It's hard to get a dog to sit still long enough to get a nice photo, but I finally managed to catch Missy in a moment of repose. The only thing this doesn't capture is her "smile" which is so seductive. For that, we require her to summon up her alter ego...Messy!
Our beloved cat, Killer Karlisle has acquired a new name: Pinky.
For whatever reason, Killer likes to roll around in the red slate gravel in our circular driveway. The slate has a very fine powdery red dust that gets embedded in his coat. And now, instead of being merely black and white, Killer is black and white and PINK!
It looks almost like he has a sunburn or a bruise. If you click on the picture it becomes even clearer. I wish I could have taken a picture of him last night when he came in. He looked dark pink with white and black shapes.
I had the most amazing experience this afternoon as I drove down Rte 149 into town. I was making all the turns and curves just like always, when this shadow shot over my windshield. The next thing I knew I was looking at the backside...in flight...of a redtail hawk! He was practically hovering over my car, and following it as I drove. I must have been traveling at just about the speed limit on the road, which is 55 mph. And this raptor was shooting ahead of me. He remained about 5 to 10 yards ahead of me and then shot off to the side of the road where he alit and I whizzed by. I wish I could say this was my photo, but it's not. It's just the closest I could find to indicate the perspective I had on this particular bird. Mine had a very distinctive red fan tail as he floated above me.
On another note altogether...it's kimchee time. Love making the ginger/garlic/pepper paste with my mortar and pestle.
Our weather has been wet wet wet...and still more wet. It is so muggy...more like July/August than September/October.
The garden is un-enterable because it so so muddy. We can't mow the grass because it never has a chance to dry out between the rains.
It's monsoon time in the Adirondacks!
Fortunately, our apple harvest is better than the last two years. Our Golden Delicious tree is infected with the apple-cedar fungus (pictured on these pages earlier this year). So it isn't doing too well. But the Cortland has always given us at least a small harvest (the first thing I ever cooked off our land the first year was some applesauce from that tree) and this year the apples are bigger and better than they have ever been! The apples look better (though they will never win any beauty contests) and are larger and better shaped than we've ever had. Oddly, the first batch of applesauce didn't turn the lovely blush color it has in the past.
So I put up several quarts of Apple Chutney yesterday. The nice thing about this recipe, from my perspective, this particular year, was it helped me use up some of the good tomatoes I had left. Didn't get to do much in the way of sauce or stewed tomatoes at all. First, we didn't have the right kind of tomatoes this year (all Romas, some red, mostly yellow) and the ones we had, as I said, all burst on the vine with the rains.
The recipe is quite explicit that I am not allowed to taste it now for another six weeks.
Mrs. Robinson’s Apple Chutney
[with a special thanks to Hilary Robinson, who calls this "my mum's chutney"]
3# apples
1 lb brown sugar
2 t salt
1.8 pints malt vinegar
8 oz sultanas
½ t ground cloves
1# ripe tomatoes
1# onions
¼ t cayenne
2 oz crystalized ginger, chopped (or 2 t ground ginger)
all spices are approximate – adjust for taste.
We haven't gotten anywhere near the seven inchs (SEVEN INCHES!) in 24 hours that New York City got the other day. But it started raining Sunday night here and it has been a steady rain ever since.
The irony is as I am sitting here writing about this, I am listening to reports of drought in other parts of the country...Oklahoma, Texas...and stories about recycling waste water.
Speaking of waste water, the dogs (we have three in residence at the moment) were pretty sanguine about it yesterday, but I have a suspicion that today is going to be a little harder. They haven't been out for more than a quick minute to poop and pee, now, in almost 48 hours.
it is soooooooooo wet out there! The picture doesn't do it justice. Everything is soaked completely through. The garden (can you see the yellow blossoms of the Jersalem artichokes through the tree in the upper right just above the flags?) is as happy as it can be. (Those are also girasoles on the hillside there.)
Found this little guy in one of the more beautiful yellow day lilies in the "house garden" right underneath the living room windows.
And with the auspicious rain alternating with sun and heat...repeat...the garden is revving up its engines...the fennel is visible from the office window and we have cucumbers!
So I looked over and saw Killer, plastered against the window. Brewster was nearly hidden behind the head of the couch, trying to get closer to the same window and Missy was climbing up on the couch to get a vantage. I walked over to see what was so fascinating...and found this chipmunk, trapped between the screen and the storm window. No idea how he managed to get there. Took a little coaxing to get him to go the right direction and squeeze out of the trap he was in and out the open screen below.
Sir Francis Bacon. A gift from Dave.
