fenchurch | It's that time of year...

One of the things I love about our house is that a good portion of the property line edges on a county park that is kept, mostly, wild (around here, that means forest) with a large lawn type area way down the hill, through the trees and not terribly close to us and with what used to be a parking lot (now closed to all vehicles) just down from our property line. However, every year around this time, it gets... noisy. And really, I don't begrudge people having a bit of fun with firecrackers down on that old parking lot... we're in unincorporated King County so there are all sorts that are legal (not that people are limiting themselves to those), but after a day or two, the popping and cracking and explosions become just a bit tiresome. Especially since some people seem convinced that the best time to set off illegal fireworks is at 2:00am, which always strikes me as supremely stupid... it's a time when it's VERY noticeable what you're doing, the local cops generally don't have anything better to do than bust you and there's no one else around for you to blend in with. Dumb.

Oh, and let's not forget the lovely nightly smell of sulphur wafting in from the park. Joy.

Yesterday I got that cookbook I'd ordered from my mom's old elementary school (the one put out by the PTA to benefit summer programs at the school) and it's marvelous! Everything I was hoping for! It's printed on 8 1/2x11 paper, but they used a really good weight, so it looks like it'll last awhile, and it's been spiral bound with a plastic cover... very easy to use when cooking. And the recipes! Sure, there are a few like the "Tomato Salsa Soup" (which is exactly as it sounds -- one can tomato soup, one container ready-to-eat salsa, mix well), but it's also got a very wide range of world cuisines: Chinese, Indian, British, Cuban, German... plus the added bonus of a number of rather yummy looking Vegan dishes! I'm really looking forward to giving them a try (and don't worry, if they're as good as they look, I'll be sure to share).

In other news, just in time for the rain to stop and the real days of summer to begin, our AC decided to quit working today. Hopefully it's something easily and cheaply fixed, because I do NOT want to have to spend my summer living in the basement just to avoid broiling.