Category: Home Life

Historical category no longer used.

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Home Life

Odds and Ends

Fall Colors
Fall Colors

LAKE MACBRIDE— It is a late frost this year. Oct. 20 and the tomatoes and peppers are still growing, inspiring hope to pick more before the season finally ends. I gave away a bushel of kale on Saturday, confident there will be more.

In between part time jobs there are blocks of time with which to build a life. There are fewer of them, but between interactions with members of the public and spells of writing in public, there is a private life about which I haven’t and won’t write much here.

In most ways, mine is the plain life of a common person. The profound awakening I had as a grader—that Cartesian view about communication with others through media—shaped much of who I am and have been. Realizing it was not unique to me has shaped my life as I moved from school to worklife to homelife. I don’t mind being a commoner.

Part of each week is spent with people in public, and discontent seems to lie below craggy surfaces. Some appear to have had a rough life, and take little joy in human interactions. Others, especially people accompanied by children, are more positive and joyful. Life in society is a mixed bag, and that is not news.

For me there is much more than getting through to the next day. Since Monday is my Friday, I am resolved to get something done during these weekdays. To transform this quotidian existence into something at least as beautiful as the fall colors—or as close as I can get.

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Home Life

Begin with a Lunar Eclipse

Lunar Eclipse
Lunar Eclipse

LAKE MACBRIDE— It was a glorious moonrise last night with a spectacular lunar eclipse this morning. Stars could be seen throughout the sky, and neighbors turned on their lights to come outside and look.

The Milky Way was evident, and Orion’s belt was high in the southern sky. Even though I studied astronomy briefly under Dr. James A. Van Allen back in undergraduate school, I know the names of few constellations. Too, I feel no compulsion to name everything I see in the sky, but would rather take in its twinkling light just looking.

Who doesn’t want to live in glory and the spectacular on this blue, green, and increasingly brown sphere?

The day began earlier in the kitchen. I checked the kale in the dehydrator and rotated the trays. Having run out of ideas, and with a full freezer, turning kale into small flakes to be added as a soup ingredient is the last thing to do. A little will go a long way, and plenty of kale remains growing in the garden to be eaten, given away, and processed. Kale has been a success story this year.

I bottled the red pepper flakes made from Bangkok peppers and the dust from the funnel made me sneeze. Last night I processed a jar of whole dried peppers leftover from a previous year—a second vintage of red pepper flakes. My intent is to use the Bangkok first, give some away, and whatever is left next season will be composted. Half a dozen habanero peppers were in the jar. They’ll go into the compost today.

Wheat Straw
Wheat Straw

Morning coffee yesterday was with a friend at a grocery store in Iowa City. We discussed food security, politics and people we knew in common. The store was selling plastic bags of baled wheat straw. Why on earth anyone would want such a thing when the local hay is in is beyond me. But there it was.

Importantly, I reflected on my post on gatherings. Writing it helped clarify things, and as I picked hot peppers and tasted the Red Delicious apples from the tree, it occurred to me that this life, my life going forward, shall be reduced to a few important things. While working for the logistics company, I learned it is important to take care of ourselves. Without that, it is impossible to get anything else done. Once we are physically, socially and economically secure, the focus turns outward to working in society. To mitigate our changing climate, to abolish nuclear weapons, and to protect others with food security, economic justice and public health. This is a life worth living.

As I enjoyed my celebratory spread on crackers, it seemed much was possible—a sound foundation to sustain a life in a turbulent world.

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Home Life

Fall Arrived Unawares

Harkin Steak FryLAKE MACBRIDE— The chill in the air is undeniable as summer activities wrap up— ready or not.

The last share from the CSA picks up tonight, and Tuesday is to be a full day of outdoor activities, with Wednesday the rain date. It is time to harvest and prepare the yard and garden for the apple harvest and winter. The neglect of this summer may or may not be overcome with a single day’s work, but that is the time I can afford.

Yesterday I arrived home from the warehouse in time to hear Hillary and Bill Clinton’s speeches at the Harkin Steak Fry telecast on C-SPAN. The finality of this last annual event is one more reason Senator Tom Harkin will be missed. The 2006 steak fry is where I met Barack Obama in the rope line. The full video is archived on C-SPAN and readers can listen and decide the meaning for themselves if interested.

Despite the abundance of food in our house, the amount of cooking has declined over the summer. Sandwiches, soups, stews and other stored fare have lingered in the fridge, and make quick heat and serve meals. Tomorrow is expected to bring in most of the tomatoes, peppers, celery and kale, all of which will require some processing. The Red Delicious apples look quite good this year. Tomorrow will be the first taste test before an onslaught of apple dishes. What food we have prepared has been seasonally fresh and tasty. What more could a person ask?

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Home Life Sustainability

A Humanitarian Campaign

Iowa City Nuclear Free SignThis is the first in a series of new posts about the humanitarian campaign to abolish nuclear weapons.

