Hop Growing Lessons

This is my second year of hop growing and I learned more this year than last. My biggest lesson - hops LOVE sun. I built a trellis this year but made the mistake of orienting it from north to south. There were more hops along the top and the south side than on the north. And rougue hop vines that escaped to the south side of the garage, around the corner from the trellis did exceptionally well, producing many hops.

Next spring I will rebuild the trellis into two free standing poles with ropes or wires running from the top to the ground. This should allow more sun on the northern pole. I may also add a pole on the south side of the garage. I think I also need to pay more attention to pruning the hop bines. Too many large bines not producing hops.

Finaly, when it is time to harvest, I should have a beer maker already lined up and ensure they have some skin in the game with them helping to harvest! This year I also could have harvested a week or two earlier.

 

An Old Recipe From ColbyJ.com

Another Indian winner - this time from Curried Favors, Family Recipes from South India, Maya Kaimal MacMillan, Abbeville Press Publishers. This cookbook has a combination of wonderful recipes, well-written text, and beautiful food photography. This one is easy, quick, and tasty. I served it this evening over rice with corn tortillas on the side, and we cut the quantity quite a bit to serve just the two of us - just over ½ pound of shrimp. I used green onions in place of scallions and upped the quantity a bunch. It made a very attractive color combo on the plate.

2 pounds large shrimp 1/4 cup vegetable oil 2 teaspoons minced garlic 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions Spice mixture: 2 teaspoons ground coriander 1 teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon ground red pepper ½ teaspoon ground turmeric

Shell and devein shrimp, rub with mixture of garlic and spice mixture. Set aside for 30 minutes.

In wok or large frying pan over medium high heat, heat oil. Add marinated shrimp and cook, stirring continually, adding salt while stirring, until shrimp are almost entirely opaque. Add lemon juice and continue frying for another 30 seconds or until shrimp are cooked through. Remove from heat. Do not overcook shrimp.

Stir in scallions. Serve hot.

 

Voice Lessons and Neuropathy

Yesterday I went for my first voice lesson. Christian Fernandez Larumbe is going to try to teach this old man a few new tricks. Woof, woof!

The first lesson was encouraging, Christian is a very good and very patient teacher. My goal is to be able to sing along with my ukulele and not be an embarrassment to myself or those around me! If I can improve my singing to keep up with my improving ukulele skills I will be happy. Don't expect me to get up on stage but perhaps I can make a few bucks on the street in Glen Ellyn as a busker. I've got the ukulele, the kazoo, and a little chair. All I need is a battery powered amplifier and I am set.

Did I mention I got a new ukulele? I got a new ukulele. It is a tenor size from Mainland Ukes of Nashville, Indiana. One of the resons I picked it was the fact that the company is in Indiana and the ukuleles they sell are finished there. It is hard in this price range to find a uke not made in China. Mainland's are, but they are completed here. It makes 'em "kinda local." My Mainland uke is, as you can see from the photo below, very pretty, solid mahogany, with purfling around the body and the head. Glossy goodness! And it sounds great. It is not as loud as my all koa soprano Koaloha but it does sound great. Turns out it is a bit easier to play because there is a little more space between the frets which gives my fingers a little more room.

Neuropathy and other things. My son seems to be allergic to foods in the nightshade family - potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and such. He has had severe reactions and his arthritis does flair up with these foods. Last week after having potatoes on Sunday my hips started hurting. Then on Wednesday I had some roasted red pepper soup and that night the tendons and muscles from my elbows down my lower arms became tender. These have me thinking that I might suffer from some nighshade allergies also. Now, you would think I would avoid nightshade foods? No, I have tomatoes, and baked potatoes and fries, and put hot sauce on eggs. These are foods I enjoy eating and therefor I must make a conscious decision to avoid them. Not as easy as it sounds.

On the neuropathy front, my fingers and feet seem to be in improving and backsliding in waves. Some days better, some days worse, but overall improving. A few months ago I could not bear to walk barefoot outside. Now I can. A few months ago I could not bear to touch the strings on my ukulele, now I can and am practicing daily. I continue to see improvement.

This weekend we went to Davenport to cheer on Kathy in her marathon relay bid. She did well and we enjoyed seeing her and Kevin and Brady. It was also Rich Brady's birthday and he and Christine were in Davenport also and we got to sing happy birthday to Rich.

 

Chicadees and Congress

As I sit outside this evening I am surrounded by the voices of chickadees talking to each other. It is a happy sound. We had chickadees nesting in our yard this spring and their voices were constant, and then the young ones fledged. Then there were no more chickadee voices for months. Now they are back. Where did they go and what brought them back?

What in the world do the Republicans in Congress think they are doing? They are simply irresponsible. The vote today to cut $40 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was unconscionable. They also want to defund the Affordable Care Act and shut down government. Does it not matter that SNAP helps families? Does it not matter that the Affordable Care Act helps families? Apparently not. All that seems to matter is opposing the President. Let's see some defense cuts. Let's see some reduction in corporate welfare. Let's see something to bring jobs back, increase the minimum wage, support the economy and people. Got an alternative to reduce health care costs and ensure people an afford insurance? Put it on the table.

From Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II - "Cutting $40 billion from SNAP hurts children, seniors, and veterans. It is not reform, it is not responsible, and it just isn't right."

Don't Go Kazooless

While I was in Oregon I began reading the "Uke of Wallington: One Man and His Ukulele Round Britain" by Mark Wallington. A fun read about a guy about my age who toured Britain with a ukulele and a kazoo performing at open mic nights in England, Wales and Scotland. Even if you are not a ukulele player this is an enjoyable book.

The author's use of a kazoo piqued my interest and I began to research kazoos. During that process I ran across Doc Kazoo of the Aswego Kazoo Factory.

Doc Kazoo makes buying a kazoo a fun and entertaining adventure. I got e-mails from Doc, FaceBook updates, and YouTube videos showng the progress of my order. I've now got my kazoo in hand and am loving it. It came in a little velveteen case (my kazoo gig bag), extra membranes, a tin of Doc's Kazoo Wax, and some felt pads to protect the kazoo when in a harmonica holder. I need to spend time with my new kazoo to best learn how to use it, but here is a sample:

Requests?
Advanced kazoo lessons available here!

iPad Blogging Frustrations

The iPad keyboard has been frustrating me for a long time. I tend to hit either the N, M, comma, or period when I intend to hit the space. Because the on screen keyboard is not tactile and is small, it is easy to hit the wrong key. The solution has always been out there, but I had personal issues with spending up to $100 for a keyboard and then having something else to carry around with me, so I resisted. Until this week. I ordered a bluetooth keyboard through Amazon. It is a Sharkk  brand and was only $24.99. UPS delivered it Wednesday and I am delighted. It is small, came with a velvet case, has a USB rechargeable battery, and the keys have a very satisfying feel. It works. And it has another advantage, because a keyboard is no longer displayed over the screen as I write, the editor I primarily use for blogging is a bit easier to use.

Notes on blogging editors - I use Blogsy most of the time because it handles photos well. It has a major failing though - no spell checker. I need a spell checker for all of my typos. I can use the Blogger editor which does have a spell checker, but doesn't handle photos as well. Generally I find myself going back and forth between the two. If you know of a better editor that works well with posting to Blogspot.com and handles photos well, please let me know!

First Day Back At Work Blues

It's my first day back,

And my feet are killing me.

I've got the back to work blues

and I need some IBUs.

The songwriter in me is loosed! All I need now is a tune and the right cords.

This evening during my ukulele practice I went to the YouTube page of Ukulenny.and watched his video teaching ukulele blues in C. I have looked at other ukulele blues tutorials and can strum some, but this video instruction demonstrated picking - and it was a well done tutorial and made sense. I can now do a little improv blues in the key of C.

Part of learning to play is being comfortable with the chords and the strumming. Strumming was what was holding me back the most. I am now comfortable with a number of different strums as I go through the Ukulele for Beginners Strumming Lessons. I am now on lesson 10 and doing well. Lesson 9 frustrated me and I will have to revisit it. The lesson and the strum and the chords is not the problem - I think it is the song; Take Me Home Country Roads, which I have never particuarly enjoyed!

