Monday, August 31, 2026

In My Kitchen and in My Life

Nothing is really new in my kitchen this August, but we have been making good use of gadgets, furniture and so on that we already have. And we’ve enjoyed summer produce, buying local when we can find it, but also shopping at our most convenient local food store that happens to be Trader Joe’s. Here are a few photos of August foods from the market to our table and in our pantry.

August produce in my kitchen and at the markets.

Sheet pan chicken and potatoes.

Lamb stir-fry with rice and smashed cucumber salad. Trader Joe’s had great shaved lamb, perfect for this dish.

Charcoal-grilled lamb chops.

Corn is in season and local corn is delicious.
Unfortunately our next ears of corn were moldy and had to be thrown away.

Ravioli toasted in a frying pan rather than steamed.

An omelet

Another omelet.

Fresh fruit from a neighbors trip to western Michigan.

Pancakes with the peaches and blueberries

Toaster waffles: a favorite breakfast this month.

Ice cream: always in my kitchen

In the Pantry

My messy pantry shelves.

Onions in the onion bin

Among other things: an order of jam from amazon.com

On the New Grill Pan

Chicken cooked on the new grill pan and served with a cucumber salad.

A few more dinners

Shrimp with rice and green peas

Vanilla pudding topped with local peaches

A Few More Thoughts for August

A Fascinating Artist Has Died

Yayoi Kusama (1929-2026) was a fascinating Japanese artist and sculptor. (link)

Summer Flowers are Still in Bloom

And I Got Snookered

Now in the pantry: a lifetime supply of off-brand peanut butter cups (note intentional misspelling).
I guess you have to be hyperaware ALL the time, even if you just want authentic REESES candy.

The real deal (that I don’t have)

Sunday, August 30, 2026

Watching an Old Movie with New Connections

A Creepy Sensation

Sunday afternoon we watched “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” — which of course we have watched before. It’s one of several prequels to the Harry Potter story as you no doubt are aware. Its author, J.K.Rowling, has an uncanny ability to make me think of current events. As I watched, I had a creepy feeling that the eerie evil character Grindelwald was very familiar right now.

Yes, I placed Grindelwald’s face: he looks like British right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos who was taken into custody by ICE and deported last Friday from the US to the United Kingdom. The reason for his expulsion was that he had overstayed his visa while engaging in very visible right-wing political activities. He was a writer for the far-right Breitbart website, and was proud of using language that was racist and that denigrated women, Muslims, and transgender people. Good riddance!

Left: Grindelwald. Right: Yiannopoulos.

Stories for Our Time: Repost from 2024

A purely evil political leader appeals to the masses through his dramatic speeches. The large crowds of his followers go wild, howling with adoration and loyalty. He convinces them that they are superior beings, and that they should show no tolerance for those who differ from them. He promises that once empowered, he will expel or even exterminate their inferiors. His overwhelming appeal almost enables him to become the supreme ruler of the Wizard World. Luckily, a few brave opponents, especially Newt Scamander and Albus Dumbledore, prevent the deceptive and charismatic Grindlewald from achieving his evil plan.

As we binge-watched the three recent Fantastic Beasts films (prequel to the Harry Potter story) I was overcome with dread because of the parallel to recent real life. Unfortunately, no one stopped the onslaught of our new dictator, and as he rapidly announces his coming regime, I fear that no one will stand up to his evil plan.

Not only are we without a magical hero to save us, we don’t even have adorable magical pets to cheer us up. However, these films are a good escape if you don’t take their political situation too seriously. Here are Newt Scamander’s two adorable pets: