This week I had a plan. Pizzas. Fancy pizzas. I made a DELICIOUS slow-fermenting whole-wheat pizza dough based on a Peter Reinhart recipe from “American Pie.” Hey, look, an endorsement opportunity. If you like breads or pizza or baking in general – go out to your library or bookstore or do some good internet sleuthing and get some Peter Reinhart materials. You may recall that I made some delicious breads a while back from one of his books…. Every single bread and or pizza recipe I have tried of his has turned out fantastic. You just really need to read his stuff before you ever make bread or pizza again. These dough rounds were easily the most beautiful dough I’ve ever made. Just perfectly supple and soft, but not sticky at all. And they tasted awesome.
I’ve been lost from music for a while. Its the result of several factors really. For instance, BD is a musician and as such there is an almost constant stream of music in our apartment, either that he has made or that he is releasing on his small record label, or of his friends’ bands, with the occasional Neil Young record thrown in for good measure. I’ve become okay with that, but the result has been that when he is not playing music, I generally prefer to have quiet.
Also, this may sound ridiculous, but when my friend Jerry Fuchs passed away last fall, I think I felt that music may have been lost to me forever. I met Jerry through one of his many bands, a band called Turing Machine – probably the least known and recognized of his recent musical endeavors, but nevertheless this was my absolute favorite band. Their music made me feel alive, energized, invigorated. They hadn’t played live in several years, and to be honest, most other concerts I attended paled in comparison to seeing them play. I rarely attended a concert without thinking “boy I wish I was seeing TM play tonight.” When Jerry died, the music was only a small part of my loss and the loss experienced by his other friends and family. But as the months have passed by, the realization that there is no music that makes me feel that same energy, and that there may never be again has really furthered my disinterest in exploring music.
Today I had a momentary glimpse of the elation that music brings out in me. I heard a song by a band called The Mynabirds. Its nothing earth shattering, but something drew me in for the first time in months. Beautiful music with catcalls to classic country & soul. I wanted to share it with you. I found the youtube above pretty quickly, and google presents many other opportunities for tuning in. I hope you enjoy, friends and readers. And please, be careful in elevators.
This weekend my rose bush bloomed! I planted it last year, and only got a few tiny little blossoms before the end of the summer. But the bush did take to its new home, and on Sunday morning, I clipped my first rose! Most of my gardening is focused on vegetables and fruits, but I do also enjoy flowers which add beauty and fragrance and attract bees and butterflies and hummingbirds and all kinds of lovely pollinators. I’ve been warned that Roses can be difficult, but so far I’m not believing the hype! On Sunday afternoon, I clipped a few more blooms and had a beautiful, fragrant bouquet – what a delightful way to start the week.
I thought they were so beautiful I couldn’t choose just one photograph, so here are some more:
