This one looks great.  I won't use the crab. of course, but will use some marinated tofu instead.  And one can get vegetarian fish sauce.  

Spicy Thai Pumpkin Soup with Crab And Cilantro

In lieu of pumpkin pie, try this soup, ripe with flavors of citrus, ginger and coconut.

8 servings

Equipment: A blender or a food processor; 8 warmed, shallow soup bowls.

3 shallots, peeled and finely minced

2 tablespoons Thai yellow curry paste, preferably organic

3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

1 pound (500 g) pumpkin or butternut squash, cubed (or 2 cups; 500 ml canned pumpkin puree)

One 28-ounce (765 g) can peeled Italian plum tomatoes in juice

3 cups (750 ml) Homemade Vegetable Stock or Homemade Chicken Stock

1 cup (250 ml) coconut juice, preferably organic

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice

1 tablespoon Vietnamese fish sauce, preferably Red Boat brand

7 ounces (200 g) fresh crabmeat

Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

1. In a large saucepan, combine the shallots, curry paste, and ginger and cook over low heat until the shallots are soft and the mixture is well combined, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside 1 tablespoon of the mixture for garnish.
2. Add the pumpkin, tomatoes (with juices), and vegetable or chicken stock and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender. Transfer to the blender or food processor and puree.
3. Return the mixture to the saucepan and add the coconut juice. Stir to blend. Bring back to a simmer. Stir in the lime juice and fish sauce.
4. Place several tablespoons of the crabmeat in the center of each soup bowl. Pour the soup all around the crabmeat. Garnish with the reserved curry-ginger mixture and a sprinkle of cilantro leaves.

Make-ahead note: Complete the recipe through step 2. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Complete at serving time.

From Beth Wellington's blog...

From Beth Wellington's blog...

Leek, Potato and Spinach Soup

Photo from Janice Feuer Haugen's blog post of 12/2/11.

*


When I was growing up one of my mom's favorite soups was vichyssoise,  her fancy name for canned Campbell's cream of potato, served chilled, topped maybe with a dollop of sour cream and some chopped chives from my father's garden.

The traditional vichyssoise includes leeks, cream and potatoes and Julia Child says that its origins--despite the name--are actually American (see her landmark Mastering the Art of French Cooking, page 39.) 


My version is served hot and uses Yukon gold potatoes which are so creamy in texture that you will need no milk or cream if you puree part of the soup and return it to the pot. I usually use onions, but since the October 29 expected farm share from Glade Road Growing includes leeks, I thought why not fancy it up in honor of Julia Child.  And, as we're also expecting spinach, I decided to add some, to brighten up the look of regular recipe. I like nutmeg with my  spinach, so I added to my usual recipe.   Alternatively, you could use a bit of cumin, cardamom, coriander and  turmeric, if you prefer a more curried taste.

If you'd like for this recipe to serve as a main course, it's good with the addition of 3 cups of cooked white beans--navy, great northern or cannellini. Those who love meat may want to toss in some cooked sausage or chicken instead. 

BTW, other expected items in this week's farm share are carrots and butternut squash:  add apples, orange juice--and some prunes, if you're traditional--and that could mean tzimmes.

*

Serves 6

Coarsley chop the white and pale-green parts of leeks (you can save the dark green parts to make a veggie broth)


Smash, peel and coarsely chop 2 cloves garlic

Coarsely chop 3 stalks of celery

Cut 3/4 # of Yukon gold potatoes into 1-inch cubes

Coarsely chop one packed cup of fresh spinach 
 


In a cast iron skill coated in extra virgin olive oil, saute leeks, celery and garlic over low heat, stirring until leaks are tender, about 10-15 minutes.  Transfer to 3 quart stainless steel pot with a heavy bottom and a steamer top. De-glaze skillet with a bit of water and add enough water to make 6 cups. Add 2 bay leaves and 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Bring to boil and steam potatoes for 10 minutes.  Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

In a blender or food processor  puree 1 cup of potatoes and 1 cup of  soup mixture (without bay leaves) and add to pot, along with remaining potatoes and cook a bit more until it thickens.  If you are serving this as a main course, stir in cooked beans or meat and warm through.  Stir in chopped spinach and cook until wilted.

Divide the soup among bowls and dust with nutmeg or a mixture of 1/8 teaspoon each of ground cumin,  cardamom, coriander and  turmeric.

You can top the soup, if you'd like, with a dollop of Greek yogurt or vegan sour cream and chopped chives or green onions and  cilantro.

No. 8.  Thanks to Jessica Bennett--this one looks really good!

http://globaltableadventure.com/2013/05/17/recipe-syrian-lentils/

http://globaltableadventure.com/2013/05/17/recipe-syrian-lentils/

Soup No. 2.  From Gina.

3/4 cup lentils. 
3 TBS oil
2 carrots -chopped
2 stalk celery - chopped
1 small onion - chopped
1 clove garlic, whole
1/2 jalapeno pepper finely chopped 
1/4 head of cabbage - chopped
6 cups water
2 TBS barley
a potato for flavor
1/3 - 1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 TBS small whole wheat soup pasta (like acni de pepe or ditalini)
1 to 1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Cook carrots, celery, onion, garlic and jalapeno in oil till crisp, about 7
minutes. Crush the garlic with a fork. Add water, and the rest of the
ingredients and simmer for 1 hour.

optional - When served put a little bit of finely chopped raw onion and/or
jalapeno in the bowl. Crusty garlic bread on the side would go
well with it.

Number 6 will be the Thai curry.  here's the recipe.

Saute a block of tofu (preferably Twin Oaks tofu), cubed, in some coconut oil.  Or bake it at 350 for 30 min or so.  You can saute it with onions and garlic.  And cubed potatoes and sweet potatoes.  Take all that mixture, which could have been baked and a t this point would be added to the onion mixture.  Add a half can or so of curry paste (I get it at a good Asian market, but you can find it, more expensive and in jars, at a regular supermarket).   More if you want it hotter.  Red or green.  One is supposed to be hotter than the other but I make everything super hot (unless I have guests) so I can't really tell.  Add a can of coconut milk and enjoy watching it turn red or green.  Add a couple of tbs of vegetarian fish sauce and a couple of tbs of sugar/sweetener.  Let taht simmer for a bit, then add some frozen peas or green beans (or fresh, just let them cook longer of course).  Add fresh chopped cilantro when almost finished cooking.

