No Regrets Coyote

"We just come from such different sets of circumstance..."

On the way to do some errands this morning I spotted a coyote crossing the road near our house; I pulled over to watch him climb the low ridge next to the road. He reached the top, paused and turned to look at me for a moment. Then, unimpressed, he ran off.

It got me to thinking about him near our territory, us in his. Will Gracie and Rose 'protect' us or are they in danger, especially at night? I suppose he and his brethren have always been around here. (In fact I know they have been. I remember Jim Marty telling us a story about seeing a coyote one morning and dispatching it with his hunting rifle. He made it sound like they were a continual problem.)

But it is a combination of thrilling and worrisome to have seen one so nearby.

"Either he's going to have to stand and fight
Or take off out of here"

Winter Goodness

We've discovered a wonderful lentil soup recipe that we love and it has probably become our 'standard' recipe until we find something even better. But this is so delicious and satisfying that that'll be hard to do. Actually, when I said 'discovered' back there, it made it sound like we found it while exploring some back alley in Paris or something. Actually we just saw it on TV; the Barefoot Contessa to be exact.

Don't be put off by the exotic sounding lentils this recipe requires. The result really makes it worth the little extra effort it might take to find them. They didn't have them at Cub, but they did at the snooty co-op in Stillwater, in bulk no less. And I really don't think they were any more expensive. That's what they look like, up above there.

And here's what our friends at Cooks Illustrated have to say about these little orbs of goodness:

Lentils du Puy
These lentils are smaller than the more common brown and green varieties. While they take their name from the city of Puy in central France, they are also grown in North America and Italy. Dark olive green, almost black, in color, with mottling, these lentils were praised (in their taste testing) for their "rich, earthy, complex flavor" and "firm yet tender texture."

This recipe makes a ton so you'll probably have plenty left to freeze.

Here we go (and you won't be sorry):

Lentil Sausage Soup

1 pound French green lentils (recommended: du Puy)
1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra for serving
4 cups diced yellow onions (2-3 large-ish)
4 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts only (2 leeks, as recommended didn't come near to yielding 4 cups, but it seemed like enough)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 large cloves)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 cups medium diced celery (8 stalks)
3 cups medium diced carrots (4 to 6 carrots)
3 quarts Homemade Chicken Stock or, you know, vegetable broth
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 pound kielbasa, cut in 1/2 lengthwise and sliced 1/3-inch thick or cooked Boca brats put in at the last minute, or just fine without the sausage at all
2 tablespoons dry red wine or red wine vinegar
Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain.

In a large stockpot over medium heat, heat the olive oil and saute the onions, leeks, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are translucent and tender.

Add the celery and carrots and saute for another 10 minutes.

Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and drained lentils, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, or until the lentils are cooked through and tender.

Check the seasonings. Add the kielbasa and red wine and simmer until the kielbasa is hot. Serve drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with grated Parmesan.

Gallery

Just a quick post to point out the links you'll find at the bottom of the sidebar to the right. Particularly noteworthy is the new link to 'Gallery'. There resides a growing collection of photos that I'm in the process of digitizing. If you visit, be sure to click on the photos at least once for a larger view. If you click again you should get a really big version.

Here's a sample, lovely Molly, about 15 (or so) years ago.

It's Official

I got in to see my doctor yesterday, after about ten days of this cough and feeling crummy. He listened to my breathing and said my lungs were clear (that means no pneumonia) and he'd prescribe a cough medicine and an antibiotic. I finally asked him if what I have has a name and he said, "Oh, yes, you have bronchitis."

I'd suspected that that was what I had, since this lovely affliction has visited me twice before, last in 1999.

It's nice to know that how I've been feeling has an official name; it sounds better (or worse, actually) than saying "I have a cough."

He told me that I'd be a new man in a couple of days. I'll settle for the old one.

Thank You For The Fire

Kim Novak speaks my favorite line from what is one of my very favorite movies, Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo. I can't really tell you why I love that line; maybe it's because when she says it we're in the very center of the fantasy, the obsession, the dream-world that Jimmy Stewart as Scottie Ferguson finds himself in, has entered whole-heartedly and willingly into. It's before any doubt or any of the real world has begun to reveal itself and wake him from his sleepwalk.

And, that it's a tender, genuine expression of gratitude for the simplest, most basic human need; of warmth, both literal and the warmth that comes from nearness to another, the other. Even though on the surface there is deception involved, at her core it's closeness that she desires.

Treading New Ground

Began reading Washington Square by Henry James yesterday. He's an author I've never quite had the guts to tackle, like Thomas Mann or William Faulkner. I'm not really sure why I was intimidated before, as this book is very readable, but Sweet Baby Jesus he does write in LONG sentences. And apparently his later work can be tougher going.

But for now I'm appreciating this book for the pure artistic nature of his prose.

Oh My Darling

Right after that last post, or maybe even before that, I started feeling crummy in a low-grade just dragging and achy sort of way.

Yesterday I must have purchased the upgrade, because this horrible cough and 'out of touch with my senses' feeling have come on strong.

I'm very lucky though, because Carrie's project ended yesterday so she's here to tend to me. My darling indeed.

Better and better

I went outside this morning intending to make some photographs of the river as it is today, steaming in the below zero winter air. I envisioned a blog entry called 'Smoking River' or some such. So I put on my boots and walked down to the river's edge. It really was quite beautiful, all the branches and weeds still covered in white from last Sunday's snowfall, and the river really was black and smoking. Or rather steaming I guess, but 'smoking' sounded more evocative to me. I went to work with the camera.




