Friday, February 7, 2025

Misfits and the prequel

Thursday food, before the grocery delivery, is sometimes a bit inventive, cooking what's there.

Today's need of comfort food, because we have wintry mix outside - ice, rain, sleet -- led me to use the last of the tuna, and spaghetti. 

I made a tuna cheese pasta casserole. No noodles, so spaghetti stood in. And the last of the feta on top. This made four meals, and here's one 

Just right today. Then Haleem arrived with the Misfits.


They responsibly take away their cooler bags, bubble wrap and ice blocks for reuse and recycling, as seen here on the step.




The golden apples are Opal, new to me, and available because storms caused bruising on the tree. I tried one for dessert, crisp, juicy, sweet enough for my taste, definitely worth the price.

The Odds and Ends candy is my idea of a wintry mix.  The halibut is a rare treat, the odd pieces making it cheaper than bigger cuts, and the broccoli will go with.  The miso tofu will be in a Yeung Man Cooking recipe in a few days' time.  Berries with yogurt are desserts till finished. All planned with room for detours.


Elsewhere I've been reading about home music recitals, with professional musicians playing for an invited group in a house. It's how chamber music originated, and I still think it's the best form. Away with bombastic orchestras in huge halls, dramatic effects and overdoing. That's a nineteenth century invention, and, like spinach, I say the hell with it. Or the halibut.

Around here there are several people who have recitals like this at home, some so popular that the local authorities had to warn that family homes are not built with the load bearing ability of public buildings. 

You can't stuff all the people that fit into your living room without risking tearing the floor away from the wall and maybe into the basement. This hadn't occurred to me, I admit.  

One local hoa limited guests to 45, which tells you how many they must have squeezed in before then. Of course there's ticketing and paying the performer to count in. I don't know what they do about insurance. But I bet the music's lovely.

Happy day everyone, and today I got responses from several elected officials including Senator Kim who assured me that despite his vote he would fight Noem on issues. 

He sounded as if he'd got a lot of pushback and was realizing he was in fact answerable. Good. Got his attention. Or his staffer's. Same with various other officials. I always ask for a response, just to ensure my message was at least logged in.

And today I sent messages high low and in between supporting NJ ACLUs push on the Immigrant Trust Act, to ensure that immigrants and their data be protected from Federal incursions. Sent it to Handsome Son, too, so he can do likewise if he chooses. Cute winter boots trotting along.

Happy day everyone, find a new fruit to try, your mouth will thank you, once it's able to again.

This afternoon some protest knitting and maybe weaving. And here's the current reading from the wisest of sages 

And late breaking news: another leaking valve upstairs, Gary came to check, will work on it tomorrow. I have to reschedule the cleaning family. 

Lucky in two ways: I was right there when the leak started, so it didn't get to the downstairs ceiling this time,  and Gary leaves for two weeks on Saturday.  He'll see to it tomorrow.  We hope. Otherwise it's the plumber at weekend rates..

Good thing I have comfort food and candy..


 



38 comments:

  1. Your late-breaking news was good timing, if it had to happen. Hope Gary can take care of it Friday!

    I can just picture chamber players and audience tumbling en masse into the basement. That would be unfortunate. Some restrictions are necessary.

    Enjoy Serviceberry (my favorite shrub!) and please report back. I haven't got my hands on a copy yet.

    Keep holding your politicians' feet to the fire. I hand-delivered a letter to one of my no good senators today. Found out they no longer let people come into the office without an appointment. I pushed a button that had a sign saying "Need assistance?", and a disembodied voice answered. I said I wanted to hand-deliver a letter. The voice said "Just push it under the door; we'll make sure to get it to him". It was VERY weird. I did, not holding my breath. I suspect they're afraid of their gun-totin' constituents.

    I spent the evening providing written testimony to our state legislature about their attempt once again to invalidate our citizen initiative right - this time with a constitutional amendment. Sigh.

    On a brighter note - your Misfits inventory looks scrumptious!

    Chris from Boise

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    1. Thank you for doing all the work a dot of blue in a red state has to do! It's endless and hard, and your cute winter boots are getting a workout.

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  2. I hope Gary can stop the leak and save you the cost of a plumber.

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    1. I do, too. Good thing I have multiple toilets -- now two of them are out of order. The downstairs one runs endlessly unless I switch off the valve, not easy to reach.

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  3. I’ve attended two house concerts of the Celtic fiddling type. They were enjoyable. It certainly wasn’t esoteric chamber music, and it worked for me.

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    1. House concerts are fun, whatever the music.

