An Oven? A Blast Furnace?

I don't care what analogy I would use to describe today's heat, it still would not convey how miserable it was to be working outside or inside without air conditioning.

Mike the Contractor called to cancel because he had been working outside on a foundation for an addition and became ill. There was absolutely no shade at that site. My Sweetie promised that he would have the air conditioning on for him tomorrow morning when he comes to do a couple of small inside jobs.

According to The Weather Channel, our highest temperature was 100 with a heat index of 115. The National Weather Service recorded 97 with an index of 108. Does it really make any difference when the heat index is above 100? And here it is 10:00PM and it is still 92 with a heat index of 102.

Just how does the National Weather Service calculate the Heat Index?

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I don't remember ever having been under an Excessive Heat Warning.

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Friday's forecast is more of the same with a heat index range of 100-104. Oh, for some San Luis Obispo weather.

Do You Have a Glass?

Today brought good news. The result of the biopsy of the spot on my upper arm proved benign.

As we waited for the nurse to call back, we both worried. My Sweetie worried more. But that is just the way we are.

My glass is always more than half full. I remarked that he doesn't even have a glass.

My Sweetie's reply? "No, I have a glass but it is empty and I wonder what the doctor will put in it."

This time it was champagne.

Community Garden Plot: Take Three and Then Some

Why do I think that I can garden all day in the heat and be able to stay up til 11:00?

After last night's storm, which caused flooding south and west of the city, going outside did not feel as if one was walking into a blast furnace. So off I went to tend our community garden plot. It seems as if I had just been there but I see that it was three weeks ago. My Sweetie had been watering and bringing home peas, tomatoes, and basil.

After spending an hour or so cutting back perennials and pulling the few weeds that had made an appearance, my shirt was soaked. So even though it was overcast, it was still warm. To cool off, I put the top down to drive home. Nothing like a breeze through my sweat-soaked hair to make me feel better.

Once home I decided that since I was already on the way to being covered in soil, I might as well begin digging out the ferns by the front of the house in preparation for the new plantings.

While I was at the community garden, My Sweetie had dug a bed for them behind the bird bath. It soon became apparent that we would need a much bigger bed. So he obliged while I planted the ones I had already dug out. Then he dug out the rest of the ferns.

Then one thing led to another until we decided to make a new shade garden. Of course, this necessitated removing the ivy. As he tugged on one of the roots, he commented on the way ivy meanders and intertwines. When we would rip up a piece, it would end up heading in two different directions.

As we sat on the verandah this evening on the verge of nodding off, we decided that tomorrow would be a day with no gardening. We'll see.

Air Conditioning Revisited

Last August I wrote about our portable air conditioner. See The Cost of Staying Cool

It is that time again. One look at our forecast for the week sent My Sweetie to the basement to bring up Pinguino and its compatriot SPT. Last evening he installed the newer SPT in the kitchen. When I got up this morning, Pinguino was cooling the living room and dining room.

This afternoon it was so lovely to come into the coolness after working in the yard. It is amazing how much I got done, knowing that I could take a respite in cool air.

With this as the forecast for the rest of the week, I think that we will be running them for most of it.

GroundWorks Dance Theater Cain Park 2011

This evening we were once again amazed and delighted by the small but mighty dance company, GroundWorks.

The program consisted of three works: the always popular "Boom Boom" set to nine blues tunes, "Kabila (Tribe)" set to 5 songs from "African Voices: Songs of Life", and the world premiere of "Hindsight" set to 6 songs by Chrissie Hynde,an Ohio native.

Here is my older post: Boom Boom. Ditto!

The costuming for "Kabila" was definitely spot on. The yellow-and-black abstract fabric used for the close-fitting pants and halter tops for the women evoked Africa.

But the high spot tonight was "Hindsight". Choreographer Lynne Taylor-Corbett has another hit on her hands. In 2008, she had excelled at creating "Unpublished Dialogues" about Virginia Woolf and which the company so ably performed with Amy Miller as Woolf.

This is the first time that David Shimotakahara has employed projection of images. The pictures of animals nuzzling for "Love's a Mystery" added more humor to the piece while those of Akron for "My City Was Gone" graphically illustrated lyrics such as this, "The farms of Ohio had been replaced by shopping malls."

Felise Bagley was mesmerizing in "Hymn to Her". At the reception that followed I told her that I keep finding myself watching her even when the rest of the company is on the stage. Damien Highfield and she executed some amazing lifts in "I'll Stand by You."

Watch this to see what I mean:

And for those reading this in an email: Felise and Damien

David, if you are reading this, thank you for still dancing. I do watch you when you are on stage!

Lunch Matters

This morning’s paper reminded me of a mango lassi. No, it wasn’t golden in color and it contained no yogurt. What it did have was a recipe for a raspberry lassi. I am trying to decide whether anyone should want any lassi other than a mango one. It just seems wrong somehow.

I have a general idea of what is in a mango lassi besides the obvious. But if I wanted to make a traditional Indian one, I needed a recipe. Who knew that there were that many variations on a mango lassi.

Cow’s milk or coconut milk? Ice cubes or water? Honey or sugar? Ginger or cardamon?

I decided to take the simple approach: mango, yogurt, cardamon, and ice. Puree the mango and yogurt, add the cardamon, and then add the ice and blend until frothy.

Do they really have to tell people to peel the mango and remove the enormous seed? The image of someone trying to puree the seed is just beyond my comprehension. When I picked up my favorite knife to free the mango pulp from the seed, I remembered a dear friend asking me how you do “peel” a mango after regaling me with her description of her first experience “peeling” a mango. Let’s just say it was fraught with difficulty.

For those you have never handled a mango, here are some tips. My weapon of choice is a boning knife. Place the mango on its end, holding it upright, slice as close to the seed as you can, repeat on the other side of the seed. Then peel (actually) the rind from the seed.

If this went well and there is no blood dripping over the mango, you should have two halves still in the skin. Take your knife and score each half lengthwise and crosswise without cutting through the skin, resulting in cubes still attached to the skin. My favorite tool for removing the cubed mango pieces is a grapefruit spoon. This permits me to free them from the skin and scoop them into a bowl.

Now this is a very important step. Lean over the sink and use your teeth to remove the succulent flesh from the seed. Yes, you could also slice it off but this is the reward for successfully “peeling” a mango.

By the time I decided what variation I was going to make, I was too hungry. Besides if I made a lassi, I would have to clean the blender. So instead I combined the mango pieces with yogurt made by My Sweetie, and seasoned it with cardamon. Yummy!

Next time I might have to try this recipe: Mango Margarita