless coffee mugs, scarves, shower curtains and puzzles. The real "Wave" picture wasn't even there, so it seemed like quite a fuss.

Anyway, we mostly wanted to see the Shirley Family Calder Collection, currently on loan. On his death, it will be generously donated to the museum. Jon Shirley was the chief operating officer and executive director at Microsoft in the 1990's. He is a big collector of many fine things, most notably, modern sculpture. 

Calling these works of art "mobiles" doesn't do them justice. They are beautiful, engineering perfection. Just fascinating. And Calder could do amazing things with a wire coat hanger.

After that, we briefly went over to the Market, more crowds, more long lines snaking down the sidewalk for everything from clam chowder to piroshky to the opportunity to spend money in the original Starbucks. Many Seattle tourists, even in the dead of winter. Everyone reads the same guidebooks. Visitors find our Pike Place Market entrancing, but the grumpy old-timers still miss the old authentic place, where you actually went to buy produce and fish. And bags of beans at Starbucks, the only store in town.

Faux pho

Last night I made this Chinese Japanese mash-up of a noodle soup. It starts with a box of broth, doctored up with ordinary Asian condiments from the fridge like soy and oyster sauce, sesame oil and hoisin. Typical of my slap dash cooking style, no recipe involved, which also means the recipe can't be exactly duplicated, oh well.

Add the sliced vegetables (your choice) and a few shrimp (or cubed tofu) to the simmering broth for a few minutes, then ladle over the cooked noodles. I have two perfect large serving bowls for this. 

Those are thin Japanese soba (buckwheat) noodles, because I have terrible luck with those Thai rice noodles, which sometimes turn into a gelatinous lump.

Anyway, we'll be thinking about food a lot over the next few days, since there isn't much else to do. Seattle temperature won't get out of the 20's for several days. That is extremely unusual for us, and hard on the plants. But the lovely olive tree survived the ice storm last winter, so who knows.

And that is downright balmy compared to eastern Washington, where the daily highs might reach a few degrees above zero. Needless to say, travel plans are postponed again.

January inches along

 Weather is the only news today. Cold.

Camelias in the snow?

 

 

The garden is about to get a winter wake-up call. I cut these camelia blooms yesterday and noticed all the bulbs poking up in the flower beds, thinking spring is just around the corner. 

It is actually, but first we have to get through this bitter cold stretch. The forecast for snow is anything from zero to 10 inches, which would be a catastrophe in Seattle. Don't laugh, you easterners.

  "Curiouser and curiouser!"

  BTW. January 10th is Peculiar People Day: 

• Recognize that there are strange and peculiar people in your life.
• Engage in conversation with peculiar people. Chances are, they have many interesting qualities, too. 
• Look for good qualities in everyone you meet.
• Recognize that a peculiar trait can actually be an asset in certain situations. Gain appreciation for this fact. 
• Determine if you are peculiar in any way. Most of us have at least one odd thing about us Then, spend a few minutes to identify how it can be used in a positive way.
  

 

Stormy weather

 

 

So much for the mild winter El Nino forecast. There hasn't been a real blizzard warning in the Cascade Mountains for 10 years. Down here in Seattle, the rain is currently beating against the windows. Fingers crossed the power stays on. Lowland snow in the forecast later this week.

Anyway, a day to make soup with the leftover ham bone and some real fancy beans John ordered online for Christmas. No, a bean is not just a bean. Click here

Stick to your ribs

 

That, my friends, is a made-from-scratch turkey pot pie with a homemade double butter crust. Needless to say, an all afternoon cooking project that requires lots of ingredients, most importantly, a good quality of leftover turkey and gravy. Until the first bite, I wonder if it's worth all the trouble. According to the blog, it looks like the last turkey pot pie I made was January 2019.  A sad fact, according to John.

I was really looking forward to a quiet week in Twisp. We haven't been over to the house since Thanksgiving, and that was a fast, hectic visit. I have friends in the valley I’d like to see, so made plans to go, thinking the solo drive would be no problem. The mild December weather sure lulled us into complacency. 

