Diary 7|24|2014: Avalanche Day. Not For The Squeamish.

[title type="h5"]Thursday, July 24, 2014. Avalanche Day. (Not For The Squeamish.) [/title] Everything happens at the same time, and it's enough today to keep me at the ranch. I pick up my car's wheel with its new tire, and after the show I mount it on the car. I thought this would be easier than mounting the donut, driving the car to the tire shop, then having them reinstall the real wheel. Now I'm not so sure. I'm more certain about this: if ticks had a street value, I might be able to get a new car selling the ones the two dogs pick up during their daily wanderings in the woods. I expect to perform a removal often this time of year. But a few days ago I found one feeding on me. I know how to get rid of these things cleanly; my tool is a toenail clipper. But I don't know what the disgusting bug may have left behind. My dermatologist friend Dr. Bob says that there isn't much Lyme disease going around, but I should take a course of antibiotics anyway, and he'd feel even better about it if he could take a look. And finally, the kitchen sink is stopped up. I try my plumber's snake, a tool that has done nothing for me over the years. It maintains that record today, failing to make the turn at even the first of several ninety-degree corners. Drano doesn't do the job, either. We call the plumber. Who says he doesn't want to fool with jobs like this anymore. The fact that he unstopped an identical blockage less than a year ago makes no never-mind to him. He's off my list, and he seemed glad to hear it. I go online and quickly find a plumber who will be happy to do the job--next Monday. [caption id="attachment_43222" align="alignnone" width="480"] Salmon with pistachios and asparagus.[/caption] After thoroughly washing my hands, I betake The Marys, The Boy and myself to Zea for the first time in a few months. We don't like the place any less, but for awhile we supped there entirely too often. Zea's claim that its menu is always changing proves true. Here's a slab of very pretty Atlantic salmon, encrusted with pistachios, and beribboned with a butter sauce and a thickish brown sauce with a slightly sweet, Asian-tinged flavor. This is very, very good, a dish I will probably have again next time. Whenever that will be. The Marys eat salads and sides. The Boy goes for an order of ribs, Thai style. This is usually a very reliable item at Zea--a signature dish. But not today. The coating and the meat itself are off kilter, reports the boy. MA takes the bones home, where she will turn them over to the Dog Squad, thereby indirectly feeding the current population of ticks. Mary Ann says she will go to the vet tomorrow to get the parasite-killing stuff. I apologize to my more sensitive readers for all these unpalatable matters, but I feel committed to making this department comprehensive.