210614 Tanager Music

 June 14

Drizzly rain today most of the day, we have had only 4 or 5 mm.; it's cooler and very windy, blowing from the south-east, unusual. 

I have a bird app, called BirdNET, which records and analyses bird song for identification. It kept telling me that the whistling I was hearing was a scarlet tanager, which I seriously doubted! This morning I saw him, bright red on the top branch of the Blind Witch. I have heard him singing these three or four days. He is the first scarlet tanager ever, on my bird list. (Which list only exists in my head, unfortunately.) A pair of goldfinches is nesting nearby, I watched one fly to the top of a tree on the ridge today and sit there, a tiny speck of bright lemon,  they have been about for several weeks now. They are common hereabouts. I see them all along the roads when I'm out.The robins' babies are fledged and follow their parents around the lawn begging for food and trying their predator skills. The hummingbird is a regular visitor now. I added a second feeder outside my desk window (the other feeder is outside the window by K's rocker.) (The rocker was here when we arrived and it has become K's chair, and the windowsill, his desk.) Now the hummers come to both feeders frequently for a quick sip. Tim Horton's for hummers. I am, needless to say, thrilled. They are so incredibly tiny, charming and industrious. 

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Sometimes you will want to do work but the will to do it is not there. Then suddenly the wall is down and without any will at all you walk through the chore in a sort of zen state, just do it. Happens to me more and more here. The chores of domestic life often, in a busy family, seem too arduous to even begin, but here, partly because there is time and partly because it is only the homemaking for two and there are no children to draw like sponges on one's reserve of energy. The peace and contentment of this idyllic setting doubtless help! Thursday and Friday I accomplished a dozen small jobs in an unwilled and thought-free state of calm, tidied closets and cupboards, cooked and froze rhubarb from Rain's farm, made a perfect batch of baked beans, served that and other nutritious and delicious meals. I aired and repaired the dresser in K's room so he could start using it to put clothes IN instead of ON it, haha! Next I will tackle the dresser in my room. It smells fine but the drawers stick and don't open. I bought some sandpaper and will soap or beeswax the runners: a plain bar soap like ivory is a great lube for wood. 

Rhubarb from Rain's garden: what is it about food straight from the earth that is so magical? Like manna.

  

Friday night we enjoyed baked beans, asparagus, avocado and tomatoes, arepas with eggs, since I was craving them, even though I hadn't made them (with eggs) before (!) and Quebec strawberries for dessert! 

This week we enjoyed tuna steaks seared, so still raw in the middle, with wasabi and dates. When I saw the steaks at the store they looked so inviting, and I haven't had sashimi since the pandemic began! This was definitely the next best thing. We had them for lunch the day I bought them.

The marinade is so simple, (adapted from bowl of delicious.com recipe): 2 T soy sauce, 1 T maple syrup (adapt from honey), 1/2 t salt, 1/4 t pepper, shakes of cayenne pepper, splash lime juice (my adapt.). Recipe called for oil and sesame oil, but I omitted; also, leave out salt if marinating more than a couple of hours, says the recipe. Sear 2 minutes a side in a hot pan, non-stick or rubbed with oil. Let rest 3 minutes and slice. *

While I was looking for arepas recipes, I came across a Venezuelan chef (The "cookware geek" - what he calls himself - he's on the internet.), who described these corn cakes called cachapas. Having often made corn pancakes and scones I was eager to try these. Love anything corn! The recipe called for mozzarella filling, not in stock in our fridge, so we went with cheddar and brie. Just fold in half around the cheese. So delicious. They would make a great Sunday breakfast!

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On Sunday I had a breakthrough on my mosaic project which will hurry it on to completion. This egg-cup bowl below the rose, had to be set in but required the grout under it to be pre-done. I wrestled with an idea to simply anchor it in the grout, but never having tried that I didn't know if it would take, or end up with smooth grout around it. But I plowed ahead in a flurry of energy and confidence and it worked! So the rest is downhill! I hope the last bit will go fast and soon! I have other projects all around the sills that I am eager to get to.

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This one I started weeks ago, but it's intriguing as it is, and I took a long time searching out second-hand pieces to include, as there are blemishes here and there on the vase, although I hope to leave large spaces uncovered.

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These two assemblages are hopefully percolating; I stop frequently to look at them, try a new broken for colour, take it away again!

 

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There was a music afternoon at Rain and Tal's yesterday, (socially distanced), a handful of musicians, a violinist! several guitars and and a selection of songs that we all seemed to like and that some of us at least knew how to play and sing! I felt like a different person, solely my musical self. There was a shared sense of non-judgment, just loving to make music, in the shade of a tree; songs meandered and blossomed: Jesse Winchester, John Prine, The Beatles, Grateful Dead (I know nothing about this band!), and others new to me. I took my new, new guitar, which I found on Saturday at a garage sale on the road into town. A children's learner, 3/4 size, with case and electric tuner, easy to play and sounding very sweet. Five dollars. WHAT?! Yes! I only asked the price out of curiosity, no idea that I might be able to afford it, and without any need, since I had just replaced my broken 3/4 with one from the friperie. A friend remarked that you can never have too many guitars. Spoken like a true musician! 

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Blackie came to see me just now, while I worked. He has been to the groomer for a good brush and just "a little off the sides". He is friendly, but a bit subdued. I wonder if he misses Fig too, or empathizes with us.

The day is still dark and the wind is picking up. 

Time to go in and put dinner on the table. Broccoli, and arepas with eggs, again! I had half the dough left from Friday - worked perfectly. Fruit for afters. Be well. Thank you for visiting.

Mumma Yaga  

                                                                                                                                  

These are becoming a favorite around here!

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* https://www.bowlofdelicious.com/six-minute-seared-ahi-tuna-steaks/ - provisory note: I have not tried any other recipe from this site, so I can only endorse this one, and only with my own adaptations. Sesame oil might be a nice flavour addition, but I don't stock it. And I seldom cook with oil any more.

** https://thecookwaregeek.com/venezuelan-cachapas-using-canned-corn/ - once again, I quirked the recipe, and this and the arepas here are the only things I've tried yet on this site.