Get a Rope?

I admit it. I'm very late to the party, and not fashionably so.

photo: www.rampantscotland.com

No way could I have foreseen that I'd be jumping into the fray where local politics are concerned. I find others really have an aversion to discussing politics in mixed company. They are always trying to change the subject, or avoid looking me in the eye. Once I dig in I can be just like a pit bull who thinks she's just a little old lap dog. You didn't see that one coming, did you? Oh, the multitude of things I could say about how stupid people are about their so-called knowledge of "menacing" pit bulls. Alas, this is not my intent today.

photo: haynespitbulls.com

No doubt, I've got my ass-backwards opinions and self-righteous 'tude just like anybody else, but I mainly disturb my immediate friends and family with them. Why I ever decided to begin blogging about my idiosyncratic life, I'll never quite be able to fathom. This no doubt says a lot about me, and my troubled *pysche. I've spent a long time doing things I thought were important. Listening to and respecting the voices of children who grace me with their wonderful presence has always seemed so important to me. Those kids have taught me so much about life; yet I realize there is still something missing. That something was "civic involvement" and actually striving to leave something better for those children I hold in such high regard.


(*furtive glancing, to-and-fro, for the men in white coats)

Many moons ago, at an El Paso high school far, far away (about a mile from my house which I walked to every day) I was granted the


Rona Barrett critic of the year award during my Junior year. My Senior friends found this an apt title (those bitches!). I had no idea what they were talking about. Probably had my head stuck so far up my ass, I was simply oblivious to my own BIG MOUTH.

The next year, I was told by "Skeets" Aguilar that I talk a lot of shit. My jaw dropped. I gave him a good hard slug in the arm, but I knew he was right. Then he called me a Candy Ass, and the game was on. I rather enjoy talking a lot of shit. It's good for the soul, to let out what ails you. I enjoy forcing debate, even when I know I am dead wrong. It is amazing how some folks can be easily swayed by words. It is also amazing how some folks can see right through the bullshit.

How dare they?

Anyway, there's actually another party that I will not be late to, and that's Mayor John Cook's so-called lynching party. "I never mind going to a lynching as long as I'm the guy holding the rope, not wearing it," --El Paso Mayor John Cook.

I'll be sure to drink a few Margaritas to numb the pain, and maybe some refritos while I'm at it (you never know when backup power may be called for). I'll be sure to wear a steel collar around my neck, just in case. I do expect Cook to bring his now infamous rope, and I expect to keep my own neck out of his line of sight by any means possible. If this meeting actually does take place, I'll try to keep my feet moving...float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, and all that. I'm hoping we won't have to resort to the rope-a-dope tactics. I swear, vigilantes get no respect, whether they're giving or receiving injustice.

Convoluted logic: The best kind!


www.motifake.com/demotivational-poster

The fiasco of Johnnie Washington forcing her will upon Cook to kowtow to some perceived racial slur or politically incorrect slight just absolutely amazes me. Mayor Cook, you never should have apologized to her. You should have apologized to those you directed your statement to, if you actually thought there was anything wrong with your joke. I smirked when you directed your comment to us, because it was slightly amusing...but you fail to see that you already hold that rope, and you're trying to lynch your citizenry with many of these "progressively divisive" tactics of late.

What a bunch of hoo-haw over Cook's comments, which were fairly straightforward and most decidedly directed towards the few individuals who deigned to darken the city council meeting last week, trying to talk about bridge locales. Another overblown cry of racism for nothing. NOTHING? I'm no fan of politically correct humor. Political correctness is the worst oxymoron of our times. I'm no fan of Mayor Cook, but his remarks were nothing about race, and everything about desperation. While most would see lynching as no laughing matter, the impetus for Cook's use of the phrase is decidedly humorous.

It still galls me that no proper plans are forthcoming before the bridge feasibility can be determined. Is this a 2 lane proposal, a 15 lane monstrosity? A commuter footbridge?