No. 5, from Geoffrey.  Great idea for a basic vegetable soup, including making the stock.  I love this idea.  Been a while since I've done it, but I look forward to doing it again!

Gee, I'd just go for a simple vegetable soup. First I'd make a soup stock. Brad, that's easy. Get good tasting water, some salt, pepper, your favorite herbs (you can use some of mine) plenty of veggies you like but not tubers, chop 'em up, boil 'em down for around 4 or 5 hours in a 5 qt pot or so, occasionally adding water to keep it from going dry. Then let it get to about half height or a little more. Filter it through a colander or cheese cloth an squeeze out some more juice. That's your stock. (If you want sweet, put in a beet or two also but carrots, onions and garlic add sweetness).

Adding any veggies to it, including potatoes, in part or whole, for the soup, with about equal parts water, cooking it day of for an hour or two and you should have a nice vegetable soup. Add noodles if you want 10 or so minutes before it's done. 

Your stock can be kept in the freezer in gallon bags and you can take it out one at a time to have stock for many months to make soup.

Of course, I do this with chicken but you'd not want to do that.

No, I don't.  :-)

And No. 4, from Rob.  If I were invited to eat with any two people, my choices would be with Rob and Gina.  Not only for the friendship and quality of conversation, but they are incredible cooks!

Masala Dal

Cuisine: Indian
Serves: 4 people

Recipe Ingredients

1 1/2 cups	355ml	Yellow split peas
1/3 teaspoon	1.7ml	Turmeric
2 teaspoons	10ml	Salt
1/2 cup	118ml	Ghee
1 tablespoon	15ml	Cumin seeds
1 1/2 cups	93g / 3.3oz	Finely chopped onions
1/4 teaspoon	1.3ml	Red pepper
2 tablespoons	30ml	Chopped coriander leaves

Recipe Instructions

Wash peas well. Place in a bowl, cover with hot water and let sit for an hour. Drain. Place in a large pot, add 4 1/2 cups water and throw in the turmeric. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium low, partially cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove from heat, beat with a wire whisk until the mixture is finely pureed. Stir in salt and set aside. When ready to serve, simmer puree over low heat until piping hot. Heat ghee in a skillet over medium high heat. When very hot, add cumin seeds and fry for 10 seconds. Lower heat, add onions and fry for 20 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Stir in red pepper and immediately pour in to the puree. Garnish with coriander. Serve with a potato dish, rice and bread.

Another one from Gina. Wow.  I'm going to be eating really great!  Number 3.

Here is another all time favorite. 
Indian Black-Eyed Peas Stew: 

1/2 pound black-eyed peas -- soaked overnight
4 cups water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon cardamom seeds (taken out of the pods as)
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 
1 medium to large onion chopped
4 cloves garlic -- finely chopped
1 14oz can of diced tomatoes (don't drain!)
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice. Bottled is fine

Drain the soaking water. Bring the beans and 4 cups fresh water to a boil. Cover, turn heat to low and simmer for 20 - 30 minutes or until the beans are tender. 
Meanwhile, put the oil in a frying-pan and set over medium-high heat. 
When hot, put in the cardamom seeds and cinnamon. Let sizzle for5 -6
seconds. Add the onions and garlic and stir and fry until the onion
pieces turn brown at the edges. 

Now add the tomatoes, ground coriander, cumin, turmeric and cayenne 
to the frying pan. Stir and cook for a minute. Cover, turn heat to low 
and let this mixture cook for 5 minutes. 

Add the contents of the frying pan to the beans and water mixture. Add 
the salt and black pepper. Stir to mix and bring to a simmer. Simmer, 
uncovered, on medium-low heat until the beans are cooked just right. 
Stir occasionally. Add more water if needed. Add the lemon juice a 
little before it's done. Serve with bread to soak up the juice.

11/20/2013

Another one of the 10.  From my friend Gina, care of Madhur Jaffrey.  I know it'll be one of the 10 because everything she (Gina) does is first rate.

Just made this.  I used frozen spinach, two 12 oz bags, so it is wonderfully spinach-y. I used coconut oil for the saute. When sauteing the onion and garlic, I put in a whole jalapeno, chopped.  Glad I did--this is wonderfully hot.  I know Gina really likes the taste of jalapeno, and so do I.  Then I put in some frozen carrots before the last simmer, as much for color as anything.  but they also have a really nice sweetness. Yep, this one is in the rotation.

I served it over basmati, first time I've had basmati in a while.  Forgot just how special it is!

This is an old tried and true I make all the time. I just use a package of frozen spinach. I bet it's really good with fresh turnip greens or maybe even mustard greens. 

Lentils with Spinach:
1-1/4 pounds fresh or frozen leaf spinach 
1 medium-sized onion, peeled 
5 T. vegetable oil 
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 
1 cup dried lentils, picked over, washed, and drained 
1-1/2 to 1-3/4 t. salt 
1 t. ground cumin seeds 
1/8 t. freshly ground black pepper 
Separate the fresh spinach leaves and wash well. Do not discard the pinkish roots. Wash them as well. (They will taste very good when cooked.) Bunch up a few leaves at a time and cut them crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Cut each root into 2 to 3 pieces. If using frozen spinach, cook according to directions, drain and chop coarsely. 

Cut the onion in half lengthwise, and then cut the halves into fine half rings. 

Heat the oil in a heavy, wide, casserole-type pot over a medium flame. When hot, put in the onion and garlic. Stir and sauté for 2 minutes. Now put in the lentils and 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat and simmer about 25 minutes or until lentils are just tender. Add the spinach leaves and roots, salt, and cumin. Stir to mix and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer another 10 to 15 minutes or until spinach is tender and well-mixed into the lentils. Stir gently a few times during this period. Put in the black pepper and mix again. This dish may easily be made ahead of time and reheated.
From World of the East Vegetarian Cooking" by Madhur Jaffrey

11/20/2013

So haven't posted in a while.  Thnking about food and health, and the relationship, as is common here.  Today I made a wonderful Indian rajma, or kidney bean stew.  Basically, I put a sliced jalapeno whole in the cooking water after soaking a cup of kidney beans overnight.  Then I cooked them until they were nice and still a bit al dente.  I sauteed some onion and garlic with cumin (whihc can take the immediate heat of sauteing in a way that other spices can't), then poured in the beans with their thickened liquid. I don't measure, but maybe a tbs of cumin.  (Not rounded though.)  Then added turmeric, coriander (tsp), cardamom (half tsp), cinnamon (quarter to half tsp), and a couple of tbs tomato paste.  Then just let that simmer for an hour, on very low heat, covered.  Oh, I added another jalapeno in with the sauteing onions and garlic.)  Twoard the end I added some frozen peas and carrots, for looks as much as anything.  I would have added a handful of chopped cilantro, but didn't have any.

