Good Karma

So there I was, minding my own business and Civic Duty came knocking on my door. It came in the form of a Jury Summons. I was scheduled to appear just before my requested time off for the Thanksgiving Holiday, but hey, what the heck. I'll just be required to make a telephone call a few times, they'll release me from service, and we'll call it good for another few years. Right?

Wrong.

I was instructed to make an appearance at the Paso Robles Courthouse. This did not bode well for me. Over the years I've had to appear only two times but both times I was selected to be an Alternate Juror.

The twelve Jurors had been selected the week before and had pretty much exhausted their own jury pool. The judge brought in our group the following week as fresh meat prospects. Three Alternate Jurors were to be selected; the trial was to last about two weeks.

I sat stunned when the Judge introduced the three Alternate Jurors. Wait. What? It's a medical trial why would they want a nurse? Why would they want me?

The high point of that day was when I noticed the shackles under my chair. Ooh, shiny.

FAQs - Superior Court, SLO: Weapons of any type will not be permitted into any court facility. Items such as: knives (including pocket knives), guns, stun guns, pepper spray, mace, scissors, knitting needles, corkscrews, or any item that may be used as a weapon are not permitted.

I asked the Security Officer about the knitting needle rule and he offered to take a look at my knitting needles if I brought them in. That night I went through my collection and even asked The Man for his opinion. The Man suggested the big fat wooden bambucha needles, as they look the least shiv-like out of the bunch. Luckily they're US 17, the same size I use for knitting Comfort Scarves.

The next morning Officer Darrel gave me the go-ahead to bring my knitting into the Courthouse. Civic Duty and Charity Knitting, talk about racking up those karma points.

It was truly amazing to have a group of complete strangers be so compatible, generous, kind, and respectful of one another. Over the span of three weeks, during our very frequent breaks, the fifteen of us shared life stories, recipes, restaurant recommendations, tasty treats, and Crock Pots.

Cindy brought me her spare Crock Pot when I mentioned I had cracked my Slow Cooker's ceramic liner.

The beginning of the fourth week of the trial found me at home on standby. In the late afternoon I received a call from the Court Clerk and was released and thanked for fulfilling my Civic Duty. Although I had heard the whole trial I was not needed during jury deliberation and was grateful for that. I was surprised when Madam Clerk asked if I wanted to know the Jury's decision.

If we are ever to be judged, we should all be so lucky to be judged by my fellow Jurors. Oh, and if you get summoned before a Holiday, you might want to defer till another time.

Merrymaking

Let the festivities begin ~
 

Slow Foods: It Ain't Instant

So, there I was making orange juice.

On this unseasonably warm winter day (80°) I was finally getting around to putting the squeeze on the box of oranges that Jerry had shared with us. From the kitchen sink window I could see The Man - and his entourage of dogs and goats - walking back and forth as he went about his chores.

We've been fortunate that Jerry has been keeping us in fresh Vitamin C these past few months by bringing us boxes and bags of oranges, lemons, and kiwis grown in his neighborhood.

It seemed wasteful to turn the oranges into juice, all that lovely fiber, but The Man thought it was a tad too sour for eating, so it went untouched for a few weeks. It would be even more wasteful to have the oranges go bad, so juice it is. Besides the goats eat the peels so no waste - really. But it also means I have to cut the peels up into bite-sized pieces; a choking, coughing goat spewing a mouthful of food is not a pretty sight.

Last month we canned albacore tuna.

It was a week of planning: Two frozen fish to thaw slowly in the refrigerator - just like a turkey, one day to clean the fish by my personal fishmonger, aka The Man, and then the next day - Canning Day. The Man's commercial fisherman skills kicked in and he did an excellent job of cleaning the fish. Maybe too good of a job - I ran short of jars. The Man had to make a run to Ace Hardware to pick up more jars and lids for an unplanned second batch in the pressure canner.

This was our second go-around of canning our own tuna; let's just say the process went a lot smoother compared to the first time. Our two fish yielded 39 half-pint jars.

Oh, and while I was getting my jars and canning stuff ready for the tuna, I thought, what the heck, I think I'll make some orange marmalade with Jerry's oranges and preserve with the water bath canner. Easy-peasy, it shouldn't take too long, right?

Wrong.

Note to self: Spur of the moment marmalade-making and canning is not a great idea.

This week: Apple sauce (I used the last of Jerry's apples from last fall's harvest).

I don't know, maybe part of it's the fact that you're in a hurry. You've grown up on instant orange juice. Flip a dial - instant entertainment. Dial seven digits - instant communication. Turn a key - push a pedal - instant transportation. Flash a card - instant money. Shove in a problem - push a few buttons - instant answers.    Sergeant Joe Friday, Dragnet, 1968.

Imu Optional

(Imu: a cooking pit in which food is cooked by means of heated stones.) 

I'm sure The Man would have dug me a pit if I asked him to.  Of course, he would first need to visit the local John Deere Dealership and come home with various tractor attachments: an excavator, auger, auger bits, and. . . .  I shudder to think about it.

 

Luckily, there's an easier way to make Kalua Pig.  In a Slow cooker.  I've been cooking it this way for at least 8 years after finding a recipe on Allrecipes.com.   With my big fork I pierce the pork then lomi (rub) the Liquid Smoke and Hawaiian Salt into the meat and cook it on the low setting for at least 16 hours.  I usually turn it on before I go to bed and wake up to the Oh-So-Ono smell in the morning.  I just wish I had some poi to go with it.

Oh-So-Delicious

Gadget Love

Our friend, Jerry, has been bringing over boxes (and boxes) of his home-grown apples: Granny Smith, Fuji, Red and Golden Delicious, Pink Lady and their own grafted Riz apple.  I've been hand peeling and coring like crazy.  I've canned apple butter, apple sauce, and baked several apple pies.  The animals and the neighbor's horses have been getting their share as well.

Today, The Man got me a "Peel Away" apple peeler from the local hardware store.  Love it.

 

Hand peeled Apple Butter