July in January

[cbertsch]

I've got a cold that went straight to my chest -- will this never end? -- but am feeling happy regardless. I just went out in the backyard to feel the warmth of the sun and harvest the bounty our distressingly dry and disconcertingly mild winter has brought us. It took me longer than I'd expected to haul it all in:

I was wondering, as I snaked my hands through the frost-browned top leaves in search of red and gold, whether there really is something to the notion that breathing in the aroma of plants and soil is restorative. My lungs feel a lot better. And my eyes have yet to recover from the delight of so much primary color.

Comments

[chrisglass.livejournal.com]

My word that is a fantastic and delicious photo.

Eat some of that bounty and get better.

[cbertsch.livejournal.com]

Thanks! It's so hard to get the camera to focus right at that range. There's no manual control. And highlights seem to mess up the auto-focus. But I got lucky. I still feel the need for a digital SLR, though.

Oh, and as far as the bounty goes, I just hope Skylar lets me eat a few! She's pretty totalitarian when it comes to Tomaten.

[ex-synecdoch550.livejournal.com]

Wow, that looks amazing. It's like the "food porn" on slashfood. Every time I try to take pictures of food, it looks incredibly unappetizing. I don't understand why it is so hard to capture.

[cbertsch.livejournal.com]

Food porn! I like that. It's all about the light and exposure. I was struggling with the camera to get the right balance, but was finally able to make it do what I wanted.

[ex-synecdoch550.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, slashfood (http://www.slashfood.com) is wonderful, though I can't browse it without leaving hungry. They feature some beautiful food photography in addition to recipes and other bits of info about food in general.

question

[sisterblister83.livejournal.com]

I have been told by Arizonian relatives that their weather would be perfect for me and my health problems, particularly the asthma, cold, bronchial allergies, etc? Would you agree? They also reside in Tucson.

Re: question

[cbertsch.livejournal.com]

Some asthmatics do great in the desert. Others do not. It all depends on whether humidity hurts or helps your lungs. For my part, I'd do best in a place like Florida, G-d forbid, where the air is thick with moisture. You won't know until you spend some time here. Bear in mind, also, that smog can alter the equation. NYC has bad air quality that rules out the advantages of humidity from my perspective. So does Houston, for that matter. The air here is usually pretty clear. Just dry.

Re: question

[frostedfuckhead.livejournal.com]

i think you would just keel over and die here, man. you know about the smog, but the air in the winter is very, very dry as well. if not for chapstick i would have no lips.

Re: question

[cbertsch.livejournal.com]

I'm sure I would. Or, at least the old me would have. I think the new me is going to try the power of positive thinking and pretend that I don't have any problems!

Re: question

[frostedfuckhead.livejournal.com]

well, maybe you should try an air purifier/humidifier. you could maybe invest in one on a small scale -- maybe try it out in your office and see if it helps. if it does you could maybe buy a few for your house. it seems as if they've been around long enough that they shouldn't be outrageously expensive, but who knows? i know they sell tons of humidifiers here in beijing. i was thinking about getting one myself because they're only like 20 bucks here.

Re: question

[frostedfuckhead.livejournal.com]

hey maybe you could maybe the maybe, maybe?

[danthered.livejournal.com]

*gasp*

*swoon*

*whiiiiiine*

[cbertsch.livejournal.com]

If it's any consolation, we don't get much of a crop between July and October. The flowers won't set when it's too hot out.