Served over rice with turmeric and cayenne.  Heaven, right here in my house.

I want to put together 10 basic recipes for the coming winter that are vegan and healthy.  Just rotate them and that will be pretty much all I eat.

Thanks to the Hare Krishnas in Tallahassee, who many years ago taught me to use these spices well enough that I don't have to measure them.  They make it a lot easier to be vegan (which, by the way, I'm not, yet).

One recipe I have for my 10 is a basic Thai curry, using one of those cans of curry paste and coconut milk, with some (vegetarian) fish sauce.  I use the really good Twin Oaks tofu, which is to the stuff you get in supermarket what a free range chicken is to the ones from Tyson.  Try it if you can find it.  I saute that with sweet potato cubes, carrots, regular potatoes, and then add green beans.  This is pretty excellent. Cilantro at the end.

I don't do hummus regularly now, adn might have lost my skills, but my hummus used to be famous.  I will bake fresh bread through the winter, so one dish is just hummus on fresh bread.  I usually eat the whole loaf (not at one time!) with butter, but that's not vegan. Need to get some of the Earth Balance stuff.  Or jsut use olive oil with some balsamic and herbs.

I know, it's been over a month since I've posted.  Somehow the world kept turning, but I shall post again now.  I have something to say.  I wrote this story, or memoir, whatever.  I want to post it here.  Tell me what you think.

Nancy Nett

I was around 27, a graduate student in philosophy at Ohio State.  It was fall, and I think I already had my Masters degree.  I was hanging around, teaching classes, taking some classes, trying to decide what I wanted to do next.  Professor McDonald had left OSU, a bad situation, and I really had planned to do my dissertation with him.  Jaakko Hintikka, the famous Finnish philosopher, was there and I considered working with him, but that’s a long story that is not the one I want to tell now.  I want to write about Nancy Nett.  I’ll get to how she came into my life, and what she meant to it, and how she left it, after setting the stage.

 

It was a lovely fall in Columbus, and the philosophy department had a philosophy of mind conference, and lots of great people were there.  Bill Lycan was at OSU, one of the greats in philosophy of mind, and the conference included Jerry Fodor and Paul Churchland.  I think John Searle was there, too.  Big conference.  There was an opening paper on Friday night, followed by a little wine and cheese reception in the department afterwards. Then papers starting at 8 or so the next morning, and running all day.  Can’t remember the first paper, because at the wine and cheese reception, I looked across the room to see the most stunning woman I had ever seen.  She looked interesting, and she was standing there, with a date-like guy, holding a cheese plate and a glass of wine, laughing.  I can still remember her moving her hand to the side of her mouth as she laughed, just like you’ve seen in the movies a hundred times.  I walked over and joined the conversation.  I have no idea who else was involved, or who this guy was, or even what he was to her. I didn’t care.  This person, Nancy Nett, I came to discover was her name, was fascinating.  Exhilarating.  I saw or heard nothing else the rest of the evening, just her.  Eventually this guy, an engineer or lawyer or something, one of the most boring of that sort of person, wanted to leave. Nancy, it turns out, was an undergraduate in philosophy.  I did ask before they left, Oh, so are you two coming tomorrow?  Of course he wasn’t and let that be known.  And, of course, she was.  Oh good, I said, maybe I’ll see you there.  Maybe I’ll spend every minute looking for you there was more like it.  I could not wait until the next day. 

Forgot to say, I was a few years into a relationship with Diane. But that day, before I had left her place to go to the conference, we had had a major argument.  Things had been bad for a while, and while I know no one actually said, “we’re broken up,” given what had been said, I thought it was a reasonable inference.  And it couldn’t have come at a better time, it turned out. 

Saturday morning, I was up early, off to the conference.  I remember coffee and pastries before the show at about 8, and standing around, no Nancy Nett.  I remember seeing Paul Churchland in the audience, and Fodor had arrived. The first paper got under way.  I sat in a conspicuous place, by myself, seats available on both sides.  No Nancy Nett.  The first paper ended, there were some questions, and then, as the second paper was about to begin, she slipped in, from the back, and sat down beside me.  “What have I missed?”  “Oh, just me not being able to breathe until you got here,” I would have said if I could have been completely truthful.  “Nothing much.  First paper wasn’t too good,” I said, but I had no idea what the paper had been like.  The guy could have solved the Problem of Other Minds for all I knew. 

“I overslept, and missed the first paper. Sorry.  I was dying to get here,” she said.  Wow. I know what she meant.  I was sitting there, for the next couple of papers until the break, in silence with her for the most part, but it was like I somehow knew we were on the same wavelength.  I’d like to think I held her hand, but I know I couldn’t have done that.  We had to talk.  Break came, more coffee.  We stood alone together, just looking at each other, in the same kind of wonder, about what was going to happen.  I have no idea if there were others around us, or if there was a building around us, or if we had been transplanted to the moon.  I was fixated on her, and she on me.  “So, was that your…, “ I said, not even having to finish.  “No, no, I just asked him if he wanted to come, not wanting to come to this alone.  I wish I wouldn’t have now, I would have liked to stay.”  Yeh. Me, too.

That day, we spent together. The next day, together.  Mostly at her place, trying to make sure we avoided Diane who might show up at mine.  I told her about Diane, that it was over.  It seemed over.  I eventually had the conversation with Diane, yep, it’s over.  Nancy and I spent days together, just leaving her apartment, and bed, to get food, and to go to class. We talked about philosophy, epistemology, metaphysics, psychology, history, science, Freud, Skinner.  She was a junior, maybe, a couple of years younger than me, but older than 21, the age most juniors would be. Somehow, I forget the story now, she had taken some time off.

