High Summer

We raised the flag on the new flagpole on Flag Day even though the cement never set properly, mostly due to the continuing rains, and the pole itself wobbles a bit in the sleeve. Also, we didn't raise the flag so much as raised the pole with the flag attached since the pole is extendable but doesn't have a lanyard and the flag snaps directly to the fixed clips. Nevertheless, it is tall, above the lowest power lines so it was a good idea to shift it back a few feet, and looks good.

Flag Day is also my brother's birthday, so we had the traditional shrimp and scallops sauteed in olive oil and garlic butter with threads of red and yellow sweet peppers served over linguine, corn on the cob and biscuits on the side and apple pie for dessert. We were halfway through the meal when my brother realized the lack of lanyard on the flag pole meant he couldn't fly the flag at half staff if necessary but the old pole had no hoist either and that was never a problem in all the previous decades. If the necessity ever arises, he can just take the flag down.

The mango harvest is slowing a bit. The squirrel and birds and insects have had more than their share and a lot of the fruits dropped too small this year but we have a dozen containers in the refrigerator half a dozen bags in the freezer and still there are another dozen on the counter waiting to be processed. And that doesn't count the ones that have been given away or made into salsa or mango bread already. I'll be making two more loaves tomorrow to give to the nurses when I go in for this month's platelet donation Thursday.

We're having to harvest the tomatoes a little before full ripeness due to the rain which is causing them to swell and burst. The peppers don't seem to have that problem.

Every week my brother cranks the air conditioning down another notch in order to sleep at night. We started the season set at 83F (28C) but now it's sometimes down to 79F (26C) which can seem downright chilly. It's the humidity that's making him uncomfortable more than the heat.

Tasks and Rewards

Yesterday was my brother's birthday. Because this is no longer the land of the free and home of the brave but the residence of those who submit to bureaucratic paranoia, we (mostly he) spent the better half of the day downloading forms, copying documents and expediting them back to Connecticut because, even though he has never been out of this country in his life (excepting one three hour lunch trip to Nogales as a preteen) and even though he has lived in this same town for going-on thirty years, and has renewed his driver's license a number of times during that period, he must now present a certified copy of his birth certificate in order to renew it this time. Between the copying costs and the postage, he's spending close to $60 (never mind the time wasted not celebrating his birthday) just to qualify for the renewal.

We made up for it with a birthday dinner of broiled lobster in drawn butter, shrimp and scallops sauteed with sweet red peppers in a bacon/garlic butter sauce over pasta and corn on the cob accompanied by a very fruity, spicy Gewurztraminer and chocolate cake for dessert. You can erase an awful lot of frustration with a meal like that.

A Good Start To a New Year

My brother came back from the store on the morning of New Year's Eve with a couple of treats: a pound of shrimp and three lobster tails. So New Year's Eve dinner consisted of shrimp in linguine, a large mixed salad, and broiled lobster in drawn butter. (Despite this generation living all over the country, we've been New Englanders for the last 390+ years. Doing anything else with lobster is just gilding the lily.) And a 2010 Argentine Malbec. Sure it's a red but it was very fruity and went quite well with the seafood.

There were a couple of minor issues. Mom didn't notice that the shrimp had not been shelled and popped a whole one in her mouth legs and all. My brother made her spit it out and we took a minute to make them edible for her (and insisted she use her fork). She claimed she could get the meat from the lobster tail herself but couldn't with her fork and we, again, had to stop her from pulling it out with her teeth. We warned her she could cut her lips on the shell but she didn't seem to mind the risk.

Once we had the rest of her meal prepped and safe to eat, she lifted her glass and called out "Happy New Year!"

Our goal is to get her to the next one, but at least her attitude is in the right place.