Taming the beast

 

 

What is gardening, but a balance between nature and human intervention, the wild and the cultivated?  Learning when to let go is just as important as hard work. Today I hacked back the tomato plants, clematis vines and dahlia, but most everything else in the beds can wait until early spring. There's nothing I like better than getting outside on a quiet February day. 

Having said that, sometimes you can show some tough love in the fall. This time last year, I pruned the scraggly hydrangeas almost to the ground, a no-no if you want flowers the next summer. 

 

As expected, few blooms, but healthy, strong, rejuvenated shrubs that should be gorgeous next year. But who knows? Hydrangeas are finicky things, like lilacs. 

A big sports weekend in Seattle, with BOTH a Mariner's playoff and Seahawk game on Sunday afternoon, bringing tens of thousands downtown, including us, for the Symphony concert.

Our route to and from West Seattle goes right past T-Mobile Park and Lumen Field where all the action is. That will make for some interesting traffic. 

Have a good weekend.
 

 

Interesting afternoon

 

 

Alexander Malofeev b. 2001

We watched this piano prodigy rehearse the "Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganni" with the symphony yesterday afternoon. This is a very difficult piece, requiring advanced technical skill and mastery, but the youngster whipped right through it. Alexander looks a little older than in his Wiki photo above, but not much: cute mop of curly blonde hair, t-shirt, baggy cargo pants and Crocs. 

It's fun seeing the soloist and symphony members show up for rehearsal in flannel shirts, old jeans and tennis shoes. On Sunday afternoon, everyone will be in their concert hall attire and we'll hear the Rhapsody again, along with Rachmaninoff's Symphony Number 2.

We enjoyed the rehearsal but it only lasted an hour.  Everyone was expecting about two hours, but the rehearsal went so well the conductor dismissed school early. The symphony members were happy, the audience not so much, having made the trek downtown. We planned to have dinner afterwards, but it was too early even for us.

Since we took a taxi downtown and were in no rush to get home, we walked through the Pike Place Market. On a weekday October afternoon, almost deserted. 

Unless locals have out-of-town visitors to show around, most of us avoid the market like the plague during tourist season. Cruise ship season is over, and it was nice to actually be able to walk around, instead of being carried along in a sea of humanity.

I know I'm out of touch with price reality, but who actually shops here? $100 a pound for King Crab legs? Will people buy those before they spoil? I worry about things like that.

We stopped for a beer and snack at Emmett Watson's Oyster Bar, an old market institution tucked away at the end of a dark corridor. I ordered the broiled oyster plate with Parmesan cheese and bacon. The oysters were large and fresh and didn't need that much flavor help, especially the red cocktail sauce-- but they quickly disappeared. 

Then we walked back to the Wild Ginger restaurant where we had planned to have dinner. Go figure, they were closed for a special event. I was too full anyway, having eaten 4 of the 6 oysters. And so much for the "let's take a taxi downtown" experiment-- it was long ride home in the back of a stinky old Prius. I'd rather endure gridlock in our own car.

Hard to beat

 

A perfect roasted chicken is a fine thing, especially compared to the 5 buck Costco. This Ina Garten's signature simple recipe: the cavity filled with whole cut lemon, thyme and garlic cloves, slathered with butter then roasted in a very hot oven. Yes, Stovetop stuffing embarrassing aside a nice chicken. But good. 

We're going downtown this afternoon to attend a free Seattle Symphony open rehearsal. Our new music director, Xian Zhang, started her position in September and we'll get to see her in action in front of the orchestra. 

Open rehearsals are interesting, giving a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process. Although you wonder if the rehearsal vibe is the same when the conductor is being observed by a live audience. We went to one once before, and it was frustrating because we could only hear the conductor mumble. Hopefully Xian will be miked this time.

More later.