Just plummy

A few weeks ago, when there was a glut of ripe plums coming in from the neighbors, Ken thought to preserve some of them in alcohol. He put a batch of plums in a large jar with white rum and sugar. They'll macerate in the cellar for a few months and then we'll have two things: the fruit and the flavored rum. Both will be good for cooking and the rum should be good for sipping. Neither of us usually drinks rum, but the fruit-flavored version might be tasty. We'll see.

Plums in rum and sugar.

Tasha went back to the vet's on Wednesday. She may have a light urinary tract infection. She's been having trouble peeing, and she had a couple of accidents in the house on Wednesday morning, something she hasn't done in almost two months. When we take her outside she squats several times with only a few drops as the result. According to some internet sites, these could be the symptoms of a kidney infection or a UTI. I suspect that, because of the cone, she can't lick her private parts to keep them clean, providing an opportunity for bacteria to settle in.

So, the doctor looked her over and basically said, "well, it's possible." Except for the urination issues, there are no other serious symptoms. She's eating normally and is full of energy. So she's on a run of antibiotics and back on the anti-inflammatory pills for a week. Since seeing the doctor, there have been no more accidents in the house (knock on wood), and she pretty much slept normally through the night.

I'll be happy when her stitches come out next week and we don't need the cone any more.

Cool down

The heat wave has broken, at least that's what the weather people are saying. It should be much cooler today, and the next few days are going to feel downright chilly. Again. This summer has been a series of hot and cold. Makes me wonder what winter will be like.

A still-green acorn on the ground.

In the meantime we have fall. The signs of summer's end are all over. I can feel the crunch of acorns beneath my feet when I walk with Tasha. It won't be long before the chestnuts fall and litter our road with their husks which, like every year, get mashed into a puree by cars.

Bert brought another live mouse into the house. That's what we get when all the doors are open to cool the house down. The mouse seems to be hanging out under the stove and behind the dishwasher. I've put a trap down, but so far the mouse has been cunning enough to take the bait twice without tripping the trap. Let's hope the third time is the charm. Well, maybe "charm" is the wrong word...

Tasha Tuesday

As promised, here are a couple of photos of Tasha wearing her "cone of shame." It's called une collerette vétérinaire in French, but they also know the name cône de la honte (cone of shame) from animated Pixar movies. This one is made of clear plastic, so she can see through it.

Tasha models her cone, which is attached to her collar, on day one. Not happy at all.

On the first day, Tasha was not a happy camper. She did not like the cone much and looked rather depressed about having to wear it. After the second day, however, she's just as normal as can be. She even sits up willingly when we put it on her. We do take it off for meal time and walking. On Monday she actually climbed the stairs with it on for the first time.

Now the cone doesn't bother her. I think she can pick up HBO on that thing.

She still has the urge to lick her stitches and staples, so the cone will stay on until either she stops doing that or until September 7, the day her stitches and staples are scheduled to be removed.

Another blast of summer

The past few days have been, and the next few are predicted to be, very summery. I know, I've been mentioning it. But it's worth mentioning. It's been a very strange summer. This may be the last warm spell. Or not. The caprices of a temperate climate.

Back when it rained last, these grapes were covered in raindrops.

The heat is good for our garden, and I'm hoping it's good for the vineyards as well. We're planning to have BLTs for lunch today, with French fries. Yum.

Our little conehead

Tasha is getting used to the "cone of shame." The first day was difficult. She seemed kind of depressed about it. But now she's learning to live with it. I think she might think that it's what happens to dogs. She doesn't know any different. Still, we take it off frequently for her meals and walks in the yard. I think she's being a good sport. I'll show you a photo on Tuesday.

Pine needles stuck to a leaf after a rainstorm.

We feel bad about it all, of course. It's new to us, since Callie never tried to pull her stitches out, and she had two surgeries in her first year. But, as strange as it is, it's all temporary. Soon it will be a memory and things will be back to normal.

It's hot

And that makes sense, since we're nearing the end of August. The tomatoes are enjoying the heat and ripening fast. We ate a couple on Friday with mozzarella and basil (Caprese salad). Yum!

I'm seeing more and more "end of summer" sights out there.

We took Tasha back to the vet on Friday when we discovered she had pulled half her stitches out. Bad dog! She got a few staples in their place (ouch!) and now has to wear the "cone of shame." She doesn't like that one bit, but she's getting used to it. We take it off so she can eat and when she needs to go outside, supervised, of course.

Summery tomato pie

I made one of these last year and we liked it, so I made another one for Thursday's lunch. The tomatoes coming in from the garden are beautiful right now and I want to enjoy as many as possible before I start making sauce for the freezer. This pie used four good-sized tomatoes, two red and two yellow.

We ate half the tart for lunch on Thursday, so there's another half left for over the weekend.

First, I used some leftover dough from the freezer. Whenever I make a pie crust, I put the scraps into the freezer. Then, where there are enough frozen scraps, I can make another crust with them. I blind-baked the crust, then spread a generous helping of Dijon mustard on the bottom. The mustard gives a nice spicy flavor to the pie. I covered that with a thin layer of bread crumbs to soak up the juices from the tomatoes.

Here is how the tomatoes were layered in before I added the cheeses, sprinkled with home-grown dried oregano.

Then I layered the tomatoes in, alternating red with yellow. Next, salt, pepper, oregano, and thyme. Finally I topped it with mozzarella and some grated Parmesan and slid it into the oven for about twenty minutes at 180ºC (350ºF). It's almost like a pizza on a pie crust, and it was delicious!