Last summer we visited Mount Vernon, Virginia, home of George Washington. The estate is now an educational tourist attraction, and I learned all about how wonderful George Washington was, which left me feeling – could the man do nothing wrong? It is certainly important that instead of grabbing power and declaring himself king, as he could have since he had control of the army, he just said I’ll be president for 8 years and then I’m done. He also let free his slaves after he died, but one friend pointed out, that was after he no longer needed them. My son, who is studying AP American History this year, said he wasn’t a very good general, or else his army wouldn’t have been in such sorry shape when they were about to cross the Delaware. He was a good speaker, and so he roused them up for that one more important battle.
The photo shows the outside of his home facing the Potomac River. A man in a red shirt conveniently was surveying the scene just so I could use this for Ruby Tuesday:
One would think, the closer you get to a tree the more sharply one can see the beautiful foliage. Last week I discovered that when I got close to a beautifully red, yellow and orange leafed maple, the leaves that were against the blue sky already looked damaged and faded, while the ones closer to the trunk were still vibrant, colorful and youthful.
Close to the tree trunk, the colors range from yellow to bright red.
Further from the base of the tree, the leaves are darker and browned at the edges.
Since Michelle invited the animals to her Thanksgiving feast, I am inviting the few flowers left in my yard: the chrysanthemum, the marigolds, white alyssum, rudbeckia and petunias.
I am happy the marigolds have been able to withstand some of the frosty nights we have experienced. A few rudbeckia are trying to bloom in late November.
Most of my mum flowers have browned, but a few stragglers bloomed late and decorate my yard.
My kale experiment is going well. The kale I planted in August from seed is gracefully adorning my front yard. The kale in the back, however, seems to be a Thanksgiving feast for some animals, as it is nibbled away.
Pumpkin, detail from watercolor painting of Three Squash, 2009
Or any other holiday or reason to gather and eat. I like collecting recipes. Maybe one day I’ll actually try some of these.
Bake the potatoes for over an hour. Take them out of the oven when you can stick a fork in them. Eat a few of them, but make sure you have at least 4 large ones left for this recipe. When they are cool, you can either stick them in the refrigerator for a day or two, or continue with the recipe right away. Cut up the potatoes in cubes, without the skin. Toss them in oil and ketchup (or tomato sauce). Sprinkle with salt and spices. Bake for about twenty minutes. Serve warm.
Tomorrow is the last day of the Highland Park Farmer’s Market for the 2010 season. I will miss my Friday visits to see the vegetables, fruits and flowers. And of course, chat with the people. This past week I met Debbie at the market, whom you can read about in this interview.
On My Blog
Linda’s Recital on Sunday at Etz Ahaim in Highland Park – bassoon and piano
Elsewhere in the Blogosphere
Batya put together a nice Meet the Blogs post. Thank you for the mention, Batya.
Factual Friday is cool. For example, Mrs. S. has more friends on Facebook than Mr. S. – isn’t that a precious fact? ๐ Seems to have something to do with blogger friends.
Hannah posted about a program to teach empathy called Bullies and Babies. Some commentators are skeptical: does this work?
Red onion at Highland Park Farmer's Market
I love the idea of a side dish that requires no cooking. You might want to make this in the summer, but as winter approaches, fresh vegetables may not be as abundant. This pea salad can be accompanied with squash or rice.
Ingredients
8 oz. frozen peas
1 clove garlic
first cold-pressed olive oil – enough to coat the salad
1 half red onion, chopped (or use a sweet vidalia onion)
sea salt, to taste
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley or cilantro
optional: pepper, allspice or cumin
optional: shredded carrots – 1 large carrot or a handful of baby carrots
Put the frozen peas in a container. Crush the garlic clove, and add it to the top. Put in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it (the peas will need several hours to defrost). When you are about to eat, coat with olive oil. Add the chopped onion, herbs, salt, optional shredded carrots and any spices you desire, such as cumin or allspice. Stir and serve.
