Here's what the frozen tundra of our back garden looked like yesterday morning. It was 23º F (-5º C) by the time I set out for work around 8 a.m. I didn't try to walk. I took the tube. When it's that cold, the heck with exercise.
We'll supposedly freeze again tonight, but the forecast calls for a slow thaw after that. It's still too cold to put the plants back outside, though, which I would dearly love to do. Come on, spring!
It's times like this that I'm glad I work indoors. The library is toasty warm and I am thankful for that.
Three times in the past week, someone has returned a book to us that belongs to a local public library. I guess it's easy enough for people to get confused about the source of their books, particularly kids. Before last week it hadn't happened in ages -- literally years -- so it's funny that now it's happened three times in quick succession.
There's no way for us to tell whose books they were, so I took them back to the library myself after work -- I had to go twice to the St. Johns Wood library (which is Westminster) and once to Swiss Cottage (which is Camden). At least Swiss Cottage is on my way home. The St. John's Wood library is in the wrong direction, but only by a couple of blocks.
I hope someone doesn't get the idea that it's OK to return books this way! I don't want this to become a regular thing. If it happens again I'll have to find some way to track down the perpetrator(s).
Dave and I had a weird experience last night. He made corn on the cob, and when he opened the package he found the corn tinged with red, mostly between the kernels on one side of one cob. Have you ever see this? We did some quick research and found a phenomenon called Kernel Red Streak. (Our corn didn't look nearly as red as the corn in that picture.) Anyway, it's caused by a mite and it's supposedly harmless to people, and we figured we were boiling it anyway, so what the heck. We ate it, it tasted fine, and we're alive to tell the tale. (Dave got the redder cob!)
First the cold: Brrr! I won't complain that it's only 43F here right now.
ReplyDeleteThen the corn, in our house, that would have ended up in the trash. SG is so paranoid about food poisoning that I just say, if you're worried, throw it out. Admittedly, the thought of mites in my corn would have turned me off, too.
I like that little library in St John's wood and usually get a bagel in panzers if I'm there!
ReplyDeleteYour frozen back yard looks very crisp. In times past wouldn't London be covered in snow? Am I exaggerating to say New England is under metres of snow this week. I don't think I am.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, best it doesn't much snow in London now, as public transport and roads won't fall apart as it has when it has snowed over the years.
A committee of the more awkward kids - whose main aim life is to rattle that tetchy male librarian - clearly arranged the return of public library books just to piss you off. There are some other tricks in the pipeline. It's a kind of sport.
ReplyDeleteCorn comes in a wide range of colors from white to purplish black with yellow and red between Some of it is best for corn on the cob and some for corn meal or cattle feed. We found that corn easily crosses as it is wind polinated so you cann easily get several colors on one cob, it is frequently used for Halloween decorations. Unless it is mouldy it should be fine to eat but darker colors tend to be tough. JOYCEthe
ReplyDeleteI'm kinda with Mitchell about the corn, though I like that you and Dave investigated it and found it to be nothing.
ReplyDeleteNow, I know that the red is okay though I may be inspecting the corn end to end before buying ... unless it's corn in the husk.
Oh, maybe we'll skip corn.
I think I wouldn't return the public library books. Wait till the library goes after the borrowers, who will then probably search, to avoid having to replace the books. And they'll be less likely to slip up again.
ReplyDeleteI walk when it's that cold, just with a puffy coat instead of the usual jacket. But can't blame anyone who doesn't.
That looks very, very cold. Do you ever find yourself thinking, "No way. I'm from Florida."?
ReplyDeleteI could very well be wrong but when I've seen red in corn it's usually very old corn and I don't eat it. But it rarely happens.
It's currently 31 degrees here (at 9:30 am) which is COLD ENOUGH THANK YOU VERY MUCH! Come on spring indeed.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if I would have eaten the red corn? I probably would have just assumed it was some sort of special variety & not thought twice. Ha!
That tree trimming made a big difference in your yard. We had a freeze last night too but it supposed to warm up the next few days. It has a been a wet and cold winter here in the desert.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've ever seen corn that looked like that and I grew up in corn country. You were smart to research it so you knew it was safe.
I don't think it was mites. That is common for dent corn which we also call field corn which is not what you buy from the grocery store. It is what gets used to feed animals and make ethanol.
ReplyDeleteFor sweet corn, the kind you buy in stores, I have heard that the red tinges are due to environmental stresses, such as lack of moisture or too much moisture. Some day it is due to too much sugar and not enough kernels but I've never seen red sucrose. I think it is just a mold that develops with stress and is harmless.
When it's that cold I don't even go outside.
ReplyDeleteI took my page long book list to the library with me yesterday. Out of 22 books ny library only had 10. My favorite librarian copied the list and is going to request the other 12 one at a time from the larger lending area but it will cost me $1.50 each.
Seems like I've gotten an ear or two like that but didn't know what it was and don't remember If I tossed it or cooked it.
When I worked at the public library, we always returned books to local schools that came in by mistake. So it goes both ways, Steve.
ReplyDeleteThat's not cold:) It's all perspective, isn't it? In the fall here 0C is cold, while in the spring 0C is warm.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I would have eaten the corn, even with the explanation. It just doesn't look right and I'm a picky eater.
It surprises me to see a frosty morning like that there. It's a frosty morning here too. Our little garden of kale would like spring to come soon.
ReplyDeleteI seem to remember seeing corn with some hints of red on the kernels. Now I'm trying to remember if I ate it or not. Mmm. Sure would be nice if my memory worked like it once did.
Interesting that students return books to the wrong library.
