Paris has the Eiffel Tower. Seattle has the Space Needle. Bothell has the Country Village Chicken – or rather, used to have the Country Village Chicken. As you may recall from this post last year, Country Village was a funky little collection of shops north of downtown Bothell. The owners sold the property to a developer. The stores all closed by the end of March.
When we were driving to the grocery store this afternoon, the Chicken was not in its spot. We suspect fowl play. Where did it go? Did the greed head developers send it to a landfill? Did the city of Bothell buy it so it could be moved to City Hall (our preferred option)? The Chicken was a reminder of Bothell’s past. BRING BACK THE CHICKEN!
Farewell, feathered friend.
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2019/06/01/wheres-the-chicken/
It was a brutal winter, with two weeks of snow and ice. Most of the ferns and ajugas in the planter boxes were pretty beaten up. The surviving ferns were planted on a bare strip of ground near the entry, along with three new ferns. One ajuga is barely holding on; the others were dispatched to the compost bin.
This year’s entryway.
This year we put heucheras and impatiens in the planter boxes. Both varieties seem to be thriving, although one impatien in the box nearest the door looked to be eaten by a rabbit. We got a replacement to take its place. We also got a beautiful big-leaf coleus plant that I put in a pot near the entry, along with the mint, rosemary, cilantro, and rau ram.
This coleus begged me to buy it.
As for the upper deck, it will be basil and peppers. There will be four varieties of peppers and three of basil. I’ve already harvested my first two peppers from the Mirasol plant. It’s a hot one. There’s also a salvia plant and a hanging basket of petunias. I have two lavender plants that I haven’t figured out where to put. I think the hummingbirds and bees will be happy this year.
In addition to our humble offerings, we have new next-door neighbors who brought numerous plants from their former home. One member of the couple is a Master Gardener. So the dirt could be flying fast and furious hereabouts this summer.
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2019/05/27/our-garden-2019-edition/
I saw this car on my way downtown to catch the bus home on Friday. My nephew has been interested in moths and butterflies since he was a kid. So, Randy, this is for you.
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2019/05/26/for-my-nephew/
Where were you when Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980? I was living in Dallas when the bulletin interrupted Charles Kuralt’s Sunday morning show. The iconic picture of the mountain blowing its top is seared into my memory. My grad school roommate grew up in Pullman, in southeastern Washington. Her school was actually closed for several days due to falling ash. The volcano has had a few returns to life, most prominently in 2004. A new lava dome has formed in the crater.
Since Washington, Oregon, California, and Alaska are on the Pacific Ring of Fire, any of our mountains could erupt at any time. Our local chief worry is Mount Rainier, which last had a significant eruption in the 18th century. So any time Rainier is visible with an intact peak, locals breathe a sigh of relief.
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2019/05/18/happy-mount-st-helens-day/
It may be tongue in cheek, but I daresay some passersby would have the same question.
Proof that the state of nutrition education among the masses is sadly lacking.
I told a coworker about this sign and she admitted that her husband did not know what a carb was when they began going out together. She’s since schooled him.
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2019/05/12/sign-at-pike-place-market/
After a week of mostly liquid meals, Julian is slowly adding soft foods to his diet. We’ve had baked salmon and Thai curry with cod. Yesterday we went to Bellevue. Julian suggested having dim sum for lunch. “Some of those dumplings should work with my teeth,” he said. For the uninitiated, dim sum are little nibbles of dumplings, buns, and other items. The classic dim sum restaurant has wait staff rolling carts around the dining room with different offerings. Customers point to what they want. The bill is calculated based on the number and type of items ordered. As I mentioned in this post last year, dim sum is the equivalent of Sunday brunch in areas with large Asian populations.
Our destination was Din Tai Fung, part of a Taiwan-based chain. The Seattle area has four of these restaurants. Bellevue’s was the first one to open. Din Tai Fung’s specialty is xiao long bao, or soup buns. Cubes of gelatinized broth are wrapped in dumpling dough and steamed. There’s always a long line at Din Tai Fung restaurants because they don’t take reservations. Luckily, we were seated in the bar area immediately upon arrival. We ordered hot and sour soup for two, steamed cod dumplings, and shrimp fried rice. I also ordered a cucumber salad so I’d have some vegetable to chew on. Julian could handle most of the items except for bamboo shoots in the soup and the shrimp. Soon he’ll be able to eat items that he can cut with the side of a fork, which will liberalize our diet significantly – until the next round of surgery.
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2019/05/05/dining-out-on-the-dental-diet/
Some people have photographic memories, I have a phonographic memory. I can hear a song that I haven’t encountered in years and still remember the lyrics. I think it comes from having a transistor radio attached to my ear as a kid. And there are certain songs that automatically take me back to a particular time or place. I’m sure the late neurologist and author Oliver Sacks would have something to say about this quirk, but I have yet to read his tome, Musicophilia.
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2019/05/01/phonographic-memory/
Seattle has had more construction cranes than any major city for several years. Today’s crane collapse was in an intersection that I go through every day when I commute on the bus. An Audi was nearly cut in half by a piece of the crane. Miraculously, the individuals in that car escaped with their lives. Two other people on the ground and the two occupants of the crane were killed. One speculation is that a wind microburst caught the crane. Despite the loss of life, it could have been much worse. That intersection is one of the busiest in the city, as it feeds north and south Interstate 5. Locals not-so-affectionately refer to it as the Mercer Mess. Sadly, it lived up to its name today.
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2019/04/27/crane-crash/
Julian had the first of a series of oral surgeries yesterday. He’s doing amazingly well after a seven-hour procedure. For the next two weeks he’ll be on a liquid diet, followed by a soft diet. The latter means he can only have items that can be cut with a fork. Our blender and food processor will be getting workouts. There’ll be a lot of soups and smoothies in his future. Tonight’s dinner will be vichyssoise (cold leek and potato soup), tomorrow’s gazpacho. I may do some root vegetable purées for him when I have roasted veggies.
One advantage to the liquid diet is that anything that’s liquid at room temperature qualifies. That means ice cream.
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2019/04/25/eating-softly/
The last couple of years, Passover and Easter have coincided. Last night was our traditional Mixed-Marriage Passover Seder. Twenty celebrants ate matzoh and read the Haggadah. Our contributions to the festivities were pavlova with strawberries and a roasted carrot salad. The latter was my invention. I roasted about 3 pounds of carrots sprinkled with salt and pepper, and tossed them with lemon juice, a little olive oil, and Penzey’s Italian herb seasoning. I used that mixture because it doesn’t contain any garlic, onion, or chile/red pepper. Both were well received. The Haggadah reading was more resonant with me this year than in previous years, particularly the parts that mentioned “we were once strangers in Egypt”. The hosts’ cousin brought a special Seder feature, Plague Puppets. I am not making these up.
After I got home from church, we drove out to Monroe to a cat show. Unfortunately, Julian read the date wrong: The cat show is this coming weekend. Easter dinner included the usual lamb and mint sauce with potato latkes (frozen, not from scratch), leftover carrot salad, and roasted padron peppers. Julian made a fruit salad for dessert.
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2019/04/21/holiday-weekend/
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