Pulgas Ridge Open Space Preserve

Today I walked the longer loop around the preserve on the Dusky-Footed Woodrat Trail; with a moderate drizzle coming down I had this splendid park almost entirely to myself. In the plant department, it is overshadowed by its neighbor immediately to the south, Edgewood County Park, which is renowned for its springtime wildflower display and unusual native species, thanks to its serpentine soils. But Pulgas is not without its attractions, including some beautiful chaparral, populated with ceanothus and manzanitas, and classic oak woodlands. In one gully shaded by live oaks and buckeyes you will find the uncommon and attractive fetid adder's tongue, or slinkpod (Scoliopus bigelovii). I have never found it particularly fetid, myself, even when I bend down and stick my nose into that striking little flower. This time of year one is also rewarded by the glowing emerald green of our native meadow rue.

Reading shorts

Pnin
Vladimir Nabokov

On one level, this is an academic satire, and a very good one indeed. Pnin, a rather ridiculous absent-minded professor, comes in for mostly gentle mocking. The set pieces and depictions of academia are at times laugh-out-loud funny. But soon enough we discern an undercurrent of deep melancholy and even tragedy, and various indications that the omniscient narrator may not be completely reliable. Who is this narrator? And who is this Pnin? Fool, or modest hero? And the prose: Many sentences and passages will make you catch your breath. As close to perfect as a little novel can be.

The Surgeon's Mate
Patrick O'Brian

This one finds intrepid Aubrey and Maturin on a clever and successful mission in the Baltic Sea, later shipwrecked in Brittany and imprisoned in Paris, with an escape and wedding to close out the yarn. Maybe too much plot?... but never too much Aubrey, Maturin, or seafaring adventure.

Can Music Be Perfect? Vol. 109

We were listening to this one in the Subaru this weekend, on a CD (!) of Joni M's favorite tunes. Of course she has great taste. It's possible that I have listened to this recording of this song more times than any other. My mind anticipates every note, but my heart feels a little thrill every time. Rodgers's tune is undeniably great, and Hart's so-sad poetry is lurking, even in the absence of a singer. Miles's extreme blue notes – including the closing note on the what is it... quarter-tone sharp dominant? – are the "hook" here, but Red Garland's piano solo is the core of this masterpiece, meandering in melancholy before taking a wistful stroll through an English country garden, only to return to the somber close. Play it again!

The Donroe Doctrine

David Cole on the Maduro operation in historical perspective:

But in other respects Trump’s “brilliant operation” is unprecedented in modern US history. These earlier strikes were in response to actual or threatened attacks on the US. By contrast, Trump’s unilateral actions against Venezuela were entirely unprovoked. The implication of the administration’s reasoning is that countries can use military force anytime they are unhappy with how another country regulates or fails to regulate conduct within its borders that could have injurious effects elsewhere. But this is ludicrous. By the administration’s logic, Canada could start shooting Americans suspected of carrying drugs over the US–Canada border, or bomb buildings in the US that it claimed were being used to manufacture the drugs. Mexico could do the same with respect to American manufacturers of guns that are routinely used in gang violence, which kills many thousands of Mexicans each year.

Perhaps we should be relieved if it really is just about taking their oil. Or perhaps not...

Confession

I like to cook marinara sauce. It's pretty easy, you can control the seasoning, and if you use high-quality canned tomatoes it's almost always better than what you could buy in a jar. Well, so I used to think, until I discovered this stuff. Very simple, very bright-tasting and tomato-y, well seasoned but letting the tomatoes shine, not too sweet, not chunky, but not pureed either. You can augment with more veggies, mushrooms, or meat. You can also add it to a simple soup made from leftovers. During tomato season, I plan to continue buying bargain "sort-outs" from the farmers' market and making sauce from scratch. Off season... this stuff.