Thankful for Rain

 

After smelling smoke all day Saturday from several wildfires in western North Carolina, it was a relief to have a bit of rain Sunday morning. We had a wildfire threatening the farm years ago and I remember how scary it was and how local residents and members of the Forest Service worked to contain and at last put out the fire.

Remember when the orange guy blamed California for their wildfires because they didn't do the proper maintenance, like raking leaves? Well, that same orange guy and his Department of Governmental Efficiency (what a joke that name is) have fired thousands of Forest Service personnel and enacted a hiring freeze. (Good article HERE.) And in this hottest and driest of times,wildfires are burning nationwide more than ever with fewer resources to fight them.

Dear Sen./Rep. __________,

As wildfires fill the air with smoke, I wonder if you are on board with the administration's hiring freeze and firing of over three thousand Forest Service employees--those same folks who work to control wildfires. 

The willful blindness of many politicians and the so-called DOGE to the problems of those of us who aren't millionaires or billionaires is on display everywhere--cutting staff at the Social Security offices and saying that only a fraudster would complain if her SS check were late is one egregious example.

So, where do you stand?

 

Silent Sunday

 

Tuscan Chicken

This is a really easy and tasty way to cook chicken thighs (or 'second-joints,' as they were called when I was growing up, along with 'white meat' , rather than the scandalous breast.)

We had leftovers with this amount. A bonus!

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

Olive oil, salt and pepper

Mirepoix ( 2 c chopped celery, 2 c. chopped carrots, 4 c. chopped onions)

2-3 tsp. fresh rosemary

1/2 cup mixed olives plus 1/4 cup olive brine (the original recipe specified Castelvetrano olives but not having those, I used some fancy mixed olives we'd been given for Christmas.)

1 pint cherry tomatoes

#####

Preheat oven to 425 F. Pat thighs dry and season all over with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in large casserole with lid. Add thighs (in batches, if necessary) and saute till browned, about 5 minutes. Turn and cook other side 2 minutes then remove to plate. (Chicken will finish cooking in the oven.)

Now add the mirepoix mix to the casserole and cook over high heat 3-5 minutes, stirring till browned. Add rosemary, stir, and then add the olive brine, stirring to scrape up browned bits. Cook about 1 min., till liquid has evaporated. Stir in cherry tomatoes and olives, and salt and pepper as desired.

Off heat, arrange the chicken, browned side up, in the casserole, along with any juices.  Cover and put in oven for about 15 min..

From THE SECRET HOURS by Mick Herron

"There'll always be sock puppets, thinking they're messiahs, and there'll always be money men behind them."

 

I Scream, You Scream . . .

On most Mondays, Meema takes me to Cynthia's Pharmacy and Gifts to get an ice cream cone. I always have a waffle cone with two scoops and sprinkles.

While Cynthia is fixing my cone, I play with some of the gifts.

This was an extra-good cone with the two flavors in four layers. And sprinkles in between.  Cynthia is really nice.

There are lots of toys to look at while I eat my cone. 

I would like to come here every day, but Meema says once a week is IT!

 

But Her E-mails!

      

Dear Sen./Rep. _______,

The egregious breach of security by Hegseth, Waltz,  Gabbard, Ratcliffe, and the other appointees should at once be investigated by Congress. (One remembers the hours of hearings devoted to Sec. Clinton's emails.)

Our national security and the lives of our service people appear to be at the mercy of a clown car of incompetent bunglers. What are YOU prepared to do about this?

Yours sincerely, 

A concerned citizen

Ma Nature Cuts Loose in Spring

 

In Praise of Chinese Cabbage

. . .or Napa, as the grocery store calls it. I was preparing to cut up a few leaves to add to my lunch time ramen when the sunlight hit them and I had to take some pictures.

A delightful bed for the Fairy Queen-- or maybe one of the Castle People.

I'm entranced by the patterns on the leaves.

All this beauty-- and it's so delicious, raw or briefly cooked. I think that the rest of this head is destined for a salad with an Asian type citrus dressing. Crunch! Crunch!

 

A Sweet Moment

Me and my dad are going to my school's Father/Daughter Dance!

We are both dressed up.

Mama is taking pictures.

I am pretty excited.

 

WTAF!!!

       

Dear Sen./Rep. ____,

What is happening to my beloved country? Pentagon briefing on China for the Richest Man in the World? Deportation without due process? Invocation of the Alien and Sedition Act when we aren't actually at war? 

If this scoff-law regime continues unchecked, our freedom and our democracy are doomed. Where are the checks and balances?

I learned in 8th grade Civics that our federal government was designed as a three-part instrument-- Legislative (that's you) to make laws; Executive to enforce laws; and Judicial to interpret laws. 

That's not happening. We are being governed by Sharpie--Executive Orders (and photo ops) pouring out of the Oval Office.  The Legislative Branch, (in the power of the bobble-headed GOP) seems to be sitting on its collective hands. As for the Judicial Branch, the current regime has declared itself above the law. 

What five  things did YOU do last week to uphold the Constitution?

Slow Horses

                    

My older son reminded me that I needed to read the Slough House series from the beginning. I downloaded the audiobook--which is excellent--but quickly realized I needed to see words on a page to fix the various names and places in my head.

So I alternated between listening and reading--and it worked well. There were subtleties I might have missed in either form but combining the two was completely delightful.

Wry, dry humor and an ensemble cast of interesting folks with a past, this is a kind of spy story new to me. A gang of discredited MI5 spooks are the slow horses, condemned to serve out their careers at Slough House, doing  busywork until they quit from frustration--or die.

But there's so much else going on--plots within plots and if you blink, you may miss something important. That's why the reading/listening approach worked so well for me.

I am looking forward to diving into the rest of the series. Plus, there's a television series, starring Gary Oldman, to look forward to.

There's an excellent, more comprehensive review   HERE.

Vernal Equinox

                                   

And there it is--rising smack dab in the middle of our Eastern horizon. A brief moment, then the sun continues its journey to the north--our left.

Where will we all be at the Summer Solstice? Or at the Autumnal  Equinox or the Winter Solstice?

With our world in distress, there's something comforting to me in the roll of the seasons.

What Is Wrong With These People?

Now the power-mad regime is scrubbing mention of the Navajo Code Talkers from government websites, along with notable firsts  in the military for women and people of color. Heaven forbid our country's history should record anyone who is not a straight white male.

If you wondered how fragile the ego in the White House is . . .

It's not funny. It's downright Orwellian as they erase and  rewrite history. 

And DOGE continues its wrecking ball attack on all sectors of government, cutting jobs willy nilly with no thought for the human repercussions and the destruction of agencies that serve the interests of ordinary people--rather than billionaires.

 

Irrational Exuberance?

 

A Closer Look

My eye was caught by some lichen growing on the wooden top of some wind chimes . . . and I went forth in search of more.

They seem to love rocks and wood. 

What are these things anyway? I probably once knew but I went to Mr. Google to refresh my memory.                                                           

                        

Well, there's a lot to know. Lichen is a symbiotic between a fungus and either an alga or a cyanobacterium (a type of bacteria.) And there are well over 18,000 species of lichen, growing all over the world. Lichen provides food for man and beast, dyes, fibers, medicines, and more. Fascinating stuff -- I went down the web's rabbit hole and was amazed at how much there is to know about these things--a lifetime wouldn't be enough.

And then there are mosses-- but perhaps I'll save that for another day.

 



 

So Much Spring

 

Breaking Through