Another, even easier no-knead bread.

I thought the original no-knead bread was the recipe from heaven, but then my friend Stephanie told me about Mark Bittman's beer bread.

You turn on the oven to 350 degrees, dump the ingredients in a bowl, stir the dough quickly, pop it in a bread pan, and bake for 45-60 minutes. Done! No waiting for the dough to rise, no kneading, no remembering to start the bread 24 hours before you want to eat it.

And for any yeast-averse cooks out there, you don't need any dry or cake yeast. The beer provides the yeast. Today I shopped for exotic beers and the best I could do was this Guinness stout. But it does say "foreign extra" and "St. James's Gate Dublin" so that at least sounds exotic. And the label has that cute little harp on it.

For the loaf in this picture I used some cheapo beer called Icebox.

Another loaf coming up for dinner tonight, but this one should taste stouty.


Recipe (modified ever so slightly):

3 tablespoons olive oil or melted butter, plus more for greasing the pan

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 12-ounce bottle of beer

1. Heat the oven to 350. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with a little oil or butter. Whisk together the flours, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar and salt. Add the oil or butter and beer, and stir just until everything is combined.

2. Pour into the loaf pan and bake until the loaf is nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, 45 to 60 minutes. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes before removing from the pan and serving.

Carpenter bee, I think.

All summer long I've been wowed by the huge bumblebees at my flowers. But I don't think they were bumblebees...carpenter bees is what I now think. Huge!

I'm so not in the blogging mood. I write blog posts in my head but never put them here.

They will soon be gone.

The hummingbirds have been very active this summer, especially in late summer. I wonder if that's because they are passing through in great numbers as the summer wanes?

I found this somewhere on the big old Internet. Amazing little things.
Ruby-throat Hummingbirds, for example, may travel as many as 2,000 miles between Canada and Panama. The trip includes a non-stop, 500-mile flight over the Gulf of Mexico.

Hummingbirds by nature are tropical creatures. They have been programmed to move north in the spring to exploit the renewed food sources and nesting sites, while escaping the intense competition for the same in the tropics. It is believed that this process began with the end of the last ice age.

[I wish this were a better picture. Kitt has some beautiful pictures of her hummingbirds.]

What's this? you ask. It is my sister's mushroom harvest the first time (I think) she and Bro-in-Law went seriously fungi-hunting this year.

I don't yet know the details of what they ate (if anything), what was poisonous (if any were), and how much more they've harvested since this picture was taken a week or so ago (if any have). Sister Kathy said she felt a mushroom obsession coming on, and she rarely fails to follow an obsession.

"Cats have a whole other thing going."*

In a comment on the kitten pictures from earlier this week, JGH says "Cats pick the oddest places to sleep. You would think the magazine rack is the most comfortable spot in the house."

James' and Robert's Aunt Lucy likes to sleep on a roll-top desk. In a house that's knee-deep in quilts.

*Quote is from my husband Doug. He says it quite often.

Grandkittens James (top) and Robert (bottom).

I said I wasn't going to do this* and I tried to avoid it, but I heard Bruce singing this today. Rise up,he said.

*"This" being allowing myself to join in this national weekend of mourning.

Ironically, Bruce wrote this song before 9/11/01.

"The song was written in November 2000, for an Asbury Park, New Jersey Christmas show benefit to help promote the revitalization of the city."

Apparently there's a big ruckus in the local sports world about the U of MD's new uniforms. I love them. And they won their first game so....

Check out those shoes! And who couldn't love those uniforms. Inspired obviously by the Maryland state flag, the most beautiful of all the state flags by a mile.
Top photo by Rob Carr/Gerry Images. Bottom photo by Patrick Semanksy/AP.

Ma-REE-ah! Ma-REE-ah! Ma-REE-ah! I just met a girl named Ma-REE-ah.

