vinegar flies!

Did I or did I not predict a kitchen full of vinegar flies?

I am such a slow slow slug. It took me all day to clean out the California cooler and restack it. That's this little cupboard built into the wall with two square screened vents about the size of binder paper -- the vents -- the cupboard is what, four feet by one by one, something like that. Old houses have them. If you keep stuff in there the temperature on it never goes really high during normal heat spells. We have been keeping wine and jam in it. But I never got around to blanking out the light from the vents until now and most of the jam was spoiled. Which is all right because we've been in the habit of making too much jam -- the nice fellow adores making jam, especially apricot -- and nobody eats as much jam as they used to anyway. So I cleaned out the cupboard and threw away most of the jam and some of the liquor and made some interesting discoveries, and hung layers of cloth over the vents -- loosely -- so the light is blocked but not the air. Now I have a lettuce box full of newly sterilized canning jars and a sensible cooler. It turns out I had some really kickass vinegar culture from last year (good thing too because I spoiled the main batch of vinegar from last year by following the directions that said you should put it in a warm place. Never again!)and some highly puzzling liquor which I can only suppose was contributed by my son or his friends.

I did something Evil. I combined the tag ends of peach schnapps, passionfruit liqeur, spiced rum, green apple flavored vodka, and blackberry Mogen David into one bottle labeled "Nasty Odds and Ends." Green apple flavored vodka!!! I did not put the weird chocolate or caramel liquers into it. The result, by the way, does not taste any worse than any of the component parts. I figure my son will use it up flambeeing things.

Tomorrow is the day of the competition in Pleasanton. Daughter is at least as excited as she is anything else. She says it's like a band review, only herself instead of the band -- band review is better, but she thinks this is fun. We've printed out the signup sheet for the Loch Lomond games in October. Her pipes teacher thinks she's likely to win, which would be even nicer. I would love to have her band director be able to list piping solo medals among the many accomplishments of the band members. It would sort of mainstream the pipe corps, make it a little less weird for a high school band program.

Nothing is free of controversy though -- we were talking about the cute little sporran (crotch pocket you wear in front of your kilt) Emma likes and Jay said there was this other kind his band uses and he would like her to get that "in case." (he has been working on her for almost four years to join the town band, and she has said that if she's at UC Santa Cruz next year she'll probably do it, so now he's trying to seal the deal in every little way he can. I can see why. Emma is cool). I ended up by saying we would look at the band sporran and I would figure something out that would meet all the needs. This has worked mostly. Most of the time I can figure something out.

I did not, however, write today. Though I took the dog for two walks! And attempted to sign up for Coastal Cleanup and First Flush (which is measuring water quality of the storm drain outfalls on the first good rain of the year, which is when the college students run naked from one end of the campus to the other). And treated both the carnivores for fleas. And plucked weird leaves off the grape vines. And planted lettuce seeds. And washed my daughter's shirt-socks-etc for the competition (I think when it is necessary I will have the kilt dry cleaned rather than hand washing it).

Next year -- if the grape vine increases in production the way the plum, apricot and apple did -- I think I may make muscatel!