Fuzzy Sapiens by H. Beam Piper (Fuzzy Sapiens #2)

Fuzzy Sapiens by H. Beam Piper
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Jacket Blurb: Are Fuzzies People? Pendarvis' Decision had finally declared the Fuzzies to be intelligent beings, and that meant some drastic changes for the Earthmen who had colonized their planet, changes that a lot of people weren't going to accept easily. But why worry? said others. The Fuzzies seemed lovable, fun-loving creatures, only two feet high, and covered with soft, golden fur. Give them plenty of extee-three and they'd do anything you asked. What ruling race of invaders could ask for a more ideal native population? Read for January 2021 book group.

Fuzzy Sapiens picks up right where Fuzzy Nation left off. A Zarathrustra Corporation no longer has control of the planet, the planet is trying to establish a new government, and Jack Holloway is in charge of the Department of Native Liaisons. Zarathrustra Corporation has had a complete change of heart with its CEO finds a Fuzzy in his own apartment and realizes there are four missing Fuzzies. Enemies become allies as everyone discovers there's a larger problem at stake.

Loosely summarizing...

Written in 1964, this has all the makings of a classic science fiction book - planetary drama, futuristic society, newly discovered alien species, Good Guys vs Bad Guys and triumph over evil. The plot is still engaging, the story moves smartly along, and its an interesting look back at how authors were looking forward.

From a modern perspective I found it to be a bit cringe-worthy: patronizing, androcentric, and socially unbelievable. From a modern perspective. It amazes me how authors could create a space faring future with interstellar travel, float cars, and more, but keep people in a 1960's mindset of women as secretaries and fuzzy sitters and where everyone smokes. Scientifically looking forward, socially stuck. Rather fascinating and I wonder why that was.

I do believe it's worth reading when viewed with a historical eye. It an easy and entertaining read if that is kept in mind. Recommended.

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Recipe Review from 1/18/2021

Hm. Well, another week where meal planning was just that - a very loose plan. The Burgundy Bear dish made a lot more leftovers than I was anticipating and I should note that on the recipe for the next time I make it. It's not a new recipe, it's just been a very long time since I've made it. So the pasta and leek saute: moved to next week. Salmon: moved to next Sunday and hoping the weather will be warm enough to try smoking it. So only two recipes to review.

The Meal Plan:
Sat (L)leftover Cobb Salad (S) Chickpea dish
Sun (L) leftover chickpeas (S) Burgundy bear steaks
Mon (yoga) (L) out? (S) leftover bear
Tues - Pasta leftover bear on smashed potatoes
Wed (yoga) leftover bear on sauted potatoes
Thur - Salmon Chinese takeout
Fri (off) leftover Chinese

Lunches - Squash chili with cornbread muffins


Warm Spinach Salad with Chickpeas and Roasted Tomatoes (Eating Well Jan/Feb 2021) vegetarian/vegan
This was so simple to assemble (and would have been simpler had I made my beans ahead of time). The tahini dressing really pulls everything together. I did use dried beans I prepared in the instant pot, I subbed red wine for the sherry vinegar (what's with recipes calling for sherry vinegar lately?), and I purchased a 5 oz tub of baby spinach. Prep is minimal (especially if you cook your beans ahead of time, clean-up is a snap (tip: use parchment paper under the tomatoes on the baking sheet) and it tastes great! I would absolutely make this again. Recommended!

Photo from eatingwell.com

1 medium sweet onion, sliced ¼ inch thick
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
½ teaspoon salt, divided
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
3 cups cooked or canned (rinsed) chickpeas
1 ¼ teaspoons dried oregano
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon tahini
½ teaspoon pure maple syrup
8 cups lightly packed spinach (8 ounces)


Preheat oven to 425°F.

Toss onion with 1 tablespoon oil and 1/8 teaspoon salt on a large rimmed baking sheet. Spread into an even layer. Roast for 10 minutes.

Push the onion to one side of the pan. Add tomatoes to the empty side and sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Roll the tomatoes around on the pan to oil them up a bit. Roast until the onion is blackened in spots and the tomatoes have collapsed and released some of their juices, 25 to 30 minutes more.

