More Prattle from Povey

  I am enjoying a big fat hardback 430 page book by Gay (Gaetano) Talise: "A Writer's Life" Zion doesn't care.  He wants me to scratch his his pate. I cannot do both at the same time. Guess who won!

  Saturday morning (29th October) saw me at my local Library (Fruitville Branch).   The parking lot was crowded.  I hadn't reckoned with Fruitville being a site for early voting. The rules are strict.  Partisan supporters are allowed be at voting sites, but they must be (?) yards away from the entrance to the polling place entrance. With that in mind I was not surprised to see two canopy tents in the parking lot: Red for Republicans, Blue for Democrats. I avoided the red tent and parked near the blue tent.  I had a brief conversation with the Democratic party partisans saying, (tongue in cheek) "I did not park near the red (Republican) tent for fear of infection". I am more likely to become a Buddhist monk than to become a  Republican. It's not because the Democratic Party is perfect. It is  because the modern Republican Party bares no resemblance to (say) the party of  Pres. Dwight David Eisenhower.   Trumpists, who now control the Republican Party, have morphed into

Galega Bread from Whole Foods.    Crusty outside, lots of air holes inside.   Great smothered with soft cheese such as Humboldt Fog. Inspired by traditional Spanish Galician Bread. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galician_bread Now is the time to get your Persimmons ** Waitrose Brand    U.K. Apple Sauce made with Bramley Apples.    A little on the tart side, and all the better for that. Nice and pulpy.  Good enough I think to make a pie or cobbler. Available by mail via Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Bramley-Apple-Sauce-essential-Waitrose/dp/B01LZH17A4/ref=sr_1_3?gclid=Cj0KCQjwnvOaBhDTARIsAJf8eVMrH-tOqd5iScs2DglXyvm9jG8bA7oBjoxa4eyMArpCZW2Kb-z6VV8aAuENEALw_wcB&hvadid=589942046878&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9051831&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=b&hvrand=11919108543447112317&hvtargid=kwd-303122414159&hydadcr=4818_13210643&keywords=bramley+apple&qid=1667068697&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIzLjQzIiwicXNhIjoiMy4xMiIsInFzcCI6IjIuODcifQ%3D%3D&sr=8-3 **  Waitrose is a somewhat upscale U.K

  Granny Smith apples are the middling  best the American markets supply for baking or for pie making. They are good, but not great. My English taste buds long for the superior Bramley Apple.    Bramleys are suitably  tart. When baked, the flesh becomes delightfully fluffy. Trouble is that they are not available in the U.S.A.  I thought that I had tracked some down via Google images -  they were pricey.  Then I saw that I was about to order a painting of Bramleys! But all was not lost. I found that I could order Waitrose Bramley Apple Sauce, (regretfully having to use big bad Amazon!) Goodness gracious it is good.  A superb tartness. Not processed to an almost fluid state, but with intact bits of apple. Certainly not over-sugared. Good enough to use instead of a peeled and chopped apple in my latest  batch of  Butternut Squash, Apple and Pear Soup. It worked out wonderfully https://www.5dollardinners.com/butternut-squash-apple-pear-soup/#recipe . Also good  for apple pies, crumbles and

  Carelessness in the Kitchen. You'd think that I had learned. You may remember that I cleared up a mess the other day after I'd dropped a glass bottle of Maple Syrup on my kitchen floor. There were calls for a reprise. So this his morning I was again utterly careless and knocked a French Press pot of coffee onto the kitchen floor. Hot coffee on my left leg.  Coffee and grounds all over the floor. The mess was bad.  Even worse was the thought that I'd be denied my morning cups of Joe. And yet  the French Press itself was undamaged! Despite my carelessness/ clumsiness all was not lost. The clean up was easy.  The newly made coffee was great. Oh dearie, dearie me.

  Zion and I are part of a a circle of acquaintances who run into each other most mornings at Bayfront Park in Sarasota. As it happens we have two things in common.  I. We are proud Democrats. 2. We each have a "greatest dog in the world":- Chris, Max, Dewey, and Zion. Dewey's Dad and Mum will be moving house tomorrow.  They are not leaving SRQ, but they will be farther away from Bayfront. Daily visits will be difficult. Any excuse for an au revoir party. We gathered in the parking lot and had a tail-gate party, with a Box O' Joe and some mini-Muffins.   Older people going wild! OTHER EARTH SHATTERING EVENTS TODAY FOR THIS OLD FOGEY   First.    I had my Moderna booster shot (at long last). There was no long line at my local Publix Pharmacy.   I was in and out within 15 minutes.  The Pharmacist was a joy and delight.  Her bet is that most of us (in the prosperous world)  will need and receive an annual Covid vaccination. Second. I closed my "Discover" Credit

  I'd rather vote in person on November 8th.  There is something heartening about standing in line at the Polling station with other voters where  despite our political differences we are united in our commitment to what we call the democratic process BUT    Our Sarasota County (FL) ballot is extremely complicated. We are to vote in more than seventeen elected offices; and in ten or so state, county, and city "referenda"  Using my brains, (and a Sarasota County Democratic party "cheat sheet")  it took me over fifteen minutes to complete the ballot form. I'd rather do this in the quietness of my home than in a cramped voting booth. Florida ballots are tallied electronically.  To vote we fill in ovals on the ballot sheet  (with a black or blue ball point pen).  The ovals are read and tallied by Computer) At the very least we MUST vote out our cruel and meanspirited Governor Ron DeSantis; and our lazy U.S. Senator Marco Rubio.

