Monthly Archives: July 2017

4th of July in 2017

We had a lovely 4th of July here in our tower by the Sea of Monsters. For several days our small selection of chicken drummettes had been soaking in a solution of buttermilk, garlic, and special sauces and those went in the oven until crisp all over (requiring several turns). From the local farmer’s market we had chilled watermelon, corn on the cob (roasted in the oven), and green tomatoes, which my skilled wife breaded and converted into fried green tomatoes.

Said tomatoes were served with homemade remolade sauce, fashioned with homemade mayo, and a lovely homemade orange sauce to dip the drummetes in. On the side was a tasty little salad with some homegrown peas tossed in, and some delicious bread from Cisse’s Bakery — a bit of a drive for us, but worth the trip. And speaking of drives, our old friend Bruce drove down and supplied dessert. Now my wife’s an amazing cook AND chef AND baker, but we do love a Grand Travers pie, especially the blueberry crumble, and that’s what Bruce brought out of the sack.

Martial Fitness

Every Saturday when my wife and I leave the karate dojo we head across the street to pick up horse grain or chicken feed or other necessities for our little farm. We wait to change until we get home, so I’m still wearing my gi pants and tee-shirt emblazoned with East-West Karate when I head into the store. I always stop, though, to remove my black belt before I leave the car. At first I removed it because I was embarrassed by my low color belt (and I shouldn’t have been) but now I do it because I don’t want to appear to be showing off.

I’m proud to have earned that belt, and the second stripe on it that means I have a second degree black belt, and I’m going to be proud when, a few years from now, I test for my third degree black belt. I recognize that being proud is not necessarily something to advertise in a public space, which is probably why I don’t talk about martial arts much here on the blog. In point of fact, though, martial arts are a huge part of my life. I spend far more time writing here about solitaire gaming, which I’ve only recently managed to get in once a week. Whereas I’m at the dojo at least twice a week working out and almost always three times, something I’ve been doing off and on for fifteen years.