Add chickpeas, oregano and pepper to the pan and drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Toss to combine the vegetables, scraping up the browned bits. Return to the oven and roast until the oregano is fragrant and the chickpeas are heated through, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, vinegar, tahini, maple syrup and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add spinach and toss to coat. Top the spinach with the roasted vegetables and chickpeas. Serve warm.


Vegetarian Winter Squash Chili (Slow Cooker Favorites, Fine Cooking, Winter of 2014) vegetarian/vegan
The recipe was written backwards, in my humble opinion, and I've reflected the order I thought would make the most sense below. Though, really, this would be a good chop and plop dish and skip sauteing the onion.

My other observation is this is a very sweet chili - almost too much so with the squash, cranberries and orange juice. It was a bit...disconcerting. You can also adjust the heat level by adding or reducing the amount of chipolte in adobo. I should have added a tich more, but I like heat.

2 cups finely chopped onion
1 tsp minced garlic
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon (divided)
1 tsp ground cumin (divided)

2 (15 oz cans) chickpeas, rinsed and drained OR 3 cups cooked chickpeas
7 cups (about 2 small) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
2 tsp coarse salt
12 grinds of black pepper

1/2 tbsp chipolte chili in adobo sauce
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup tomato paste

Heat oil in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onion, garlic, 1/2 tsp cumin,1/2 tsp cinnamon and saute until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Mix chickpeas, squash, salt, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp cinnamon and the pepper in the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the onion mixture.

Place chipolte chili, cranberries, orange juice and tomato paste into a blender and puree until mostly smooth. Pour over ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 4-6 hours or until squash is soft.

Recipe Review from 1/11/2021

The initial meal plan rather went out the window last week and it was an exercise in "shuffling" and pantry diving. The beautiful hoarfrost went away as temps crept up above freezing mid to end of the week.

The Meal Plan:
Sat (L) squash with qunioa leftovers (S) leftovers
Sun (L) Scrounged (S) Fish cakes
Mon (yoga) Fish fillets
Tues - Cobb Salad  Rice bowls
Wed (yoga) Fish  Hot chicken sandwiches
Thurs - Cobb Salad take-n-bake pizza
Fri - Cobb Salad

Lunches - Caprese Pasta Salad Bowls

Chicken Caprese Pasta Salad Bowls (Eating Well, June 2019)

photo from eatingwell.com

This was so easy to assemble, especially if you are using leftover or rotisserie chicken (which I highly recommend for this recipe. The dressing really makes this dish - it's excellent. No, awesome. No, fantastic! Seriously good. This dish combined with a small dinner roll or baguette, really does make for the perfect, pre-packed lunch. Recommended!

Made about 5-6 tubs (I think I used more spinach.

8 ounces whole-grain rotini
1 (5 ounce) package baby spinach (about 6 cups)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
1 cup pearl-size or mini mozzarella balls (about 4 ounces)

Vinaigrette
1 small shallot, peeled and quartered
½ cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
2 teaspoons honey or agave syrup
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon ground pepper
¼ teaspoon salt

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook rotini according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold running water, then drain again and set aside.

Divide spinach among 4 single-serving lidded containers. Top each with 1 cup of the cooked pasta, 1/2 cup tomatoes, 1/2 cup chicken and one-fourth of the mozzarella balls.

Vinaigrette: Combine shallot, basil, oil, vinegar, honey (or agave), mustard, pepper and salt in a blender. Puree until smooth.

Divide vinaigrette among 4 small lidded containers and refrigerate.

Seal the salad containers and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Dress with the vinaigrette just before serving.


Winter Cobb Salad (Eating Well, Jan/Feb 2021) vegetarian/vegan option
This ended up being one of the dishes that got shuffled due to time restraints with baking the squash. I should have just baked it ahead of time and assembled later. For a salad, this was...putzy and time consuming to assemble - and I say this after I either skipped or forgot some of the ingredients. I omitted the bacon and red onion and forgot the blue cheese. So you would think this could be fairly quick to pull together. Nope. Had to prep and bake the squash (45 minutes), prep apples, prep dressing, prep avocado, prep kale, wait for squash to cool, assemble, eat.

