Garden Update

Here's my lovely garden in the steamy July weather! I had to give you a wide shot first because I just love the way its laid out. All the time I spent planning and sketching over the winter was really worth it. This fall I'll going to build a couple smaller beds for greens to go under the arches, and I'm planning to plant mums in the corners. That marigolds are doing their job (keeping bunnies at bay!) and a splash of color out there while the leaves are changing will be just lovely.

My tomato plants are massive! Last year they weren't all that successful, so I purchased the smaller tomato stands - ha! Next year those will be used for the pepper patch - those plants were struggling but are finally going. Next year they'll be in a more shady patch and I think I'll have better luck. I love the smell of tomato plants - reminds me of summer in my childhood. Dad had a huge garden in our backyard and the second row was pure tomatoes. There is nothing like the taste of a warm tomato you dust off and eat while examining the bounty. I seriously feel sorry for non-tomato eaters. The Mortgage Lifters and Brandywines are turning and they are HUGE! Can't wait to make fresh salsas and sauces using all garden grown ingredients (basil, garlic, oregano, lovely!)

The cucumbers are really taking off, and I just love the way they vine around the arches. Its almost a game for me to examine the plants in the morning, over lunch, and in the evenings. The tendrils grow that quickly, seeking new places to latch onto the trellis and are all over the place! I spotted the first cuke yesterday and got so excited I think I scared Miss Sumatra a bit. I have tons of blossoms and I'm really hopeful that I'll get lots of dill pickles made this fall - I'm on my last jar from last season!

And finally - here's the zucchini plants. They are loving this weather and are starting to spread outside their box. Just such an event is exactly why I planned pathways in my garden. They are spreading backwards to the rather sad pepper patch, so its not too worrisome as yet. This is another vegetable for which I have found memories. Mom made so much zucchini bread and muffins its amazing I still love it - but I do. It's also great pan seared with a bit of olive oil and lemon juice. Serve over rice for a hearty, healthy meal or snack.

Riverworld

I can't write about Riverworld and not comment about the blue people. What in the world is the deal with all the blue aliens lately? Avatar, now Riverworld, and there's a Smurfs movies coming out next year. It's like all the writers got together and said, "Ok, I'm tired of all the jokes about little green men. Its time for blue men. Preferably tall and thin, but if you want to stay tiny you go for it." Sheesh!

Riverworld - a classic sci-fi book series by Philip Jose Farmer - was recently made into a mini-series by the SyFy Channel. Since I've downgraded my cable I pretty much figured I was out of luck in watching it - but then I remembered my lovely Netflix account. Thank goodness for instant watch!

I must confess to having never read the books, so I broke my cardinal rule by watching the movie first. I was pleasant surprised that it wasn't typical SyFy movie fare. The cast of A-list actors (Alan Cumming anyone?) was stellar and I found it highly engaging. I was more than happy to see Tahmoh Penikett from the new Battlestar Galactica - I seriously love that show - and he makes a great lead.

The gist of the story is this: when people die they can be brought back to Riverworld, a place where they never seem to age and there are a variety of rules that restrict what they can and cannot do. Saying too much would ruin the story, but this is definitely worth your time. The scenes were gorgeous, the transitions were well done, and I found myself wanting the story to continue when it ended. Perhaps another mini-series will occur in the future - if I'm lucky!

Whew!

It's been one of those weeks where I felt more than a little overwhelmed. Hit the ground running Sunday morning with the opening of our new children's wing, cafe, and bookstore at church. The work week started early and ended late each day - trying to wrap my head around a new project is a fun challenge but tends to make me think until the wee hours of the morning!

Yesterday I woke feeling quite refreshed and ready to face a new day - only to have a 1 hour DB upgrade at 3 - talk about a crimp in the day. So here it is Friday and the promised show updates have yet to be posted. And it won't happen today, thanks to a lengthy task list that seems to multiply like Sea Monkeys.

The garden is looking lovely - tomato plants are huge and loaded with fruit. I'm anxiously awaiting their color change so I can enjoy tomato salads with some fresh oregano. This weekend I'm planning to roast a chicken stuffed with the lemon basil - my mouth is watering just thinking about it! The most important item on my weekend list, however, is some serious sun worship. My solar battery is in need of a serious recharge, and with my boss headed out on vacation next week I'll need all the energy I can store up now!

None to worry, faithful reader, I'm planning to catch up on my show blogs tomorrow and might even post some photos of the explosive tomatoes (the smell of tomato vines is one of my favorite scents). Until then . . .

