Meredith Kendall's Blog, page 65
July 1, 2013
Rain
So much rain. The backyard is squishy, saturated with water. Mushrooms sprout daily, beside the beets and sunflowers. Slugs abound. Wet.
The plants seem happy. Potatoes, raspberries, lettuce, and carrots are thriving. Green beans are flowering. There are pea pods.
Still a little more sun and a little less humidity would be good.
The plants seem happy. Potatoes, raspberries, lettuce, and carrots are thriving. Green beans are flowering. There are pea pods.
Still a little more sun and a little less humidity would be good.
What is the perfect lobster roll?
Start with homemade bread, preferably whole wheat or oatmeal. Fresh and warm.
Fresh lobster, of course. And just lobster, no imitation, no pollack. Just lobster.
My sister-in-law, Ida, adds marjoram.
I like a little butter. Maybe finely chopped celery. Some fresh red leaf lettuce.
The roll should be warm, the lobster cold.
On the side, grilled corn on the cob, or a tiny cup of rich coleslaw. A pickle.
Fresh lobster, of course. And just lobster, no imitation, no pollack. Just lobster.
My sister-in-law, Ida, adds marjoram.
I like a little butter. Maybe finely chopped celery. Some fresh red leaf lettuce.
The roll should be warm, the lobster cold.
On the side, grilled corn on the cob, or a tiny cup of rich coleslaw. A pickle.
Lobster roll
Summer in Maine. Another search for the perfect lobster roll.
Had one today in Boothbay Harbor. It was a warm, drizzly, muggy day. I wandered in parks and towns for hours. Got hungry and found a place.
It was a little sandwich shop on a whale-watching wharf. All old wood and pots of pansies. Grey skies and water. Mobs of tourists in matching clothes, standing in the middle of sidewalks and shouting in shops.
It looked good, the lobster roll. Was wildly expensive. $15 for a medium roll, no sides. Attractive presentation, with green leaf lettuce and lobster claw meat peeking out. On a buttered, grilled, white roll.
Took a bite. Miracle Whip: gak. Ick. Gag. Spoo. Who would add Miracle Whip to lobster?
Hours later, almost stopped at Red's Eats in Wiscasset. Too much traffic: couldn't stop. Too many Rte 1 summer traffic jams.
Will continue the search.
Had one today in Boothbay Harbor. It was a warm, drizzly, muggy day. I wandered in parks and towns for hours. Got hungry and found a place.
It was a little sandwich shop on a whale-watching wharf. All old wood and pots of pansies. Grey skies and water. Mobs of tourists in matching clothes, standing in the middle of sidewalks and shouting in shops.
It looked good, the lobster roll. Was wildly expensive. $15 for a medium roll, no sides. Attractive presentation, with green leaf lettuce and lobster claw meat peeking out. On a buttered, grilled, white roll.
Took a bite. Miracle Whip: gak. Ick. Gag. Spoo. Who would add Miracle Whip to lobster?
Hours later, almost stopped at Red's Eats in Wiscasset. Too much traffic: couldn't stop. Too many Rte 1 summer traffic jams.
Will continue the search.
June 29, 2013
Maine
I love it here. I love the population density (low), the mix of people, my family and friends. I love the sandy beaches, cold ponds and ocean, mountains, blueberries, rhubarb, and lobster. Sunny summer days and glorious colorful fall. I like snow and cold: skiing and snowshoeing. Maine.
fireworks
Warm night. Starry sky.
Garden full of lightning bugs.
Quiet fireworks.
Garden full of lightning bugs.
Quiet fireworks.
colours
in the garden undulate in waves of green and red.
There are peonies, Persian daisies, pansies, petunias, calendula, grass, hibiscus, burning bush, Japanese maple, money bush, red maple, cedar, juniper, bushes I don't know the name of, lilac, marigold, phlox, and morning glories. Then the back forty (feet): pumpkin, potato, sweet annie, sunflowers, summer squash, cukes, carrots, beets, cilantro, kale, green beans, peas, raspberries, blueberries, rhododendrons, cedar, nasturtiums, red leaf lettuce, peppers, crabapple tree, and zucchini. Green, red, purple, yellow, orange, fuchsia, and pink.
