Month: September 2013

If you are looking for distinctive portrait,
nature, or documentary photography,
or someone you know is looking
for photography that helps to create
a more artful and beautiful life,
please contact me.

www.brucebarone.com

Without incident we walked
And every few minutes
I talked. Good dog, Good dog.
On we went through the park.
All the time my dog here
There, everywhere
A scent sensation.
And when I wanted
To stop to photograph
This late September early morning
I said, Freddy, sit, and he sat
And he waited and when I said
Okay on we went 
Our way past Meadow Trail
And Beaver Brook.
This is my path. Our path.
We came to a hill.
I huffed and puffed to the top.
And my dog wagged his tail
To the top. We made our way
Home. I cut zinnias.
Red, orange, yellow, cream
And purple cosmos
For a vase that rests on a table
Next to my garden.
Soon I will be dead-heading
All the cosmos and zinnias flowers.
There must be thousands!
Still bright and bold and colorful
In the garden. I change 
The water in the three bird baths.
I prune the rose bushes and I am
Not sure at all of what
I am doing. I water
The potted plants.
So many bumblebees!
They fly from zinnia to zinnia
To cosmos to cosmos. They do
Their job. Never I imagine
Thinking I am so busy today.
They follow their path.

Gary Snyder wrote:

\”Reality-insight says get a sense of immediate politics and history, get control of your own time; master the twenty-four hours. Do it well, without self-pity. It is as hard to get the children herded into the car pool and down the road to the bus as it is to chant sutras in the Buddha-hall on a cold morning. One move is not better than the other, each can be quite boring, and they both have the virtuous quality of repetition. Repetition and ritual and their good results come in many forms. Changing the filter, wiping noses, going to meetings, picking up around the house, washing dishes, checking the dipstick—don\’t let yourself think these are distracting you from your more serious pursuits. Such a round of chores is not a set of difficulties we hope to escape from so that we may do our \”practice\” which will put us on a \”path\” — it is our path.\”

I made dinner. Black beans
And rice. And wine.
And our dog and cat
Slept as we watched
Nashville. And I am
Blessed. Our house
Our family.

A big black dog
Attached to a broken leash
Appears from no where.
Follows me and my dog.
I pick my dog up
And cradle him in my arms.
I make eye contact
Once with the big black dog
As he circles around us.
I say sit, sit
Sit as the big black dog
Circles around us again
And again. I say sit.
Doesn\’t anyone know
Their dog is missing.
I walk slowly.
My heart and my dog\’s heart
Beat rapidly as one.
I admit it. Yes I am
Scared shitless. I wave
Down an oncoming truck.
\”Can you please give me and my dog a lift
Home. We live around the corner.\”
Hop on in he says. You never know
About those big black dogs.
At home I call the dog catcher.
I drink a cup of coffee.
I eat a piece of cake.
I sit outside with my dog
Next to my garden. A butterfly
Appears. And I am at peace.

If you are looking for distinctive portrait,
nature, or documentary photography,
or someone you know is looking
for photography that helps to create
a more artful and beautiful life,
please contact me.

www.brucebarone.com

Last summer I had so much eggplant growing in my garden that we seemed to have it grilled with every dinner every night of the week!

This summer, alas, my plants produced only ONE eggplant!

So I thought I had better make something special and indeed I did. Read on!

Ingredinets:

6-8 tablespoons olive oil
1 small (about 1 lb.) eggplant, trimmed, pared, and cut into ½ inch chunks
1 cup chopped onion
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped green olives
1/4 cup chopped Kalamata olives
2 tablespoons rinsed and drained small capers
1 tablespoon chopped, fresh basil
2 tablespoon chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of sugar
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Directions:

Heat 4-6 tablespoons (I started with 4 and then added 2 more tablespoons) of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat; add the eggplant. Saute, stirring constantly, until eggplant is tender and browned, about 10 minutes.  Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.

Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to skillet. Add onion, pepper and celery; sauté, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the eggplant, tomatoes, garlic, olives, capers, basil, parsley, vinegar, salt, pepper and sugar. Cover and simmer 25-30 minutes, stirring frequently.Toss with linguine, saving 1 cup of sauce.
Serve on plates or bowls, adding 1/2 cup of sauce of top of each serving. Top with slivered almonds.

Based on recipes from 365 Ways to Cook Pasta and Recipes from a Kitchen Garden.