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Pot Luck

by: JayinPortland

Wed Sep 08, 2010 at 19:00:00 PM PDT


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Pot Luck | 44 comments
Pop Quiz Jay (4.00 / 3)

Where did I go yesterday?  

Great Falls, Paterson! (4.00 / 3)
...
[ Parent ]
was this in a Soprano's episode? (4.00 / 2)

[ Parent ]
Don't know... (4.00 / 2)
I'm the only New Jerseyan who's never watched that show, apparently.

;)

Never had HBO, but I've since seen a couple episodes when I catch them on regular cable.  I think A&E shows them these days...

[ Parent ]
I hear it was in a few Sopranos episodes (4.00 / 2)
The falls was also in a few founding father's episodes too.

In 1791, Alexander Hamilton and a group of investors created the S.U.M., the Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures, to harness the tremendous power of the Passaic Great Falls. They hired Pierre Charles L'Enfant to design the largest, most significant power system at that time, one that diverted water from the Passaic River above the falls to mills along its route. It was the boldest private enterprise ever conceived in the early days of the United States. Hamilton envisioned an industrialized America and the creation of this raceway system was his ambitious example of how corporations could be organized to develop manufacturing on a large scale. With this enterprise, along with the law, finance and incentives he put in place as the nation's first Secretary of the Treasurer, Hamilton forged the basis of American capitalism. The planned industrialization of this historic place is the realization of the Hamiltonian vision of an industrialized America. This is truly a founding father's site.

Well he got his industrialized nation.

The City of Paterson, along with other manufacturing centers across New England, eventually created great wealth from the combination of waterpower, machines, labor, and capital. Paterson achieved prominence in the national economy undreamed of by its founder. The waterpower system fostered many technological advances in industry, such as the first cotton duck cloth for sails, the first continuous sheet paper, the first revolver by Samuel Colt, and the first practical submarine by John Holland.  Paterson became the world's center for the production of cotton, silk and locomotives. This great industrial center attracted skilled artisans from all over Europe and the tremendous economic activity that arose here triggered the "Silk Strike" of 1913, when the skilled workers demanded an eight-hour day. This was truly an important emergence of America's industrial prosperity and the labor rights movement.
 
[ Parent ]
Nice little story in the Boston Globe (4.00 / 2)
Campus harvests

Gardening at some schools dates back decades. Boston University has had a rooftop greenhouse - a best-kept secret - since the 1930s. And Hampshire College has had a farm for academic research and teaching sustainable agriculture for nearly 40 years.

But organic gardens are the latest amenity on college campuses - a sort of back to the basics after the millions spent on state-of-the-art gyms, luxury dorms, and gourmet dining halls. The plots harken back to a simpler era that valued community, New England frugality, and a pioneering spirit.

Students and administrators say the gardens are a natural outgrowth of college campuses across the country going "green,'' from earth-friendly building construction to a stronger academic emphasis on environmental science courses.


stabbing update (4.00 / 4)
Keith's stabbing has been on radio and TV and in papers since Monday night, with atrocious reporting. The following article and the blog post are accurate.

The violent neighborhood in between

Anderson did not return to ask Keith if he was OK.

Keith did get some photos with his iPhone. I didn't see them, but Keith says he needs a phone with a better camera. They will identify clothing, but I don't know if they are good enough to be able to recognize faces - quite a distance away, running away, etc.

Perps have been charged as adults, but defense certainly will try to get cases transferred to Family Court. All perps confessed, reportedly with parents present, but I'm not yet positive of how many parents or whether lawyers were involved, etc.

...the girl broke down crying and told police, "I didn't know he would actually do it. I'm not a mind reader. How was I supposed to know he was going to stab him?"

The significance of that statement is that, before the attack, they had been discussing finding someone to stab, so it was premeditated (but apparently not a gang ritual). I have no information at this time about whether they specifically discussed finding a white victim, and I have no information about whether the kids will be charged with a hate crime. Highest charge so far is attempted murder.

Stabbings in the "militarized zones" between neighborhoods

initial police report

I don't know if this case will become an issue in the election campaign for Baltimore State's Attorney, but I'm surprised at the amount of coverage so far.

Keith probably will be home by Friday if his assessments continue good, and he says he probably will go to work Monday if he can drive. You can imagine my parental input about that decision, but he's a sound thinker, and I don't think he will go to work unless he really thinks he's OK.

Keith's doctor has been the wife of one of his best friends, who happens to work at Shock Trauma and happened to be on duty when he came in. She is an excellent trauma surgeon.

Wow! (4.00 / 2)
Keeping Keith in my thoughts. Your son sounds like a strong person, much like his father.

Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.
[ Parent ]
Keith (4.00 / 1)
Thank you.

Keith, far as I can tell, is taking this matter-of-factly and he doesn't seem to have thrown off stride very much. The person who is ragingly furious, the one I hope doesn't do something rash, is his younger brother, the policeman in the family.

[ Parent ]
are you OK? (4.00 / 3)
they are still our children no matter how old they get. My only "child" leaves Sat for Morocco,Italy,Egypt and India
[ Parent ]
I love your kid (4.00 / 2)
What an adventurer!

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman
[ Parent ]
god, that's just awful (4.00 / 2)
what a horrible, random act of violence. how's keith doing? hopefully no long term damage or infections. glad to hear he's at least got a good doctor.

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman
[ Parent ]
Keith's progress seems good. (4.00 / 2)
There was a setback today, but it was not unexpected. He still is in Shock Trauma Center. Staff is paying close attention, and I don't think they will let anything get out of control.
[ Parent ]
Sounds like Keith is in good hands (4.00 / 3)
Having spent more time than I ever wanted in ICUs this year, I'm amazed and humbled by the dedication those people have to caring for those of us in need (both the people being treated with physical care, and the family/friends who need emotional support and comforting), and the skill they all have.

Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.
[ Parent ]
Akk (4.00 / 3)
pulling an allnighter. Harold's sicker than a dog. Gotta stay up to help him.

So, I'm surfing the net, trying to track down one of dad's cousins in Arba, Italy. Did you know that there are only 34 Riguttos listed in the Arba white pages? How's that for odd info? The down side is that none of them is Anna Maria Rigutto (dad's cousin), and she's the only one over there who speaks English.

There's a relative from the US visiting over there right now and he or she is trying to track down Anna Maria for us. Dad's cousin Julia, who lives in Freemont, CA is in touch with the relative who's visiting over there, but she hasn't heard anything either.

Dad used to talk to Anna Maria fairly often, but the papers I have don't have his phone records and Pete hasn't found them over at the house, or at least he hasn't looked for them yet.

Tryin' to track down a Rigutto in Italy is like trying to track down a Johnson in the US.....  

Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.

see above (4.00 / 3)
daughter will be spending about a month in Italy.

What's wrong with Harold?

[ Parent ]
Harold passed this afternoon (4.00 / 5)
He died of a massive heart attack. He thought his back was out, and indeed, many times he had the same symptoms as yesterday's that were due to vertebrae and ribs being out. Which is why we went to the chiropractor instead of an ER. And when the chiro was done with him, almost all of the pain was gone.

But today was not the day for the bad back.

Please keep him and all of his family in your thoughts and prayers. Harold was at times frustrating to be around, but he had a heart of gold.

Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.

[ Parent ]
oh my god (4.00 / 5)
I am shocked. I was hoping I read that comment title wrong. {{HUGS}} Please, I know most of us live far away from you but let us know if we can do anything to help support you in the next year or so. The first few days can be hard but you're also going going going dealing with canceling cell phones and planning funerals and such, plus you've got your loved ones surrounding you and staying by your side. For me, it took 6 mos or so for the reality to actually hit me and by then all of the friends and support were long gone. I mean, my friends are my friends, but I think often by so many months after it happens people kind of expect you to be "over it"... it's coming up on 2 years since I lost my brother and I'm further from being "over it" than ever.

Was there any indication that this could happen? You must be just in a state of shock. He looked good when I met him. Gosh, I can't even express how sorry I am.

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

[ Parent ]
I am so sorry to hear this (4.00 / 4)
Life is surely what happens while you're making other plans. I agree with everything Jill wrote. It's not something one gets over, such losses. One moves on past, there is no other choice. But you don't get over it.

What does happen is eventually things stop being all about one's loss. New things happen, new things are created, new people arrive.

