Public Service Announcement

As your friendly Landscape Consultants (that would be me, Bob, and the Duchess), we would like to share with you the following email :

Dear Hardworking Underpaid Landscape Consultants,

Jim Delaripa attended the Homeowner Board mtg. last night.  He has applied a different weed killer on the greenbelt and will follow up with a second application before it is reseeded in the Fall.  I'm hearing rumors that the Board has decided on a mandatory paint palette.  THIS IS ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE.  We are still discussing the whole idea...please feel free to share that with all the dog park folks.   Thanks...  Ann Collins

The Duchess also informed me that she is " ... keeping the girls off the green.  Saw them apply the gunk yesterday morning."

This ends the public service announcement.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled programs.

People I Used to Consider My Friends

Kelly, Bob, and Jacque-with-an-S
enjoying Thai food
without
me

My Blue Period

There was discussion at the Dog Park recently regarding my choice of toenail polish color.   I was wearing an Essie color described as "a flirty and pretty tropical aqua" when a certain someone pointed out (correctly, I must add) that the color of my toenail polish was strikingly similar to the color of the weed killer sprayed on the nearby desert granite.  Later, a family member admitted, ever so gently, that blue was not really his favorite color for toenails, and that maybe blue toenails were better left to teenage girls and those experiencing severe oxygen deprivation. I began to doubt the wisdom of my blue toenail phase, and thought of switching back to the color I used last summer, a shimmery neutral by OPI called Sand in Your Suit.

Side note: Don't you just love the names of nail polishes? Pink-ing of You, Malaysian Mist, Suzi & the Lifeguard, Lincoln Park After Dark, Got a Date To-Knight, Mermaids Tears, Sparrow Me the Drama, Moon Over Mumbai, Makes Men Blush, Spark de Triomphe, Teenage Dream, Do You Lilac It?, and my all time favorite, I'm Not Really A Waitress.

Then I stumbled upon an article in The New York Times about the costume designer, Ann Roth.  In the article, Ann Roth states:  "The Tony Awards luncheon was today and I wore exactly what I had originally laid out last Thursday: the black silk smocked dress and the green coat. I wore black sandals and blue toenails. I’ve been wearing blue toenail polish every day since 1953. Back then, ladies would come up and tell me that it wasn’t very appropriate."

There she stood, a matriarch of fashion, with her toes painted the bluest of blues.  Right then and there, I realized what was needed- not less blue nail polish, but more.  

My newest polish is described as "a charming soft blue with a touch of shimmer."  Its name?  Sweet Talker

Our Book-ish Group

Without our nightly meetings at the park, it is a challenge to stay current on what everyone is reading.  I know The Duchess has embraced the Western genre for her summer reads, and Diane is reading Cutting for Stone, which I read, loved, and forced upon her.  I, in turn, borrowed  A Visit from the Goon Squad from The Duchess.  I just finished it last night, and I know this puts me in a rather unpopular position, but it annoyed me.   Pay me no mind.  I didn't like Dances with Wolves either.   But I absolutely loved Waterworld.

I know Bob is reading a book called 100 Simple Things You Can do to Prevent Alzheimer's, and he feels we should all be eating more curry, or was it milk and cookies?  I can't remember.  Uh oh.  Anyway, I just wish he would get back to reading financial books because if he doesn't read them and tell us the important stuff,  we might have to start reading them ourselves.  Please Bob, don't make us read finance books.

And aren't you all just a tad curious what Bob M. is reading?  I know I am.  Last time I had  a book discussion with him, he was reading Twilight in German.  

I know DKG has been busy researching weapons, but I have no idea what The Girlfriend is reading.  Maybe something on the topic of photography?  And what about Patty floating out there on her kayak.  What, I wonder, is she reading these days?

For Your Viewing Pleasure

Recently, I was sitting on the bench at the park with Dog Kicker Guy, and he was explaining to me the problem with people and their videos.  He described in graphic detail how much he loathes being subjected to people's videos, how he despises watching them.  I nodded my head in agreement, all the while thinking, I need to get more videos on this blog.

