Five Quotes from Harvey Milk

Photo Found Here
May 22, 1930 – November 27, 1978

“All men are created equal. Now matter how hard they try, they can never erase those words. That is what America is about.”

 “I know that you cannot live on hope alone, but without it, life is not worth living. And you…And you…And you…Gotta give em hope.” 

“It takes no compromise to give people their rights…it takes no money to respect the individual. It takes no political deal to give people freedom. It takes no survey to remove repression.”

“Politics is theater. It doesn’t matter if you win. You make a statement. You say, “I’m here, pay attention to me”

“Hope is never silent.” 

To read more in the Five Quotes series, click here.

The Birds…Two Days Later and Under a Watchful Eye

This is a continuation of a post I entered two days ago regarding these cute little birds that have taken to nest on my front porch. It’s amazing how they’ve grown in just two days…it’s the first time I looked in on them since the previous post, which I believe is right after they hatched. I was curious, so I went out with a stood and stood on it. And just like the other day the mother bird left the nest when I approached…but this time she didn’t go far. She flew to a branch only about ten feet away and watched…her head may have been sideways but we know she was watching my every move. Anyhow, I talked nicely to them (and her) as I snapped a few photos and assured her I meant them no harm. Amazing, I think. I’ll try to post a few more pictures in a couple of days, if she allows it…

Urban Simplicity.

Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#440)…and a bread recipe


A dough rising bucket and two loaves of freshly baked whole wheat oatmeal-flax bread (recipe below).

Whole Wheat Oatmeal-Flax Bread
Makes 2 or 3 loaves
6 cups whole wheat flour, divided
2 cups oatmeal, plus additional for coating
½ cup flax seed
2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten
4 cups water, divided
2 tablespoons instant yeast, divided
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup honey
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Separate the ingredients into two bowls using this ratio: In one bowl combine 4 cups of flour, two cups of oatmeal, the flax seed, wheat gluten, and 3 cups of water; stir until just combined. In the second bowl combine the remaining 2 cups of flour, 1 tablespoon of yeast, and 1 cup of water; stir until just combined. Cover the bowls and allow the ingredients to rest and begin fermenting for at least an hour, but up to 12. Then combine the contents of bowl bowls into the bowl of an upright mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the remaining tablespoon of yeast, along with the olive oil, honey, and salt. Knead the dough on medium speed for about 8 minutes, then cover and allow to rise for one hour. Transfer the dough to a work surface, cut it into two or pieces, gently shape it into loaves. Dust the counter with extra oatmeal and roll the loaves in it, gently pressing oatmeal into the surface of the raw dough. Place the loaves into oiled loaf pans, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for 45 minutes. Preheat an oven to 425F. Bake the bread for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on. Remove the bread from their pans and allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

Crispy Spice-Fried Fish (recipe and pics)

To prepare chicken or fish like this is so easy and delicious that if you haven’t in the past you’ll be wondering why. I used salmon and ate it in fish tacos for dinner, but the fish is delicious on its own or as an accompaniment to rice pilaf or a salad. I used southwestern flavors for the tacos, but this could easily be made with Mediterranean herbs and spices or Indian spices (just to mention a couple variations). Chicken–or other meats–are delicious like this as well. Below is an image of it being cooked, and below that is the method to make it.

Dice 12 ounces of fish or chicken and place it in a bowl. Season it with whatever you like…I used two teaspoons each of mild chili powder, smoked paprika, and ground cumin; also add 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt. Mix the fish or chicken gently to coat it with the spices. In a separate small bowl mix together a tablespoon each of lemon juice and cornstarch; mix it until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add a large egg and beat it with the lemon and cornstarch until mixed. Add the egg-lemon-cornstarch mixture to the seasoned fish and gently mix again. Set aside for about 10 or 15 minutes. Heat about 1/2 inch canola oil in a heavy skillet over a medium-high flame. When the oil is hot enough that a piece of fish or chicken sizzles when dipped, it is ready. Carefully add the fish or chicken and fry it on both sides for about two minutes, or until crispy, golden, and cooked through. Carefully remove it from the hot oil with a slotted spoon and transfer it to a plate that is lined with absorbent paper.

Urban Simplicity.

Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#439)

6 live vegetable plants, 6 herb plants, a 12ft. garden hose, an 18ft wire fence, 5 tomato cages, 4 lbs of dog food, a bottle of red wine, and $67.24 in groceries.

Urban Simplicity.

