kochleffel

Rabbit, rabbit, white rabbit. Also ribbet, ribbet, white frog, just in case. Today I need to deal with grocery shopping, laundry, and yard work. It's also time to plant lettuce seeds and peas. In theory it would have been better to plant them earlier, but I've found that when I do, they don't germinate until now, if at all. For those with doodler dogs:

The pesto chicken would be OK but I couldn't make it at home. I remember a bizarre train journey, Indianapolis to Washington, D.C., in the 1970s, that ran five hours late. My car had a group of Marines--looking too young to drink--returning to Camp Lejeune who guzzled so much rum and Coke that the bar ran out of rum. For the wine, Ravines Wine Cellers Le Petit Caporal 2020 even though it's $34.95. I spent several days in Juneau in 2021 during a non-cruise (Alaska Marine Highway System). It rained almost all the time so I have no pictures. The best part was an all-day trip to Tracy Arm Fjord with Adventure Bound that wouldn't fit into most port calls.

Not too long ago, police horses made a break for it on I-90 in Cleveland, unfortunately heading in the opposite direction to traffic. But they were domesticated, trained horses, and they just went back to their stable. A while ago on a show on Animal Planet, an equine veterinarian was called to treat a zebra, and compared it to treating a wild horse.

Meanwhile, there's a report about runaway zebras on I-90 in Washington. https://wapo.st/4bhvaeh

Just noticed that, in my haste to take the trash and recycling out, I skipped taking my blood-pressure medicine. I'm not awake enough in the morning to remember whether I took it or not, but I turn the bottles on their sides in the evening and turn them upright when I've taken it.

Definitely in favor of animal advocacy but troubled by the information that Beltane spans April 31-May 1. I didn't enjoy April enough to want an extra day of it. I would probably like the fried cauliflower but I don't agree that cauliflower tastes buttery. Pass on the drink; I might be under the table before I finished it. No old-vine Grenache or any Grenache in the FL, so I'll counter with Dr. Frank's old-vines Pinot Noir, planted in 1958 and the second-oldest Pinot Noir planting in the U.S.,$26.99. Today is the last day of Passover for the second day in a row, which is hard for me to cope with. Took out the trash and recycling, hoping that the rain doesn't resume before the pickup, because there are paper and cardboard in the recycling bin. My avatar photo is from my first cruise, on the Norwegian Epic, six years ago today.

As I remember it, in the 1950s just about everyone who grew roses at all had a specimen of 'Peace.' Francis Meilland developed it in France in the 1930s, and just before the German invasion he sent cuttings to growers in other countries. Supposedly the cuttings to the U.S. left on the last plane out of France. There was no communication during the war among the growers in various countries, with the result that it became known as Mme. Meilland in France, Gioia in Italy, Peace in North America (where the Conard Pyle company introduced it on the day that Berlin fell) and Scandinavia, and Gloria Dei in Germany. Speaking of Berlin, I haven't been back since the wall came down, but I passed through it many times before that, once to stay a week in East Germany. The German spoken there, and the food, were essentially pre-war: lots of cold cuts but almost no fresh fruit or vegetables. Not sure about the corn salad or the drink. For a Sauvignon Blanc, Hector Wine Company 2022, fermented with indigenous yeasts, unfined, unfiltered, $19.50.

The creamy pasta might be too high in lactose, but if that can be controlled, I'd consider it after Passover. No on the pseudotini. For a Riesling, there are too many good choices, but this time I'll choose Red Newt's 2018 Dry Riesling. I cancelled the Utah trip, which would have begun next week, and now I'm puzzling over a conference in San Diego in July. That I'll go is almost a foregone conclusion, with airline credits that have to be used. The question is whether I'll go for the pre-conference or just the main conference. I also have to determine whether I have to fly the day before (probably) to get there by the starting time, and whether I have to stay an extra day (probably, because the conference continues past noon on the last day).

