The Joys of Rhubarb - And Having an Old House

We’ve been without a dishwasher for almost two weeks. Finally, someone is supposed to come next Tuesday. It went bonkers when we had company, so many dishes to do by hand and on and on.

This week, Thursday, the technician came to clean and fix the wall units that both  heat and cool us. He was here until around 1 pm. Since one of the units is in my office, I got no work done, or very little. Then today, the furnace man came and is still working as I type this.

OH, THE JOYS OF HOME OWERSHIP!

Anyhow, I can write today –a big improvement. I am doing a little work on my book before sending it off to my new editor at Sibylline. I hope to send it next Monday. It’s an enormous relief to have a publisher for the book at last. Once it was rejected by the marketing people at Knopf after the editor liked it, I took a few months to incorporate the changes that the woman I hoped would be my editor at Knopf had given me when we both thought we were going to work together on the book. Her comments were extremely useful and shaped the book better.

My garden is looking good. Yesterday, I weeded the whole thing.  It wasn’t hard, as b there aren’t a shitload of weeds. I have to dig out the licorice plants that we got by accident as the label said Tarragon. They are actually a relative of tarragon and a medicinal herb, not for cooking. They are big handsome vigorous plants, so after we actually get some tarragon, we will move them to a pot and let them continue to grow.

Tonight, we’re going to Tasha’s for supper. I especially appreciate that as then no dishes to wash by hand except for a bowl apiece from breakfast. Lunch I’ll just eat a flavored yogurt – just a spoon to wash; it’s been a nuisance. Dale was back Monday and we sent out some poems and caught up on filing, which had accumulated over the two weeks.

I don’t think three dire wolves are enough. They need a pack to be comfortable. The animals they are trying to clone are almost all social herd or pack animals and one or two will not cut it   I finished THE DEATH OF A RACEHORSE. A bit too much about different suspicious drugs for me to keep track of.  The beginning was the best part, Bob Baffert’s early life – the famous and successful trainer of Thoroughbreds. But of course, the book was about doping, I should have expected a huge amount of drug names and outcomes.

Woody is staking my paste tomatoes. The maincrops and cherry tomatoes are in his garden and will be next. We are hoping over the weekend to get a good start on the lower garden, down by the road where we grow pole beans and winter squash and parsnips. Our rhubarb is happy this year and growing nicely. I am considering making a rhubarb crisp to go with supper tomorrow night. I do love rhubarb. I found a rhubarb cookbook once but most of the recipes are a stretch and a half.