Inventory

25 half-pint jars of pickled jalapenos;
25 pints of smushed tomatoes*;
6 quarts smushed tomatoes;
21 half-pints of tomato sauce (to be doctored later);
28 pints of salsa;
4 pints of ketchup;
7 pints of Zydeco beans;
1 gallon + 1 cup pesto (frozen without the $20 per pound cheese);
A lot of ground up basil and oil;
A lot of dried tomatoes;
A lot of roasted tomatoes;
2 ice cube tray-fuls of tomato paste

I need a nap.

*Smushed tomatoes: peel them, quarter them, drop them in a jar and press down. Wide mouth jars work best, unless you have tiny hands.

I'm Here, I'm Here

Don't panic! However, I'm fairly certain my brain has drowned in a vat of tomato sauce. Ugh. I know I'll be very happy about all the work, but right now I am so sick of tomatoes I could cry (which I figure I'll be doing around 9:00 tonight).

The knitting retreat was fabulous, I had such a good time. It is so inspiring to hang out with 60 other women who are just as delighted by the craft of knitting and I feel totally recharged. I took well over 100 photos, but only about a quarter of them turned out.

I stayed with my friend Cindy and her lovely family on Thursday night (and didn't managed to take any pictures of them, how lame is that?) Portland has an amazing light rail system, which I took from the airport to Beaverton, where Cindy et al. live.

Each lodge at Silver Falls State Park has six rooms, three on each side and a common area in between.

Plus a porch. Friday and Saturday were very warm and sunny. Sunday was cooler and overcast.

One side of the dining hall. Even though there wasn't ever a fire in the fireplace, it is still a natural place to gather.

A few of us went for a walk on Sunday. Everything seems to be covered in moss.

Most of the pictures I took on the walk didn't turn out because it was just dark enough in the woods that focusing was difficult. I took this one with the flash, which I don't use much because it can be very harsh. The effect is very eerie and looks like it is much darker than it really was (it was around 5:00 P.M.)

Hand sized clover.

You'd think as much knitting as was going on, I'd have taken more pictures of that, but no. I was, you know, too busy knitting.

Manistee

Len dragged me up to Manistee, Michigan to spend the night in a camper. Which is to say, he asked nicely, and I, because I am really not very bright, agreed. Let me give you a piece of advice from my own hard won experience: if you have spent the last month dealing single-handedly with the garden, house and dog because your beloved has been working 14 hours a day, 7 days a week, do not, under any circumstances, go to Manistee to spend the night in a camper, with the dog, so your beloved can go fishing. Especially if you hate camping. It is a very bad idea. And you will cry. I did, anyway.

For what it's worth, here are some pictures (many more in Fickr):

We borrowed Len's nephew, Connor, who was delightful. He and Lizzy bonded.

He caught a salmon.

And cleaned it.

Amanda

Dylan

Anyway. Once I got over the melt down, it was fine. And pretty. I am leaving tomorrow for the knitting retreat and that really will be relaxing. See you next week!

I've Been Known to Knit a Stitch or Two

I know, that surprises me, too. But here is proof:

Soleil from Knitty.com. Do you like how it blocking on Mabel? I haven't unpinned it and tried it on yet to see how that worked, but I'm betting it is fine.

But wait! There's more!

The Featherweight Cardigan from Hannah Fettig. I love this cardigan. The yarn is a lace weight from Blackberry Ridge which I dyed with grape and black cherry Kool Aid.

The dye behaved oddly when I washed the finished item: it continued to bleed (which isn't so surprising), but the backs of the sleeves are much darker than the fronts. Very weird.

I would like to note that at the moment it is 66.6 degrees. I find that hilarious. And kind of cold.

Miscellaneous Whining and some Road Trip Music

Normally I would be off this week scrubbing toilets for Len. However, he has plenty of other helpers this week, so I am off the hook. Cleaning apartments isn't the most fun in the world, but it is nice to have the extra cash. It's a draw.

I read something today that Blew. My. Mind. Apparently it is no longer acceptable to put 2 spaces after a period. Not only that, it hasn't been acceptable for a very long time and is very annoying to people in the know (which seems to everyone who learned to type on a computer rather than a typewriter). I will try to get used to this new fangled word processing thing, but I cannot guarantee it. My head hurts. (via Amy a la Mode, a sewing blog for cripes sake!)