Suddenly I heard some geese honking overhead and looking up, instead of seeing geese, there was a huge bald eagle winging overhead, following the river downstream. I was so stunned for a moment I forgot that not only did I have my camera with me, but that it was actually turned on for once. By the time I'd recovered he was pretty far off but I managed to get this photo of him. I never did see the geese.


This got me to thinking of an old saying that I like: "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans." But I usually interpreted it to mean that something bad can happen at any time so you better enjoy yourself in the here and now. Here, however, was an example of being in the moment of a wonderful time and then having something even more wonderful happen. I felt it was a sacred event of some kind.

Ten Above

No heat again this morning, and the furnace refused to blow hot air despite my repeated turning it on and off. This is the extent of my furnace maintenance ability along with changing the filter. So we finally called the furnace man, despite it being Sunday. Actually nothing was said about 'emergency charges', so we'll see when the bill arrives.

Of course about twelve minutes before he arrived it began to finally blow hot air. He (Tom, a very cute guy, according to Carrie) puttered in the basement for awhile, said it might be the 'flame sensor' which he didn't have a replacement for, and told us to call him if it happens again.

Carrie said we may be having a lot of 'furnace problems' in the future.

Arthur Strauman

Where to start in telling about Art? I first knew him when we worked at Kmart together. In a way he was my introduction to 'adult life'. He was funny in a very wry way, a great storyteller, a great bartender (with all that that implies), a great ambassador or representative from South Minneapolis (where he grew up), a master pool player, dirty old man, golfer, heavy drinker and the most talented and passionate photographer I've ever personally known.

What ever knowledge of and appreciation for photography I have, I can trace back to him.

Some time after he left Kmart (this was in the very early 90s) he moved with Vonnie, the woman in his life, to her family farm in Prairie Farm, Wisconsin where he eased up on the drinking (and picture-making, sadly). But it was at this time, when I would go to visit him, that he tutored me in darkroom technique. He would lend me much of his darkroom equipment over winters when he and Vonnie would stay in Florida. This photo was taken at one of those 'hand offs' in the fall, when we'd meet in Baldwin, have lunch and load up my car with his enlarger, easel, etc. I developed the film, and made the print thanks to his inspiration.

One summer (around 1994? I can't remember) Art suffered a massive brain aneurysm on the golf course, as he was teeing off. He never regained consciousness and was dead a week later. More than one person noted it was a great way to go.

I have a lot of his cameras and darkroom stuff in the basement still, where it patiently waits to be used.

This Old 'Hood

On Saturday we went back to our old neighborhood in St. Paul for dinner with with our used-to-be neighbors. Bill and Karen Paist hosted. Here's a photo taken in their foyer. Their house is sort of a mirror image of our former house next door, but decorated in a much different, much more ornate style.

It was good to see all of these folks again.
Karen put on a wonderful buffet, and everyone brought something to add to the bounty. Karen actually made 'cranberry dessert' which was identical to the one my mom used to make.

Krag, Donna and Mary (she'd left by the time I thought to take a photo) were there as well. We got something of an update as to what's going on in the old neighborhood; the hardware store closed, the wife of the couple that bought our house is pregnant, Richard doesn't have his own garbage pick-up and he and Zach had a dog for a few days. Sad news as well: we found out that former neighbor Rusty (who now lives in Colorado with her family) has breast cancer. And Bill, apparently has diabetes.

After we left we stopped by Krag & Donna's new old house a block away from where they used to live. It's a huge 'fixer upper' and they're doing a fantastic job. It's very cool now and will be awesome when they're finished. It left us a tad nostalgic for the old house lifestyle.

Projected Man

I have a lot of 'projects' going on right now, some newer, some of a longer standing. The photo-a-day is the longest ongoing one; I'm rather proud that it's into its fourth year, and although I don't quite manage to make a photograph each and every day, I haven't given up on it.

Then there's the moribund 'slide digitizing' project which is about to be revived. Winter is the perfect time to work on this one, which involves reviewing and scanning the best of the thousands and thousand of slides I made, mostly between about 1970 and the late '80s or so. It's important to do, as the color of those slides deteriorates from year to year, decade to decade. That's a photo of Heather, from September of 1971.

Then there's the LP digitizing project, which has been going on at a rather stately pace for a few years. It always makes me happy to revisit my old friends, the LPs and it makes it easier to listen to them when they're in digital form.

Newer projects include my journal which I've started (or restarted, it's a rather come and go type project) and this blog.

Dr. Darrell Dexter

The LP digitizing project goes forward, with this being the latest gem. I remember my dad loving this one. I enjoy it too, no matter how many times I hear it.

December is up

This must be record time for getting the past month's photos up. I'm working toward getting back to actually 'a photo a day'.

This guy didn't make the cut, but we'll be seeing a lot more of him this year...stay tuned.

First Real Snow

A beautiful, clear morning with a little snow at last after a day of rain yesterday. The prairie got a good drink. Rose is reveling in the snow this morning.

A nice time at Kelly's New Year's Eve party last night. Nice, fun people, great food and Fiver chewed a hole in someone's jacket! To be fair, there was a dog biscuit in the pocket.

Watched the 'ball' drop in NY (in replay) and a rather sad Dick Clark. Kisses and hugs all around.