Winter is making up for lost time with a vengeance. There are rare blizzard warnings on the passes this week, which will soon become impassable. I had a little window for good driving yesterday, but decided to postpone, as the forecast for Twisp next week is pretty bleak anyway-- below zero temperatures, wind and snow. Then there's the question of when I could make it home again safely. So it goes.

This is where the smart Twisp money hangs out in the winter. That brown lump is a cat named Millie, curled up in a basket behind Amanda and Tom's wood stove, toasting herself like bread in a tandoori oven. 

While Georgia, the other fat house cat, makes herself comfortable on a chair in front of the fire. 

National Bird Day

 

 

Nearly 3 billion birds have simply disappeared since 1970. While it's hard to wrap your head around that number, the loss is certainly noticeable in my lifetime. Birds and their songs were once everywhere-- so taken for granted-- until they weren't. Like the canary in the mine, experts say bird loss suggests "the very fabric of North America's ecosystem is unraveling." 

I have my old birder's life list, used to record the variety of species just in our backyard. Thirty years ago, that was everything from colorful Grosbeaks to Warblers to Finches. These days, the seed feeder attracts mostly House Sparrows. Nothing but obnoxious crows in the background. Habitat loss is the main culprit in Seattle, as suburban yards and open spaces disappear under dense developments. I hope things are different wherever you live.

Guess what? After a mellow December, we're getting some winter in the Northwest. Below freezing next week in Seattle, possibly lowland snow, and below zero on the other side of the mountains. I'd like to get over to Twisp again, but it depends on the driving conditions. 

Have a good weekend.

Mixed up week

 

 

The holiday threw me off this week. Monday felt like Sunday, and yesterday for all the world seemed like a Tuesday. 

This Wednesday marked my one year anniversary at the Senior Center Cafe. Already? I started on a hectic day right after the Center's holiday closure break in 2023. I wondered at the time what I had gotten myself into.

People always ask if I enjoy working there. Like all jobs, a mixed bag. Compared to other volunteer gigs I've had over the years, it isn't especially challenging, for example, nothing like MOHAI archives. 

At the Cafe, the job satisfaction is more in the simple things, like interacting with folks, and taking care to prepare and serve the combo lunches, cookies and salads. Food is kindness. We all know this. And for many customers at the Center, that simple sandwich is a big purchase, and probably the nicest meal they will have all day. 

And last but not least, it makes you grateful for good health, family and financial security. Many people are not so lucky at this stage in life. 

Wednesday

 

Especially on a dark January morning...

The 9th day

 

"On the 9th day of Christmas,
My true love gave to me,
Nine ladies dancing..."

Not in this tidy house. Christmas is pretty much put away for another year. Well, other than some outdoor lights, which we leave up for cheerfulness through dark January.

It takes all morning to carefully pack up the decorations (I only broke one) then haul the bins up in the attic, and the rest of the day to clean the house, all the while contemplating the insanity of bringing a big, messy pine tree inside your home. 

Every year, while vacuuming up piles of needles, I think how this would be an excellent  time to buy a nice artificial tree on sale, like the sane people have. But who can face that?

Being as yesterday was a holiday, we had another fatty meat dinner.

That's a beef brisket, a tough cut of meat that should be cheap but isn't. I never cook brisket, unless you count corned beef. It went in the oven at 8 am, 200 degrees low and slow, and smelled good all day. It was melty tender by 3. 

Because brisket has so much fat and connective tissue, it shrinks down tremendously, but still enough left over to make barbecue sandwiches. Anyway, I'd probably leave this cut to the pit masters and their smokers. It's too much grease indoors.

Onward we go into 2024. After the extended holiday, life returns to normal routines. The gym for me this morning, stir-fried chicken and vegetables tonight, back to Cafe work tomorrow. Rain in the forecast.

Happy New Year

We had a fun belated Christmas celebration on Saturday. I made a big ham lunch with cheesy scalloped potatoes, precisely sliced by John. Roasted pineapple, zucchini and salad. Pie for dessert. That's the gang gathered around the table followed the living room aftermath. 

Speaking of aftermaths. January 1, 2024 is here-- my traditional day to pack up the decorations and take down the tree.

Not to mention, time to dust off those dusty resolutions.