Playing with food

One of the things I like best about California is the abundance of fresh produce. I certainly took it for granted when I was growing up here. Yesterday, as I was putting together this fruit and veggie basket, Mr. Gadget remarked that I have a little weird streak. The way I look at it there's plenty of weird to go around, and I'm proud to have staked a claim to some of it.

I have plans for all of this fresh goodness. Last night I cooked the Japanese eggplant (which Tech Guy seems to think qualifies as a pornament). Next will be the avocados. Guacamole! And as for the big one that looks a little bit elderberry-colored, well, I'm just waiting for the recipe....

So, we had a little excitement in the neighborhood night before last. As I sat knitting on the manly sweater and Mr. Gadget was reading his Scientific American, we heard a siren stop close by. Then another and another, and lots of blinking lights. Mr. G. put on his hat and coat (did I mention it was cold---in fact one of the coldest days in these parts since 1949?) and ventured outside to see what all the racket was about.

It seems that one of the condos just down the sidewalk was ablaze. The resident (maybe a curmudgeon, I'm not sure), we later heard, was heating up a towel in the microwave. Well now, I've done that too, but I'm always careful not to do it for too long since I figure those gadgets are really made for heating food not cloth. Anyway, the firemen did a wonderful job of putting out the fire and, probably more importantly, kept it from spreading to the other condos.

So I'm thinking maybe I'll go out for a walk around the neighborhood, now that the temperature has risen above freezing. I'll take my new MP-3 player so I can listen to an audiobook, and I'll take my cell phone. Good thing I have a jacket with lots o' pockets..heh...heh. I'm expecting a call from the hospice nurse who will talk to me sometime today about dear ol' dad and how he's doing. She sees him regularly, which I don't, so it's good to touch base. Yesterday I delivered the peanut butter cookies and he said he'd have one later. He was mostly concerned about his car, which he said he'd parked out in front at the curb. He hasn't driven in almost 5 years. So I reassured him that I would move it for him, and he seemed appreciative. It's always a dilemma whether to try to explain to him that he's a bit confused and the car isn't there, or to just play along. Mostly I just play along....