That's Italian

Antipasto bello

Homemade fettuccine with peas and homemade ricotta

Perfectly roasted rib eye with delectable broccoli raab and shaved pecorino romano

Opposed to the ungoverned application of pyrethrins in Greensboro

Another Greensboro blogger who thinks I'm Liv of Greensboring [thanks!], has accused this blog of spreading falsehoods about Mosquito Squad.

Read this: http://fecundstench.wordpress.com/2012/05/19/mosquito-squad-is-not-spraying-permethrin/

Pyrethins, permethrin, pyrethroids--they're all poisons.

I have a real problem with pesticide companies blanketing neighborhoods, cities and counties with marketing to convince us all we need to douse our properties with pesticide in order to be safe from disease. And so does the town of Rye, N.H.

Town of Rye, N.H. mosquito control committee hearing:

NEW MOSQUITO CONTROL FRANCHISES:  Concern expressed about adequacy of companies such as Mosquito Squad franchises which provide very little training and are not entomologists.  Cost of a franchise is about $40,000 for truck, insurance, and franchise fee. They use Side Kick (a very high potency pyrethrin pesticide), have been observed spraying properties on rainy days (ineffective), using misting or fogging (drift), and attempt to generate whole neighborhood business with reduced rates.  Lawn care companies are also advertising mosquito control.

Saturating yards with this stuff means it's washing into waterways and drifting through neighborhoods. If we as a city want mosquito control measures in place, they should be monitored and commissioned by a municipal environmental engineer.

Or we'll get into situations like this:

SafeLawns blog: Va. Country shrugs as mother, daughters get caught in chemical spray blowback

Pyrethroids include "all-natural" pyrethrum made from chrysanthemum blossoms, synthetic pyrethrins which are based on pyrethrum, and fully synthetic permethrin and similar pesticides--they're all poisons.

Wikipedia on Toxicity of Pyrethrins:

All pyrethrins are easily hydrolyzed and degraded by stomach acids in mammals, so toxicity following ingestion by pets is very low. However, pyrethrins are dangerous for fish. 

Toxicity is usually associated with applying much more of the product than directed. Care should be taken to observe direction labels when using this substance around humans and animals. Overdose and toxicity can result in a variety of symptoms, especially in pets, including drooling, lethargy, muscle tremors, vomiting, seizures and death. 

Toxicity symptoms in humans include asthmatic breathing, sneezing, nasal stuffiness, headache, nausea, incoordination, tremors, convulsions, facial flushing and swelling, and burning and itching sensation. Permethrin and other pyrethroids are synthetic versions of pyrethrin which have much greater potential for causing toxicity. 

The latest information regarding toxicity of piperonyl butoxide has determined that it can pose a distinct health risk when it becomes airborne and pregnant women are exposed during the third trimester. This leads to delayed mental development in young children. A 2011 study found a significant association between piperonyl butoxide (PBO), a common additive in pyrethroid formulations, measured in personal air collected during the third trimester of pregnancy, and delayed mental development at 36 months. Children who were more highly exposed in personal air samples (≥4.34 ng/m3) scored 3.9 points lower on the Mental Developmental Index than those with lower exposures. 

The lead researcher stated, "This drop in IQ points is similar to that observed in lead exposure. While perhaps not impacting an individual's overall function, it is educationally meaningful and could shift the distribution of children in the society who would be in need of early intervention services."

Mosquito Squad concerns: They're spraying permethrin

It was disturbing to receive a Groupon for Mosquito Squad today.

I believe they use the insecticide permethrin to treat entire yards. Permethrin is a blanket insecticide that kills our imperiled honey bees and every other beneficial insect in your yard, in addition to killing mosquitoes. It has also been shown to adversely affect birds and cats.

In addition, permethrin is an endocrine disrupter that has been linked to cancer as well as  reproductive and respiratory problems in humans.

All chemicals applied in yards eventually wash into the watershed, too. And since Greensboro has no natural bodies of water, we drink our own runoff.

Mosquito Squad yard signs are beginning to proliferate in my neighborhood--and I'm not happy about that at all.

If you're concerned about being bitten, it's safer to use bug repellant [spray your clothes instead of your skin]. Or grow lavender in your garden, and rub your skin with lavender sprigs and stuff some in your pockets when out in the yard--it's an excellent, natural bug repellant.

Read this: EPA Tackles Dangerous Bug Bombs, Falls Short on Restriction

Amendment One -- an appropriate analogy

1875 was the last time they amended the N.C. constitution in regard to marriage. And guess what--it, too, was all about bigotry and intolerance. Huffpost today: "Amendment One Passes: Shocking Fact About North Carolina's Gay Marriage Ban."

