Misfits and cherry blossom

Today Gary's weeping cherry burst out and cheered up a cold grey day.

And Misfits arrived, Robert in charge 

Missing from the picture because I didn't notice it in the bottom of the box is a package of shredded mozzarella. Also missing because they didn't send it is another can of pureed pumpkin, for which I got a refund.

I splurged on Better than Bouillon because I'd heard good things, and I'll be parboiling all the potatoes ready to roast, some for whenever Handsome Son is free for Easter. I have other vegetables ready, green beans, corn, mushrooms for our dinner and he'll provide some meat and dessert. Probably ham, it seems to be the time.

Back at the counter, cashews to make a cream sauce with penne, sauce from Young Man Cooking. I'm planning to bake this, too, and add in to the Easter fare, a first. 

Cans for the food pantry as usual. The bag's getting heavy, so I'll get it in next week.

Lovely Envy apples, they're a favorite if I can't get gala or Rockits. Blueberries to go with yogurt, or anything really. 

If you look at the picture of the pink truck arriving you'll see shrubs across the street which my neighbor conferred with me about, pruning out the winterkill, since the landscapers don't get pruning. I thanked her for her service. 

The socks are coming along and I'm vowing not to do this pattern ever again, ever.  

It's been a learning experience and I'm going back to my regular patterns after this, less stress and sturm and drang.

Happy day everyone, and send good thoughts to blogger Mitch, whose two old cats, Dudo and Moose,  have crossed over, after a long and wonderful life with Mitch and partner. Hard day for them all.

Not MIA

Just a note to say I blogged twice yesterday, and one was supposed to drop today. It dropped early, so there's not another today. All's well, just ahead of myself.

Alfresco dining all day, furniture storage, use my bathroom, Textiles and Tea, Patricia Martin

Tuesday was a warm and lovely day, and the walking was easy. I saw the first duck and drake pair of the year at the pond. They swam away when they saw me, to wait quietly in the grasses. I wonder if they're nesting there 

It was very warm and windy, and the maiden voyage of the hat I made a while back. I'm pleased with it.

 It fits and stayed on fine in the gusts of wind. My sunglasses complete the international spy cosplay.

And since my rescued azalea struggles with the pachysandra, I brought in a branch to try forcing.

In less successful vein, I struggled with the sock and the totally confusing and contradictory  pattern. I did succeed with the heel flap, then heel turn, then gusset then picked-up stitches. It's a hell of a fuss for what can be a simple short row pattern.  But since the other sock was done I needed to replicate the pattern.

It's now at an easier place to continue. I definitely needed to be alone with this one.

Gary rushed in to borrow my visitor's parking pass for his plumber, who spent all day failing to fix the upstairs leak. Then later, water all off, he came dashing in to use the bathroom. Then later arranged to move a table and plant temporarily in to my living room while he packs boxes in that space.

Lunch, afternoon tea and dinner all served on the deck, to the accompaniment of birds dashing about building nests and singing and drumming for partners.  

A chickadee came and studied my dinner sandwich probably hoping for crumbs. Or maybe hoping I'd fall asleep again and he'd seize his chance.

Textiles and Tea with Patricia Martin was a feast of natural dyes, weaving and mixed media art, with political and environmental messages. 

She also organizes environmental art in her California beachfront community. She teaches regularly and does residencies.

She teaches color theory too and the wheel below is a project students can create un a three hour workshop.

Happy day everyone, enjoy whatever comes of your day if you can.

Early one morning, no knitting, no ICE tracking

Definitely a deck day, up to 80°f this afternoon. Meanwhile nobody's up for knitting today, which actually works fine because the sock, now officially at the heel, needs to be done without chatting. It's a different heel than I'm used to, so it's new learning. I'll get it done at home.

And for people unfamiliar with English folksongs about rotten men deserting nice women, same old, same old (!), here's that Early one Morning song I referred to yesterday.

I think I need to write a bread baking version though.

On the subject of male supremacy, I've been reading recently about another way to approach the patriarchy, rather than smashing it. Confrontation is dangerous, but quiet quitting is effective and starves the assumptions instead of fighting them.

I've been doing this for years, I realize. No leaping in to help a man feel better, or deflect his anger, and no stepping aside on the sidewalk so he doesn't have to. It's fine. Just let him deal with his own stuff. Not offering the extra step to save him the trouble. Not doing his emotional labor.Not taking the bait, just letting a silence happen. It's dignified and it works. Not right away, but over time. Reclaiming our time. I'm a woman and I endorse this message.

In another issue involving fighting the good fight, I found that ICE is using auto plate numbers to track and harass peaceful protesters, accessing State DMV files. Please if you're in the US, write immediately to your governor protesting, if your state is complicit, or supporting, if they aren't. I just did.