But meanwhile, hang in there. I'm sure you will handle what needs to be done with grace and strength. You really do seem like that kind of person.

You have my deepest condolences.


"If God were to appear to starving people, he would not dare to appear in any other form than food." - Mahatma Gandhi

[ Parent ]
Sorry... (4.00 / 3)
Jill said it all better than I can.

If you need anything, just give a yell...

[ Parent ]
I'm so sorry (4.00 / 4)
I don't even know what else to say, I'm just so sorry.
[ Parent ]
My condolences (4.00 / 3)
Im very sorry to hear this, you always spoke fondly of Harold. My prayers are with you and I hope he's now in a good place.
[ Parent ]
Very sad day. (4.00 / 2)
Gosh, Joanne, first your dad, and now Harold. A difficult year.

All my best wishes go with you tonight...

[ Parent ]
Oh, Joanne, I am so sorry for your loss. (4.00 / 3)
What a shock. If there is anything I can do, just let me know.
[ Parent ]
Thank you everyone for your thoughts, prayers and kind words (4.00 / 3)
Having great friends and collegues like y'all both locally and on the net is what makes getting through times like these possible. Your strength and support bolsters me.

Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.
[ Parent ]
How are you doing today Joanne? (4.00 / 2)
Do you - or does Harold - have family nearby or family coming into town to help out?

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman
[ Parent ]
Some of Harold's family is coming up from California over the weekend (4.00 / 3)
I think his son Scott will be staying for a while (2-3 weeks).

I'm doing better today than I was yesterday. Figuring out what needs to be done. Cleaning house for the family to be here.

There's still feeding and watering the animals, and caring for the row crops that has to be done no matter what. That keeps me grounded now as it did when dad died.

My brother Pete said it best when he declared yesterday that this year's been a pisser. Pete's been a real help.

You know it's funny how death will bring a family together. Until dad died, Pete and I only saw each other a couple times a year at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Now that we're working together because of dad's death, we talk to each other a couple times a week and usually see each other on Sunday afternoons when we work together over at dad's garden. And there's the house to care for. We're closer now than we ever have been, even when we were kids.

Makes a person think.....

Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.

[ Parent ]
Funny how that works (4.00 / 2)
Or can work the opposite way, driving family members apart.

I'm back in LA for a speaking gig I've got here, which is more or less "the scene of the crime" when it comes to my brother's death. I was working here when he died. I was in LA the last time I talked to him, and I was in LA when I got the news, and then I was back in LA those hard weeks and months after the funeral when I started going to therapy and it was really difficult. And then I lost my job and wasn't in LA anymore after that, when life got a little easier and wasn't so focused on my brother's death anymore. Coming back here wasn't the easiest thing to do today. It was a teary drive up.

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

[ Parent ]
I can imagine (4.00 / 2)
It was a teary drive up.

These losses all effect us differently. I remember when dad died, I kept myself busy making funeral arrangements. Didn't give myself too much time to think about things during the day, and break down in the evenings when I was safe at home. Dad's death was a little easier to cope with because he was actually in the hospital on support for a week. Pete and I, his step son David, and some of dad's other friends were able to go up and visit him every day, and kind of say goodbye to him because we all knew in our hearts that he wasn't going to make it.

Harold was only on support for a few hours before he went.

They say that time's the great healer. I think that time just gives a person distance and a chance to adjust to the event.

The two things that console me, in so far as that's possible, are that I was able to be with both my dad and Harold when they went. And it was fortunate for my brothers that they could be there when the support was taken away from dad. Unfortunately, Harold's kids didn't have that.

Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.

[ Parent ]
Got tired of surfing the Arba phone book..... (4.00 / 3)
So I went over to Mountain Valley Seeds where I just ordered several pounds of seed for growing microgreens.

I moved the trays I started last week out to the Pitcher's Mound (the big chip pile in the Arena Garden). I've been sampling some of the stuff I started for the microgreens - raddish, daikon, buckwheat, 3 and 4 way salad mixes with clover and alfalfa, fenugreek (don't like that one as it's pretty bitter, but might be nice if used very sparingly), cabbage, mung bean and red azuki bean. My favorite so far is the daikon and radish, then the buckwheat and salad mixes.

