Why Didn't I Try This Before?

I had always put off poaching pears in spiced wine. Maybe peeling them seemed daunting, or perhaps it seemed like a waste of wine....

In any event, I am glad I finally got around to it because I discovered it was easy and tasty.

Basically you peel several pears leaving the stem intact (however many will fit in one layer of your pot, so it depends on the size of the pears) . Add them to a pot in which you have already combined I bottle red wine, 1 cup sugar (I used half brown sugar), a couple of cloves, a couple of cinnamon sticks, a vanilla bean or some vanilla (Since they are expensive, I used an old bean that had been flavoring sugar already for a year and a half), and the zest of 1 lemon and one orange. You can also toss in a few prunes to impart and soak up flavours.

Simmer gently for about 15 or twenty minutes depending on ripeness and pear size. Reposition them gently a few times in case parts of them are sticking out. You can remove them to chill, or leave them overnight to soak and become more richly colored as I did. The recipe suggested mint leaves for the garnish, but I tried a leaf from my scented geranium (they're edible!), and the fragrance really complements the pear.

The recipe says to reduce the sauce after removing the pears, and add some jam for flavour and thickness, but at this point I am tempted to buy more pears and simmer another batch......

In a Danish Graveyard

(Left click on images to see clearly.)Thinking about the Day of The Dead traditions this year reminded me of some pictures I took in Denmark last year. I saw a small rural church while driving eastward from Kalundborg to Roskilde, and I really admired the way the grave sites were designated and maintained there. Rather than having a grassy field with tombstones, the area around the church was partitioned into little plots by evergreen hedges. The individual plots had decorative plants and sometimes a stone marker. It was really quite lovely-----the perfect spot to enjoy a contemplative interval thinking about one's deceased loved ones.



The church was beautiful too.....

October Weather?

My camera battery had to be recharged, so most of the snow had melted before I took these shots. The snapdragons, salvia and carnations all held up pretty well against the wintry blast.





I guess I don't have to feel guilty about not raking before the snow fell this year.

By the way, this is not proof that global warming is a hoax.

Help for GM And Ford?

As we consider assistance to our ailing auto industry, we might want to consider whether or not they are genuinely looking at designing the alternative energy vehicles of the future. Our industry would have to compete with the innovative technologies being developed where energy efficiency is even more of a priority.

Consider these French models. (Pictures were taken in Paris, 2008, at an outdoor energy and transportation exhibition.)

This first specimen, the Biotop, not only uses alternative fuel------I'm guessing because of the name. Everything was in FRENCH! Merde.-----It also appears to feature a state of the art spin cycle. (And it's soooo cute.)

























This next high concept vehicle is quintessentially French with it's existential approach to the very notion of a conveyance. Alas, even with the umbrellas it is unlikely to protect the "occupants" from rain or other inclement weather. (In fact, to me it looks more like he is trying to get struck by lightening than trying to move.) Just maybe, our automotive industry can come up with an alternative that outperforms this sublimely minimalist contender.

Happy birthday Theory of Evolution and gigantic Siberian blast!

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One Hundred and Fifty years ago today, July 1, 1858, Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace read their papers (Darwin first!) describing the Theory of Evolution--the modern world was born.

One hundred years ago today, (in Pacific Northwest time) a mysterious gigantic explosion rocked Siberia, the Tunguska event; estimated to be 1000 times as strong as the atomic bomb that devastated Hiroshima.

Happy cataclysmic July! May yours be less interesting.

Snapdragon, dubious of advice

being given by Monkey

Snapdragon in the flesh

My dearest sweetest
snapdragon, in both a pensive and a black and white mood. Pic taken by her.

Lisa's Dress