Red, White, and Blue
04/07/18 16:08
Happy Fourth of July everybody! It's piping hot her on the seacoast of New Hampshire and I'm trying to work out the kinks with an iced coffee and a little Bob Marley. Well, maybe a lot of Bob Marley. The coffee isn't getting the job done in the sense that it not a cold brew but rather coffee that I made this morning and threw in the refrigerator to have later today (like now.)
Nancy just stopped in and after grabbing a sip announced that it is not as good as the traditional cold brew that we usually have. Damn straight. She said something about it tasting like ash. I agree completely. Not sure how I'm going to get the rest of it down. Maybe listening to a little CSNY will take my mind off this nasty beverage of mine.
For some reason the sun is overbearing today and without a cloud in the sky it is free to radiate as it pleases. With our outside thermometer reading 111 on the back deck I would say that the heat is arriving right on schedule and as predicted by the forecasters. The humidity seems to be off again on again this week and we have a couple more days of this weather before relief of any kind arrives.
I'm trying to get my act together to clean the grill grates so I can throw a couple of kabobs on the barbie for dinner. I cheated this time around in that I bought skewered veggies and the chicken separately not wanting to bother buying one of everything only to have some go to waste when all was said and done. I have a bag of chicken marinating in Italian dressing so that should work out well. I was going to make a pasta salad but decided on a black bean salad instead. It's just a healthier option all around.
Evan said something about having burned his palate while eating tater tots he took out of the microwave. That didn't stop him from eating this newfangled Pizza in a Bag product that we brought home for him from Walmart. He saw it advertised somewhere and decided that it was something he wanted to try. He sat in the kitchen and was reading the nutrition readout on the back of the package and began to wonder aloud about the amount of fat in the "food" that he was eating.
I didn't have the heart to ask him about the saturated vs. non-saturated fat so let him come to his own conclusions. That's hard to do when your mouth is full with the food that you are trying and wanting to assess. I think the conclusion that he came to, but did not articulate, is that even though it may taste good it may well not be good for you. Live and learn.
I finally got around to cleaning the ledge on the window in the kitchen facing the back yard and directly over the sink. It's funny how you tend to ignore things until you don't and then sometimes it's too late. How ever did it ever get that way, you might ask yourself. How ever did I let it get that way? Did nobody notice that the paint was peeling and from an aesthetic standpoint it was unsightly and maybe even a little gritty?
It seems that someone just kept adding plants, kick-knacks, and god only knows what else until the ledge was a cornucopia of bullshit from end to end. It wasn't just the ledge. Things were hung on nails around the frame and the accumulation of dust had finally become noticeable after maybe years of neglect. Even though I had cleaned the windows and screens last year or maybe the year before, they too suffered the same fate and the lack of attention paid to such matters was palpable on a day when I was noticing such things. That is a good thing.
If nothing else this year, I am in a tear it down and build it back up mode or mindset. Call it a restoration mindset if you must. I suppose I could look back in my notes to see when it all began but that is not important. It's not even all that important that my hard work goes noticed or even appreciated. I'd rather not put my better half in the position of not feeling as though she isn't carrying her weight around this joint so take before and after pictures for my own edification and that of none other. The "window" project, as I am happy to refer to it, was a wonderful success if I do say so myself.
I stripped down the wooden window frame with an orbital sander, repainted the entire frame with not one but two coats of pristine white paint with a high gloss factor, and arranged a more appropriate array of knick knacks left to right on the inside ledge looking out over the back yard. I actually vacuumed the screen, and it works well if you've never done this before, and washed and polished the glass until it was spotless.
The only remaining task at that point was to put away all the tools, wash any remaining dishes left over from breakfast, wipe down the countertop and clear the area of any dust, and wait for my darling to arrive home after work so I could wow her with what I thought was a project well planned and well executed. I showed her the before and after pictures since some things are harder to remember than others and just stood back while she admired the new look. Well, I like it anyway. I still pinch myself from time to time when looking at it. I think Nancy has moved on (you want unconditional praise, admiration, and loyalty - get a dog.)
This was the first year in a long time that we did not go to the fireworks in downtown Portsmouth. The weather was hot, muggy, and oppressive during the day and the evening hours brought little in the way of relief. You just can't get motivated to do anything in those conditions so we didn't. Nancy confined herself to our air conditioned bedroom where she languished and lamented not having a pint or two of ice cream to help take off the edge. I was satisfied to have a large cup of soda water with ice.
