Misfits box arrived, and rugs ahoy

The change back to a Friday delivery worked nicely. Box arrived about noon, in excellent condition. Missing two items, one of which they'd noted and refunded already. But it does look as if FedEx moves faster on Friday.

And here's the latest box

Please note, dear Salty P, that it's Vermont maple syrup, only the best..

And these are new to me, not the sweet potatoes, but the little variegated fingerling potatoes. Like rainbow carrots only potatoes. These might only need steaming and a dot of butter.

As usual quality is fine, and there's now a little bag of trimmings in the stock bag in the freezer. I found a couple of freezer bags already labeled, which saved writing and sticking. I have found that no matter how sure I am that I'll remember, I won't.

And the floor is mopped and swept, counters wiped cutting boards washed and dried, knives wiped and away and another frenzy of prep draws to a close till two weeks hence.

Yesterday's Hajii Baba club rug presentation was given by Lawrence Kearney, long time a poet and professor, and rug collector, now a professional auctioneer of rugs for Skinner auction house, Boston.

He showed many slides with not much detail, but they ranged from the eighteenth to the early nineteenth century. The sources are from Anatolia east to China. 

Some as you see from the one way design, are prayer rugs, some runners, some composites and one a patchwork of woven pieces, like a quilt. 

There are animal and flower motifs, and some mysterious shapes that might be charcoal heating things, he didn't know, very honest about it. Some designs are Navajo in feeling, some startlingly modern.

I'll just show you a string, and you can enjoy the designs and maybe get ideas from them.

He explained that workshop rugs are more commercial, while tribal and village rugs are locally made for local or individual use.

This is not all the slides! He was so happy showing them and chatting that after two hours I couldn't see any more and had to leave. 

He might still be there, exclaiming look at the colors! See the intricate borders! 

He's a real enthusiast, and I enjoyed the images without getting a whole lot of technical information. Info's probably overrated anyway!