Three Beautiful Things 04-29-2023: Preparing Baked Beans, A New Way to Prepare Wings, Monk and the Billionaire

 1. I devoted myself to a day of fun in the kitchen. I started by frying chopped bacon in a Dutch oven, topping the bacon bits with navy beans, chopped onion, and a mixture of molasses, ground mustard, and black pepper. I baked these beans for about four hours with the oven's temperature at 250 degrees, the last 45 minutes uncovered.

Debbie and I sampled the beans and declared them Family Dinner worthy for our Sunday supper.

2. For dinner, I decided to prepare chicken wings in way I never had before. I covered a baking sheet with foil and put a wire rack on top. I rinsed off a package of party wings, patted them dry, and put them in a gallon zip lock bag with baking powder and salt. I shook the bag until the chicken pieces were coated and then put the chicken on the rack and baked the pieces for about 40 minutes or so at 250 degrees on a lower rack in the oven.

I removed the chicken, put it on a higher rack, and increased the oven temperature to 425 degrees. 

I baked the chicken until they were golden and somewhat crispy.

While the chicken baked, I made a sweet and spicy Thai wing sauce by combining brown sugar, fresh squeezed lime juice, sesame oil, minced garlic, and pepper flakes and bringing it all to a simmer for about five minutes. I added fish sauce to this mixture, poured the sauce in a large bowl, and when the chicken wings were baked and had rested for about five minutes, I combined them with the sauce, tossed them until the pieces were coated, and our main course was ready.

I had left over sauce and Debbie heated up some leftover basmati rice in the sauce and she made a vinaigrette to pour over a green salad. 

3. As we relaxed after dinner, it seemed the perfect next move was to watch an episode of Monk. Monk works to get to the bottom of why a Bill Gates like billionaire tried to mug a couple and got himself shot and killed. One of the things I loved about this episode was its strong Sharona subplot and another side story involving a guy the newspapers called "Fraidy Cop". This episode had it all: tension, surprises, deft comic moments, and a pulling together of disparate plot details. 

Three Beautiful Things 04-28-2023: Cruising the Gut and a Trip to Mullan, Lunch at The Outlaw, Merv Griffin and the History of Jeopardy

1. First he picked up Ed and then Stu swung by my place in his 1968 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Holiday 4-door Hardtop, powered by a Rocket 455 V-8 365 horsepower Hydra-matic engine, a true classic. 

We cruised the gut in Kellogg and visited Wardner. We toured parts of Sunnyside and headed out to Elizabeth Park and did our best to identify the houses of friends who once lived there. My memory has sure gone foggy and I could never have identified who lived where the way Stu did. 

Mostly, I remembered the day I violently sprained my ankle when I stepped in a small hole in the park that sits inside the Elizabeth Park loop. Oh! And birthday parties -- one that was filmed at Kenton's house and another at Don Windisch's house. 

2. Our ultimate destination for the day was The Outlaw Bar and Grill in Mullan.

We strolled in, plopped ourselves at the bar, and I ordered a long neck bottle of Budweiser with a frosted glass, knowing that this beer was going to be perfectly cold -- and it was.

I ordered a simple hamburger. The Outlaw serves 1/2 pound burgers and all I wanted on mine when it came out was dill pickles. I added my own mustard and ketchup. I also ordered fries and enjoyed a couple more bottles of beer.

My burger was delicious, a solid sandwich. I enjoyed the well-aged environment at The Outlaw, much like I enjoy the feeling of an old and enduring place when I go to the Prichard Tavern or to Murray's Sprag Pole. Our server was animated, quick with witty wise cracks and laughter, bluntly honest about things, and perfectly attentive. She, along with the delicious food, cold beer, unpretentious setting, and fun company made our visit to The Outlaw for lunch a blast.

3. Back home, I relaxed. Debbie spent some time with Diane and after she returned, she wondered if there were something interesting and enjoyable we might listen to over the wireless speaker. I did a quick look at the front page podcasts Spotify featured today and decided to put on the first episode of This is Jeopardy: The Story of America's Favorite Quiz Show. 

Because television quiz shows had been exposed as rigging their contests in the 1950s, question and answer shows had fallen out of favor. In 1964, while Merv Griffin and Julann, his wife,  were mulling over game show ideas, Julann came up with a brilliant idea. Since the quiz show scandal had revolved around contestants being provided in advance with answers to questions, Julann suggested creating a game show in which the game gave contestants the answers and they had to say what question it answered.

The idea took hold and Jeopardy became very popular, first as a morning program and then, in 1984, as a syndicated evening show. 

Right now, only one episode of this podcast has been released.

I'll keep an eye out for the other episodes.

Having heard Merv Griffin discussed on this podcast, I turned on the SmartyPants television and did a quick search for episodes of The Merv Griffin Show. 

We watched a very early episode that featured a hilarious standup bit by Phyllis Diller and she was a thoughtful and funny interviewee when she took the couch next to Griffin. We didn't watch a lot more of this show, but it was sure fun flashing back to how Merv Griffin presented himself and to listen to the great Arthur Treacher do his part as Griffin's introducer and sidekick on the set. 

Three Beautiful Things 04-27-2023: Pulmonary Doctor Visit, Beer and Salad at Moon Time, BBQ in Kellogg

1. I bounded into the Camry early this afternoon and roared over the 4th of July Pass to the Lung and Asthma Clinic in Coeur d'Alene. The transplant program at Providence/Sacred Heart referred me to this clinic because they wanted a pulmonary specialist to examine the CT scan I had taken on February 2nd and evaluate the presence of bronchiectasis in the base of my lungs, the long term result of having been exposed to a heavy dose of sulfur dioxide fifty years ago this July in the accident I had at the Bunker Hill Zinc Plant.  

I met with Dr. Forrest Jespersen. We looked at the Feb. 2023 scan and back at the 2019 scan and Dr. Jespersen pointed out that they were about the same. Unless a problem surfaces in the Immunoglobulin blood draw he ordered, and I had done before I left CdA, he will report to the transplant program that the condition of my lungs should not be a barrier to me being transplanted. 

I realized once again, as Dr. Jespersen and I talked, that I'm very fortunate. As he questioned me about my pulmonary health, I realized all the difficulties I could be experiencing in the long aftermath of my 1973 Zinc Plant accident: but, I don't cough chronically, I don't have much wheezing, I'm not chronically short of breath, I have not had recurring instances of pneumonia, I don't produce inordinate amounts of phlegm, and I don't experience night chills or sweats. 

I'll just say that when I was first evaluated 50 years ago, the doctors I saw agreed that I was likely going to suffer difficult consequences after this accident and there was concern about how long I would even live.

For now, the best thing I can do for myself is stay active -- that my feet feel great again and that I'm back walking and got in a hike is great news. Dr. Jespersen reminded me that he's had patients in much worse shape than I'm in avoid more aggressive treatments because they stayed active. 

His words motivated me. 

So, now I'll wait for the next message from the transplant program and if they deem me healthy enough to stay on the transplant list, I'll have to decide whether to remain inactive on the list or change my status to active. 

2. Dr. Jespersen didn't have me do pulmonary tests on site today, but I'll have them done in the near future here in Kellogg.

When I left his office and after I fueled the Camry, I was hungry and wanted a small bite to eat along with a beer before blasting back to Kellogg.

I hadn't been to Moon Time for ages. I'd almost forgotten that Moon Time's atmosphere is, to me, similar to High Street in Eugene. It all came back to me the second I burst in. I took a seat at the bar. Their printed tap list included Bell's Two-Hearted IPA, one of my very favorite beers in the whole USA, but they'd sold out. However, they'd put on a keg of Boneyard IPA and that made me very happy. I ordered a pint along with a small Caesar salad with grilled chicken and it was just what I yearned for: a solid West Coast IPA and enough food to hold me over until eating dinner in Kellogg.

3. Because I wouldn't me at the helm in the kitchen this afternoon, Debbie and I had agreed that we would make an order from GarrenTeed BBQ. When I arrived home, my dinner awaited me: a beef brisket sandwich with sides of Cole slaw and baked beans. 

I enjoyed filling up on this dinner and, before long, Debbie and I watched Monk have an incident that landed him in a mental facility where a murder had occurred about four years earlier and Monk couldn't resist digging into the case to see if he could identify who the real killer was. 

Three Beautiful Things 04-26-2023: Scaling the Wellness Trail, Eggplant Tomato Pasta Sauce, Monk Goes to a Carnival

 1. I decided today to try taking a major step (ha ha) forward in my walking routine. I attempted to scale the Health and Wellness Trail above the hospital. I took it slow and easy, stopped a few times to recover my breath and drink water, but I'm happy to report that I reached the picnic tables at the end of the trail. Back home, my left foot and both my big toes felt fine. 

My next goal is hike this trail and make it to the picnic tables without stopping, except to hydrate. 

It'll take a while. 

Today was a good start.

2. We had another eggplant in the icebox. 

Tuesday evening, Debbie and I agreed that I'd use that eggplant in a tomato pasta sauce. 

I made it today.

I started by cooking up a chopped onion, minced garlic, chopped stalk of celery, diced sweet pepper, and and the eggplant cubed. When these ingredients were about as soft as I thought they needed to be, I added a can of diced tomatoes, some tomato sauce, a small container of leftover sauce Debbie had made, a dollop of cream cheese, and seasonings, salt, pepper, fennel seed, chili flakes, basil, and oregano. 