And this explains a little of my continuing hope and optimism despite all the ygughhvghg going on hereabouts

Happy day, everyone, especially e, and I'll be back later with Textiles and Tea. This post is getting a bit top heavy. Here's a bit of embroidery to tide you over!

Buds and baguettes

Out walking this morning while the baguette dough was rising, sounds like a traditional English song, early one morning, just as the bread was riiising,  where was I, and noticed that first reddish tinge of budding leaves on the treetops.

At home it's looking as if the honesty finally showed up and has self seeded outside the pot.

And the vinca that came from next door is flowering 

I'm not a fan of vinca because it vines around and makes it easy to trip, but the flowers are nice 

I'd been walking while the baguette dough, this time with bread flour, was rising. Home again to knock it down and fold it a bit and form the baguettes, then leave them for another rise.

Hot from the oven smelling fine and a nice crumb. Lunch, forgot the picture, too hungry, was a chunk of hot baguette, split and stuffed with sharp cheddar which melted, and a green salad. Dessert yogurt and peach chunks. 

The bread flour was excellent but I think next time I'll use a bit of whole wheat too, whole grain always good.   I also think I'll double the recipe and freeze the extra.

I've been following a daily Lenten meditation series written by the nun who receives my knitting with flattering thanks. 

The messages are quite revealing about herself, along with New testament references. It doesn't quite compare with the Mirror book of mystical thoughts,  but it's a nice community of thought. 

I don't think of prayer as words, and certainly not the endless nagging I detect when people are forever petitioning for something.  I grew up more in a laborare est orare kind of mindset. Working is prayer. It's playing the hand you're dealt, not fussing for a better one with more high cards in it. And it's not about religion. For me.

Anyway that's me today. Happy day everyone, send good wishes and vibes to blogger e for a successful surgery and good recovery.

 

The day after, chop wood, carry water

I woke up to a little post rally tristesse, so I thought a bit of earlyish  music would be good. Bach and Handel aren't exactly early, but they work on recorders so I'm not arguing.

Arrival of the Queen of Sheba, Handel, Lucie Horsch giving a brilliant performance

notice the player at the right? The instrument that reaches down a step. That step enables everyone to sit while playing. Very handy for the lowest recorder voices.

These are both on YouTube,  worth a look.

And here's nature's  gray scale shadow art on the kitchen wall yesterday.

This works in more than one orientation, but this is how the sun did it.

Meanwhile the knitting is a work in progress, so much to do, will the yarn make it, cue ominous music.  

Last night was a study in not knitting while tired. I finished the cuff and checked what stitch pattern to continue in, blessedly the original knitter had chosen plain stocking stitch. 

Looked back at the pattern which explained how to work the heel, so I started on that and had completed several rows, interesting learning, before I dimly realized I was ahead of myself.  Then I noticed the small print explaining I needed to knit seven inches of stocking stitch before embarking on the heel. Duh.

It's the knitting equivalent of turning over two pages in the recipe book. So I unraveled back to the cuff, arghghg, and knitted several correct rows so as to avoid doing that again today.  That's certainly a first for me. 

In more successful areas,  I'm very happy with the lentil tofu. Today's dipping sauce was adapted from that garlic yogurt sauce I made for the fritters. As is, it doubles as a green salad dressing. Then with added ketchup and vinegar, it made an interesting new dipping sauce.   

I like sauces and for my next trick, I'm going to make Wil Yeung's pasta with white sauce using cashews, which I've added to my misfits order. It's ages since I used cashews, the Swiss Army knife of ingredients. And penne is a good pasta for working with sauce.

Happy day, everyone! Keep on resisting -- you see how many we are. Next to take back at least the House, and aim for the Senate, too. 

Try not to turn two pages at once 

No Kings 3, and Xerces caring for the earth

 

I took part in a very satisfying online rally with 8,000  participating, and a live chat, with camaraderie and excellent speakers. 

Then we were transferred to the live stream from St. Paul, some great ordinary citizens, then a bunch of old pols and actors, which I dozed through.

Rallying needs to trigger useful actions, and here's mine.

I was out walking this morning, wanting to get it done before the online rally, despite the return of winter 

This with a 15mph wind, which doesn't sound like much unless you're out in it, and which got me tired a bit sooner than planned, so I shortened my walk and came back through the streets. 

And here's what I found 

I checked out the society named on the sign, and decided a small monthly donation starting immediately, was a great way to defend the earth.

I figured if we don't attend to our pollinators, what are we rallying for anyway?

Happy day everyone, I hope you took part in some way and came up with a follow-up action of your own.

Sez Ted and Big Ursy and Pony and Ursula 

 Still there