peeks out now and again, but for the most part, it's slightly humid
with an overcast of clouds. I sit here typing this whilst drinking
Ovaltine and some wheat berry bread that Dale made from a box mix in
our breadmaker. Usually we make bread in that thing with ingredients
kept on hand, but he likes this particular type of bread and finds the
box recipe yummy enough. So, boxed it is. This time. ::rubbing
hands together::
As for me, I'm not overfond of the stuff, but a couple warm, fresh
slices cannot be passed up. This modest meal comes after a short
while outside, wiping down my truck's windshield, the interior, and
the side windows. I rainx'ed the windshield and then proceeded down
the slope of the yard to the four truck tires I piled up down there.
Today I planted the sprouted potatoes that have been growing in our
cupboard much of this winter. We'll see what happens.
In our raised beds, freshly tilled (and one long one freshly made by
Dale just this past week!!), I've already planted a row of lettuce and
a row of peas. In two weeks, I'll plant another row of each, and two
weeks later, another row. The idea is to avoid being inundated with
too many veggies at once and extend the harvest. Once all danger of
frost is past, I'll also be planing a plethora of other vegetables and
a few melons. Some, I'll need to plant all at once, but others I will
also stagger the plantings.
Our strawberry plants made it through the winter. In fact, they
appear to be quite hardy indeed. The one that gave us three
strawberries in its very first season has tripled in size this spring.
The others spread somehow, and it has been made obvious that they
plan to take over the original garden plot. The green onions,
meanwhile, aren't complaining about it. They are thick and about to
blossom, obviously unconcerned about the potential threat. This is
their third year of providing for me and all I did was plant two rows
of seeds three years ago. They, and the strawberries, are the easiest
things we've thrown in our garden! They simply take care of
themselves!!
In the house, meanwhile, Dale planted some tomatoes and peppers. The
tomatoes took right off and are about three or four inches tall in a
matter of weeks. The peppers just began sprouting a few days ago and
now we have a few that are nearing an inch. Dale is very excited.
Very. He plans to build the biggest, baddest, most securest fence
around his pepper plants that can ever be built, and no cat is going
anywhere near the would-be litterbox. This will be our second attempt
to grow peppers. I hope that with the fence, he'll succeed in his
endeavour. I'd really like to see him eating his own peppers in a few
months. I can just picture the joy on his face!
Earlier in the week, Dale borrowed my truck to get a good deal of
mulch. I took his car to work. We each had our excitement. While I
was full of adrenaline telling everyone how I successfully drove a
standard into work that morning, he was off watching mulch get dumped
into the bed of the truck, making the suspension bounce up and down
with trucky glee. He told me later that seeing this would have made
me feel proud. He also admitted that he felt sorta "macho" driving
that thing. I told him about my adventures with his car, and also
admitted that I kinda felt "cool" driving THAT thing. We exchanged
happy, impish smiles and agreed that we'd have to swap off now and
again. A colleague called the car "the twitchy fun car" and somehow
Dale called the car "Twitchy" as if that is the name. For me, it's
stuck. Ha.
We also went over to a friend's house and had a good meal, some nice
conversation and watched Avatar (for us, the second time). It's the
second time we went there and enjoyed their hospitality, and have
determined that we need to invite them over here sometime soon.
Dale has a colleague at work who is Chinese. He asked her about tea
for me and she rather promptly came into work with a couple of samples
for him to take home to me. I wasn't expecting such a surprise and
was thoroughly excited. After an hour of debate with myself over the
very familiar flavour, I have determined that it must be Da Hong Pao.
The packaging is all in Chinese so I'll have to wait for Dale to ask
her to make sure I am correct. I am certain that it's an oolong, and
only a bit less certain that it's a wuyi of some sort. I will not be
surprised, however, if I have determined the exact flavour. I had
purchased a bag of the stuff from a more local distributor a good year
ago, and despite not having it for a while, recall the multiple levels
of flavour it provided my palate. I also seem to recall thinking that
da hong pao reminded me of Kukicha (the twig version, not green). I
had this same impression from the unknown sample I tried this morning.
Of course, now I want to give his colleague something in return for
this combination of detective work and wondrous enjoyment of taste.
I've decided on two jars of locally made fruit spreads. I was at a
loss at first, but after reviewing several sites on Chinese culture,
these seem like a good idea somehow. Apparently it is not good luck
to receive an odd number of items so this is why I'm doing two rather
than one; in addition, I wanted to ensure the possibility that at
least one is liked. Chinese supposedly appreciate food that is local
to the gift giver (especially if it's new to them, hm, we've got lots
in common there). They also seem to like sweets. Finally, they're
very socially-oriented so I figure they would want to share. Granted,
these are all generalities, but I figure it's all close enough to
American thoughts on gifts that I can't go horribly wrong and my gift
will, at worst, not be fully appreciated by one or more Chinese
palates. I'm guessing, though, that with two different flavours, at
least ONE will be liked by someone. And it means an even number of
items to avoid the potential of an unlucky number. The most I need to
do now is make sure I don't put them in a white or blue bag upon
delivery. White's apparently for death and I have forgotten what blue
is but it's a no-no. I found my research quite interesting. While I
find it entertaining that so many cultures live by what some consider
superstition, I also respect the various ways of people and their
beliefs. So, to learn new things about people, that's cool.
There is something very wonderful to be said for having some simple
things in life. On this lazy Saturday afternoon, we've already
maintained our vehicles, cared for a garden which will provide us with
home-grown, organic food, and enjoyed simple food. Later we will
visit the nearby store and purchase a few staples. Everything we need
is within a half-hour of here, including work. We're surrounded by
greenery and a beautiful house. Our critters are healthy and we're
healthy, too, other than the few minor pains of creeping closer to
middle age and the occasional struggle with an old injury.
Life is _very_ good. I have found that I am quite content in this
environment. There is nothing wrong with being laid back and doing
things for oneself and one's family.
~nv
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