Cauliflower, Pea, and Coconut Curry: adapted from a NYTimes recipe (link)
I prepped the food and made the recipe up until I took this photo — then Len took over the cooking.
It was the first time in a couple of months that I have cooked, as I recover from major surgery.

The curry. I added potatoes to the recipe as it was written, and omitted the rice.
Substitutions: I used green onions instead of cilantro, and peanuts instead of cashews.

Chicken thighs with potatoes and onions, which Len cooked earlier this week.

Carol’s fruit tart.

Reading about humans and other creatures

An interesting natural history book about “mutualisms,”
that is, examples of inter-species cooperation.

Rob Dunn, the author of The Call of the Honey Guide, explores a number of interactions of humans with other beings, from micro-organisms to beavers and many others in between. The book is full of historical examples and quotations from literature and poetry that create a very interesting and unusual reading experience.

For example, the human relationship to trees: “Globally, humans have cut down, burned, or otherwise destroyed roughly half of all the forest that once was. … Nature is never just one thing or another. Trees offer extraordinary benefits to those, like us, who partner with them; they offer their fruits, their bodies, and their services. The poet Ross Gay has written that ‘our capacity and willingness to learn the language of trees, to study the language of trees, it’s so obvious to me now, might incline us to be less brutal, less extractive. It might incline us to share, to collaborate. It might incline us to give shelter and make room.’ Like the shaman in Peru, we can learn from our trees.” (p. 48-51)

The human relationship to dogs: “So far, I’ve avoided answering whether we are actually still engaged in a mutualism with our dogs. That we once were is clear, but on average, are we today? We certainly benefit our dogs. But how should we consider whether they benefit us?” The author’s conclusion is that walking one’s dog conveys many mental and physical health benefits to the dog owner, although many of the former tasks that dogs did (such as herding flocks of sheep or cattle, participating in the hunt, or watching for intruders of whatever other species) are no longer needed by most dog owners. (p 227 ff)

Fun on the Fourth of July

For Deb’s Sunday Salon (link), here are some of the things I’ve done this week, beginning of course with our July 4th celebration. Nine of us gathered in our back yard to have a barbecue. Here are just a few photos of the great foods we enjoyed.

Ready for guests.

Kabobs: mushrooms, sausage and peppers, ready to grill.

Grilling! We also made chicken and onion kabobs.

Nat made a Nantucket Blueberry pie: same as he ate as a child when his family had a summer place in Nantucket.
His mother knew all the good berry bushes. Nat knows where to pick great wild blueberries here in Michigan.

Jason made two kinds of ice cream: cherry and blackberry. We also had a box of strawberry ice cream.

After dinner: fireworks in the park.

What I’ve Been Reading

Listening Woman by Tony Hillerman (1925-2008)

Listening Woman was published in 1978, the third of Hillerman's twenty-five books about Navajo tribal policemen Joe Leaphorn and (in the later books) Jim Chee. Hillerman was recognized for his knowledgable presentation of Navajo individuals and their culture. To solve a murder and several other open cases, Leaphorn must use enormous reasoning skill, knowledge of the hostile mountain and desert terrain, and understanding of Navajo traditions and beliefs. He also has to use his grasp of how to deal with the FBI agents who are assigned to the cases he is solving. As he hides in a cave while rescuing a number of hostages from some very murderous criminals, he risks his life over and over and deploys incredible cunning and bravery. Not to mention 33 hours without food. It's a great book!