Green tomatoes, Indian treats, Fewer, Better Things, Misfits

 Misfits arrived promptly  yesterday

And some of the  blueberries got into a batch of blueberry muffins, one of which went home later with Gary for his  breakfast today.

He and I had a big food connection day. He'd stopped over late afternoon to see how I was, since I hadn't been out walking, too hot. That's when he left with the muffin, hot from the oven.

Later he came dashing in with these

Steaming hot, from the Indian neighbors on his other side, new people I don't know yet. They're crisp outside, soft inside, mildly spicy, savory. He split them with  me. 

I found out later it was an Indian festival day, one I didn't know about. Indian neighbors tend to include everyone in the food aspect of festivals. 

I don't know the name of these items. If anyone does, please say. The friends I'd ask locally are in India for the summer.

Later in the evening he showed up again, with a sad branch of tomato vine. He'd been trying to tie it up and broke it. So when I said you can cook the green tomatoes, he said, no, you can, take them. So here they are

I'll ripen them a bit then make something interesting of them.

Yesterday was definitely a rich and packed day, all in all.

Then I embarked on the lovely Jill Barklem books, starting with Spring Story. Her botanical accuracy is stunning as well as her watercolor skills and the story is really less important than the portrayal of a fantasy world. Here's one of my perennial favorite themes

The dollhouse insight into a series of lives, ss seen in their surroundings. Very similar to the attraction of the opening of Under Milk Wood, seeing into the houses of the sleeping people.

Originally written for children, her work is great at any age, beautiful, meaningful and so very well rendered.

Then there's Glenn Adamson, Fewer, Better Things. Aside from starting off on the right foot by correctly using "fewer", not the accursed "less", he writes very persuasively and knowledgeably and keeps saying things like this

Which stop you dead because they're exactly right. This book will take me a while to read, partly because he keeps saying things like this, partly because I get off on tangents because of artisans and artists he mentions that I need to learn about right away.

Such as Dorothy Gill Barnes,  worker in wood and bark 

She would incise designs in living bark in the tree, wait years to maturity before taking it to work it into art.

He's a wise man and a wise writer. Definitely read this!

Happy day everyone, make things, or read about making things, or go out and just look at the sky to see what it's up to today.