Tea, soup and roofs

 Yesterday Handsome Son visited, plowed through walnut raisin muffins and oatmeal cookies, requested future cookies, and all was well.

He also got down a couple of shades from ceiling lights so I could evict the various wildlife that had moved in, and clean them. And found that one light was dim because the cfl bulbs were barely functioning, so took them out. 

They're some weird shape that I don't have more of. I hope the replacements are not bobbing about gently on a container ship at the Port of LA.  

I really need better light in that area, over the table where I often work.  You'll see the new tea napkins, yet to be hemmed, and the new tea cloth, yet to be cut and hemmed. Done in a dim light.

I expect the cloth is familiar to followers of the English paper piecing caper a couple of years ago, yielding a bunch of pillows, see also the matching pillow back, once a skirt. 

The napkins will be familiar to followers of the new yellow skirt, which is going to get a couple of outings, the weather having turned warm again. I still have material for pockets left, after the napkins happened.

But, Boud's Exquisite Table Napery Guide needs you to study this information. There may be a quiz. I had to have the authentic size for the napkins.

This is important to our continuing civilization. Or something.

On a more substantial plane, there's always soup, my go-to when it's not roasting vegetables.

In the interests of emptying the freezer a bit more, while eating well, I made cream of cauliflower, scallion, quinoa soup, using my homemade vegetable stock. 

The leaf is a ginger leaf. It tastes more like cilantro than gingery. I suppose all the heat stays in the root. Anyway the soup is pretty good, the stock working about as well as the stock I bought. 

The leaf has gone to form part of a still life set-up.

To my surprise we're in Season Six of the microseasons year, 

and I recorded the first mushroom to appear and a squirrel burying a black walnut in the pachysandra. Just a couple of words is working well, enough to record slow changes.

Not wishing to leave the It's Always Something category unfilled, there's a new Something. The condo roof replacement is about to start. And skylights and their flashing are not included in the cost to the HOA. 

The warranty won't let the roofers work around perfectly functioning skylights, they say. 

So owners of condos with skylights, about half of them, have to hand over $700 to the roofers for the new ones that come with the new roof. Sigh.. I vaguely recall having a separate billing for the skylight last time, too. It was nearer $250 then, twenty years ago.

But it's fair not to spread the cost over owners of downstairs and mid level condos without skylights, I see that. It doesn't stop me from moaning and poor me'ing.

And the shiny new glass will definitely be better than the twenty year buildup of bird mess and weather. Impossible to clean the skylight  outside, nobody will go on roofs anymore. 

Also I don't have to live through the racket, that's Handsome Son's lot. And there's no concern about separating  the dryer vent sections above the ceiling, because we don't use it now.

This happened last time around, a serious fire hazard to have dryer lint flying around the eaves because the vent had separated. Extra chimney people visit to repair it. 

So there we are. Another doctor thing in a couple of weeks. Ages ago my primary doctor pointed out a little red thing near my eye, with a bit of concern. 

So I thought I'd quick check with the dermatologist. That was early summer. First available November 1st.  Not so fun wondering if it's anything and what might be happening while I try to get in. I've checked for cancellations just in case, and the next possible is February next year.  

So okay, my luck's been pretty good, let's hope it keeps up.

This has been your daily All Over the Map Trip. I'm going walking now, warm sunshine.