The Repairs, The Veggies, and the Ticks

A repairman came to fix the oven last week. He found he needed to order a part to fix the upper oven on our gas stove. He came back another day, Wednesday, but found he had the wrong part again.  Finally he returned and the third try worked. The oven is functioning again.

 I had to get my computer fixed, as the camera wouldn’t work for ZOOM readings. I had tried on Tuesday, but the techie from My Computer Works was incompetent and I just gave up after a couple of hours. I tried again two days later and by sheer luck got Crystal who always knows what she’s doing and she fixed it.

With my computer tied up two different mornings, I have not been able to work anything like normal. Last week was very productive. This week, not so much. Woody cut the scapes (the edible flower stalks) off our garlic and I made half pints of what I call June pesto (with olive oil, Parmesan cheese, and pine nuts). It is milder than regular pesto but quite useful. I also froze four packages of cilantro. I began freezing rhubarb yesterday. I made rhubarb  compote at the same time with honey and cinnamon and part of an orange.

Schwartzie is going through some sort of midlife crisis. He is being very emotional and balky. He is tired of the special food he has to eat for his kidneys and heart. I just found a hair matt on him which might mean he’s given up on grooming himself. It’s a bit worrisome. Years ago, I had a matt and tangle tool I used on Cho Cho, but I hadn’t had a long haired cat for years. Now I need to find that tool or order another.

Tonight we’re eating at Chaim and Theresa’s. Woody watched the NBA with Chaim there Wednesday night.  Last night’s supper, we ate, lamb chops in red wine. cumin and onion with my spinach salad – semi-hard boiled eggs, finely chopped red onions,, very crisp bacon and kalamata olives.

I’ve mostly been preserving our vegetables, but I hope this weekend to get back outside. I want to work on the front raised bed and also pull anything in my garden that’s over the hill. The lettuce is all fine (Woody used a massive shade cloth to keep out the rabbits and it worked to keep the lettuce from bolting) as are most of the other greens. But I suspect the loose leaf Chinese cabbage is just about done. I’ll try to get one more meal out of it before I pull it for the compost.

My American archeology magazine arrived yesterday and I have been enjoying reading it whenever I get some free time. Last year, June was extremely hot, making it unpleasant to work in the garden. We’ve had two very warm days, but only two. That makes it easier on us. A lot of people in Welfleet are complaining about a scourge of mosquitoes, but so far, not that many here. They can make life miserable. We had a plague of flies last week but only for two days and then they vanished. But the ticks! Unbelievable. We are overrun with deer ticks. I’ve become good at getting them out with a very sharp tweezers. For the past few weeks Woody has come in with two or more everyday.