Katia will miss our coast, thanks to Tropical Depression Lee, who is dumping many inches of water on us now. But here comes Ma-REE-ah! And by the way, what ever happened to Richard Beymer who sang Maria in West Side Story? These days you can't ask those questions because of Wikipedia, the best website ever. Richard Beymer performed in a few other movies, and most notably (to me) had a role in Twin Peaks -- I loved Twin Peaks, bring back Twin Peaks! bring back Twin Peaks! -- and he even wrote a book called Impostor: Or Whatever Happened to Richard Beymer?
So there you go: that's what happened to the guy singing Ma-REE-ah! Oh, and he wasn't even singing. That was someone named Jimmy Bryant. And if you're interested in what happened to him you'll have to check Wikipedia yourself.

I don't want to remember 9/11. Does that make me a bad person?

I've been remembering 9/11 every single day for nearly 10 years. I've read dozens of books and countless articles about that day, bin Laden, Afghanistan, Islam, and terrorism in general. I live just outside DC and have family and friends in New York. The 9/11 attacks are almost as chilling to me today as they were 10 years ago, maybe more. I'm sorry, but on Sunday I'm putting my head in the sand and trying to avoid the "commemoration." I don't judge those who either planned all this hoopla nor do I judge those who will actively participate in it. But I'll not be among them.

Excellent move. (Predicted move, that is.)

It's not been a great year for my vegetable garden.

These sad tomatoes, plus two from last week that looked equally sad, are the total sum (or is it "sum total"?) of my harvest this year. There are a bunch of small green fruits out there but whatever has been eating at these (stinkbugs maybe?) will surely get them too. Maybe I'll pick them while they're still green and just make fried green tomatoes. The potatoes are the total harvest from two healthy looking plants. Is it me? Or my soil? Or the barely 5 hours of sun the garden gets? Maybe next year will be better.

Ahem.

As Anne at The Complaint Department says:

Katia, I'm looking at you. And, just so you know, I'm well aware that "Katia" is just an alias . . . Katrina! Oh, yes. I remember you from the rotation six years ago. So, now they've given you a new name and shunted "Katrina" off into some kind of witness protection program.

Christopher Hitchens: Love this book, love those bookshelves, hate that booze and those cigs that are taking him away.

He's such a great writer. He makes me laugh, he makes me think. I agree with him only on certain issues. I want to quote so many lines from the book but there are simply too many. He's especially effective when he's talking about his love for the United States and his reasons for becoming an American citizen.

I take the attitude that even though his father died of esophageal cancer, and he obviously knew that all that drinking (man, does he enjoy his drinking) and smoking would mix badly with those genes, it was his god-given (ha!) right to keep on doing both. And now he's dying of esophageal cancer. I think he may have stopped the cigs, but I don't know about the booze. I highly recommend the book if you like grumpy oddballs with a great command of the English language.

And yes, those are book shelves in the middle picture. At first, I thought "oh wow! Hitchens keeps his books in huge piles like I keep mine!" But on closer inspection I think they are shelves.

Should we be marching in the streets?

I'm not one to spend any time reading about the Securities and Exchange Commission. What I know about it is what I pick up on the radio half-listening to people wringing their hands, for good reason, over The Economy. But I did read Matt Taibbi's recent article about the agency in Rolling Stone. If even half of his reporting is accurate, why aren't more people outraged? One senator has asked the SEC to explain itself, but why isn't everyone on Capitol Hill, and in the White House, also on this?

Pictures are of Baltimore's Berger Chocolate Cremes, possibly the best cookies on the planet. Back in early August, I was, unfortunately, reminded of them by the helpful Ms. Complaint Department on her blog Fat Chat (she is decidedly not fat but you know how we all define "fat" differently) and I have not stopped eating them ever since.

And check out her report from yesterday about how she survived Hurricane Irene.

Relationship between Berger cookies and SEC? None, I just couldn't find a blog-worthy picture of the SEC.

Root Boy!

San Francisco Margo (AKA Margaret) sent me this picture. On the left you see the late great Root Boy Slim, one of life's more eccentric performers. I don't know who the guy is on his left. Root Boy played at the long-gone Psychedeli in Bethesda where Doug and I (and Margo) saw The Root many times. We also saw him at the Warner Theater downtown near the White House, and at the University of Maryland. He was a hoot, was The Root. He had many memorable songs, but Boogie Till You Puke was one of my favorites. I also liked Christmas at K-Mart, and the Rootettes were wonderful. It was a long, long time ago -- late 70s -- but amazingly the memories are still fresh. And we did. Boogie till we puked that is (or at least I puked). TMI?

