deep freeze

Well, you may be getting the first days of 90 in Fla, but we here are having what we hope is our last freeze. Very late for it, and most unexpected. We just went down to the garden to move the hose to start the day's watering, and, to our surprise, crunched our way through frost-covered pasture grass. The spinach is nipped, but it's supposed to not mind (same for peas, onions, leeks, broccoli, cabbage, potatoes, all up and growing). We'll see.

Last night we went down to move the water (we need rain!) and picked our first spinach. Put it into a salad and had it with pinto beans (finally the very end of the ham!) and cornbread. Interesting to think how much of this meal was homegrown, even at this time of year: dry beans, garlic, onions, spinach, more onion, and some corn in the cornbread. Not bad. I like it when the new crops overlap with the old.

I threw out about half of the onions last week, so we only have about a hundred left. They're going fast, but the new ones are growing fast. Last year we had to buy onions starting in April, so we're doing well. We may get by with not having to buy any this year.

On the cooking front, I've done two things from the newest FC, both good. Made the Mediterranean rub/salsa combo, page 40. Used boneless pork chops, and followed both recipes exactly (cut both in half, though). Very good. Didn't use the special green olives, obviously. Charlie is dubious about grapes in the recipe on page 41, but it's in his future anyway.

I also made the Steak/Edamame combo on page 90c. Not rocket science, but the garlic was really good. That's a lot of edamame for two people (I still have some left over), but I served it with a baked potato. I had a 12-oz piece of top sirloin that I used for the steak. I fried it just the amount of time they suggested (what a mess!), and it was perfect.

Plan to wade into the chopped salads soon, but I'll have to make the Waldorf for myself. Charlie won't stand for it.

Phillip Pullman: There's an article in The New Yorker Dec 26 & Jan 2 entitled "Far from Narnia." I read this because I was working on the utopia paper, and that's how I discovered Pullman. It's an interesting article and worth looking for.

Anyway, here's a paragraph from the article:

Pullman and his wife moved outside town [Oxford] a few years ago, when the admirers who kept turning up at their door, asking for autographs and taking photos, became a nuisance. Other Oxford sites hate attracted "His Dark Materials" pilgrims, too, particularly the Botanic Garden, where the story's final, wrenching scene is set. Pullman and I stopped there during a walk around the city. "Once, I saw something on one of the benches," Pullman said. "It turned out to be a little wooden heart with 'For Will and Lyra' written on it. Isn't that nice?"

**********

I think it's nice! Let me know what you find written about it that's interesting. Pullman, as I'm sure you know, has written a little book called Lyra's Oxford, but I haven't bought it yet.

Anyway, to the work of the day. Some cooking (chicken legs & thighs with parmesan breading from an old FC), laundry to hang out, weeding in the onions.

It's going to be a gorgeous day (everything is green and flowering!) once it gets warmer. So far it's still in the 30s.

Enjoying the Aunt Dotty letters! Dan used to pull that kind of thing all the time. I'll try to think of some examples.