Grasshoppers Pickup Number 26

This week's basket contained:

• 2 heads Romaine lettuce
• 8 small tomatoes
• 1 pint strawberries
• 1 bunch mint
• 1 bunch garlic chives
• 2 cucumbers
• 7 small potatoes
• 2 lamb shanks

The strawberries were eaten with plain yogurt. Very delicious as a dessert or breakfast.

The mint went into Mint Juleps. That was the idea, eh? Still got a few sprigs left.

I used some garlic chives on baked salmon. Maybe the rest will go that route, too.

I steamed the potatoes as a side to a salmon + veggie dinner.

The lamb shanks are calling me to make some kind of curry. Maybe this coming weekend.

Everything else is just screaming SALAD! I only sliced up one of the two cucumbers into the salad mix. I intend to use the second cucumber as follows: sliced cucumber, sugar, vinegar. A very delicious salad I remember from my childhood.

The Thunder At Which I Am Not

Thunder Over Louisville 2012 is/was tonight. I is/was not there.

I'm actually not that big a fan of fireworks spectaculars. Stretching my imagination, if I had a "special someone", attending Thunder could be a wonderful experience.

The afternoon air show... now there's something I could get my teeth into. A few years back I did go to see the air show. On my bird watcher's list I was able to check off: B-1 bomber, F-22 fighter, and (Holy Kawonga!) B-2 bomber.

Had I been so inclined, there was a perfect setup for me to view the fireworks display. My company's new offices are basically right on the river, fractions of a mile away from the Second Street Bridge, which is is the focal point of Thunder Over Louisville. The owners decided to have a party--mostly for employees but also for a few "fun" clients. They also went all out to entertain the kiddos. I'm talking about one of those inflatable castle thingies that kids can jump around in. (My dad would have done that for me. NOT. End editorial.)

Anyway, since I'm not a huge fan of firework displays, and since I don't have kids, and since I don't like to get drunk with friends and try to drive home, I elected to stay home.

It's the safe thing to do... on so many levels.

One Way To Make a Mint Julep

The following recipe was provided by the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels

"OK, for those holding Derby parties, here's a recipe.  There are several but this is our favorite:  Take two frosted silver goblets.  In the first fill with ice and add a teaspoon of sugar and a splash of water.  Then, gently crush a couple mint leaves and place in the ice.  In the second goblet pour about 3 fingers of a quality Kentucky Bourbon.  Now, pour out the mess in the first goblet and drink from the second.  By the way, Churchill Downs uses a bottled mix for the juleps served there on Derby Day.  You may be able to find the mix in your local beverage store."

Ice Storms

I woke up this morning to the specter of a treacherous commute after an ice storm. This was not unexpected--I'd heard the weather forecast and taken the precaution of sprinkling some brine and salt on the walkway to my driveway. There was only a quarter inch of ice. The roads had been salted and were mostly clear. My driveway and car were another story, though.

Conditions were perfectly bad. The temperature was 32 F., so that quarter inch of ice was wet and slippery. It wasn't possible to stand upright unless your feet were up against something--a tire, for instance. After warming up the car, its icy coating only had to be scored and nudged to clear it away. Exiting the driveway included a few seconds of uncontrolled sliding, but I did make it out and got downtown without too much trouble.

The sidewalks! If they hadn't been treated, again, it was impossible to stand on them, much less walk on them. I had to walk in the street for part of my way from parking lot to office.

This kind of weather brings back bad memories of the major ice storm in late January, 2009. I didn't lose any trees, but the 2 inches of ice cracked off many large limbs, including all limbs on the north side of one of my pines. I wasn't able to break out of my driveway due to the large ridge of ice created by street plows. I was without heat and power for 3 days. The temperature in the house got down to the low 40s. Multiple layers of clothes, multiple blankets, a cap and gloves helped, but I was still darned cold! I lived on chips and salsa. The only candle I could find was inside a plastic Jack-o-Lantern. Fortunately, my iPod had a good charge, so I was able to listen to music while huddled up in bed. The cats lived under the covers, too. They were just as cold as I was. If I'd been able to have coffee, I'd have been a little less miserable, but everything was cold and lifeless. Twenty-four people in Kentucky died in that storm.

This time around, it looks like there won't be a thaw until Monday. I hope I'm able to get to my guitar lesson on Saturday since the following two Saturdays are holidays.

I've scoped out a mostly ice-free path back to my car. I'll leave here in about 45 minutes. I'm mainly concerned about making it up my driveway without getting stuck or sliding into the drainage depression.