Thursday, June 30, 2011
This week at the Santa Cruz Farmers' Market:
- four red potatoes
- two leeks
- two tomatoes
- two yellow squash
- a bunch of basil
- some sort of melon
I'll be taking these north to Flagstaff tomorrow so Evan and I can make a supper out of them.
I awoke with the first clap of thunder. The monsoon has started in Tucson and the hot, humid summer will progress. My house, even with the little window-mounted AC unit, is so hot that I sweat at my desk.
Luckily, I am off to Flagstaff for the holiday weekend. I wonder what trouble Evan and I can get into?
Saturday, June 25, 2011
We got up early and I made pesto-ricotta scrambled eggs before we ran over to Trader Joe to buy mango chutney.
We then drove southeast to Cobban and Ray's house. They have been having perilous times with the wildfire threatening their home.
Ray and Cobban's house survived intact. Ray came back from his radical homosexual agenda activities (collecting food for homeless people) and made us pasta salad.
We hung out in the pool and talked and planned a future visit which will involve music being made. It was a lovely afternoon with good friends.
Evan and Homer.
I used Martha Stewart's yellow cake recipe, substituting about 3/4 pineapple juice for milk. Evan spread the mango chutney between the pineapples slices in the two pans while I cooked down a stick up butter, brown sugar, and pineapple juice until it was syrupy. I then poured that over the pineapple slices before pouring the cake mixture on top.
Delicious and pretty (and fattening).
We then drove southeast to Cobban and Ray's house. They have been having perilous times with the wildfire threatening their home.
This was on the highway west of Sierra Vista.
We turned the corner to go down the road to their house and saw this fence, melted in many places into weird spaghetti shapes.
This was one of the better preserved sections.
Ray and Cobban's house survived intact. Ray came back from his radical homosexual agenda activities (collecting food for homeless people) and made us pasta salad.
Ray is a great cook.
We hung out in the pool and talked and planned a future visit which will involve music being made. It was a lovely afternoon with good friends.
Cobban and Evan.
Before dinner we walked down to the Mercado to attend the San Juan Day celebration, marking the start of the monsoon season. Evan wore the new shirt I got for him. I had a tamarindo drink and he a mango one.
New shirt.
It was 108 and the sweat evaporated instantly. Soon a small group appeared, carrying the San Juan statue.
San Juan.
The ceremony is supposed to help start the summer rains here in Tucson.
We wandered home and for supper I sauteed summer and Mexican squash with red and white onions, warming flour tortillas with cream cheese on them. In a separate pan Evan stirred garlic, black beans, and some of Mark and Rodger's tomatillo salsa.
As we ate (oh it was delicious!), we listened to the New York Senate pass the same sex marriage bill. It was a magical moment and I will never forget that meal. Congratulations New York!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
This week at the farmer's market:
- two large tomatoes
- four summer squashes (zuchini, Mexican, and yellow)
- red onion
- dozen eggs
- chocolate tres leche cake (ate it before I took the picture)
- four summer squashes (zuchini, Mexican, and yellow)
- red onion
- dozen eggs
- chocolate tres leche cake (ate it before I took the picture)
It is around 110 degrees today.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
It has been an interesting last couple of weeks- waiting to hear whether gay and lesbian Americans will be allowed to get married in New York. I find the very fact that we have to rely on straight people to decide whether we can marry to be really, really disgusting. I've never gotten to vote on whether straight people should be allowed to marry. In my own immediate family (grandparents on down) there have been 26 marriages and 12 divorces (46 percent). Of course one uncle was married five times. Sanctity!
The reasons the anti-gay folks come up with are constantly changing. One moment we shouldn't be allowed to marry is because we are promiscuous, disease-filled perverts and the next it is because it will someone destroy straight marriages because we might actually be better at it. Then it was because of those darling children, who shouldn't ever have to face reality that someones two women can be in love or that two men might be little Emily's daddies. Then it was because only a man and a woman can fuck to make babies. That one was extra special.
But really it is all about religion- there aren't a lot of atheists blathering about this topic. Now religion is a choice- you are dragged to church as a child and your head filled with whatever bullshit that particular church patriarchy spouts off before passing the collection plate. Or you have some crisis event and turn to a church because life is a lot easier if you don't have to take responsibility for your own actions.
And now, because you choose to believe in Bullshit A or Bullshit B, gays and lesbians shouldn't be allowed to marry. Unless you believe in Bullshit C which allows them to marry just to be contrary and which may cause Hasidic Jews to spit on you.
But anyways, it looks like the New York Senate will actually pass the bill. If the make believe Christian deity is so all-powerful, how can this happen? lol
Monday, June 20, 2011
New clothes. Everything is 1985 again. The same plaid shirts and shorts.
Red plaid.
The difference is that the clothes I bought at Old Navy were less expensive than the clothes back in 1985. I don't know how they can sell stuff so cheap. I would hate to see the factories these clothes are made in. One distant goal is to learn how to sew my own shirts.
I made angelfood cake with raspberry whipped cream (strawberries didn't look good) and a pesto pizza for pool volleyball. The whipped cream managed to spill in Patrick's SUV, but luckily there was a big towel to sop it up.
At times it was very windy. Oh the drive back downtown we were surprised to see that smoke had drifted in from the fires, obscuring the mountains.
I made friends with Buddy.
After four games I had to take a break, not used to jumping around in the pool so much.
After four games I had to take a break, not used to jumping around in the pool so much.
The guys.
At times it was very windy. Oh the drive back downtown we were surprised to see that smoke had drifted in from the fires, obscuring the mountains.
Smoky Tucson.