This video was taped last May at the Mothers Who Write, Mothers Who Read event at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.  It was inspired by a margarita-fueled conversation at our Dog Park Cinco de Mayo celebration.  Thank you Patty, Jeannie, and Martina.

Favorite Things

I know.  It is hot outside.  Probably the best thing to do is walk the dog early, and then relax with some-online shopping.  For cool inspirational dog art check out the Etsy shop Going Places 2.

Happy Father's Day

The most vivid memory I have of my childhood is the day I got lost walking home from school.  I was in kindergarten and we had just moved into a new house in a new neighborhood.   If I could, I would go back in time and warn that little kindergartener to be careful, and I would tell her, that while she might not know it yet, she has absolutely no sense of direction and will grow up to become the type of person who will never travel independently without a GPS device, cell phone, and a printout of directions from MapQuest.   But I was just five-years-old then; all I knew that day was that I loved school and I adored my new shoes.   The new shoes were black velvet Mary Janes and they made the most satisfying click-clonk sound as I walked down the sidewalk.  It was actually the sound of those shoes that I loved, such a confident sound, signaling my departure from mere child to schoolgirl.

I walked home from kindergarten that day with a classmate who lived in my neighborhood.  We arrived at her house, and I remember her mother turning to me and asking me if I knew my way home.  I told her yes and walked on.  It wasn’t until I arrived at the end of their street that I realized I didn’t know where I was.  I turned the corner and kept walking - head down, focusing on the sidewalk in front of me.  The sidewalk was soft grey, adorned with scattered acorns and dandelions peeping up through the cracks, and I remember the sun lying down warm across my back, and the shadows of the leaves overhead dancing and dappled at my feet.   My peaceful surroundings were in sharp contrast to the rising panic I felt inside.

I watched a squirrel scamper safely up the side of a nearby oak tree.   I was envious of that squirrel returning to its home, and I thought about dinner.   I worried that if I couldn’t find my way home I would miss dinner that night.  It was then that I looked up, and saw my father walking towards me.

My father walking towards me that day is the only childhood memory I possess of my father healthy, and able to walk.  Even then, he was experiencing symptoms - strange rashes, and aching joints.  Later that year he would be diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune disease, and would spend the following decade in and out of hospitals battling kidney disease, psychosis, and finally heart failure.  I was fourteen-years-old when he died.

I’ve dreamt in my life dreams that have stayed with me ever after, and changed my ideas; they’ve gone through and through me, like wine through water, and altered the colour of my mind, Emily Bronte wrote.   So too, that memory of my father walking towards me that day so long ago, has stayed with me, and has gone through and through me.  I have many recollections of my father from when he was sick - lying in a hospital bed, sitting in a wheelchair, drugged and dazed.  But now, thirty-five years after his death, so many details about my father from those days have faded, and it is the early memory of that day - being lost and then found - that remains clear and vivid, and forever colors my thoughts of my father.

A little girl walks down a neighborhood street, canopied under the thick green foliage of oak trees.   She is lost.  Then glancing up, she sees her father walking towards her.  He is dressed in a dark suit, wearing a crisp white shirt, and when he sees her he quickens his gait, moving towards her, strong and tall, with a wide happy grin on his face.  Her fear fades away and all that is left is a little girl’s joy at the sight of her father.

Summer Eats

Thai Grilled-Beef Salad

I have learned so many things at the Dog Park, including the wonders of flank steak. I learned that you can buy three to a pack at Costco (thank you, Patty), and have been privy to spirited discussions on the multitude of dishes one can cook with flank steak.  I had no idea.  Really.

Then there are those neighborly Thai connections: Bob & Lisa who introduced us to Pato, our very favorite Thai restaurant, and the neighbor (who-shall-not-be-named due to the whole witness protection thing) who lived in Thailand and has regaled us during our evenings at the Powderhorn Dog Park with stories of mango season in Thailand, and the abysmal state of Thailand prisons.  

So,when The Duchess brought this recipe to my attention, I felt I must share it with The Pack.  What follows is the recipe for Nam Tok, or Thai Grilled-Beef Salad, from this month's Cook's Illustrated  magazine.  A perfect meal for our hot summer evenings - the  mint, the cool cumbers, the bite of the chile.  My only disappointment was that there were no leftovers.  I highly suggest you double the recipe.

