Just one Earthling

OUR HOME - THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SPOT IN THE UNIVERSE, at least to my human eyes. Planet Earth will be here and gone in a tick, but in that infinitely small sliver of time, maybe we can make a difference? I have no idea who would be around to see that difference, but we have each other now, don't we.

Friday, September 15, 2006

IS IT 9-11 ALREADY AGAIN?

The attack on our city was remembered again last week. Blue-white search lights stabbing the skies -- but only for one night, the somber ceremonies--appropriate but regarded by some of my friends as overkill; and some nearly funny things too. Well, part lousy, part comic, like when Bush showed up. The traffic became less bearable than the usual horribleness, which pissed us off even more; we hate it when he comes here. Then he decided to make speeches AT a very unsympathetic populace as though anyone wanted to hear what he had to say. If he’d only just stood there with his mouth shut, it would have been alright. Poor man; I guess he had to speak; it's his job, but every time he opens his mouth it gets worse. None of us New Yawkers feel comfortable with that lying SOB here. He just had to be aware that we hated him; wasn’t he here at his own nominating convention? We know he hates us too, but there we were anyway, all doing that THING we do so well: faking it. What a pack of liars we all are!
I delighted in his discomfort and also that of our mayor.

I needed to find something comic to dwell on just to take my mind off the horror, and of those unspeakable bastards who hate us and celebrated when the towers fell.

But enough of this doomsday stuff. I’ve been bitching at everyone and everything except my dog. You might imagine I have nothing in my life I truly love. Wrong. There’s so much more in life to love than to dislike. Try counting your blessings some time when you feel low.

I just drove out to the island, passing the farm stand in Sayville and picked up some of the last great tomatoes of the season and a couple of bunches of fresh basil; its intoxicating aroma would knock you on your ass. Everyone I passed on the way back to the house remarked about “that incredible perfume”. Tomorrow is pesto making day, the freezer will be stocked up for the winter. Doug is arriving from Louisville, and we’ll spend a few days cooking and him most likely slutting, if the weather holds. He teases me a lot, but always good naturedly, keeping me on my toes. Friends who won’t let me get away with my stuff are definite keepers.

We each do our pesto without nuts of any kind. I like the taste more that way, and the simple version is more versatile. I can mix it into sauces, spread it on chicken or shrimp and barbeque, or stir into a soup. Try mixing it with mustard and smearing it on a piece of salmon when you grill it, and please grill it rare.

Today’s rain made outdoors no fun at all, but there were a few choice half hours when the rain stopped, there was only a refreshing mist, and the temp was actually perfect for shorts and a walk along the storm flattened beach. We managed to pluck the basil, rinse and dry it, and whiz it in the blender with garlic and oil, Of course EV what did you think? This evening the chill made me think of something soul warming, so I tried to do my own version of arroz con pollo. It’s a time tested Latino classic, but I couldn’t leave well enough alone. I added some ground ancho chili, extra cumin, coriander and even some cinnamon to the mix. Robert gave me a priceless packet of saffron threads on his return from Jordan, and a hefty pinch of that went in too. It seemed a waste, since the other seasonings were already too strong to let the delicate saffron show. I need to work on that.

Sad: the late Texas governor Ann Richards passed away yesterday. CNN kept airing a sound bite with her saying, “Poor George, He cain’t help it if he was born with a silver foot in his mouth.” I’ll miss that lady, her down to earth style, her big hair. She was a true humanist, an original, and proof that Texas is still good for something.