Woo hoo (I think)

 

 

A new iPad Air with the Apple magic keyboard and pencil...technology on top of technology.

I bought it for travel in particular, since lugging my laptop through airports seems to get more burdensome as time goes by. And as John says, "the blog must go on." 

Yes, there's the irony of simplifying your life with yet another complex thing to master and maintain.  

Our Apple gadgets here have multiplied over the years like rabbits! We still have an 8-year old iPad which I use only for ukulele group, and will probably continue. I'd hate to see that shiny new machine on the concrete floor at the Bridge Tavern.

John was an angel and helped me get my email going yesterday, so I'm determined to muddle though the rest without pestering him too much. He has used an iPad for years, but a new hobby for me. 

In other news. I'm on pins and needles this weekend wondering if I have to report for jury duty Monday morning. I was summoned about a month ago by King County Superior Court. But until I hear from the bailiff (as late as Sunday night) I don't even know if I'll have to report in person, or where, for that matter. There are three separate courts in King County, and a nightmare commute to all. 

Anyway, if I have to sit around a courthouse all day, at least I'll have new toy to play with. 

Have a good weekend. 

Queens of the Orchard

 

 

Someone let the cats out...

That's Miss Georgia taking in her new domain and fresh air, after basking in front of the Russian stove all winter. 

 

And Calico Millie there under the table, doing some spring claw sharpening. 

Both cats are plump, to put it nicely. Amanda's best friend, a small animal vet, did not mince words about their weight and prescribed expensive diet cat food. It didn't work. They just ate more and got fatter than ever. 

Not to be morbid, but those gals could be a high calorie snack for the coyotes they hear yipping at night in the orchard. 

Although these former town cats are smart. They managed not to get run over on the highway behind the old house and will figure out farm life. Anyway, they prefer lounging around the house getting hair on everything and using the litter box in the summer, much to Amanda's annoyance. 

Speaking of the orchard, that bare ground is remarkable for this time of year. There is snow up in the high country, but it's been a poor winter in the Methow Valley for recreational sports, not to mention, the snow plowing business.  

Sad! We have not been over to our house since Thanksgiving, but hope to get in a short trip soon.  

 

Ash Wednesday

 

A day of repentance, marking the beginning of Lent. 

Heigh ho, heigh ho

 

Love this photo of Nova carting around one of the docile hens. Nova is terrific with all animals, and in fact, she just started an internship with a local small animal vet. 

    

Busy morning here. I got thoroughly acquainted with the Scandinavian Airlines website (not Alaska!) trying to select seats for our upcoming trip in May. (Much more on that later.) 

 

Now I'm off to Burien to have my Honda serviced for the first time- 6,000 miles, still a baby.

 

 

This is the uncropped photo. Kinda scary seeing those claws so close to her pretty face. Life on the farm.

 

 

Things Chinese

 

Benaroya Hall was all festive for Chinese New Year yesterday. Along with the decorations, a pre concert performance in the lobby.

The first half of the concert featured a work called "Iris Unveiled." It was composed in 2001, but heard in Seattle for the first time this week. 

Our Seattle Symphony music director, Xian Zhang, collaborates with the Chinese composer, who is a favorite of hers. (Our former conductor was French, and we heard plenty of French music during his tenure.)

In "Iris," the full orchestra performs the 40 minute work alongside Chinese instruments-- in simple terms, a fusion of East and West. There were visual effects also, namely a Peking opera star in full costume up in the organ loft. 

Peking opera is a highly stylized art form with bizarre singing, at least to western ears. 

Like Moon Cakes, an acquired taste. I won't repeat the unkind comparison made by the lady sitting behind us, but you can probably guess.

Anyway, off to Mother Russia for the second half of the program, featuring the rough and tumble Shostakovich Fifth Symphony. 

So, an afternoon of big contrasts, if nothing else.

We had a nice weekend. John gave me beautiful flowers and we gobbled down a steak dinner on Saturday, for the first time in ages. We eat more hamburger these days. 

Also, the afore mentioned coconut cake, which was a big hit. 

That recipe is a sure keeper, even better than the fantastically expensive little cakes from Metropolitan Market. I can usually resist cake no problem, but I've had a big, fat slice every night. 

Some days are just coconut

 

Way back in 2012, I took a coconut cake baking class at the community college. It was an evening class with a very chatty instructor, so it ran late into the night and I was tired by the end. Long story short, I forgot to take the recipe hand-out sheet when I left. 

Dang. It was an interesting recipe, made with sweetened cream of coconut. I have tried many other coconut cake recipes over the years. There are hundreds on the Internet-- all different and some better than others.

Anyway, I tried a new recipe this morning for John's Valentine present. The ingredients are pretty basic, although I substituted thick coconut cream for the coconut milk. The most expensive thing in this cake was the tiny bottle of coconut extract, which is sold as liquid gold. 

Oh yes. The plant in the background is from Trader Joes. Like Costco, I feel like I deserve a little reward for navigating that parking lot and store. 

It is a Stephanotis floribunda, or Madagascar Jasmine, and something you don't often see in pots. 

In another lifetime, when I worked in the florist trade, we made labor intensive bridal bouquets by wiring the fragrant individual blossoms. One sniff took me back to the 1980's Frederick and Nelson Department Store, and the little flower shop inside the front door. 

No one could walk by without exclaiming "how good it smells." Of course to us, the flower shop just smelled like hard work. 

Wishing you a sweet and hopefully fragrant holiday weekend. 

 

 

Year of the Horse

 

I bought this lucky bamboo plant last year at Costco...

It has grown considerably since then. These crazy things can thrive for years in just water and this one hasn't even had a bit of fertilizer. That tells you something about the strength and persistence of the rhizomes. Of which we have first hand experience. 