Where's the meat of the matter? Where's the public disclosure? My own witnessing and realization that half of city council has no idea how their MPO works, or how they conduct their business is appalling. I assume they are too busy taking time off to get to the real nitty-gritty and boring paperwork involved in deciphering that mess. I lost a good part of my life these past few weeks doing just that, only to be greeted by city council with stone-cold stares, and a few suspiciously over-anxious remarks from Steve Ortega. I'm no public speaker, but I said my piece for what that's worth. City council could give a rat's ass about what any of their constituents have to say. (apologies to Eddie Holguin, who actually seems to be hearing something). It creates more work for them if they actually have to pay attention to any of it.


Before anyone gets their panties further bunched up, I'll preface this next part by saying that I wish no harm to come to any person of any race, creed or political affiliation. It's merely my summation of the absurdity of what compels us to act and react to life as it assails us. (my own absurdity included!) My husband has warned against posting this, but I don't listen to him most of the time. Why does he put up with me? Cuz I'm special? Yes. That's it, exactly.

Here is a little politically imbued ditty that sums up fairly well what I think of all this bollocks:


Cock Sparrer: Get a Rope

Get a Rope

From the streets of Aberdeen to the Brighton scene
There's something going wrong
From the Woolacomb shore to the tots dance floor
They all shout what's going on?

You promised us a country fit for a queen
But the queen doesn't have to pay
You promised us a future bright and clean
For a vote on election day

Is there no-one left to shout?
There's some people round here need sorting out
'Coz for you there's just no hope

Get a rope, get a rope

Sitting warm and snug in your council seat
In comfy shoes and tweed
With your rules and regs wrapped nice and neat
Deciding what my kids can't read

We're sick and tired of your liberal views
What's politically correct?
Come judgement day, I'll be tying the noose
And slipping it around your neck

Can't you hear us shout?
There are a lot of people like me about
But for you there's just no hope

Get a rope, get a rope

We want to make life one big joyride
But the roadblocks get in our way
We want to fly off to the Spanish seaside
But the plane's always delayed

We want to sing songs on radio 1
but the BBC says no!
And we want to do deals on a mobile phone
and have something left to show

Can I stand up and say
There's some people round here need blowing away
'Coz for you there's just no hope

Get a rope, get a rope
Get a rope, get a rope
Get a rope, get a rope


So, I have posted this with full expectations that I will now be called a racist, card carrying member of the KKK, a Commie asshole, skinhead, or an Oi! idiot.

Alt Press review on Cock Sparrer's Here We Stand

Idiot may not be entirely stretching the truth, but I'm willing to be your scapegoat on this one. Go for it. I welcome the discourse and I have no regrets.

Recess Monkeys?

The other day I got a note from CoolArrow Steve of The Xit Wounds.
He was telling me about an SCTV episode where John Candy plays drums in a band called Recess Monkeys (SCTV, Second City Television Network Volume 3). Rick Moranis, Eugene Levy and John Candy make up this power trio of Recess Monkeys, and sing the Chilliwack hit "My Girl (Gone Gone Gone)." It's so awful, I find it hilarious. Just looking at John Candy's 'fro cracks me up. I guess it reminds me of what happens when my husband and I get together to play music. While Brett is a very talented player on guitar and bass, I realize I'm merely a hack who hates to practice. In truth, I'm lazy, and it shows. My attempt to deter scrutiny by making crazy faces, giving myself beer baptismals, or hitting myself over the head with a beer can or a microphone (if anyone has been dumb enough to put a mic in front of me) is usually quite successful.

One of Brett's favorite shows growing up was Fernwood 2Night. We keep hoping they'll release the episodes on DVD. Many of the best episode clips can be found on YouTube.

The outrageous musical stylings of Happy Kyne and the MirthMakers are a sight to behold. Martin Mull and Fred Willard had some great comedy there, and were a perfect match to the Mary Hartman/Mary Hartman ethos. Total silliness. I sort of lost interest in the show when it morphed into America 2-Night. It turns out that the song Skateboard Angel had hit Brett so hard between the ears, he had to appropriate it and crank it up to match his own punk stylings.


RIP Farrah aka skateboarding angel

I always thought Skateboarding Angel was his original, until he told me where he got the idea. No wonder it's such a great song. Frank Devol and Tommy Tedesco wrote it.

