Smokin' birthdays

The smoke has been hanging around for days now, making for these spectacular (but monotonous) sunrises and sunsets.  The air pollution is so heavy it's actually kept the temperatures lower, but we're still in the high 80's, too hot for Seattle where only 7% of people have central air conditioning.  

Good news. Today the weather pattern finally shifts, with cool air moving in and a good chance of rain on Sunday.  The smoke will finally be blown out of Puget Sound.  Where will it go?  Who cares. Good bye, good riddance.

Birthday greetings to our beautiful girls Nova (8 yesterday) and Amanda, who is celebrating one of those big decade birthdays today.  The family is camping with friends this week on Vancouver Island.  We won't see them this trip, but hopefully Amanda sends some pictures our way soon.

Have a good weekend!

1953 World Chart

Bombast? Nothing new.

Memories are made of this

Never before, since records have been kept in the late 1800's, has Seattle gone so long without measurable precipitation-- almost two months without a rain fix. Our first real chance of rain comes on Sunday, along with with cooler west winds to finally blow out the smoke.  

Brown pasta

About a year ago I switched from white pasta to whole grain.  Getting used to the taste and texture of whole wheat pasta takes a little time, thanks to its stronger flavor and more grainy consistency. You won't find the option on most restaurant menus, and forget about it in traditional Italian establishments.  To homemade pasta makers and purists, dried Barilla whole grain would be like putting sauce on shredded sandpaper.

I can't speak for John (a pasta traditionalist) but now I actually prefer it.  At least most of the time.  Or maybe I've just talked myself into it. Every now and then I'll have a bowl of silky white noodles and my mouth goes, "Aha!"  It's the difference between a fresh baguette and a gritty slice of Dave's Killer Bread.

Good for you, but?  Humans are hard-wired to to crave soft, sweet food.  Most kids, including Nova and Maya, love sliced white bread.

But you can't beat this for a guilt-free, weekday pasta dinner: Thin whole grain spaghetti, fresh tomatoes, basil and garlic sauteed with good olive oil.  A grilled Isernio sausage, our best local brand, is the highlight as far as I'm concerned.  

It's awfully grey and dark for August, with another creepy sunrise.  The smoke is worse again today.  

A garden diet

In Seattle, the DOT will sometimes reduce busy four-lane avenues down to just two lanes, usually to appease the bike riders.  The odd euphemism they use for this is "street diet."

This giant flower bed is going on a "diet" because the far side is impossible to keep weeded and watered.  All week I've been working in the smoke and heat, poor me.  Of course I could wait until fall, but it involves a lot of digging and the plants pop right out of the dusty soil.  Plus I get obsessed with finishing projects.

(By the way, today is a record. We've gone 51 days without measurable rain in Seattle. The nasty smoke is hanging around until the end of the week.) 

I've run up against a big clump of iris with no place to transplant them. Or neighbors willing to adopt such problem children.  Iris! Talk about a love-hate relationship.  In May they break your heart for two weeks, then turn ugly as sin for the rest of the year and hog up so much real estate in the garden.

Anyway, when I finally got this bed narrowed down and grass planted, it will be one of the prettier spots in the yard.  And my lawn mower can get through without being clawed on the head by trees.

The first giant water bill of the season arrived. What do we have to show for it?  Along with beautiful useless flowers, some very expensive peppers and tomatoes, if you consider the amount of water dumped on them.

John brought two spindly pepper plants home from Home Depot on Mother's Day as a joke. Then I showed him a thing or two about growing peppers in pots.  Now he is looking forward to homemade chiles rellenos with these beautiful Anaheims.  A major cooking project, but oh so delicious and nothing like the sloppy platters they serve up in Mexican restaurants.

Day four

Another smokey red sunrise this morning, like a scene from a Star Wars movie.  The weather experts say the smoke will be around until at least Monday, and possibly through next week. We're stuck in a strong high pressure system that pushes back the onshore flow from the ocean. 

The visibility is pretty bad, but it makes for interesting early morning camera light.

It's quiet in our little corner of the world, I suppose because everyone is someplace else.  Sea Fair is going full force on Lake Washington.  The Blue Angels are performing this weekend, despite the smoke.  They've been practicing all week and come screaming out of the murk when you least expect it.

The Ukes are playing this afternoon at a memorial service for one of their long-time members.  I didn't know the lady, she was before my time and passed away in a nursing home, but she was loved by the group.

This is the second memorial performance we've done this year.  I guess "Jamaican Farewell," "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" and "Jambalaya" are a pretty good send-off.  I think we should play more for the memorial service audience, but our leader always makes a list of the deceased person's favorite tunes.  Even if they seem a bit jaunty for the occasion. Well, it's hard to make a ukulele sound sad.

Sunday afternoon our old friends Terri and George invited us over for a barbecue, so there's no reason to leave the peninsula and jump into the madness we call Seattle.   Our kind of weekend.