First Avenue Shuffle

First Avenue managers out
Chris Riemenschneider, Star Tribune
June 24, 2004 AVENUE0624

"Patti Smith rocked and a couple of heads rolled at First Avenue nightclub in Minneapolis late Tuesday.

Steve McClellan and Jack Meyer, the club's managers for most of its 34 years in business, were forced out by owner Allan Fingerhut. McClellan was widely seen as the heart and soul of the city's best-known nightclub.

Fingerhut said the two managers were suspended and not fired, but they saw it otherwise.

"I'm getting my stuff out of [the office] today," McClellan said Wednesday, adding, "I'm moving to Haiti after this."

McClellan oversaw music operations at the club and was usually the first person thanked by musicians on stage or in CD liner notes. "

http://www.startribune.com/stories/919/4843853.html

Wuz they taking more than their [Heinlein] fair share? It seemed like a going concern...

Summer Radish...

GARDEN Q & A
A Summer Radish Success
By LESLIE LAND

Published: June 24, 2004


"Q. We love radishes and have no trouble growing them in spring. But summer is always a disaster. We have tried shading the plants and giving them plenty of food and water. Is there anything else we can do?

A. For success in summer, you can switch to growing the rat-tail radish, Raphanus sativus var. caudatus, a plant that flourishes in heat. Although it is a true radish, it does not form an edible root. You grow it for the delicious young seedpods, which at their peak are pungent and crisp, if not quite as juicy as spring radishes. Despite their name, they are handsome, too, like pointed beans in shades of purple and deep green.

Rat-tail plants grow quickly to three or four feet, putting out lots of pink or white flowers. The blossoms are pretty, mildly fragrant and frequently adorned with butterflies. But they do not last long.

The deliciousness is fleeting as well. Pods can grow to a foot or more but are best when only three to five inches long. As they grow larger and seeds start to swell, the flavor becomes milder, but the pods become leathery and pithy. If you keep picking the pods, the plants will keep fruiting for a month or more. But the stems are tough, the pods are many, and it is easy to let things slide. Unless you need a big single harvest for pickle-making or a rat-tail party, it is better to keep new plants coming by sowing a few seeds every other week until the middle of August.

Sources for seeds include Seed Savers Exchange, www.seedsavers.org or (563) 382-5990, and John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds, www.kitchengardenseeds.com or (860) 567-6086."

Hmm, never heard of 'em. Sounds perfect for this climate. Anybody else?

For you francophiles out there (you know who you are...)

Tallest Bridge Nears Completion
Agence France-Presse
Keep your eyes on the road: the tallest bridge nears completion, transparent sides and all

There's a link at http://www.nytimes.com/pages/garden/index.html

I cannot find the article this morning, an unusual failing the Time's search engine...

Hot Water Header Part Deux

The plumber banged on the door a short while after he was supposed to arrive, and it was not the cutest plumber in the world, Alex, but a stand-in worker bee. We went down to the water heater and he poked around. And we went up to the back yard where he stepped haphazardly amongst the peppers and thyme. And he called Alex, who was coming later to confirm that I really did need a 10" rough-in toilet... And then he left.

Alex, the cutest plumber in the world, showed up sometime later and again we looked at the water heater, we looked at the space by the furnace, and we looked at the garage, and we looked at the back yard. We also measured the toilet hub. Yep, 10".

They want to put in a 4" pipe for fresh air with the water heater. This is the pipe that everybody seals off the minute the inspector passes it.

Water heater goes in next week. Must find toilet. Shoulda taken a picture of Alex...