While searching for our elusive tocayo Recess Monkey, I came across a wonderful site of Fake Bands

and a reference to the book Rocklopedia Fakebandica by T. Mike Childs. All your favorite, almost ready for prime-time bands can be found here. I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment:
"...one of the most refreshing online wastes of time since the birth of the Web..." -- Information Week.



While there are a plethora of fake bands who never really amounted to anything, there are a few who actually had talent, and commercial success. Spinal Tap (...but these go to eleven) and The Blues Brothers

(rubber biscuit?) are the first to come to mind.
Something about the comical talents of SCTV and Saturday Night Live alumni when mixed with their musical talents creates magic. I was watching an episode of Conan O'Brien a few weeks ago, and Eddie Murphy was talking about how James Brown seriously wanted Murphy to play him in a biopic based on his James Brown Celebrity Hot Tub antics. Maybe Eddie should have taken that bait. I miss the old Eddie Murphy irreverence and political incorrectness.

This man could seriously make me laugh until I cried.

Another amazing musician is Chevy Chase. He opted out of continuing to play drums with Donald Fagan and Walter Becker (Steely Dan) to pursue other interests. How is it that so many of these talented actors and comedians are also well-rounded musicians? It boggles the mind. In all honesty, some of them are better musicians than anything else they pursue.

I'm amazed at how well Steve Martin can play that banjo of his.

What happens when Spinal Tap mellows out? A Mighty Wind ensues. While this movie was not necessarily a comedic gem, it's soundtrack certainly is. In 2004 Eugene Levy wins the Grammy for A Mighty Wind Best Song written for a motion picture, television or other visual media. I'll never forget seeing the Folksmen perform Blood on the Coals on MadTV, and seeing Harry Shearer as Mark Shubb in drag (maybe on Letterman?). My first thoughts were WTF? and I went out to rent the movie the next day. Gotta give props to the ingenuity, and brilliance of it all.

Have you ever heard of the The Queenhaters? I never saw this episode of SCTV. Yep, that's John Candy in that picture above. Check out the youtube video featuring Martin Short's snotty vocals in this quintessential punk parody.

Feasibility study for Yarbrough Port of Entry

(Illustration by Keith Allyn Spencer / El Paso Times)


What does this mean?

Feasibility studies try to answer the following questions:

What exactly is the project? Is it practical? Can it be done?

El Paso MPO is currently in process of conducting a feasibiltiy study for a new Port of Entry between the Bridge of the Americas and the Zaragosa bridge. They have hired San Antonio consulting firm Structural Engineering Associates, Inc. MPO then directs the public to go to the SEA website to track progress of this study. That's all fine and good, but there are no projects listed on their page. Perhaps they are conducting the feasibility of whether they should even list projects on their website....Oh, SEA built the groundwork, sure enough...a project link that leads to nowhere.

The area of feasibility for the proposed Yarbrough POE is limited to this 9 to 10 mile stretch between 2 major bridges already in existence. Depending on which day of the week you talk to the MPO (or watch yet another of their varying powerpoint presentations) about this study, there are 5 main feasibility areas within this 10 mile stretch, or there are only 3 remaining areas still on the table for this study, or, wait...it's back up to 5 areas, and is or is not referred to as the Yarbrough Port of Entry. Who are they trying to fool? It's been called the Yarbrough Port of entry since day one, because every plan, map or idea about this proposed POE has been centered around the fact that Juarez already has an 8 lane highway to this ethereal bridge just waiting for a connection at Calle Francisco Villareal Torres, less than 2000 feet southwest of Yarbrough at Cesar Chavez as seen at the bottom left of the satellite map. Patrons of Shawver Park and Cowan Aquatic suffer enough as it is with proximity to Border Highway Traffic, let's just save them further suffering by building a bridge on top of it. Let's have another Glass Beach campaign while we're at it.