Brown, red, yellow, orange, grey, and white. Birds zoom through: sparrows, cardinals, goldfinches, and robins. Pigeons circle. Seagulls soar.
Colour, sound, and good energy.
There are peonies, Persian daisies, pansies, petunias, calendula, grass, hibiscus, burning bush, Japanese maple, money bush, red maple, cedar, juniper, bushes I don't know the name of, lilac, marigold, phlox, and morning glories. Then the back forty (feet): pumpkin, potato, sweet annie, sunflowers, summer squash, cukes, carrots, beets, cilantro, kale, green beans, peas, raspberries, blueberries, rhododendrons, cedar, nasturtiums, red leaf lettuce, peppers, crabapple tree, and zucchini. Green, red, purple, yellow, orange, fuchsia, and pink.
Brown, red, yellow, orange, grey, and white. Birds zoom through: sparrows, cardinals, goldfinches, and robins. Pigeons circle. Seagulls soar.
Colour, sound, and good energy.
and now the weather
It rained all week. Mostly a heavy mist or light drizzle. Sometimes dumploads of water with fierce winds. Thunder and lightning.
Mushrooms sprouted all over the lawn and garden. The lawn was like a marsh; water squished up over my toes when I walked around back there. Slug paradise. Except for the coffee grounds I sprinkled around the lettuce, spinach, and sunflowers. Slugs don't care for coffee.
This morning I walked in the mist and took pictures of wet leaves. The forecast was: several more days of rain with chance of thunderstorms and more mushrooms. More mist, drizzle, and damp.
Instead, the clouds lightened and brightened. I could see shadows. The clouds parted to reveal blue sky and shafts of light. Was it real? Would it last? I looked to the west. Most of our weather comes from the west. The west looked good, with one suspiciously sick gray cloud. Should I mow the lawn?
I headed to the beach. A pond beach, not the ocean. My pond beach is 15 minutes away, the ocean at least 30.
4:30 pm. The parking lot was mostly empty, the beach too. I plopped my chair into the sand and dropped into it. Got out a good book, Anita Shreve.
There were a few small quiet families. Just one family at my end of the beach. Several more on the bigger section. Nearly deserted.
The water was blue, pine trees dramatically green, and the sun was hot. I waded in up to my waist and then dove under. Cold. I swam hard for a bit, then paddled around, enjoying the cold acidic water. Pine needles floated on the surface. On the sandy bottom I could see something that looked like a cluster of mouse droppings. Fish eggs? Frog?
I don't know. Is our pond water usually acidic or alkaline? I think of tannic acid of oak leaves. Acidic. but what about pine needles? Is a piney pond acidic or alkaline? And it's Poland water. In the town of Poland, you know, like Poland Spring water. This pond is just a few miles from the original spring. I swim in Poland Spring water.
I didn't see any loons today. No eagles. Just seagulls. Rats of the ocean, according to Anita Shreve.
Anyway. After a week of rain I went to the beach. The sky was blue. Clouds and people were rare. The water was cold and refreshing. The sun was hot but there was a breeze. I had a good book. Peace, bliss.
Hope your day was just as surprising and rewarding, dear reader.
Mushrooms sprouted all over the lawn and garden. The lawn was like a marsh; water squished up over my toes when I walked around back there. Slug paradise. Except for the coffee grounds I sprinkled around the lettuce, spinach, and sunflowers. Slugs don't care for coffee.
This morning I walked in the mist and took pictures of wet leaves. The forecast was: several more days of rain with chance of thunderstorms and more mushrooms. More mist, drizzle, and damp.
Instead, the clouds lightened and brightened. I could see shadows. The clouds parted to reveal blue sky and shafts of light. Was it real? Would it last? I looked to the west. Most of our weather comes from the west. The west looked good, with one suspiciously sick gray cloud. Should I mow the lawn?
I headed to the beach. A pond beach, not the ocean. My pond beach is 15 minutes away, the ocean at least 30.
