The joys of public transit

My legs ache from the uphill walk to Metro this morning and my shoulders are complaining of the hike last night with a banjo. And if I'd just give in, I could walk a couple of blocks from my office and have a car again while I wait for mine to get out of the shop. Instead I'm considering taking Metro on Thursdays anyway, even once the car is repaired, at least while the weather is so nice.

If that consideration were based solely on my wish to help the environment, it would likely be a tough sell to my aching limbs, I confess, but there are other compensations, even aside from the slow toning my legs are getting.

Yesterday, as I went to pick up the card that would allow me to use the Zipcar system (which I'm enjoying. I use a car when I absolutely have to, but otherwise don't have to worry about it - no getting a guest pass for my building, no looking for parking in my neighborhood. Pure genius.), Craig and I met on a train platform. We emerged from the tunnel into warm late afternoon sunlight. A couple blocks down to the Zipcar office, and I notice that the actual street it's on is closed for a farmer's market. Score! After I get my Zipcard, we began wandering around, looking at the goodies on display.

I wound up with a quart of really *good* yogurt - this stuff reminds me of the yogurt my mom made for me as a kid, some tomatoes, some greens, a block of feta from the yogurt guy, half a boule of really crusty bread - nicely yeasty and chewy, 2 perfect Asian pears, just wanting a day or two, 2 portabellas, with an extra stem thrown in ("It's good for soup - just chop it up real good"), and a head of organically grown garlic. Back down into the Metro, plotting my purchases into a tasty dinner (portabella steaks with chopped garlic and a little white wine on toasted crusty bread, a salad with heirloom tomatoes, feta cheese, and a light dressing. For dessert? Yogurt and honey.), I take a few moments as the train emerges from the tunnel into the light to do a little quick birdwatching - you see, the train comes out behind a shopping center, and where the parking lot ends is a bit of a swampy area, where I sometimes see herons. I saw one on Monday, but not last night.

I think breakfast tomorrow may be mushroom soup with crusty bread, since tonight, a friend is holding a birthday gathering and I've been wanting that soup for nearly a day now. I'm thinking next week of looking at the mixed mushroom boxes, seeing if any cooking greens are looking good (one of the few things that improves mushroom soup is adding a few chopped greens), checking out the mixed grain cider bread (in little loaves), picking up the dried mushroom mix and some more of that amazing yogurt. Maybe even a quart of cider by then... And some green zebra tomatoes, because they're just so nifty looking...

Tea and pie...

Mostly, I've been recovering from the grand camping adventure, taking warm epsom soaks and the like to soothe muscles inclined to complain about walking around a state park situated on a mountainside.

But on Wednesday, my husband and I decided to check out the new bakery near some friends' house. And we are not sorry we did. Handmade pies from locally sourced ingredients - we went with the peach, which the gentleman informed us would be gone in a couple weeks. Mmmm. I am a total sucker for peach pie, and this one was worth every cent. My only sadness is that he doesn't make pies in reasonable sizes for smaller households, so this is strictly for time with friends.

Another friend who was visiting brought her birthday gift: flowering tea - it's white tea that literally "blooms" when you drop it in the hot water. I'm so glad she shared. Mmmm. This one was jasmine scented and shaped like a basket of flowers - the handle was made from jasmine, and the flavor was lovely - but I like both jasmine and white tea, so there you are... (Or rather, I like *good* white tea. I had not suspected I was a tea snob until I tried to drink white tea from a teabag.)

With thoughts of tea and peach pie from the night before, last night I decided I *really* *really* wanted a good peach tea. Luckily, while we'd been camping, we found a small tea shop in the nearby town and had picked up an infuser that fits our camping mugs, along with other equipment (like say the teapot). So I pulled out a dried peach from the dried fruit stash, chopped it up and threw in a few hibiscus flowers and a pinch of dried citrus peel. Then threw the kettle on. (Oops - even with a superficial cleaning, the outside of the kettle still gave off a campfire smell when heated. Oh, well...)

Mmmmm.... Peach tea. Yum... And the advantage of this way of making it is that I get to munch on the rehydrated peach bits as a snack once the tea is brewed.

Heard my dad for the first time in months this weekend. He's enthusiastic about the blanket, which should arrive in the next week or two. And he's even more enthusiastic about the second blanket I've promised to make - one to go to a wounded soldier. (And yes, got a picture of the blanket, so it should be going up soon.)