Beautiful and Incredible–but Slightly Inconvenient–Nesting

Okay…firstly, this is incredible. A tiny little bird family on my front porch. But the reason I say it is inconvenient is its location…on a faux bamboo shade to shield the sun from my house on a hot day..today it was 89F/32C. I noticed the bird’s nest starting to take shape a few weeks ago and before I knew it I could see a bird sitting in there; I figure she was guarding eggs. I can see the nest from the window next to my computer and glanced out today and saw the little beaks sticking up over the straw. I went out and stood on a chair to get pictures. I didn’t want to get too close (I used the zoom) but still the mother flew away when I stood on the chair. I snapped a few quick pictures and got down before momma bird came back with papa and a few of his friends (maybe I’ve watched too many Alfred Hitchcock movies). She came back almost immediately after getting off the chair. It’s night now, and as I type these words I can see her silhouette perched in the nest with her chicks. I’ll not be able to use that shade until they leave the nest, I suppose. But it’s worth it. Sometimes it’s so easy to forget (I’m speaking of myself here) how incredible and amazing the fabric of life is. Things like this help me remember.

Urban Simplicity.

Five Things I Saw Today

Today was supposed to offer great weather–and it did–so I knew I was going to do a lot of garden work…but I didn’t feel like it so I procrastinated. After having breakfast with my son and two of my sisters I grabbed a camera and went for a brief bike ride. These are a few of the things I saw. I came upon this above scene as I pedaled through downtown…six window washers washing the windows of a hotel. They looked sort of like worker ants from a distance. The first image below is of the Buffalo River taken from the Michigan Avenue Bridge,  the next is of an underpass of the local interstate highway, after that is an old building in the Cobblestone District of Buffalo, and lastly, a Metro Rail station. And yes…I did eventually get to the gardening work (most of it). Click any image for a larger view.

Urban Simplicity.

Bike to Work

I knew that May was National Bike Month but was not aware that today–May 18th–was National Bike-To-Work-Day. It’s likely that to many who read this blog this is irrelevant information as you may ride to work on many days already (sort of like preaching to the choir), but I thought I’d say it anyhow…Happy bike-to-work-day!

Park Lane Crab Cakes

We made these crab cakes while at work today and I thought I’d post a recipe. When I came home and searched my computer for the recipe I was surprised (a little) that the only one on my hard drive–and one I had forgotten I had–was the crab cake recipe from the original Park Lane Restaurant. I did short stint as chef at the Park Lane when it was already way past it’s prime, and I had the opportunity to have dinner on more than a few occasions with Peter Gust Economou. He lived in the condos next door and said he enjoyed to eat with the chef. At the time he was an old man and I was a young man and I found his stories fascinating, His legend was larger than life, at least much larger than he was when I met him. When I was hired at the restaurant I was told that he ate there every night. And when he asked for me–that he wanted to meet the new chef–I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t more than a bit intimidated. When I went out to meet him he was just a very old man in a wheelchair sitting with his personal assistant. He was very nice to me and liked to talk about the past. Shortly after I had left I heard of his passing. When he was a young man, I am told and have read, he was quite the character…and had the ego to match. But when I met him he was just a nice old man. He was a powerful man in his prime and now I wonder how many in a generation younger than I even remember him. No matter how much money we have or how much power we control none of it really matters. In the end we are all the same and leave these bodies which we currently inhabit…nothing–not wealth nor power–can stop it. OK, I’ll pull in from my little philosophical tangent, here’s his original recipe for crab cakes.

Crab Cakes
Yield: 18 crab cakes
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small red pepper, diced small
1 small onion, diced small
2 pounds crab meat
3 eggs
1 cups mayonnaise
1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons granulated garlic
1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
1 teaspoons Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 bunch flatleaf parsley, washed and coarse chopped
2 cups breadcrumbs
Butter and vegetable oil for sauteing.

Heat the 3 tablespoons oil in a skillet and sauté the peppers and onions until the onions are translucent but not browned; set aside and allow to cool. Add remaining ingredients, stirring gently. Shape into small cakes. Saute the cakes in a combination of butter and oil until browned on both sides. If needed, finish cooking in a 350F oven for 10 minutes.

Pug in Your Face

I’ve posted pictures of my pugs before but I thought I’d share these (who couldn’t love those flat-faced bulging-eyed faces). That’s Maxwell above and the bottom three are Franklin. All these little guys want is my love (and they have it). I can have the crappiest day at work and come home to their unconditional affection and it changes things. Today when I came home I sat on the floor and let them jump all over me. And as they wilded around and on me I snapped a few photos. They are afraid of the camera but every few seconds they would slow down long enough for me to get a close up of them. Anyhow, here’s a few.

Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#436 & #437)

#436…A small nylon bag containing various tools, a canvas bag containing–among other things–3 books and an extra camera, a live blackberry bush.

#437…A book, a Fender Stratocaster guitar,and a double order of Chinese take-out food.

Urban Simplicity.

