All The Fixin's

Oh boy! It's Fat Tuesday and Bob and I are no slouches when it comes to celebrating Mardi Gras. (Or anything else!) So we found out our local bakery makes King Cakes and you best believe we ordered early. I think it was my sister Cathy (Hi Cathy!) who bequeathed us the assorted beads, masks and plastic shot cup (on a bead string to wear around your neck... wouldn't want to lose the shot glass.) So with all the accoutrements in place, we're almost ready.

What, you may ask, are we going to consume pre-King Cake? Good question as even we aren't so debauched as to eat only cake for supper! Bob's making muffulettas. I knew you were going to ask! Muffulettas are ham, turkey (and in our case) capicola with olive salad and cheese on a sesame bun (*1) It's pretty hard to go wrong with this combination of things; we went shopping this morning to obtain the ingredients and I can't wait. 

But of course, the excitement really comes from that crazy cake, with the baby stuck in it. (*2) But Bob and I remarked... Hey! Wait a minute! This cake is SMALL!! Like half the size of a traditional King Cake! Like they're supposed to be oval!! Alas! Looks great but... where's the rest of it?! (*3)

(*1) In New Orleans, they make this on a large, round loaf of bread that gets cut into quarters but we must make do with individual rolls. It still tastes great, regardless of shape and size of the bread!

(*2) For some reason, I think the plastic baby represents the Babee Jesus. The King Cakes we bought in past years had the baby taped to the top of the box and one of us had to insert the baby into the cake. That's no fun because then one of us knows where the baby is. It's supposed to be a surprise. Also, the person who gets the baby buys next year's King Cake. In this case, the bakery placed the baby.

(*3) KInd of an oblique reference to ""King's Row" an old movie that that awful Ronald Reagan was in. See? King Cake? King's Row? Royal pain in my ass!
 

Gardening in February

This is the truck the morning after the Connecticut Horticulture Society's Symposium that Bob and I attended yesterday. Long day! We were up early to attend to all the "farm chores" before driving off to Hartford where Bob had been asked to present as a vendor. Fortunately, we made some money because we've done a few of these events and came home without having sold a bloody thing. Not only are you out the  money that they charge to be a vendor, but you are doubly frustrated by having to schlepp all that metalwork home again!

And while this may look like a truck full, it is a much lighter load than we left with. But at 5:00, when the symposium ended, this weighs way more than it did in the morning... coupled with the fact that the hall where we all set up was up a labyrinth of halls and elevators and some moron parked thier car right in front of the loading dock so that we all had to hand our items up and down and carry them to our trucks and vans. Bob and I were exhausted by the time we got home, but we did hear a few interesting lectures on shade gardening, odd edibles (paw paw and hardy persimmons), and gardening to encourage pollinators and beneficials. A nice diversion from that unwanted snow...

The heavy wet (and does anyone want to say "unexpected?") snow on Friday morning caused a heavy limb of the pine tree directly above Maggie's barn to break off. It scared the hell out of Maggie who circled, snorting and spooking for a good while afterwards. (She may have even been in the barn when it landed!) Much to my chagrin, she began chewing on the tips of the pine branches, forcing me to run into the house and do a quick google search to learn that pine tree needles are actually good for horses, providing a green, fresher source of vitamins and fodder in the winter. Who knew?

 

Bob and I pulled the branches down, Maggie gets a free lunch and no harm was done to the roof. Now, if only this snow would go away...
Oh! We might have been tired but we did manage to stay away long enough to hear 2/3 of the those foolish republicans take pot shots at each other. And we are very excited that Tuesday is the first primary AND the start to Mardi Gras! Where is my king cake?!?!?!

A Wicked Cold Trip and Quite a Few Holidays

Yeah, it looks all magical but don't let that fool you!  I'm just trying to find a way to enjoy the endless white blobs tumbling from the sky...
And speaking of fools, guess who was crazy enough to brave the dangerous low temperatures and outlandishly high winds to drive to New York state and take a train into New York City on Sunday? Artists will do anything to open their mouths in public and yap about their work! I was a-feared that Bob (mostly the sensible one) would say "Ix-Nay" to our plans to go to NYC, but he was game and I adore him for so supportive. We (obviously) made it there and back so there must be some truth to the rumor that God protects fools, drunk and artists.
Lookee here:

This wasn't even the worst! It was 8 below one morning but my camera battery went dead and I couldn't find the extra battery and charger (plugged into the bedroom wall, behind a painting). I debated drawing a picture of the negative reading, but thought no one would believe it- sort of an "artist's rendering". But there you have it! Evidence! (as if we needed any).
The gallery talk was great. I had asked Ellen (artist/friend/gallerist) to not ask me to speak first, so I could gauge what the other artists said and how they said it. I needn't have worried as we went alphabetically (I'm always last) and I quickly realized that we were all on the same page and we all sounded very erudite and like we knew what we were doing. It was fun and well worth risking frostbite and death through exposure. (Don't ask about the walk back from the train to the truck...)

Maybe because the day before was Valentine's Day and Bob and I were warm and fueled by love and delicious food, but it was a really great weekend. We then celebrated Mardi Gras/ Fat Tuesday a day early as more awful weather was planned for Tuesday. It didn't really happen but is any one out there sorry we didn't get another foot of snow?

