Vicki Lane's Blog, page 524

Summer's Sandwich

Plum tomatoes -- Romas and San Marzanos have been ripening for several weeks now. And they've found their way into salads and sandwiches where they've been a welcome addition. But really, plum tomatoes are meant for canning or roasting or cooking into sauce. They're not what we call a 'eating tomato.' 

Now however, the true eating tomatoes are coming in -- Brandywine, Cherokee Purple, Red Zebra . . . I have about twenty of these and some I can't identify. Claui gave me a unlabeled mixed assortment of little plants and I'm enjoying seeing what shows up.
Yesterday I enjoyed my first tomato sandwich of the season. When these big beauties ripen, a tomato sandwich is mandatory .

Bread, mayonnaise, thick slices of a good eating tomato (I used Cherokee Purple and Brandywine) and some salt.  That's all. It should be goopy -- some people eat their mater sandwiches while leaning over the sink. 

The bread should be sliced white loaf bread. Some swear by Wonder bread or its equivalent. I prefer homemade but in view of the heat, bought some  sliced country white from the grocery deli. You want soft bread so the juice of the tomato and the mayo can soak in a bit.
 

I have heard some loose talk to the effect that Duke's mayo is the only choice for a proper Southern sandwich  -- to which I say, not so! My very Southern family always used Hellman's or, on special occasions, homemade mayonnaise. I am addicted to homemade mayonnaise -- so that's what I use -- lemony, a little sweet, a little spicy (I put cayenne pepper in my recipe) -- it's perfect, if I do say so myself.

Plain salt, or salt and pepper, or Jane's Krazy salt are the final touch. 


A gift of the summer heat that can make a body want to shout, like the old man at the joyous climax of a fiddle tune, "O Lord, why's Man born to die?"

Xena, Clover, Chix, and Big Red

If You Can't Take the Heat. . .

A canning house was once a common addition to farms around here -- a way to keep the heat of canning (often on a wood stove) out of the house during the summer.  This fine example, which sits across the street from our driveway, even has a cellar to store the canned goods.

I don't have a canning house -- and I really don't want to use a wood stove in this summer heat.  But the kitchen still get horribly hot, even with the gas range, even with a fan going.

John to the rescue! He suggested that I move operations to the back porch. And with the help of this one-burner cooker, I canned tomatoes today. 

Forty-five minutes of a boiling canner and several hours of cool down for the jars afterward -- all done outside!  

This is the way to go!
 

Silent...Steamy...Sweaty...

### ###

DuPont Falls ... Good News

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.  (Margaret Mead) DuPont State Forest (North Carolina,)  located between Hendersonville and Brevard, is 10,400 acres of beautiful hardwood forest and numerous spectacular waterfalls, open to the public because a few concerned people made it happen.

On Tuesday I visited High Falls and Triple Falls with one of those folks responsible for keeping this treasure public.
Before it was a state forest, most of the land belonged to DuPont Industries which had a huge plant there. During this time, DuPont maintained the forest as a recreational site for its employees and people in the area.  


But by 2002, the plant was closed. A developer bought a large tract of the land, including the falls, planning to turn these natural wonders into selling points for a gated community. Local residents who had all their lives enjoyed access to the pristine beauty of the falls were told that that the forest would no longer be open to the public.  Nineteen of those residents decided to fight against this and formed The Friends of the Falls.
My friend Aleen Steinberg was one of this intrepid group. (Aleen is also one of the driving forces behind Muddy Sneakers -- the nature education program I blogged about HERE.)
Aleen and the Friends of the Falls staged a homegrown PR campaign, targeting civic groups, Scouts, hunters and fishermen, nature lovers, the Audubon Society, anyone who might have an interest in keeping the falls open to the public.  They sent over 4,000 emails and letters to the governor's office. "Our rallying cry was 'Save it for the people, not the privileged few,'" Aleen told me. 
The Friends worked tirelessly and at last the state condemned the land and settled with the developer to purchase his original tract. So it was that because of the work of this small group of thoughtful, committed citizens, I was able to see for myself the beauty of High Falls and Triple Falls -- in the company of any number of happy hikers and nature lovers. After the feeling of frustration I've been experiencing during the past weeks, a visit to DuPont Forest was a wonderful reminder that now and then government can get it right -- when we, the people, keep after them.
Thanks, Aleen, not just for the great picnic and the pleasant company, but for the example you set!

Dispatches from the Ship of Fools

  In an effort not to ruin your day with a rant, I'll share some (rather hilarious) proof that it's not just the government that is a pack of idiots.  The following quotes were in response to a 'Dilbert Quotes' contest in which people submitted actual quotes from real-life bosses and mangers.  These are the winners:

'As of tomorrow, employees will only be able to access the building using individual security cards. Pictures will be taken next Wednesday, and employees will receive their cards in two weeks.' (This was the winning quote from Fred Dales, Microsoft Corp,)

'What I need is an exact list of specific unknown problems we might encounter.'  (Lykes Lines Shipping)

'E-mail is not to be used to pass on information or data. It should be used only for company business.' (Accounting manager, Electric Boat Company)

'This project is so important we can't let things that are more important interfere with it.' (Advertising/Marketing manager, United Parcel Service)

'Doing it right is no excuse for not meeting the schedule.' (Plant manager, Delco Corporation)

