Winter Activity

I cannot believe it has been over a month since my last post! It must mean Dom and I have been really busy. It has felt like that but it does not seem like we have much to show for it.

After a very cold, snowy, wet December and early January, the weather here has been very dry. For several weeks there was often light cloud color (similar to the above photo of freighter moving new cranes to Seattle waterfront) but lately it has been clear. This has made for great gardening weather but not so good skiing weather. The clear weather means the mornings are cold and crisp and the afternoons are positively balmy. Today they are expecting a high of around 60 degrees in Seattle. Here on Whidbey Island it will not get that hot but I still plan to move the patio furniture out of the garage and onto the deck. Usually we leave it out there all winter but it never made it back after the big painting project last August.

The local wildlife has been more active the past few weeks. We see deer frequently along the sides of the roads. Signs of smaller creatures (chipmunks and rabbits) are evident in the garden, i.e. nibbled plants. There seem to be dozens of bird species flitting about.

This is the time of the year when the bald eagles seem to be most active. I think they are mating, nest building and staking out territory. Yesterday, two or three were chirruping away, gliding from tree to tree and generally having a jolly time. Actually, their chirruping cries almost sound like whining. After a while it can be rather grating. One of my favorite sights is the eagles flying along the water's edge. Since our house is situated on top of a bluff they are often below the level of the windows and deck. They are really spectacular in flight.

On Wednesday I went to the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. It was spectacular as always but it is sad that this might be the show's last year. Hopefully someone will buy it from the retiring owners. There is always lots of inspiration. I have been wanting to put a fountain in similar to those above but only a single, much shorter column. I have the perfect spot for it at one end of our new flagstone patio so I am starting to gather the materials. We will see how it turns out.

This is a picture of our 16 ft. car trailer. When I started pruning a few weeks ago it was empty. Now I actually have several satellite piles. Pretty soon we will have to make another dump run. One would think that with over an acre of land we would have some place to put all this but really we don't. Yesterday I was carefully cutting out blackberry brambles (the really big, thick stalk ones) and dabbing vine killer on the cut ends. I am hoping this treatment stops them dead or at least slows them down considerably. It is impossible to totally eradicate them and they make one a believer in the idea that vines will take over the earth one day.

The bathroom project is coming along. Believe it or not, the righthand photo shows considerable progress but most of it is hidden under the floor. Dom spent a lot of time "down under." He actually cut a hole in the floor to make it easier to access the crawl space. He is now working on the electical items (lights, fans, outlets). Once that is done it will be on to wallboard. The photo on the left shows the current location of the new bathtub. I might have to plant something around it if it stays there too long.

Here is one of my current favorite recipes. It is a tomato tapenade/bruschetta topping that is really easy to make and easy to adjust to personal taste. It makes a lot but seems to keep in the fridge for a couple weeks. I have also frozen it successfully.

My favorite way to eat it is with crispy toast rounds made from a narrow whole wheat baguette. I slice the bread thin, lay the rounds on a cookie sheet, drizzle them with a little olive oil and put them in a 450 degree oven for about 7-8 minutes. Then I turn the rounds over and bake for another 4-5 minutes until well browned. Let cool and store in a plastic bag. For Pacific Northwest residents: Fred Meyer sells bags of day old, pre-sliced rounds. They are a little thicker than I like but buying the baguettes already sliced take most of the work out of making them.

Other ways to use this is as a pasta sauce (add olive oil) or on top of other vegetables (hot or cold). I also like to roast eggplant rounds (similar to doing toast above) and for lunch I top with a teaspoon of the bruschetta topping.

Easy Bruschetta Topping

1/2 to 3/4 cups raw onion

1-2 cloves garlic (or more!)

1 can quartered artichoke hearts, drained

1 small can black olives or about 1/2 cup pitted olives (any variety)

1 to 1 1/2 cups grilled peppers (I usually make my own but can be purchased in jars)

1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes

optional: 1 green pepperoncino or up to 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Puree everything in a food processor. I start with the hardest items (onion/garlic) and work to the softest. Do not over process. Buon appetito!