I walk through the door
At end of day
And immediately glance
Out the large bay window
In our kitchen
And inspect the tomatoes
Growing in a hanging pot
From the wooden superstructure
Which hovers over our patio.
I see the green fruit are turning orange,
Reflecting the ceaseless movement of life,
And recognize the promise of sustenance
But at that moment, I also trace
Within that soft, warm touch of comfort
The dark tapestry of generations,
Even an odd wisp of immortality,
Providing sweet memories at the dying of the day.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Summer supper
At the end of the day yesterday, I called Cindy at home and asked her what she and Kate wanted for supper. Cindy informed me that Kate wanted pasta with a lemon sauce, goat cheese and fresh basil. I considered that and Cindy informed me further that Kate was willing to allow us to add to the mix with whatever we wished. I thought that was nice of her and started thinking about other things which could be added. Cindy suggested mushrooms. I was actually thinking about shrimp, but a little dubious of where I could get good shrimp. Most of the grocery stores around here seem to lack a good supply of shrimp these days.
I suggested we could use some of the cherry tomatoes off of our bush. Cindy thought that all sounded pretty good.
So I drove down to Ingles and picked up a lemon, cheese, a bag of salad, some pasta and some mushrooms and a few other items we need around the house.
When I got home, Kate, who had not been feeling very well all day, rallied and took over. Within a few minutes, she had sauted the mushrooms, cooked the pasta, added the lemon sauce and taken the basil which I had picked from our patio garden and added it to the pasta. That evening we had a nice little meal of pasta and vegetables with a salad and I opened a bottle of red wine. It was nice.
After supper, Kate and I drove over to the Jones' house and swam a bit in their pool. Unfortunately, the red wine and my cold got in the way of my swimming and I ran out of steam pretty quickly. It was alright.
That was a nice summer evening.
I suggested we could use some of the cherry tomatoes off of our bush. Cindy thought that all sounded pretty good.
So I drove down to Ingles and picked up a lemon, cheese, a bag of salad, some pasta and some mushrooms and a few other items we need around the house.
When I got home, Kate, who had not been feeling very well all day, rallied and took over. Within a few minutes, she had sauted the mushrooms, cooked the pasta, added the lemon sauce and taken the basil which I had picked from our patio garden and added it to the pasta. That evening we had a nice little meal of pasta and vegetables with a salad and I opened a bottle of red wine. It was nice.
After supper, Kate and I drove over to the Jones' house and swam a bit in their pool. Unfortunately, the red wine and my cold got in the way of my swimming and I ran out of steam pretty quickly. It was alright.
That was a nice summer evening.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Local agriculture
I think I may have mentioned that Cindy and I stopped at the Plant Emporium about a week ago and bought a hanging plant for a friend of Cindy's at Griffin Tech. While we were there we found that they had a wide variety of tomato plants. I found a cherry tomato plant which was in a hanging basket and it was just covered up with tomatoes. Cindy and I looked at it closely and realized that there seemed to be about thirty or forty cherry tomatoes on the plant. When we realized that the cost of the plant was only $10.00, the tomatoes seemed to be a pretty good deal.
Recently, I have been picking the tomatoes off the plant as they turn an orange red color. Right now we have about fifteen on our window, turning a deep shade of red. There are probably about ten on the plant which will need to be picked soon. There are still quite a few green ones which will turn orange soon. There has been a recent salmonella scare in Georgia for some tomatoes which came from Florida. It is good to have some home-grown tomatoes we can use in their stead.
I could use a few extra tomato plants of such healthy status. We could start selling them on the street if we had a few more such plants. So far, the tomatoes we have been able to harvest off our two bushes have been pretty good [meaning they actually taste like something, unlike the grocery store variety].
They are always better than what you get at the grocery store. What I need now are some good Georgia peaches. And some Broadbent's bacon. Maybe I'll make a trip to the Dekalb Farmer's Market.
I would sure like to find some local fruit and vegetables and freeze them.
Recently, I have been picking the tomatoes off the plant as they turn an orange red color. Right now we have about fifteen on our window, turning a deep shade of red. There are probably about ten on the plant which will need to be picked soon. There are still quite a few green ones which will turn orange soon. There has been a recent salmonella scare in Georgia for some tomatoes which came from Florida. It is good to have some home-grown tomatoes we can use in their stead.