After a few weeks of iron, I continue to be very tired and cranky. It seems I am a bit hyperthyroid. I have only one symptom: "nervous, moody, weak, or tired." I am, indeed, nervous, moody and tired. The iron took care of the "weak". Whatever. The doctor told me I need to see an Endocrinologist. After much back and forth and someone making an appointment for me without ever speaking with me, I have an appointment in October. Can I sleep until then? As irritating as it all was, at least I have health insurance and I don't have to worry about any of this being covered. Many other, including Len, are not so lucky.

Pajiba had a Roadtrip Playlist Comment Diversion last night. This is my list, which was culled from a much longer iPod playlist. I think it shows my '80s cultural roots:

"American Girl" -- Tom Petty
"Any Way You Want It" -- Journey (I can't believe I just typed that)
"Blitzkrieg Bop" -- The Ramones
"Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show" -- Neil Diamond
"Corona" -- The Minutemen
"Drive South" -- John Hiatt
"Give it Away" -- Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Higher Ground" -- Stevie or the Red Hots or both
"Look at the Rain" -- Meat Puppets
"Love Train" -- O'Jays
"Memphis in the Meantime" -- John Hiatt
"No Fun" -- The Stooges
"Running on Empty" -- Jackson Browne (too obvious?)
"Sabatoge" -- Beastie Boys
"Someday, Someway" -- Marshall Crenshaw
"Teenage Riot" -- Sonic Youth
"These Boots are Made for Walkin'" -- Nancy Sinatra
"Third Uncle" -- Brian Eno
"4th of July" -- X

I really can't get used to that whole Single-Space-After-a-Period thing. Not at all.

It's a Dress!

A crummy picture of a dress, but a dress nonetheless. This is Vogue 2902, it started out as view A, but ended up view B (with the contrasting hem band) because I, um, yeah. I cut it too short. The dress would have been knee length, which might have been ok but the proportion just seemed out of whack. Since the dress is completely lined (which is good since the fabric is cotton lawn), adding the contrast band was a simple matter of trimming the lining piece I had cut off and sewing it onto the outside skirt. As if cutting the skirt wasn't enough of a screw up, I also managed to put the zipper in the wrong side. Oh well.

I was supposed to hand stitch that band to the dress. I am much too lazy for that! Besides, I kind of like the look of the topstitching. I also had to shorten the straps by about an inch and a half. I think this will be fine, but had I made a muslin first I would have avoided cutting the skirt too short (though I do like the contrast hem), I could have fixed the straps more elegantly, and I probably would have managed to get the zipper on the correct side.

I've started cutting for a new quilt. That is all for now.

Blueberries

There is a U-Pick blueberry place down the road from us, the berries are lovely and plentiful. I braved 90 degrees, god knows what humidity, rain and other fun stuff, but picked 6 pounds in about two hours.

Produce

It never ceases to amaze me that, despite my utter neglect*, the garden puts out these amazing red balls of loveliness.

These are my annual Super Sweet 100s, I love these things. They have a lovely balance of sweet and acidic, they are nice straight from the garden, dried or roasted. Once we figured out that it is best to back way off the watering, they don't split as much, and the hornworms don't seem to care for them. This particular batch went into the food drier.

The larger tomatoes haven't started ripening yet, at least as far as I can tell, it is a jungle in the tomato garden this year. But I have so far harvest 3 pounds of beans (green and purple). Yikes. I also have a large basil harvest pending. After my first attempt at raising basil seed failed this Spring, I threw the rest of the seeds into a pot. I got lots of teeny plants, but they didn't look very promising, but when the radishes were done, I put the tiny plants in the garden. They have been very happy. Sometime this week (when I find the kitchen, I'm sure it is in the house somewhere) I will make a boatload of pre-pesto (no cheese or salt) for the freezer.

*It turns out I have an excuse for my neglect this year (not that I really need one to be neglectful). I went to the doctor a couple of weeks ago with the very vague complaint, "I'm tired". It turns out I am anemic, which is good news because there is an actual cause and I can do something about it (namely, take iron supplements). The bad news is that, while the cause of the anemia isn't by any stretch of the imagination life threatening, it is caused by something I will need get taken care of, probably in the next 5 years. This time permanently. Not really something to worry about right now. In the meantime, I've been on iron for about a week, so I should be getting back to my normal, peppy self. Any second now.

A Friday Song List

Giveaway: Really? No one? You're missing out...

I've been revamping my teeny iPod (and dreaming of a big one), so I think it time to see what comes up in a shuffle, don't you?