I might have liked to have some sweet cherries but none were available. Nancy has transitioned from grapefruit to plums now that they are in season although she and I differ on how to go about eating them. I prefer to hold them in the palm of my hand while biting into the fleshiest and more than likely sweetest section of the plum first and foremost. Oh, and yes, they must be ripe and more importantly, refrigerator-cold. They only go in the refrigerator after attaining the proper ripeness while sitting on the kitchen table for a period of time. That is to say, they must be firm but not too firm and never ever mushy before going into the refrigerator.
Nancy prefers to slice her fruit and not always correctly I might add. And it never fails to surprise me that her choice of knives to get the job done is not always the best choice. You don't use a butter knife to carve up a watermelon and that is a fact. You don't even use a steak knife no matter how sharp it is. You need a serrated blade long enough to extend from one side of the melon to the other before using both hands to exert just enough force to push the blade down through the melon until the sides cleave off in opposite directions creating two halves of equal size and heft. This is how you do it.
When I saw her carving the flesh off her plum side by side while standing at the kitchen counter this morning I had to laugh. Not out loud, mind you, as that would have been at a minimum, impolite. But, who cuts up a plum with a knife? The quick and dirty answer is, nobody I know. Oh well, to each his or her own. I'm no expert in such matters but there is such a thing as common sense so look for the laws of nature to impose their own penalties on those who violate nature in ways that are otherwise inviolate. I don't think it impaired her enjoyment of the plum in the least and, in fact, it may have enhanced the overall experience for her. Like I said, to each or his or her own.
I can't believe how I've gone on endlessly here so need to wrap it up and get it out the door. As for Trump's Supreme Court pick that he plans to announce next Monday evening, I think I want to go with either Mike Lee as my first choice and Amy Rona Barret as my second choice. We constitutionalists have an opportunity to tip the balance on the court for a generation or more in favor of those who believe in the rule of law and an interpretation of the Constitution that is true to the intent our nation's founders when they crafted the document. The statists on the court need to be kept out of the majority for the betterment of our country. With any luck, Trump will be re-elected in 2020 and he will get maybe one or more vacancies to fill. Eat your fuckin' hearts out, you never Trumpers!
Nancy just stopped in and after grabbing a sip announced that it is not as good as the traditional cold brew that we usually have. Damn straight. She said something about it tasting like ash. I agree completely. Not sure how I'm going to get the rest of it down. Maybe listening to a little CSNY will take my mind off this nasty beverage of mine.
For some reason the sun is overbearing today and without a cloud in the sky it is free to radiate as it pleases. With our outside thermometer reading 111 on the back deck I would say that the heat is arriving right on schedule and as predicted by the forecasters. The humidity seems to be off again on again this week and we have a couple more days of this weather before relief of any kind arrives.
I'm trying to get my act together to clean the grill grates so I can throw a couple of kabobs on the barbie for dinner. I cheated this time around in that I bought skewered veggies and the chicken separately not wanting to bother buying one of everything only to have some go to waste when all was said and done. I have a bag of chicken marinating in Italian dressing so that should work out well. I was going to make a pasta salad but decided on a black bean salad instead. It's just a healthier option all around.
Evan said something about having burned his palate while eating tater tots he took out of the microwave. That didn't stop him from eating this newfangled Pizza in a Bag product that we brought home for him from Walmart. He saw it advertised somewhere and decided that it was something he wanted to try. He sat in the kitchen and was reading the nutrition readout on the back of the package and began to wonder aloud about the amount of fat in the "food" that he was eating.
I didn't have the heart to ask him about the saturated vs. non-saturated fat so let him come to his own conclusions. That's hard to do when your mouth is full with the food that you are trying and wanting to assess. I think the conclusion that he came to, but did not articulate, is that even though it may taste good it may well not be good for you. Live and learn.
I finally got around to cleaning the ledge on the window in the kitchen facing the back yard and directly over the sink. It's funny how you tend to ignore things until you don't and then sometimes it's too late. How ever did it ever get that way, you might ask yourself. How ever did I let it get that way? Did nobody notice that the paint was peeling and from an aesthetic standpoint it was unsightly and maybe even a little gritty?