I could use a few extra tomato plants of such healthy status. We could start selling them on the street if we had a few more such plants. So far, the tomatoes we have been able to harvest off our two bushes have been pretty good [meaning they actually taste like something, unlike the grocery store variety].
They are always better than what you get at the grocery store. What I need now are some good Georgia peaches. And some Broadbent's bacon. Maybe I'll make a trip to the Dekalb Farmer's Market.
I would sure like to find some local fruit and vegetables and freeze them.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Comedy & Australia
George Carlin died. My introduction to the comedy of George Carlin was a comedy album he put out in the early 70's. The album was full of expletives and talked about his being fired from a job as a comedian for saying certain words which were prohibited at the time. The irony of the routine was the fact that he had been fired from a job in Las Vegas for using words on stage which were being used by gamblers in the casino next door. At the time, George Carlin was doing a routine which used a lot of curse words and drug use references. For a group of young teenagers, that was really hot.
Of course, it was only a few years later that Richard Pryor came on the scene and really stretched the boundaries of this stuff. I know Flip Wilson had a variety show and he was very funny. But then he had Richard Pryor on the show and he took it even further. Of course, in those days, comedy albums were the cutting edge on those routines. That is, if you weren't going to the actual shows of the comedians.
I guess the real place for this stuff is on the internet or in books. Steve Martin, who I saw at the Great Southeast Music Hall, as the underside of a two comedian act with Martin Mull, has become pretty big with books and plays and other assorted things.
Anyway, it is kind of sad when someone like George Carlin passes. In his honor, I would like to say that the weather in Griffin is clear today, followed by scattered darkness. A partial score on the College World Series: Fresno State 4.
That's what I remember. In that regard, my Aunt Meg is still mentally confused about her whereabouts. She still thinks she is in Australia. She "saw" a dead kangaroo on the side of the road. After going to get an MRI, she requested the 'A' book of the encyclopedia so she could look up St. Petersburg, Australia. She is apparently in good health, other than her mental problems. I suppose thinking you are in Australia is not that bad.
Of course, it was only a few years later that Richard Pryor came on the scene and really stretched the boundaries of this stuff. I know Flip Wilson had a variety show and he was very funny. But then he had Richard Pryor on the show and he took it even further. Of course, in those days, comedy albums were the cutting edge on those routines. That is, if you weren't going to the actual shows of the comedians.
I guess the real place for this stuff is on the internet or in books. Steve Martin, who I saw at the Great Southeast Music Hall, as the underside of a two comedian act with Martin Mull, has become pretty big with books and plays and other assorted things.
Anyway, it is kind of sad when someone like George Carlin passes. In his honor, I would like to say that the weather in Griffin is clear today, followed by scattered darkness. A partial score on the College World Series: Fresno State 4.
That's what I remember. In that regard, my Aunt Meg is still mentally confused about her whereabouts. She still thinks she is in Australia. She "saw" a dead kangaroo on the side of the road. After going to get an MRI, she requested the 'A' book of the encyclopedia so she could look up St. Petersburg, Australia. She is apparently in good health, other than her mental problems. I suppose thinking you are in Australia is not that bad.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Defense/Art Piece
There is a white pain at the top of your brain
And your skin prickles with electrical current
And you can barely feel the burn in your legs
And your back as you await the concert clap
As the offense breaks the huddle
And you are staring at the linemen
Trying to burn holes in their helmets
Walking sideways to the line of scrimmage
To your position across from your foe
And the quarterback is yelling drivel
Only the cadence has sense
The rest is nonsense
Until the appointed noise strikes
And suddenly the world is in motion
Swirling around you, a Disney ride
Of motion and grunting and lights
And you are watching the player in front of you
But trying to sort out the leather ball
As they play confidence tricks around you
And there is a river flow of humanity
Swirling up and around and past you
Fox and hounds, fox and hounds
To the bleat, bleat of your heart
And you are caught in the flow
Following the pieces of the ballet
Trying to catch the performance art
In which you might be an important part
Moving with this partner, taking another
Following the brown object which calls the dance
Until the ball is before you, near you
And you are lunging for its shadow
Catching the piece, making sense
Of the swirling dance in which you find yourself,
Until you catch ahold of the dancer
And take him to ground
Like a fox at the hounds
Where the sound of the official's whistle
Blowing in your earpiece
Signals the end of the dance.
