SCREAMING BANSHEES HAVE REPLACED OUR TROLLS

    Miami can be a dangerous town. With this in mind, we've had Tyrolean gnomes, Hedwig and Fritz, guarding our house since 2006.   Recently, we discovered were actually disguised Russians trolls (actual names: "Nikita and Boris") who have been spying on us for years.

   After Boris 'fessed up we reduced  both of them to iron slag. We then set out to find new, scary sentries, ones  we could entrust with our safekeeping.  
We found them in Ireland. 

   Meet Erin and Colleen, our skeletal banshees who howl and gnash gnarly teeth when anyone approaches. Geez, their eyes even glow when angered.

The devilish duo even came with a shillelagh (an Irish fighting club) which we now keep by the door. We feel much better now knowing we have the finest in Irish home protection. 
 





   You can have it too.  On Sunday, March 4th, Francesca and I will be participating in the Grove's greatest art festival, THE GIFFORD LAND ART STROLL. 

   I'll be selling banshees, shillelaghs, and the usual weird stuff I make.  Francesca will
be selling her delicious banana bread. Come enjoy the show and visit us.  Its the first booth you encounter at the corner of Gifford Lane and Oak Avenue. We'll be there noon to 5.  
Hope to see you then.
                              ___________________________________

A Few Other Things 
More Serious

 ARMS ARE FOR HUGGING

     It's a wonderful thing having  Broward's bright, articulate teenagers showing us how to make schools -and our country- more sane and safe. 
1000 of us are going Tallahassee Monday morning to support their valiant efforts. We will march, demonstrate for better gun laws and speak with our elected representatives. 
    If you can't join us, please call these people
and tell them your thoughts. If the kids can do it so can we.


 DIE-INs

     On Wednesday and Friday at noon, we will be staging "die-ins" at the offices of our local state representatives who oppose strengthening our gun laws. Drop me a line if you are "dying" to be a part of this creative, political endeavor.  I'm at bettermiami1@yahoo.com .

     Our government is broken. There has never been a more important time to take action.  Call, speak up, and help throw the bums out of office in November
             ___________________________  
    

The Grove Guy: GOING MAD WITH MISO

Francesca and I make our own salad dressings.  I gave a bottle of my "miso" to friends in Georgia last week and today, they asked me for the

recipe. 

 I don't have one. I make it up each batch based on my feeble memory and momentary instincts.  I tried putting it on paper and here is what I came up with:

 

-Start with a third of a pint (about 5 oz.) of miso paste

in your blender (Whole Foods has it)

-Add 1/4 water to that, then toss in

-a cup of oil (olive, safflower, whatever).

-1/4-1/2 of a med. onion

-Fresh ginger, the size of a peach pit.

-2 cloves of crushed garlic (or more! Garlic is as

good as ten mothers)

-a peeled and seeded lemon (or lime)

-tea spoon of fish sauce and a

 -tea spoon of honey (more if you've a sweet tooth!)

-Now pour in 1/3 cup vinegar

-tspn of mustard (takes too long to include vowels sometimes)

   Once in a while I will add a dash of Tabasco sauce just

for the hell of it.

Turn on the blender for 20-30 seconds.

If there are herbs growing in the front yard I will throw in

some leaves of cilantro, parsley, chives, and  Jamaican hibiscus

at this point. I run the blender then just one or two seconds

for these so I can see the herb bits suspended in the liquid.

Give it a taste.

If it seems to lack something, add that.

Again, it's a guessing game writing "my recipe".  Maybe the oil part is 1 1/2 cups.

It fills up 2/3 of our Waring blender and two salad dressing

bottles.

Have fun with it.  It's hard to go wrong. Whatever you make will be twice as good as the store bought stuff.

Glennito