One of These Things Doesn't Belong Here

...One of these things just isn't the same...

Snaps from this past weekend at the Mothership, with most from the lush Mother Garden.

1 - Loofah (apparently, it appeared out of nowhere, or, at least, surreptitiously; it had caught no one's eye until right before this photo was taken).

2 - Very happy basil (in contrast to my several failed attempts at the Jardin; although the latest cuttings seem to be establishing now, quite late into the season - so even the cuttings' good growth is nowhere near the size of these leaves, only two of which were more than enough for a full dish of leftover pasta).

3 - Spent dwarf sunflower, hopefully bearing some viable seeds, so that we can try for some next year without relying on the supermarket that sold us this one. [This could be the "one" that doesn't belong, being neither edible, nor vividly colored - though once it was.]

4,5,6,7 - Red amaranth, in all its various forms  (taking a cue from my pleasing past practice), including inside an omelette. Mama Hen was somewhat skeptical about the omelette; she seems to have missed out on spinach omelettes in her life. The little yellow grape tomatoes came from seeds that Mama Hen just casually tossed into a planter in Spring, and, of course, they thrived in her care. I saved seeds, since I don't know that mine will yield very much fruit.

8 - The reason for the visit - Lil' Bro's. [This is the other candidate for not belonging, being not of the Mother Garden, though the flan still sprang from the hands of Mama Hen.]

And also "not the same"? The weekend's activities. No watercraft; Lil' Bro was reluctantly willing, but the reluctance was clear. And it was HIS birthday, so it was only right that we should follow his lead and preferences - and for him, mini golf won. A fun outing overall, though surprisingly not much less mosquito-plagued than boating would have been.

Sissy expressed some pressure to boat regularly, too, to make the annual dues that I paid worthwhile. Sure, there are the fees - but it should still be fun, for everyone involved. I think part of the reason the fun has waned is the complex assembly routine. The kayak option that Papa Rooster, Mama Hen, and I went to explore last week alas doesn't quite work as is - the seat was lower than Papa Rooster's comfort level. There might be other options, but that would be more of an outlay. We'll see....

It's always the time versus the money. Feels like life shouldn't come down to that, but surprisingly often, decisions can be plotted out on those two axes. I am fortunate in that, for these things, I feel like I can disregard the cost element - nothing we do is oh so extravagant; I just want it to be fun and easy. But the expense part tends to weigh more on others - it's generally that the ones more lacking in a resource value it more. And so it is with me and time.

Bug Food, Human Food, Soul Food

Visiting great aunties in Vietnamese American Northern Virginia.

Flowers: Food for the pollinators, in the gardens...

... around a cozy little Buddhist temple, in a house, where one of my great aunts has her permanent altar that we visited for the first time since her passing.

Flowers (of the buttercream variety): Food for us humans, my extended family, gathered around the cake celebrating the 92nd(!) birthday of another great aunt, younger sister of the departed one. We visited with her and her 90 year old baby sister. 

And we were treated to a home cooked feast for the birthday party!

The great aunties, for all their longevity, confront the time robber daily. It's hand to hand combat at this point. So when they're willing to celebrate, as was the case a few weekends back, we're willing to make the journey down to celebrate with them. A weekend away is really but a drop in the bucket of a life; falling a bit further behind in the quest for an orderly household and schedule is but a small price to pay for the temporary suspension of that steady march. That's really what happens when we get together with our dear ones, no? Somehow, everything freezes, even though the event happens. It's a paradox - the feeling and experience of spending time with people, versus the interaction that transpires and the marking on the calendar.

Philosophical musings aside, spending time in one of the ethnic enclaves of my people also means, of course, that we always stop into #edencenter in NoVA to sample Vietnamese food, this time including the new #phogavang.

Belly fed, soul fed (with only a little bit of guilt for straying a smidge from full vegetarianism).

Warning: Water May Be LESS Deep Than It Appears

Shallow waters can be every bit as tricky as deep waters, if you weren't expecting them to be so.

Kayaking has become a weekend routine, in a way. Almost as I'd dreamt and planned.

The most recent outing started as just another paddle at low tide. We headed toward the train trestle to explore; we wanted to wait and see a train cross from the water. As we approached, egret-like birds appeared to be standing, not floating, so we knew the water was not quite as deep as the main part of the bay. Papa Rooster and Sissy turned back in their canoe with the outboard motor. Lil' Bro and I paddled on...

While waiting for the train, we observed among the grasses...

... teeny birds darting to and fro on the mud flats. Contemplating, Lil' Bro remarked, "I didn't know birds could be so tiny."

And then we saw the train! And a second crossing the other way! Mission accomplished, we prepared to head back to the dock.

Except the tide had pulled out more while we were waiting on the train; we hadn't moved, but the water had. And while I could feel the bottom an inch or two beneath my kayak, Lil Bro's kayak weighed just a bit more than mine, and, well, he's bigger than I am, so he was stuck...

No amount of wiggling would get him free, no pushing with the paddle. So out he had to come. And then he sank, past his ankles in thick black mud...as I watched, just barely floating, clean and comfy in my kayak🙃...