And your skin prickles with electrical current
And you can barely feel the burn in your legs
And your back as you await the concert clap
As the offense breaks the huddle
And you are staring at the linemen
Trying to burn holes in their helmets
Walking sideways to the line of scrimmage
To your position across from your foe
And the quarterback is yelling drivel
Only the cadence has sense
The rest is nonsense
Until the appointed noise strikes
And suddenly the world is in motion
Swirling around you, a Disney ride
Of motion and grunting and lights
And you are watching the player in front of you
But trying to sort out the leather ball
As they play confidence tricks around you
And there is a river flow of humanity
Swirling up and around and past you
Fox and hounds, fox and hounds
To the bleat, bleat of your heart
And you are caught in the flow
Following the pieces of the ballet
Trying to catch the performance art
In which you might be an important part
Moving with this partner, taking another
Following the brown object which calls the dance
Until the ball is before you, near you
And you are lunging for its shadow
Catching the piece, making sense
Of the swirling dance in which you find yourself,
Until you catch ahold of the dancer
And take him to ground
Like a fox at the hounds
Where the sound of the official's whistle
Blowing in your earpiece
Signals the end of the dance.
Filling the page
Given my most recent posting, I bet you are wondering how I choose the topics upon which I write. Me too. I know Cindy always wonders how my mind works. I do too, sometimes. One of the idiocyncracies I have is a habit of talking out conversations in my brain. Commonly, I think out dialogues in my brain, thinking out scenes and what not. Sometimes, the dialogues become so real that I just start speaking them out.
When this happens, people around me will wonder what I am talking about or to whom I am speaking. I guess most people are polite enough to refrain from asking me what I am talking about. Cindy has a tendency to ask me what I was saying. Often the answer is just some little scene I am speaking out in my mind, which won't amount to anything.
Its just something I do from time to time.
I was reading about some compilations of writings by Hemingway. One is his writings on fishing. The other is his writings on hunting. I remember rereading "The Sun Also Rises" a couple of years ago. The first time I read it was in high school, and I remember being somewhat bored by the plot. I am not sure I made it through the book. This time, however, I finished the book. I remember thinking that the story really didn't take off until the main character and his buddies go to Spain to go fishing. That is when the description really takes off. I get the impression that Hemingway was good at it because it was something he really liked.
I guess that is understandable. He would be better at something he really liked to write about. Perhaps that is why my writings about the farm seem to be better than some of my other writing. I get the impression, when I write these things, that sometimes I am just trying to fill up the page. You might be thinking that right now.
Then I will go on to something else.
When this happens, people around me will wonder what I am talking about or to whom I am speaking. I guess most people are polite enough to refrain from asking me what I am talking about. Cindy has a tendency to ask me what I was saying. Often the answer is just some little scene I am speaking out in my mind, which won't amount to anything.
Its just something I do from time to time.
I was reading about some compilations of writings by Hemingway. One is his writings on fishing. The other is his writings on hunting. I remember rereading "The Sun Also Rises" a couple of years ago. The first time I read it was in high school, and I remember being somewhat bored by the plot. I am not sure I made it through the book. This time, however, I finished the book. I remember thinking that the story really didn't take off until the main character and his buddies go to Spain to go fishing. That is when the description really takes off. I get the impression that Hemingway was good at it because it was something he really liked.
I guess that is understandable. He would be better at something he really liked to write about. Perhaps that is why my writings about the farm seem to be better than some of my other writing. I get the impression, when I write these things, that sometimes I am just trying to fill up the page. You might be thinking that right now.
Then I will go on to something else.
Groceries and Supermarkets
I went to the local Kroger store to buy some groceries and renew a prescription for Cindy and me. Our Kroger is getting rather tattered around the edges. They had no green onions. I couldn't imagine why they didn't have green onions. Some of the shelves were bare of certain items. I was kind of sad. They used to be the best grocery in Griffin.
They are not tattered around the edges like Piggly Wiggly. Piggly Wiggly is old school. Sure the lights seem a little dim. The produce seems a little worn for the ware. But at a Piggly Wiggly you find all sorts of variety on the shelves. It has a small town feel about it. And seems to include a lot of brands you don't find everywhere else.
This holds true particularly when you go to the beach. I love beach-side Piggly Wigglys. The Piggly Wiggly in Apalachicola is superb. And they smoke meats on the weekend. The Piggly Wiggly in Darien is cool as well. They even had sushi in their fish cooler. Imagine.