It seems that someone just kept adding plants, kick-knacks, and god only knows what else until the ledge was a cornucopia of bullshit from end to end. It wasn't just the ledge. Things were hung on nails around the frame and the accumulation of dust had finally become noticeable after maybe years of neglect. Even though I had cleaned the windows and screens last year or maybe the year before, they too suffered the same fate and the lack of attention paid to such matters was palpable on a day when I was noticing such things. That is a good thing.
If nothing else this year, I am in a tear it down and build it back up mode or mindset. Call it a restoration mindset if you must. I suppose I could look back in my notes to see when it all began but that is not important. It's not even all that important that my hard work goes noticed or even appreciated. I'd rather not put my better half in the position of not feeling as though she isn't carrying her weight around this joint so take before and after pictures for my own edification and that of none other. The "window" project, as I am happy to refer to it, was a wonderful success if I do say so myself.
I stripped down the wooden window frame with an orbital sander, repainted the entire frame with not one but two coats of pristine white paint with a high gloss factor, and arranged a more appropriate array of knick knacks left to right on the inside ledge looking out over the back yard. I actually vacuumed the screen, and it works well if you've never done this before, and washed and polished the glass until it was spotless.
The only remaining task at that point was to put away all the tools, wash any remaining dishes left over from breakfast, wipe down the countertop and clear the area of any dust, and wait for my darling to arrive home after work so I could wow her with what I thought was a project well planned and well executed. I showed her the before and after pictures since some things are harder to remember than others and just stood back while she admired the new look. Well, I like it anyway. I still pinch myself from time to time when looking at it. I think Nancy has moved on (you want unconditional praise, admiration, and loyalty - get a dog.)
This was the first year in a long time that we did not go to the fireworks in downtown Portsmouth. The weather was hot, muggy, and oppressive during the day and the evening hours brought little in the way of relief. You just can't get motivated to do anything in those conditions so we didn't. Nancy confined herself to our air conditioned bedroom where she languished and lamented not having a pint or two of ice cream to help take off the edge. I was satisfied to have a large cup of soda water with ice.
I might have liked to have some sweet cherries but none were available. Nancy has transitioned from grapefruit to plums now that they are in season although she and I differ on how to go about eating them. I prefer to hold them in the palm of my hand while biting into the fleshiest and more than likely sweetest section of the plum first and foremost. Oh, and yes, they must be ripe and more importantly, refrigerator-cold. They only go in the refrigerator after attaining the proper ripeness while sitting on the kitchen table for a period of time. That is to say, they must be firm but not too firm and never ever mushy before going into the refrigerator.
Nancy prefers to slice her fruit and not always correctly I might add. And it never fails to surprise me that her choice of knives to get the job done is not always the best choice. You don't use a butter knife to carve up a watermelon and that is a fact. You don't even use a steak knife no matter how sharp it is. You need a serrated blade long enough to extend from one side of the melon to the other before using both hands to exert just enough force to push the blade down through the melon until the sides cleave off in opposite directions creating two halves of equal size and heft. This is how you do it.
When I saw her carving the flesh off her plum side by side while standing at the kitchen counter this morning I had to laugh. Not out loud, mind you, as that would have been at a minimum, impolite. But, who cuts up a plum with a knife? The quick and dirty answer is, nobody I know. Oh well, to each his or her own. I'm no expert in such matters but there is such a thing as common sense so look for the laws of nature to impose their own penalties on those who violate nature in ways that are otherwise inviolate. I don't think it impaired her enjoyment of the plum in the least and, in fact, it may have enhanced the overall experience for her. Like I said, to each or his or her own.
I can't believe how I've gone on endlessly here so need to wrap it up and get it out the door. As for Trump's Supreme Court pick that he plans to announce next Monday evening, I think I want to go with either Mike Lee as my first choice and Amy Rona Barret as my second choice. We constitutionalists have an opportunity to tip the balance on the court for a generation or more in favor of those who believe in the rule of law and an interpretation of the Constitution that is true to the intent our nation's founders when they crafted the document. The statists on the court need to be kept out of the majority for the betterment of our country. With any luck, Trump will be re-elected in 2020 and he will get maybe one or more vacancies to fill. Eat your fuckin' hearts out, you never Trumpers!