Dandelion Greens - Thursday 6/5/2008

I'd like to say that the odd qualities of light in this photo were caused by some effort on my part... or at least to the haze of nostalgia lingering around this skillet full of dandelion greens. But honestly, it's hard to take good food photos. I don't know why there's a weird glow there.

I couldn’t bring myself to make them with bacon, which is the real way to make them. So I wilted them in a cast iron skillet with some olive oil and garlic.

It was just enough to make me homesick for the dandelion greens we used to pick when they were young and tender around the old church down the road that was used as a barn when I was a kid. We’d never pick them longer than about the length of our hands (kid hands!)

They’re selling these huge 12-inch leaves that are mostly tough bitter stem. Sigh. What I wouldn’t give for some good greens.

Or the flowers! We used to pick the flowers, soak them briefly in salt water (de-bugging them), and then dip them in egg and flour and saute them in butter. Nutty and fabulous. The little buds are great, too.

Please, if you have access to unpoisoned dandelions, try this!

It's Just Sad - Wednesday 5/4/2008

Yeah, it's sad that a lot of the big old pine trees in our neighborhood are dying and no one seems to know why.

But even sadder is this vision of a big wonderful log cordoned off with safety tape.

Heaven forbid anyone should have a real life experience with something and--gasp!--get hurt by it. A toe could be stubbed! A sliver could get into a fingertip!

I mean, really? What's the worst that could happened? Death by stumbling off the end of it?

It's sad that our litigious society means that kids are protected from just about everything that their healthy normal curiosity might lead them to explore. They're being protected into a stupor!

Want to know why I don't have kids? One reason is, I can't imagine raising a child and not being able to let her roam free like I did. I would not be who I am without the woods, the fields and the scabbed knees in my past.

I'm the Ginchiest! - Tuesday 6/3/2008

At least, that's what Hawkmeister over on 43Things tells me.

This is destined to be known as the Summer of the White Shades.



And you know, only the ginchiest girls get the really good photographs.



This is Jay's dog Sebastian grooming Jay's yet-to-be-named rescued baby squirrel.

Bounty! - Monday 6/2/2008

I love the Los Angeles Public Library. I put a bunch of books on hold, some of them recommended by friends. And I found a few on the shelves when I got there.

So I walked out with seven books-- for free!

I do buy books. I like to buy books. They make me happy.

If people like you and I don't buy books, really, who will?

But I've had a run of bad luck with the books I've bought, so I'm dropping back to the library for a little while.



Bountiful food at the writing group. We eat really well... and pretty healthfully, too. Cherries, grapes, smoked eggplant dip, hard goat cheese and bread provided by Braveheart. Mixed greens salad and jalapeño cheese crunchies brought by Tomasina.




I picked up two ceviche tostadas from Lucy's on La Brea. So delicious and such a good deal!




I also brought a spicy broccoli/mushroom soup that I made up. That's Braveheart's nice cookware and stovetop.



Wow! Tomasina brought treats from a bakery! Lightly banana-flavored cupcake and...do you know what the swirly one is? A home made moon pie! (The filling inside that was the best.)

Oh, yeah. Between the library and the writing group, I went to the gym.

And between dinner/check-in and the end of the evening, there was reading of our writing and discussion. We're doing good work.

Some days life seems a little charmed.

Character - Sunday 6/1/2007

In between running errands in town, we sat at a Starbuck's, reading and pretending we were on vacation.

This shot doesn't really show as well as I'd hoped this interesting outfit. The guy was all hippy from the waist up...the hat, the mustache, the ponytail, the gauzy white shirt. Then he was all equestrian from the waist down...stretchy riding pants with leather on the insides of the knees and those great English-style boots.

I'd guess he works in the movie biz, wouldn't you?

Oh, and Spider Update: Eek! The spider gobbled up that fly and discarded the husk by this morning. And the spider, honestly, looks bigger than it did yesterday.

We're thinking a move outside is in the spider's best interest.