Thai Grilled-Beef Salad

serves 4-6

(or it serves 2, if those 2 people really like it)

Serve with steamed jasmine rice, if desired, although any style of white rice can be substituted.  Don't skip the toasted rice; it's integral to the texture and flavor of the dish.  If a fresh Thai chile is unavailable, substitute half of a serrano chile.  I should pause here to warn you that The Duchess used a fresh Thai chile and almost died.  After listening to her harrowing tale, I substituted a fresh jalapeno pepper in place of- as The Duchess now refers to it- "the evil ingredient", and was pleased with both the flavor and amount of heat the fresh jalapeno brought to the dish.


1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I used ground chipotle chile)
1 tablespoon white rice
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 (1 1/2-pound) flank steak, trimmed
salt & white pepper, coarsely ground (be sure to use white pepper)
4 shallots, sliced thin
1 1/2 cups fresh mint leaves, torn (you could make a Mojito with the leftovers, just a thought)
1 1/2 cups fresh cilantro leaves
1 Thai chile, stemmed and sliced thin into rounds  (consider yourself warned)
1 seedless English cucumber, sliced 1/4 inch thick on bias

1.  Heat paprika and cayenne in 8-inch skillet over medium hear; cook, shaking pan, until fragrant about 1 minute.  Transfer to small bowl.  Return now-empty skillet to medium-high heat, add rice, and toast, stirring frequently, until deep golden brown, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to second small bowl and cool for 5 minutes.  Grind rice with spice grinder, mini food processor, or mortar and pestle until it resembles find meal, 10 to 30 seconds (you should have about 1 tablespoon rice powder).  If you use a mini food processor, as I did, the trick is to pulse the processor quickly on-and-off, and the rice will quickly reduce to powder.  


2.  Whisk lime juice, fish sauce, water, sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon toasted paprika mixture in a large bowl and set aside.

3.  For a gas grill:  Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes.  Leave primary burner on high and turn off other burner (s).

4.  Clean and oil cooking grate.  Season steak with salt and white pepper.  Place steak over hot part of grill and cook until beginning to char and beads of moisture appear on outer edges of meat, 5 to 6 minutes.   We never really saw beads of moisture on the steak; The Husband however was sweating profusely at this point.  Flip steak and continue to cook on  second side until charred and center registers 125 degrees, about 5 minutes longer.  Transfer to plate, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes (or allow to cool to room temperature, about an hour).

5.  Slice meat, against grain, on bias into 1/4-inch-thick slices.  Transfer sliced steak to bowl with fish sauce mixture.  Add shallots, mint, cilantro, chile, and half of rice powder, toss to combine.  Transfer to plater lined with cucumber slices.  Serve, passing remaining rice powder and toasted paprika mixture separately.

Enjoy !

Neighborhood Beautification

Adopt-A-Sign Project 

Maybe the HOA needs a different sign, 

one that is a little bit more 

"to the point".

I Spy

 Lisa ! 

Treats

It is that time of the year doggie folks !

And for those of us who are rousing ourselves out of bed 

to take our four-legged friends on their 

early morning walks ...

Did you know 

that Passport Coffee and Tea has an outlet 

at their coffee roasting facility in the Airpark ?


Yes, I do mean coffee roasting facility, as in freshly roasted coffee beans.
Sold by the pound, and reasonably priced.
Morning bliss, friends.

  

Happy Birthday Patty !

When I Consider

Everything That Grows

When I consider every thing that grows

Holds in perfection but a little moment.

That this huge stage presenteth nought but shows

Whereon the stars in secret influence comment.

When I perceive that men as plants increase,

Cheered and checked even by the self-same sky,

Vaunt in their youthful sap, at height decrease,

And wear their brave state out of memory:

Then the conceit of this inconsistent stay,

Where wasteful Time debateth with decay

To change your day of youth to sullied night;

And all in war with Time for love of you,

As he takes from you, I engraft you new.

 William Shakespeare

Skruffy's Makeover

"The old dog groomed nicely, and even perked up. 

 I can remember when he was a pup. "

(Apologies to Robert Frost)

Post submitted by: Jacques & Kelly

Noan Nightingale

The conference calls must go on. 