Why I'm voting against amendment one

Eating dinner at Whole Foods

It may not be grand cuisine, but $8 gets me a plate of good food at Whole Foods--steamed kale, biryani, curried chicken breasts and cauliflower. There were a lot of sales when the store first opened. Those are tapering off. But, the prices are way lower than at Whole Foods in other markets.

Last night we dined on the freshest Dover sole fillets I've ever had--purchased from Whole Foods and prepared at home. In fact, I think it was the freshest fish I've had since moving to Greensboro.

Happy Earth Day, Greensboro!

Levon Helm singing 'Ophelia'

I see my life come shining!

Whole Foods opened today walking distance from my house in Greensboro. Living and eating in this town has been transformed. I love that store's green and local ethos. They source about 1/3 of their goods locally, really locally--dairy, eggs, baked goods, honey, soaps, you name it. Judging by what vendors at the Farmer's Curb Market have said, this store is indeed a boon for local producers. And they use biodegradable or washable utensils, etc., in the dining-in area. Fabulous pizza, $12 a pie. Right on!

DSW Shoes at Friendly Center

Look at that color!

Crimes against women's feet! But funny.

Almost famous

We were on the beach at Siesta Key when Travel Channel taped "Sand Wars," in December. Overnight despite 24-hour security, someone knocked the "S" out of the show-title sand "sculpture"--making a political statement, I believe. The crew had to fashion a new "s" in a hurry. Funny, the next "season" has been retitled "Sand Masters".

More shots on the beach

Here's the wayout sculpture that should've won

And here's the saccharine one that did

On Siesta Key beach in Sarasota, Florida

Undercurrent Restaurant Greensboro

Cool, columned decor. Serene.

Indulged in an excellent meal at Undercurrent last night. Probably the best restaurant in Greensboro. Professional wait staff, consistent fine dining experience. And yum.

Monkfish with asparagus

Frozen cappuccino souffle

Chef Owner Ben Roberts

Mussels and grouper

Blue-berried bread pudding

All done

Gardening lessons in Greensboro

Had the pleasure of meeting Ellen Ashley, an accomplished Greensboro gardener who has designed beautiful backyard landscapes for every season.

She offers a range of gardening lessons for gardeners of every stripe. Here is her 2012 course schedule at her new website.

I am totally impressed with her in-depth knowledge on everything from composting and soil chemistry to pruning.

You can see her fabulous gardens and grounds at her site: Learn to Garden

Butter at Balthazar's

They use a bit of butter at Balthazar Bakery in Englewood, N.J.

Coolio! Story in TBJ that residents of Hobbs Landing have notified Regency Centers of intent to enforce restrictive covenants

Regency Centers and Henry Isaacson, you have been served.

See the story in today's Triad Business Journal, "Homeowners threaten legal action over Friendly development that may have Trader Joe's"...

The story includes a link to the press release and letter from the legal team serving Hobbs Landing ...

This afternoon, attorneys representing eleven homeowners in the Hobbs Landing neighborhood notified the attorney for Regency Centers that the proposed commercial development at Hobbs and Friendly would violate restrictive covenants. These covenants prohibit business, manufacturing or commercial development and limit use to single family residential only.

Now, Trader Joe's, from all of us who love you but would be appalled at the construction of this shopping center in our midst, please get yourself over to, say, a Marty Kotis's property two miles from Friendly Center, or some other shopping center in the Triad needing an anchor, and revive an entire shopping district--something you have done in several other cities.

Your fans, including me, will be happy to drive to wherever you go--and you know it.

You have always been a responsible, sustainable purveyor--heck, I got my first reusable grocery bags from your store in Cary. So please, do the right thing by Greensboro. Residents in this section of town strongly urge you to tell Regency Centers you have no interest in locating at that particular spot.

Rearn Thai on West Market in Greensboro

Really like the affordable appetizers at Rearn Thai, expecially these shrimp-rolls--crunched them down tails and all, only choked once.

Their menu is more moderately priced than other Thai and Thai-influenced restaurants in Greensboro. Drunken noodles were good, as were fresh spring rolls, tom yum soup and more. Chicken satay a disappointment because dry and not seared.

Rearn Thai restaurant
5120 W. Market St.
Greensboro, N.C. 27409-2614
336.292.5901 ‎

Still sleeping on a crappy old mattress? Could be the right time to buy a new bed

And if you're wondering what the latest news in mattresses is, here's a mattress trend report from the Las Vegas furniture market -- World Market Center:

Tamales tonight

Best Mexican food in Greensboro, homemade, last night, dining with some great local chefs--both professional and hobbyists, all of whom contributed to the meal...

Vietnamese Garden on Battleground in Greensboro

A commenter on this blog suggested Vietnamese Garden, so we tried it.