A little farther from shore, trying to avoid more trudging, and sinking, in deep, dark mud - "It's gross. It IS GROSS! Let's see if I can go..." - Lil' Bro climbed in and tried paddling again, giving a go with his shallow water paddling technique, flicking up mud, but otherwise not moving forward. No luck. So on he trudged, through the muck, dragging his kayak, as I paddled on toward the middle deeper part.

Finally back at the dock, ankles and legs hosed off, muddy kayak hosed off inside and out, we were rewarded with pretty sunset colors and a crescent 🌙...

...and the twinkling lights of the Throgs Neck Bridge in the distance.

And for all that mucky trudging, we were rewarded with a nice Chinese dinner out.

And for all that ordeal, which Papa Rooster and Sissy were spared by cutting their water adventure short, Papa Rooster waxed happily about his water jaunt, thrilled to get to use his little motor. 

But the assembly of the souped up canoe, with all its accessories and accoutrements, to stabilize it with pontoons, to allow it to accept the outboard motor, to outfit it with oars in case the battery runs out on the motor - easily an additional 30 to 45 minutes of time both pre- and post-launch - just kills me. I don't have the patience for it. Sissy is a saint; she indulges Papa Rooster, as he does her. But time is our scarcest resource. Time is what we, the family of an 86-year-old, don't have in abundance. So today, with my extra summer wellness day granted by the business I support, Mother Hen and Papa Rooster and I headed to Jersey, to look at a tandem kayak that integrates a trolling motor, and is stable enough to allow for standing, even in a choppy bay. It's big and heavy and expensive, but I'd be happy to get it if we can just put it in, and if Mother Hen can join him. The hiccup is the low seat that Papa Rooster can't sit in comfortably. So now I am researching higher seats. We shall see if I can't solve this yet.

Spending time to gain more time.

Highest and Best Use

Food and decor from the August garden.

Greens living their best lives, according to what passes for a meal plan in these parts:

Should eat the 6 day old leftover thin crust pizza (boxed from a work team after hours pizza party). The basil (finally seeming to establish a foothold) needs pinching; can add some on top. Oh, there's amaranth from the monster plant-tree out there - can use that in place of spinach. Let's go for the big leaves. Really need to snip off the flowers so it doesn't self seed as much next year; will clip the ends and harvest the little leaves around the flowers, then cut up the stems to self compost. Well, aren't the droopy flower clusters charming! People DO harvest them for boho bouquets... maybe we'll hold onto the de-leaved stems. Oh... the shiso next to the amaranth; a little won't overpower the mix. [Glancing at adjacent planter.] Lamb's quarters ... I HAVE been meaning to try it. [Walk toward door, pass by another planter.] Red amaranth! That might be pretty, to break up the greens - on the pizza AND the bouquet. [Close to the door.] The Vietnamese balm is awfully tall and getting leggy; would it be weird to add it to the mix?

Inside. Warm pizza, strip leaves into a bowl. Grab a third and sprinkle atop slice #1 of 3, eat. Not bad, a little dry. Maybe it would be better with dressing. 

Pour over small part of remnants of bottled roasted garlic dressing, rather thick and gloopy, add splash of apple cider vinegar to thin it all out. Toss leaves, top slice #2 after sprinkling it with red pepper flakes. Eat. So much better!! The acidity cut the richness of the cheese and mellows the saltiness of the pizza beautifully, the bit spice - really, higher order leftover pizza, here. The Vietnamese balm coming through is just right, and the rest of the greens taste unified. 

Top slice #3, fold and eat - MUCH easier to consume and bite through the leaves. THIS would make a good regular dish - whoever was smart enough to top pizza with salad?!!

Oh... Would this work as a modified grilled cheese? Hmmm...

How cute is the little amaranth bouquet that led off this post?! Food AND decor!

Putting Together All the Pieces

Finding museum time, and browsing the pop cultural, beautifully complicated and artistic Lego block set inspired by a classic painting.

3000+ pieces, to be exact, for the "Starry Night" Lego block set available in the gift store at the MoMA - that set likely would take more time than I am prepared to devote now, but what a delightful and very meta set it is!

"To See Takes Time" - and, so it did, to make it out to catch this exhibit of Georgia O'Keeffe works before it closed. She worked in series, and seeing each of the components, and her process, was beautiful, and illuminating - of the sequencing, the way to arrive at the end result. 

Likewise, the sequencing for the delicate hybrid work dance to get to the museum... The planning to obtain tickets for Uniqlo sponsored Free First Friday, the switching of the routine work from home Friday for Thursday, since there was a Friday in-person client meeting, that, as happenstance would have it, worked out well for walking directly to the MoMA from the office. Ways to squeeze art, fun, Sis time, more LIFE into the workday....

...To avoid the greys.... depicted in the last installation of the "Chosen Memories" exhibit, artist and title of which I didn't stop to catch.

Still working, always striving, for that balance.

[Finally completed August 24, 2023.]