My suggestions: buy a clamshell of mixed spinach and kale greens and skip the squash. I didn't care for cold (room temp) squash on my salad. This can easily be converted to vegetarian or vegan without loosing any flavor. Omit bacon and/or cheese.

The other modification I did was to use the dressing from the Winter Cobb Salad.

Serves 4(ish)

photo from eatingwell.com

4 cups cubed peeled butternut squash
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon minced shallot
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
10 cups coarsely chopped stemmed kale
1 large crisp apple, sliced or chopped
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 slices cooked bacon, chopped skipped
2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
1 ripe avocado, sliced
¼ cup crumbled blue cheese


Preheat oven to 400°F.

Toss squash with 1 tablespoon oil, coriander, cumin and cinnamon in a large bowl. Spread on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast, stirring once halfway, until tender and lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.

Whisk vinegar, mustard, shallot, oregano, pepper and salt in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the remaining 4 tablespoons oil. Add kale and toss well to combine. Divide the kale among 4 plates and top with apple, onion, bacon, egg, avocado, cheese and the squash.


Crispy Fried Rice Bowls (Eating Well (Jan/Feb 2021)
This dish, while simple, does require planning ahead so the rice is ready to go. I did a couple of modifications - I poached the eggs (I like the "clean" taste of a poached egg more so than a fried egg) and I skipped the carrot and scallions.

Unfortunately, I only got one meal out of this as I didn't realized I was nearly out of brown rice. I had just enough to make one meal for two of us. Which was a bummer as this came together quickly, was perfect for a later week-night meal, and was quite good. I would make this again. Recommended!

Serves 4

photo from eatingwell.com

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, divided
2 ½ cups cooked brown rice
½ teaspoon salt plus a pinch, divided
2 tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil, divided
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 11-ounce package baby spinach
1 tablespoon lime juice
4 large eggs
1 ripe avocado, sliced
1 cup julienned carrot
4 radishes, thinly sliced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
4 teaspoons Sriracha

Heat 1 teaspoon sesame oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add rice and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until crispy, about 10 minutes. Divide among 4 shallow bowls.

Add the remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon grapeseed (or canola) oil and ginger to the pan. Add spinach, in batches, and cook, tossing, until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in lime juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Divide among the rice bowls.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon grapeseed (or canola) oil in the pan. Crack eggs into it and cook until the whites are set and the edges are crispy, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining pinch of salt. Place an egg on each rice bowl. Top with avocado, carrot, radishes, scallions and Sriracha.

Pan Seared Snapper with Red Pepper Relish (Eating Well, Jan/Feb 2021)
I had some Lake Superior whitefish cakes and fillets in the freezer from a trip to the Bayfield peninsula last fall, and this recipe fit perfectly. It was super easy to assemble, it tastes great and would work with a variety of neutral white fish (red snapper, tilapia, halibut if you want to go a bit fancy, your local favorite fish...). Serve with some crusty artisanal bread to sop up the relish. Recommended!

Serves 4

1 15-ounce can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, drained
3 jarred roasted red bell peppers (about 8 ounces), chopped
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 tablespoons chopped garlic plus 1 teaspoon, divided
½ teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
1 ½ teaspoons sherry vinegar, divided
⅛ teaspoon salt plus ¼ teaspoon, divided
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 ¼ pounds skin-on snapper fillets

Combine tomatoes and peppers in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, about 3 times. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium skillet over medium heat; add 3 tablespoons garlic and cook until fragrant and softened, about 3 minutes. Add coriander and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato mixture, sugar and crushed red pepper; continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is dry, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 tablespoon oil, parsley, 1 teaspoon vinegar and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Set aside.

Meanwhile, mix mayonnaise, paprika and the remaining 1 teaspoon garlic and 1/2 teaspoon vinegar in a small bowl; set aside.

