“Service with a smile,” the customer said sarcastically as I opened the taxicab door for him. “Two months to live. Liver is gone,” he continued, apparently referring to himself. “I’m sorry to hear that,” I said, not knowing what else to say. “Once you get to know me, you won’t be sorry.” He chuckled bleakly. …
My Facebook friend Sharry Debolt (nee Konopski) left this earth August 25 after a long battle with lung cancer. She was a really nice, cool gal who said very lovely things to me before and after my wife died last year. Though we had little in common besides cancer and living in the same state, …
Photos of Houston posted this morning. Lots more rain to come. https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2017/08/hurricane-harvey-leaves-houston-under-water/538215/ – Chuck Strom
The Atlantic’s photo section just posted these pics of the damage from Hurricane Harvey on the Texas Gulf Coast: https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2017/08/photos-the-aftermath-of-hurricane-harvey/538143/ Reported casualties were minimal after the first day, but it’s usually in the days and weeks following that we get a true indication of the scale of the disaster. In this case, the critical factor …
What are the mathematical chances of 4 Navy ships suffering nearly unheard of collisions in one year? Before this most recent deadly incident with the USS John McCain killed at least ten sailors, the previous collision was a direct hit to the Captain. His sailors had to use kettle bells from the ship’s gym to …
Eating from your yard tip ~ Hooray the garlic chives are in flower! Few people are more fond of invasive plants than I am, but my friend it is in your best interest to utilize the garlic chives flowers before the prolific self seeders take over the garden. The leaves and flowers are edible garlic …
Tuesday eating from your yard tip~nasturtiums add color and a little taste of black pepper to your food. The leaves, flowers and seeds are edible. I have not eaten the seeds, but I have been told you can pickle them to substitute for capers. There is nothing tricky about eating nasturtiums you can eat them …
In July 2014, I had the privilege of visiting Charlottesville, VA to see Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and the University of Virginia. I remember the visit fondly, but now my memory has to take into account the events of this past weekend. I attach these photos to remind myself that, in more peaceful times, it is …
Tuesday eating from your yard tip~ Elderberries (Sambucus canadensis) are not a berry you pick and pop in your mouth. While birds can eat elderberry off the bush, it is best for us humans to remove the seed and heat it up a bit before eating them. I pick them when the cluster droops. Harvesting …
Eating from your yard tip~what to do with the glorious glut of tomatoes? Tomatoes are in most dishes we prepare, but after you have eaten your fill of fresh tomatoes on your BLTs, in bruschetta, sliced tomatoes served with basil and balsamic vinegar or put them in your egg casseroles, green and pasta salads etc …
Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, which depicts the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force in May 1940 from France, is a visual and auditory masterpiece, but it’s not for the faint of heart. Starting from the opening moments, with only the barest of credits to initiate the proceedings, the audience endures just under two hours of virtually …
Each year we host Garlic Nosh to celebrate the glorious garlic harvest! The reigning champion is Sharon T. Ohmberger’s gluten free chocolate chip cookies! On the same sweet note Jenny Carver created some fabulous garlic ice cream. Slacker Dave dipped garlic cloves in chocolate and I think it was Judy Easley Shutts who took it …
Behold the latest from Simon Chong. He describes this fanciful romp thusly: “Bob’s Burgers has crossed over to Archer, but I wondered what’d happen if Archer were to take a trip to Bob’s Burgers. 7 months of animating, illustrating and plucking dialogue from both shows later, here’s the result.”
