It was just August, wasn't it? I mean like, yesterday, right?
But somehow it is now the middle of September and I haven't blogged at all.
Well, let's get caught up so that I can start posting in real time. There's been good stuff happening around here!
I was in California for 10 days which explains a lot of the absence.
I got to spend time with my (still) completely adorable nephew, but not enough of course.
He is very interested in:
1. moving dirt from one pile to another
2. carrying rocks around
3. loading up drawers of his toys and then dumping them out
4. pushing empty 5 gallonl buckets down the driveway
5. the gardeners and
6. chocolate pokey
While I was visiting he was still working out how to make a water bottle with a straw work. Lets just say there is a lot of backwash. He's a good veggie eater too, everything from spinach and kale, to poblano chiles and guacamole.
We also visited the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo for a great origami exhibit.
I used to go here way back in the '90s to visit the Temporary Contemporary. I wouldn't have recognized the neighborhood. It has completely changed. For the better - there is a Metro stop right across from the museum. LA is getting public transportation!? Who knew?
We got an extra little treat because the museum was hosting a free exhibit of the Kubo and the Two Strings movie. I had seen the trailer and would never have guessed that it was a stop action film. The exhibit was of some of the sets and dolls of the main characters. 
What I enjoyed most were the planning boards for each character. Fabric, clothing, foot ware, and accessories were all explored in miniature.
Here they recreated typical Japanese fabric pattern with a rubber stamp! Love it.
I was also treated to a wonderful night at the Hollywood Bowl. Yoyo Ma's experimental music group the Silkroad brings together an incredibly diverse group of musicians who make fantastic music together. And I just love the Hollywood Bowl anyway. It was a lovely evening. 
And I got some more type. That is a beautiful little batch of 36pt Cooper.
The return to Philadelphia was tough. It was a hot hot hot summer and humid as "walking into a dog's mouth" was the best description I heard. And just as gross too. I can't remember the last time I had to have my air conditioners on for so long.
Of course in all of that heat I decided I needed to try to make ketchup. 
My farm share has been as abundant as ever. The week before I left I received quite a lot of tomatoes, plus several from my garden. I also happen to have a cookbook in the lab that is in need of conserving with no less than 5 ketchup recipes. I used those and several I found online to invent my own thing. I cooked it up and canned it before I left for California.
When I came back I had a few days off so I opened it all back up and cooked it down to the right consistency on the stove for ten hours. yes. ten.