Cut 2 slits in the skin side of each fillet. Pat dry with paper towels. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the fish, skin-side down, and gently press with a spatula until it stays flat. Reduce heat to medium and cook until the skin is browned and crisp, 6 to 7 minutes. Flip the fish and cook until it flakes easily with a fork, 1 to 2 minutes more. Season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Divide the reserved red pepper relish among 4 plates. Top with a fish fillet and some of the reserved garlicky mayo.

Wine Girl by Victoria James

Wine Girl: The Obstacles, Humiliations, and Triumphs of America's Youngest Sommelier by Victoria James
My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Book Blurb: An affecting memoir from the country’s youngest sommelier, tracing her path through the glamorous but famously toxic restaurant world

At just twenty-one, the age when most people are starting to drink (well, legally at least), Victoria James became the country’s youngest sommelier at a Michelin-starred restaurant. Even as Victoria was selling bottles worth hundreds and thousands of dollars during the day, passing sommelier certification exams with flying colors, and receiving distinction from all kinds of press, there were still groping patrons, bosses who abused their role and status, and a trip to the hospital emergency room.

It would take hitting bottom at a new restaurant and restorative trips to the vineyards where she could feel closest to the wine she loved for Victoria to re-emerge, clear-eyed and passionate, and a proud “wine girl” of her own Michelin-starred restaurant.


Exhilarating and inspiring, Wine Girl is the memoir of a young woman breaking free from an abusive and traumatic childhood on her own terms; an ethnography of the glittering, high-octane, but notoriously corrosive restaurant industry; and above all, a love letter to the restorative and life-changing effects of good wine and good hospitality. Read as an audio book. Narrated by the author.

Trigger warning - descriptions of child abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and rape are described in this autobiography.

This book has a dual personality - one aspect is Victoria's trials, tribulations, humiliations, triumphs and successes from childhood to adulthood. It is very much an autobiography. And the other aspect is an in depth review of working in the hospitality industry in New York as well as the world of a sommelier.
Both aspects were appalling. Both aspects were moderately interesting.

I have heard from other avenues of the prevalent sexual abuse in the restaurant industry, especially in New York City. It despicable that this degradation of staff is allowed to persist, where those with money and power can and do take advantage of those without money simply because they can. Honestly, if I ever make it back to NYC (or any large city) I would be very hard pressed to even consider dining in a "starred" or "fancy" restaurant.

The journey to become a sommelier was fascinating, that it's an unregulated industry of white male privileged. I probably shouldn't have been surprised by that. Mostly what I realized as I read this, is that the industry seems to focus solely on French wines, South American wines and California wines, and if you dare drink anything else, you are a plebe. Which is a shame, because there are some wonderful wine growing regions in the States. What I learned - drink what *I* enjoy.

The book was organized into time frames spanning certain ages in Victoria's life, sub-threads (family, work, wine, personal tribulations, etc) seemed to come and go without consistency or cohesiveness. There were several topics that were brought up, then left dangling without conclusion or resolution later.

Ultimately, what Victoria achieved and the obstacles she overcame are amazing and commendable. Someone needs to stand up and tell the world about the crap under the surface and this autobiography certainly does that. I recommend this book with some definite reservations. It's not a comfortable story to read.

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Read as an audio book. Narrated by the author.

Trigger warning - descriptions of child abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and rape are described in this autobiography.

This book has a dual personality - one aspect is Victoria's trials, tribulations, humiliations, triumphs and successes from childhood to adulthood. It is very much an autobiography. And the other aspect is an indepth review of working in the hospitatlity industry in New York as well as the world of a sommiler.
Both aspects were appaling. Both aspects were moderately interesting.

I have heard from other avenues of the prevelent sexual abuse in the restaurant industry, espeically in New York City. It despicable that this degredation of staff is allowed to persist, where those with money and power can and do take advantage of those without money simply because they can. Honestly, if I ever make it back to NYC (or any large city) I would be very hard pressed to even consider dining in a "starred" restaurant.