The year 1967 saw some amazing creativity. The Beatles released Sgt. Pepper, and the greatest 45 RPM record of all time, “Strawberry Fields/Penny Lane.” The Moody Blues fused rock and classical music in their influential Days of Future Passed. Jimi Hendrix burst onto the scene with his appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival and release …
President Trump unveiled his budget in May. As a candidate, Mr. Trump promised to protect entitlement programs, claiming he has a “big heart.” Guess what? Trump’s budget is irresponsible and unethical by putting the most vulnerable at risk of significant health and financial problems for the benefit of putting more money into the pockets of …
Just talking to a friend about seeing “Dunkirk” tomorrow night. “Reserved seats,” he says. Maybe $18, he says. Is there going to be a merch table, I wonder, where I can purchase a tour t-shirt, maybe a sticker. Take solace in this fact, my friends: Life will never be better than it is right now. …
Tuesday eating from your yard tip~In 2012 rose was the herb of the year. So our local herb society had a speaker come in from the rose society to talk about roses. It quickly became apparent that while rose society people strive to grow the perfect rose, herb society people were more interested in how …
Long-suffering Chicago Cubs fans were finally granted a reprieve in 2016. The Cubs’ World Series victory — considered by many baseball watchers as one of the greatest World Series ever played — was the sweetest gift that the beautiful but troubled City of Big Shoulders could have received last year. As a life-long Cubs fan, …
Eating from your yard tip ~ Lemon balm aka Melissa crushed in your hand and left in a pitcher of water overnight in the refrigerator makes a lovely mother’s little helper tea to calm and brighten the mood of both mother and child. Chop up fresh lemon balm to add to your green or fruit …
Tuesday eating from your yard tip~Purslane has more omega 3 than any other leafy green. Look no further than the crack in your sidewalk to find purslane thriving. While many Americans view purslane as a lowly weed, purslane is eaten all over the world. It is baked in bread, pickled and added to soups, stews …
Tuesday eating from your yard tip~just step outside and odds are good you will find wood sorrel. Gladys Jeurink, an old respected gardener in my town, advised to leave it in my garden because the rabbits prefer it over other plants and will eat it and not your plants. Little did I know at the …
There are few things I love more than garlic. Garlic scapes prime our taste buds for July’s garlic harvest. The scapes are the seed head forming above the garlic plant. By cutting off the scape all the energy is directed to creating the most fabulous garlic bulb. Scapes even come with their own handle for …
I had used lavender to induce sleep, relieve headaches and for it’s anti~bacterial properties, but the first time I remember eating lavender was a lavender chocolate truffle. When I asked about how it was made she referred to lavender flower, but English is tricky and I was born blonde so I heard lavender flour. Ha! …
The elderberry bush produces lovely clusters of white flowers, which later turn into deep purple immune boosting fruit. The trick is to knock the flower heads a bit so the white flowers fall off with a whole in the center (this is the elder blow) leaving a little white part still attached to the cluster, …
Pick the strawberry and eat! Boom. Drop the mic. At our house strawberries rarely make it into the house to make anything with them. We have several kinds of strawberries in the yard ripe and ready to eat. The white alpine strawberry, which is soft and tastes pineapple-ish, is the kid’s favorite. At the top …
Thomas Ricks followed up his Fresh Air interview with some choice words about Trump in Politico: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/05/28/general-mcmaster-step-downand-let-trump-be-trump-215199 For those unfamiliar with Ricks, he has been one of the leading writers on the American military for the last two decades. His book Fiasco is the definitive work on the Iraq War, and his influence is such …
Tom Ricks was on Fresh Air this week. (The podcast may be heard below.) I’ve always enjoyed his interviews, but this portion of it, when the subject of Fox News came up, made me sit up and take notice: GROSS: You must be wondering what’s going to happen at Fox News now, especially after the …
Tuesday eating from your yard tip~Mint comes in many varieties all with different tastes to compliment our food and aid in digestion. My walking partner, Maria Baher-Olomi, serves baked slices egg plant with a yogurt and spearmint sauce~pure heaven! Mint is also an important ingredient in the cucumber yogurt sauce served with gyros and falafel. …
If you have any open dirt you most likely have lambs~quarters. Consider it a free gift to fill your tummy. The cooked leaves and soaked seeds are edible. The young leaves are tender, but like all of us get tougher with age so pick them when they are below 8 inches. Roger Welsch in his …
Onion chives are one of my top five herbs. Both the leaves and flowers are edible. The flowers especially have a subtle onion flavor making them both visually and pallet pleasing. My friend Chong Knievel said that in Korea they eat chives in the spring to clean their blood. With that in mind first thing …