Sounds like folks are having some real weather; glad everyone is home and OK. Today and the next couple of days we may get a little rain and a bit of snow in the mountains; it’s very late this year. This could be the third year of drought for California.
Last night we had a tossed salad made with some of the lettuce I gleaned on the way home Sunday evening. So much fresher than in the stores! Very nice. I easily picked far more than we can use, so Miyoko will share it with friends. (Maybe one percent of the lettuce was left in the field after harvesting, mostly because the heads were below market size. Maybe another one percent hadn’t formed heads.)
Last night I finally finished a book I'd started some time ago and set aside, How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu. It reminded me of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy only without the brilliance, the wit or the acute observation of the human condition. In short, I found it tedious and totally failing to live up to its promise.
Dentist tomorrow afternoon. Checking on possibly unstable fillings and taking any necessary action. I expect it to take a while. But better to catch any possible problems early.
I'm no fan of iceberg lettuce either. It's comparatively tasteless and unless it's organic it's full of pesticides and other toxins, because watery veggies soak them up. I greatly prefer Romaine, or better, baby Spinach. However, maybe the quality of Alan's versus the iceberg lettuce I've encountered would be like the difference between a fresh apricot off the tree and a dried apricot!
There wasn't any romaine on offer in the field where I went gleaning. It wouldn't be correct to say that gleaners can't be choosers, but they're probably not finicky as a group. And the lettuce is in fact way better than what is in the stores. For a while we had a line on potatoes fresh out of Washington and Idaho, and the difference between those and what we were used to from the grocery store was really remarkable. Did you know that you can boil iceberg lettuce? It doesn't disintegrate or turn into goo. And to take the stem out of an intact head (this I learned working in a restaurant kitchen), grasp it firmly over the top with one hand and slam it down hard on the table top, turn it over and pluck out the stem. If the stem was not cut off real short, so much the better; but even so it works way better than a knife and is much faster.
My heart goes out to the Methodist clergy I know and love. Many are in pain tonight and wondering what happens now, what the still, small voice is saying to them inside. I am holding them in the Light.
Well, speaking as an outsider, that seems very hard indeed. As I understand it, Methodists believe in biblical inerrancy. I suppose the minister's accusers said he was picking and choosing what to believe from the Bible, but I expect they do the same. Probably at least some of them wear clothing made of more than one type of fiber, and eat lobster, crab, shrimp or oysters. Maybe even pork. Probably none of them rape their slaves or eat buzzards, though. I remember being impressed as a boy by how there were so many Christians who pointed at all other species of Christians and said "You're all wrong, we are all right, and you are going to Hell unless you agree with us." In fact, I specifically remember thinking that while once attending church and Sunday School when we were away from home (so I could get credit at our home church for attendance); I must have been around twelve or fourteen years old. I looked around among other denominations for a while, became anti-christian until I realized that didn't work, then set out to find a completely different frame of reference--so I could agree sometimes, and disagree other times, without any difficulty. That took some time (and led through psychological suicide), but turned out well. I sincerely hope that peace will come to all the Methodists going through this rough spot.
I was just now reading in the newspaper about the tornado swarm in the Midwest; I hadn't realized it was so serious. I was struck by the story of tornado alerts sent directly to the cell phones of people in the areas of same; that sounds like a good reason to let Google or Apple track you using the GPS units in your phones.
Vivat Dean!
ReplyDeleteSounds like folks are having some real weather; glad everyone is home and OK. Today and the next couple of days we may get a little rain and a bit of snow in the mountains; it’s very late this year. This could be the third year of drought for California.
Last night we had a tossed salad made with some of the lettuce I gleaned on the way home Sunday evening. So much fresher than in the stores! Very nice. I easily picked far more than we can use, so Miyoko will share it with friends. (Maybe one percent of the lettuce was left in the field after harvesting, mostly because the heads were below market size. Maybe another one percent hadn’t formed heads.)
—Alan
It was iceberg lettuce.—Alan
DeleteHi guys.
ReplyDeleteAlan, I'm not a big fan of iceberg lettuce. Still, I'm glad you were able to salvage some and put it to good use rathe than letting it go to waste.