The sauce bubbled away and I brought a pot of water to a boil and poured in a package of cheese tortellinis. 

I drained them, put some in Debbie's bowl and mine, covered them with the eggplant sauce, and topped it all with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. 

3. Monk astonished me when he figured out who killed a recently released prisoner on a carnival Ferris wheel. This episode had an emotional subplot featuring an official reinstatement hearing, so not only did I feel tension about the crime Monk was working on, I also felt anxiety for whether Monk would be allowed to become a police officer again. 

Three Beautiful Things 04-25-2023: A Longer Walk, Baking and Cooking, Thrilling Trumpets and Columbo Discovers Raves

1. I never know when one of my big toes or the side/top of my left foot might suddenly stage a protest, but it didn't happen today. I walked over 5000 steps today. I racked up a big chunk of this total when I skipped out the front door, walked east on Cameron to Hill St, turned south, strolled to the Yoke's parking lot, cut through it to a path on the south side of the CdA River, followed the former Lead Creek east to Bunker Ave where I crossed the bridge over the river and then the freeway overpass, and turned east once again on Cameron and back to our house, completing a loop.

My legs felt strong, not at peak strength. but stronger than they've felt in months. I didn't get winded on this walk, another improvement. When I started walking again, a week or so ago, after I'd been inactive due to weather and my foot problems, even walking on a level sidewalk or path tested my wind.

Not today. 

It's encouraging.

2. Back home, I settled into, first, a baking project and, second, I prepared dinner.

I baked over twenty Morning Glory muffins. I followed this recipe almost exactly, but I boosted both the amount of nutmeg and cinnamon, used walnuts instead of pecans, and I added a handful or two of  fresh blueberries to the batter.

Once I'd finished baking, I opened the bag of tonight's HelloFresh ingredients.

After thinly slicing a shallot and a garlic clove, I put on a pot of water to salt and boil and heated up a glug of olive oil in the cast iron pan.  I dropped the shallot and the package of chopped kale into the oil and cooked it until the kale was soft and then added the garlic and cooked it for about a minute until fragrant. 

I removed the kale and set it aside in a bowl.

I put the package of mushroom raviolis in the boiling water. After about three minutes, I drained them. 

I wiped out the pan the kale had been in and melted a hunk of butter and roasted a packet of walnuts.

I returned the kale to the pan with the roasted walnuts, and added a packet of creme fraiche, half a cup of pasta water, and vegetable stock and brought it to a simmer. I added the ravioli to this sauce, made sure they were all coated with sauce and let it all cook at a low temperature for a minute or two.

I divided the mushroom/cheese ravioli and sauce between two bowls, topped each with Parmesan cheese and served Debbie and me tonight's meal.

3. All the while I was cooking, I listened to trumpet players soar into the stratosphere, but also play in more down to earth ranges. Listening to Chicago the other day inspired me to listen to Chase, Maynard Ferguson, Tower of Power, Ides of March, and others. It was thrilling to feel my spirits soar, especially as the Chase trumpet players and Maynard Ferguson played at dizzying heights of sound in tunes I found invigorating and deliciously nostalgic.

Later on, after dinner, Debbie and I watched the last episode ever made of Columbo. Columbo's investigation of a tabloid writer's apparent suicide introduced him to the L. A. rave scene and even led to his rubbing elbows with the Mafia. 

Three Beautiful Things 04-24-2023: HelloFresh Tunisian Dinner, Monk Evens a Score, Mom's 2014 Jam on a Bagel

1. Our HelloFresh box arrived today with two dinners. The thought of preparing either meal tonight invigorated me and I decided to prepare the Mediterranean/Middle East dish: Apricot, Almond, & Chickpea Tagine with Zucchini, Basmati Rice, and Chermoula.

I organized the ingredients and then chopped the zucchini, onion, Jalapeño pepper, and parsley, halved the lemon, and minced the garlic clove.

I drizzled olive oil in the bottom of a pot, heated it, and added about a quarter of the chopped onion. Once the onion was getting soft, I added the packet of basmati rice, stirred it, and then added water combined with vegetable stock. When the rice had cooked, I fluffed it and added a tablespoon of butter.

Meanwhile, I heated more olive oil in our cast iron skilled, heated it, and added the chopped zucchini and the rest of the onion. I cooked these until both were lightly browned and tender.

I took out two small bowls.

In one, I made the chermoula by combining the parsley, Jalapeño pepper, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

In the other small bowl, I combined sour cream, lemon juice, salt, and a little water to make lemon creama.

By now, the zucchini and onions were lightly browned and tender so I added a packet of Tunisian spice mix and minced garlic and cooked it until fragrant. To this mixture I added water and vegetable stock and chickpeas and cooked it for a short while until the liquid had slightly reduced and I added a chunk of butter. Now the tagine was ready.

Everything was ready to build our bowls.

First, I created a layer of rice. On top of that I added the tagine. I topped the tagine with dried apricots and almonds and, on top the fruit and nuts, I drizzled the lemon crema and the parsley-based chermoula. Both Debbie and I squeezed more lemon juice on our bowls and Debbie added some hot sauce.

This turned out to be one of my favorite HelloFresh dinners. 

I loved this combination of ingredients and especially enjoyed the spice mix which was a symphony of  caraway seed, coriander, smoked paprika, turmeric, chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and cinnamon, a superb blend of so many of the spices that make Mediterranean/Middle East food pop with so much delicious flavor.

2. After dinner, we watched Monk work on a case involving a cruel bed-ridden man from his past. Monk had to figure out how this mammoth man (played by Adam Arkin) could have murdered a judge in her home when he was physically unable to get out of bed. 

3. Earlier in the day, I blasted over to Beach Bum Bakery to purchase four sesame seed bagels and a sourdough maple doughnut. 

Beach Bum Bakery had texted a message to its club members earlier in the morning asking that those of us buying bagels post a photograph on social media of how we ate our bagel with a chance to win a free drink from the bakery.

Even before knowing about this contest, I had a plan for one half of a sesame bagel today.

Sunday evening, I was checking out our flour supply in the basement freezer and I spotted a frozen jar of Strawberry Rhubarb jam that Mom had made back in 2014. 

I brought it up to thaw and decided that this morning I'd smear half a bagel with cream cheese and top it with Mom's jam. 

It struck me that almost surely this jam would be the last food I'd ever eat that Mom prepared.

I bought the bagels, returned home, and here's the picture I posted on social media of my half sesame bagel with cream cheese and Mary Idell West Woolum's 2014 Strawberry Rhubarb jam:

Three Beautiful Things 04-23-2023: Euphoric Mostaccioli Feed, Sipping 9 Year Straight Ram Rye Whiskey, Columbo and Monk Prevail

 1. Let's get one thing straight.

I love pasta.

I love it in all of its shapes, sizes, and textures and I love the countless ways to turn pasta into meals.

If I were sentenced to life with pasta every day, I could happily live with that.

Knowing this, it follows that I've been keenly anticipating this year's annual Mostaccioli Feed at St. Rita's Catholic Church in Kellogg.

We decided this year, just like last year, to make the Mostaccioli Feed the site of our weekly family dinner.

Donnie Rinaldi (KHS, Class of '48 and lifelong best friend of my dad) served each of us a generous helping of mostaccioli (a pasta similar to penne, but smoother, without the ends cut at an angle) and the guy next to him plopped two meatballs and a thick red sauce on top of the pasta. 

Our meal also included a small iceberg lettuce salad dressed with vinaigrette, slices of garlic bread, and Chianti wine. 

I think, but I'm not sure, that the Chianti wine came from mass produced jugs made by Carlo Rossi.

It was perfect. 

I'm not at well-versed in the language of wine, but there's something about the body and flavor of the Chianti wine they serve annually at this feed that makes it the BEST glass(es) of wine I drink all year. 

Maybe it's because it pairs so well with the mostaccioli.

Maybe it's because it takes me back to when I loved drinking cheap red wine over dinners 40 to 45 or so years ago.   

Something about that Chianti wine, beyond its alcohol content, and in concert with the mostaccioli and meatballs and sauce, lifts me into a mild euphoria, a blend of flavor, mouth feel, and nostalgia that makes me feel open, joyful, in love with life. 

I relished my dinner, drank a moderate amount of wine, not wanting to ruin the euphoria by getting sloppy,  and enjoyed the fellowship of family and talking with people at the feed I've known for decades.

2. Upon returning home, Debbie said she was in the mood for Columbo and, having just enjoyed a memorable Italian dinner, Columbo sounded great to me, too. 

I wanted to see if I could maintain the mild euphoria I had achieved at St. Rita's Catholic Church and decided that if I sipped on it slowly, a pour of Stein's 9 year Straight Ram Rye Whiskey over ice might do the trick. 

It did. 

Debbie finds this particular rye whiskey too harsh, but I love the complex of flavors in this whiskey that developed over its nine years in a barrel. I'm not astute enough to identify those flavors, but I can say that something about this whiskey connects me with what's old and enduring in life, with things that last, but that a writer more intimate with whiskey and with more command of whiskey language would have to write just what I experience on my behalf.

But whether I can nail down this pleasure precisely in words is not very relevant when I'm slowly sipping on this spirit and feel my spirits rise and feel myself transported to a place of warmth and comfort. 

3. Columbo worked insistently and intelligently on the homicide featured in tonight's episode. He was up against a music composer and conductor (played by the great Billy Connolly) whose work has begun to slip and who decides to rid himself of the young composer who is destined to replace him. 