An Inconvenient truth

That's Bob and me celebrating Fat Tuesday with a King Cake. Are we the only people we know who buy- and consume- King Cake for Mardi Gras? We get ours at Shop Rite, as it seems to be the only local venue that trucks in such things. You can order them on line, but they're like $60 (plus shipping! Cheaper to take a trip to new Orleans!)
But the good news is that I made it back (alive) from my walk this morning. This is a complicated and crazy story. You know how I'm always saying that I like my neighbors and everyone is really friendly? Well...
It all started several months back. Jules the Dog and I would walk up the road like clockwork every morning. And what with the time change and my need to go to work earlier, Jules and I started running into this guy Mike and his small son, Dylan waiting for the school bus. They have been waiting in Mike's SUV (no doubt because of the cold) but every morning- like clockwork- Dylan jumps out of the SUV with the broadest grin on his face (and he is a cute little kid) and runs down the end of the driveway because he adores Jules. And Jules loves Dylan; truly they're both thrilled to see one another and roll on the ground and slobber on one another. Very cute and heart warming.
So Mike and I exchange bland pleasantries and talk gardening- neighborly things- and then Jules and I proceed on our walk. I don't even remember when our conversation took a turn, but turn it did. I think one morning one of us hazarded the banal observation that it was exceptionally cold. And then Mike said (I'm pretty sure it was him) something about the weather was only going to keep getting weirder (but here's the punchline) I think I mentioned the dread words, "Climate Change" and Mike countered with something about how I couldn't possibly believe that we had anything to do with the weather, it was all naturally occurring cycles... you can see where this is going. It became a back and forth about "Do the research" and both sides became a bit heated, but it was cold and probably warmed us up a bit. But nothing too drastic. Until the next day.
Then Mike became more aggressive and rolled his window down (while Jules and Dylan indulged in a nonpartisan love fest) and said, "You know what I hate? Ignorance! Check the facts! We have nothing to do with changing the planet! C02 has nothing to do with the weather... and your pal Al Gore is all wrong!" I retaliated with, "Forget Al Gore* Read some of what James Hansen is saying... 90% (I actually think it's more) of scientists agree we've messed up the environment and it may be too late to fix it!" Mike yelled something about me "and my liberal friends". I responded, "You have a right to your opinion". To which he said, "It's not my opinion; I'm right and you're wrong". I did say something about, "And you probably believe God made the world in 5 days". (Oops- that should have been 7 days!) I was walking away up the road at this point calling, "Have a nice day!" I felt bad that this had all digressed into stupidity but I wasn't too concerned.

Look: I have several people that I work with- even a couple of tea baggers (Koch Suckers?* Hahahahaha) that harbor some pretty wacky views, and I know they think the same of me. But we bait each other and then laugh and go on with other things because we do all have a right to see the world differently (as long as we don't kill each other) and we need to get along. And life is short.
Mike doesn't see it that way. Yesterday, when I was coming back from my walk, I saw him waiting for the school bus, engine running but it was like 5 degrees out and I had to go to work, so instead of hanging out or taking a longer walk, I walked back up the road. Dylan jumped out of the car, grinning and Jules bounded over; at least they were enjoying themselves. Mike started right in. He spat out, "Look- you're an idiot! You refuse to see the facts!" I made some response, still trying to be good natured. I mean, I could see he was really mad- like emphatic and red faced and cords in his neck mad. I just pulled Jules away and walked off but not quick enough so that I heard him yell that I was an "atheist pig*".
I know my religious or spiritual views may be unorthodox and not even fully formed, but I sure think that even God thinks we're doing a fine job of screwing up the planet. I even googled Pope Francis and HIS views on Climate Change and I have to say it, but the Pope and I seem to be in agreement. And you know what? I guess my final argument is this: maybe I'm wrong. Maybe the world won't get totally destroyed- at our hands- and maybe everything will go back to just as it was. Maybe Super Storms will all be an unpleasant memory. But we'll have solar energy and wind power and at least we can feel we made a positive change in our behaviors.
But if Mike is wrong, and we go on as we are now and the climate keeps changing and we accelerate the melting of the polar caps and most habitable land becomes uninhabitable, then we all die. His son will be doomed to inherit a world too awful to contemplate, with wars over the tiny islands of arable soil and food shortages and skin cancer.. I know where I'd rather stand.
This morning, I walked slightly later to make sure I didn't encounter Mike and his son. I know that Jules missed Dylan (and I'm certain that Dylan missed Jules) but at least Dylan didn't have to watch his father spew vitriol at me and teach a lesson of hate and intolerance. Or watch me get shot or something!
I am hoping to call a detente, a truce. I will say to Mike, "Let's simply agree to disagree. Look at how nicely your son and my dog get along".  I really don't want battles with my neighbors and hostilities. But I also know that climate change is real.

* Why do all these people hate Al Gore so much? He isn't really even in the news anymore. It's weird. And they often preface comments about him with the adjective "that fat" Al Gore. As if his weight somehow affected their ability to listen to him.
* Atheist? not sure... Pig? Maybe he had a point as I have been overeating this winter. It does all come down to one's weight after all. (See above A. Gore reference.)
* As in the Koch Brothers...