Anyway, I went to the pharmacy and most of the customers seemed to be elderly people buying a whole bushel of drugs. Their grocery carts blocked the line for pharmaceuticals. There was someone there who bore the appearance of an alcoholic or meth addict, trying to get blood pressure medicine. I guess if you are a meth addict, you need your blood pressure medicine to counteract the effect of the meth.
Supermarket chains are interesting to me. Publix is probably the cleanest and best stocked of the bunch around here, although I really like the ones in Florida better. Krogers used to be the best around here for a long time, but it seems like they have fallen by the wayside a bit. Ingles is getting bigger around here and I seem to shop more in there these days. Mainly because they are cheaper than our Piggly Wiggly and because it is the next closest of the supermarkets.
The configuration of the entrances into Ingles is a civil engineer's nightmare. U.S. 19 expands to four lanes at the same time the entrance from 19/41 takes a right turn into U.S. 19 at the same time you arrive at the first entrance to Ingles. The configuration of the traffic lanes at the intersection is as confusing as that sentence. As you drive south on 19, you have to look over your right shoulder and make sure no traffic is blitzing down from 41 on to 19. You have to drive relatively slowly and carefully, which is counterintuitive since you are driving in response to a green traffic light and traveling on a highway which is expanding from two lanes to four. If you are careful and don't veer into the path of an oncoming car or hit a car in front of you, you can work your way into the lane of traffic which enters into the Ingles parking lot. Every time I drive to Ingles I think about this. It is a continuous opportunity for disaster.
We used to have a Winn Dixie's in Griffin, but it is long gone. Winn Dixie's used to be a good chain, but they fell by the wayside as well. Apparently, the best grocery store in Griffin in the old days was an A&P. So I have heard. I don't think I ever saw an A&P since the one that used to be Clarksville. We used to shop at one in Indianapolis when I was a boy.
Well, that is enough about grocery stores. I need to go on to more important things at this point.
They are not tattered around the edges like Piggly Wiggly. Piggly Wiggly is old school. Sure the lights seem a little dim. The produce seems a little worn for the ware. But at a Piggly Wiggly you find all sorts of variety on the shelves. It has a small town feel about it. And seems to include a lot of brands you don't find everywhere else.
This holds true particularly when you go to the beach. I love beach-side Piggly Wigglys. The Piggly Wiggly in Apalachicola is superb. And they smoke meats on the weekend. The Piggly Wiggly in Darien is cool as well. They even had sushi in their fish cooler. Imagine.
Anyway, I went to the pharmacy and most of the customers seemed to be elderly people buying a whole bushel of drugs. Their grocery carts blocked the line for pharmaceuticals. There was someone there who bore the appearance of an alcoholic or meth addict, trying to get blood pressure medicine. I guess if you are a meth addict, you need your blood pressure medicine to counteract the effect of the meth.
Supermarket chains are interesting to me. Publix is probably the cleanest and best stocked of the bunch around here, although I really like the ones in Florida better. Krogers used to be the best around here for a long time, but it seems like they have fallen by the wayside a bit. Ingles is getting bigger around here and I seem to shop more in there these days. Mainly because they are cheaper than our Piggly Wiggly and because it is the next closest of the supermarkets.
The configuration of the entrances into Ingles is a civil engineer's nightmare. U.S. 19 expands to four lanes at the same time the entrance from 19/41 takes a right turn into U.S. 19 at the same time you arrive at the first entrance to Ingles. The configuration of the traffic lanes at the intersection is as confusing as that sentence. As you drive south on 19, you have to look over your right shoulder and make sure no traffic is blitzing down from 41 on to 19. You have to drive relatively slowly and carefully, which is counterintuitive since you are driving in response to a green traffic light and traveling on a highway which is expanding from two lanes to four. If you are careful and don't veer into the path of an oncoming car or hit a car in front of you, you can work your way into the lane of traffic which enters into the Ingles parking lot. Every time I drive to Ingles I think about this. It is a continuous opportunity for disaster.
We used to have a Winn Dixie's in Griffin, but it is long gone. Winn Dixie's used to be a good chain, but they fell by the wayside as well. Apparently, the best grocery store in Griffin in the old days was an A&P. So I have heard. I don't think I ever saw an A&P since the one that used to be Clarksville. We used to shop at one in Indianapolis when I was a boy.
Well, that is enough about grocery stores. I need to go on to more important things at this point.
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