Why all this gnashing of teeth over a new bridge?

artwork by Sam Turner

Bridges are already woefully understaffed. We cannot keep the lanes available in operation as it is. We don't have the manpower to create fully functional Ports of Entry. Building more bridges will never solve this dilemma. It's a Federal offense, and City Council would better serve this community by pushing Silvestre Reyes, and Homeland Security to straighten out this mess, and fast. My Lower Valley neighbors don't want the added traffic going to and coming from that bridge. We have enough problems with traffic filtering off the Border Highway, and city council would like us to believe that alleviating traffic flow from other areas is going to decrease pollution in our area. We are already fighting EPA standards, and are not in compliance especially near our bridges. Okay, let's just add another red zone to the EPA map of non-compliance by building this bridge at Yarbrough. What's another non-compliance in the face of all the existing ones?

After weeks of research on the internet, trying to discover the scope of this plan, I found nothing but focus specifically on Yarbrough as the locale for the new bridge. Four renderings of the proposed bridge can be found in the presentation (BORDER CROSSINGS: Evaluation of ports of entry for the International border...) an MPO page that links to powerpoint downloads but nowhere can I find any other specualtive renderings for any other locale along this 10 mile corridor. This same presentation shows a map on page 7 with a mysterious green demarcation line squiggling along from Int'l airport in Juarez up Calle Fr. V. Torres and Yarbrough all along through Global Reach and on to El Paso Int'l Airport. Most MPO maps that show that bold green line are indicating major proposed road reconstruction, but MPO wishes us to believe that no major road is in the plans, and that no homes will be disturbed by building this new bridge in the lower valley.

I take umbrage to the cry of overreaction by our Mayor Cook,

and told him so at the city council meeting yesterday. If his wish is for non-action, then he's got another wish coming; that one just won't fly. When the MPO and the city decide to show the entire scope of their plans, and stop trying to mete them out to the public inch by inch of road, and penny by penny of taxation, perhaps we can all come to a better understanding of just what the hell is going on in our fair city. When city council members seem oblivious to the MPO process as I witnessed yesterday, something seriously needs to be addressed. When Steve Ortega asks where we are getting these maps, and we tell him MPO, he retorts that they are speculative theory, or wording to that effect. Mr. Ortega, all of this is supposedly speculative. Every last bit of it is speculative until your feasibility study has gone through the motions, and you are granted your bridge into the heart of our valley.

If, as Beto O'Rourke stated at yesterday's meeting, he would be glad to see this new bridge in his district, by all means, give it to him. They can build it right there downtown, and "revitilize" that area even further than planned. I'm sure his father-in-law, and Paul Foster will be overjoyed to have it there, and they can go ahead and build the "Cheesecake Factory" under it's shadow, so Chris Lopez will have a suitable place to eat. Danger, danger Will Robinson, all I see from these guys is "Crush, Kill, Destroy" all that was once magic in El Paso, Texas.



A boon to any business district, eh Beto? Well that just may be where a new bridge is needed. Not here in my valley where all we have are close-knit neighborhoods with homes, schools, and a precious few parks.

Other projects for Yarbrough already include the building of Park and Ride structures at Yarbrough and I-10 with CNG/LNG fueling station(project T405), and additional park and ride lots at Yarbrough and Montana (project T407), at Yarbrough and Montwood (project T408), at Yarbrough and North Loop (project T505), at Yarbrough and Bordey Highway (project T504). There are also plans to create an interchange at Yarbrough and North Loop (probably an overpass).


Is it feasible to add another International bridge here? Of course it's feasible. Merely cut out a small chunk of the fence, lay down a steel beam to span the cement channel, and voila, a bridge. A commuter bridge, no less! A bridge! Thank the Lord, another bridge; the answer to all of our worries.

Wait just a second. That won't work.

(photo by mekong.net)
You've got to make that bridge elevated for the ship traffic coming down the Rio Grande. "The reason is that the U.S. Coast Guard considers the Rio Grande to be a navigable river requiring bridges that ships can pass under the bridges." (David Crowder--Newspapertree, March 25, 2009) That's right. An elevated bridge to allow the hordes of KLAQ river-raft racers ample room to continue on their path to glory and the inevitable dousing of beer.
(photo stolen from haunting thunder blog)

Oops, I guess it has been many years since the Q sponsored a river raft race.

Probably just as many years as it's been since we had all the lanes opened on any of our ports of entry.

