And Then There's Purple

So this past week, Boise was under a "red alert" for air quality, which is unhealthy for everyone.  Makes sense--it really was nasty.  But Friday, we reached the next level--purple--which is "really unhealthy" for everyone.  I'll admit, I have never looked into this, but I have always assumed that red alerts were the highest one. Did anyone else not know there was a purple level after that?

It turns out, there's even one more level after that:  Maroon.  Maybe it's just because the movies have us so well trained that red alerts mean people running, but does a Maroon Alert sound even remotely scary?

The Thing About A View

is that you can REALLY tell how bad your air quality is when large chunks of it disappear.  For instance,

there are normally mountains outside this dirty window.  But we're enjoying red-alert air quality because of one last human-caused fire this season. The cats are even limiting their time outside, which is just as well as their fur picks up the smell quickly and they smell like 3-packs-a-day smokers.  Maybe--since nothing else has defeated them--the voles are all getting lung cancer this week.  One can only hope...............

Nine Years!

Today is our 9-year wedding anniversary.  Hard to believe it's been 9 years already, but that's a good sign.  

We always exchange perfume and cologne for our anniversaries, though rarely actually on the day.  We've been very, very late a few times, so this year we picked them out early for a change.  In February when we were down visiting Andy's parents, Andy and I went to a mall, and since I actually heartily dislike malls in general and try for once-a-year visits at most, we decided to pick out scents while we were there.  So, the nine-year fragrances ("artistically" arranged with a dusty engagement photo and some birthday flowers):

For Andy, L'Homme by Yves Saint Laurent

For me, Acqua di Gioia by Giorgio Armani

For the credit card, life support, as fragrances have just about doubled since we got married.

These are actually our 10th fragrances, as we exchanged them as our wedding gifts to each other, and it has been a really fun idea.  I can't remember where I got the idea, but it's really nice to have "themes" for gift-giving.  We do birthday, anniversary, Valentine's and Christmas, and I think finding new ideas 4 times a year might be getting a bit difficult by now, but with scents for anniversaries and home-made gifts for Valentine's day and themes (usually "hobbies") for Christmas, it's stayed fairly easy to come up with gifts--though as I still haven't finished the summer clothes for Andy's birthday last year and there's a Valentine gift for me that might never make it OUT of Andy's "project time-out bin," there are snags in the system once in a while.  But boy, do we smell good!  :)

Salsa!

It takes all day, but doing salsa as a triple batch does get it done all at once.

Nine Years on Wednesday!

Wednesday will be our ninth wedding anniversary!  I really can't believe it has been that long!  Which is probably a really good sign.  And,

 

we're having a lot of fun.

My back continues to make progress--I even got my first 6-mile walk in yesterday.  It's been at LEAST a year if not several since I could do that.  I do get tired of it after 5 years, but I still had to laugh this week when someone suggested I see a chiropractor.  FIVE YEARS, and really, I'm just struggling along waiting for someone with NOOOOO medical expertise to tell me what I should do.  That does get on my nerves by now. After 5 years, a person with sense would figure out that I'm under the care of specialists by this point.  When DID we become the land of unqualified experts?

The garden took a nose-dive during the last week because it was cold, but it's back in the 80s this week, so I may have a late surge in veggies.  Here's the problem with canning:  when it's cold enough that canning is pretty pleasant, it's too cold for the garden.  When it's warm enough for the garden, having a hot stove going for hours is a bit overwhelming.  But it is worth it.  Or this is the pep-talk I'm giving myself to prepare for salsa!

Day 74...

It's day 74 of the zucchini siege, and spirits are beginning to fail. Will the frost come in time?

Poblanos!

Obviously, poblanos do really well on a "general neglect" regime.