Last night I finally finished a book I'd started some time ago and set aside, How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu. It reminded me of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy only without the brilliance, the wit or the acute observation of the human condition. In short, I found it tedious and totally failing to live up to its promise.
ReplyDeleteOh, why not?
ReplyDeleteAll the leaves are down
And the sky is gray
I've been for a walk
On a winter's day
I'd be safe and warm
If I was in L.A.
Ahem.
As someone who has lived in L.A., I'd take the winter's day.
DeleteCat, that is exactly the track my mind took. Hearing the Mamas and the Papas since I first saw the headline.
DeleteGlad I'm not the only one, Susan. *grin*
DeleteI'd take the Winter's day too.
DeleteTo be fair, the Mamas and the Papas tune begins "All the leaves are brown"
Ours aren't even all brown after they're all down! Ha!
Dentist tomorrow afternoon. Checking on possibly unstable fillings and taking any necessary action. I expect it to take a while. But better to catch any possible problems early.
ReplyDeleteAh, Cat, that was me last Summer. Turn out to be worth it!!
DeleteI'm no fan of iceberg lettuce either. It's comparatively tasteless and unless it's organic it's full of pesticides and other toxins, because watery veggies soak them up. I greatly prefer Romaine, or better, baby Spinach. However, maybe the quality of Alan's versus the iceberg lettuce I've encountered would be like the difference between a fresh apricot off the tree and a dried apricot!
ReplyDeleteThere wasn't any romaine on offer in the field where I went gleaning. It wouldn't be correct to say that gleaners can't be choosers, but they're probably not finicky as a group. And the lettuce is in fact way better than what is in the stores. For a while we had a line on potatoes fresh out of Washington and Idaho, and the difference between those and what we were used to from the grocery store was really remarkable. Did you know that you can boil iceberg lettuce? It doesn't disintegrate or turn into goo. And to take the stem out of an intact head (this I learned working in a restaurant kitchen), grasp it firmly over the top with one hand and slam it down hard on the table top, turn it over and pluck out the stem. If the stem was not cut off real short, so much the better; but even so it works way better than a knife and is much faster.
Delete--Alan
My heart goes out to the Methodist clergy I know and love. Many are in pain tonight and wondering what happens now, what the still, small voice is saying to them inside. I am holding them in the Light.
ReplyDelete"The jury has ordered Frank Schaefer to be suspended from ministerial duties for 30 days. At the end of the 30 days if Frank Schaefer cannot agree to follow Discipline in its entirety, he must surrender orders."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/methodist-pastor-goes-to-church-trial-for-marrying-his-gay-son/2013/11/18/de86d75a-501a-11e3-9fe0-fd2ca728e67c_story_2.html
Well, speaking as an outsider, that seems very hard indeed. As I understand it, Methodists believe in biblical inerrancy. I suppose the minister's accusers said he was picking and choosing what to believe from the Bible, but I expect they do the same. Probably at least some of them wear clothing made of more than one type of fiber, and eat lobster, crab, shrimp or oysters. Maybe even pork. Probably none of them rape their slaves or eat buzzards, though. I remember being impressed as a boy by how there were so many Christians who pointed at all other species of Christians and said "You're all wrong, we are all right, and you are going to Hell unless you agree with us." In fact, I specifically remember thinking that while once attending church and Sunday School when we were away from home (so I could get credit at our home church for attendance); I must have been around twelve or fourteen years old. I looked around among other denominations for a while, became anti-christian until I realized that didn't work, then set out to find a completely different frame of reference--so I could agree sometimes, and disagree other times, without any difficulty. That took some time (and led through psychological suicide), but turned out well. I sincerely hope that peace will come to all the Methodists going through this rough spot.
Delete--Alan
I was just now reading in the newspaper about the tornado swarm in the Midwest; I hadn't realized it was so serious. I was struck by the story of tornado alerts sent directly to the cell phones of people in the areas of same; that sounds like a good reason to let Google or Apple track you using the GPS units in your phones.
ReplyDelete--Alan