I might know why. Nancy, my beautiful, brilliant Nancy Nett, had some neurological issue.  I forget the details.  She had had surgery, and they had removed a chunk from the back of her head, not quite golf ball sized, kind of where that bone sticks out on each side of your skull, in back, an inch or so from your ear.  I remember her taking her hand and putting my hand there. I could have squeezed her and held her seemingly forever.  It made her even more loveable, if that were possible. 

Days were glorious, nights even better.  Nancy Nett’s life was filled with art, music, philosophy, books, literature, poetry. As was mine.  Now we had them together.  I have forgotten some details.  This was over 25 years ago.  I remember her parents coming into town, from Centerville, Ohio, near Dayton. She introduced me, and they were lovely people. They took us out to dinner, I can’t remember where now, but I could draw the room.  Open brick walls. Plants.  We ordered several bottles of wine, and I think Nancy and I took some home for later.  I remember feeling really comfortable with her parents. 

A week or so went by. Maybe two, maybe more. I remember running into Diane one day on campus. I could point out the place we passed each other. We talked.  She asked if I wanted to get back together, and I said okay.  If you want to pinpoint the biggest mistake in all my life, this was it. In this story. Here.  Yes.  I said yes.  We got together that night, I have no idea the details, but I remember, and I think I’m right about this, Diane laying it on thick, being very romantic. I remember her saying, it’s ok, whatever you did when we were broken up.  That was a couple of days into it, being back with Diane.  I went to Nancy Nett and broke the news. She wasn’t mad. She was crushed.  It was awful.  She could have just blown up at me, yelled and screamed, made it easier.  But this she didn’t, couldn’t do.  It wasn’t in Nancy Nett. 

I remember a few days later, Diane saying, come on, you can tell me, you can. Did you see anyone else?  I know this now, and I can advise anyone. When a woman, hell,not just a woman, men do this, too, anyone, when ANYONE asks you to tell them what you did when you were broken up, you can tell me anything, etc., DO NOT TELL. IT is not true.  They might think it is, but it is not.  I did.  We had a big fight.  Stiil, I stuck it out.  Had to make this work.

Diane and I lasted another 8 years or so.Twelve total.  I sometimes jokingly say we had two good years and ten bad ones, but the joke is that there weren’t two good ones.  Why I stayed, why I said yes that day, and a million more times, I’ll never know.  Part of writing this, part of coming to grips with it, at 55, is to evaluate who I am now, why I wouldn’t do that now.  Yeh, I was majorly messed up in my 20s.  Years of therapy have helped.

 

Nancy Nett got married some time after that and moved away. To some guy who was in psychology, in Psi Chi, the honor society for psychology.  Diane was in it, and knew him. Gladly let me know Nancy Nett had gotten married.  I went on, with Diane, without Nancy Nett, for eight more grueling years. 

Finally, Diane and I broke up, this time for good. I was in Blacksburg, Virginia, where we had moved for her job.  It was ugly, messy, and I have no good memories of Diane.  Twelve fucking years and all the good times we had mean a drop in the ocean compared to what two weeks with Nancy Nett meant in my life. Sad?  Fucking hell yeh, it’s sad. 

I tried to find Nancy Nett when we broke up.  Maybe she was divorced. There might have been some recurrence of the neurological condition, it wasn’t out of the question she had told me, and so maybe she was…is…dead.  I looked up Nett in Centerville, to find her parents, and nothing.  I called the department secretary in philosophy, who had known Nancy Nett some, but she couldn’t find her.  I didn’t try too much harder.  I’m no good at finding people. The internet didn’t even exist then.

Do I miss her? I don’t know.  I never really spent lots of time with her.  I never really knew what it would be like, to have Nancy Nett as my partner. I fucked up.  I live. I haven’t thought about her for a long time, but tonight, for some reason, I did.  I told a friend a bit of the story. I became wistful.  Ok, I do miss Nancy Nett.  I don’ t have a Nancy Nett in my life. Is it impossible?  To find someone near my age who is interested in philosophy, art, music, conversation, romance, history, science, Freud, Skinner, reading, literature, poetry, all of the above, lather rinse and repeat?  Is it possible to find someone as graceful, and charming, and funny, and brilliant at 55?  I don’t want a 20 something.  I want a woman my age who is still alive, like Nancy Nett was, and, if she’s alive, IS.  IS.

I was an insecure jerk then.  Maybe it’s best. Maybe I would have fucked it up royally.  Maybe she would hate me.  Maybe we would have remained friends all these years, even after the breakup.  Either would suck.  Now, I have this beautiful story in my head, this unfulfilled dream.  Nancy Nett will always be young and beautiful in that story, in that dream. 

I loved Nancy Nett. I love Nancy Nett to this day, I guess.  I know, how can you use that big powerful word for someone you slept with for two weeks 25 years ago?  I know.  I know.  I love our time together, and I love how she treated me, and I love the story and image.  I don’t know.  I don’t even know in looking back on anyone I dated, even for years, was it really love?  Love with a capital L?  Some, like a four year relationship in high school and college, just seem too far away.  Was that love, back then? I have no way of assessing it, in any case.  Diane, twelve years?  I doubt it.  A more recent two year relationship, that was fabulous for a year and then started falling apart in the second?  Was that love?  Real love? Mad love, shadow love, random love and abandoned love?  (Thanks, Warren.)  All I know, if any of ‘em were, Nancy Nett was, too.  And if I could have that conversation with anyone, now, today, about love and its meaning and import, it’s veridicality and nuances, it would be with Nancy.  Nett. 

All the names have been changed here, except for the philosophers of note.  And Nancy Nett’s.  I leave it in.  As is. I don’t know if I want to find her.  I could look on FB, but I won’t. I know now.  I won’t.  I don’t want to know now if she’s dead, or if she’s still married.  If she’s happy, I would love that, but I don’t want to know it.  If it’s true, it doesn’t matter if I know it.  If there’s a slight chance she’s alive, and single, or in a bad marriage, I’d be there in a minute.  I’m still crazy, I damn well have plenty of proof of that now!