Columbo wasn't the only hard-working detective we watched this evening.

We also watched Adrian Monk investigate the murder of the wife of the former commissioner of the San Francisco Police Department. The victim's body was discovered by a psychic who claims the deceased woman was calling out to her. Monk didn't buy this story and he methodically works to piece together what really happened. 

It's brilliant. 

Three Beautiful Things 04-22-2023: Home Improvements, Fooling Around with Rice, The Genius of Perry Mason and Monk

1. Ron D. finished up about four hours, over two days, of home improvement jobs in our house today. We have sliding shelves in our kitchen's lower cupboard, a free spinning Lazy Susan, a new cupboard on the wall in the bathroom, and two doors that close now, after 60 years of not fitting in their doorframes (ha!).  

Later in the evening I looked at recent additions to our house: a dining table with a bench against the wall and a small buffet, coffee table, sofa, and different curtains in the living room. We began transforming the interior of this house when we first moved here in 2017 and I enjoyed seeing how we've continued to do so here in the last several months since Debbie decided to teach full time again. 

The best aspect of this change and these repairs is that we have, at least to my way of thinking, maintained our commitment to minimalism. 

Our house is small, but I think we've managed to keep it feeling roomy. 

I really like that.

2. I fixed a couple salmon burgers with rice and Debbie put together a superb green salad for dinner. I continued my experimenting with rice cooking by melting a hunk of butter in a pot, adding about half an onion, chopped, and seasoning the onion with ginger powder and lemon pepper. I also added the fresh juice of half a lemon. 

Once the butter melted and the onion bits were tender, I not only added the seasoning, I added the uncooked rice to the pot and stirred the rice, butter, onions, and seasonings until the butter coated the rice. I then added the water, brought it to a boil, turned down the heat, put the lid on the pot, and cooked the rice.

I love plain rice, but these experiments of adding flavor and texture to a pot of rice has me stoked. Tonight's pot of rice was delicious and worked perfectly with the salmon and salad. 

3. Somehow, this evening, Perry Mason, with a ton of help from Paul Drake, untangled a tight knot of complications and nailed tonight's murderer on the stand with an interrogation that question by question tightened the guilty man in a vise of truth he couldn't escape. Perry and Paul's collaboration on this case was imaginative, efficient, and, in the end, absolutely effective.

We then turned to the first episode of the first season of Monk. 

Against all odds and in the face of heavy skepticism from the police he worked with, Monk not only figured out who was guilty in two apparently unconnected cases, he heroically overcame his obsessions with cleanliness in a way I won't give away, but that demonstrated his courage. This episode also featured the persistence, bravery, loyalty, and strength of Monk's nurse, Sharona, despite a major setback in her working relationship with Monk that was both hilarious and, in the end, poignant. 

Three Beautiful Things 04-21-2023: A Day with the Band Chicago, Pale Ale at The Lounge, Pasta and Idealistic Yakkin'

1. While I worked on crossword puzzles, Wordle, Quordle, and Waffle and while I wrote my daily blog post, I listened to Chicago on Spotify. I've always known over the years that I loved Chicago, especially when Terry Kath was in the band before his death in 1977. Listening today, it struck me in new ways how versatile Chicago was and how, especially in their early years, Columbia Records gave the band a great deal of room to experiment, to play a variety of styles ranging from rock to jazz to blues to pop, often fusing these styles, creating their own sound. 

One summer day, not long after Chicago's first album (Chicago Transit Authority) came out, I was over at Chuck D'Andrea's house with some other guys. Chuck was home alone and somewhere, somehow he'd scored a six pack or a half a case of 12 oz bottles of Mickey's Big Mouth Malt Liquor. Chuck had his stereo set up so that he could put an album on upstairs and listen on speakers in his basement. I don't remember who else was in the basement seated on a sofa or chairs (and I know I only drank one bottle of beer) because my memories of that day are dominated by hearing Chicago Transit Authority for the first time and being especially blown away by the percussion parts in "I'm a Man" and "Beginnings". Chicago's blend of rock and jazz, their use of horns, keyboards, and electric guitars was not new to me because I was already a Blood, Sweat, and Tears devotee, but Chicago seemed to me, that day, to have upped the ante, and I was mesmerized. 

I was also struck by how Chicago's lyrics shaped my thinking and my dreams (fantasies/hopes) when I was young. Today I was listening to Chicago III and I was caught off guard by the strong feelings of apocalypse that returned to me from when I was seventeen years old by the poem, "When All the Laughter Dies in Sorrow" and by the adolescent fantasies that popped back in my head as I listened to "Hour in the Shower" and "At the Sunrise". As I listened to Chicago V, I realized that my youthful idealism (which is now my senior citizen idealism) was inspired, in part, by Robert Lamm and Terry Kath singing high hopes back and forth in "Dialogue (Part I & II)". I enjoyed feeling the surge of optimism I first felt back in 1972 as  the whole band joined Kath and Lamm and assertively and (for me) persuasively sang, "we can make it happen". 

I didn't go seeking these memories when I put on Chicago song after Chicago song -- mainly, I wanted to find out if the "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon Suite", featuring seven songs, including "Make Me Smile"  and "Colour My World" still had power for me. 

It did. 

And listening to that suite led me to nearly a whole day of listening to Chicago, remembering hearing them live three times (I think), and having a stretch of time in my life when this band was, indeed, the soundtrack to my life, from about 1969 to 1977.

2. I texted Debbie around 3:00 and wondered if she'd like to pick me up and head to the Lounge. 

She did. 

I'd gotten in a walk of about 2500 steps just before I texted Debbie and was feeling chipper, happy that my left foot cooperated with my exercise and that my twice a day icing of my left big toe is a success so far.

At The Lounge, I realized that my return to regular walking makes drinking beer more enjoyable and tonight I treated myself to one of the USA's finest, most durable craft beers, Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale. I hadn't drunk one of these old school craft beers for a long time and its perfect balance between malty sweetness and hoppy bitterness gave me deep pleasure. 

After I talked to Crazy Legs for a while, Ed strolled in and we had a good session of primo yakkin'. Debbie joined a table of women when we arrived, so I didn't really join her in conversation until the very end of our stay.

3. Whatever yakkin' Debbie and I didn't do together at The Lounge, we more than made up for back home. I cooked us each a spaghetti bowl and we watched one episode of Perry Mason and another of Monk and then we launched into a long discussion of public education, a concept we both support fully and discussed our shared vision of education. Much of what we discussed was in the context of the challenges Debbie faces day to day as a third grade teacher, but we also talked a bit about my years of teaching college students and there's really not much difference in what we think matters most in the classroom, whether working with third graders or college students. 

I'll just say it is spiritual -- but not in a churchy or religious way.

It is, however, about giving full attention to the human spirit -- curiosity, vitality, joy, understanding, etc -- none of which can be assessed by grades or mandated standardized tests. (In fact, in my experience, grades and assessment were often an obstacle to my efforts to ignite my students' spirits.)

(You might have noticed that with that last paragraph I brought this post full circle: so much in my life is about idealism.)

Three Beautiful Things 04-20-2023: Icing Routine and Walking, Suping Up HelloFresh Quesadillas a Bit, Bassoons and Oboes Take Me Back to My Old Schools

1. I'm going to adhere to the practice of icing my left big toe at least twice a day, whether I'm feeling discomfort or seeing swelling or not. Today I iced my toe for over twenty minutes and later in the day went on a walk that put my step count for the day over 3,000. I experienced no pain while walking and iced my toe later on. I sure hope this method works because walking not only invigorates me, not only helps me feel stronger, it also helps me sleep much better at night.

2. Our HelloFresh bag for today contained the ingredients for black bean quesadillas. It was very simple. All I had to do was chop up and cook a green pepper, add black beans and Tex-Mex sauce to the peppers and then, on one half of a flour tortilla put Mexican cheese, the green pepper and bean mix, and top it with Monterey Jack cheese. I folded one half of the tortilla over the filling, melted butter in the cast iron pan, and cooked each side of the quesadilla until golden and the cheese melted. I cut each quesadilla into thirds and topped each piece with a lemon juice/sour cream mixture and hot sauce.

Last time we had HelloFresh black bean quesadillas, I thought it could use a flavor kick, so when I drained the package of beans this evening, I seasoned them with cumin, oregano, and chili flakes. 

Mission accomplished. These simple additions added more layers of flavor.

3. When I went to college at NIC, at some point I learned that I could check out record albums and play them on a turntable and listen wearing library issued headphones. 

I used to go in the library, head to the card catalog, and, for some reason, I used look up to see if the library had record albums featuring specific instruments. I was curious about the bassoon and the oboe and I succeeded in finding recordings of concertos and other compositions featuring these instruments.

I listened to other classical music, too, but listening to bassoons and oboes sticks in my memory, as does the fact that when I was a grad student at the U of O, I used to go to the Listening Library and do the same thing there.  

Well, today, I wanted to experience the bassoon and oboe again, but rather than consult the card catalog, I did a search on Spotify and, to my delight, found playlists featuring these instruments and I leaned into a morning and afternoon filled with oboe and bassoon compositions and let my mind wander back to the invigorating uses I made of the libraries both at NIC and at the U or Oregon. 