'No one will believe you solved this problem in one day! We've been working on it for months. Now go act busy for a few weeks and I'll let you know when it's time to tell them.' (R&D supervisor, Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing/ 3M Corp)

Quote from the boss: 'Teamwork is a lot of people doing what I say.' (Marketing executive, Citrix Corporation)

My sister passed away and her funeral was scheduled for Monday. When I told my boss, he said she died on purpose so that I would have to miss work on the busiest day of the year. He then asked if we could change her burial to Friday. He said, 'That would be better for me.' (Shipping executive, FTD Florists)

'We know that communication is a problem, but the company is not going to discuss it with the employees.' (Switching supervisor, AT&T Long Lines Division)

Ship of Fools

During these past weeks, the medieval allegory of the Ship of Fools has come to my mind more than once.  This first image, by Hieronymus Bosch (c. 1490-1500)  is so well described by the Web Museum that I'm just going to quote:

"In The Ship of Fools Bosch is imagining that the whole of mankind is voyaging through the seas of time on a ship, a small ship, that is representative of humanity. Sadly, every one of the representatives is a fool. This is how we live, says Bosch--we eat, drink, flirt, cheat, play silly games, pursue unattainable objectives. Meanwhile our ship drifts aimlessly and we never reach the harbor. "The fools are not the irreligious, since prominent among them are a monk and a nun, but they are all those who live ``in stupidity''. Bosch laughs, and it is sad laugh. Which one of us does not sail in the wretched discomfort of the ship of human folly?

"Eccentric and secret genius that he was, Bosch not only moved the heart but scandalized it into full awareness. The sinister and monstrous things that he brought forth are the hidden creatures of our inward self-love: he externalizes the ugliness within, and so his misshapen demons have an effect beyond curiosity. We feel a hateful kinship with them. The Ship of Fools is not about other people, it is about us."

The New Cover At Last

So, here it is at last! The new cover for the now-to-be-in-trade-paperback Under the Skin - the fifth in the Elizabeth Goodweather series, coming to a store (real or virtual) near you on October 18.

What do you all think of it?  Some interesting changes have been made from the cover originally planned for the mass market edition (which They decided not to do.)

I'm delighted with the mountain background and the  colors that are very different from my previous book. The overall blueness of the first cover proposed looked a lot like the cover for my last book -- a little too easy to confuse the two. And I'm thrilled that they got rid of that Full Circle Farm Mystery tag which none of the previous books carry. The two women on the cover kind of stopped me at first -- they don't look anything like my idea of Elizabeth and  her sister Gloria -- whose story this is. But they do suggest two women with 'issues' -- which is very much the heart of the book.
I'm pretty sure that what's in play here with the choice of this cover is that my editor and the team at Random House are trying to find a wider audience for my books. This cover looks far more like Women's Fiction than Crime Fiction -- and Women's Fiction is a huge market. Plus, the mention of the Anthony nomination and the comparison to Sharyn McCrumb will tip off mystery readers that this is part of the mystery genre -- even without using the word mystery on the cover.
Perhaps the cover is a little too feminine to make a guy want to pick it up -- and I do have some male readers.  But they could always conceal the book behind a protective covering of Field and Stream Magazine -- or read it as an e-book.
The italicized the still bothers me a little -- it looks interesting but it makes me want to read the title as Under THE Skin -- which make no sense. 
But, in spite of all this petty carping,  I'm very happy with the new cover -- and hope it will make lots of folks want to buy the book.  That, in the long run, is the purpose of the cover.

FUBAR

F***ed Up Beyond All Recognition -- a good old military acronym that pretty well describes the state of the US government at this point. I swear, our biddies have more sense than some of the partisan ideologues wasting our time and endangering our future just now.

As one of my friends recently said on Facebook, "Some days you just don't have enough middle fingers."
Here's a suggestion that might help our Congress to focus. I received it as an email yesterday. If you feel inclined to pass it along, please do.

 
The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified!  Why?  Simple!  The people demanded
it.  That was in 1971...before computers, before e-mail, before cell
phones, etc.
           
Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less
to become the law of the land... all because of public pressure.
           
I'm asking each addressee to forward this email to a  minimum of twenty
people on their address  list OR MORE;  in turn ask each of those to do  likewise.
           
In three days, most people in The United States of  America  will have the message.  This is one idea that really should be passed around.
             
Congressional Reform Act of 2011
           
1.    No Tenure / No Pension.
 
A  Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when
they are out of office.
           
2.   Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social  Security.
 
All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security
system immediately.  All future funds flow into the Social Security
system, and  Congress participates with the American  people.  It may not be
used for any other  purpose.
           
3.  Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans
do.
           
4.  Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise.  Congressional
pay will rise by the  lower of CPI or 3%.
           
5.  Congress loses their current health care system and participates in
the same health care system  as the American people.
 
6.  Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American
people.
           
7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective
1/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen.
Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves.   Serving in Congress
is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen
legislators, so ours should serve their term(s),  then go home and back to work.
           
If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take
three days for most  people (in the  U.S. ) to receive the  message.  Maybe
it is time.
            THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!!!!! 

(Well, it sounds like a start...)   
              

Tyger, Tyger, Tiger Swallowtail

THE TYGER (from Songs Of Experience) By William Blake Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare sieze the fire?
And what shoulder, & what art.
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?
What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?
When the stars threw down their spears,
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
1794