The Leaning Tower of Pita

Hi again. Long time, no post. Did you really expect anything different? No, I didn't think so. It's been pretty busy and work and so on, but I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel...sort of. At any rate, things should be slowing down somewhat for the summer.

I took Friday off, because 1) I have the time available, and 2) because I needed a nice long weekend. (Yes, I know Memorial Day is coming up, but that isn't a "lazy" weekend, what with family things.) So we got the apartment somewhat cleaned up, restacked everything in the second bedroom, went shopping for a few things, had a meeting with our insurance agent, and generally got to where we feel somewhat in control of the apartment for the moment. (If we didn't need to eat, it would be far easier to keep things clean!)

Saturday we ran around and went to the Farmers Market, grocery shopping, etc as is the norm for Saturday morning. I also checked on the "kids" in the Demo Garden. We planted tomatoes last week, and I was afraid that the ridiculous wind (80+ mph straight-line) from early Friday morning might have broken the stems or knocked the plants over.

Saturday night we didn't want a big dinner, but we'd been craving pita bread and hummus. So Steven went through The Bread Bible to find the pita bread recipe and looked through the Mediterranean cookbook to find an acceptable hummus recipe. (For the uninitiated, hummus is basically chickpea/garbanzo bean puree seasoned with other things.)

The pita bread was very simple. (We actually made the dough Friday night and refrigerated it. Not necessary, but handy.) Homemade pita bread is far tastier than what you can buy, and very cheap! The only moderately scary part of the process (other than the extremely sticky dough to start with) was slapping the discs of dough straight on the baking stone (you can use a cookie sheet if you lack a stone), closing the oven for 3 minutes, and opening it with the expectation that the bread is done! Surprise! It worked!Mmm...tasty looking pita bread in all shapes and sizes!

Steven did up the hummus, and then topped it off with paprika, pine nuts, and the Kangaroo Paw Lemon-Myrtle Infused Olive Oil. (Yes, it would have been cheaper to go to a local Mediterranean restaurant and get an order of hummus by the time it was all said and done. So?)We sliced up some tomatoes we got at the Farmers Market to finish off the meal. Yes, we got fresh, Kansas-grown tomatoes. We bought one from a grower who grows hydroponic tomatoes in a greenhouse, and the others from a grower that grows in a greenhouse, but uses bags of soil for growing the plants. We intended to do a taste test. The hydroponic tomatoes were larger, but the soil-grown tomatoes were much tastier. I wasn't extremely surprised by that outcome.

The leftover pita bread became the Leaning Tower of Pita.
Yes, this entire long post was written with the sole purpose of giving me a good reason to post the "Leaning Tower of Pita" picture, and thus to allow using the same as the title of this post.

WOOHOO!!!

The Thank You Notes are DONE!!!!

Well...they are all written. There are 5 for which I still need to find the appropriate addresses, and 1 which needs a couple other items to go with it. Otherwise, they are all written, addressed, stamped, and ready to go in the mailbox. FINALLY!

15 Questions for Heavy Readers

15 Questions For Heavy Readers

Go ahead, include up to 3 answers each if you like. If you’re religious, consider The Bible or other religious texts a gimme, particularly for question #15. I have to admit that I don't read near as much now as I did in pretty much any prior stage of my life, so this isn't quite as exciting as it might be. Someday soon I may need to write a post ranting about technology and its effect on modern society and specifically my life.

1. Most treasured childhood book(s)?
- Little House on the Prairie series
- Janette Oke animal books
- A Little Princess

2. Classic(s) you are embarrassed to admit you’ve never read?
- Classics? What are those? I have a modern public school education. We aren't supposed to read classics.
- Okay. Seriously? Anything by Tolstoy or Dostoevsky (except Crime & Punishment)
- Wuthering Heights

3. Classics you read, but hated?
- Out of Africa
- The Grapes of Wrath - oh wait...I didn't actually have to read it. We only watched the movie in 9th grade English.
- Of Mice and Men

4. Favorite genre(s)?
- Mystery
- Fantacy/sci fi
- Historical fiction

5. Favorite light reading?
- J.D. Robb
- Various mysteries - Perry Mason, Nero Wolfe, etc.
- Cookbooks

6. Favorite heavy reading?
- Anything on modern agriculture/food system, etc.
- Religion/theology
- Jane Austen? Does that count as heavy reading?

7. Last book(s) you finished?
- The Glorious Cause by Jeff Shaara

8. Last book(s) you bailed on?
- Hmm...bailed on? Not sure...I've been working on The Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Avila for over a year now...I'm not bailing though! I'm not!

9. Three (only three!) books on your nightstand?
- The End of Food by Paul Roberts (I really recommend it, even though it is slightly apocalyptic.)
- Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
- The Adolescent by Fyodor Dostoevsky (Yeah...I'm probably not going to actually crack this one open before it's due back at the library...)

10. Book(s) you’ve read more than once?
- Little House on the Prairie
- Perry Mason, all of them
- David Eddings books

11. The book(s) that meant the most to you when you were younger (ie, college/young adult)?
- Umm....I think I still am young adult? Although the library defines that as teenagers...I'm confused.
- N.T. Wright books
- Lots of stuff John Woodward gave me to read.

12. Book(s) that changed the way you looked at life?
- N.T. Wright books
- The Catholic Passion by David Scott
- The Politics of the Cross by Craig A Carter

13. Favorite books
- The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery
- Lots of others...

14. Favorite author(s)
- I think I've mentioned most of them already.

15. Desert Island Book
- I really have no clue how to answer this question.

BONUS!
Desert Island Book for Your Worst Enemy
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (I actually liked this book, but I know it drives most people crazy.)

Web Safari - The Short Version

I wasn't going to do a Web Safari this weekend, but these three links are good enough that I had to share them.

1. David Brooks shares his experiences and viewpoint on Afghanistan. It's one of the most hopeful editorials I've read in quite awhile.

2. A very...unique blog post about democracy.

3. The Barna Group releases a survey about differences in how liberals and conservatives view religion. What it doesn't delve into is the cause-effect relationship of the results, which I think would be the most interesting.

Web Safari

Some random, or not-so-random, links that you might enjoy.

Desmond Lachman has worked for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a number of years, and has seen numerous financial crises in "emerging markets." What is making him nervous, though, is how the U.S. is making the same mistakes they always counseled other countries to avoid.

The Anchoress points to a YouTube video from the U.K. Parliament. If only more people would say this and everyone would listen.

Here's an interesting editorial from the Wall Street Journal that starts out considering the sometimes fine line between witchcraft and religion in Africa, and ends up looking at the differences between a superstitious veiwpoint and a religious viewpoint.

Is it more important to eat "organic" foods or to eat "healthy" foods. I think this is something to consider, especially if you lean toward buying organic. As one line in this editorial states, "organic junk food is still junk food." One of my ag professors in college said that it is best to shop on the perimeters of the grocery store - both in terms of health and expense. I always try to buy the least amount of processed foods and ingredients possible. Everyone should eat more fruits and vegetables! Keep my job recession-proof!

An inspiring blog by a mother enjoying what short lifetime she knows her daughter will have.

If you like Mike Rowe and the show Dirty Jobs, you have to go watch this video of a talk he's giving to a group in the Silicon Valley. There's an awesome story about castrating sheep at the beginning, that turns into some good reflections on the value of work. (Okay. Get over the castrating sheep already and just go watch it!)

For some more of Mike Rowe, here's what he has to say about the AIG bonuses.

I've seen some people really up in arms about this bill (HR 1388) that has recently been passed. It is a bill largely requiring national service by anyone receiving educational grants from the federal government. No, I didn't read the entire text of the bill, and it does seem to be quite a jumble. However, I don't think it is going to be as big a deal as people make it out to be. The only thing that immediately pops to mind is that as someone who received a lot of federal grants to pay for college, I don't know when I would have found the time to fulfill the service requirements that are now going to be attached to those grants. I don't think the sentiment behind the bill is totally wrong-headed, but the execution may be.

Snapshots

~~~1~~~

So I have made it to my sole "free weekend" in the middle of the spring craziness. (To be fair, two weeks from now, Easter Weekend, I technically am free, but...it's Easter. Not quite the same as "totally free with nothing to do." Although, I guess using that definition this is not a "free weekend" because there's lots to do! Well - except that inactivity is being forced by the weather. But more on that later.) Anyway, next weekend is our Tree Festival/Vegetable Gardening Workshop/I'm speaking in the afternoon at the Harvey County Garden Show in Newon, KS. Then Easter, then April 18th I'm teaching a lawn care class for 3 hours in the morning. The next weekend I conned Steven into going to Topeka with me, since I'm speaking a vegetable workshop there. Then we have Herb Day, which is the day before my birthday. Then...I think...other than the Farmers' Market, my weekends may be gloriously free for...well...awhile anyway.

~~~2~~~

So speaking of the weather, we are currently in a Blizzard Warning. Sounds delightful, right? Well, this is the first "blizzard" I've been in that doesn't involve snow. Grr... Actually, it has been throwing freezing rain, or something like that I had to drive across town at noon for one of the local TV news shows, and after that I decided that I would rather take a half day of annual leave rather than drive back to the office and then back home in the evening. After I made that decision, the roads seem to improve a little bit. But I really need a break, so the 4 hours off is worth it! On the other hand, I'd really appreciate it if some of these other cities in Kansas would stop hogging all the snow. Some of them have 7, 10, or 15 inches of snow. We have none! Just nasty accumulating frozen pellets of gunk. The purple splotch on the radar just keeps staying on top of us.

~~~3~~~

During our trip to St. Louis a couple weeks ago, I read Rise to Rebellion, a novel by Jeff Shaara about the Revolutionary War. I have always loved reading about that period of history, both from a "daily life" standpoint and from the political/army standpoint. Now I'm working my way through The Glorious Cause, the sequel novel. So far, I think I like the first one better, just because it covers more of the politics and perspectives of events leading up to the war. What I think is the most amazing, that you often don't think about or realize, is how long the Revolutionary War was. We all know the dates from 1775, 1776....Lexington & Concord, the Declaration of Independence, etc... and Valley Forge (1777-8). Yorktown, 1781. The final treaty was signed in September 1783. 1776-1783. That's 7 years. 7 years of fighting back and forth, forming an army from whoever would volunteer, constantly retreating and reforming, trying merely to survive to fight another day toward independence.

~~~4~~~

Since I had some free time this afternoon, I took the opportunity to get the kitchen totally clean for the first time in...weeks, I think. And then I promptly turned around and started getting it dirty by starting some bread and then making dinner. But after dinner I mostly cleaned it up again. Hopefully we'll be able to keep it in better shape. Now for the rest of the apartment...

~~~5~~~

Other things on the to-do list for this weekend (just in case you actually care about all the tedious detials of my life): clean the apartment, grocery shopping, finish taxes (KS income, and Steven's), shopping at Bed, Bath, & Beyond, and.....you know, I think there was more on this list, but I can't remember anything else. That doesn't actually seem like a terrible list. (At least it doesn't as long as you can't see the apartment!) Oh yeah. Buying and writing and mailing Thank You notes. We have a few left from the wedding, and then a whole bunch from last weekend in Wisconsin.

~~~6~~~

Maybe we will soak our shiitake mushroom block again this weekend to encourage it to put on its second flush of mushrooms! Did I ever post pictures of it the first time around? I don't think I did. Here's one from when the first mushrooms were just starting to develop.

~~~7~~~

And, if you're interested, here's a couple pictures from the display garden we did at the Wichita Garden Show.

Popping In...then Back Out...

Hi! Just checking in. Are you still reading this? Checking occasionally to see if I'm still alive? Ah, well. I really shouldn't abuse my readers like this, but life is just too busy.

I survived the Wichita Garden Show.

I survived the trip to St. Louis this weekend. (And got to see some pretty spiffy orchids at the Missouri Botanic Gardens too boot.)

I'm teaching 2 classes this week and directing the the Demo Garden crew tomorrow.

I'm also starting a new blog that is for work. If you are interested, check it out here: http://thedemogardenblog.wordpress.com/

Well, then...

Yeah, it's been ages since my last blog post. I know. I'm surprised you still read this. Unfortunately, it is highly unlikely that there will be any blog posting until after March 9th. (Who knows? We all know that when I say I'm going to be too busy to post, I invariably find time to post something of interest.)

Reasons for not posting recently and not posting in the near future(in no particular order):

1. Reading other blogs is more interesting that writing a blog post.

2. Watching TV while playing stupid computer games is more mindless than writing a blog post.

3. Writing thank you notes is more productive that writing a blog post.

4. Reading books is more interesting than writing a blog post. Recently I have been reading:
- Heirloom: Notes from an Accidental Tomato Farmer by Tim Stark
- Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled--and More Miserable Than Ever Before by Jean M. Twenge
- Rumspringa: To Be or Not to Be Amish by Tom Shachtman
- Other books that I actually haven't gotten around to reading yet.

5. Day to day life and busy schedules and such.

6. The Wichita Garden Show is coming up. We start construction and loading up tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon. I will be living at the Garden Show from now until some time on Monday, March 9th. After which point I will be sleeping. I'm sure I will have interesting stories to share, but it remains to be seen when/if I'll ever have the time/motivation to write and post them.

7. I voluntarily hooked myself on a video game called Kingdom Hearts. I am terrible at it, because I didn't grow up playing video games (which isn't a bad thing, really). But I'm to the point where I usually remember what most of the buttons and dealies on the controllers do. This game requires much less thinking than writing a blog post.

8. I can't think of any more lame excuses for my lack of posting. Really, I can't.

March will probably be as lacking in blog posts as February has been. One weekend at the Garden Show. One weekend in St. Louis for a friend's wedding. One weekend in Wisconsin for our belated wedding reception. One weekend at home doing nothing (hopefully!). Then comes Tree Festival/Vegetable Gardening Workshop weekend. Then another weekend free. Then a Saturday New Lawn-Owner Clinic. Then a Saturday in Topeka speaking for a Veg. Gardening workshop. Then Herb Day weekend. Then....I don't know! I hope my weekends remain blissfully free for most of the summer!

Web Safari

I've got two weeks worth of links collected, so happy reading! (It's a little heavy on politics/economy/stimulus package stuff, but what'd you expect?)

The College Board is cutting some AP programs...

Is it more important to have "Christian Art" or Christian artists creating "great art," in general?

Nancy Pelosi and her social engineering experiment?

Perhaps we really are "amusing ourselves to death."

Sometimes I have to wonder if this isn't true.

Same old, same old from the government.

A look at the Superbowl commercials. Were there any you liked? We thought most of them were sub-par.

Leaving Facebook? Some people are. Sometimes I'm tempted to, but I don't use it that frequently anyway.

Can You Tell the Difference Between a Church and a Utilitarian Structure? (The answers are posted now, so it's not quite as much fun to figure out.)

Charles Krauthammer has an interesting piece about everyone coming back down to earth after Obama's inauguration.

Peggy Noonan writes about how she sees Americans "bracing" for what's yet to come.

Apparently, the governor of Kansas is a candidate for the Health & Human Services cabinet position.

Jen at ConversionDiary.com has an insightful post about how her life before becoming a Christian was like living on death row.

Some thoughts from Scot McKnight about iGens, or Generation Me (18-35 year olds). Since I'm in that age group, of course I find it interesting! There's an interesting point near the end...is the most important thing in life really "being happy?"

You Grow Girl has a post about her bean seeds. I have to say that I love playing with new bean seeds as well!

Snapshots