The journey to become a sommiler was facinating, that it's an unregulated industry of white male privledge. I probably shouldn't have been surprised by that. Mostly what I realized as I read this, is that the industry seems to focus soley on French wines, South American wines and California wines, and if you dare drink anything else, you are a pleeb. Which is a shame, because there are some wonderful wine growing regions in the States. What I learned - drink what *I* enjoy.

The book was organized into timeframes spanning certain ages in Victoria's life, sub-threads (family, work, wine, personal tribulations, etc) seemed to come and go without consistency or cohesiveness. There were several topics that were brought up, then left dangling without conclusion or resolution later.

Ultimately, what Victoria achieved and the obstacles she overcame are amazing and commendable. Sometimes someone needs to stand up and tell the world about the crap under the surface and this autobiography certainly does that. I recommend this book with some definite reservations. It's not a comfortable story to read.

Recipe Review from 1/4/2021

Welcome to the new year! It's been a quiet start all in all if I discount the work insanity. No blizzards and a week of beautiful hoarfrost coating everything. And I do mean everything. The picture below caught one of of the sunny days - it's been mostly foggy and overcast.

photo by scifiwithpaprika@blogger

It was a week of predominantly leftovers. We had tentative plans to go scouting bird hunting locations in SD but a blizzard kept us home. So I just made what I had planned on taking on our trip.

The Meal Plan:
Sat (L) Burritos from the co-op (S) Texas Roadhouse take-out
Sun (L) leftover chili (S) Bear roast and potatoes
Mon (yoga) leftover bear
Tues - Texas Roadhouse leftovers
Wed (yoga) leftover bear
Thurs leftover chili
Fri (off) leftover squash with quinoa

Lunches:
Husband = sandwiches
Me = Squash with Quinoa and Apricots

Squash with Quinoa and Apricots (The Vegetarian Slow Cooker cookbook) vegetarian/vegan
A bit time consuming on the prep side, and I'm generally not a fan of pre-cooking something that's going into a slow cooker. What grabbed my attention was using squash and quinoa - which I had in my pantry.

This was...okay. I found it overly "orange-y" and in hindsight, I should have cut back the zest to 1 tsp. I did cook it for for 6 hours on low and it turned the squash, apples and onions into a bit of a "mush". Not very appealing. So while not a "failure" - I did eat it for lunches for the week, this would need some tweaking if I were to make it again.

Made enough for 5-6 lunches (depends on your container size)
Medium to large (3 1/2 to 5 qt slow cooker
1 tbsp oil
2 onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp minced ginger root
1 tbsp cumin
2 tsp finely grate orange zest
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup orange juice
4 cups cubed, peeled winter squash
2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 cup chopped apricots
1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed

Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, cumin, orange zest, cinnamon stick, tumeric, salt and peppercorns and cook, stirring, for 1 minutes. Add vegetable broth and orange juice and bring to a boil. Transfer to slow cooker.

Add squash, apples and apricots to slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low 6 hours or on high for 3 hours; until vegetables are tender. Discard cinnamon stick.

Cook quinoa according to directions on package. Add to slow cooker and stir well. Serve.

Dirt: Adventures, with Family, in the Kitchens of Lyon, Looking for the Origins of French Cooking by Bill Buford

Dirt: Adventures, with Family, in the Kitchens of Lyon, Looking for the Origins of French Cooking by Bill Buford
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb: Bill Buford turns his inimitable attention from Italian cuisine to the food of France. Baffled by the language, but convinced that he can master the art of French cooking--or at least get to the bottom of why it is so revered-- he begins what becomes a five-year odyssey by shadowing the esteemed French chef Michel Richard, in Washington, D.C. But when Buford (quickly) realizes that a stage in France is necessary, he goes--this time with his wife and three-year-old twin sons in tow--to Lyon, the gastronomic capital of France. Studying at L'Institut Bocuse, cooking at the storied, Michelin-starred La Mère Brazier, enduring the endless hours and exacting rigeur of the kitchen, Buford becomes a man obsessed--with proving himself on the line, proving that he is worthy of the gastronomic secrets he's learning, proving that French cooking actually derives from (mon dieu!) the Italian.

