haiku

hand leans into wind
hold two up for the future
hope peace victory

"objects in mirror..." [are closer than they appear] by vanessa mae

Garden goods, frankenmato, gyro burrito

lettuce, tomatoes, jalapeño peppers, green beans, carrots, beets

it's alive

braised beef, feta/sour cream/yogurt, cucumber, green pepper, olive, tomato, cilantro

Morning in the garden

Bacon, lettuce, tomato

Microwaved two thin strips of bacon between paper towels for a couple minutes (to crispy perfection - wish I'd known bacon is microwaveable when I was in college). Picked a small ripe Yellow Brandywine and a handful of bitter greens (a sprig of mint found its way in there, too). Chopped the arugula/lettuce/mint and folded into mayo, toasted one side of two pieces of wheat bread, smeared the greens-mayo on both untoasted sides. Stacked, sliced, and consumed alongside Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Whole Hop Harvest Ale. Tomato sandwich version three, we have a winner.

It's raining again

Rains, pours.

Of course, living is water. Water and sun...
Ice don't live. Cold is dead. Life is warmth.

Equilibrium is the end - Keep going!
Do it again, again is good. Again is life.

Let it rain.

Let it pour.

Let it grow.

Again

The wall, cont'd.

This summer we ordered two more skids of "Laurel Hill" Pennsylvania fieldstone for yet another dry-stacked retaining wall. This installment will repeat the gesture of last year's side yard project (visible in background), creating a new tier of plantable space under and away from an existing thicket of forsythia hedge. The red flag on the lower left marks the center line of the view from the front yard to a focal oak tree in the back.

Tomato sandwich, version two

Click image to view slideshow

Fried green tomato sandwich with Souther Tier Un*earthly Imperial IPA (New York, 11%ABV, fantastic - I dug this beer more than Dogfish Head 90 Minute). Had to substitute panko breadcrumbs for cornmeal and added some cayenne pepper to the dredge, otherwise straight from recipe in Garden & Gun June/July issue. Breadcrumbs got kind of clumpy in the dredging process, not a good replacement. The end result was tangy and tasty on whole grain toast with mayo, but I think I'll wait for the rest of the tomatoes ripen, maybe after one or two more fried greenie attempts.

Tomato sandwich time

Away from the things of man

I was happily introduced to this little gem while spending the weekend with some fine folks in Ohio. So much style and meta-thematics in this existential goofball of a movie, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The first film pairing Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan (who plays three characters). Abe Vigoda and Nathan Lane cameo as south-pacific islanders. Nice.

Curried Carrot & Zucchini Soup

Whipped up a garden dinner last night, loosely based on this recipe from a quality blog I recently discovered (via a Google Images search for "CAFO," or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation). In a slightly ironic twist, I was obliged to use a small portion of refined bacon fat that has been chilling in the fridge to cook the vegetables. Pictured below is the remainder from the preparation of the meal, destined for the compost pile. I've titled this photo "From Whence You Came." Click the image to view a slideshow of the assembly of this early harvest soup.

Summer 2010 Bonus Tracks

Apeman The Format (Kinks cover)
Automatic Weezer
Major Tom (Coming Home) Shiny Toy Guns
The Ghost Inside Broken Bells
Priority Mos Def
Don't Let Go Pacha Massive
I Need You Lynyrd Skynyrd
Across 110th Street Bobby Womack
Summertime Thing Chuck Prophet
July, July! The Decemberists
Right Moves Josh Ritter
Wondering Where the Lions Are Bruce Cockburn
East to the West Michael Franti & Spearhead
Beginnings Chicago
Things Are What You Make of Them Bishop Allen
Holdin' On Together Phoenix
Armistice (2nd Line Version, feat. Rebirth Brass Band) MuteMath
Moth's Wings Passion Pit
Nobody Lost, Nobody Found Cut Copy
Tumbling Dice The Rolling Stones
Life On Mars? David Bowie
100% Chromeo
The Bleeding Heart Show The New Pornographers
Camarillo Brillo Frank Zappa


Is that a real poncho - I mean,
Is that a Mexican poncho or is that a Sears poncho?
Hmmmmm, no foolin'.....

First fruit with roots

An early ripe Yellow Brandywine heirloom tomato and a couple of freshly pulled carrots (amazing flavor).

We're growing a variety of tomatoes from seed this year: fuzzy Garden Peach, dark purple Black Cherry Crimson, bright citrusy yellow and classic red Brandywines.

Closer to home

Alone in a tall room.
Buzzing glow of fake sun
Glances across the window while
Darkness eases everywhere else.

Sleepless awareness taking hold.
Undistorted by melting worlds
and fluorescent illusions.

From somewhere not me
an ancient courage awakes.
This thimbleful of chaos?
This universe, this eternity?

I AM

Unlock the door, step back
into the blue-black night.
Rediscovering old everything
The road looks different than before.

I'm getting closer to my home

AT&T National

Been going to Philadelphia a lot recently. Concert, baseball game, and movie last week alone.

AT&T National, by chriswellner

This week it's the AT&T National Tournament, held for the first time at the Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square (15 miles from center city). Closest thing to homefield as it gets on the PGA Tour. Tomorrow I'll be following local favorites Jim Furyk and Sean O'Hair around the course; they tee-off in subsequent groups around 1:00PM.

Don't question Furyk.