Pizza - it's what's for dinner

I watch cooking shows, not so much the ones where chefs stir tons of cream and butter into their dishes, more the ones with dishes I can actually afford to eat. The ones that don't take a lot of time and effort, but still deliver delicious results.
For years, I've been trying to make edible pizza, and it's been edible, just not quite what I had in mind. Recently, I saw Kelsey Nixon make pizza ( http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/kelsey-nixon/simple-pizza-dough-recipe/index.html) and I tried her pizza dough recipe - it worked.
Oh, I should mention, too, that I'm after thin crust pizza, Neapolitan style or, I guess, New York style. That part took a while to get right. The secret here seems to be to handle the dough a little as possible. My first few attempts were pretty good, I used ready-made tomato sauce and mozzarella, added salami for L because he's more into meat than I am.
But it got really good when I tried to copy a pizza we recently had at at bakery in San Francisco: the toppings were different, obviously non-traditional. Pesto (I used Trader Joe's), fresh corn, red bell pepper, red onion and feta cheese. Delicious! The original used cilantro pesto, I used basil pesto, and it's good. I'm very happy with the outcome.
Next, I need to work on getting my pizzas round. And that's a bit harder than it would seem. Really!

The eyes have it ............

............ or rather, they don't any longer.
I had better than 20/20 vision about 15 years ago. Then things started to change slowly, reading glasses that got progressively stronger.
In December, I noticed that I had problems when I had to focus on small things for a longish time (and longish is relative here). No more spending the afternoon doing chain maille or other things like that. There now appeared a fuzzy spot in the center of my vision that took quite a while to go away. So, a trip to the eye doctor was in order. She did all kinds of tests but couldn't find anything wrong.
Then I had my annual exam last week and another doctor listened carefully, checked even more carefully and decided that the problem was that I now need two different kinds of lenses, there's a difference of at least 3 levels between right and left eye.
So, new glasses were in order. I haven't received them yet, another week or so to go (and the upcoming holiday isn't helping). Then we'll see if that will take care of the problem
I think getting older is highly overrated, but, I suppose, the alternative is worse.

Postal mishap

About two weeks ago, I sent a package to my daughter in Colorado. I used a priority mail box, plenty of tape and those air-filled plastic bags Amazon uses in their packages these days. The package never arrived.
Last Saturday, I received a letter from the post office in Denver. Stuck to the form inside were the address label, return address label and the little square that showed how much I paid for postage where. All had a layer of cardboard attached to the back.
I was asked to fill out the form (but hang on to the labels) and send it off to the place where lost mail ends up in Atlanta. I included detailed descriptions of what was inside the box along with pictures. Now we wait. I don't have high hopes that my stuff will be found, but you never know. Oh, the reason I was asked to hand on to the labels is that if the contents isn't found I can submit a claim for postage.
Not knowing exactly if I had filled everything out properly etc., we drove to the local post office this afternoon and had two very nice people help us. In addition to explaining the process, we also got advice on how to pack properly: stuff the empty spaces between whatever is in your box, use popped popcorn if you don't have packing peanuts, newspaper, plastic bags, anything, just make sure there are no empty spaces and the box cannot be compressed when it comes in contact with other packages and/or machinery. Use two boxes, one inside the other. And, most importantly of all, include a list of what is inside the package along with address and return address inside. All good information and something I wish I had known beforehand. But, in thirtysome years of mailing packages, I had never lost anything yet.

What a way to start the day

We had plans this morning - for a rather leisurely day. Guess again! This is what I woke up to: about a third of the tree in the parking in front of the neighbors and our house had come down during the night and smashed our mailbox (which seems to have absorbed the brunt of it) and landed on L's car. Thankfully, I heard nothing of it. He did - heard the wind and thought it would be a good idea to go out and move the car because the tree on the other side of the driveway had been damaged in similar fashion a few years ago and we have been concerned ever since that it would come down, this time into our driveway.

He was too late, by the time he went out, around midnight, the tree had already crashed (that's probably what woke him up). He spent about an hour sawing away at the branches covering his tree so he could move it at all. Thankfully, there are only a couple of small dents and quite a few shallow scratches. And, thankfully even more, he didn't go out when that thing came down. 

