Bathroom window ornamentation.
Linda Sue sent me that awhile back and I'm always sort of shy about telling someone that I've put something they gave me in my bathroom but the truth is, my bathroom is where all the coolest, prettiest things go because it is the coolest, prettiest room in the whole dang house. It is, in a way, my gallery of favorite things. I really haven't taken many pictures today at all. I generally take outside picture although not always, of course. But today it has been unbearably hot and humid out. It did rain last night, a good earth-slammer of a downpour which was a beautiful thing and then we got another quick, hard shower today but when the sun came out full strength, it appeared to be trying to turn every drop that had fallen into steam. It has been sauna-like. I took my basket out to pick in the garden and forgot my sweat rag. Since it had just rained, I thought I'd be fine but no, I was not fine. By the time I came in the house I was awash in sweat. Not just drenched. Awash. Like it was sheeting off of me. And that was enough of that mess.
I got some more beans, of course, and some more of the oh-so prolific cherry tomatoes. One good cucumber which does not a jar of pickles make. Also some peppers. Our regular tomatoes are not faring so well. We have many lovely green unripe ones but as soon as they start to color, the bugs come in and destroy them. Ugh.
I saw a little video where a guy that I have no idea who is but who LOOKS knowledgable, said to go ahead and pick your unripe tomatoes and put them in a paper bag to ripen. That they will emit a gas that has hormones in it which cause them to color up and grow ripe. I'm trying it. Why not? What have I got to lose?
Look how gorgeous these tomatoes are, still hanging on the vine.
I love their rather striated, variegated appearance. They are Nebraska Wedding tomatoes, a heirloom variety that sweet Jennifer sent me the seeds for. I am loving watching all the different heirlooms grow that I started from seeds she sent me. I go out and cheer for them, encouraging them as much as I can. "You go, Hillbilly Potato Tomatoes! You can do this, Italian Romas! All right, you Berkley Tie-Dyes, I'm counting on you! Mama wants to make Papa a tomato pie!"
And so forth.
So. In yesterday's post I made a glaring mistake. That was NOT a red snapper that Mr. Moon caught. It was indeed red but it was a red grouper! Commenter Barbara pointed this out to me. I am slightly embarrassed but I freely admit that I am no ichthyologist or even a fisher person. I am just a wife who is given lovely cleaned fishes to cook which I gladly do.
Thank you, Barbara.
We are not having snapper or grouper tonight but instead, cobia. One of the guys on the boat yesterday caught a massive one and they all shared the meat. I have never even eaten cobia as far as I know, much less cooked it but I'm going to try tonight. I hear that it is a fish prized for its buttery taste, and the steaks cut out of it are...as big as big steaks. Glen sort of wants me to try to blacken it which is another thing I've never done but in the spirit of making the fisherman/husband/birthday boy happy, I will try. This involves spices and a skillet that you get really, really hot. It's going to be tricky because these steaks are thick and the line between blackened and burnt must be respected while at the same time, getting the fish done all the way to the middle.
I hear that you may want to open doors and window before beginning the blackening process.
Ooh boy.
We shall see how this works out.
When Glen got home last night he was indeed exhausted. But he was also hungry so I heated up a plate of food and he ate that, tried a bite of his cake, and then came to bed. He was up with cramps a few times but did all the remedies including drinking pickle juice and eventually, he was able to go back to sleep. I slept through it all, of course.
And today has been a sweet day of many birthday kisses and a Sunday morning breakfast which involved biscuits, and here is Jack, sitting in the kitchen on a rug that I dug out of the rag box last night for Mr. Moon to wipe his feet on.
Cats have such an innate sense of where they will look the best. He's getting his thyroid medication every day and he will eat some of his Meow Mix but he's not gaining much weight, if any. I don't think he's losing his hair the way he was though. I imagine this is a slow process.
And I know I could fix up that rug but we are no longer using small throw rugs due to Mr. Moon's neuropathy and balance issues. We adapt, don't we? But it certainly still looks fine with Jack posing on it.
I hear thunder off in the distance again and I suppose we may get more rain this evening. I am yearning to get back into the garden to pull weeds. Strangely, weeding has become one of my most favorite activities but I cannot do it in a sauna.
I'll let you know how the cobia turns out.
Love...Ms. Moon
I hear you on humidity. Here's it's been close to 90%. The temp is in the eighties, but it's not breathable out there.
ReplyDeleteI would never have known what sort of red fish that was. Not a knowledgeable fish cook. Mine come cut up and wrapped!
There have been days here lately where it honestly feels like your breath is being snatched when you go outside.
DeleteI am so lucky to have access to such good fish. It's a whole different thing than what comes packaged, even the good frozen stuff.
Fresh cooked fish is superb. I would not know a snapper from a grouper. Your green tomatoes look fantastic and they will definitely ripen when closed in a paper bag. In MA, when there are green tomatoes on the vines we pick them before a frost to ripen them in a closed bag. Stomach cramps can be painful. It could just be acid or something simple , I'd have this checked out. Blackened fish is very tasty.
ReplyDeleteOh, Sorry. Glen doesn't have stomach cramps. Muscle cramps. He's had them all his life.