No, I don’t want to know.  I don’t know where to put this story.  I’ll put in on my website, and tell my friends to read it.  I might try to get it published, but where?  Somewhere obscure, sure. Somewhere where there’s a snowball’s chance in Hell anyone would read it and know Nancy Nett.  I’d do that.  If I could publish it in something everyone read, would I?  I don’t think so.  I don’t want to know.  I don’t.  I don’t think.  If it was in something obscure, and someone knew and wrote me, well, that’s be freakish and ok. Somehow.  But I don’t want to try.  Much. 

Finally, I think I may introduce the idea that maybe not all of this is true.  Some of it is. Maybe I embellished to make it a better story.  No, it’s true. Ha ha. Even introducing the idea that it might be false and saying no, it’s true, introduces the notion it might be false.  The idea that this is all creative, just fiction, what a nice possibility!  (There is one glaring error of fact in this story as written, and it is readily checkable and would lead someone to say, hey, that’s not true.  I know, now, that it isn’t true.  It was simply misremembered as I wrote it.  At least one friend who will read this and who was there will catch it immediately.  I leave it in, because…maybe veracity isn’t all it is cracked up to be.)

Thank you, Nancy Nett.  For those two glorious weeks.  Wherever you are.

9/3  Tuesday.  Worked from home, went to put checks in bank.  Got stuff at Lowe's for filling pots,a nd explored getting mailbox put up.  Think I know how to do it.  Came home and worked outside in yard. Called Roanoke County, who will come Thursday to pick up old fridge that was just sitting out there.  And piled up brush for them, and cleaned out the area in front of the house.  Can be a nice garden I think.

9/2 Monday, Labor Day.  Called PF to see if they open. They were so I went and had a great workout, chest and shoulders, arms and abs.  Perfect.  Later went to Maureen's for a trial run of our new Brooklyn Grill business.  She had some folks over for sausages and onions, and I took Lulabelle and my guitar, Marty (since it's a Martin).  Played a while.  I guy named Eric, a neighbor of Mo's who is Vanessa's cousin, and his two sons came over.  Nice boys.  Eric just really liked hearing me play.  And Timmy, going into the 5th grade, was fascinated.  I let him play it, showed him a chord, and he loved it. Later he told us he was selling his Xbox and buying a mandolin.  I told him I'd help him find a good one.  He was smitten with it.  Nice to have some musical influence.  Mo says he plays his Xbox all the time, so to want to give it up, well, I think we have a new musician in this world.

9/1 Sunday.  Got up and went to Mo's for breakfast, french toast, berries, very good.  Then went running on the greenway near her house in Salem.  Ran about 4 miles, though it's not very well marked as to distance.  That's what it said on the map on the greenway.  Coming back, near the end, a woman passed me, about my age I suppose but in very good shape.  We talked a minute while running.  When she was quite a ways ahead, I decided to catch her.  I had to run not only her speed, which was fast for me, but faster to catch up.  It was hard but I did it, then ran with her for a while, but couldn't keep that up.  I sprinted the last few hundred yards at the end.

Don't think I worked out.  Came home.  Can't remember much.  Must have been nice. Played the mandolin, named it "Lulabelle." It's a blues mandolin, mainly, and there's a great blues song, Lulabelle's Here.  So, when I arrive, Lulabelle is here!"  Practiced the blues a lot.

8/31

Saturday.  Got up and met Maureen at the Salem Farmer's Market to go to yard sales.  Got some tomatoes, etc. at the market.  Did great at yard sales. Maureen is great at finding things.  Got a big supply of creatine, unopened, for $10, and then a great chair for the back porch, and a couple of little metal tables for it, at an estate sale. Frankie loves the chair--will post a pic soon.  Now my back porch is perfect, with an air mattress I bought at a yard sale the previous week.  I got some little decorative pots at the estate sale, and on Tuesday got some soil and put three plants in them.  One basil plant--we'll see how it does.  One aloe vera plant, and one pot with little flowers. Don't ask me what kind.  Pretty ones.

Found a great little consignment shop Mo knows about. Got a great pair of shorts--size 36 and they fit!  And a shirt.  Then at a sale at the Roanoke Academy of Gymnastics, I got a bunch of great shirts and a pair of brown shoes.

After that, I went to pick up my new mandolin downtown.  I gotta say, I'm in love!  I can't put it down.  Played all evening, but was very tired from the day.

8/30

Did in fact workout at Planet Fitness.  First, got to Betsy's and ran from her house to Wasena Park.  Had driven it to determine the distance, which was about 1.5 miles there and back.  So I ran there and then extended it a bit by running the loop over the bridge and around at Wasena Park.  That was several tenths of a mile, and then ran back. The hill after leaving Wasena Park is killer, very steep and not short.  Did that, then it leveled off. To extend the run some more, I ran up the hill by the steps I typically run beside Betsy's. That hill is much shorter, but even steeper.  Deadly.  Then ran down the next street and circled back to Betsy's. I'm thinking it was about 2 miles total, but lots of hills.

Walked to PF and worked out.  Did good upper body workout, except for chest and shoulders. Heavy arms, lats, back, and abs.  Perfect, just what I needed.  Came back home later and played guitar for a while.

8/30/2013

Worked at home all day, so no exercise as of yet.  Going over to Roanoke, will run somewhere over at Betsy's, then run the stairs, and workout at Planet Fitness.  That's a lot, I know.  Will let you know how it comes out.

Last night, went to Jade's for a pesto party---mmm. Matt grilled chicken, Sharon and her girls were there, and Izaak, and Alanis.  Good times.  Left about 9:20 and went to Billy's Barn to see Conrad Oberg, a young blues guitar player.  Very nice.  Met up with Maureen and Paul and some of their friends, and ran into a nice woman I have known in the past.  Hmmm.  It's nice to know Billy's is a nice fun place.  Will stop there more often.

Yesterday, Tuesday, 8/28/2013

Had a great day.  Got money from editing job number two, and signed a contract for work through Thanksgiving, but there's lots more where that came from. I love this work, and working with this guy.  I'm going with this one big time.

Left my morning meeting and went and joined Planet Fitness, a gym.  $20/month, got a Planet Fitness T-shirt, can work out at any Planet Fitness anywhere, lots of extras.  And had a great workout!  Full body, I worked everything.  Chest--bench press, incline bench press, flies.  Shoulders--overhead press with n dumbbells, side and front lifts with dumbbells, worked rear delts on cables.  Triceps--pull downs with bar, and with rope.   Biceps--curls with dumbbells and on the machine.  Lats and back--sitting rows, wide gripped pulldowns to back, medium gripped pulldowns to front, shrugs.  Abs and core--leg lifts, hyperextensions to the front and sides.  Quads--extensions on machine, presses.  Hamstrings--curls on machine.  Calves--on leg press machine.  That's a pretty good workout.