A final update. I finished my pratice for the night, went to put my ukulele away and found Shelby was laying in my case. One of Shelby's rules is that if it is black, unattended, and you don't want him in it or on it, he will take it over.

And Then Home

Wow, this has been a good interlude with the grandkids and with John, Kristie, and Kendra. Now I am on the way back to normal routine. However, I am going back with improved ukulele skills because of constant practice and with well exercised fingers from tying a variety of things from paracord.

The best about this past two weeks was spending time with my grand children. We had good times. I hope they can treasure this time together when they are adults and I am gone as I remember my grand parents. We just hung together, fished, caught and ate crawdads, tied paracord, laughed, talked, vegged, ate, drove, played with frogs. What could be better?

Enjoy my videos. Yes, I have a long way to go and my singing has issues I know. Just enjoy them! Any requests?

What? Still in Redmond?

Yep, still here and still having a good time but I am winding down. On Friday afternoon, after Anika's soccer practice the kids went to Kendra's and John, Kristie and I have been enjoying adult time. But before I get into that...

Thursday we were off to a very late start because I was sitting outside practicing my ukulele and the kids were watching videos. As a nanny, I do have my failings. We finally made it out of here around noon for a delicious lunch at Smith Rock Brewing. This is the place in Redmond with the best onion rings in the world, or maybe the U.S., or at least Oregon - but the best ones I have ever had. Then back at home we attempted to get two inflatable tubes into a Kia Soul along with two kids and me. We eventually partially deflated the tubes and brought a pump,with us. As comfortable as,the Kia Soul is for four people, there is not a lot of room for anything else. We headed for Cline Creek Falls with the intention of riding the tubes down the Deschuttes River over and over. But the river was running high. Avery declared that he was not comfortable with the depth or the speed of the current so we moved on. We tried Tumalo State Park about twenty miles away and upstream from Cline Creek and though running a little high, much more manageable. We spent some time there with Avery playing in the water and Anika trying to lure in chipmunks with treats. I just laid back in the grass and relaxed. Our next stop was Goody's Candy and Ice Cream in Bend for cones. Their ice cream is delicious!

Friday morning was "cake for breakfast" morning and Anika took full advantage. Avery stuck with peanut butter toast and I had eggs. We were out of the house by 9:15 and headed form the hills - Mt. Bachelor. We ended up at Sparks Lake Recreation Area which included Sparks Lake. Anika harrassed frogs and Avery fished. I watched and grabbed some photos. This is a beautiful spot and perfect if you have a kayak or canoe. Great paddling location. Though we were afoot, Avery, wading in a little bit was able to hook into and land three fish. They were small but frisky trout. He had a number of other bites but did not land them. Anika found a friend and commenced to catch and harrass the small frog population. We had a nice time there and then left for Bend around 12:30. Our goal was the Deschuttes Brewery and Public House for lunch. I enjoyed an Armory XPA and a burger while Avery had a burger and Anika pizza and fries. We all had a good time and then it was time to get back to Redmond. Anika had to get to soccer practice after having more cake. That cake came back to haunt her after practice.

After practice it was back to Kendra's for the kids and then an adult dinner for Kristie, John, and Colby. Mexican food and margaritas. Yum!

On Saturday Kristie, John, and I visited some. garage sales in Redmond and then some antique stores. I scored a cool fish shaped bottle and wine opener for $2.95. Then we headed for Redmond for The Little Woody. This was a barrell aged beer tasting which was also supposed to include a whiskey tasting. We never found the whiskey but enjoyed the beers. A lot of fun. Then we did a quick Costco run for some beef and then home to Redmond for steak, potatoes, and whiskey. Ummmm.

Sunday took John to work and Kristie and I hung out doing very little. Krisitie did house cleaning and then crocheting and I read and practiced the ukulele until we both got hungry. We had a tasty lunch and beers in Terrabone and then came home to veg. More crochet work for Kristie and more ukulele playing for me.

Winding down in Redmond. I am on my way back to Chicago on Tuesday. Happy Labor Day y'all!