Last night, I had my first wedding "nightmare." In my dream, my boobs disappeared the morning of the ceremony and suddenly my gown wouldn't hold up. A frantic scramble ensued to find all sorts of tape and glue and padding, none of which worked. Somehow the photographer got involved (eh?!) cutting up sheets of sticky vellum to fit around my chest. We even stuffed the gown with bubble wrap, to try bulking it up.
Isn't it odd to dream about something that could never physically happen? I know brides have nightmares about catering being bad, flowers arriving late, inclement weather, losing/gaining weight and all sorts of possible disasters. But me, I dream about vanishing boobs. Maybe it reflects some unconscious worry that my gown won't fit. But it sure was a weird way of showing that!
Our rep, Frank Pallone Jr (D), jumped on the town hall bandwagon last night. However, he failed to realize just how many people would attend. So a line of at least 800 people snaked around the municipal building, vying for entrance into a room with 150 capacity.
We weren't able to get in, but it was pretty fun standing in line for an hour, listening to cranky old folks and random ranting.
There's an outbreak of late blight infecting New Jersey tomatoes this year. Unfortunately, some plantings at the farm got hit, so the tomato yield is decreasing.
Which is too bad, because we were really enjoying them. This week, we did get enough to make plenty of fresh salsa and guacamole. We also got cherry tomatoes and more basil, plus two huge heirloom tomatoes (they will ripen to a lovely red on the counter).
Eggplants! The camera does no justice to the deep aubergine of these beauties. They were absolutely delicious sliced, brushed with olive oil, and grilled. I love eggplant, so this was quite the treat for me!
A fine selection of peppers and squash:
The leafy light green bunch in the back is chard, with fresh cilantro, cabbage, and garlic bulb.
We made an awesome cabbage medley, with chopped tomatoes and squash, stir fried in bacon grease. Mix with polish sausage and top off some rice or noodles, and a tasty meal is served!
I guess the late blight strain isn't the kind that hits potatoes, so we've got more this week! They are going into curry this time around.
Over the past few months, we've devoured all five seasons of HBO's The Wire.
By far the best cop drama I've ever seen, it's brilliant in all ways, from dialogue to characters to plot and even cinematography and music. The show follows the Baltimore police dept through a series of related drug and homicide cases, deftly weaving together subjects like big city politics, school policy, the prison system, unions, newspaper media and of course, the drug war.
Unfortunately, it ran on HBO the same time as The Sopranos, so I think it was overshadowed by its neighbor to the north. I believe The Wire is far superior, though. There's a consistency, a gritty practicality paired with moments of revelation and heartache, that makes you question and think about our justice system and those employed by it. If you enjoy a good crime story, this one is a must watch!
Tomatoes! From left to right, grape, heirloom, and cherry. Our homemade pizza sauce from these pretties came out quite nicely!
Jersey sweet corn! We got four tasty ears. They don't even need butter, just grill in the husk and eat right off the cob!
Cabbage, fresh garlic, a whole mess of basil, and red onion.
We made an awesome cabbage stew that lasted the whole week! It was very simple: sliced cabbage, carrots, celery, potato, onions, garlic, dill, and two cans of beef broth. Boil with water for a few hours, and yum! The stew worked great on rice, poured over kielbasa, and with hearty chunks of bread.
Even more potatoes! These are kind of weird looking. Not quite for salad, but definitely for baking, with dill, shallots, and butter!
Speaking of shallots, we got a bunch of those, and also some lovely zucchini.
The summer harvest is great, even with rains ruining several crops and delaying others. The farm cultivates a wide range of plants (I guess to be organic, you have to, otherwise you can't compensate for losses) and I've been pretty happy. I'm eating more variety, consuming less processed foods, and enjoying the better flavors. So far, this has been a great investment!
This whole "Cash for Clunkers" thing has got me pissed. Mainly because I won't be benefiting from it.
When I bought my first car, I specifically looked for something small with high mpg. I chose a Ford Focus (ZX3 hatchback, which alas, they don't make anymore). I've taken good care of this vehicle for six years, making sure my maintenance was kept, tires pressurized properly, cleaning filters, all the things one does to maximize fuel efficiency. I was doing this back when gas was under 2 bucks a gallon.
And while I've been a good environmental citizen, those schmucks who bought Explorers and Hummers and vanity trucks (honestly, there is no reason anyone who works a desk job needs an F150 to commute every day) are now getting a break on a new car. It just rankles me, that doing the smart thing means I get nothing, while those who made mistakes get rewarded. If anything, the government should send me a $4500 check, to thank me for oil and pollution costs I've saved the country over the past six years!
One silver lining: the Ford Focus is the top seller in the program!