Three Beautiful Things 4-19-2023: A Day of J.S.Bach, Big Toe Caution, Delicious HelloFresh Flatbreads

1. It would be fun to be a classical music expert and be able to write out musically knowledgeable reasons why I loved keeping J. S. Bach on Spotify all day today, why I loved listening to pianists playing one Prelude and Fugue after another, to one Bach Violin Concerto after another, to one String Quartet after another, and to the Brandenburg Concertos. I can say, but these are hardly the words of a music critic, that I have scores of sweet memories and stirring emotions associated with J. S. Bach's compositions. Today, I didn't even play the pieces that I have the most memory and feeling invested in, the Goldberg Variations and Bach's Cello Suites, two pieces that were, at one time, central to some of the writing courses I taught at LCC as I tried to help students write better by not writing, but, in this case, by listening to Bach and what his music stirred in them. 

2. I know the early signs of when either of my big toes is starting a protest and might be on the verge of flaming up. The last time I felt these preliminary twinges in my left big toe, I ignored them out of stupidity and laziness. Well, today, I felt those twinges, those preliminary sensations that warn me that my left big toe might be getting ready to swell and stiffen up. 

In response, I did not take a walk today.

Instead, I iced my toe once in the afternoon and again in the evening before I went to bed, hoping (as I have done before) to successfully stem the tide and not go through another long round of inflammation and immobility.

As I write this post on Thursday morning, my toe feels good. I'm going to ice it again pretty soon. I've been out for a very short walk this morning and my toe felt fine. 

I'm optimistic.

3.  For the second time since we started our subscription, our HelloFresh box included the ingredients for making pizza-like flatbreads. 

Today's meal was especially delicious.

I started by trimming and halving a handful of Brussels sprouts and chopping the halves into small pieces.

I put the oven rack on the top slot and turned the temperature to 450 degrees.

I drizzled olive oil and salt and pepper on the two flatbreads and put them on a baking sheet and into the oven until they were golden.

In a small bowl, I combined ricotta cheese, fresh lemon juice, Italian seasoning, and olive oil.

On the stovetop, I seasoned the Brussels sprouts with Italian seasoning and cooked them in olive oil until they were tender. 

Once the flatbreads were golden, I removed them from the oven and spread the ricotta cheese mixture on each one and topped this mixture with the tender Brussels sprouts pieces. I topped each flatbread with Parmesan cheese and a blend of grated Italian cheeses.

I returned the flatbreads to the oven until the cheeses melted, removed them, cut each flatbread into six smaller rectangles, and topped them with more Parmesan and grated Italian cheeses.

Last of all, I drizzled Mike's hot honey (spicy hot, not temperature hot) on each slice.

Debbie and I loved the layers of flavor, the crispness of these flatbreads, and the sweet heat the honey added to each slice. 

We both remarked that we enjoyed how this meal transported us back to 2014 and the (now closed) Old Line Bistro in Beltsville, MD, our favorite watering hole near where we lived, and where we ordered flatbreads on several occasions and liked them a lot. 

It was heartwarming and fun for me to go on an imaginary flight back to the Old Line Bistro. That place always made us happy with its excellent food, splendid tap lists, superb servers, and its fascinating clientele. It was, along with the DC Brau tasting room, at the heart of what made me so happy to live in Greenbelt, MD. 

Three Beautiful Things 04-18-2023: Successful Walking, Spotify and Alexa, Bourbon and Fun TV

1. I extended my walking distance today and even walked uphill some. I strolled from our house to the base of the trail to the high school and walked up the hill at the beginning of the trail. I followed the trail to a culvert, crossed the creek, made my way to Jacobs Gulch Road and returned home. 

I felt no discomfort in my left foot. I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I'm getting optimistic that I can continue to extend these walks and, maybe, give the Wellness Trail a try next week.

2. After about a half an hour of pushing buttons and fiddling around, I connected Spotify to Alexa. It's always a feeling akin to the rare occasion when I banged out a game winning hit in baseball when I get a move like this figured out.

3.  I dipped into the bottle of bourbon I purchased at Stein's Distillery in Joseph and enjoyed watching Perry Mason nail an art dealer and Columbo outsmart a mortician. The episodes were fun to watch and that Stein's bourbon pleased my senses and left me feeling mildly euphoric -- in moderation, that's the beauty of bourbon. 

Debbie was even more tired than usual when she returned home from work. She had a pretty good day, but her work is demanding and a few Pendleton 1910 Rye Whiskey with fresh squeezed orange juice and the tv shows we watched helped her relax and rest. 

So, by the way, did a short concert of songs by Stan Rogers and some Irish tunes found on the Spotify playlist called "Irish Tavern".

Three Beautiful Things 04-17-2023: My Kidneys Keep Chugging Along, Successful Stroll, All-Class Reunion Shaping Up BONUS: A Limerick by Stu

1. I needed to have my every three month blood draw performed some time in April, so I roared up to the clinic this morning and got it done. As I write this, my lab results just arrived in my gmail box. My eGFR bumped up to 17, an improvement over my readings in both January and February. From my point of view, my damaged kidneys continue to filter my blood well. My potassium number was a bit high, but everything else is in range. 

To me, this is all good news. My kidneys continue to function, as I see it, with stability. Next week, I see the pulmonary specialist in CdA and his report, as I understand it, will determine whether or not I stay on the transplant list and, if I do stay on, I'll need to seriously ponder whether I want to keep my inactive status or change it to active. 

2. Once again, today I walked a short distance, working to gradually strengthen my legs and my wind and  test how much my left foot has healed. I parked in the Shoshone Medical Center lot, walked up the stairway to the high school trail, descended the trail to the end of Riverside Ave, walked to Cameron, strolled to the 4 way stop, and then headed up the Jacobs Gulch Road back to the parking lot and the Sube. 

I didn't establish or break any long distance walking records by any means (ha!), but I felt no pain in my foot and my legs felt stronger.  

I'll continue to extend these walks a bit more each day, hoping I don't exceed what my left foot can handle. 

This short walk rewarded me with the deep and refreshing sleep I experience after exercising. I sure enjoyed that. 

3. The All-Class reunion committee met at 6:30 this evening. With the reunion three months away, things seem in pretty good shape. The bands are hired. Food vendors are secured. Registration at the high school is organized. The plans to spiff up Kellogg are coming together. The trolley is ready to transport attendees. The catered bbq dinner is in place. Some loose ends need attention, but we are going to start meeting twice a month and work on tying up those things.

Here's Stu's limerick: 

One night long ago they were spied.

Time to battle the foe we defied. 

So, off into the night, 

After spotting the light. 

Went a Patriot on his famous ride. 

 Paul Revere’s Ride April 18,1775

Three Beautiful Things 04-16-2023: Welcome Back Eggplant, Sunday Crossword Puzzles, Lt. Columbo Nails a Crafty Forensics Expert

1. Eggplant made a triumphant return to our house on Saturday and to our dinner table tonight. Debbie bought a bunch of groceries on Saturday, including two eggplants. I bought eggplant regularly when we lived in Maryland, but hardly at all here in Kellogg and I was stoked when Debbie showed me she'd bought them.

For me, eggplant meant fixing a curry. The only paste we have on hand right now is red curry paste, so I combined a couple cans of coconut milk with paste, fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, and dried kaffir lime leaves. I also decided to commit some extra time to this curry and I roasted the vegetables (eggplant, sweet pepper, onion) and the tofu in the oven in three different batches. 

I also souped up the jasmine rice a bit. I melted butter in the rice pot, added fresh ginger and some white onion bits, cooked them until the onion was tender, and then added rice and stirred it in the butter, ginger, and onion. I finished the process by adding water, bringing it to a boil, and cooking the rice on simmer with a lid on the pot. 

I hadn't fixed Thai curry for a while and I thought the sauce I made was a little too thick so when we dive back into the leftovers, I think I'll cut the sauce a bit with chicken stock.

2. In the last week or so, I've been going back into the New York Times Crossword Puzzle archives and doing Sunday puzzles from earlier this year. When I complete them, I'll go back to 2022. It's fun having these puzzles at my fingertips and enjoyable to experience all the clever ways the constructors of these puzzles come up with themes and little tricks to give the puzzles more dimension and we puzzle solvers more to think about.

3. After dinner and after several hours of listening to classical music via Spotify playlists, Debbie proclaimed she was ready for Columbo. We both enjoyed watching Columbo outwit a homicidal forensics expert who used his expertise to make it look like the husband of his lover had murdered a business rival. It took Columbo a while to see through the scheme. The way he figured it out and trapped the perpetrator and his lover was a blast to watch develop. One bit of advice: never ever underestimate Lt. Columbo. 

Three Beautiful Things 04-15-2023: Giving My Left Foot a Test, Listening to *The Warmth of Other Suns*, Debbie Fixes a Superb Dinner

1. Over the last 6-8 weeks, I've been hampered by pain in my left foot. It began with discomfort along the outside of my foot, along the top of my foot toward the outside, and occasionally on the bottom. Not long after this discomfort struck, my left big toe turned red and swollen.

Well, about last weekend, the pain in my foot seemed to have gone away and my toe has been fine for about two weeks. The entire time I was at the Wildhorse Resort, I had no problems with my left foot. It was a welcome relief.

Today, I decided to give my foot a short workout and walked about 1000 steps or so in our neighborhood. My legs need strengthening. I need to build up my wind. I trust more walking with help both of those situations. My foot didn't hurt. If the weather is good on Sunday, I'll try walking a moderate number of more steps, work my way toward walking up the short hill on the trail to the high school. My hope is to return to hiking the Wellness Trail above the medical center before long.

