After sad day, chop wood, carry water

First day of being without Marigold, one kitty breakfast served, and Duncan looking around for the second dish so he can swipe some.  Me automatically leaving room for Marigold next to me, or on top of my book,  on the sofa while I read.  Oh well.  Great thanks to everyone who posted, called, texted, emailed, notes about Marigold. And particularly those who did it a second time to see how I was doing.  That was so very helpful. Not just animal lovers, either.  Some people who would never have a pet really came through, too.  Anyway, you can't know how much it's appreciated, so take my word for it.

Meanwhile, since it's winter and it's good to Be Prepared, I made an all purpose amount of ginger lemonade.  Very good for all kinds of ailments, as well as being just a nice drink to have around.

All kinds of containers and paraphernalia waiting to be filled and labeled.
Simple syrup with fresh ginger chunks (I buy ginger root from the Asian store, peel and chop and freeze it, keeps for ages just fine), sugar and lemon juice, again I squeezed it fresh and I froze it.  Bring to boil, then let cool, add in water in which I've had fresh lemon slices steeping in the fridge, my usual drink.  And leave the lot overnight.

Then decant into one carafe for the fridge and several more containers in the freezer. Each with a cargo of lemon slices and ginger chunks.

And it's time for another pot of soup.  I needed to get finished with the lemonade since I needed that pot for the soup.  

This time it's carrots, kidney beans, scallions, onions and garlic,  seasoning was turmeric, home mixed curry powder, salt.  Packet of chicken broth beads.  I usually saute all the seasonings, including the chicken broth beads, for a couple of minutes before adding in the vegetables, and liquid.

Special tip to cook: before shaking down the packet of chicken broth beads check whether you had already torn it open.  Or be ready with a brush and shovel.  Mentioning this for a friend.