I say put it to a public vote, and not a vote from city hall.

People are a- okay

Thanks.

Thank you people for enriching me.

TexMex Americano Sandlapper

Here's another submission I wrote for that El Paso Times writer search in April:

Mutts?

Like many of you raised here in El Paso, I was born of different ethnicities. My mother, a typist in the Steno pool at Biggs, my father, an Air Force clerk who saw her and was at once smitten. He was a handsome gavacho hayseed, with no power to resist the sultry beauty of her mysterious, dark Spanish eyes. Okay, maybe it was her Latin thighs that captured his imagination, but I’ll not venture further speculation there. My point, if there is one, is that I’m a half-breed. You ‘member, Cher sang a little bit about it back in 1973. It was a song I could embrace.

I was raised on Lucha Libre and HeeHaw. My parents came from less-fortunate families who struggled to make ends meet. Poor Southerners and poor Mexicans--Mexican Hillbilly, one in the same? Pintos or black-eyed peas, cornbread or tortillas de masa, hominy grits or posole, green beans slow-cooked with a hunk of fatback and pintos refritos cooked up in lard. I’ve eaten fried green tomatoes, tripitas, collards and bunuelos all in the same day.



I love drinking a glass of buttermilk while trying to replicate Grandma Nell’s biscuits. Her gentle mixing and patting, then buttering each one immediately after baking to allow the tiny delicacies an extra succulent burst of flavor. Grandma Tommy made my favorite tortillas de masa when I would visit. Lovingly buttering each one as it came off the comal, serving me one after the other, until I could eat no more. Migas y frijoles for breakfast one day, and buttermilk biscuits with sausage pan-gravy the next. I learned that buttered grits alongside huevos con chorizo is a filling treat, seriously! Mama would drop pig knuckles into the menudo. Daddy was partial to pickled pigs feet. Yuck to both of them, but I witnessed my older brother eating them with greasy abandon.

My favorite story of theirs: she never forgave him for not getting her home from picnicking at McKelligon Canyon in time to see the Beatles perform on the Ed Sullivan show. Or was it Elvis? My pet peeve: those forms asking about our ethnicity. I always claim “other”, because I cannot be forced to choose one heritage over the other. I can see the look of consternation on those government official’s faces, as they wonder if I’m Scandinavian/Inuit or Mexican/Italian. Other, no clarification, that’s me.

Old-school etymology would have nobody speaking these derogatory words: Half-Breed, Mezclado, Mestizo. This nation has been renowned for it’s very nature of the “melting pot” and a large majority of us have blurred the lines of heritage as our forebears hooked up and spawned such awesome creatures. Derogatory? I beg to differ. Irreverent? Well, yes, I have been told that I speak my mind with a little too much recklessness, but I find myself in the company of our esteemed President on this matter of race, and I aim to chocolate-milk that for all it is worth. I rejoice in it.

Mixteados unite!

Portable Pizza Grill

Who likes pizza?

From what I understand, damn near everybody! I have to admit, it just ain't my favorite thing to eat, because so much of it is just really so bad. I am not fond of pepperoni, it gives me heartburn, so, of course, my husband loves pepperoni. That probably began my fear and loathing where pizza is concerned, not to mention the weekend late-night drunken rituals of I'm hungry, what can we eat?
Chico's!



Yeah, I stole that pic from Taco Journalism


But nobody is sober enough to drive to Chico's Tacos.
Bummer.

So, by default the answer is Pizza-they deliver! Oh so convenient, and oh so awful. Don't get me wrong, good pizza I can handle. But that's a subjective comment if I ever made one. What constitutes a good pizza? You'll get varying answers to that question from around the globe, and I can't even pinpoint exactly who makes the best pizza for my taste. I aim to change that trend very soon, and be happy with pizzas I make on my own.

We used to make some pretty decent pizzas in our home oven back in the day, but they were always just sort of....ehh, okay. Fun to make on a Friday night, but the oven never really got hot enough to make a decent pizza pie.