Spent the weekend with Mom, up in Lancaster County, PA, where we picked up some seriously good food - chocolate, pretzels, chips, rootbeer (You know, she never *used* to let us have this stuff.) and some stuff that even had nutritional content, like cheese, dried apples, cherry cider, and fresh bread. Mmmm.

And I got a fair way into the small project I picked up after the blanket - a pair of socks in various shades of blue that I'm crocheting. (Yeah, I *could* knit them, but I could find my small hook much more easily than my double points. Besides, my husband complains if I leave double points sitting around and it's easier to keep track of one hook than 5 needles.) with purple and yellow heels. (Remember - walk softly, but make loud socks.) It's toe-up with an afterthought heel, for those interested in such details. I have wierd to fit feet, so I vastly prefer to work toe-up so I can try on my work as I go. Also, it gives me more time to think about what stitch I want to do the legs in. If I were working in plain colors, I think I'd have a try at tapestry crochet, since there's a really cute horse pattern for a purse that I saw somewhere and am sure I could find, if I just looked...

In any case, socks are a lovely, refreshing project - small, with just the right kind of detail. Light. Completely unrelated to the current violence that my dad is caught in. (These will be mine, thank you. I can't imagine making socks for someone I didn't know, simply because feet are so individual.) And they go quickly. In fact, I'd better decide on a leg stitch quickly, since I'm nearly finished with the ankle. After them, then the Other Blanket awaits.

I'm thinking of trying a design that I've kind of had in my head - essentially, drawing in crochet - a nice, peaceful scene, either the hills, or the seashore (seashore would be a little bit easier, and I may start with it.)

Meatless Mondays?

Today I read an article on the environmental benefits of vegetarianism (comparing it to the Prius). Now, I'm not sure that the approach taken in the article is the best one for most people. Yes, vegetarian foods are better for the environment, and often for the person consuming them. (As much as I love Worthington Foods Little Links, I do concede that they are little bundles of fat and salt.)

However, if I were to say to my husband, "So, how about going veggie, then?" he might well go and eat a steak just to prove he could. And I don't think he's all that unusual in that reaction. On the other hand, I know he's looking forward to tonight's dinner of bean soup. And he also likes Worthington Foods stuff. Or going to Tiffin for benghan bartha, dal, and palak paneer with naan and aloo pratha. Oh, and fresh lime soda. And almond halwa for dessert, please. (Or their nearly as fabulous carrot halwa. Hey, when you've got a place this good just a few blocks away, you get to know their menu.)

Even assuming the soup is non-vegetarian, we're still not looking at a lot of meat in it - maybe a hambone and a couple pieces of chopped up bacon in a potful of traditional bean soup. As for the Indian dinner, maybe a couple tablespoons of ghee and 6 oz. of cheese in a meal for 3 or 4 people. (I'm presuming the environment can't tell if I'm keeping a dairy cow or a meat steer.)

Such a meal, even if not as virtuous as, say, locally grown greens with squash and potatoes and a cup of home canned peach juice for dessert (not that this sounds un-tasty. Just an example.) is still better than 16 oz T-Bone with bacon and blue cheese on top per person, with an enormous dessert to finish. I just worry about the either/or sense of the article. Either eat "virtuously" or "badly" with absolutely nothing in between. How about reducing meat and dairy consumption?

In the comparison with the Prius (or my Honda Civic Hybrid), they seem to have forgotten that the hybrids don't completely get rid of the gas engine. They reduce usage. The hybrids are not as good as walking, biking, taking the train, or whatever, but they are an improvement over taking the Gargantuan Hummer when you don't need the power or carrying capacity.

I've mentioned before that one of the things *I'd* have liked to see post 9/11 is a real look at how we can, as a country, conserve energy. If you're not in the room, turn out the light. If you can, use energy-conserving lights. Turn down the heat and the AC. Consider carpooling, going public transit, or going to an efficient car. Unplug. Walk someplace local to catch a sandwich, and spend a few minutes visiting with the neighbors while you're at it.

And maybe we could consider Meatless Mondays. Even if the rest of the week, you want that T-bone or whatever, how about considering one day a week having lentil soup and a salad? How about thinking along the lines of reducing how much meat is in an individual meal... You know, instead of half pound burgers around, making casserole or a smaller sandwich and a bigger salad...