4:30 pm. The parking lot was mostly empty, the beach too. I plopped my chair into the sand and dropped into it. Got out a good book, Anita Shreve.
There were a few small quiet families. Just one family at my end of the beach. Several more on the bigger section. Nearly deserted.
The water was blue, pine trees dramatically green, and the sun was hot. I waded in up to my waist and then dove under. Cold. I swam hard for a bit, then paddled around, enjoying the cold acidic water. Pine needles floated on the surface. On the sandy bottom I could see something that looked like a cluster of mouse droppings. Fish eggs? Frog?
I don't know. Is our pond water usually acidic or alkaline? I think of tannic acid of oak leaves. Acidic. but what about pine needles? Is a piney pond acidic or alkaline? And it's Poland water. In the town of Poland, you know, like Poland Spring water. This pond is just a few miles from the original spring. I swim in Poland Spring water.
I didn't see any loons today. No eagles. Just seagulls. Rats of the ocean, according to Anita Shreve.
Anyway. After a week of rain I went to the beach. The sky was blue. Clouds and people were rare. The water was cold and refreshing. The sun was hot but there was a breeze. I had a good book. Peace, bliss.
Hope your day was just as surprising and rewarding, dear reader.
I bought a car
We did a little negotiating, the salesman Paul and I. We laughed a lot. I talked to the money guy and got a loan, 1.4% interest. I traded in the van for $500.
Drove off in my new (used) small SUV. Black exterior, grey interior. It's zippy. It has AC and a radio. It has room to haul bales of hay.
Drove off in my new (used) small SUV. Black exterior, grey interior. It's zippy. It has AC and a radio. It has room to haul bales of hay.
test drive
Well, used. New to me.
Like I said, I studied up online. But I was still nervous. I told everyone I saw that I might buy a car. I got lots of advice, which was great.
I'm teaching a class this summer. One of my students said, "I sold cars for 7 years. This is what you want to do..." Awesome! She gave me tons of detailed advice, and talked me through it every step of the way. I even called her from the dealership a couple of times. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
I put hay between my garden rows, so need to haul hay. I need air conditioning and a radio. Just about any color but red. No maroon, I detest that color.
I drove around car lots and took notes on make/model/mileage/ and price. I checked out the vibe of each car place. I talked briefly with salesmen. I looked at trucks and vans, but decided on a small SUV. After hours of car lot and online research I found the make & model I wanted.
Now, which car place?
Remember Jim, the dishwasher? He owns a big car lot and I went there. The salesman, Paul, was nice. I liked and trusted him right away. They had the make/model I wanted. It had 49,400 miles on it, and was a reasonable price.
I took the car to my dear mechanic. He checked it out: took it for a test drive, put it up on the rack, and looked under the hood. On the test drive he told me about his bladder infection and medical treatment for same.
The mechanic wouldn't take any money! "I do this for all my customers," he said.
Like I said, I studied up online. But I was still nervous. I told everyone I saw that I might buy a car. I got lots of advice, which was great.
I'm teaching a class this summer. One of my students said, "I sold cars for 7 years. This is what you want to do..." Awesome! She gave me tons of detailed advice, and talked me through it every step of the way. I even called her from the dealership a couple of times. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
I put hay between my garden rows, so need to haul hay. I need air conditioning and a radio. Just about any color but red. No maroon, I detest that color.
I drove around car lots and took notes on make/model/mileage/ and price. I checked out the vibe of each car place. I talked briefly with salesmen. I looked at trucks and vans, but decided on a small SUV. After hours of car lot and online research I found the make & model I wanted.
Now, which car place?
Remember Jim, the dishwasher? He owns a big car lot and I went there. The salesman, Paul, was nice. I liked and trusted him right away. They had the make/model I wanted. It had 49,400 miles on it, and was a reasonable price.
I took the car to my dear mechanic. He checked it out: took it for a test drive, put it up on the rack, and looked under the hood. On the test drive he told me about his bladder infection and medical treatment for same.
The mechanic wouldn't take any money! "I do this for all my customers," he said.