“Since the end of the Cold War we have acted as though the problem of nuclear war has gone away. Unfortunately it hasn’t.” ~International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW)

“I am very worried that people don’t think there is a real danger that nuclear weapons will be used. I hope you will read these materials in order to truly understand how bad a nuclear exchange of any kind will really be. Nuclear weapons are a real and present danger. A nuclear detonation can happen, and in fact will happen, if we don’t get rid of the weapons.” ~Rotarian Action Group for Peace

“Nuclear weapons are unique in their destructive power, in the unspeakable human suffering they cause, in the impossibility of controlling their effects in space and time, and in the threat they pose to the environment, to future generations, and indeed to the survival of humanity.” ~International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies

“The willingness of the world as a whole to move forward in a constructive manner to eliminate nuclear weapons has never been more evident.  Yet a very small number of States stand in the way, trying to block progress and to find a comprehensive solution to the problem that goes on year after year in paralysis and obfuscation.” ~The Holy See

Here is a brief video framing the discussion, narrated by Ira Helfand, co-president of IPPNW:

To read more about the international campaign to abolish nuclear weapons, click here.

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Home Life

Days Full of Life

Kitchen Work Station
Kitchen Work Station

LAKE MACBRIDE— As I pulled out of the parking garage at the warehouse, my mobile phone rang. It was the orchard calling to say the family event was cancelled due to the rain storm so I wouldn’t be working. Unhesitatingly, I redirected the car, considering what to do with newly found time.

The first option was to attend the fundraiser for my state senator. He and his wife had visited the warehouse to gather provisions for the event. I had asked for the address to send a check since I would be working. Having given my regrets, I headed home.

A few weeks ago the newspaper published a story about a cupcake baker who set up shop on the road to the warehouse. Years ago, a trucking firm sold their large terminal on a corner lot to a developer, and a commercial strip mall has been expanding there for a number of years. The cupcake purveyor located in some of the new space.

There were young children with parents at the counter and tables. The din was so much I could barely hear the person at the counter ask if it was my first visit. It was. She explained the offerings, and I picked tiramisu and vegan which I expected from proofreading the newspaper article. The cupcake had a very thick layer of butter cream frosting— too much really. A return seems unlikely, but I wish the company well. They aren’t going for the cranky writer crowd anyway.

What I needed was sleep. Upon arriving home, I headed to the bedroom for what was to be a nap. I woke three hours later, having slept soundly.

Fruit flies showed up for the first time this season flying above the kitchen compost bucket. They have been a long time coming, beginning to appear only a couple of weeks ago in the enclosed garden compost bin. Whatever the delay, they weren’t missed. I need to empty the bucket daily.

 After making a snack, I returned to bed and slept through until I could sleep no more. I awoke realizing there is life to be lived, and had better get to it.

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Home Life Kitchen Garden

Onions, Garlic, Basil and Tomatoes

Storage Onions
Storage Onions

LAKE MACBRIDE— Yesterday began with two and a half hours of volunteer work at the CSA. The labor in our barter arrangement has already been provided so I’m free to volunteer for general farm chores like working onions.

Onion Cleaning and Sorting
Onion Cleaning and Sorting

Once the seedling operation moved outside, the germination house was used to cure onions on the long wire racks. They are ready for the next step, which is cleaning and sorting.

There are five sorting types: big and small storage, ready for distribution, seconds, and those to be composted. I trimmed the tops and roots and sorted. The onion worker got to keep the seconds, so last night was salvaging usable sections of onion. By bedtime, a couple of big bags of peeled onions were in the ice box ready to use.

Basic pasta sauce is of onions, garlic, basil and tomatoes, so as I write, a big batch simmers on the stove. All of the produce is from our garden, or the CSA. Except for the salt, it is 100 percent local. There is always an exception in local food. The tomato sauce will be frozen in quart zip top bags.

Making tomato sauce is elemental. This batch is from the edge between fresh garden produce and compost, where we often live our lives. In cutting away the bad parts of the onions and tomatoes—picking through basil leaves—there was more compost than usable produce.

Between our concept of ourselves and our inevitable transformation to dust is a sliver of life. If we don’t grow food and make tomato sauce, what else would we do? There really is nothing else, except to go on living.

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Home Life

Leaves Fall, Harvest Coming In

Tomatoes
Tomatoes

LAKE MACBRIDE— The season turned— to sweet corn, celery, pepper and aronia berries— before we knew it. Now it’s a game of keeping up with the fall harvest, making some delicious meals with the fruits of labor, industry, genetics and climate.

Sweet corn is a favorite, and my spouse spent the better part of Sunday putting up 180 ears with her sister. We don’t have room in the freezer, so it is stored in theirs. We also have two dozen ears fresh from other local sources and ready to cook in the kitchen. Over the years I’ve gotten away from growing our own sweet corn as the yield has been small for the amount of space it takes. Leveraging the work of others makes more sense.

