persimmonfrost | Windows open, pie in the oven

The heat broke sometime last night after a couple of hot and humid days. I opened my windows this morning and turned off the a/c. Decided to make a pie because 1) I had all the fixings and 2) I couldn’t bake anything over the weekend, the a/c and washing machine were pulling too much juice; I started getting a lot of power fluctuations.

Looked good anyway (Photo credit: Tracy Rowan)

So today’s pie is a plum-strawberry-blackberry affair with cinnamon and cardamom. It’s got cornstarch in the filling so I’m hoping it won’t be quite as soupy as the strawberry-rhubarb I made a week or so ago. Last night I made leek-potato-garlic scape soup in the slow cooker because it runs on very little electricity and puts almost no heat out into the room. I’m already planning Friday’s supper, a roasted pork belly, new potatoes with dill and zucchini salad extravaganza. Cooler weather brings out the cook in me. I’m going to be using herbs from the garden since they’re starting to look pickable.

Alas, we continue to have a rat problem. Little ratty guys zoom across the patio when we’re out there, and linger there when we’re not. I’m feeling kind of sorry for them because they’re fleeing all the work that’s being done on nearby streets, work that’s destroying their burrows. Glinda’s not too sympathetic, but it makes me sad. Not sad enough that I want them in the house or anything, but enough to make me philosophical. And then I worry about the bunnies.

We tried putting out coir soaked in peppermint oil which is said to be a potent repellent to them, but no joy. Our next move will be ammonia or bleach. We’ll also be caulking up the little open space where the concrete patio was taken out and the new pavers were laid. Nobody ever plugged the gap, which is not big enough for rats, but it might be for mice. Might be. We’ve got steel wool to use as filler and then a good exterior caulk. Anything wants in, they’re going to have to get past both.