Sunday, June 5, 2022

Busy day, bees aren't even in competition

So yesterday was a terrific day. Low humidity, sunshine, 80sf, just right for energy and ambition.

So I made the broth, not stock, because it had chicken bones. It also had ginger peelings, and the kitchen smelled lovely.




Maslen bread cooling here, and containers of broth for the freezer.



The bread, here showing the crumb, and toasted with Vermont butter, beside lunch salad of mixed lettuces, tomatoes, dates, scallions and spinach.

The bread was interesting, too heavy for my taste, and not enough salt. I'll make it again, though with a higher oven temp -- hers was 425°, and I usually use 450° -- and more salt. Less oat flour, more wheat and white. But in principle it's a very handy recipe. Definitely a keeper.

Then to the curtain work, which involved numerous climbings on and off a step stool, cutting, tearing and reaching and pinning.  Very aerobic.

The situation, sun way too bright in the morning, i don't like being dazzled awake.


Then the set-up

The idea was to pin the muslin in panels to the existing cotton tab curtains. This involved much fitting and tearing and pinning.


And it went pretty well. I left it to hang overnight before hemming, so as to let it relax to a stable length. Fabric is alive, needs to rest between stages. So does the maker.

And this morning I woke up very peacefully, light in the room muted as I'd hoped. I have many more yards for other purposes, including more window panels, but this was the main event. And the panels are now pre torn, main arithmetic done, so it will go faster.

Then for the blueberry hot biscuits. Only this happened. I ended up with Gary repotting a pony palm we've been going to do for ages and he suddenly showed up ready. He'd got new pot, soil, plant all assembled, who was I to say no, I'm busy?



Then we went on to other gardening tasks involving heaving container vegetables around, I now have cucumbers outside my fence.  To the accompaniment of a Nancy Wilson playlist, his music in the house growing up, his mom a keen fan. And some mainstream piano jazz here and there.

It was punctuated by conferences with neighbors, who are having their floor redone, and he wants to do likewise. Always several projects at once. 

So that's why no blueberry hot biscuits happened. Today.

So much for my short-lived policy of non involvement with the garden.

Hope springs eternal, and here are my embroidered 3D butterflies of hope for Ukraine, fighting more fiercely than ever.


Hope on, happy day everyone!



13 comments:

  1. I can't believe you do all that sewing by hand. It would take me ages to do that!
    You certainly got a great deal accomplished and you should have slept well last night.

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  2. I want me some of those blueberry biscuits whenever they’re made.

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  3. You did those butterflies by hand? I'm seriously impressed.

    And I've decided I probably need to get a drape for the etched glass windows in my bedroom. I love waking up to see the morning through them but they face the RV park across the field and they keep putting up more outdoor lights that are so strong they shine in those windows and illuminate the room all night.

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  4. Pony-tail palm looks quite happy!

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  5. Ellen, yes, I designed and stitched them in silk thread on silk fabric, over a fine wire frame. It's called stump work. Old stitching technique.

    These were set in a much bigger work, about the environment, which I exhibited some years ago. They were in a crocheted and stitched foliage setting.

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  6. I have horizontal blinds in my bedroom which do a pretty good job of keeping it relatively dark in the morning light.

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  7. you had a busy day, you make me look bad! Really clever with the muslin panels. You do beautiful needle work.

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  8. Mmmmm...ginger. We have a ponytail palm too! Love your embroidered butterflies!

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  9. I never think to put ginger in stock. I like ginger too. Great idea, Boud.

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  10. That salad looks wonderful!
    Nice work on the curtains. Rock star plant you have there.

    I'm wondering now how adding muslin to a grommet shower curtain will work for patio window that heats up in summer, south facing.

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  11. I hung canvas, the stripey kind used for awnings, for my west facing front storm door, and it blocks heat very well while letting in enough light. I just used a spring tension rod and clip on curtain rings. So you might consider that.

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  12. We're fortunate that our windows face east and so we don't get the really hot afternoon sun. Even so, we keep the curtains shut in the mornings to keep heat out as much as possible. Of course this year the only real heat we've had (at least so far) was when we were away. I do hope we get some more!

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Please read the comments before yours and see if your question is already answered! I've reluctantly deleted the anonymous option, because it was being abused.