America's Breadbasket: Midwest? California?

Dear Friends, 

You know how great it is to be back, doing normal things after a little trip. That’s how I felt today. But Tuesday and Wednesday were also special to me, not only because of the way we three high school friends just sat down at a restaurant in Monterey and carried on conversations begun in the Bishop Hartley High School cafeteria, but also because I am finally feeling “normal” driving around California. Until now, I was afraid to drive freely across mountains and along the coast. It doesn’t make sense, but that’s the way I was. So it was a relief to feel comfortable driving through the Delta region to Monterey this week.

I loved seeing the aqueduct that carries water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Rivers to the farms and also to LA. Water is such a powerful issue here. And there it was, just a straight, flat stream. I also loved seeing the fields where all the fruits and vegetables come from. As an Ohioan, I always considered the Midwest America’s breadbasket, but now I know it’s really California’s Central Valley. I loved driving through Watsonville and Gilroy. I took the truck route so as not to miss them. They are small towns with a heavily Spanish/Mexican flavor.

And then I bought some jam at this stand.

Love,

k

Hills across CA 152 from the farm stand

 

California 152 farm stand

Alex Styrsky: art hot and cool

Dear Friends,

Yesterday I took the train to San Francisco for the opening of an exhibit of mixed-media art by Bay Area artist Alex Styrsky, son of my good friends Pam and Joe. (Pam and I started teaching at Carrollton in Miami  on the same day and have been friends, along with Clark and Joe, ever since.) 

In his artist statement Alex says he is influenced by the Miami colors of his youth and the messy virtuosity of Bay Area Abstraction. I like that his work is large and mostly bright. Using paint, found papers and other materials, Alex coolly works outside the lines.

To see the art in person, go to the First Unitarian Universalist Society, 1187 Franklin St., San Francisco.

Love,

k

Madrigal
52" x 58"

Hodos
(I had to look it up!)
44" x 45"

Blue Medicine
42" x 60"

Leda
40" x 60"

Sunspots
44" x 50"

The Veil
66" x 48"
diptych

Eleuthra
48" x 48"

Alex Styrsky

Love is ...

Dear Friends,
Last weekend I was in Columbus, Ohio, for a bridal shower for Casey, the fiancé of my nephew Nick.  

I wrote this poem for Casey and made it into an accordion book.  Welcome into our family, Casey!

Love is a kite

that flies the wild wind

with a string you can barely hold onto

Love is a seed

that grows silent and slow

then suddenly bursts into blossom

Love is a look

that nobody sees

except the one it was meant for

Love is a night

when you cry in your sleep

then you turn and his arms gently hold you

Love is two hearts

tangled aloft

claiming a piece of the sky

Love,

k

Must Valentines be red?

Written last night:
Dear Friends,

I’m sitting in the easy chair in the kitchen — one of my favorite spaces. It’s cold (51°) and slightly windy here, but probably colder and windier where you are.  Siri says Columbus, Ohio, will get a high of 53° on Tuesday, dipping soon after to a low of 19°. 

It was a peaceful day — All I did (mostly) was make hearts — not exactly Valentines, but kind of. I painted gold and turquoise and even black, and I love them all, but it made me realize that Valentines are red and white, just like Christmas is red and green. Can’t mess with it, but I tried. Here are some. They are postcard size, 4” x 6”.

Love,

k

Learning to love a river

Written last night:
Dear Friends,

I like to relax on weekends, and today I relaxed by going places. It’s only 7:30 p.m., but I’m tired and Zing! is already in his bed. This morning we went to the Farmers Market and got citrus fruit, grapes and pink tulips. We took some to Patrick and Steph but got held up by road repair and a bicycle race in Land Park. That made me a little late, but not too much, for the book discussion at the Crocker — about a mystery called A Head in Cambodia, by a woman who was once a curator at the Crocker. The book is not my favorite, and I said so. The author will be speaking here Thursday, and our group is going, but they told me I cannot say anything! I said Can I ask her about Ohio? because the book is published by Ohio University Press, and they said, well, OK… 

Later in the afternoon Zing! and I showed Sandy “our" trail along the American River. The water is usually blue, but today it was muddied. We met a fisherman. “Do you catch fish here?” Sandy asked him, and I know what she meant … it seems a peaceful and uneventful spot. He was indeed fishing, but maybe there weren’t any fish. He assured us that he does indeed catch fish. “What kind?” we persisted. He said he’s fishing for striped bass, and the season before that, salmon, and before that steelhead trout and before that shad.  He showed us two gigantic salmon that he caught. I think he said one was 24 pounds. I had no idea the peaceful American River contains these. 

And to make the point that the place is wild,  as we turned back to the car we spotted a coyote. There were several people in the area and none seemed worried, but Zing! was trembling with excitement and low growls. He pulled against his leash. A runner passed by and said, “That coyote would snap him up for a snack.” We held tight to Zing! and noticed that the coyote seemed to edge away — he was far to begin with, but didn’t come any closer. And then he spotted another small dog, and backed away even more. Whew! maybe that’s why Zing! is sound asleep so early.

Love, 

k

How the year unfolds

Written last night:

Dear Friends,

Every year, except for maybe one, I list 10 things that made a difference to me. Most just happened, without planning, as the year took shape.

2018

Ate less

Exercised more

Still jumpy, but now I stop and breathe sometimes

Read actual books

Watched less political commentary on TV

Traveled south to Modesto, north to Seattle, and west to Russian River

Re-discovered (after 50 years) my cousin Damien and his wife Adrienne, a Sacramento native

Keith and Judy married

Patrick and Steph bought a house nearby 

Best: I’m getting to know Patrick and Steph and I love the adults they have become

What are your 10 things?

Love,

k

Sauerkraut for luck

Dear Friends,
Happy New Year!
When I was in Miami last week a woman from Peru said her people wear special colors of underwear for good luck on New Year's Day: red for love and yellow for wealth. She said she will wear both colors.

In our house growing up we ate sauerkraut on Jan. 1 for good luck, and I have always made it as an adult too. It's simmering now. Here's the recipe, simplified from my old Perla Meyers' From Market to Kitchen Cookbook:

2 T. butter
1 T. vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
1 C. finely minced onions (I chopped up one big onion -- more than a cup -- into kind of big pieces.)
3 T. brown sugar
1 C chopped tomatoes
2 pounds sauerkraut (I used less -- a package from the food cooperative here.)
salt (I haven't used any yet -- the sauerkraut is salty enough.)
5 peppercorns
2 tsp. caraway seeds
thyme
bay leaf or two
2 C. chicken stock

Heat the butter and oil in a heavy casserole. Add the onions and cook over low heat until light brown. Add the brown sugar and cook for a minute or two.  Alternatively, skip the sugar, or stir it in later if you find the sauerkraut too sour.
Add all the rest of the ingredients. Boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook for two hours (I put the lid on). Stir every 20 minutes.

My recipe goes on to tell how to cook ducks to go with this, but I"m going to brown a sausage and boil a potato and serve it all with mustard.

Mom would fry leftover sauerkraut with mashed potato patties the next day and it was delicious.

Good luck!
Love,
k