After our bamboo forest was ripped out, I spent the next 5 years cutting back the shoots until the mass of underground roots finally gave up. 

Chinese New Year is on February 17th, and in Chinese astrology, the Year of the Horse represents energy, boldness, and rapid change.  

Wow, quite the party in Seattle yesterday. Naturally, we have perfect weather on those few days when Seattle gets national media attention.

 

Guilty as charged

 

I needed new plastic pots for the window box to replace the groudy old blue ones. How hard can it be to find  7 inch pots?  Ha. 

Three stores later (Home Depot, Ace Hardware and West Seattle Nursery) and I found nothing close, at any price. Not to mention, wasted time and gas.

Came home, searched Amazon, and in a few seconds found exact replacements in a choice of 10 colors. A few days later they arrived on the porch in a box from Walmart, of all things. 

Many people for all the right reasons boycott Amazon. I admire that! The problem is they just make it too easy to find what you need.

Well, the Seahawks are the only local news this morning, as the city gears up for the largest parade in Seattle history. 

 

 

That's the last championship parade in 2014. This one is supposed to be bigger. 

Sweet crocus

 

Crocus represent rebirth, joy and the end of winter. They are long-lasting bulbs, and a patch I planted years ago still come up by the garbage can. Picking the first ones is a little spring ritual, watching the flowers pop open instantly in the warm house. 

It has turned colder here, but after morning fog, the weather should be sunny for the big Seahawk victory parade tomorrow. 

And I mean big. They estimate nearly a million people will converge on downtown Seattle. 

Let me put that number into perspective for you. The population of Seattle is approximately 800,000 and the greater metropolitan area is about 4 million. Expect region-wide traffic gridlock. 

Live coverage on TV sounds like the way to go. 

What a game

 

 

And what a night! Every neighborhood in Seattle went absolutely bonkers with fireworks like the 4th of July, people screaming in the streets, and for good measure, all the dogs in West Seattle barking at once. 

We watched Bad Bunny with plates of enchiladas on our laps in front of the TV. Perfect. A terrific show and wonderful set, right down to those walking trees! 

Anyway, the Seattle freeways are empty this morning, everyone calling in sick (or well.) Next event, a huge victory parade on Wednesday. 

It's been a long time coming. Be happy for us.  

Quack

 

 The Cayuga Duck

Fawn and White Runner Ducks

Amanda ordered Cayuga and Runner ducklings from the Twisp feed store to be delivered this spring. And not just any ducks!

 

The Cayuga comes from the Finger Lake region of New York. They have striking black iridescent plumage and are easy to tame as backyard pets. 

 

(Well, Nova and Maya can tame just about any critter.)

 

The Fawn and White Runner ducks are native to Malaysia. They excel in garden pest control (specifically slugs and insects) and make friendly but active backyard pets. They like to run around fast with their heads high in the air. What a hoot.

 

 

 

Ducks of course are also raised for meat (we won't go there) but the fancy breeds these days are more often kept as garden ornaments. These will join the fowl menagerie on the farm.

 

 Aw. The ducklings look like this:

 

 

What's not to love about ducks? We will find out. 

 

As for eggs, ducks lay between 200-300 a year. They are considered healthier and more nutrient dense than chicken eggs. 

 

 

Although the duck yolk colors can take some getting used to. Green eggs and ham, anyone?

Cheerful

 

"The flowers of late winter and early spring occupy places in our heart way out of proportion to their size."

Gertrude S. Wister 

 

Believe it or not

 

 I bought this pine tree in a little bonsai pot about 20 years ago. Another plant that got away from me!  I eventually got tired of the bonsai fussing and planted it in front of the house. 

Little did I know at the time, it would someday help block the view of a new school addition across the street. Now, sitting at my desk, I see a tree instead of a school that now blocks the Olympic Mountain view. So it goes in West Seattle. 

It lost a huge amount of needles last fall, an alarming amount, but that's a normal sign of aging. Pine needle drop happens every 1-4 years, depending on the tree variety. I could rake the prickly things up, or maybe just leave them under the tree for mulch.

It is still quite warm, and on dry days, I'm slowly working my way around the house, getting the beds cleaned out. My old friends, the invasive bluebells, are coming up like crazy under the pine tree. Maybe the mulch will deter them. Maybe not. 

What can you say, when it comes to lost views and bluebells?

"Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." 

 

Soup and more soup

 

 

We eat lots of soupy meals this time of year, most on the heavy side, like chili. I finally used up the last of that Christmas ham in the freezer making bean soup. 

But the days are getting lighter, and I'd like to get a bit lighter too this spring. The scale doesn't lie. Too many desserts in front of the TV at night!

I bought Swanson Ramen Broth for the first time (a new product?) and it made a decent base for Asian noodle soup, doctored up with fresh chopped ginger and vegetables. No recipe required. 

A box of frozen shrimp tempura to go with. Tasty and a break from the gloopy stuff. 

Weird and warm

I cut back the dead stuff in the big flower bed, but it still looks pretty rough. It's hard to weed with bulbs coming up just below the surface. Over the years, I've beheaded some innocent heads with my Korean weeding tool.

On Saturday it got up to almost 60 degrees, so weirdly warm for January! I threw off my fleece jacket and worked outside in a long-sleeved shirt.  

This might be one of those rare Seattle winters without even a bit of snow. Maybe we'll get a foot in February, but the sun is already stronger so whatever falls won't last. Our long Northwest spring ( a 4-5 month transitional period) has sprung. 

We often have a Symphony concert on Super Bowl afternoon, which would be a real drag next weekend. Fortunately, we went yesterday instead, on a nothing Sunday downtown. Next week the city will be hopping.  

Goundhog Day. He saw his shadow. There's still hope for building up the mountain snow pack.