mole day

Last Sunday on our hike around the six preserves our tour guide pointed out witch hazel blossoms, which another in the group and I were surprised to see assuming they only bloom in the spring. I snagged one from an Earth Day event last year that I planted in the backyard and was worried was dying earlier this year. It bounced back and when I checked this week is also blooming.

I did more clean up around the yard and am nearly ready to make offerings to Huitzilopochtli, which I'm planning to do under the upcoming full moon on Election Day. The cold rainy weather turned milder this weekend so I used the opportunity to practice my pyre building Friday night with reasonable success. I used fresh cut anise hyssop, which tended to curl and fall before catching. I want to try with more dried material next time, hoping that I can manage to keep the mosquitoes perched while they're consumed by the flames rather than dropping unceremoniously into the fire. I might add some heavier woody material on top of the bed as well, now that I'm thinking about it.

Yesterday morning I went for a walk with the dogs then left them home to spend the afternoon with the neighbors on a bar's patio after also walking with them. I rode my bike there and on the ride home stopped at another bar that was celebrating its fourth anniversary, where I met another group of neighbors for another round. I ordered delivery and napped with the dogs before heading back out for basement card games.

This morning we went for our weekly group dog walk, planned earlier than usual and finished just as it began to rain. I made a bowl of salty, buttery grits while simmering wheat berries for the week's breakfast, some of which I ate for lunch today savory with olive oil, salt, pepper, and onion and garlic powder. I curled up with the dogs to read three more chapters of Dubliners, A Painful Case, Ivy Day in the Committee Room, and A Mother, while we listened to the rain and the Phillies game on the radio.

At the end of our walk this morning I filled a pocket with acorns I found lying around the edges of the parking lot. My neighbor who organized the walk did a quick search then and advised boiling them first as they're apparently full of tannins. I tried a piece raw, which wasn't terrible but was remarkably bitter. I simmered and drained them twice. A second taste after the first boil was more palatable, but I figured a second bath wouldn't hurt just in case.

While the nuts cooked I stir fried tofu with carrots and noodles, which, salty, spicy, and starchy, tasted better than it looked. I left the acorns to cool and air dry then rough chopped them and fried them up. I thought I'd wait for the foaming to subside, but that resulted in burning them slightly. I added some of the tofu mixture I'd reserved and some more noodles. That also tasted better than it looked, though needed improvement. I saved some of the nuts in the fridge that I think I'll try with mushrooms, more protein for the week to round out the mole of carbs I consumed this weekend.