Tomorrow is the full moon. I have loved watching the light through the skylights get brighter each night this week.
This is my second week back at work. The summer quarter students (a small group) are finishing up and the fall quarter students (our full load) are not back until later in September. So this is the part of the year the health center operates with a skeleton staff...hence our long summer breaks. Each clinician works 1 month and is off 2, and we rotate being here to keep the clinic open. It has been fun to work with a smaller group of the same co-workers each day...easier to get to know people better.
My new schedule of Wednesdays off seems good. I have been biking to work, then going to yoga classes on my days off. It seems like a good combination for me, along with plenty of walking in the neighborhood every day.
I have been reading some books by Julie Morgenstern, organizational guru, about getting your space and time and habits the way that best fits your current needs. I have found them really helpful as I continue to take stock of what I decide to include in my life here. It has taken restraint not to fill up all my spare time as soon as I have created it, but I am learning.
We are having a ball with our new kittens. Junebug is the first duck into every puddle, and she has no idea that she is significantly smaller than Bagherra. He is much more cautious, and likes to think things over before deciding what he wants to do. He stands in the door and looks outside for a while, as Junebug bounds off into the far corners of the yard. They are both excellent entertainment and good at snuggling.
The beautiful weather continues to astound us. They call September and October "The Locals' Summer," as the weather is warmer and clearer than the summer months when the tourists are around.
We are certainly looking forward to our first taste of fall on the Central Coast.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Sunday, August 12, 2012
presto: pesto
For me, pesto is the perfect expression of all that is good about summer. I love the stuff, especially when there are fresh tomatoes upon which it is slathered.
Today, I made pesto. It was a very lonely experience.
Last night, I stemmed the basil Rich grew for me. This morning, it was combined with bulk garlic, olive oil, parmesan, and pine nuts from my beloved local market using a hand held blender tool of some sort (after I discovered I had gotten rid of my food processor in the move). Tonight, it was simply scrumptious with roasted eggplant and red peppers. Rich became a little concerned about the noises of enjoyment I was making while consuming my dinner.
Making pesto is sort of a spiritual experience for me. My first memory of pesto production was in the Victorian house Gene and I shared with my dear friend Pat and her (then) partner, Mary. There were septs going down into the kitchen, upon which Pat and I sat all day one Saturday stemming an incredibly large harvest of basil. I do not know how many jars we filled that day, but I do remember that the quantities of pesto we ate we abnormally large.
I have since tried to recreate that experience in every place I have lived. Thee were wonderful "pesto parties" at my houses in Marshfield and in Springfield, made special by the friends and family who were there. Today, my orderly, quiet preparation paled in comparison.
One of my goals for this next year: to have a loud, bawdy group of women with whom to make pseto next year.
Today, I made pesto. It was a very lonely experience.
Last night, I stemmed the basil Rich grew for me. This morning, it was combined with bulk garlic, olive oil, parmesan, and pine nuts from my beloved local market using a hand held blender tool of some sort (after I discovered I had gotten rid of my food processor in the move). Tonight, it was simply scrumptious with roasted eggplant and red peppers. Rich became a little concerned about the noises of enjoyment I was making while consuming my dinner.
Making pesto is sort of a spiritual experience for me. My first memory of pesto production was in the Victorian house Gene and I shared with my dear friend Pat and her (then) partner, Mary. There were septs going down into the kitchen, upon which Pat and I sat all day one Saturday stemming an incredibly large harvest of basil. I do not know how many jars we filled that day, but I do remember that the quantities of pesto we ate we abnormally large.
I have since tried to recreate that experience in every place I have lived. Thee were wonderful "pesto parties" at my houses in Marshfield and in Springfield, made special by the friends and family who were there. Today, my orderly, quiet preparation paled in comparison.
One of my goals for this next year: to have a loud, bawdy group of women with whom to make pseto next year.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
full moon #8 shines on our new babies!
One of my goals for my time off this summer was to adopt kittens. We have been pet-less since our move and life is just missing something without them...
So on this past Saturday we went to the shelter to check out the kittens. We were hoping for litter mates. The place was pretty chaotic, I must say! We were having our second "visit" in the "visit room" when I tried to pick up a scared kitten and got myself scratched and bitten. Time out for wound cleaning and antibiotics. We will try again tomorrow.
Our luck was better Sunday. I had previewed the adoptable cats on line and was better prepared for the process ahead of us. I asked to see Junebug and Bagheera first. Junebug's cute face had caught my eye the day before, but I hadn't known she had a brother. They were just right for us. We briefly viewed a couple of other pairs, but I didn't need to visit with the others. I just knew.
We had just let them out of the carrier at home when Bagheera bolted. He found a great hiding place in a bookcase with an open back, and kept us looking in there for him for hours. Eventually, they were both out to play. And there has not been a dull moment since.
We kept the names they war given at the shelter. All black Bagheera's name comes from the Indian leopard in Rudyard Kipling's "Tales of Mowgli," known to many of us as "The Jungle Book." He is the more serious of the pair. Junebug is a tortie who is, well, cute as a bug. She is quick to lead the way into new adventures, but loses interest quickly while Bagheera stays to figure the whole thing out.
We found a darling vet down the street, another midwest transplant (from Minnesota). She and her husband share a small office we can walk to. Cute adolescent vets-to-be are their help. Perfect.
Lots of fun to come with these two!
So on this past Saturday we went to the shelter to check out the kittens. We were hoping for litter mates. The place was pretty chaotic, I must say! We were having our second "visit" in the "visit room" when I tried to pick up a scared kitten and got myself scratched and bitten. Time out for wound cleaning and antibiotics. We will try again tomorrow.
Our luck was better Sunday. I had previewed the adoptable cats on line and was better prepared for the process ahead of us. I asked to see Junebug and Bagheera first. Junebug's cute face had caught my eye the day before, but I hadn't known she had a brother. They were just right for us. We briefly viewed a couple of other pairs, but I didn't need to visit with the others. I just knew.
We had just let them out of the carrier at home when Bagheera bolted. He found a great hiding place in a bookcase with an open back, and kept us looking in there for him for hours. Eventually, they were both out to play. And there has not been a dull moment since.
We kept the names they war given at the shelter. All black Bagheera's name comes from the Indian leopard in Rudyard Kipling's "Tales of Mowgli," known to many of us as "The Jungle Book." He is the more serious of the pair. Junebug is a tortie who is, well, cute as a bug. She is quick to lead the way into new adventures, but loses interest quickly while Bagheera stays to figure the whole thing out.
We found a darling vet down the street, another midwest transplant (from Minnesota). She and her husband share a small office we can walk to. Cute adolescent vets-to-be are their help. Perfect.
Lots of fun to come with these two!
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