Friday pieces

More on gasoline prices: Hawaii is instituting a cap for wholesale gasoline. The state claims that prices are not in line with the mainland, even including transportation costs. I notice that the state's choice for how to keep the price down is to force companies to cut profits, without considering reducing their cut by charging less tax. And then there's the quote:

"The gas prices that are continuing to go up — how am I supposed to afford it?" Nathan Slenk, a 25-year-old student at Kapiolani Community College, said as he pumped regular unleaded gas into his black sedan for $2.79 a gallon in Honolulu.

Um, you're not? Try taking a bike or a bus? (OK, I do know that many people do need to use cars, and some car owners even pay attention to such things as fuel efficiency and such. But it's so easy to snark at this college guy, who seems to believe that it's a right to have cheap gas.)

I brought the sun-hating plant Hrafn gave me into the office, figuring I'll remember to take care of it more regularly there, and presumably the overhead fluorescents will be easier on it. Plus it joins the plant menagerie at the end of my desk. I wonder if I could get some actual shade plants, like violets? Maybe if I shade them under a shelf, with other plants as camouflage? I don't want to bother with yet another ivy designed to live in offices, though; not interesting enough. I know that there's enough light by the windows: an orker has grown a tomato plant taller than I am. It's skinny, with far too little dirt, but there are a couple of tomatoes on it, even.

In the fall, the mums appear, and around here, anyway, they always seemed like boring flowers, used only because they were blooming when other things weren't. When I read Japanese fairy tales, there'd be mentions of chrysanthemums, and they sounded beautiful; I was crushed to find out they were "mums". Yesterday I saw some dahlias an orker had gotten, and I immediately thought they looked like what I wanted chrysanthemums to look like.

A sign that typing is my normal print communication except at work: having the impulse to mark each comma with the little hat, so it's not missed.

Yesterday I tried getting home grocery-laden (They had turkey thighs this time. Yay!) from the Butcherie by bus, and it worked pretty well. Of course, the bus happened to be arriving just when I needed it to; I could've tried getting frozen food after all. Oh, and I noticed that Kupel's is now offering two kinds of knishes (potato and something else). Something to try next time I'm there.

I'm pretty bad at frisbee, which is why people who are good at it impress me. Yesterday I saw two firemen playing in the little wedge of a parking lot at the fire house by Mem Hall, every pass having to be right so neither would have to run into traffic.

I can't believe next week is September. As usual, I haven't done nearly as much this summer as I'd wanted. And this morning I noticed new ads on the T for the Harbor Islands. Lots going on, and I have all of September before the chagim hit. I believe an expotition is called for!

Planning for Shabbat

Candle-lighting is 7:10 this week, so it all has to be done by then. Well, by 7:28 at the latest, but I'd rather aim for candle-lighting than plan to use the 18 minutes.

I bought some of the fluffy pita at the Butcherie yesterday, so I'm not baking bread this week. I haven't been baking bread much at all lately; I think the motivation to do it for just me is lacking, especially since I then end up with so much leftover (another indication that I'm hosting much less than I used to. I should probably change that.), and there's only so much bread pudding one can make (and again, consume). (Side note: most pita in this country is not good; I got spoiled in Israel, where the flatbreads are excellent. This one brand seems to have it right (some Canadian company, I think, but it's not in front of me).)

First in the oven will be roasting potatoes and onions, and possibly a tray of something else as well if something appeals at the farmer's market. While that's cooking, boil the edamame, and start sauteeing vegetables (right now *checks the farm list*, I think that's onion, garlic, pepper, and broccoli). If there's time, make a dessert or two: banana-applesauce cake. And if I buy enough peaches, some kind of peach crisp, perhaps with crystallized ginger. Once the pareve stuff is done, roast a turkey thigh. I think this will also be with peaches, using some of the watermelon pickle (which is vastly more gingery than vinegary), mango, and hot peppers. Somewhen in there, make a tomato salad, though not with feta, obviously. And I have a couple of excellent dumplings from Ruth's to round out the menu.

Also to do in between times: get some prescriptions renewed, and do a load of laundry. It would be nice if there were time to do errands in Harvard Square, but time is not that elastic, and they can be done next week. Oh, and I should get some books from the library, too.


PS I have this whole head of celery, and I'm realizing that it's unlikely I'll be making soup soon (my one use for celery, other than in stuffing). Does anyone have favorite uses that someone not very enamored of celery would like?

Gashed by garlic

I was smashing a clove of garlic under the flat of the knife, as usual. But the farm garlic is much sturdier, and the stem end managed to come out from under the knife into my hand. And yes, garlic is enough to cause bleeding, when the force is large enough, as I've discovered. The gouge is in the top crease on my left palm, just under my pinkie. It's mostly stopped bleeding now, but I held a paper towel over it for the rest of the cooking, just in case. Luckily there wasn't much left, as I was already prepping the turkey.

As least I didn't hurt myself with a cucumber. Not only would that be just generally humiliating, I'd've had to title this post "Cukes of Hazard."

And for the record: I was home too late to make desserts, but I did get library books. The other tray of roasted veggies turned out to be tomatoes, as I couldn't resist those gorgeous huge meaty yellow ones shot through with red.

Shabbat shalom, happy weekend, and may September be healthier :-)

I guess I was wrong about having paid August's stupid tax in full last week, huh?