We'll see. 

My primary concern is that I over extend myself and the foot discomfort and pain returns.

2. Last week at Costco, I purchased a pair of Bluetooth earbuds. I enjoy listening to audiobooks while I walk and today I went back to the beginning of a book I had started about a year ago, The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson. Wilkerson chronicles not only the epic migration of African-American people from the southern states to the north and to the west, but he also details the abuses and horrors of the decades of Jim Crow laws. 

3. Debbie cleaned out the refrigerator this morning and, as a result of her efforts, she made a delicious pasta sauce. We invited Christy over for a spaghetti dinner, complimented by a fresh and tasty green salad dressed with vinaigrette made from olive oil, pear balsamic vinegar, and other ingredients. 

I had purchased a bottle of Raspberry Cordial at the Stein distillery in Joseph and the three of us each drank some as our dessert after dinner. 

The cordial was packed with fresh berries and deliciously added sweetness and a touch of tartness to the superb dinner Debbie fixed. 

Three Beautiful Things 04/14/2023: Back on the Road, Luna and Copper Reunion, Partying with Debbie

 1. Shortly after 9 o'clock, Ed and I piled into the Camry, I filled the gas tank, and we blasted off from the Wildhorse Resort and headed back to the Silver Valley. We stopped at the Country Mercantile just north of Pasco for a rest stop and I bought some black licorice and a bottle of water. The trip home was just the way I like it: uneventful.

2. I arrived home, unpacked a few things, and brought Copper and Luna out of the Vizio room into the bedroom. I was tired in a good way after driving about 800 happy miles this week and I lay down to take a nap. I played a mellow jazz playlist on the Bose speaker and before long Luna was all over me, pushing her nose into my cheeks and chin multiple times, giving my wrists little bites of affection, and purring with deep contentment. Her affection kept me awake for a while, but soon she settled down and I enjoyed some restorative sleep. Copper, as is his way, positioned himself against my legs and enjoyed the peace he feels when we are close to each other the way he likes it. 

3. Debbie called me from school and wondered if I'd like to go to The Lounge.

As a matter of fact, I did want to go to The Lounge. 

Debbie and I took seats behind the so-called VIP partition and launched into a superb conversation about plans for this summer. We'll see Adrienne's family in Kellogg, get together with Patrick and Meagan in Nelson, BC, and we could see Molly's family on the shore of Lake Michigan. We'll have a jam-packed summer, it's just a matter of how much jam we decide to pack into it! 

We left The Lounge and decided to stop at The Beanery for wood fired pizza. 

When Ed and I arrived at the Wildhorse Resort on Tuesday, we enjoyed a beer at the hotel lobby bar after we put our stuff in our rooms.

I ordered an IPA brewed by Sockeye Brewing and it was the first West Coast IPA I'd drunk in several months.

I loved it.

So, at The Beanery, when our server told me they had Boneyard IPA on tap, I jumped all over the opportunity to enjoy another enduring, aggressively hopped IPA. 

I loved it. 

Our wood fired pizza was also awesome and, lo and behold, our niece Molly was in the house and we had a blast talking with her. 

We finished our pizza, returned home, and I opened the bottle of 9 year Rye Whiskey I bought at the Stein distillery in Joseph and Debbie and I enjoyed a nightcap and I was more than ready to hit the hay. 

A great party had come to an end. 

Three Beautiful Things 04-13-2023: A Relaxing Day, Burgers at the Oregon Trail Cafe, Whiskey and a Brief Heat Check

 1. When we decided to stay three nights at the Wildhorse Resort instead of two, my hope was to be able to slow things down, enjoy some time relaxing by myself. I did that for several hours today. I worked puzzles, including the daily NYTimes puzzle and digging up a previous Sunday puzzle from the online archives. I got caught up on blog posts. I napped. My only regret was that I forgot to pack the book I'd planned to bring. I must remember to do that next year.

2. Around 4 o'clock, Ed, Jake, and I piled into Mike's Camry and bolted up Emigrant Hill and wound our way to Meacham and the Oregon Trail Cafe and Store. I'd been to this place for beers a couple of times, breakfast once, and for fries and a beer last October, but never for dinner. Ed had been here for a burger on another trip and raved about that burger's greatness.

He was right. My burger was perfect: it was perfectly cooked, juicy, on a fresh bun loaded with fresh lettuce, onion, and tomato. The Oregon Trail Cafe's fries are hand cut and delicious. My burger filled me up. The other guys ordered pie for dessert, but I didn't have room for pie. I ordered a single scoop of vanilla ice cream and it perfectly rounded out this meal.

I can now join Ed's raving. The burgers at the Oregon Trail Cafe and Store in Meacham, OR are superb.

3. After resting and letting our dinner settle for an hour so, Mike, Ed, and I piled into Ed's room and each enjoyed a single hit from our bottle of Pendleton 1910 Rye Whiskey. 

I'd had some good luck with the gaming machines before we went to dinner. I decided a heat check was in order to see if some of that good luck was still alive.

It wasn't.

I didn't push it.

After about 15 minutes, I went back to my room and spent some more restful time working the Friday NYTimes Crossword Puzzle. I didn't finish it, but it put me in a great frame of mind for a good night's sleep. 

Three Beautiful Things 04-12-2023: Road Trip to the Stein Distillery, Snow Driving and Then Rye Whiskey, Big Old Steak Dinner

1. The weather in the Pendleton area turned nasty today, so the golfers didn't golf and Mike joined Ed and me in the Camry and we blasted through snow squalls on I-84 to LaGrande and then headed through more squalls to Elgin and on east to Joseph, OR.

Our destination was the Stein Distillery. Luckily, the snow wasn't sticking to roads on our way to Joseph, but as we crossed the street to go into the distillery, the wind was driving the snow hard into our faces.

We entered the tasting room, suffused with the smell of bread baking, thanks to the yeast used in distilling Stein's booze, we went to the counter and a friendly, knowledgeable young guy greeted us and offered us four samples to taste. Stein Distillery produces bourbon, wheat vodka, rye whiskey, blended whiskey, and cordials. 

After I sampled bourbon, rye whiskey, and a raspberry cordial, I purchase a bottle of bourbon, of 9 year rye whiskey, and of raspberry cordial and bought two cocktail glasses. 

It took us nearly two and half hours to drive to the distillery, but Mike, Ed, and I agreed it was a great thing to do. Stein distillery is housed in very handsome building, the guy running the tasting room was superb, and we enjoyed sampling the booze we tried.

2. We returned back to the Wildhorse by a northern route that took us high into the Blue Mountains on Hiway 204. As we reached the higher elevations, the road was snow covered, but I did my best to drive to the conditions and we scaled the peak of this road safely and meandered on down off the mountain and back to where no snow poured out of the skies.

It turned out we did one of my favorite driving ventures: we completed a loop by taking a more southern route into Elgin and over to Joseph and a northern one coming back.

Back at the resort, Ed, Mike, Jake, Lars, and I got together in Ed's room and sipped Pendleton 1910 Rye Whiskey together, shared out day's exploits, and before long headed to the Plateau Steak House for dinner.

3. Dinner was a blast. 

I started off with a dry gin martini and a couple of the delicious complimentary rolls the Plateau serves.

Soon, our starters arrived. I enjoyed a splendid Caesar salad without meat.

I couldn't resist ordering the Pendleton Whisky steak, a thick peppered New York strip steak served with a light delicious whiskey infused sauce (or glaze). I ordered crispy Brussels sprouts and tender asparagus for my sides and couldn't eat my entire meal. It was all delicious, far better than any meal I'm accustomed to eating, and a deep pleasure to enjoy in the company of these longtime KHS, Class of 72 friends. 

Three Beautiful Things 04-11-2023: Breakfast at the Corner Cafe, On the Road to Pendleton, Dinner with Colette

 1. I swung by Ed's house around 7:15 or so this morning. He piled in the Camry and we rocketed over the pass and eased into the parking lot of the the Corner Cafe in Post Falls. A most witty and friendly server waited on us and made our generous and fortifying breakfast a delight. I especially enjoyed having a small side of sausage gravy with my sausage patty, eggs, hash browns, and biscuit meal. The gravy combined especially well with the Tabasco sauce I used to season my potatoes. 

2. Our drive to Pendleton was easy and uneventful. Ed and I got in some good yakkin' and, as we always do, stopped at Ritzville Starbucks to stretch our legs and purchase some more caffienation to help us power our way to the Wildhorse Resort. 

3. At about five o'clock, I blasted into Pendleton, bought a fifth of Pendleton's 1910 Rye Whiskey to share with the fellas, and then zoomed over to Thai Crystal where Colette and I met for dinner. We started our meal sharing an order of Avocado Fresh Roll and peanut dressing. I ordered an Ice Thai Coffe, too. I was in the mood for wide noodles and tofu, so I ordered a plate of Pad Kee Mao. After we finished our entrees, Colette ordered a dessert she loves, Mango and Sticky Rice, and we shared it.

Colette and I had a scintillating conversation that lasted nearly three hours. I can't begin to recount all the ground we covered, but I can say our yakkin' was wide ranging and included deep conversations about loss, our health, the presence and absence of Christian compassion in our lives, the importance of experiencing enjoyment and pleasure day to day, and a host of other fascinating subjects. 

Three Beautiful Things 04-10-2023: Sube's Brakes OK, Delicious Tabouleh, That Was Norm? (Not Exactly!)