I liked it--great flavors and they use of lots of slivered, fresh vegetables like peppers and scallion. Enjoyed the spring rolls ($4.95), the "crispy calamari with creamy wasabi sauce" ($8.95--perhaps a little pricey for the portion size, but very fresh), the "papaya salad with shrimp and pork" ($8.95), 

and "vermicelli with beef lemon grass" ($9.50). All the seafood and meat in each dish tasted fresh--no rewarmed beef flavor or mushy shrimp--phew!

This over-dressed salad came to the table by accident--but, still, it was tasty.

The enormous menu, which includes sushi, is a little off-putting. Is Vietnamese Garden trying to cover the entire Pacific Rim? I think yes. But the dishes we ordered were all well done--whatever their specific country of origin.

The noise level is high when the restaurant is full.

And there's an enormous exhaust system perched on the restaurant roof. When it's running, you feel the vibration and hear the hum throughout the restaurant. Worst is by the front windows facing Battleground--so we changed tables. Thankfully, the system didn't run continuously.

Vietnamese Garden - 2505 Battleground Ave.; Greensboro

Maxie B's on Battleground in Greensboro

I think the cakes at Maxie B's have actually gotten better, plus there's more variety and the slices are bigger.

Recently I've had yellow cake with chocolate buttercream icing and devil's food with chocolate icing. Both were perfect--moist, buttery. They have cute little cupcakes, too.

Feng shui-wise, on a busy Friday night, the backup of humans from front door to counter in the center of the seating area, plus the overly bright lighting, make me want to run out of the place. At the very least, they should dim those lights a bit.

Maxie B's - 2403 Battleground Ave.; Greensboro

Regency Centers throwing money around to pit neighbor against neighbor in Greensboro?

Someone registered this domain recently and put up this website. But they hid their identity behind Go Daddy's "Domains by Proxy LLC" company. Please come forward. Are you really a Greensboro dweller or are you a Regency Centers developer?

And how did the site go up so fast with its custom form fields and professionally written content? [Although the homepage does scrape an entire News and Record story by Don Patterson, plus art. That's not cool.] 

BTW, if TJ's has decided it wants the Triad, it will come. 

Greensboro, please refuse to be manipulated by a developer and its PR agents. Please stand with the Friendly Coalition in defeating the rezoning to put a shopping center on Hobbs and Friendly. Putting a CVS on that corner will only get us a Walgreens on the next and on and on.

Head-scratching copy from the site:

... will be a great benefit to Greensboro at the Friendly Avenue site both as an economic generator and as a good corporate citizen. The developer has been reaching out to nearby residents to create a neighbor-friendly development and the site is the perfect location for a walkable, gourmet grocery store that will be a good architectural fit in the neighborhood.

An "economic generator--for whom? A "neighbor-friendly development"--for which neighbors?

First flower: Crocuses are blooming in Greensboro

'Like' the Friendly Coalition's Facebook page

The Friendly Coalition, a Greensboro group that is striving to protect residential neighborhoods on West Friendly Avenue from commercial encroachment has created a Facebook page, the "Friendly Coalition Against Commercial Encroachment."

First meeting of 'The Friendly Coalition' today

It was a full house with standing room only--and lots standing.

 

Close to 300 attended the first mass meeting of 'The Friendly Coalition' -- a group that has formed to fight the threatened commercial development at the northwest corner of Friendly and Hobbs by developer Regency Centers, which has headquarters in Jacksonville, Fla.

The builder is expected to petition the Greensboro Zoning Commission for a rezoning from residential to commercial on a slice of land containing 6 homes. The homes will be razed and a shopping center built. Some details can be found at Ed Cone's blog.

Contact the coalition at norezoning@ymail.com if you would like to help. Yard signs will be available soon.

We have resigned ourselves to being in it for the long haul. This is the third rezoning battle in my neighborhood.

We would really like the city of Greensboro to make good on its promise to keep the Shops at Friendly the demarcation point and allow no further commercial rezoning on Friendly Ave and cross streets in this residential area. If it doesn't, this beautiful section of Greensboro will quickly have the look of Lawndale, Battleground and all the rest.

And that would be a tragedy.
~~~

Print media coverage of meeting:
Wireback, Taft. "Neighbors vow to fight Friendly Ave. rezoning," Greensboro News and Record, Jan. 23. 2012.
"Greensboro Neighbors vow to fight rezoning...", Winston-Salem Journal, Jan. 23, 2012.

Trader Joe's at Golden Gate, instead?

Sounds like a good idea from Ed Cone at his Word Up blog. Cone provides a link and phone number for reaching TJ's so you can make the suggestion, direct to the retailer. edcone.typepad.com/wordup/2012/tj-love

Harris Teeter shut its store at Golden Gate last year. More information at "Grocerying" blog.

And check out this Golden Gate Shopping Center Retail Space for Lease web page.