1. "Flame of the West" -- Big Country (Steeltown)

Scots dissing Reagan. I wore out my cassette of this album when I was 16 and found a German import a couple years ago to replace it. The album is as good as I remember it, and since it isn't that synth-pop that was so popular it still sounds fresh. Also. They so do not sound like U2.

2. "Marie's Wedding" -- Van Morrison & the Chieftains (Irish Heartbeat)

This is another CD I bought to replace a cassette, but it turned out I don't like the album as much as I did when it came out. I do really like the very traditional Irish songs though, Van Morrison's voice is so beautiful.

3. "This is Your Country" -- Luka Bloom (The Acoustic Motor Bike)

Luka Bloom was a minor obsession for me in the early 1990's. I saw him at the Blind Pig the night after a riot in Ann Arbor (the UM basketball team either won or lost, I don't remember or care). Bloom is from Northern Ireland (which, you may recall, was having some...troubles), he said Ann Arbor looked just like home. Very sweet.

4. "Three Hopeful Thoughts" -- Rilo Kiley (The Execution of All Things)

I don't know this album as well as I should, but I always like the songs when they come up in the shuffle. This one is kind of power pop.

5. "Last Night" -- Traveling Wilburies (self-titled)

I downloaded a couple of the hits for nostalgia's sake. You know, bunch a great musicians hanging out, having a good time.

6. "So Wrong" -- Patsy Cline (12 Greatest Hits)

I think listening to Patsy Cline is the first time I realized that having a great voice is not nearly enough to make someone a great singer, the phrasing matters so much more. Patsy's voice is fine, but the way she uses it is what makes her a truly great singer (and this is a truly heartbreaking song).

7. "Voice of Harold" -- R.E.M. (Dead Letter Office)

My knowledge of R.E.M. begins with Murmur and ends with Document (which roughly encompasses my college, depressed, hipster years). Dead Letter Office is a collection of alternate versions of songs, covers, and B-Sides (remember those?), and is worth having for the hilarious linear notes. "Voice of Harold" is a pre-lyrics version of "7 Chinese Brothers" (from Reckoning), they used the linear notes from some random gospel album as stand-in lyrics. Michael Stipes sings with great sincerity.

8. "One Night in Bangkok" -- Murray Head

This would be 1980's synth-pop. It's kind of terrible in a nostalgic way.

9. "Don't Pass Me By" -- The Beatles ("White Album")

I do so love The Beatles and the "White Album" is my favorite in all of it's out of control, messy, weird, indulgent, in-fighting glory. Revolver, Sgt. Pepper and Abby Road may be better albums, but for me, they don't top this one for it's sheer human-ness.

10. "Mr. Jones" -- Counting Crows (August & Everything After)

Even though the Crows are so not Seattle in the 1990s, this is what I was listening to and these songs always take me back there.

And now for something completely different. According to this week's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly, between the years 2003-2007 2,228 deaths occurred in the production of crops and animals; 108 of those deaths involved cattle as a primary or secondary cause. I wonder how many involved roosters?

Summer Madness Give-Away!

I'm dubious about the "summer" part, actually. I don't think we are really getting summer this year.

It's a meme by way of Quixotic Pixels, but one with prizes! I know, be still your heart.

Here’s how it works:

The first five people to leave a comment on this post will get something from me.
But in return, you have to do the same thing on your blog and make something for five other people. The details are as follows, and if you want to play, copy the following onto your blog and leave me a post:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. Whatcha get is whatcha get.
2. What I create will be just for you, with love.
3. It’ll be done this year (2009).
4. I will not give you any clue what it’s going to be. It will be something made in the real world and not something cyber. It may be weird or beautiful. Or it may be monstrous and annoying. Heck, I might bake something for you and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that’s for sure!
5. I reserve the right to do something strange.
6. In return, all you need to do is post this text on your blog and make 5 things for the first 5 to respond to your blog post.
7. Send your mailing address – after I contact you.

I know some of you do not have blogs, in that case you could use Facebook or invade someone else's blog (for example, your wife's while she is off at Creative People Camp). So, get to it!

And no, I will not be making you a queen sized quilt.

Lame Blogger

That's me. I thought I would be back in the swing of things after the 4th of July, but apparently not. I'd love to say I'm too busy, but no. I'm just lame.

Here is a pretty picture to distract you from my lameness:

So, what is going on that I haven't been posting?