1. I blasted in the Camry to Pinehurst Elementary School and left Debbie the Camry and I brought the Sube into town for a front brake check. The news at Silver Valley Tire was good. The Sube's front brakes have plenty of padding and when those pads wear down we can replace the rotors and calipers, unless, of course, we don't like how the brakes feel before that.

2. I'm not going to go into detail, but I fixed us superb tabouleh bowls, compliments of the fine ingredients HelloFresh sent us.

3. I enjoy it a lot when an actor plays a role way outside what I'm used to seeing him or her play. Tonight George Wendt (Norm on Cheers) played the murderer on Columbo and it was fun to see the gregarious guy at the end of the bar play a sinister and deluded killer. Another pleasure was watching Rod Steiger play a mobster, a role in keeping with other characters Steiger has played, steely with a touch of warmth. 

Three Beautiful Thing 4-10-2023: Perfect Easter Dinner, Post-Salmon Nap, Sunday Music Instead of The Masters

 1. Molly worked a shift at Radio Brewing today and Christy, Debbie, and I gathered with Paul and Carol at their house for a perfectly prepared and most delicious Easter dinner. We started with Carol's deviled eggs with a brandy and triple sec cocktail that Paul mixed. After cocktails,  some eggs, and yakkin', we moved to the dining table and enjoyed Paul's grilled salmon, Christy's pineapple cucumber salad, Carol's tender asparaguse spears, and Debbie's flavor packed pilaf.  Christy made a strawberry cake she topped with fresh strawberries and Cool Whip, a superb dessert. 

2. Full of all this good food and having enjoyed a couple cocktails and a glass of wine, I felt like I'd just eaten a turkey dinner because I was suddenly sleepy. So, I excused myself from the after dinner table talk, lay down on a nearby couch, and took a satisfying nap.

3. Contrary to my usual way of doing things during the weekend of the Masters golf tournament, rather than turn on the television, I listened to Baroque music, classical piano selections, and then piano jazz. Byrdman and Roger texted their observations and occasional newsflashes as they watched the last round unfold and I enjoyed having a pretty clear idea of what was happening, but, as it turned out, I was more in the mood for music being on at a low volume, the television being off, and for relaxing in the relative quiet of our living room. 

Three Beautiful Things 04-08-2023: Bluetooth Blowout, Breakfast Nook and Costco and Bob Dylan, The Lounge and a Cocktail Concert at Home

1. I had myself a satisfying Bluetooth day today. I paired my new cell phone with the sound system in the Camry and now I can listen to podcasts and audiobooks I've downloaded on my phone. At Costco, I bought a pair of Bluetooth earbuds and paired them with my phone and my MacBook Air. Now I can listen to downloaded podcasts and audiobooks when I go for walks. I also paired my phone with our Bose wireless speaker. 

2. I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Costco. When I arrived in CdA, I blasted over to the Breakfast Nook, sat at the counter, and enjoyed eggs, hash browns, and an English muffin and enjoyed the Breakfast Nook's casual and unpretentious environment and the superb service of those who waited on me. At Costco, I bought a hunk of salmon for Paul and Carol to either bake in the oven or fix on the grill for our Easter family dinner. In addition, a most helpful Costco employee explained the ins and outs of the Bluetooth earbuds I decided to purchase. 

Both going to Coeur D' Alene and coming back to Kellogg, I listened to Bob Dylan and a host of actors read Dylan's astonishing book, The Philosophy of Modern Song. I've listened to the entire book once already and am enjoying it even more this second time around, relishing Dylan's expansive and encyclopedic verbal riffs on each song and his free wheelin' commentaries, full of sage insights, unvarnished opinions, provocative statements on social matters and music, and hilarious fabrications. Sometimes I think I can tell when Dylan is committed to what he says and other times I have to believe he's being a trickster, for comic effect and to outrage his audience. 

3. Back in Kellogg, I bolted up to The Lounge and met Ed and Darren for some yakkin' and enjoyed a couple margaritas. Before I headed uptown, I decided to sign up for Spotify. A Spotify subscriber created a playlist of all sixty-one songs that Dylan writes about in his book. I decided I wanted those songs on hand, largely because many of the songs Dylan riffs on are ones I've never heard before.

Debbie had dinner this evening with Diane and when she returned home I gave my new Spotify subscription and our wireless Bose speaker a workout. Debbie and I sipped on cocktails and I played songs for us, songs by Stan Rogers, Guy Clark, Sandy Denny, June Tabor, Judy Collins, Richard Thompson,  Paul Simon, Jerry Douglas, Old & In the Way, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, The Highwaymen, Stephen Sondheim, Seldom Scene with Jonathan Edwards, Jim Croce, Gordon Lightfoot, Debbie Diedrich ("The List" is available on Spotify!), TR Kelley, Laura Kemp, Doc Watson, and more.

We hadn't had a cocktail concert in the evening for quite a while and listening to all these songs inspired great conversation, triggered sweet memories, and moved us to marvel at all this profound songwriting and performing. I never knew what I was going to play next and it was a fun evening of surprises, mild euphoria, and emotional satisfaction. 

Three Beautiful Things 4-07-2023: Exercising My Left Foot, Gochujang Pork and Vegetable Stir Fry, Columbo is an Actor!

 1. Over a month ago, while on a walk, I did something that evidently strained the side and top of my left foot. In the last couple of days, right along with that stubborn big toe, my foot has been feeling better. I gave my foot a small workout today by driving to Wal Mart, parking quite a ways away from the entry, and walking back to the electronics department and to the pharmacy for some ear buds and Dr. Scholl foot inserts. 

I didn't limp or hobble and I only felt twinges of discomfort in my left foot. I'm hoping this means that it's improved to the point that I can get back to taking regular walks again.

2. Back home, I decided I'd fix dinner with the food we had on hand and save myself a trip to Yoke's. 

I knew HelloFresh had sent us a packet of ground pork by mistake and that we had leftover ginger jasmine rice from Thursday night's dinner. I also knew that Debbie had bought a container of a red pepper Korean paste called Gochujang. I checked out the crisper and we had carrots, celery, and purple cabbage. I knew we had yellow onions on hand and that we had a tube of garlic paste (we are temporarily out of fresh garlic).

I found a recipe for a sauce combining Gochujang with sesame oil, soy sauce, maple syrup, and rice vinegar.

So, I cooked the pork in one cast iron pan and, once browned, I add the left over ginger rice. 

At the same time, I heated up some minced ginger and garlic paste, cooked half a chopped onion, and then stir fried the purple cabbage, carrots, and celery. I transferred half of the pork, rice, and vegetables into a Dutch oven, coated it with the Gochujang sauce and then transferred the rest of the food and poured the rest of the sauce on it. 

The sauce was a tasty blend of red pepper head and mild sweetness and the ground pork, rice, and vegetables worked together deliciously.

I was ecstatic that this meal turned out so well and that I made use of ingredients we had on hand. 

3. Debbie's work weeks tire her out and by Friday she is totally bushed.

For a couple of hours, it looked like we would forgo watching tv together and Debbie would go to bed early. 

But then Debbie got a second wind.

She wanted to watch Columbo.

Tonight's episode from Season 10 was fascinating. Columbo spent parts of the episode undercover, working with a small team of detectives to recover 4 million dollars that had been stashed after a bank robbery six years earlier. Lt. Columbo got to show that he's quite an actor. He pretended to be a small time gangster and a Mafia guy while undercover and played these roles most impressively.  

Three Beautiful Things 04-06-2023: The Sube Has a Spa Day, Pixel 6a Activated, Chicken Dinner and Columbo Brings Down William Shatner

1. It was Spa Day for the Sube today. I rocketed over the 4th or July Pass and arrived at the shop at 8:00 this morning. Now the Sube has new coolant, brake fluid, power steering fluid, and clutch fluid and no new problems with leaks -- just the same old minor oil leak problem we've been monitoring for a while now. It hasn't worsened, just as the service advisor predicted a year and a half to two years ago. 

2. The service advisor, Sydney, gave me a ride to the nearby Starbucks on Prairie and Hiway 95. After a croissant, blueberry scone, and a grande latte, I went next door to the Verizon store. A very helpful guy activated the Pixel 6a I bought back in November and now I'm all set with my new cell phone.

The Sube's Spa Day was going to last about 5-6 hours, so I returned to Starbucks, bought a coffee and asked for a big glass of water and I blogged, completed the Thursday NYTimes Crossword Puzzle, and completed a couple other puzzles I work on every morning. It was a relaxing way to occupy my waiting time and when the Sube was done being pampered, Sydney returned to Starbucks and shuttled me back to the shop.

3. Back home, I sliced onions, put them in the bottom of a baking pan on top of some olive oil, salt and peppered two chicken thighs, put them on the onions, and then put two more onion slices on top of the chicken. 

I baked them.

I also made a butter, garlic, lemon sauce to put on the chicken and on the broccoli I fixed.

To round out the meal, I made a pot of jasmine rice enhanced by heating up minced ginger in melted butter and adding the rice and water to the butter and ginger.

For dessert, we returned to Columbo and watched Columbo completely outfox and outsmart an uber egotistical and homicidal radio talk show host played by William Shatner. The character Shatner played was so creepy and such a lying, conniving, exploitative guy, that it made this episode difficult to watch, but the payoff was sweet when Columbo nailed him. 

