Windowsill Pea Shoots

You may not find this as fascinating as I do, but, they are delicious.  This took way longer than expected.  When I read about it on Yellow House, it seemed like it would take only a few days or a week but in the end it has been three or more weeks to get to this point.

Take any package of pea seeds. (even old expired ones) Soak overnight.  Rinse.  Soak again.  Rinse.  Then leave to start sprouting in a plastic baggie.  You may have to rinse again (or more) to keep the peas from getting stinky.  Then, once you see some activity that looks like sprouting, layer your peas (not quite as heavily as mine) in moist soil in a reused salad container with lid. Peas just right on top of soil.  Sit box in the sun on a windowsill.  Water.  Wait.  You can cut and eat the sprouts at any point.  Fresh in a salad or scrambled eggs or sautéed.  They taste like fresh peas.  You will wish you had started a salad box of peas every week.  I wish I had.  Now.

Sigh.  Where has the time gone?  I still have our taxes to do.  Sunday.  That's when I will do them. Why didn't you beg me to do them in February???  Riley has his Sixth birthday today.  He punctured one of the pads on his left front paw in the woods.  Limping a bit.  G has taken him to Petco for treats and a visit to see the hamsters, fish and birds.  A birthday treat.  Our vet just called to check on him which is very nice.  Reminded us to soak his foot.  What fun!!!!

Today I am working on my class notes for Saturday's classes on Annuals & Perennials.  This week, at work, we had new employees to train.  Yesterday was my turn to show them how the greenhouse works.  I took the opportunity of having someone other than myself watering to change out the greenhouse hoses.  I got rid of the dried up, kinky ones and now have soft flexible hoses that wind nicely in circles.  It doesn't take much to make me happy.  Those kinked up dry hoses were making me very unhappy.  Of course, the other employees told all the new hires that I had watered the front of my pants the first day back.  This was a cautionary tale.  Because after telling them of my "accident" they were advised to bring a full set of dry clothing "in case".   I heard them say my "Depends" had failed. Very funny.

I am also working on a new recipe (Nigella's) for chicken curry.  I have everything but cardamom pods, which I read were very expensive.  I will do without.  I am making it now, this morning, and then will reheat it for tonight.  The comments say it is extremely delicious if allowed to sit and develop the flavor. This will be G's first taste of curry.  I love it.  He can fill up on rice if he doesn't like it.  I wonder if I should have gotten nan?  Or ingredients for a raita.

G has been doing a wonderful job of keeping the house clean.  Vacuuming, making the bed, folding the laundry and keeping the kitchen counters clean.  He even makes coffee for me in the morning and then goes back to bed.  He and Riley have the same sleep schedule.  I make my breakfast and lunch listening to Riley snore on his bed by the kitchen window.

The roofers put up scaffolding for the chimney removal and G removed the trellis and clematis that was growing on it.  G will be going up and starting on the breaking up of the brick from the outside (front) edge to keep from damaging the roof shingles.  He has some kind of air compression tool to break up the bricks.  They are pretty crumbly.  I suggested he break up as many as fit in a wheelbarrow load and then move the bricks to a low spot (to be decided) in the yard and then decide if that's enough for one old man to do in one day.  We had hoped to have a young man from my work to help with the wheelbarrow but he is full time now.  He could come over after work (5 pm) and move bricks for an hour each day.  G could come get him and then take him home.  No driver's license yet.

I expect the chimney to take a few weeks.  Then we have to have reconstruction done on the back of the house, new windows ordered for the entire wall and a new (to us) French door where the chimney was (yes, the chimney is as wide as a double French door) which also means carpentry.  Lots and lots of "future" light in this south facing room we spend so much of the day in.  Later G will build a deck outside the French doors and we will have a wider spot for chairs and perhaps a table for meals outdoors.  We had talked about a built on greenhouse or conservatory but not right now.  I know G wants that.  At any rate, the French doors are necessary if we ever do add on the conservatory.  Part A.

We don't want to over build for the neighborhood.  Ours is a "one of a kind" house on our street as it is. That isn't always a "plus".

Well, I'm off to reheat my coffee and start on my chicken dish.  Working Friday and Saturday and off on Sunday when I will do the taxes.  It's usually only an hour or two.  The printing takes the longest.