Apparently, there was a bird sitting in the tree at the time and when L went out, the bird tried frantically to get into our house (who can blame him/her?) and finally took shelter on one of our window sills.

When I got up, fairly early on a Sunday, and saw what had happened, I grabbed my gardening gloves, tied the (pretty long by now) hair back and got to work, spending about 90 minutes bending, scooping and putting all the small branches and leaves into two huge trash cans. L joined me shortly afterward and started sawing away at the bigger branches. And the neighbors came out, too, and started work on their side of the yard. They eventually called friends who came with a pick-up truck and a chainsaw and made short work of what was left. By the time we left, around 9:30 (we had to meet somebody in Marin), only the really thick branch was left and when we came back home, everything was cleared up and they now have a nice load a firewood.

The tree is in the parking (I said that before, I know) and it's something that's a city ordinance (I believe, at least, that's what our builder told us). There are certain trees on certain streets (and some of them are much more trouble than others, dropping what I consider dangerous seed pods on unsuspecting pedestrians). Anyway, why not call the city and ask them to clean up this mess? They are not responsible as we found out from somebody who tried. They insist on trees in the parking, but then the residents have to care for them and take care of the warped sidewalks when the roots got too big or trees falling down. So, we didn't even try.

We did manage to run our errand, we did make it to the farmers' market where it was hotter than was comfortable and we're back home without any more damage than a slightly sore back and a few scratches. Hopefully, there won't be any more serious wind anytime soon.

Ready for the flea market

It's taken me a while, but finally my little flea market trolley has a liner. I used thrifted fabrics and a tutorial I found on the web and here it is. I guess that means another trip to the Alameda flea market is in order. And what a coincidence - the next one is this weekend.

The good thing about getting up early ................

................. is that there are some nice pictures of the sun coming up to be had.

Practice really does make a difference

Who would have thought?
I mentioned already that I'm taking a soldering class with Terri Brush online (and an etching and soldering class, as well).
There's been some practicing going on and quite a bit of bad language. For one thing, I (and several other people in the class) have been having problems with our highly recommended soldering iron. I finally contacted the company when my second iron showed the same problems as the first and it's now on its way back to the manufacturer for repair/replacement. I've also invested in a different brand and am very happy. The other problem had to do with those cute little rhinestones - they are glued to the background but balancing two pieces of glass on something that small is difficult and there's been a lot of undoing going on.
But, I'm getting better. Really. And it's much more enjoyable.

It's not all paradise

I mentioned this homeless camp in a previous post - http://henrysmumsotherblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/aloha-aka-notes-from-small-tropical.html.
Seems that the end of the camp is in sight: According to Hawaii News Now - "Hundreds of homeless people are told they have to leave Keaau Beach Park. Take a look at some of their living conditions along the Waianae coast...http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/slideshow?widgetid=50331"
I found it disturbing to see people living like that. I don't find it any less disturbing hearing that they have to leave because I am sure few are there because they like to live rough.

Give up ...... to be happy

A Facebook friend posted a link to this article this morning. And it's good and true. And, no, nobody asks anybody to give up their big screen TV or their big honking SUV.

http://www.purposefairy.com/3308/15-things-you-should-give-up-in-order-to-be-happy/

Bad fan behavior

About once a year, we watch the Sharks play hockey in San Jose. Since we go so infrequently, we splurge on tickets these days and try for really good seats. Yesterday was that day. The Sharks were playing the Dallas Stars (there's a serious rivalry going on between those two teams.).

The above pictures were taken during warm-up and at the very beginning of the game (a long time before Ott, No. 29, got a game misconduct and was ejected from the game).

Our seats were two rows behind the Stars' bench, not so terrific for watching the game as we found out, but very interesting for seeing what exactly goes on on a bench.

Things started out well, the Sharks scored in the first minute and added two more goals to the first one. The people next to us and behind us were well behaved. But the young couple in front of us got louder and louder and more obnoxious with every beer consumed (and there were quite a few of those).

She kept yelling "Let's go Sharks" with increasing frequency and volume and towards the end of the third period, he started verbally abusing one of the Stars players loudly. Neither the attacked player nor the coaches reacted in any way, I'm sure they are used to this kind of obnoxious behavior.

It got to be so bad that we moved a few rows up and had to explain to the usher why. She was very understanding.

"Don't be those guys." Really!