The seed I just ordered is - Dutch Broad Leaved spinach, Red unhulled lentils, Mizuna, green peas, China Rose raddish, and daikon.

Just downloaded their 2010 catalogue. I'm going to be ordering a lot of seed from them for 2011..... Nice to be able to buy by the pound instead of by the part ounce. Especially now that I'm doing micro and baby greens. There's no way I could do that ordering by the seed packet.

I've been reading about growing herbs like basil, fennel, cilantro, and even celery as microgreens. I think I've found a new set of crops for the winter months. The CSA members are gonna love this stuff!

Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.

fenugreek (4.00 / 2)
I have used dried fenugreek leaves as a cooking herb, but have not had the opportunity to use fresh leaves.

Fresh fenugreek is not something I hear about. I wonder if there is a discriminating, innovative chef in your area, who would like a source of fresh fenugreek. Perhaps a chef from, say, eastern India - Calcutta.

[ Parent ]
Never thought about that (4.00 / 2)
The fellow who manages the gas station on the other end of Mulino is from India. He might be interested in some. I love the way the seeds smell, but I've never used either the seeds or the leaves (fresh or dried). He asked me about growing some Indian varieties of mustards early last spring. Next time I see him I'll ask him if he'd like some fenugreek greens to use.

There's also the Hangar Cafe here in Mulino that does some interesting cooking. I'll ask down there too.

Can't wait for my mizuna seed to get here, I could live on that stuff! I'm looking foreward to a salad of pea greens and mizuna, yum!

Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.

[ Parent ]
The thing I love about the microgreens and baby greens (4.00 / 2)
is that in 2-3 weeks you're eating. I'm really enjoying experimenting with different greens of these types, and it gives me a way to use up the left over seed from this year too.

Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.
[ Parent ]
Vindalho... (4.00 / 1)
Pretty sure these guys probably have a local fenugreek supplier or two...
[ Parent ]
Happy New Year (4.00 / 4)
Jewish that is. I made challah with fresh eggs with eggs from these chickens http://www.chickenowners.com/p...
using flour from Pete's Produce Farm. It's heavenly
5771... (4.00 / 1)
Ha, and I thought youze East Coasters were too far ahead with the three-hour time zone difference!

;)

[ Parent ]
year 1 (4.00 / 1)
according to the wiki, the traditional beginning of "year 1" is about 1 year before Creation, or before the creation of Adam. I need to think about this.
[ Parent ]
yummy (4.00 / 2)
l'shanah tovah

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman
[ Parent ]
Kareem (4.00 / 1)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wants to be in pictures

If his movie is half as successful as "Slam Dunk Ernest" or "Airplane!" then Kareem will be a regular Ingmar Bergman, only less Swedish.

Kareem still holds the NBA scoring title? That amazes me. And only Robert Parrish played more NBA games.

50 games under 500... (4.00 / 1)
Wow, that's quite a milestone.

As of today, my two preseason World Series picks are a combined 50 games under .500!

Seattle is 55-85, Chicago is 60-80.  Not only that, but Seattle (who I picked to win) is only two games 'ahead of' Baltimore in the race for worst record in the AL.  Chicago's record is only third-worst in the NL, so I did better there...

Might as well... (4.00 / 1)
...get my embarrassing NFL picks for this year out of the way while we're here.

Here goes!

NFC West - San Francisco, North - Green Bay, South - New Orleans, East - Dallas, Wild Cards - Minnesota, Atlanta

AFC West - San Diego, North - Cincy, South - Indy, East - Jets, Wild Cards - Houston, Baltimore

Super Bowl - Green Bay over Houston.  I like the Houston sleeper pick.  Apologies in advance to Green Bay and Houston fans when both now go on to finish 8-8 and 5-11, respectively...

[ Parent ]
Thanks for not picking either the Bears or the Colts. (4.00 / 2)
And, while I would love to place all the blame for the Cubs' poor showing on you, 102 years of baseball failure make that a hard sell.

Please, no predictions of gridiron success for the Beavers. Or Notre Dame.

[ Parent ]
oh... (4.00 / 3)
Joanne,

I am so sorry for your loss.

Lee

Thanks Lee (4.00 / 2)
Never a good time for something like this, but at least he didn't suffer.  

Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.
[ Parent ]
Pot Luck | 44 comments
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