I can't tell you how good this feels. Sore today, and love it.  I am loving the running, etc., but working out in a gym is what I really love.  Will probably need two days off ,then workout Sat morning.  But will do a 5k on Friday.

After that, went to Fret Mill, downtown Roanoke, and got a book on blues mandolin, with CD.  And some really good picks, Dunlops, different thicknesses.  Read an article that good picks are worth it. Only 40c a piece, but nicer than what I'm used to.  Got one thick one, maybe for mandolin.  Can't find it right now, but got two that are medium, 1.14mm and two medium .96mm.  Will find out what I like.

But the big news is that I bought a new mandolin.  $55.  It's a Savannah, and they had others of that brand and more, up the price scale, but I loved the way this one played.  So easy.  I had them hold it, will get it Saturday.  Can sell my other one.

Then went to dinner at Maureen's, met her poet friend Alice.  She'll help in our food business.  We talked about it, might get going next week.  Could be fun.  And some extra money.  Maureen made a great dinner, fajitas and sauteed some eggplant slices with parmesan for appetizers.  They don't drink, so I didn't either.  Felt good.

Called Gina on way home, talked a long time.  She's in Florida, looking for a job.  Fun conversation.  I realized how fun my life is now.  Meeting great, interesting people, having quite an adventure.  Every day is different.  Today I will do lots of editing for first editing project. Stay home and work here.

When I got home, it was raining and windy on mountain, very beautiful.

Now, coffee!

8/27/2013

Went for a morning run on the road—first time I’ve done that in a while (but I can look back here and find out how long), since I’ve been doing lots of flat, 5k running and running on the trails.  I went farther than I have, though, running 16 min downhill rather than the 15 last time.  But I was farther down the hill at 15 min than last time, significantly.  It took me 20 min back up, though, and it was very hard.  Didn’t take water  but have to next time if I go this far.  I’m drinking water now but going back out to run some sprints uphill. 

When I got back, there was a Comcast truck in the driveway.  Turns out there is no line on the pole outside the house, so they have to put one in. That doesn’t cost me anything, but a) it could take a while (he said hopefully they would contact me soon), and they might not be able to do it.  That would suck.  Truly.  Oh well.  (See update on this below.)

The last couple of days were wastes, as far as eating right and not having beer goes. Sunday, of course, after weighing in at 216, I did run hard, but then had the three beers and some pizza.  Yesterday, I did no exercise, and ran out of food I had brought to eat during the day and stopped and got a Little Caesar’s pizza.  Yuck.  Ate a few slices and then (yikes!) a couple more last night. I also had most of a beer at Betsy’s, a coffee porter, Thunderstruck by Highland Brewery.  Went and visited with Maureen, saw her cottage and we talked about some work plans I will detail here later.  Tomorrow night, Wednesday, I am going there to eat, with her and her friend Alice, and she’s making eggplant parmesan. She’s a good cook, this should be nice. We’ll lay out our business plans, which could start next week.  I don’t know if Alice is invited because she’s in with us, or just coming as a friend. 

Then Thursday night, Jade is having people over to her house for a pesto party. Should take something to eat for that.  Hmmm…

Played quite a bit last night. I think my song, She’s Got A Way, is about ready to record. Need to check and see if I have Audacity, or need to get it, or what, for simple recording.  Also, I need to have it because I’m coming up with lots of musical, song ideas, and need to get them down before they are forgotten.  I also like my new blues piece, in A, using D7 and E7 dominant chords.  I don’t know, though, even where the lyrics would go.  Usually, even if I don’t have lyrics, I can tell where they go, and can hum the lyric parts or sing dummy lyrics. With this, I can’t hear it.  Maybe Hettie can.  Need to call her and Frank today. 

I also have the other song, Still in Love, that I need to practice.  Have the lyrics written down, but need to see if I can recall the melody.  I also have the blues piece in D (dropped D), the fast piece, and I did a new part to it last night.  I do know where ly rics go in this one, so just need to come up with some.  That would make four new songs, not bad at all. 

Ok, go run a bit more.  Hard to get out there, but must be motivated.  It’ll be hard to lose 3 lbs again with my beer drinking and pizza eating this week, but have to make sure the scale at least goes the right direction.  Ate a hard boiled egg and drank some tea, now…go.

I did.  Ran the longer short section (from my marker around the second switchback) in 2:30, and I was doing it at 3.  So I am getting faster.  I did the run from the concrete slab, then, in :57. Did it again, this time at :52.  I told myself, if you do it in :50  or under the third time, you can stop for the day, otherwise, you do more sprints.  Incentive, huh?  My heart was pounding, and I waited for the time clock to come around to zero, took off and…:44 sec!  In the last 20 or 30 yards, I felt my heart pounding and felt myself wanting to slow down, and I thought, I am not going to lose it right here, keep pushing, keep pushing…and it paid off.  Ahhh.  Shower time.  Nah, gotta get some ab work, haven’t done them in several days. 

800 crunches, in the 4 different positions.  200 bicycles, 100 “side” crunches, 50 each side, with 15 lb weight, 100 crunches with 15 lb weight overhead (50 with feet in air, 50 on ground), 100 Russian twists with 15 lb weight.  So 1300 total.  Then 1 min plank, and two 30 sec side planks (1 each side).

Was eating some rice I made, with some pinto beans I made (I made a mirepoix and then cooked the rice in it), when another cable guy shows up in front of my house.  I go out and he was walking up the driveway, and he said, “that other guy must be blind, the connection is right here,” pointing to a pole, not the one the first guy was looking at at all.  So he gets in his little tub on the extension thingy he has on his truck, hooks it up, and it’s done.  I was hooking it up, the first guy comes back and rehangs the wire to the house, which was down (but still working) and I go in, hook up everything, call Comcast and now I have internet, including wireless internet service! Turns out the box they sent me (modem I should say) has wireless capability.  Who knew?  This is great.