About 8 months ago I was browsing through craigslist, (a daily ritual) and I saw a nice Kitchenaid Mixer listed for 75 bucks. I snagged that quick when I saw how new it is. I love to bake, but I really started thinking about pizza when I got this thing. Being the internet scavenger that I am, I had to find the best recipes for the right style crust. I was also trying to find a whole grain recipe, which is another story within itself. I ran across a couple of really interesting sites such as pizzamaking.com and the PMQ Think Tank. You can't get any better than this for learning about all things pizza. These folks have pizza down to a science. I've learned that it really is a science. Mind-boggling when you see the full scope of all the styles of pizza and all the styles of baking those pizzas. The lengths people will go to for good pizza, you'd be amazed. Who would have ever thought you could cook pizza using the cleaning cycle of your home oven? Well, they did, and they do. Boggles the mind, don't it?

So, I'm web surfing along, specifically seeking whole-grain pizza dough recipes, and I come across this forum post at Pizzamaking.com with a beautiful picture of a 60% whole-grain thin crust. That's Villa Roma's picture of a beautiful slice of cheesy pie!

I am truly amazed at what else I find at pizzamaking.com. Any style pizza crust you want, multitudes of recipes, resources for all things pizza, and a pleasant, helpful community. I could hardly believe I had found the thinner chewy crust I wanted, made with whole grain, and really good, concise information about how to actually recreate it. This particular poster calls himself Villa Roma (what a great name). It wasn't just the pictures of this guy's pizzas that blew me away, but how he was cooking those pies. He had taken one of these:




and turned it into an 800+ degree pizza oven. He cooks his pizzas in less than 2 minutes, and he calls the contraption a little black egg or LBE. There is a growing faction of LBE aficionados, and they have made some fascinating modifications to all manner of Weber Smokey Joe's. Of course, I've now got to have one for myself, knowing no pizza made in my kitchen oven is ever going to amount to anything I really, really want to eat. Sure, I'll eat pizza, but seldom do I wholly crave or enjoy it. Looking at my forlorn and neglected Smokey Joe Silver sitting on the back porch, knowing I had abandoned him to my BIGGER, better grill...well, I just knew I had to try and make one of these pizza cookers. I'm a project type of gal, dontchaknow?

I've been trying to get my husband on board with this experiment, but every time I'd mention it to him he'd say "That sounds dangerous." photo courtesy of skylighter.com

My first reaction is to do a double-take...A man who loves pizza is worried about a little ol' hot-ass pizza cooker? One that we can take camping? One we can take anywhere? WTF? So I do what I always do, Image credit to Farm1

and keep him out of it, while I talk it up to friends and family; this is what I do, I talk them up about all my hair-brained ideas until they begin to see the light. Finally, I wear him down, and before you know it he is purchasing the burner element required for this little contraption. WooHoo! I'm on my way! I get so excited I call my brother and another friend and tell them the game is afoot. I get out my Craftsman work station, a drill, an old hacksaw blade, protective goggles, some duct tape and needle-nose pliers, a few screwdrivers, my Dremel, Tungsten Carbide cutting bit, hearing protection, and consume a couple bottles of Bud Light. Fully prepared, I commence to making the cut-outs needed to modify the Smoky Joe.



Drilled a couple of pilot holes in the lid, and started the difficult task of cutting out this oval shaped vent with a flimsy length of broken hacksaw blade (one end ensconced in duct tape to protect my soft and delicate hand). I smoothed out those rough edges with my dremel, one little burr at a time.





I'll need to take some more pics to show you the end result. After I pried off the vent assembly from the bottom of the grill using my husband's Leatherman I began cutting out the hole for the burner assembly to fit into. I found it much easier to use a smaller drill bit, and forget the hacksaw blade completely. Many pilot holes later, I was able to Dremel cut my way through and create a semi-round hole. It was easy enough going for a few hours work, and altogether satisfying.

I love the way this burner I took from the Outdoor Gourmet Deluxe Fryer Stand fits perfectly upon that little ash tray underneath the grill. We found the burner locally at Academy Sports. They sell component parts there as well, but I needed the regulator and hose assembly, so I just bought the kit which was cheaper in the long run.