Three Beautiful Things 04-05-2023: Mass for Robert Trecker, Vegetable and Rice Bowls, The New Remote Arrived

1. This morning, I blasted up to St. Rita's Catholic Church to pay respects to Diane Trecker's recently deceased father, Robert (Bob). Diane is one of eleven siblings and all of them were in attendance. The priest as well as Robert's son-in-law emphasized Bob's strong work ethic, the way that he passed this and other ways of living well on to his children and grandchildren, and emphasized how Bob's eleven children have all grown up to be superb people. I enjoyed seeing the members of the Class of '72 who were in attendance, including Stu, Lars, Sue D, and Mike Heglund -- Rick Chapman also attended. I had a most enjoyable conversation with Mike after the service out in front of the church. 

2. Back home, I assembled ingredients and made a very delicious and satisfying HelloFresh dinner. 

I began by peeling and mincing a plug of ginger, peeling and dicing a sweet potato, chopping a red pepper, chopping a couple green onions, and trimming and quartering and handful of mushrooms. I tossed the mushrooms and sweet potato pieces in a bowl with olive oil and hoisin sauce. I covered a baking sheet with parchment paper and roasted the mushrooms and sweet potato on one half of the sheet and the chopped red pepper on the other half.

While the vegetable roasted, I melted a chunk of butter in a pot and added the minced ginger and the white part of the green onion and let them cook for a minute. Then I added a packet of rice and cup and a quarter of water. I brought the rice to a boil and then turned down the heat, put the lid on so the rice could cook.

I also mixed mayonnaise, soy sauce, sour cream, and Sriracha in a bowl and let it sit. 

After the vegetable roasted for about fifteen minutes, I removed them from the oven, put the mushrooms and sweet potato in a bowl, added more hoisin sauce and sesame seeds, tossed them, put them back on the baking sheet, and roasted them for about five more minutes.

Once the rice cooked and the vegetables finished roasting, all Debbie and had to do was put the ginger-onion rice in a bowl, cover the rice with vegetables, and pour the sauce over the top. We could also add more sesame seeds and the chopped green part of the green onions to the bowl.

I was especially happy to learn the technique of melting butter and briefly cooking ginger and onion in the pot before boiling the rice. I hope I'll remember to do this with other dishes in the future. 

3. I experienced a mild sense of euphoria today when the Vizio remote control device I ordered arrived -- it replaces the one I stupidly tossed in the trash. My euphoria grew when I figured out how to remove the back and insert the batteries. My euphoria peaked when this new device worked! 

Three Beautiful Things 04-04-2023: Sube's New Blood, Simple Delicious Dinner, *Barney Miller*

 1. A freak storm triggered a chaos of wrecks and slide offs and long delays on the 4th of July Pass Monday afternoon and evening, but today I leapt into the Sube and blasted over the hill unimpeded and darted up to the auto shop that services the Sube and got the oil changed. I also found out the Sube needs other fresh fluids and some other attention, so I'll return and have the shop hook up the Sube to a variety of IVs and give it some new blood. 

2. Once I returned home, I launched into the preparation of tonight's HelloFresh dinner. I diced a couple of small tomatoes, peeled and minced two garlic cloves, and mixed Panko bread crumbs and shredded Parmesan cheese in a bowl with olive oil and salt and pepper. 

I turned up the gas underneath olive oil drizzled into a cast iron pan and added a packet of Italian seasoning, a good pinch of chili flakes, and the minced garlic to it. Once fragrant, I added the diced tomatoes and they cooked for a couple or three minutes. To the tomatoes and seasonings I added a packet of tomato paste and cooked it while stirring for about a minute.

I then added a cup of water, a packet of mushroom stock, and two packets of cream cheese to the tomato mixture and cooked it all until the cheese blended in with liquids and this sauce thickened up a bit.

Once the sauce was in good shape, I added the package of cheese tortelloni and once the tortelloni were tender I added 2 Tbsp of butter. Once the butter melted, I covered it all with the Panko/Parmesan mixture and put the cast iron pan under the broiler until the bread crumbs turned golden.

It was a simple process and it resulted in a very tasty One-Pan Trattoria Tortelloni Bake with Crispy Parmesan Panko Topping. 

3. Debbie was bushed tonight. We enjoyed dinner together.  We sat silently in the living room for about an hour, each occupied with our own projects. 

Suddenly, Debbie broke the silence and said she was ready for some television viewing, but wanted to watch something with shorter episodes than Columbo. 

I suddenly remembered that a couple of days ago Debbie had mentioned it might be fun to watch some Barney Miller and so I fired up the Vizio and put on a couple of episodes.

The second episode we watched further developed the storyline of Barney and his wife, Liz, having decided to separate. One of the strengths of Barney Miller is the way it moves so effortlessly between hilarious situations in the precinct room and moments of poignancy. When all the detectives gathered in Barney's office and urged him to join them at a watering hole for a few beers, the mutual affection between these cops and their captain, Barney Miller, moved me. 

Three Beautiful Things 04-03-2023: The Mediocre Autodidact (Me!), Family Goulash Dinner, UConn and Dan Hurley

1. I continued my long and slow process of learning how to use Lightroom both for organizing and editing photographs. I think the word I've heard for people who teach themselves stuff is autodidact. I freely admit: I'm a mediocre autodidact! I'd be doing much better with this project if I were under another person's guidance and could ask questions. But, it's fine that I'm mediocre. I am determined to watch videos and read materials and come to an increasingly fuller understanding of Lightroom's many features and functions.

I had fun continuing to scroll through my Flickr albums and picking out more pictures to possibly edit and print. Very few people look at my Flickr albums, which is fine, and for that reason I am absolutely indiscriminate about what I post there. I've found that my evaluation of pictures changes over time and that sometime photographs I didn't think much of at one point in time look better to me later (and the other way around, too!). So I just post everything on Flickr.  The quality of pictures in these albums is, at best, inconsistent, but I can see in my failed pictures what I was trying to do and might even learn from these picture what to do better on down the road.

2. Family dinner tonight was a blast. We started off in Paul and Carol's living room with chips and salsa and a fun cocktail Fizz Stupendous. Paul's version blended sparkling Rose (Rozay) wine with raspberry syrup and some liqueur. I tried cranberry and then grape liqueur. It was a fun and unique cocktail, almost like drinking Belgian lambic beer.

For our main course, Christy made a delicious grape salad, Debbie fixed a fresh and tasty mixed greens salad, and Carol made church potluck favorite, Grandma Martha's Spanish Goulash. It was a delicious and comforting take on goulash. It wasn't seasoned with paprika but with cumin and chili powder and was deliciously cheesy. I could see why the members of Paul's grandma's church insisted that his Grandma Martha bring this dish to their potlucks. It's flavorful and left me just feeling good.

3. Once dinner and our family conversations drew to a close, we returned home in time to watch the second half of the NCAA Men's Championship basketball tournament. The University of Connecticut Huskies have played superb basketball throughout the tournament, winning all of their games by double figure margins and they continued in that vein tonight against San Diego State. The Aztecs played hard with a lot of determination and heart, but UConn simply had more talent than San Diego State at every position. UConn pretty much matched USDS's defensive intensity and were much more versatile on offense. UConn also got USDS in foul trouble in the second half and converted a high percentage of their free throws. UConn triumphed, 72-59. 

One very welcome but unexpected experience I had during this tournament was in my regard for UConn's head coach, Dan Hurley.

I don't enjoy volatile coaches, coaches who regularly blow a gasket, who scream at the referees and get bug-eyed and wave their arms and run up and down in front of their bench and the scorer's table.

Dan Hurley, since I began to take notice of him in the last few years, has been (like his brother, Bob) an animated gasket blower on the sideline.

But during this season, that changed.

I didn't notice this change until the Gonzaga game, but after that game Dan Hurley revealed in a post-game interview two salient confessions. 

First, during an early winter losing streak, Hurley came to realize that his antics on the sideline were distracting to his team. He decided to make a determined effort to calm down, spend more time in time outs working with his players, less time hectoring the referees, and he decided to improve his general demeanor on the sideline. (By the way, I was happy to hear CBS broadcaster Bill Raftery list Hurley's change in comportment as one of the factors that helped pull the Huskies out of their early winter slump.) 

Second, in this interview, Hurley revealed that to help calm himself, he's been practicing meditation. He talked about the impact of meditation in the post Zag game interview and in another interview before tonight's game, when asked if he'd seen Lamont Butler's game winning shot against Florida Atlantic, Hurley answered he hadn't seen the shot live. 

He was meditating.

It doesn't matter a hoot what coaches I enjoy and which ones I don't.

I know that.

But, for me, I'd much rather enjoy a coach and admire how he conducts himself (or how she conducts herself -- I'm not crazy about Kim Mulky's sideline antics) than not admire the coach.

I guess the calmer, thoughtful, candid Dan Hurley was always there, but was overpowered by the bug-eyed, screaming, gasket-blowing, tortured Hurley. I enjoyed seeing a more mature and quieted down Dan Hurley emerge and I'm happy to be relieved of the negative feelings and responses I've experienced in the past watching him at work. 

I sure hope this calmer Dan Hurley is permanent, that this change endures the test of the inevitable ups and downs that lie ahead.  

 

Three Beautiful Things 04-02-2023: Learning More About Lightroom, Quick Dinner, Weird Episode of *Perry Mason*

1. I'm a slow learner. 

I always have been. 