Woo hoo, online!  Finally, at home!  And I have my new business cards!  Here's a bad photo (from my bad camera in my bad cell phone!).

They really look good.  Good day.  

8/22/2013

Got up and did ab workout, listening to some Schumann piano solo stuff, which is ok.  Then I switched to the new Chris Thile, doing Bach on mandolin. Very beautiful.  Bach is just so logical.  Really love the Sonata in G minor,  BWV1000.  Near perfect.  Listened to it again.  I will listen to this new album, Bach: Sonatas and Partitas, Vol. 1, a lot.  Wow. It’s still playing as I type this.  Great stuff. 

Now shower and go meet person from second editing job, for the second time.  He’s supposed to bring me both the manuscript and money.  Here’s hoping. 

Frankie loves it when I’m outside on the back porch. Stays out here, beside me most of the time as I workout, and just wandering around.

Got the manuscript and money.  We meet again on Monday, sign a contract . Went very well.  I might be able to make this work.

8/23/2013

Got up, about to run, then it rained. Not hard, cleared up so I went and ran around 11, on the greenway down by Hanging Rock.  Ran 1.7 miles and back, so my usual, 3.4. It’s not marked as to mileage like on the Roanoke River greenway, but it says it’s 1.7 on the map, and it feels like it.  Very flat,pretty in places.  It’s great for running, because it’s not paved. It’s that tight little gravel, so very easy to run on.  Wouldn’t take my road bike on here, though.  It’s pretty short for that anyway.  I’ll do this more. 

There were several signs up giving info about the trail and area.  I read three of them. Let’s see what I can remember now.  The first was for the Valley Railroad.  After the Civil War, in 1866 someone wanted to build a railroad through the Shenandoah and on into southwest Virginia.  Started building the railroad but only got as far south as Lexington.  They cut the timber and cleared the path through Salem, but never got the railroad built. In part because of the crash of 1873.  Robert E. Lee was the second president of the railroad company, but he died before much happened.  So part of this greenway is the part they cleared for the railroad, about .3 mile I think it said. 

The second sign was for Kestler Mill. The greenway runs along Keslter Mill Road. In 1842, John Garst came there and built a mill across on the other side of the stream, to grind flour, meal, etc., for the people in the area.  The mill was working until 1922.  In 1906, Kestler bought it, hence the name.  The mill was the  meeting place for the people of the area. 

The third sign was for two ‘future’ presidents who led the Northern army through there in the Civil War, fighting battles all along.  Rutherford B. Hayes, born 1822, was a general, and of course became our (I think) 19^th president.  A young captain in that unit was William McKinley, who became the maybe 22^nd president, and was killed by an assassin. 

Actually, I read a 4^th sign, about the area where coal was unloaded from the train, for the people to take home and use.  Almost all personal heating, cooking, etc., was done by coal then.  As electricity came about, coal was used for power generation, not personal use, so there was no need for this facility anymore. 

Two more signs, but I’ll read them next time.

After I ran the greenway, I drove back home and ran up the first, steep part up towards Dragon’s Tooth.  5 min, steep uphill.  Very hard, then I was done.  Showered, went in to Starbucks for coffee and internet.  Came home and played guitar for several hours.  Very creative. Have two new parts for songs.  NEED LYRICS!  Wrote a new one the other day I don’t think I mentioned, I Still Love You.  Like it very much.  Lyrics and all. 

Had made pinto beans the other day, so I’ve been eating them with rice.  Very good.  Breakfasts have been the same (but no tomatoes!!  Buy some in Salem tomorrow!!).  All I drink this week is tea, either regular kind or Red Zinger.  Regular in day time, since it has caffeine, and RZ at nights.  And some water with lemon in it.  Want to weigh at Betsy’s tomorrow, Saturday. Only two beers all week.

Bought $20 worth of stuff in a Groupon like deal from Play It Again Sports, for $10.  Will go in tomorrow maybe to buy some used weights.  Need a 40 pound dumbbell, or dumbbell set.  Then I could do biceps out here.  Also check Craigslist. 

Get up tomorrow and go to yard sales!!!

8/21/2013 (cont.)

Great workout at House of Strength.  Upper body, which I wanted.  Bench press, got 225 twice, two sets, but was wanting 4.  Then did shoulder presses, cable rows, push ups, bicep curls, work on rear delts, and side planks.  

8/21/2013

Ran an hour today, one direction this time, up toward McAfee Knob.  But typically, when I went both directions, I would stop after 30 min and have water . This time, I forgot I would be out without water for an hour.  Turning around after 30 min, I got really thirsty, and had to walk a bit more than I otherwise would have.  Still, was running for almost an hour.  I think I was over half way to the top.  Next time I will take water. I could have gone further.  It was damp on the trail, but never muddy. 

Going to House of Strength today to get my second free workout.  Upper body, can’t wait.  Made pinto beans, which are so good, with rice and corn and peas for lunch.  Will go to Betsy’s, maybe afterward, and do laundry and hang out some.  Now, here's Frankie when he was a kitty.

8/19/2013

Just got to the library, setting up shop here, and a group of people with Down's Syndrome walk in.  Maybe six, and one guy who is in charge.  I've been him before, many years ago.  These aren't kids, some of them quite old.  You get all caught up in your problems, and then you just see that it doesn't matter a hill of beans what you do.  Some people have it worse.  I have a mind, a pretty good one, and lots of education that put things in it.  I have my health, pretty good health.  I can do what I want at my age, still.  I'm running a lot, working out, losing weight, eating right.  No telling how long that will last.  One thing goes wrong, I have the mind or health of one of the people that walked in.  But it's pretty good now. I'm going to work it for all I can.  You know how sometimes just a smile from someone on the street can mean a lot?  Well, it means even more to people trapped in those minds, who for the screw up of one chromosome can't fully feel all it is to be human, to solve a math problem, to experience a Renoir, to hike the Appalachian Trail and truly begin to comprehend what it all means.  I can do all that, and so much more.  Lucky, I am.  No one to thank.  I mean, my parents for making my education, and in a way, all of this possible. Stop and say hi to some of them, and the guy in charge.  It helps.  I know.  I was him.