Jimmy wants you all to know that he is recovering well from his ankle surgery. He especially wants you to know what an absolutely amazing caregiver I have been.  

The New Entrance

The Powers That Be would like to know what we think of our new entrance way.   You can post your comments below.

I know what you're gon'na do.  You're going send me an email, aren't you? While I have enjoyed immensely the flurry of emails, it is a blog thing people. You need to post comments.  You can even respond to other people's comments.  Posting comments is very user-friendly.  And Dog Kicker Guy, or Hummercam Guy as you would have it, if you don't post a comment it will only confirm your children's worst suspicion - that you are indeed a Luddite.  

* Just in case you are like me, and sometimes have to look up words that Dog Kicker Guy uses: Definition of Luddite: one of a group of early 19th century English workmen destroying laborsaving machinery as a protest; broadly: one who is opposed to especially technological change.

A Poem for Rusty

Night Watch 

Chico whines, no reason why. Just now walked,

dinner gobbled, head and ears well scratched.

And yet he whines, looking up at me as if confused

at my just sitting here, typing away, while darkness

is stalking the back yard. How can I be so blind,

he wants to know, how sad, how tragic, how I

won’t listen before it is too late. His whines are

refugees from a brain where time and loss have

small dominion, but where the tyranny of now

is absolute. I get up and throw open the kitchen door,

and he disappears down the cement steps, barking

deeper and darker than I remember. I follow

to find him perfectly still in the empty yard—

the two of us in the twilight, standing guard.

Mark Smith-Soto

For Your Viewing Pleasure

Who says you can't teach an old dog a new trick?  I figured out the video embedding thing.  Not really very tricky after all.  Voila, my neighbor's hummingbird video for your viewing pleasure.  

And for you dear dog-loving neighbors, a bonus video:

No Soup for You !

My neighbors are very friendly, and when the weather is too hot for the evening rendezvous at the dog park (or the park grass is infested with burr cloves, as it is now) we email each other.  Below is an email I received this morning from a neighbor who is affectionately referred to as Dog Kicker Guy. (He is not particularly fond of this moniker.  He swears he assumed a kicking stance in self-defense only, never actually striking the dog in question.  We believe him, and therefore only refer to him as "Dog Kicker Guy" when he is not around.)

Today's email from DKG includes a very cool video that he shot on his back patio - a video of a mother hummingbird feeding her babies.  Unfortunately, because I am only on chapter two of "Google Blogger for Dummies", I don't know how to embed videos.  Luckily, I DO know how to embed adorable childhood photos.

Dog Kicker Guy,  circa 1955

From: DKG

Subject:  Hummercam in action

A few weeks ago, a soon-to-be-mother hummer built her nest on a short segment of Romex wire I had installed for purposes of hanging a ceiling fan from the patio ceiling (note ceiling also in mid-repair status).  That gave me an excuse to defer yet again finishing up the project, much to The Girlfriend's dismay (she said something like, "Funny-- since when did you need an excuse?", but I didn't quite catch the gist of her question).

I mounted one of my household security network cameras on the ceiling (after disarming the shotgun otherwise triggered when dog park friends and other intruders come into camera view), approx. 18 inches away from the nest, thus allowing me to capture still shots and video.  Mother hummer laid two eggs (as they almost always do, two days apart from each other), then commenced incubation once the second egg was laid, so the two would hatch at the same time, approx. 15 days later.

In the attached video, you can see Mom feeding the two chicks.  Our best guess, based on the male hummer that is in the general vicinity (dads do not share in the nest-building, incubation or care and feeding, as God would have it), we think Mom and twins are Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds.  The female Ruby-Throated hummers are hard to distinguish from two other species because, like all female life forms on the planet generally, they lack color and distinguishing characteristics.  So one must know the paired male in order to identify the female.  However, merely identifying females does not aid in understanding them, I have learned over the years.

Hope you enjoy the video, if not the misogynist commentary (I wonder how much trouble I will be in when The Girlfriend gets home from work?).

The Girlfriend's response:

From:  The Girlfriend

To: DKG

Subject: RE: Hummercam in action

No soup for you!