I posted a want on craigslist for a few firebrick splits, and a very nice gentleman from central El Paso responded. So I now have a buffer for the flame which is going to need to create temperatures of at least 600 to 800 degrees. That's some powerful heat. How do you know when you've reached optimum temperature? I suppose you could hold your hand over the surface, and try to gauge it that way, nope, not me! This is the tool of choice: Infrared Thermometer or something very close to it.

I will still need to order a good pizza stone or kiln shelf for a cooking surface, as all others who have gone before me can attest. A crappy stone will last through baking one pie, and then it will crack. If I can't find a round kiln shelf through my ad on craigslist, I'll have to break down and buy one. I was going to order a stone from Fibrament (possibly the best on the market) but their smallest stone at 13 5/8" is a little too big for my grill.

It's only a matter of time, but I shall soon have completed this project, and I'll be posting the end results once I get there.

The Self Sufficient Urbanite?

I just wanted to give props to one of the first blogs I've ever encountered that I found useful and extremely interesting, and wanted to see more of. The Self Sufficient Urbanite

I am copying their public profile here, because Nathaniel knows more about himself than I do:

About Me
madeinmanhattan
Nathaniel Martin is an urban gardener, woodworker, beer brewer, vinter and general DIY handyman living in New York City. This blog chronicles his projects and describes how to live in a frugal and environmentally sustainable manner by making and fixing almost everything yourself.

There you have it. DIY and very informative. I spent day after day reading every post in that blog, and found a kindred spirit. I really love what is represented there, with the reuse, renew, recycle ethic exhibited throughout. So many things we can do ourselves, so much waste in the world that doesn't have to go to a landfill. Such a wonderfully presented blog, Nathaniel! I enjoy looking at it, and the projects therein very much. Scavenging for wild fruit in Central Park is just amazing for me to think of. I try to find wild asparagus here, but all the good places we knew as children are dried up. I am dying to try collecting mesquite pods
photo by Wynn Anderson

before the critters eat them up, and make something tasty with them. One day, I'll pick the multitude of fruit from prickly pear cactus and make jelly. One day.
photo courtesy of ohric.ucdavis.edu

Last Christmas I asked my husband to buy me a dehydrator because I wanted to make jerky. Now, I know that I could use various methods to dehydrate foods, especially with the abundance of sun we have here in El Paso. That would require building a solar dryer, and that's what got me looking at blogs to begin with. Honestly, I don't want to be outside in that hot sun checking the progress of the drying, and surely, fighting off bugs. image courtesy of visual.merriam-webster

So I got my Christmas wish dehydrator and started buying produce when it was on sale. I found that banana chips are good, but apple chips are the bomb.


mmmmm....those up there are the pears. How could I forget the pears?

Where a sour green apple is too tart for my tastes, a dried green apple chip is an absolute delight. I really, really love dried grapefruit. I cannot get enough of it, and neither can my husband. He eats it all up, and I get pissed off. Who would have ever thought dried cantaloupe would be edible? Well, my sister-in-law thinks it is disgusting, but she craves the fruit roll-ups I make, as do her sons. Fruit roll-ups, any flavor, very simple to make.

I have dried tomatoes, dried mushrooms, dried blueberries, dried carrots, dried celery, dried roasted peppers.

This fresh pepper looks almost like we could call him
macaca rojo or Luchador El Diablo!


Mask Maniac Archangel Mask.

Oddly, I've made no jerky! That's hilarious. Here I am 6 months later, and no jerky. I do have 4 London Broil in the freezer, and will be making jerky this month. I really need to get my camera software onto this computer so I can show you some pictures. One of these days, I'll get it together. Yeah, right. A girl can dream, can't she?

My niece took a brewing class at NMSU last year, and I have been aching to brew up a batch of Oatmeal Stout. I wonder if I'll ever get there. I wondering if she'll see this and say, let's do it! I wonder about a lot of things. My brain just won't quit. One could even say I'm obsessive. Even I could say I'm obsessive. Okay I've said it. Don't fault me for it, it's such a charming trait(she said with exuberance)!

Anyway, kudos to Nathaniel in New York.
You have inspired me to just keep plugging away at the things that I want to do. Life can be so fun, if you just let it.