Not wearing orange since I no longer have any orange clothing that is wearable. A person might think that Mona Lisa and DaVinci were pampered cats, but they would disagree. They also want you to know that the service here is terrible, just terrible. No on the menu (shrimp) but I would probably like the drink, maybe only once. This is the second time we've had a Brunello di Montalcino, but this one is from a different maker. For a Finger Lakes red with a note of cherry, I might go with Weis Vineyards Pinot Noir 2021 from Keuka Lake, $29.99. During the last hour of online class on Thursday, after donating blood, I started to feel exhausted, and that persisted into Friday--just total depletion, and not only of blood. It's better today even though I slept very badly. I shifted gears on the shepherd's pie and made it as a stew, using the matzah kugel batter for dumplings. Will have it again tonight, with a salad of Boston lettuce. A friend who is a 9-1-1 dispatcher and EMS trainer is recruiting 30 volunteers to be made up with fake injuries for a drill at the end of May. I would be more willing if it weren't at 7:00 a.m. and about 25 miles away.

It's impossible to forget the Chernobyl disaster. No Australians within hugging reach at the moment. Because of the charges of scientific fraud and plagiarism, plus racism and body-snatching, against John James Audubon, some chapters including those in Seattle, Chicago, and New York, have changed their names, although the National Audubon Society did not. OK on the menu suggestion although I wouldn't go out of my way to get farro or whatever. No on the drink, especially since I'm still not sure what it's really supposed to be. For the wine, Glenora Blanc des Blanc 2015, $30.99. The bruising of my arm is worse, but it's less painful. The main project for today is lawn mowing, then making a shepherd's pie using turkey and a matzah-kugel topping. I have a little bok choy left, not enough for another stir-fry, and may just add it to the turkey mixture.

Summer Love If you're my age, and many people here are, you probably remember the Summer of Love. The Summer Love cocktail appears to have nothing to do with that, but there may be some sort of philosophical lesson in the extreme variety of recipes for it--no two were alike or even similar, although many of them are pink. I'm going to offer two. Summer Love 1 2 oz vodka 1 oz lemon juice ½ oz simple syrup 5 mint leaves (buy) 1 oz watermelon liqueur In a cocktail shaker, gently muddle the fresh mint leaves to release their aromatic oils. Add the vodka, watermelon liqueur, fresh lemon juice, and simple syrup to the shaker. Fill the shaker with ice cubes and shake vigorously for about 15 seconds to combine all the ingredients and chill the cocktail. Strain the mixture from the shaker into the glass with fresh ice cubes and garnish the cocktail with a watermelon slice or a sprig of mint (optional). Summer Love 2 40ml rum 3 strawberries 15ml limoncello liqueur 15ml honey Juice of half a fresh lemon Champagne Muddle the strawberries. Add all of the other ingredients except the champagne. Shake over ice. Double strain into a Champagne coupe. Top with champagne. Garnish with half a fresh strawberry.

Blood donation was successful in the senses that (a) they got a pint, and (b) I didn't faint. On the other hand, it was exceptionally painful and also took a lot of fiddling to get good flow, and it still hurts a bit. I just removed the bandage; there is some bruising and I think there may be more by morning, but no swelling.

I can't help thinking of Fred Small's song "At the Elbe." Pass on the meal, with prejudice (shrimp). Also pass on the drink for now (Passover). For a Sauvignon Blanc, Hosmer 2021. I've been to Santorini but don't have pix handy. Rather full day today: groceries, blood donation, and the last class of the semester, with our Nature Appreciation slideshows. I don't expect any of the snacks at the blood donation to be kosher for Passover. Actual dinner will be a tofu and bok choy stir-fry, with brown jasmine rice. Jews of Ashkenazi background don't eat either tofu (or any legumes) or rice during Passover, but I switched to Sefardi rules for Passover almost a decade ago.

Mexican Coffee If the name of today's drink made you think of Irish coffee, you were on the right track, and you might be able to guess how it's made. 1 fluid ounce coffee-flavored liqueur (such as Kahlua®) ½ fluid ounce tequila 5 fluid ounces hot coffee 2 tablespoons whipped cream (some versions use plain cream) Stir together coffee liqueur and tequila in a mug. Pour in hot coffee and top with whipped cream.

I finished my Nature Appreciation requirement on Monday by visiting a forest preserve and a nature center that are near each other. Houghton Land Preserve Spencer Crest Nature Center