A Question for Other Bloggers

Before I pose the question I have to offer a little background. In the past year or so visits to my little blog have steadily risen to around 600 a day. At this point I am speaking specifically of the Blogger version of Urban Simplicity, not the WordPress version, which of course is it’s mirror blog. Blogger is the primary blog and I upload it to WordPress. To some this many visits may not seem a lot but to me it is. I figure if even just a portion of the visitors stay around it makes it worth it for me to keep going. Anyhow, about a week ago–maybe a bit longer–I noticed spikes in visits…drastic spikes. That’s an image of the past week above; even on busier days the stats never spiked like that, now it’s a daily occurrence. At first I was thrilled that the visits had tripled and on some days quadrupled. I thought maybe a popular site had linked me somewhere and were leading people to my blog. Then, after a bit more scrutiny, I noticed that most of the hits or visits–thousands of them a day sometimes–where coming from Bulgaria. Bulgaria now represents the most hits per day from any other country. Prior, it was always the U.S. first, then Canada, followed by Australia, the European Union, and South America (mostly Brazil). You can see this represented below…the darker the image the more visits from that country (look how dark Bulgaria is). After doing a couple Google searches I found a few others that have had this same phenomenon. One commenter on another site said that they were likely “bot” generated searches. What, I wonder are they searching for. So the question is, have any of you ever experienced this before? Also, is this blog about to be hacked? I have not contacted blogger yet because they do not allow you to contact them (brilliant)…only through forums, which I don’t really care for. Anyhow, if anyone has any info on this I would love to hear it, and likely so would a few others.

This said, if you’re a regular reader of this blog and you see that I stop posting for a few days or there is something unlike I would post here (such as if I got hacked) please check the mirror blog (which is not experiencing this issue). But, then again who knows…maybe, for some reason the good people of Bulgaria have suddenly found my blog very interesting. And thank you to those who do visit, link, follow, and comment; it makes me know that I am not tapping away at my keyboard into a void. Peace.

A View From my Handlebars

Buffalo, the city in which I was born and currently reside, is not a large city (we rank 70 out of 275 in the size of American cities, according to this page), but it’s a lovely city and a great place to live and work. But we still have traffic jams and rush hour, not like those you may find in mega-cities, but nonetheless, they still occur. This is an image I took while on Allen Street this evening on my way to the health club. It’s a narrow street and sometimes busy but not usually this busy, but it was just after 5pm. What a beautiful day it was/is…look at that sky. And after spending the day facing a hot stove and  as I stood straddling my bike waiting for the traffic light to change I felt so lucky–blessed actually–to be on a bike and not trapped in a car on such a beautiful evening. I’m just saying…

Urban Simplicity.

Three Photos and a Few Words

I took the above photo just a few minutes prior to typing these words. It is about 9:00pm and without question a truly idyllic spring evening here in Western New York. It is so beautiful I felt the need to share it the best I can via this electronic media. There is not a cloud or wind in the sky and the temperatures is around 64F/18C…just lovely. And the day was just as beautiful. I spent most of the day inside working but did get a chance to be out for a while. The picture immediately below is of the garden that is just outside the rear door of my place of employment. And the last photo below is really the most interesting, I think…albeit a bit gruesome. It’s something I witnessed yesterday in my backyard. At first I thought an injured spider was slowly trying to make its way across a railing. But upon closer inspection I could see that three ants were not only attempting to carry the spider’s carcass, but actually pull it through a hole (which is visible under the spider). After several unsuccessful attempts they began to dismantle the spider and take it down a piece at a time. I couldn’t watch after a while, and when I looked this morning it was gone. Anyhow, the image’s juxtaposition is what I thought was really interesting…the incredible natural beauty of nature and at the same time the sometimes gruesome task of survival.

Urban Simplicity.

Twenty Minute Pasta with Beans and Greens Recipe

This recipe–as I say about all the recipes that I post on this blog–is really easy to make, nutritious, and super delicious. And it only takes twenty minutes (or less) to prepare, granting you have your beans cooked and have good knife skills (in other words, if you can chop things fast). The only meat in the recipe is the chicken broth, but it can easily be vegetarian/vegan by using vegetable broth. If you do prefer to have animal protein in this recipe almost any poultry or meat (or even fish) would be good, as would a bit of ham, bacon, or smoked sausage. It would just take a little longer to cook. I also doused it with a liberal helping of Parmesan cheese (which is not listed in the recipe). Anyhow, here’s a few pictures of it being prepared; the recipe follows.

Beans and Greens
Serves 4
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 small green bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon crushed hot pepper
½ teaspoon basil
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon fennel seed
2 medium tomatoes, diced
2 cups cooked beans
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups (about 5oz) chopped fresh spinach
½ pound whole wheat pasta

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a heavy pot and add the onion, green pepper, and garlic; saute for a couple minutes. Stir in the salt, paprika, hot pepper, basil, oregano, and fennel seed; stir and cook for another minute. Add the tomatoes, beans, and broth. Bring the liquid to a boil, then lower it to a simmer. Simmer the bean mixture for about 10 minutes, or until it reduces by 1/3 and start to thicken. Then stir in the spinach and cook for a couple of minutes. Meanwhile, boil the pasta in plenty of boiled water. Drain the pasta and add it to the beans and spinach, allowing it to absorb some of it’s flavor.