I greatly enjoy foodie books. These glimpses into a world that so many take for granted - we go out to eat, we sit at a table, food appears, we eat, pay and leave. I like knowing the behind the scenes - what kind of personality does it take to want to become a chef, a line cook, someone who finds some kind of satisfaction with working in an industrial kitchen. Where does my food come from? Who's making/growing/raising the cheese, the meat, the veggies, the the flour, the bread, etc? All the varied cultures and how do they approach food preparation and sitting down to eat.

I read Heat years ago and recall enjoying it, so when I saw Bill Buford had published another book, I immediately put it on hold at the library.

I enjoyed this quite a bit, but had a few quibbles too.

I enjoyed the history aspect: the question, the quest to answer where did French Cooking come from? I enjoyed the family aspect, Mr Buford's wife must be part saint, part goddess. I would love to read a book from her viewpoint on living in Italy and moving twin boys to France and back to the States, and her expertise and experience in the wine industry. I enjoyed reading about the people in Lyon and France. And, always of interest, working in Michelin star kitchens. It is a food culture both fascinating and in many ways, repugnant. Honestly, "because it's tradition" doesn't make a wrong, right. "It's tradition" just means someone doesn't have the nads to change the status quo.

My issues - all. the. names. Honestly, after a while I just couldn't keep straight which chef was which and from where and what restaurants they opened or closed. Other reviews have mentioned the name dropping would be more applicable or relative to upper level chefs. Maybe, maybe not, I just found them confusing.

Tying in with all the names, I lost interest in visiting all the restaurants. Same as the names - I couldn't keep who/what/where straight after a while.

And I found this to be about one chapter too long. I quite liked the bread-flour connection, and the importance of the role bread has in French culinary affairs. I would have preferred less restaurants and chefs and more artisinal connection. But that's my opinion.

Overall, I was kept mostly engaged, I learned quite a few things, and would recommended this book if you enjoy a foodie/history/autobiography type read.


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Year in Review 2020

YEAR IN REVIEW

2020

Well, this was a very unusual year, where everything changed and in some ways, nothing changed. As we wrap up 2020 and look toward 2021, I have no complaints. It was all in all, a good year.

There was a little bit of traveling:

Tuscon, Arizona - March

This was the one and only flying trip I took for the year. I got back March 2, and Pandemic lock downs started two weeks later.

Bayfield Peninsula/Madeline Island - July

Malta, Montana, September

(bird hunting)

Books Read (Novels, Novellas, Novelettes, Short Stories)

2020 - 80 (19537 pages approx)
2019 - 101 (25567 pages)
2018 - 122 (31568 pages)
2017 - 122 (29857 pages)
2016 - 119 (32652 pages)
2015 - 89 (25726 pages)
2014 - 89 (28442 pages)
2013 - 98 (28277 pages)
2012 - 129 (32617 pages)
2011 - 115 (30365 pages)
2010 – 80 (21848 pages)
2009 – 45 (16094 pages)
2008 – 45 (14456 pages)




New Recipes Made 
(yes, some of these are failures...)

2020 - 123
2019 - 111
2018 - 106
2017 - 100
2016 - 133
2015 - 98
2014 - 109
2013 - 125
2012 - 100
2011 - 95
2010 – 82
2009 - 92
2008 - 129
2007 - 120
2006 - 103
2005 - 137
2004 - 143
2003 - 154



A Smidgen of Knitting
(Ravelry Links)
Beachcomber Shawl (made two of these)
Easy Goes It (made two of these)
Therapy
Out Cattin' Around



Re-acquainted Myself with the Sewing Machine

There was a goodly amount of hiking/walking what with everything being closed down. I did a couple decent hikes in Tuscon, several hikes while on Madeline Island, and lots of walks on the Munger Trail. With the gym closed for nearly three months, lunch break was walkabouts outside. I got one 10 mile bike ride in on a 90* day at noon with a friend, which did inspire me to get back to spin class (until the gyms were closed again). The Husband and I spent the summer playing in the garden and enjoying some time on the porch watching the world go by.


Have a better 2021!

Please stay tuned for more recipes, book reviews, travel adventures and odds and ends!