I just started the fifth book in the Sookie Stackhouse series. Um. This is embarrassing, I'm addicted. They are stupid, but funny (mostly intentionally). Once you get beyond the awful of the first couple of books (which I did, because I was promised semi-incestous werepanthers, it turns out there is nothing "semi" about the incestuousness), her storytelling is really quite. You know. Good. There, I said it. If you want something fun and won't tax you too much while you nurse your sunburn, you could do worse.

I also finished Rethinking Thin: The New Science of Weight Loss---and the Myths and Realities of Dieting by Gina Kolata. Kolata, a health journalist for the New York Times, compiles the history and research of dieting and obesity and reaches the conclusion that weight has far more to do with genetics than willpower. It's so well written, so readable, I had a hard time putting it down (even for Sookie).

It was Art Fair last week.

I ate a lot of very bad food.

I bought a piece of pottery (which I failed to take a picture of), I didn't realize until I was leaving the booth that it was by my old housemate (she wasn't in the booth, I'm not that lame). Kind of a coincidence, but I have always liked her stuff.

In other news, the dog got skunked Thursday night at bedtime. That's a smell that will bring tears to your eyes! Len gave her a bath before I got home on Friday evening. It didn't work. My brother and sister-in-law had looked up a natural de-skunking recipe, which mostly did (hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and a bit of dish soap). Then on Saturday evening she went out happy and came back broken. Her tail was between her legs and she was very very sad. We took her for a very expensive vet visit on Sunday, it seems she strained her back. She's on some anti-inflammatory and she should be better by tomorrow. At which time she will get another peroxide-soda bath, 'cos, seriously. She stinks.

Len's Cheesy Shirt

In a crazed moment of silliness, I bought this flamingo fabric thinking I would make a 1950's style dress, full skirt and all. When I came to a few months later, I thought better of it. I showed the fabric to Len (who knows why) and told him now that the dress plan was out, I didn't know what to do with it all. He shrugged and said, "you could make me a shirt out of it". After I picked up my jaw, I did. And he wore it...in public.

By the way, this does not give anyone license to gift us with flamingo-related anything. Just in case you are tempted.

Flowery Landscapes

I Arrived In Time to See the Firetrucks

It turned out the parade in Grass Lake was at 10:00, not 11:00. Oh well.

Too late.

The weather has been a bit loopy, but I don't think it's October.


Gratuitous picture of super cute kid (C & A's kid).


Sparklers are always pretty

Silhouette with added filter in a misguided attempt to distract you from the lack of crisp focus.

Trippy fireworks

Long Silence

Sorry for the long silence. It isn't that I haven't had anything to report, I've just been tired and cranky. Hopefully, I'll get back in the swing of things after the weekend.

In the meantime, here is a clip from the Colbert Report about the census.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Word - Noncensus
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Jeff Goldblum

Around the 2 minute mark Colbert mentions the nominee to head the Census Bureau, Bob Groves. Groves is the director of the Survey Research Center, the largest center in the institute where I work. In case you are interested, the controversy around his nomination is because he is an advocate of using sampling to supplement the head count -- essentially a bit of statistical mojo (also known as "science") which allows a smaller group to stand in for the whole group. If the sample is large enough and random enough, it gives an accurate view of the whole. Sampling for the census is off the table, so really, those holding up Groves confirmation are just being big babies. Also, contrary to what Michelle Bachman implies in the clip, pretty much the only question you will be asked on the census is "how many people live here?". The long form questions have all migrated to the American Community Survey (which is a sampled survey and, if you happen to be called for one of these, it is part of your duty as a U.S. resident to respond).

See you in better days (as my stepmother's sister says).

Garden Goodness

Despite being rather unmotivated to do a garden, not mention the remarkably chilly spring, things are growing. Edible things. It never ceases to amaze me.

A pretty lettuce bouquet. The cool spring has been a boon to the lettuce, when I've planted it before, it usually bolts to seed.

The weather has also been good for radishes. I've never planted these before. An old boyfriend once claimed that radishes are a garden's equivalent of instant gratification. No kidding: these are close to the last of my first planting.

I had no idea how much I love radishes. Len claims to like them, but he hasn't eaten many. I, on the other hand, am totally addicted.

Especially when eaten with a touch of homemade butter and a sprinkle of sea salt. To die for.

I'm feeling a little more motivated now.

Decision Made

I had decided that I wasn't going to go to the Silver Springs Knitting Retreat in September. The timing is terrible, I always take the last week in August off to help Len with the rental properties, and the retreat is two weeks later. Plus, the garden is producing like crazy at that time of the year, and when I returned last year, I discovered Len hadn't picked a single bean. Grrr. So, no. Too hard, go to the one in February instead.

