Monday, August 30, 2010

Greening of Godzilla

Nice essay on hypocrisy over skepticism of science:

http://blogs.the-american-interest.com/wrm/2010/08/28/the-greening-of-godzilla/

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Garden

Picked today: 15# of tomatoes & a handful of beans, 5# of Butternut Squash.

I didn't know I planted butternuts.

I don't how to cook butternuts.

Going to have to find a recipe. Wonder if they can be grilled?

Friday, August 27, 2010

People...



Seen one morning while I was running errands, an 800# hay bale on a truck cap. That had to be fun going around corners. Well built cap, though.

Is that a squash in your pocket?

Went down to the garden to dig a couple taters for dinner. Washed and put them on the grille, sat down at my desk...WHAT THE HECK IS IN MY POCKET?!?!?!

Oh...I forgot I picked a squash, too :)

Nice one too:



Picked 5# of tomatoes yesterday.

Hopefully pictures of the garden to come this weekend after I finish cleaning it up.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Garden Update

Combined take from Sunday and Wednesday, less what I've already eaten or gave away:



Harvested 10# of Tomatoes & Squash today.

Brought 12# to the food pantry.

8/21
Picked 7#, some green beans + most tomatoes.

Jake

Jake passed away earlier this evening, Tuesday, August 17th, 2010 around 10pm. He had been sick for about a week. Saturday he spent about an a half hour outside in the sun, walking around the yard, but Sunday he stopped eating, and Monday he stopped drinking. Tuesday he didn't even want an ice cube I offered him.



He was curled up under my desk and I had been been stroking his leg with my toes before I went to the kitchen to make a late dinner. It was a later dinner since I had napped this afternoon having been up till four this morning, waiting for a thunderstorm to pass as I didn't want Jake, who had always been scared of them, to be alone as it passed. He normally would pace the house, but in he was too weak to move much in the last couple days. He didn't seem in pain or distress, just sullen and I let nature take it's course rather then deal with the stress of a trip to the vets. When I returned from the kitchen with dinner, he had passed on.



Jake was a year and a half old when he came to me on September 9th, 1999 -- he had been taken from his original owners for neglect. They had left him tied on their porch for a week during the summer when they went on vacation.



Jake and Oscar that first night.





Some more from '99:











(Most of these photos aren't in any sort of chronological order...)







So one night I hear a commotion in the living room, and get out of bed to find this sad sack with his head stuck in a bag:







He was known for his impressive efforts at mischief sometimes...

































These last three are from this year. Settling down in his old age, he accompanied me once or twice a week to the garden. Although he still occassionally like to take off and get muddy running through the swamp and woods.






Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Garden Update



Picked 17# this morning, delivered 15# to the food pantry.

8/13 Update:
Picked 5#. Tomatoes ripening rapidly! Gave most to Pam. Squash is passing quickly, I'm guessing Squash Vine Borers. Very, very few Squash Bugs this year (and very few Colorado Potato Beetles if I didn't write that down earlier).

8/15:
Three+ hours of weeding and tying up plants...pheew.
13# picked, all the onions, and a whole bunch of tomatoes. I'll have to take a pic tomorrow!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Amazing



Fresh picked taters and squash, onion was picked a few weeks ago (still far, far fresher the supermarket!)

Put taters on grille, medium x 20 minutes.

Cut up squash & onion, dash of raspberry vinaigrette, dash olive oil, fresh ground pepper. Mix, wrap in foil.

Squash goes on when meat does. 12 minutes @ medium was perfect for the squash. Meat got over cooked at 7 minutes high / flip 5 minutes medium...I didn't adjust for thinner cut.

The squash & onions were indescribably good.

Garden update:
Picked 10# of squash Sunday, delivered to food bank today (plus about 4# last Wednesday if I didn't record that).

Picked maybe 1# today.

Signs of dryness again :( Deer have pretty much devastated the bush beans, and my yellow beans aren't coming in, assume I planted them in too rich of soil.