Stay Tuned

The last few weeks have been a haze of busy-ness, what with KCBT's new addition opening this morning. Despite a power outage to the building (during the peak arrival of guests no less), the morning was quite the success. Don't worry, dear readers, I've faithfully viewing the new seasons of Warehouse 13, Eureka, Royal Pains, and Burn Notice. There are a couple new shows that have peaked my interest and I'm giving them a go - Memphis Beat (loving what I've seen so far) and Haven (which I'll watch this evening). I picked up Jericho on DVD thanks to my library and am seriously loving it thus far. I'm also checking out Dead Like Me and Dr. Who Season 1 via Netflix. 

So no worries, my friends, I'll give you the lowdown on what you might find entertaining on the Tube after a lovely summer day in the sun. Until later!

Firefly

When Firefly initially premiered, I found the concept uninteresting, even though it was a creation of Joss Whedon's (Bully the Vampire Slayer) brain. A space western? Seriously? I had odd images of Space Balls meets The Young Riders and that just wasn't a pleasant thought. Several years later as I discussed a mutual love of science fiction with a friend and she lent me the DVD collection. The show quickly entered rotation in my work-from-home Friday marathon life.

The odd concept really does work. Firefly is set in the distance future after Earth was used up and science allowed the formation of livable worlds on previously uninhabitable rocks in space. Asian culture and American Western features are mishmashed together to create an advanced yet primitive world.

If you're familiar with Whedon's work, you won't be surprised by the fast-paced snappy dialogue. Mandarin Chinese and English are entwined effortlessly - I can't even begin to imagine the amount of work the actors must have taken for it to feel that natural. He's also great to utilize familiar and unfamiliar actors, pulling in a core fan base from the beginning.

The show didn't even last a full season on Fox - many episodes didn't even air - but the original fans are still rabid with their love of the show. The episodes are beautifully shot and the characters have a depth that's rather remarkable considering the short run. Firefly ended with more questions than answers about the mysterious character of River Tam, but thanks to a myriad of mostly unbelievable circumstances a follow-up film (Serenity) was released and had a good run in theaters.

I'm glad I was convinced to check this one out.

The Dresden Files

The arrival of summer means a shortage of new television shows - which can be a good thing. I find its a great time to watch old series that I never gave a chance in its first go round. Having recently finished listening to Storm Front I thought I'd give the SyFy series The Dresden Files a shot.

It only ran for 12 episodes - never a good sign - but I was pleasantly surprised by the shows. When it initially aired I saw one episode, but by and large the ads didn't intrigue me enough to commit. The elements I'd found lacking in the novel were brought to life by the actors playing Dresden, Murphy, and Bob. The noir touches and Harry's first person narrative worked much better for me in the medium of television than they had in the novels.

The shows were intriguing enough to have me watching closely and I was even a bit sad when I realized the episodes were done. Maybe one of these days another developer will get a shot at serializing these novels, or even a movie deal. Hey, its happened before after all. Either way, this was definitely worth its addition to my Netflix instant streaming queue.

On to the next!

Wizard's First Rule

I'm now well and thoroughly hooked on Legend of the Seeker, to the point that it was time for me to give the books a go. This extremely popular series was first published in 1995, and at that time I picked up the first book. I didn't get too far into it before it began to sound like Robert Jordan's fabulous Wheel of Time series, and I couldn't bring myself to continue reading. Fifteen years later, with the Wheel of Time series nearing its end, I find myself looking for a new massive fantasy series to grab. This could very well be it.

Wizard's First Rule introduces readers to Richard Cypher, Kahlan Amnell, and Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander. Richard is raised with no idea of his destiny in a land without magic. Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander is a wizard that helped erect a barrier between three core lands and has lived in the Westlands, keeping an eye on Richard and not using his magic for many years. Kahlan Amnell crosses the barrier from the Midlands into the Westlands at great peril to herself in an effort to find the last great wizard to name a Seeker, who will then defeat the evil despot Darken Rahl.

Terry Goodkind creates an extremely believable world. The forests where we first meet Richard are teeming with life. Each society he comes across feels well developed and real. Perhaps the best part is that the central characters - the heroes if you will - are constantly second-guessing themselves and making serious errors. They are in no way perfect, but do the best with the information they have at hand. They question consequences but do not shy away from the reality that innocent people will be effected if they do the hard work of eliminating the enemy. This is a very adult story, with a frank portrayal of what happens during war and the consequences of actions. Some passages were difficult to read, but they gave a strong sense of why the characters made the decisions they did.

I was pleasantly surprised to see there were fewer similarities to the Wheel of Time than I'd initially thought. When we first meet Rand, Mat and Perrin in that series they are in their late teens - Richard Cypher is a man grown, living and working on his own. This makes for a completely different tone to The Sword of Truth series. Rather than watching young men grow up, we get to see adults take the knowledge of their lifetime and apply it to practical situations.

Having checked out the first book from my local library, I was pleasantly surprised to find a copy at Half-Price Books for just $1.50. I'll most certainly be adding this series to my personal library.