Brain Broom: Sweeping Out Some Cerebral Such-And-Such

 

It's time to clear out some cranial clutterbits. I had to think about this stuff, and now you do, too. This won't happen too often, so don't be overly concerned. No way do I ever want you to spend a great deal of time inside my head. 

It can be scary in there.

1. Podcasts--As I've said many times before, I am not a fan of podcasts. So many--too many--sound ill-planned, rambling, and boring. They make me impatient and irritated; stop yammering about tangential things and inside jokes and get to the point. It's more tedious than party conversation at a gathering of a bunch of people that I don't know. One exception to this is the podcast Ill-Advised by Bill Nighy. Nighy is a British actor you may have seen in a Pirates of the Caribbean film or the movie Love, Actually, among others. It's delightful. As The Guardian put it, "the questions Nighy tackles range wildly, from how to avoid going to parties to “Why doesn’t my horse like me?” His advice is always conversational, generous and uncertain, with a sprinkling of his trademark self-deprecation. Each episode begins with various reasons why you shouldn’t listen to a word he says." Each installment has predictable segments:  listener questions, banned words, a recommended playlist, and a favourite book he then reads an excerpt from. All of this takes place in nice, 25-30 minute chunks. He has an Instagram, too. Highly recommend.

2. Reading--I just finished The Elegance of the Hedgehog, reviewed a few months ago by Engie. I was in the middle of it when I put it down and actually wrote her a thank-you note. It immediately went on my Favourites shelf of my bookcases. One of the things I loved best about it was the main character's (Mme. Michel) devastation and dismay when encountering mistakes in The Language. She describes receiving a note with a misplaced comma as an attack, and she has to sit down immediately to recover. It's a beautiful story about humanity, self-perception, and finding beauty and understanding in a world that may feel unsatisfactory. The ending is cause for a great deal of thought.

3. Birds--We tried our darndest to save a brood of baby robins a few weeks back. It was eerily reminiscent of this episode six years ago. A mother robin built her nest on the crook of the downspout under the eaves of our house. She didn't do a very good job because at one point the nest tipped over and I found two naked, giblet-sized babies in my herb garden. One was still alive; the other one wasn't breathing. I did what I could to revive the unresponsive baby, but my efforts were in vain. Since I am banned from all ladders, I immediately put Rick into service. I put the living baby back into the nest, and Rick replaced it. That didn't last long. It tipped over again, so I again employed Rick, this time to use some zip ties to anchor it in. Mama Robin came back, kept fidgeting around to get comfortable, then abandoned the nest after a day or so. Naturally, I worried and fretted over it until Rick went back up the ladder to check on it. The baby was nowhere to be found, but a new egg was now there. We waited about a week, then removed the nest. She hasn't returned to rebuild, so I am morose. Another sadness is that my blue jays have disappeared, likely because the robins have established my yard as their territory. The two are classic enemies, but I wish the blue jays had prevailed.

4. Basil/Pesto--We had a couple of 90 degree days, so I was finally able to get my 9 basil plants (raised from seed and cuttings) into the ground. Actually, Rick did this; I am unable due to my illness, and I merely supervised and thanked him profusely. Once they were in, I trimmed them up again, made a few cubes of basil with olive oil in my mini-processor to add to pasta/sauce, and stuck them in the freezer. As I was doing this, I remembered that a Comment on a previous post asked for my pesto recipe. All I can do is to give you the basic recipe that I work from but modify, like so many cooks out there. Here it is:

1 C basil leaves

1/2 C parsley (I prefer curly)

2 garlic cloves

1/3 C grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese

Salt and Pepper

1/4 C walnuts or almonds (I avoid pine nuts; they're often not good quality)

Very good extra-virgin olive oil

Place herbs and garlic in food processor; pulse high until all is chopped well. Add cheese, S&P, and nuts. While processing, stream in olive oil until desired consistency is reached. Put into small jars, add a thin layer of olive oil on top (to prevent browning), and add lid. Refrigerate immediately. Lasts 2-3 weeks. Alternatively, put into ice cube tray and freeze, then store cubes in reclosable plastic bag.

5. Rod Stewart--I have been a fan of Rod Stewart forever, but never more than recently when he attended a charity event hosted by King Charles shortly after the monarch's trip to the USA and the state dinner at the White House. In the receiving line, Rod said, "May I say well done, sir, in the Americas. Superb. Put that little rat bag in his place." Here's video of the incident, and I'm even more deeply in love with Rod Stewart now. And rat bag is my new name for the criminal at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. No caps.

Okay! I feel more tidy and less burdened, at least for now. Chat me up in Comments.