Now if I can just find my Root Boy glasses I'll post a picture of them too.

James, my grandkitty, and his racing stripes.

Hey! Wake up. In one week we've had an earthquake, a tornado (to the east), and now a hurricane is coming. Not to worry, they say.

Hosta Hospital.

Next door neighbor's deer-mauled hostas. Bottom picture taken 8/19; top picture taken 8/26. I asked her if I could dig up her hostas that were nothing more than stubs to see if I could nurse them back to health before the end of summer. Two are doing very well, two are at least off the critical list, but one is still in intensive care. My suggestion is that she put these pots on her very high deck so that next year the deer won't get them unless they learn to climb stairs.

My only damage from yesterday's earthquake: my Keith Richards bobble head doll fell off his perch. But no injuries.

The last time I posted about my Keith bobble head doll (can you tell how much I love him?) someone offered me 100 bucks for it. Let's see if the bidding has gone up in the interim.

Maybe I should tidy up that perch of Keith's. If there's a flat empty surface in my home it quickly becomes un-empty.

Buckeye butterfly (thanks Anonymous) on Russian sage. Or should it be russian sage? Link to God's Blog.

I like to read the comments to blog posts just as much as I like to read the original posts. This writer did a great job of capturing the nuttiness of blog comments.

Kittens! Robert in black, James in gray.

You may have to go to a full screen to see these videos.

These little guys were born on Long Island in mid-June and are happily living now in Brooklyn in my daughter's almost fully unpacked apartment. School starts soon for her so she won't have as much time to take videos of them.

I want to bee this lady and wear this outfit.

Credit: Bill Cunningham, The New York Times, August 14, 2011.

My frogs. I spend a lot of time creeping up on them. They seem quite content. Not as exciting as keeping bees but I love them just as much.

There are at least four in my little pond. All different sizes. I think they are known as green frogs (Lithobates clamitans).

All 'I Love Lucy' lovers should check out the Lucy fashion show over at The Complaint Department. It will make you smile.

Here's the Lucy Fashion show.
These pictures show what remains of a book my daughter once owned and apparently used quite a lot. It's missing a chunk at the back but I've never been able to throw it out. She would, in a New York minute (ha).

I love finding a box in the mail. Especially when it has local honey in it.

Thanks to the hard work, and generosity, of Kathy at No Rhyme or Reason I have this beautiful and delicious honey. Here's her very interesting post on her honey harvesting this year. If I can't or won't have my own home-harvested honey, I know I can depend on the kindness of bloggers. My plan is to use it on toast. But first I have to find some other daily food or meal to give up because once I start eating this honey on toast I'll overdo it, as is my foodie way.
Thanks again Kathy!

The Red Elephant on New Hampshire Avenue. And his owner.

I noticed the other day that this house near me (on NH Avenue extended) has some new features. So I stopped to take some pictures and the owner strolled out to greet me. He was a friendly guy, didn't act or look peculiar, but let's face it: he has a giant red elephant, a giant tricycle, part of a catamaran maybe (?), and a giant frog (see roof) in front of his house, which otherwise looks abandoned. He created a beautiful metal gate out of ... stuff. I complimented him on his fascinating house, but I was too embarrassed and surprised by his presence to ask really pertinent questions: why do you do this? do you live inside that house? what are you making/growing in that big building behind your house? (A few years ago someone who works at a plant nursery across the street told me that the big building behind the elephant house is a factory but he didn't know what kind.) Note hand-written sign on house: "Industrial Art." Eccentric people rule!

One of my froggies. He lives in the pond that my bees used as their personal water fountain last year. And a note about the Denver County Fair.

A few days ago Kitt from Denver reported on the Denver County Fair. Here's a second review from the New York Times. Kitt out-reports The Times because she mentioned the fried Fruit Loops and the performance by Devo.