Peppers are coming in and this year’s crop looks great and is abundant. A little goes a long way with hot peppers, but the three types are doing exceptionally well. There will be plenty of them to preserve and eat fresh.

The experiment in celery produced a couple of bunches. The quality is very good, so it is worth expanding upon again next year.

We bought two pounds of aronia berries from a local grower. Here’s what he wrote in the promotional literature:

What we do have for sale right now are aronia berries. They were unfazed by the winter. Aronia berries are native to North America; they are very astringent, like a wine grape, and have twice the anti-oxidants of cranberries, four times that of blueberries.We have used aronia berries for jam (alone and with blackberries), in bread, in muffins, and in salsa. There are many recipes available on the Internet. We can send recipes if you are interested.

They are frozen, waiting for suitable use.

Lastly, there is everything else from gifts, the CSA and from our garden. The kitchen is a processing way station, counters clean and at the ready for another day of putting up.

Side note: one of the neighbor’s trees has begun to drop leaves. A precursor, perhaps, to an early frost.

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Home Life

This Summer’s Reading

Book Shelf
Book Shelf

LAKE MACBRIDE— It is one thing to make a list of books to read during summer—quite another to actually read them. As I enjoy The Great Gatsby, the ultimate novel of summer, for the umpteenth time, the lists made previously seem to slip away, and it is surprisingly easy to let go.

Surrounded by books in my writer’s camp, one would think I’d pick one up now and again. Book reading has mostly been Eric Schlosser’s Command and Control, which was the first book I finished since March. I would like to read Gar Alperovitz’ The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb, or Richard Rhodes’ The Making of the Atomic Bomb, but fear the rest of my life would elapse before finishing either of them. Both thick volumes stare down at me from the shelf. Finding time to read has proven difficult at best.

That said, there is a lot left to read.

This morning—another glorious summer day—the children walked to the bus stop near our home for the first day of school. It was a reminder of how fleeting life is—how our days on this blue-green-brown sphere are numbered, and too few. That we must seek our own experiences in a complex world not of our own making.

Still, I am thankful for finding books like The Wrong David to get through a night, reminding me of my experiences in France. And no, Carrie La Seur, I haven’t forgotten The Home Place which is on top of the pile ahead of Hillary Clinton and Jewelweed by David Rhodes. But for now, I will linger a bit longer with F. Scott Fitzgerald and seek experiences in this place we call our home.

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Home Life

Rolling Along in Big Grove

Bicycling Tools
Bicycling Tools

LAKE MACBRIDE— Long term, long distance bicyclists will notice my bike is resting on the derailleur. A big no-no, which has now been corrected. Live and learn and roll on.

Having made three round trips to my favorite spot on the lake trail, it is easy to feel progress. Slowly locating tools of the trade around the house: first, a bicycling helmet older than dirt, used on a century ride in Iowa City back in 1981. Next, a pair of bicycling gloves which came in handy when I fell in the driveway. Water bottles and bags to carry groceries back from town when I start riding in all need to be located and situated. I’ve started biking for real.

The bicycle is a Cannondale borrowed from a friend until I settle on whether to revitalize my old Puch ten speed, or purchase a new one. The bike in the photo has traveled RAGBRAI a number of times, and I may yet ride in the Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa. Perhaps as soon as next year.

Usually work is away from home, so today is an exception. One thing that will happen is another bike ride to begin to get conditioned for a longer ride soon.

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Home Life

School Began, Summer is Ending

Iowa Soybean Field
Iowa Soybean Field

LAKE MACBRIDE— Many school districts have begun classes, the state fair enters its final weekend, and it’s two weeks before the Labor Day weekend. The days of this glorious summer are dwindling and the press of reality extracts a dram of concern. Where has summer gone?

There is no answer. Rather, we know the answer— it’s gone into memories of cumulus clouds, dry landscapes, abundant gardens and mild temperatures. For the first time in a long time, it seemed like a normal summer, especially once we got past the cold, wet spring. A lot of living went on.

I’ve been writing daily over at Blog for Iowa this summer, and posting here suffered a bit because of it. My stint as summer editor ends the Friday going into Labor Day. I expect to import a lot of those posts here that weekend, so look for a one-time surge in posting.

Speaking of cross posting, I’m not sure what to do with my newspaper articles. They are a different kind of writing, and some are more interesting than others. For the time being, I’m leaving them where they lay in print. I may create a clip file to store them.

It’s time to freshen up this blog. Perhaps a changed title and template, but a different focus and writing project. Cooking and gardening are always popular, so only minor changes there. The bigger change is a writing project that will be off-line. More about that as the plot thickens.

As summer wanes, the pieces will fall into place for a productive fall. At least that is the hope.