Thursday, July 22, 2010

An indoor day

Nothing much to report. The sanding is mostly done in the loft. There are some bits left to do where the electric sander couldn't reach, but the majority is done. I've cleaned up after every sanding session but there is still dust. The floor needs special attention. It feels gritty.

The deck seen from the living room. The chairs are tipped in typical French fashion.

Except for walking Callie twice, I spent all of Wednesday inside. The weather system that came through brought rain off and on for much of the day. We got eleven millimeters. I kept the house closed up and it stayed relatively warm all day even though the high outside only reached the high sixties.

I was able to give away three more zukes (yay!) yesterday. I know there will be more ready in the garden today or tomorrow. A friend turned me on to a recipe for malfatti. They're Italian (malfatti means "badly made"), and kind of like gnocchi, only lighter and supposedly much easier to prepare. They're made with ricotta cheese and spinach. I'm thinking I might be able to make them with local goat cheese and garden chard, and maybe even grated zucchini. I'll let you know how that goes.

There has been nothing of interest these past few nights on any of the fifty million (I exaggerate) television channels we get. I kind of half-watched "Greystoke, the Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes" on Tuesday. Meh. That movie should get an award for the longest and most boring title ever. During the credits it said, "Introducing Andie MacDowell." It was 1984, after all. Her biography on Wikipedia says, "MacDowell was married... to fellow former model and rancher Paul Qualley." Former model and rancher? Just let that sink in for a moment.

Last night I popped the "Mamma-Mia!" DVD in and sang along with the ABBA songs. I know. I saw you roll your eyes just then. It's funny how Pierce Brosnan's singing makes Meryl Streep sound like an old Broadway pro.

I was awakened for the third night in a row at precisely four a.m. by the noise of what I thought was a truck in the road next to the house. I got up and looked out the window this time. The vehicle, a car and not a truck, was pulling out of our neighbors' yard. I think it's the neighbors' car. I had originally thought it was a truck because its diesel engine sounds pretty loud in the silence of the night. I wonder where an eighty-four year old man is going at four in the morning three nights in a row?

I'm going out to walk the dog in a few minutes so I will look to see if his car is there. If it is, and since I heard no evidence of him returning yet this morning, my theory is shot. If it's not him, then who is pulling out of his driveway in the middle of the night? Is a puzzlement!

That is all.

17 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Please post the recipe for malfatti. I harvested one large zuke today that is begging to be used in something other than stir-fry. :)

    First of the cherry tomatoes are red! I don't know what I will do with hundreds of cherry tomatoes. I just have one cherry tomato plant. It apparently is very happy. Life is a bowl of cherries (tomatoes).

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  3. p.s. I am the author of the deleted post. My proofreading skills laisse a desirer.

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  4. I would make zucchini caviar with my excess as a first choice (I wish - I'll just be grateful to get any zucchini this year the way it's going!) That's like babaganoush (eggplant caviar) only with big zukes.

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  5. laissent a desirer.
    Jeez!

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  6. The porch chairs look very elegant with their French tip. (I didn't know that was so French.)

    4 am. 84 year old. Sounds like the opening to a mystery novel.

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  7. I love mama mia...even WITH Brosnin's singing. It's kookie and fun. Please tell me you've seen the French & Saunders Parody.

    Oh, Walt, we would make such lovely neighbors. If only...

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  8. All I can think of is Hitchcock's film, "Rear Window"...hmmmm. A mystery in the neighborhood; way better than tv any day of the week right?

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  9. I have a good eighty something friend who wakes up at four or earlier every morning. Once the guy got totally confused with the time and went out to get his morning newspaper about midnight.

    I doubt that you have an all night Walmart I have no idea where the fellow goes, but am curious. If you find out where he's going don't forget to tell us, your faithful readers.

    Sorry about the gritty floors.

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  10. maybe he is sleep driving.....supposedly u can do that with ambien or something

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  11. Hey, Walt, did you guys end up buying some tack cloth? That's the key for picking up the fine grit that's now on the floor and other surfaces.

    Yes, please do let us know what you find out about the neighbor!

    Judy

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  12. Hey, Walt, did you guys end up buying some tack cloth? That's the key for picking up the fine grit that's now on the floor and other surfaces.

    Yes, please do let us know what you find out about the neighbor!

    Judy

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  13. Oh boy, a mystery to solve! Maybe he's a cat burglar.

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  14. I come in and out at all time of day and night just because of my job. Yesterday I came back home at 1 am. I am helping on a new NBC series "the event". Who knew we would work 14 hours yesterday in Long Beach?
    I think your neighbor goes fishing that early. Next time you see him, ask him where his favorite spot is.

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  15. Or, maybe, since he's elderly, something has happened that makes it that a younger relative is having to stay with him... and he/she is having to leave uber early to go off to work somewhere out of your area?

    Judy

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  16. cheryl, I downloaded 4 slightly different recipes, but I haven't tried any yet. If you google it (which you probably already have) you'll find it.

    susan, yes! Ken has made that and we really like it, so it's definitely on the menu.

    rick, France is the first place I saw chairs tipped like this so in my mind it's a French thing. Not necessarily true, though.

    sean, it is a fun movie, and no, I haven't see the F&S parody. But I'll bet it's a hoot!

    suzanne, except for the 4 in the morning part. ;)

    evelyn, no walmarts around here, and nothing is open 24 hours.

    melinda, oh, that's a scary thought...

    judy, didn't get tack cloth. Look at Friday's post for more on the mystery.

    starman, it's a good thing I keep my cat locked up at night!

    nadege, good theory, fishing. But I don't think that's it. Turns out it's not him.

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  17. Model and rancher! Not a very common pairing I would think. Maybe he became a model rancher (groan).

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Tell me what you think!