Story Time

Any idea what this is? 
Some of you may know but I'll go ahead and tell those who don't. That is what sprouting ginger root looks like. I have grown ginger root from store bought roots before but I always just stuck the ones that had begun sprouting in dirt and let nature have her way with them. In this case, I used the ginger underneath those shoots and since I wasn't sure where I wanted to plant them, I set them in a little dish of water and the roots started growing immediately. Aren't they cool looking? 
A little bit alien. Or, a little bit sea creature. Then again, many sea creatures look like aliens if you ask me. Perhaps they are. They might as well be for all we know about some of them. 
I will transfer those sweet little babies to a pot of dirt tomorrow. 

I guess that was the instructional potion of our evening chat. Or, more aptly, informational. 

I thank all of you for telling me if you use the word "shuck" and to my surprise, almost everyone answered yes. I had thought it was perhaps a southern thing but no, from Connecticut to Australia, people at least shuck oysters. In looking the word up, I see that it originally referred to the outer covering of something like the shell of a nut. And it has come to mean, as a verb, to remove an outer covering. So, technically, I suppose you can shuck pecans although I've always shelled pecans myself. We will NOT be discussing the proper pronunciation of pecan. I am a little touchy about that. 
Shuck can also mean something worthless. Which, I suppose things like oyster shells and nut husks and pea pods are considered to be but of course they are not and have uses of their own, independent of what it was they were covering.

Now, hardly anyone uses "shuck" to mean remove when it comes to britches. We do though. 
One time, back when we were all young and cute, Mr. Moon had bought a pontoon boat. 
I know, I know. Shocker!
We hauled it over to St. Augustine where Lon and Lis were living at the time. We were also quite friendly with another couple who lived there and all of us wanted to take a little cruise down the St. John's river. Yet one more couple joined us, the wife being the sister of Couple Number 2. They too, were friends of ours.
Still with me? 
Anyway, so there we were on the party barge and we were partying and all was merry and lovely until we ran aground. 
Oh no! What to do? 
There we were on a stuck pontoon boat and of course the men began to discuss the situation to figure out the best way to get us moving again. 
As men do. 
Obviously, we were not in deep water or else we would not have run aground. However, it must have been a cooler weather season because all the men had jeans on. And none of them wanted to get in the water and get their pants soaked because they would freeze to death on the ride back to St. Augustine. 
Finally, the wife of Couple Number 3 said, in a no-fooling-around voice, "You guys need to shuck those jeans and jump in and push us off."

Merriment ensued, of course. I believe only one of the fellas was wearing underwear. But, this woman was not up for any more discussion and she was not to be argued with. So we ladies vowed not to watch and I can't remember if we did or not so it must not have been too traumatic for any of us, but when the men got in the water, they discovered that it was about six inches deep so they could have kept those jeans on and it was the funniest thing. Oh, how we laughed! 

And they pushed the boat to float free again and off we went. 

The point of that story is not that drinking and boating don't mix (of course they don't!) but that after all these years I remember distinctly the way Tina said, "Shuck those jeans!" and they did. 

And I guess that's all I really have to relate today. My knee feels so much better for which I am grateful. Mr. Moon shucked the scallops which he somehow came home with. All thirty of them. After conferring with Jessie and Gibson, the scallops are staying with us and I will cook them tonight. I think I'll do a little sauté with them and shallots and garlic and lemon and white wine and serve that over pasta. As with so many very good and fresh ingredients, the less you fool with them, the better. I wish I had some fresh spinach to add to the mix but I do not and although frozen spinach is fine, it is not worthy of these scallops which, if we added up the cost of the gas for the boat and all the foods and drinks bought for the trip, and the lunch afterwards, would be worth approximately ten dollars apiece. 
Or something like that. 

There will be a salad. 

Love...Ms. Moon