Idle Chatter -- The Good Life In North Texas -- May 13, 2017

Current weather: absolutely calm, clear; 83 degrees and feels like 84 degrees.

Patio: We've lived in our new apartment now for one year. It's about as perfect as it can get. Except for one thing. No man-cave. The "man-cave-that-would-have-been" was appropriated by my wife for her crafts room.

We recently moved some beautiful patio furniture that we had used inside to the small patio outside our little patio. The inside furniture was replaced by some incredibly wonderful Stickley furniture (photo previously posted).

So, now we have some great patio furniture on the patio. I've spent the last couple of evenings on the porch; nice, but not yet perfect. Something was missing. Tonight, I figured it out. No bar-be-cue. We're not allowed to have a fire of any sort on the porch for obvious reasons -- then it dawned on me -- our electric grill. I use it occasionally in the kitchen, but on the porch, on the patio, nearly-chest high patio table, the grill will be perfect. So, now tonight, the grill is out of the kitchen and on the patio. It looks great; it will work great.

At the same time, while typing this, I listen to YouTube music but from the computer speakers the music is a bit tinny. Solution: I brought the bluetooth UE Boom and placed it on the patio table, and now we're on our way to a man-cave. We'll never have a wide-screen television monitor out here, but that's fine. I think. We'll see.

But the man-cave patio is coming along.

******************************************

The Wine Page

I can't remember if I've commented about this on the blog before now: I don't drink wine any more -- there are exceptions of course, but as a rule I no longer care for wine. With regard to wine, about the only thing I care for less than drinking wine is reading reviews of wine. I lost my interest in wine after we left Germany (some years ago now) and when it seemed every hollywoodtomdickandharry was marketing his/her own wine, and placing Hollywood prices on the bottles.

Every week in the "Off Duty"section of The Wall Street Journal, Ms Lettie Teague reviews wine; she has a fairly long column. It appears she is allowed a full page to herself if she wants. I always glance at the subject of her weekly column and am occasionally surprised.

Today was one of those "occasionally-surprised" days. Her column was on vermouth. I knew absolutely nothing about vermouth until I started studying martinis. Reading her column this week, it appears I am not the only one who did not understand vermouth.

Behind a paywall: The best vermouths for sipping. Fortified with added alcohol and infused with all manner of spices and herbs, vermouth—actually a wine—is good for more than mixing in a Martini. Here are 5 fit for savoring sans mixers.

The five vermouths she suggests for sipping:

• Imbue Bittersweet Vermouth, $27
• Contratto Blanco Vermoth, $14 (half bottle)
• Dolin Dry Vermouth de Chambery $10 (half bottle)
• Hammer & Tongs Sac'Resine Fine Vermouth $30 
• Carpano Antica Formula 1786, $14 (half bottle)

Interestingly enough, I'm happy with $11 extra dry Noilly Prat vermouth, but as a mixer (martini). Maybe I'll try one of the others she mentions.