I took a longish weekend last week down at the house with Jeroen, Lennard and Jeroen's mom Wil. Wil had loved the place last summer and she wanted this years' visit to Hungary spent down at the house again. She even brought and planted a bunch of tulips. If they have not been washed away or drowned, we hope to see the results in 8 weeks. We actually had to escape on Sunday after a week of rain. The flooding Bodva was already up to the fence and rising. The road was impassable and we had to drive and walk through the potato patch and around. All I can do is cross my fingers there will be a house to go back to. It figures, having finished painting the next to last of the 36 large windows. It has only taken me 8 years! Not being able to do very much outside, I was very content to read next to the fireplace all weekend.

The book I read was K.J. Parker's "Evil for Evil," the second in her Engineer Trilogy. I really liked "Devices and Desires," but it was a couple years ago. So what I missed was a recap, and it took me quite some time to remember who was who and the various plot lines. These books are classified as fantasy, but they are borderline - alternative history/alternative world but no magic or sentient creatures other than humans. The world is at war, and several peoples are experimenting with new technologies on the brink of the industrial age even though the societies are very much of the Middle Ages. She focuses on two main underlying strands: how people try to do the right thing and as such, completely fuck things up; and how people are equally adept and wont to destroy everything, including the world, for love - even if it is unrequitted. The characters are well-crafted, and it is hard to put down the books even if the political and personal machinations (quite inseparable) are sometimes hard to follow.

One of our neighbors dropped off a bag of mushrooms (szagosgomba), and after checking with 2 more people, I made them into a mushroom soup and froze 3 more bags. While cutting the grass, Attila excitedly yelled for me. Thinking he had broken the machine or hurt himself, I ran over, but it was good news. All around my cherry tree there was a wide swath of another edible mushroom (harmatgomba). These were also added to the soup.

Friday night we visited our friend Elisabeth's Bed and Breakfast in Szakacsi. I do not know how she has the concentration and patience to cook with people congregating in her kitchen and speaking with her as she is trying to cook. I couldn't do it. Elisabeth's task was doubly difficult this time because Wil has a gluten allergy and I generally do not eat meat, but everything came out great. This time she made a mixed appetiser of green asparagus, an omelett, and a fried mashed potato thing she made up on the spur of the moment. She is welcome to experiment on us anytime. This was followed by her yummy carrot-orange soup, which we had had before. Then a delicious corn tortilla enchilada topped with coriander and a huge salad consisting mostly of cress - which the Hungarians call "bird salad" (madarsalata). As my friends know, I am always happy for a huge good salad. Elisabeth finished it all off with homemade vanilla icecream, chocolate mousse, and 100% Arabica Fair Trade organic coffee from Treehugger Dan's. I was on alcohol-free champagne since I was the designated driver again, while the rest enjoyed several bottles of white wine from the Simon Vineyard in Eger.