DeleteAt the end of growing season here in Ohio I would wrap all green tomatoes in newspaper to make them ripen and they were just fine. Never noticed a difference in the taste either. What a shame to lose such gorgeous specimens to bugs.
ReplyDeleteYeah. I am definitely not in to letting the damn bugs eat all my tomatoes.
DeletePut that pretty rug in a sunny corner for the cats, out of the way so Mr Moon doesn't trip on it. Let us know how the fish blackening goes. Tomatoes will ripen in a bowl on the table too, but if you prefer them ripening on the vine, throw some net curtains over the plants to keep the bugs off. But first pick off any bugs already on the plant.
ReplyDeleteI might do that with the rug, Ms. River.
DeleteI'm going to try the tomatoes in the bag thing first. Netting them sounds like too much bother for me.
You can also put "bags" over each stem of tomatoes while on the vine, drawstring bags made from fine mesh or even use lengths of old nylon stockings, paper bags drawn up over the clump and tied to the stem works as well. I'll put up a photo on my blog of drawstring bags I used long ago, and still use them now for putting fruit and veg in when shopping.
ReplyDeleteAgain- sounds like a lot of work. I'm a lazy gardener.
DeleteI forgot to comment last night but that cake looks amazing. I am a fan of any cake really but one with chocolate, nuts and coconut, sigh. Sounds so good.
ReplyDeleteThe spider surprised me, even with the title.
I'm glad Mr. Moon had a good time fishing and I'm sure your blackened cobia turned out lovely.
And yes, tomatoes will turn red, even if they're picked when they're green. Our season isn't usually long enough for all/most the tomatoes to ripen on the vine, so I pick them and put them in a dark cupboard, or even just leave them on the counter and they'll turn red.
I like German chocolate cake, not just because it really does taste good, but also because the proportion of the delicious filling to the cake itself is very generous.
DeleteThanks for the input on the tomatoes.
There is, of course, the cat mantra, "If it fits, I sits." Jack's recovery from thyroid deficiency will be slow and steady. Already his hair is not falling out. The weight recovery will be slower, but ounces steadily.
ReplyDeleteIt's hyper thyroid! But I think you're exactly right about recovery being a slow process. He's still his sweet old self.
DeleteI'm glad Mr. Moon enjoyed his birthday! May he enjoy many, many more! ;)
ReplyDeleteInshallah!
DeleteYou wrote tomato pie and the rest of your blog rushed past me in a blur. That’s it. XO Rebecca
ReplyDeleteI know. I swear- if I get to make a tomato pie, I will officially call that the best day of summer.
DeleteI love reading your blog! I'm new here ... about six readings in. Happy Belated Birthday Mr Moon. The tomatoes look ace. I pick mine when they are still green (due to birds, possums, bugs) and put them in a bowl on the dining room table. They ripen up on their own like that. I'm planning on getting my tomato bed SUPER READY and nourished this year (it's Winter here) in the hopes of more prolific pickings, although I did OK this year without trying too hard.
ReplyDeleteHello, Pip! Thanks for coming around. Your blog looks quite interesting.
DeleteWe're probably having the coolest summer I can remember (and the wettest) but on the days when the temperatures are getting up there I feel thoroughly miserable. I took some stuff to the huge charity shop on Wednesday and when the guys came over to help me empty the trunk of my car they commented that I looked red in the face. I told them I hated this heat (it was probably only mid-80s) and they just laughed. They were from Brazil and still had sweaters on!!! Still, it wouldn't do for us all to be the same would it!
ReplyDeleteMid-eighties can feel plenty hot, especially if it's humid and/or you're out working in it.
DeleteKeeping good thoughts for you and the cobia. You’re so daring! Please, tell Mr. Moon I’m sending warm birthday wishes from Spain and that I want to be just like him when I grow up. I’ve known others who have ripened tomatoes in a paper bag. I can just feel that steamy heat. Uff!
ReplyDeleteDaring. Ha! Yes, trying new cooking techniques. Turned out pretty well, too.
DeleteOh, I think you're doing just fine in growing up to be Mitchell.
One of the things I like best about your blog is all the pictures of the ocean. I want to jump into it and cool off.
At first I misread "cobia" as "cobra"! Haha!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the seeds I sent you are producing tomatoes. I'm having a terrible year for tomatoes...I haven't gotten even one yet! And there are only a very few green ones on the vines to look forward to (if the bugs don't get them first). It's been really disappointing.
I am so sorry that you're not getting tomatoes. What a disappointment. Just hang on though. They might remember how to make fruit.
DeleteAlso- can you imagine eating cobra?
Deletehot and humid here and dry. all the rain of the storms of May and early June are a distant memory. I'm having to set up the sprinkler in the mornings. I pulled up all my tomato plants today. those new little ones were not growing and covered with stink bugs of all sizes every morning.
ReplyDeleteI got rid of all but one small rug years ago. not so much for balance issues but because I got tired of vacuuming all the cat and dog hair off them. hardly anything to take pictures of outside around here.
I can completely understand pulling up your tomatoes. If they ain't making, let 'em go!
DeleteI sure hope you get some rain soon.
I adore your sense of style
ReplyDeleteThat round rug
Understated
Chic
And I do like your sense of style as well. We are alike in that way, I think.
DeleteHow was the Cobia?
ReplyDeleteVery good.
Delete