Half a bagel this morning, two cups coffee, etc.  One more tomato from my Knobl harvest to go!  (Thanks, Geoff!)  Will get more at the Farmer's Market this week. There's one guy who sells at the market right down the street here in Salem.  The actual market is Saturday, but he comes in every day.  Maybe he has some.  Brought Indian potatoes and sweet potatoes, with onions and bell peppers, that I made last night.  And a hummus sandwich, ww bread, lots of tomato, spinach.

Had a spinach and lettuce salad last night.  Had some bleu cheese crumbles, some almond slivers, dried berry pieces, for it.  And Italian dressing. And lots of the Indian potatoes.

I played mostly uke for hours.  Watched some educational videos on it.  Learned a lot.  One guy was tuned down like a whole step.  I can get it in tune with him, but it would have been nice had he jsut said, "Hey, I'm tuned down a step."  Would have saved time.  Then, in another video, he's tuned somewhere else.  Frustrating. Need 3 ukes.  One of each (not a baritone) would be nice.  Someday.  But I did learn a lot of blues licks, and how to play in A.  Couldn't do that before. Learned some nice turnarounds and new chords.  Also, there was a video lesson of Shady Grove.  Great song, just two chords, but the Am is nice.  The guy runs through it slow--it's amazingly easy--and then at regular speed, BUT...before he took off in the lesson, when he's just playing it through in the intro, he took off on this little run that was nice!  That's what  I wanted to know.  Of course, he wasn't teaching that, so I had to figure it out.  The camera was on his hands, so it didn't take too long.  I think I'll add this to my uke repertoire.  Need to learn the words.

Marshall Chapman was good the other night, but I want to focus on her guitar.  I have a guitarist rating system, 1 to 10, with Richard Thompson on top. This isn't for guitarists in bands, but mainly for solo guitarists or those who have minor accompaniment.  David Rawlings counts, and he's like 9.5.  5 I reserve for like, professional-like competence, but no extras. Finger picking adds a point, and of course, the more you do with it, the more you score.  Chapman is a 5.5, nothing to sneeze at.  Usually, people at a 5 who have done it as long as she does have made a choice not to go any further.  If you have great lead players as she often does, you don't really need to do more.  She was very good at just "entertaining with voice and solo guitar."  Thompson, Kottke, Michael Hedges are the tops there.  And her thing is song writing, not guitar playing.  So a 5 isn't criticism.  I think Gillian Welch is a 5.  Sharon could get there.  (I want to show Sharon how to gain some points, but that's another topic.)  Playing Shady Grove well, finger picking it some on uke (this system applies to any stringed instrument, pretty much) is a 5.  What the guy did last night gets two points.  I learned to do it.  Need practice to make it smooth and second nature, but I can do it.  I don't know the theory of WHY certain 'extras' work.  The only thing I know is that there is a relative minor scale, three frets down from the root.  G has Em as its relative minor.  A has F#m.  Here's the cool thing.  You can always solo/do lead parts in the relative minor key, especially in countryish, folksy music.  I mean, you can always solo in the scale OF the key, G for G, and so on, and you can use a major scale or the blues/pentatonic scale.  That's the only two I know.  In the relative minor, and this is only an hypothesis, but I think likewise you can do the pentatonic or (what I will ignorantly call) regular scale.

That's why there are so many rootsy songs in G--you have the relative minor right there in Em.  Now every unfretted note (in standard tuning anyway) 'counts.'  And what I will call the fundamental blues lick, sliding up a double stop on the second and third strings to the second adn third frets, correspondingly, is ALWAYS appropriate.  That's just too cool, and that's all I know and I'm sticking with it.  Would love to have someone to ask about these things.  Here's one question--and I could just try it, I guess--playing in the pentatonic scale alwasy sounds good in the relative minor; does playing in the major or minor scale work as well??  I'd need a rhythm guitar player to explore this.

I bring all this up, because I have this pretty well down, at least some of it, on guitar.  Now I'm doing it on the ukulele, and I don't know ANYTHING about the ukulele, so I...well, don't know what I'm doing.  The guitar is easy because you have barre chords and you can THINK of where the barre chord is on the neck and instantly find both the relevant scales in that key and the relative minor of the key.  Uke has barre chords, but I can't THINK in them yet.  Oh well, I'll get there.  Want to take my guitar (and uke??) to Bburg Wednesday night for the jam at the Market.  Might learn something there.  I'm just making all these connections in my head, almost FEELS like new neural connections are forming, and it's exciting.  How this scale fits in with this chord progression, etc.  Doing it for BOTH the uke right now, and the guitar.  Have to put a new string (or maybe all of them, if I think it needs it) on my mandolin, and I'll be doing it on that instrument, too.  I was doing that before the string broke, then moved away from it.  What *I* love is that all these instruments are in different tunings. And I'm exploring Open G tuning, which I have never really done much at all.  When I get back to doing SERIOUS open tunings, I'm going to be ecstatic.  Some people become great guitar players and never explore different tunings. Traditional jazz players, I think, never use different tunings.  Blues players use Open G, Open D, mainly.  I love the idea of open tunings, and what the masters, Nick Drake, David Crosby, Joni Mitchell, did with them.  (Confession: I've never really explored DADGAD, either. Yikes!)

I used to want a guitar for every tuning, and I was getting there.  My guitars are, with the exception of my Martin, all in Florida. Doug has two, and the electric (which needs work) is in storage.  I gave Zara the one I used to have in Open D.  I'll get back there.  Now I want another uke, maybe a concert one, so I can put a low string on top.  Ukes have a higher string on top, and I absolutely love that, but in Florida I had access to a uke that had the top string switched to a lower string, and it opened up some possibilities that weren't there on the regular uke.  I don't want to play uke only that way, but I want to be able to.

Maybe change mandolin strings tonight, get back to it.  Blues mandolin is an amazing thing.  Need to get my Yank Rachell mp3s switched over to this laptop, so I can just listen to him. He's the master.  And Johnny Young.  Got to meet Yank in Indianapolis before he died, but I wasn't interested in mandolin then.  Damn. Missed opportunity.  He was full of stories.  I remember a couple, need to write them down.  I can watch some lessons on youtube, but just listening to Yank records is the best.

Now to work.  I agreed to take a little less per hour with Gordon, in exchange for a guarantee of more hours, and a lump of cash.  Still better than working at Lowe's or something.  Better than minimum wage for sure.  Waiting to hear from the other 'editee.'