This is the song which Whitney Houston belted out in the film "The Preacher's Wife"   Magnificent stuff!  (see below). It's a hymn/song which never fails to move me  (  J. Michael Lachrymose Povey ).   We sang it at St. James's, Porter Square, Cambridge using an Episcopal Church Hymnal named "Lift Ev'ry Voice".   Perhaps that Hymnal never made it south of the Mason/Dixon line. I've not sung it since moving south in 2006. I like this version from the Brooklyn Tabernacle.  Enjoy it and weep with me. https://youtu.be/TyeSprPQu3 ========================================================================== The original text is by Isaac Watts  (c/f  "When I survey the Wondrous Cross").  Watts' text arises from Psalm 116 v 1. Here is the same song from "The Preacher's Wife" https://youtu.be/M5oXJBtMfGk

The somewhat phallic water just east of I-75.  I-75  is the highway  from  which  commuters are already driving into downtown Sarasota. The vertical lights are the ugly apartment complex; also a wee bit east of I-75 The early glory of Ole Sol

  Pork Slices, Apple, Tomato.  (Ristorante Povey, not Melange!)

  In English High Schools of my era the boys were always known by their last names; the girls by their first names. It was not unusual for a Teacher to call out "Povey, pay attention". Maybe I had been staring out of the window longing for the school day to end, rather than devoting my attention to the Teacher. I needed to hear those words at about 2:00 a.m. this morning (20th Oct). I woke up thirsty.   I had forgotten to place a tumbler of water on the table next to my bed. I stumbled into the kitchen without turning on any lights.  Relying on the fridge light I reached for a bottle with the label "no sugar". I took  a swig.  Oh dear, it was a bottle of barbecue sauce. Silly me, I'd been reaching for kombucha.                                Povey   Pay Attention!

  My son has lived through four chancellors, three home secretaries, two prime ministers, & two monarchs. He is 4 months old .

  It's in village called Pucklechurch near Bristol, U.K.   My brother M and his wife W live there.  The view is from their bedroom window.

  I won't say much about my difficult neighbour, save to say that she seems to make it her business to offend people; and to contravene as many of the Condo Association regulations as she can. I find it best to keep my distance, and to keep mum when she assails me. I will tell you about my good neighbour.  His first name is Cheney.  Yesterday he spotted the damage to my car port roof Today he repaired it! C is a self taught handyman.  When he purchased a Condo. across the road from me his options were two.  Either to pay a contractor to make repairs and improvements; or to teach himself. Mercifully he took the self teach option. C. has helped me with a few minor home repair matters  for which I have thanked him with a twelve pack of some beer or other.  Quite apart from the car pool roof repair he is now renewing the four windows on my screened in porch which were done to death by Hurricane Ian. C's renewal work is splendid.  My porch windows will be better than ever.  I purcha

  It's the roof of the car port, and easily repairable. I hadn't spotted it 'cause I never sit in the little patio from where it would be viewable.  A good neighbor saw it from the street as he walked by.

My Cambridge friend Laurie R mentioned that she had made Butternut Squash Soup, with Pears and Apples.   So I made some. Indeed very good, but with one caveat. The recipe called for a tablespoon full of Maple Syrup.  That made the soup a wee bit too sweet for my taste. There is enough sweetness in the apple and pears. I'll not include Maple Syrup next time.   (See also the comments after the recipe  (below) https://www.food.com/recipe/butternut-soup-with-pears-and-apples-135204

 via my cousin Kate B

  I dropped a 12oz glass bottle of Maple Syrup on my tiled kitchen floor. I remembered what King Charles III said the other day when he met P.M. Liz Truss.   It was "dear, oh dear". That's exactly what I said as the glass shattered and the syrup scattered. NOT!

  David Cameron  2010-2016 Didn't ever play Musical Chairs. It was never the thing to do at Eton College.  Above all else he believed in his own wisdom.  That back-fired in his promise to hold a Brexit referendum; believing that it would fail, but setting the bar low at 50.01%  He hadn't counted on the Boris Johnson lies . Blowing your own trumpet is not the same as being the pianist for musical chairs. Theresa May 2016-2019 Probably played musical chairs at some  her of father's Church socials.  She was a strict "mistress of the piano" in the musical chairs game of being Prime Minister.  She negotiated a reasonable divorce from the European Union. But Boris Johnson cheated and brought her down. Boris Johnson  2019-2022. I'll rig the musical chairs game in all the ways that it will benefit me.  What does a lot of cheating and a lot of lies matter just so long as I always win the game? Liz Truss 2022-? They believed that I was a classically trained pianist.  In

 

  I cannot move from one room to another without Zion following.   He always wants to be close to me.    The feeling is mutual. In this picture I am trying to read a book by Gay Talese. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- c/f  Biblical Book of Ruth Ch. 1 v 16 (King James Version) "Whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God".

Yesterday saw me at my Dermatologist's Office for a routine check up. I was not on her schedule for the day. Turns out that my appointment was for 11/10  I am bi-dateable.  I'd put the appt. in my calendar the British way Day/Month .   The Doctor's office was using the American style Month/Day. After all these years the old customs die hard.   That why when I write a cheque I enter the date as e.g. 11th October 2022. If I die in America it will probably be almost a month before I die. By the way,  "what is a check?"

  She and I were once on the same flight from LHR to JFK. She was in First Class.   We stood close together at the baggage claim at JFK. I respected her privacy.

                                                      As we grow older.