This time last year I was gearing up to work at the Montgomery County Fair, where I co-manned/personed a bee demonstration booth for a 4-hour shift (or was it 3 hrs but felt like 4?). It was hot as blazes, I knew very little, and although I'm glad I did it, I decided not to do it again this year. Maybe next year. I still think of myself as a beekeeper. Yesterday I was strafed a couple of times by buzzing insects that were either bumblebees or other bee-like creatures. I was unfazed, as usual, but if it had happened last year I would have assumed it was one of my honey bees and that she was angry about something and that I needed to find out why she wasn't happy and do something about it. Now. [Sort of like an over-protective mother. I should know.]

I'm making a tee shirt quilt for Stargazer, who lives way, way on the other side of the US.

After reading her post about, among other things, an outworn tee shirt, I offered impulsively to turn the shirt (along with some others of hers) into a quilt. I'm so glad I did. This will be a test to see how long it takes me. I'm guessing 6 weeks. It will be a tied quilt, not a quilted quilt. Quilted quilts take me years to finish. But a tied quilt that involves only minimal piecing shouldn't take long at all. One rule: I never sew until after 8 or 9 at night, often later. Something about not being able to sew during day-light hours .... If I was willing (able?) to sew during the day I bet I could finish it in a couple of weeks. We'll never know.

And after I finish her quilt, maybe I'll finally finish my own tee shirt quilt that I started years ago and just found. (I've GOT to clean out my quilting closet.)

Love the tee shirt from Minnesota (bad picture at top).

My answer to the question posed by this beekeeper is "yes."

I'm still reading all the emails from my local beekeeping group. This popped up yesterday. I apologize to all the successful beekeepers out there who may read this, because I am definitely still pro-bee even though my two most recent posts about bees were kinda negative. But I do think this lady should re-consider. I'm not sure if she's a physician or not. She needs an editor, but who doesn't? I know that she loves her bees. And may be a bit of a risk-taker.


"My sting reactions have been getting progressively worse ...and yesterday I was hospitalized shortly, not because of anaphylaxis, but because my diaphragm went into spasms, interrupting my breathing about 10 minutes after a second sting while top feeding (the stings WERE my fault and I have not been very good at wearing protective gear). I was fine after all the usual treatments, but told that the next time I get multiple stings I may not make to the ER even with an Epipen.

"... I have put a lot of time, effort and love (not to mention $) into my 2 hives and they are doing very well. I hate to give them up and was looking for some feedback from beekeepers. I am well aware that physicians do their best to strike fear into one's heart, and as a physician know that they do speak some truth, but may not understand bees or their upkeep.

"I will be starting immuntolerance therapy and am ordering more serious protective gear. Am I crazy for wanting to keep this up?"

Photos: two of the very, very few nasturtiums I got this year. I love them (modest, edible, and totally deer-proof) but am not very successful with them. Too little water? Too few (or too many) nutrients? Too little (or too much) sun? My ignorance about them is huge.

A quick summary, from an almost sane friend (her choice of words, not mine), about the Debt Ceiling "Crisis."

First it was Obama's penis that was in the limelight.
Then Boehner challenged Obama to a penis duel.
Then Harry Reid says, "I TOO have a PENIS"
To which Schumer says, "I have a penis, too, albeit a smaller one, perhaps."
Then Eric Cantor said, "My penis is bigger than Boehner's penis,"
Then Boehner says, "Not so fast, Cantor."
And now today, Mitch McConnell emerges and says, "My penis is the biggest of all."
And he calls Obama and says, "Do you sir not have a penis?"
(Note that Nancy Pelosi has no penis. We presume so at any rate.)
Whose penis will prevail? We must have confidence that everything will be OK because in the end they will all get up at the microphone and say . . . "Aren't our penises wonderful!"
Gabby Giffords had the last laugh saying "Put your penises away. You won't be needing them because I'm in the house tonight!"

The authoress's name will be omitted to protect her impending security clearance. It's a tricky world out there these days.

Gabby Giffords returned to the Congress today, which brings tears to my eyes. Our gun laws are ridiculous and I don't care who I piss off by saying so.