~~~1~~~

I've had a couple of busy weeks at work, which is nice, and not wholly unexpected. Between meetings and teaching classes, I've had 2-3 nights taken up each week, as well as a couple of exhausting days. This last week I taught a class on Tuesday evening about "Growing a 'Fruitful' Landscape," discussing ways to incorporate fruiting plants in the home landscape. There were 99 people at that class, which was excellent attendance for a very specific topic of interest.

The next morning was my first gardening class in the Hispanic community. I had to go into work a little early, because I'd been too busy and hadn't had time to finish translating the presentation into Spanish. (I was teaching in English, but had handouts available in Spanish in order to facilitate both languages.) So I spent 2 hours translating, then rushed off to that class. Sadly, I only had 2 people in attendance, neither of whom needed the Spanish handouts.

This is pretty consistent with the ups and downs of Extension work. Some things go over well, others don't, and it's hard to predict which will be which. With all fairness to the program in the Hispanic community - it's a very new program, and I'm still making contacts and getting established. It can take years to develop something like that.

~~~2~~~

Steven's family gave us a Mushroom Patch for Christmas, and we are watching it grow mushrooms as we speak! It's a Shiitake patch, and it seems to be behaving itself admirably. Hopefully I'll get around to taking a picture or two and posting them, eventually. It has only been sitting out in the living room under it's humidity tent for 1 week, but already there are many baby mushrooms poking out!

~~~3~~~

Last night we ate Indian food for dinner, and it was tasty! Steven cooked up some Tandoori Chicken from the Joy of Cooking and I made some stir-fried cabbage. Sounds disgusting, right? Wrong! It was really tasty, and simple to make. We had half a head of purple cabbage left from making a bean soup last weekend, so I decided to try this recipe. To paraphrase the recipe, I heated 1/4 c. oil to the smoking point, threw in 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds, then 1/2 tsp. turmeric, 2 crushed cloves of garlic, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper. After a quick stir, in goes the cabbage, sliced thin. Stir to coat, then pop the lid on and let it steam for 5 minutes. Mmm...tasty!

~~~4~~~

We are finally getting mostly settled in the apartment. I got a lot of cleaning done yesterday, and I think the second bedroom is organized to a livable state. There is even some floor space! Unfortunately, we are still short on bookshelves. Even more unfortunately, I'm not sure where we'd put another bookshelf, even if we had one! Sadly, clutter seems to accumulate on the counters and floors no matter how hard I try to keep them clean.

~~~5~~~

We are quickly winding towards the Wichita Garden Show. I have to say, that I really wish that it was March 8th rather than February 8th today! I just want the whole thing to be done with! The show itself isn't so bad. It's the preparations that are a killer! Since I'm in charge of our display garden this year, I have to manage the construction and the herds of volunteers working on it. It is rather a daunting task, all things considered.