I didn't mind the cold in England- homes were small and cosy and there was always a gallery to slip into for warmth. Sometimes walking was just another way to stay warm, but that was then and this is now and you have to get to work on time. Your garden is beautiful even in the frost and cold- Only downside to where you live I suppose is the upstairs neighbor. and the occasional plumbing problem. Your neighborhood is pretty amazing - I understand reluctance to shift! Pretty ideal. BTW have you heard of "pet sitters" They stay in your house while you are vacationing , They are not paid they just get to stay in your house for free and take care of pets. They are vetted. Sounds pretty great, win win for all!
ReplyDeleteThat IS cold. I was whining about 32 degrees here but I'll shut up. If I had read that it was mites, I don't think I could have eaten the corn. However, it sounds like there are other explanations too.
ReplyDeleteThat's too cold. Do not leave the house. Stay under blankets. I can't believe the cold weather I used to go out in. I don't think I could do it again now that I'm accustomed to Florida. I've never heard of red between kernels before. I guess if it tasted good and didn't kill either one of you, then it's okay.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Judy said that you'd better keep an eye on Dave since he got the redder cob. If he suddenly begins turning red you will have learned of the Wrath of Kernel (Colonel) Red Streak.
ReplyDeleteWalking in the cold isn't bad but you really need to be dressed for it. In milder climates, people don't usually have the boots and jackets and whatnot to be comfortable going out. I'd be getting the tube too, if that was the case. Here, minus 5C is mild for the winter. It's the kind of winter we're having this year so far and I'm very thankful for that, although I know at the back of my mind that it's a symptom of climate change and shouldn't be celebrated. At least you got a great picture of the frost-covered garden!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you both are alive and kicking but I've never heard of that one! Weird about the library books -- maybe they think you have a cooperative arrangment!
ReplyDeleteI would have found the red in the corn disconcerting and I'm not sure I would have eaten it!
ReplyDeleteThe only thing that keeps me from my morning walks is rain. I've learned if I bundle up properly and keep moving, it's not bad - even when it's well below freezing.
Red Is Cool & All But How Is Chomper Girl
ReplyDeleteCheers
It is a pain in the butt to return those library books but you are the king of small kindnesses.
ReplyDeleteYour poor back yard!
ReplyDeleteYour back garden looks beautiful but is probably not terribly happy about being frostbitten.
ReplyDeleteHow weird those book returns are. Pick a library, any library?
Glad the red streak didn't strike you down!
-Caro
I once had to mail a package of books back to a library in the state we'd just moved away from, but that's not the same thing. They'd been packed by mistake when we were moving.
ReplyDeleteMitchell: I figure mites fall into the if-I-can't-see-them-they-won't-hurt-me category. (Of course we can't see bacteria either, but never mind.) Plus, mites are all around us! They're in our beds and on our bodies!
ReplyDeleteJenny: It's a good library! I don't go very often, which is embarrassing to admit since I'm a librarian. I do go to Panzer's, though -- in fact we had dinner from there last night!
Andrew: London isn't very snowy, really. We get snow periodically but it seldom sticks around for long.
YP: If that's the case, I can only praise their initiative and wish that they would instead focus on their homework.
Joyce: This seemed more like something ON the corn, rather than a case of cross-pollination, but what do I know?
Bob: Don't let me put you off corn! What's a few mites, really?
Boud: Yeah, I'm just being wimpy about the temperature. I was also running late so the tube is faster. :)
Ms Moon: Yeah, I had never seen this before. The corn was still within its expiration date, so I figured it was probably OK, and it was!
Bug: I'm not sure I would have even noticed it, especially if I didn't have my glasses on. :)
Sharon: I am always loath to throw away food. I'll usually find a way to eat it, and sometimes that involves research!
Ed: THANK YOU for that information! It definitely could have been too much moisture -- the corn was pre-cut and shucked and it came in a plastic packet. From Senegal, no less! Dave was not shopping local.
Ellen: I think if it were REALLY red, like the corn in that picture I linked to, I might not eat it. But this was only barely red. In fact I'd have overlooked it, I think.
Ellen D: Weirdly, though, it has never happened the other way around -- someone else mailing back one of our books. Karma owes me!
Pixie: Every time I complain about the cold I think about you and Red on the Canadian prairie, laughing at me!
Robin: Mmmm! Kale! I love kale.
Linda Sue: I've heard of free pet sitters in theory, but I've never tried to use one. What happens if they don't show up? Or their plans change at the last minute? At least this way I have a business arrangement with someone that I'm paying so they're incentivized to see it through!
Margaret: Yeah, I'm not really convinced on the mite thing, but as I told Mitchell, if I can't see them I can overlook the whole situation!
Janie: That's how I feel. We're fine, so no harm done!
Catalyst: When I first said something to Dave about Kernel Red Streak, he said, "Who's that?" LOL!
Jenny-O: It's hard when you're having mild weather not to have a sense of doom! But who knows. Weather has always vacillated, right? I mean, climate change is real, but maybe not every warm spell is climate change.
Jeanie: Maybe, but I doubt they're thinking about it that hard!
Kelly: Yeah, I agree, rain is worse. (And Olga agrees too. She'll go out in the cold but not in the rain.)
Padre: Ha! You have a one-track mind, T.
Debby: I hate to say it, but kindness is not my chief motivation. It's more a sense of organization, of getting things where they're supposed to go.
Allison: Probably warmer than yours in Spokane, though!
Caro: Like Jeanie said, maybe they think all libraries communicate and cooperate!
River: Well BLESS YOU for doing that. We've had families move away with our books and I've never had anyone return them. It's disappointing.
In reply to your reply, Steve, I'm going to take another shower. And I will never sleep again.
ReplyDelete