I guess summer is officially here.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
The Santa Cruz River Farmer's Market has moved to the Mercado building near my house and I stopped on the way home from work, looking for something for dinner. There were probably 15-20 booths of various organic crops. I decided on yellow squash and leek wraps, but also bought an heirloom tomato for some tomato sandwiches tomorrow.
Eight dollars worth of veggies.
More expensive than the supermarket, but no nasty chemicals or coatings, plus I was helping out the mostly young farmers.
At home I sauteed four of the tiny Sonoran garlic cloves, the leek, the big yellow squash and the little one in some olive oil with salt and pepper. When cooked, I put them on a pair of tortillas, put some Mexican-style crumbly cheese on top, and then some chipotle salsa. Really, really good. Evan is going to get this for supper next weekend.
More expensive than the supermarket, but no nasty chemicals or coatings, plus I was helping out the mostly young farmers.
At home I sauteed four of the tiny Sonoran garlic cloves, the leek, the big yellow squash and the little one in some olive oil with salt and pepper. When cooked, I put them on a pair of tortillas, put some Mexican-style crumbly cheese on top, and then some chipotle salsa. Really, really good. Evan is going to get this for supper next weekend.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Gratuitous artifact photographs.
These super huge spear points were found on a dig my company did back in 1997 along Interstate 10. They were lying in a pile with other unusual artifacts (including a fossil horse tooth and a shaped piece of unfossilized mammoth or mastodon vertebra) on the floor of a pit structure dating sometime between 400 B.C. and A.D. 50.
Biggest spear point!
The biggest one is something like three or four times the normal size of a spear point.
Also large!
It is likely these over-sized spear points were used in ceremonies or rituals. It seems really unlikely that they would have been used for hunting because they were too large to be efficient (the weight and size would make the spear difficult to throw and less likely to go far).
One reason I like archaeology is that you never know what you will find.
In other news, gratuitous lizard photograph:
I think it is a Sonoran Collared Lizard, but I am uncertain.
This one is about 5 to 6 inches long and lives under the shed next to the office.
Watch this short video featuring Michelle Bachmann's husband:
I have horrible gaydar but I can totally seeing him getting all excited about being First Lady.
My friend Jim, who co-authors Box Turtle Bulletin, was on CNN last night.
Jim has been instrumental in gaining attention to the "Kill the Gays" bill in Uganda and on the "ex-gay" garbage. I am so proud of him and glad to be his friend.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
CAKE POLL!
Pool volleyball is Sunday, so I will be making a cake. Please vote for which one I should
A). Angel food cake with strawberry whipped cream.
B). Mango chutney pineapple upside-down cake.
C). Chocolate cake with vanilla cream cheese frosting.
D). Yellow cake with chocolate butter cream frosting.
Your vote matters!
Saturday, June 11, 2011
So I am trying to eat more vegetables. I discovered that I really like the Trader Joe Indian food in a pouch- each is about 300-400 calories total, and that has been my lunch for the last couple weeks. Very convenient and according to the packaging, no nasty chemicals.
That's another thing, nasty chemicals. Of course I am typing this with a Diet Coke next to me. What the fuck is BENZOATE. Once all of the pop is gone, I'll go cold turkey (have done this before, I have pretty good willpower).
And food packaging- why is there so much wasteful packing on everything? The only garbage I throw out is cat litter and plastic food packaging. Everything else gets recycled, but I still feel uneasy about all of this refuse I am generating. Store clerks act so surprised when I tell them I do not want a bag, that I will just carry things. I HATE those damn plastic bags at stores. You drive down the road in Arizona and they are everywhere- stuck to trees and bushes.
The big downside of living in Tucson is my inability to have a regular garden and grow my own vegetables. I just haven't figured out how to do so, and anyways the amount of water you use to get a tomato is probably pretty disgusting.
In other news, I am experimenting with Indian cooking. I made potato and cauliflower curry and discovered that the recipe didn't use enough spices for the amount of potatoes and cauliflower I used (it would probably have been better to specify cups or ounces instead of "two medium potatoes." What the hell is a medium potato?
Thursday, June 09, 2011
The birds spilled sunflower seed into the pots on my front porch. Some of them started to grow.
The cats leave nose prints on the front window from watching the birds.
Sunday, June 05, 2011
Where the deer and the antelope play.
I traveled north to Flagstaff to spend the weekend with Evan. We went to see some petroglyphs and this lizard posed as well.
Saturday night we watched a movie, the Red Violin. Evan spoiled me by making supper.
This antelope posed, standing still while I took its picture.
Antelope (click on picture for a better view).
I traveled north to Flagstaff to spend the weekend with Evan. We went to see some petroglyphs and this lizard posed as well.
Lizard.
Saturday night we watched a movie, the Red Violin. Evan spoiled me by making supper.
This morning we went to look for elk, but only saw a pair of deer.
In the woods.
Bark beetles and climate change are killing many of the biggest trees.
Bark beetles and climate change are killing many of the biggest trees.
Deceased pine tree.
A trail of sherds led to a small two-room structure in the woods. It always surprises me how many archaeology sites there are in the Flagstaff area.
Indian Paint Brush.
When I got home it was 106 degrees. I guess summer is here.
Thursday, June 02, 2011
My neighbors got a little chihuahua puppy a couple of months ago. By now they are mostly bored with it and little Tiny (my name) mostly sits in a lattice cage in the front yard, bored out of her cute little mind.
Tiny.
She is always so excited to see me in the morning, and this morning she had got out of her cage and so I reached over the fence and picked her up. She and I watered plants together after she finished licking my cheek.
Wednesday, June 01, 2011
This video contains two of my favorite things: Fleet Foxes and goats.
