787 Lancaster

When I was in upstate New York for my aunt's funeral a few weeks ago, I stayed in her apartment. It's the apartment that she and my grandmother moved to when they sold the family house in Albany. This drawing of that house hung in my grandmother's room, where I stayed. My grandmother passed away in 2011 and my aunt, her daughter, continued to live in the apartment.

My aunt lived with her parents all her life, and in this house (middle) from the early 1950s until 2008.

During my stay, my aunt's brother and his wife were beginning the work of cleaning up the apartment and removing my aunt's belongings. They asked me if there was anything I might want to remember her by. There really wasn't anything I could think of, except for this. The drawing of our grandmother's house was done by their son, my cousin, back in 2003. I asked if I could take it as a memory of my aunt and grandparents, and of the time in my childhood spent at that house. She agreed, and seemed happy that I wanted it.

Now the drawing hangs in my house. It's the second of my cousin's work that I have here (here's a link to the first); he's a very talented professional artist. Since that house sold in 2008 (I think), it has been repainted. The house was clad in a light grey aluminum siding since my earliest memory. The new color scheme is bolder, but I like it.

The garden's a mess

It always is this time of year. Winter rains and winds do a number on the yard and vegetable garden. The ground is littered with sticks and twigs, the weeds are thriving, and there is still some trimming to do. I've also got a small collection of junk that needs to go to the dump.

You can see the stump of the tall spruce that was just cut down to the right of center in this photo.

But I'm looking forward to spring. With four trees now gone, we're going to have a lot more sunlight in places that were formerly shady. It doesn't take long to pick up all the sticks, and trimming down the oregano patch just takes a few minutes. I have a small burn pile in the vegetable plot, but it's been so wet that it will take a streak of dry weather to get it to burn. It will all get done.

Primevères

It's that time of year when the naturalized primevères (primroses) in our yard bloom. I don't think they're as numerous this year as other years, but it could be that they're a little early and there will be more in the coming weeks. It could also be that, because they grow near the big spruce tree we had cut down a couple of weeks ago, many got trampled.

Primroses sending up flowers, a sure sign of spring.

These white ones seem to be to most common color so far. There are also purple, red, yellow, and blue versions around the yard. It's nice to see the signs of spring, even if our winter has been mild. Today we will be enjoying (!) another rain system with wind.

Pizza (again!)

We had some leftover smoked chicken last weekend and one of my favorite pizzas is made with smoked chicken and bell peppers, so I made a couple for lunch on Monday. The pizza is inspired by one we used to get at Wolfgang Puck's wood-fired pizza place in Macy's Cellar at Union Square in San Francisco back in the '90s.

One of two pizzas we made and enjoyed for lunch on Monday.

I cubed the smoked chicken and used some frozen bell peppers to make this version. I also had some smoked Vermont cheddar that I brought back from my trip to New York a couple of weeks ago, so I grated that up for the pizza. A few black olives finished it off. And it was really tasty, if I do say so myself.

By the way, the bottle with the "Gallo" label is not wine, but olive oil from Portugal. I've never seen E & J Gallo wine in France.

Valley fog

The other day, while walking with Tasha among the vines, I saw some low fog down on the river. I had the 100mm macro lens on the camera, not a great lens for long shots. Still, I got this one and, with a little processing, I think it came out okay.

Our hamlet above the fogged-in Cher Valley. I think black and white gives the photo more mood.

We're going into another rainy period now, according to the forecasters. Still no freezing weather.

Artichokes

As they do every winter, the artichokes are sending up fresh new leaves. They may wilt or even die back in a freeze, but they'll regrow if that happens.

Blue-green artichoke leaves.

It's time to start thinking about the yard and garden again. I've got some winter pruning to do now. Roses, hydrangea, and a lilac need to be cut back. The plot of daisies, my rosemary patch, and the bed of Jerusalem artichokes need to be cut and cleared of last year's growth. A few mild, dry days will be welcomed.

Happy birthday Tasha!

Today is Tasha's third birthday. That's twenty-one in "people years." She's growing into a good, mostly well-behaved, little dog. Looking back at house training, learning to go up and down stairs, accepting the harness and leash, and learning not to run away off leash, it all seems so long ago and easy. Of course, it's not at all easy when you're going through it. But sheepdogs are pretty smart and eager to learn.

Natasha of the Wolves of Isengard. She's a Shetland Sheepdog. And not a puppy any more.

We met Tasha when she was just over two weeks old. She was a tiny thing. When we brought her home in April of 2017, I could still pick her up with one hand. She was smaller than Bert the cat. She didn't go through the chewing phase that Callie did (thankfully), but liked to nip at my heels (and still does). Tasha's a good watch dog, barking at anyone and anything that passes by the house (including pigeons). I could open a pillow factory using the hair she constantly sheds, if dog hair pillows were a thing. And she loves to ride in the car.

Happy birthday, Tasha! We're glad you came to live with us.