Playing in the Dirt

Everybody is crazy for gardening around here. It started even before Michelle Obama’s victory garden, and it seems to be gaining steam. This morning at coffee folks were actually talking about how paying $120 for tomato cages is a good deal.
It is rather romantic and patriotic to think about the good food you can get from the soil under your feet. We care about the soil the grapes come from for our wine, and we hear it is healthier to eat organic fruit and veggies grown locally. So veggie gardens in our yards, instead of water-hungry lawns, seem like an ideal summer project. The trick (as always) seems to be how to keep it simple – hence the heated discussion over tomato cages. And that’s before you even get to the war against snails and earwigs. I have a darwinian approach; no designer equipment or pricey sprays. The toughest will survive. But admittedly, we have a pretty fancy watering system.
The best news is that gardening is darn good exercise, especially the bending over and digging. Personally, I love the digging. It is therapeutic – digging down to the essence of the thing, beyond the surface. Yes, I’m odd. But a publisher friend loves the rototilling part — exposing all the soft, fertile earth, getting rid of the rocks.
You can find your own favorite part of the garden experience.
It might be the wine, goat cheese, fruit and crackers you enjoy as you rest your back and savor the results of your labor. For some reason, a gentle wine—maybe a sauterne or chardonnay seems to do the job.
Cheers to tomorrow’s tomatoes!
Joan

A Merlot Kind of Week

Am I the only one who is a nervous wreck here? What with the failing banks and the cartwheeling Dow and a presidential race focused on the little people---named Sarah and Joe and George. Big ideas and steely judgement would be more helpful than fussing about plumbers I think. (I know plumbers and they are a godsend , but they're not going to fix these problems.) Does anyone notice how much the Feds look and sound just like they did during the other disaster --the one called Katrina.

But I digress. As I write this I'm enjoying a pleasant affordable Merlot, which is getting better as it breathes--and I type. Merlot is not a challenging Zin or a subtle Pinot Noir, but that's okay. I'm less in the mood for sophisticated flavors right now --and more for a calm, mellow, unexciting wine (or a stiff drink with many olives). Perhaps you feel the same.

Did I mention that my most extravagant spendthrift friends are hiring someone to teach them how to grow vegetables in their new garden patch? They don't cook, they didn't even have a garden patch 'til last week, but they are growing their own food, for god's sake. Times must be tough. Anyway, a friendly Merlot may not be trendy, but it's pretty good with garden veggies tossed on the grill with a bit of olive oil and garlic. Also, that puts me in a mood for soups with late harvest tomatoes, white Italian beans, seasoned with bay leaves from the local Laurel trees. All of which goes beautifully with delightfully boring Merlot.

And, as you know, sitting does not help stress. So go look at the moon on a walk after dinner and do some restful stretches when you turn off the laptop. Some of the best moves are stretching your arms high and behind your back and bending your neck back and forth (do it now!) Even better is putting each leg up on a chair and slowly bending over --to get at that tight hamstring. Do it a few times after you've had a shower or been moving around. It releases some serious tension.
Just like a bit of inexpensive Merlot.
Cheers.