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  4. Yes, the halibut (both meanings). That misfits box looks like a treasure chest. I once had an Opal apple and I loved it. Just the type I like. Crisp, juicy, sweet. SG prefers Granny Smiths. Glad you were there at the start of that leak. Has your condo reached that age? Our apartment has.

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    1. These buildings are over 30 years old, and the plumbing is the weak area, despite all the repairs I've done. There's always something ready to spring a leak.
      For me Granny Smith's are for cooking, too tart raw. Likewise every apple with crisp in its name.

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  5. You are so lucky to have a helpful Gary next door. Glad you caught that leak before it leaked too much!

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  6. Your first sentence captured my attention. It’s what we’ve been doing, postponing shopping until absolutely essential. It makes an interesting menu, using up what’s left! I enjoy it!

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  7. We went to a home recital in Birmingham years ago. The organiser hired a grand piano and someone well-known, whose name I now cannot remember, played for us. There were only about a dozen of us. Birmingham University was a lively institution.

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    1. That was a small audience for an elaborate setup!

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  8. In the past I've been to a couple of "house concerts" featuring local folksingers. Yes, you're "up close and personal" with the performers, but I disliked the packed-in-cheek-by-jowl seating arrangements. The most snugly intimate place I've seen chamber music performed was a small group (including a harpsichord) that played a recital at a gay bar one Sunday afternoon during Pride month.

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    1. That bar concert sounds the best. I'm not fond of the sardine effect myself.

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  9. Sounds like you're in for a yummy weekend with all those goodies.

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  10. Now you have me wanting to try Opal apples because I like them crisp. I can't stomach MacIntosh because they're simply too soggy for my taste.
    House concerts sound like fun but not for me because I don't like being in crowded situations (and covid made that feeling worse).
    Hope Gary has success fixing the latest leak. I keep expecting something here to start leaking because our building is over 50 years old and it's bound to start sometime.
    Snowing like crazy here again this morning...sigh.

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    1. If you can find Opal, they're very good. I don't like Macintosh either, no bite.
      I don't know if the house concerts came back after lockdown other than one very long running one I hear about once in a while.

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  11. House concerts are quite popular, I think. I know several musicians who have done them.
    Okay. Halibut is another fish I've never knowingly eaten. Let us know how it is.

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    1. I love halibut, ocean fish, very sweet and firm. But it's wildly expensive, so this was a good chance. I'll poach it in milk.

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  12. I had season tickets to the Saint Paul Chamber orchestra when I lived there. I love that music. Itzhak Perlman was the music director one year. He brought in Isaac Stern and Yo-Yo Ma. It was a wonderful year. I have never been to an in home recital. You will have another good week of food ahead of you. Hopefully it will be Gary to the rescue.

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    1. St Paul chamber orchestra is wonderful. Their concerts used to be broadcast on public radio. Great directors, bringing in world class players.

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  13. Tuna, cheese and pasta. What's not to like? Opal is a new name to me too. They look golden delicious-like.

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    1. They taste better than Golden delicious, crisper.

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  14. So very lucky you were there at the start of the leak!
    Any live music is very different than listening in any other way. :)

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    1. I used to play a lot in recorder and mixed consorts. Playing is even better than listening!

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  15. Your food delivery reminded me I must follow up and find out where I can get all my groceries delivered. It's getting increasingly difficult to wander around in the grocery store, even one of the smaller variety. I don't live close to town, but I understand they may deliver here too. Your involvement in politics is even more important now, thank you.

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    1. I feel obliged to be active in doing my part towards solutions.
      And if you can get reliable grocery delivery, you'll never look back! It saves so much energy.

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  16. Why do leaks always occur out of hours?
    A crisp apple is wonderful thing.

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    1. Always Fridays or weekends, health issues, plumbing, everything,!

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  17. I hope to be able to do that.

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    1. I hope so. It's so lovely knowing you're provided for.

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  18. Not sure tha home music recitals would take off in repopulated rural areas but as we live in single storey houses with no basement and a concrete slab floor sitting on the earth we might be OK on numbers if we ever did try. I'd prefer a summer outdoor (tented for shade) recital in any event. Your meals for one always seem sensational.

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    1. That kind of construction might fo much better. But the houses built over their garage, not so much!

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    2. Except s lot of instruments can't be successfully played outdoors in heat. Strings, eg.

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  19. I must admit, like you, I hadn't thought about the load-bearing capabilities of the average house.

    "The halibut" -- LOL!

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    1. I never realized public buildings have different requirements, either.

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