And then the registration form came. I was sent into a tailspin of indecision, but finally I realized two things: I don't have to go for 10 days as I did last year, and if I don't go now, I would manage to talk myself out it in February, too. And I really really really want to go, and if a few beans go bad because Len is too lazy to pick them, so be it. We will probably survive (as will the library).

Speaking of the library, there is a profile of one of our faculty and her research in the Miller-McCune Online Magazine. I think it is a very interesting look at what she does in particular and why population study is often so very crucial. Her work on teen pregnancy and racial health inequality is very controversial to both liberals and conservatives, and if she is right, the crisis (and it is a crisis) is more complex and intractable than anyone can imagine.

Book Binge

I've been on a bit of a book buying binge. I think this is an attempt to keep at least some of my brain cells around during the the Great Stackhouse Massacre*.

The Home Creamery. I think I saw this on Angry Chicken -- the possibility of making our own sour cream, cottage cheese and butter proved too irresistible. 'Cos, you know, I need to fill all that free time I have. The book also has a couple of mozzarella recipes, which I have failed at in the past. A friend of ours makes cheese (of all kinds), her feeling is that my failure has to do with the rennet or citric acid I have, so I ordered from her supply house, Leeners (I placed the order on Wednesday and got it yesterday).

Jesus, Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible (And Why We Don't Know About Them. I had heard the author on Fresh Air many months ago and thought this sounded fascinating. I have fairly complex ideas and beliefs about religion in general and Christianity in particular, which I would expand on if this were a different sort of blog, but my interest in this book is more about being a bit of a history geek.

Rethinking Thin: The New Science of Weight Loss -- and the myths and realities of dieting. I had heard an interview with this author over a year ago and promptly forgot the title and author. I would occasionally think I wanted to read the book but had no idea how to go about finding it (bad librarian!), then last week Sharon left a comment on Valerie's blog with the title. I bought it immediately.

Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto. This is one of those books that keeps popping up on my radar and I finally broke down and bought it. Essays on pop culture from my generation.

Dead Star Twilight. This is only available as a download and the only time I've bought this kind of book (aside from a weaving booklet). I've been reading Chez Pazienza's blog for awhile and really like his writing, which is often brutally honest and wickedly funny. Here is a review from Pajiba.

*There is some sort of weird psychological effect going on with these books. I'm almost done with the second one and I'm starting to find her terrible writing kind of endearing. I just thought of another advantage of reading these: one of Len's sisters keeps trying to convince to read the Twilight books -- I will be able to tell her that I have had quite enough of vampire fiction for the foreseeable future (rather than coming off as the snob I really am).

Quiltiness!

Done!

I'm sorry to say, I loved making this quilt.

I thought the free motion quilting would be the most difficult part, but after a couple of false starts (on practice pieces) it went rather smoothly and was quite fun, though a bit of a workout for my seriously underused arms. The tutorial has a diagram which implies that you should quilt half of the width, then the other half. I found it easier to go up each stack of blocks separately, the scribbling blended in well enough that even I can't tell.

The only part I'm not in love with is the binding. I think it would be nicer with a darker green or blue, but I'm certainly not taking it out now.

Of course I have big plans for another quilt, as well as fixing one my dad made for me many years ago. And another obsession is born.

Two Books

I don't have much to report. Knitting is chugging along and isn't very photographable. The quilt is, too. I am sewing on the binding which isn't as tedious as I imagined it would be. At my current rate I should be done this evening. The garden is going in very slowly. I haven't been able to get excited about it, the seeds I started in March came up but didn't go any further (they barely have secondary leaves) which has been a bummer.

So. Books instead. I am actively reading two (and have two on inactive status, which I think means I will get back to them. Or not).

The first is Honky, by Dalton Conley. Conley is a sociologist who studies race, class and inequality (and is kind of famous in my little professional world). Honky is his memoir of growing up white in a prominently black and Hispanic New York housing project. One the one hand, he brings a very personal voice to what can sometimes be a very academic field of study, and on the other hand a fairly dispassionate view of the forces that propel some people out of poverty while trapping others.

The other book is actually a series. The Sookie Stackhouse books. They are the literary equivalent of speed (not that I'd know): terrible, not that great of a high, and very addictive. Perfect for summer and I fully expect my brain to be rotted out by the end of them. There are nine, god help me, I've committed to the first seven. The HBO show is just as bad and just as addictive (with the added pleasure of Anna Paquin's awful accent).