I used to think that I learned things slowly but that whatever I learned stuck with me. I'm not so sure about what does or doesn't stick with me any longer. I learn things that then seem to fly away as I age. 

Today, I continued my slow process of learning how to edit photographs with Lightroom's software and slowly, surely it's starting to sink in. I've found some helpful video tutorials. I've found helpful written resources online. For several years, I relied on the now discontinued Picasa software from Google to edit pictures and I'm slowly, somewhat surely, learning what makes Lightroom different and I'm just beginning to learn how to do some of the things with Lightroom that I relied on when I used Picasa. 

Thank goodness, the stakes are low. 

I'm patient. 

I'm having fun. 

Before long, I'll have some pictures printed, buy some frames, and hang them in the Vizio room and bedroom -- and, who knows? -- maybe in the living room.

Scroll down and you can see examples of some of the pictures I'm going to work with and print.

2. Debbie spent the afternoon at Pinehurst Elementary School getting things organized for the return of her students on Monday and listening to arias from different operas and other pieces of classical music. 

She returned home feeling happy, happy that things are squared away for the resumption of school and happy to have spent an afternoon filled with inspiring and sublime music.

Upon her arrival back home, we looked at each other and realized we didn't have a clue regarding dinner.

Debbie wondered what we had in the freezer, seeming to remember we had a bag of raw shrimp.

I said we did.

Well, Debbie wondered, couldn't we have shrimp with a can of fire roasted tomatoes and some red pepper flakes served with rice? 

I checked our rice situation.

We had jasmine rice.

So I cooked a batch of rice and quickly sautéed the shrimp in butter and added the tomatoes and red pepper flakes.

Presto! We enjoyed a quick, easy, delicious, and simple dinner with little fuss and not much of a mess! 

3. Tonight, Debbie and I returned to Perry Mason and watched one of the more absurd, but fun, episodes we'd ever seen. It involved the murder of a womanizing and corrupt dentist at the San Diego Zoo. The episode not only had a wacky storyline, but also featured animals at the zoo, including a baby gorilla and a cowardly lion who played prominent roles in the case and were key to Perry Mason cleverly getting to the bottom of figuring out who actually killed the unscrupulous dentist. 

Three Beautiful Things 04-01-2023: Buzzer Beating Aztec Win, UConn Clamps Down (Again), Faye Dunaway Guest Stars in *Columbo*

1. During this afternoon's NCAA men's championship semifinal game between Florida Atlantic University and San Diego State, I kept thinking that the Aztecs wear opponents down by being physically relentless, particularly on defense and with their fierce pursuit of offensive rebounds. In the second half of today's game, as San Diego State began to put dents in FAU's fourteen point lead, as they began to more powerfully assert themselves on the boards, especially on their own end of the court, and even as they missed a string of free throws, I had this sinking feeling that FAU might not hang on, that SDU might just power their way to a win.

But there's no way that I saw the thrilling end of this game coming. With a one point lead and the shot clock winding down, FAU missed a short, well-defended shot, SDSU rebounded, and with about seven seconds left on the clock, the Aztecs did not call a time out but put the ball in Lamont Butler's hands. Butler tried to drive to the iron, but, with time almost expired, he rose up for jump shot from about seventeen feet and buried it, giving San Diego State a breathtaking, heart stopping 72-71victory. 

2. Just like they did against Gonzaga a week ago, UConn put the clamps on Miami's high scoring, efficient offense, and held the 'Canes to their lowest point total all season -- just like they did to the Zags. While the Huskies margin of victory against Miami was not as vast as their win over Gonzaga, UConn dominated most of this contest and secured a 72-59 victory. 

In Monday night's final, we'll see two teams with stubborn defenses and deep benches clash. I would imagine UConn will be favored (I see the early line from Caesar's Sports Book has UConn a 7.5 point favorite), but I'm not ready to count San Diego State out. The Aztecs possess great will power. They are  determined, hard playing and, while I don't disagree with those who predict a possible UConn blowout nor with those who predict a UConn victory, I wouldn't be surprised if San Diego State hangs around in this game, keeps UConn from running away, and gives themselves a chance to win it late.

3. Once the two semifinal games drew to a close, Debbie and I decided to watch another episode from Season 10 of Columbo. I had no idea that Faye Dunaway appeared as a guest star in an episode and that's the one we watched tonight. The story centers around two women (one of them Dunaway) who discover they are both being played by a young Casanova who enjoys nibbling on each of their ears. 

So, they join forces and murder him.

What transpires then, as Lt. Columbo investigates the murder, is, to me, one of the most surprising storylines in the entire Columbo canon. I won't give any of the details away, but I will say that this episode, written by Peter Falk, astonished me and, in the end, moved me. I'm not quite sure what to make of what happened in this story, but the feelings it stirred in me have endured.  

(By the way, for whatever it's worth, Faye Dunaway won an Emmy for her performance in this episode.)

Three Beautiful Things 03-31-2023: Chicken in the Kitchen, That's Right -- I Tossed the Remote, The Glorious Movie *A Thousand Clowns*

1. When Debbie took out a packet of chicken from the freezer, she thought it contained chicken thighs. She was ready to follow her palate and cook up these thighs in some creative way.

It turned out, though, that it was a packet of party wings.

Disappointed, Debbie asked me to take over fixing dinner because for years now I've been the chicken wings cook in our house.

I was happy to take on this task and, after poking around a bit on the World Wide Web, I decided to make Garlic Parmesan wings.

It was simple. I simply melted a stick of butter and added a half a cup of grated Parmigiana-Reggiano along with a teaspoon or so of garlic powder. 

I fried the wings in butter, put them in a bowl, and tossed them with the garlic, cheese, and butter sauce.

I roasted Yukon Gold potato slices and slices on onion and sautéed mushrooms to accompany the chicken wings. 

Dinner was a success! 

2. Debbie and I are always trying to keep the number of things we have in our house to a minimum. Usually this approach to how we like to live works superbly, but once in great while it backfires.

It backfired for me. Quite a while back, I needed to purchase a new Amazon Fire Stick and I thought the remote control device that came with it did everything the Vizio remote did. 

So, in the spirit of minimalist living, I tossed the Vizio remote control.

That inane decision backfired on me today. 

I hooked up our Blu-ray player today, but to return the television to the channel that plays the content on the Fire Stick, I needed the Vizio remote device.

I searched the Vizio room on the off chance that I'd misplaced, not tossed, the remote, but when I couldn't find it, I was left with that sinking feeling that I'd blundered. 

I stayed cool.

I went online and explored options -- I could buy another remote or I could load an app on my cell phone that would work as a remote.

After one failed attempt with one particular app, I found an app that worked and restored the Vizio to its former glory. 

I am pretty sure I'll buy a new remote. 

I'm grateful for the app, but I will like holding a hard copy of the remote in my hand.

3. Debbie and I watched A Thousand Clowns (1965), one of my favorite of all movies. For several years my searches for this movie online or as a disc hadn't panned out, but last summer I discovered that it was available on Blu-ray and I bought it. 

It sat unopened in the Vizio room until tonight. I wanted to watch it with Debbie, primarily because we both enjoy Jason Robards so much, and, lo and behold, I suggested we put Columbo aside tonight and we instead we watched this movie.

I can't remember the last time I watched A Thousand Clowns, but I vividly remember the first time. I don't remember why Leonard Oakland was screening this movie at Cowles Auditorium one evening at Whitworth, but he did and I went. 

I remember Leonard being absolutely in love with A Thousand Clowns. I don't remember the substance of his introduction to the movie, only his unbridled enthusiasm.

And tonight, as I thought I would, I discovered that my enthusiasm for this movie is as unbridled today as it was back in 1975 or 1976 or whenever it was Leonard Oakland turned me on to A Thousand Clowns.

I don't want to give away much of the movie's plot. The story centers on Murray Burns (Jason Robards) and his twelve year old nephew, Nick (Barry Gordon). Murray and Nick have lived in Murray's apartment together for several years -- the movie explains why Nick lives with Murray.

The movie's central conflict develops between Murray and the local child welfare board. The board wants to remove Nick from Murray's home.

I'll leave it at that.

If you've been reading this blog over the years, you might remember that for me the genre of comedy is primarily concerned with vitality. Comedies affirm those things that give life its vitality, those things that invigorate us, make us feel more fully alive. 

Murray Burns is, much like Maude Chardin in Harold and Maude, the embodiment of vitality. He, like Maude, seeks experiences day to day that make each day vibrant, that rebel against routine, planning, conformity, repetition. 

It's his non-conformity that has attracted the attention of the child welfare bureau and that kicks this movie into action.

For the first time ever in watching this movie, tonight I noticed how much its editing and story-telling methods had been influenced by the French New Wave and, I thought, the movie's making was also influenced by the comic energy of Frederico Fellini. I can't really support these observations without giving away plot details I prefer not to reveal, but if you are familiar with the New Wave's use of montage, jump cuts, moments of cinema verite, and radical juxtaposition of images and of past and present moments in the story, you'll see that much of the economy of the way the story of A Thousand Clowns gets told is a result of this inventive editing.

The disc I purchased of A Thousand Clowns features, as a bonus track, an interview with Barry Gordon. I'm not sure when the interview took place, but Gordon looks to be in his 60s. 

I enjoyed listening to Gordon reminisce about how he broke into television and movie acting as a child and his insights into the stage version and the movie version of A Thousand Clowns expanded my knowledge and understanding of Herb Gardner's writing and Fred Coe's work as the movie's director.