Crazy Summer Stuff

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