Sunday, August 13, 2023

Cutting out, frittering, Freecycle and flowers

 Yesterday was bean fritters, cannellini beans mashed with an egg, berbere, cilantro, apple cider vinegar, salt, a lot of black pepper, in avocado oil.



Here's the yellow potatoes, microwaved, buttered, waiting



Curry leaf fancy bit. Oh and I made yogurt, using the big jars of hot water, wrapped up in towel and emergency blanket method, and we'll see when the reveal happens today.

And among other business, including his friend's  visiting dog's anal gland issues, don't ask, Gary asked me to freecycle these, which I posted today 


Sunday's a good Freecycling day, people available to pick up, so we'll see.

And from a vague idea about leaf appliques yesterday morning, to a frenzy of picking between showers, tracing, adapting, cutting out and really having a good time, here's the path to my current collection of new stencils and silhouettes, with all kinds of ideas for use.








I also remembered the issues with my xacto knives, the #2 having a completely frozen in place blade, pliers, mansplainers, blogsplainers, kindness, brute force, boiling water, nothing will unlock it, and I have a box of blades to use. 

Then there are my three #1 xacto bladeless  knives , for which it seems nobody sells blades any more. You can buy a knife with a whole two spare blades, I ask you. Cutting paper, I go through at least a blade per session. 

So I cried Uncle and ordered a new #2 knife. I hope they haven't changed the specs and the blades fit, but I'm not holding my breath.

Meanwhile an old pair of embroidery scissors stepped in and work fine. I love xacto, including the history of how they went from surgeon's tools into everyday use, and I'm reluctant to ditch them for sassy upstart new knives. This ole blunderbuss was good enough fer my generation, dangit. And you kids get off my lawn, anyway!


Meanwhile, soothing flowers, mixtures in two color combos of gift and homegrown



Happy day everyone, don't run with tiny embroidery scissors




29 comments:

  1. Those fritters 'n taters look delicious!

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    1. They were pretty good. Didn't heat up the kitchen too much either.

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  2. Someone wound up with quite a surplus of hand sanitizer! I bet someone will take it, though. My dad used to love that stuff, even pre-pandemic. I'd always say to him, "Just wash your hands!"

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    1. Back before vaccine, during the fg years, we were an epicenter for covid, hospital jammed, people on stretchers in parking lots, etc, so this kind of precaution seemed fine. I even made my own sanitizer because it was unobtainable. Gary shopped around to supply his family, so this is his surplus!

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  3. I love your creativity and I'm looking forward to finding out about your yogurt. I eat a lot of yogurt and used to know how to make it, but that was a long time ago. Maybe I should try again.

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    1. You can find a few posts where I talk about the method. It's pretty simple. I love my yogurt. I had an ancient fridge that used to get warm on top, perfect for yogurt and proofing bread. But I had to replace it, so I'm testing new methods.

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  4. #2 xacto knife was/is my go to for everything but especially when I was fabricating etched glass, used it to cut my stencils, bought blades in the bulk size as I would go through a dozen at a time.

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    1. Yes, stencil material blunts blades so fast. I love knives, and cut fabric with a rotary because it's knife like. I don't like scissors so much, harder on my hands.

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  5. Try some WD-40 on the blade that won't be moved...maybe let it soak a while...just a thought.

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    1. A thought that one of my mansplainers tried! Angry response from him: this was supposed to work! But the knife is now recycled. I've had it since the 70s, so it's earned its retirement.

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  6. Can't wait to see the stencils in action. As for cycling I was with you until 2017 - cycling was transport. That year I was expected to participste in a long charity bike ride so joined a cycle touring club. Now it is fitness, social interaction, meditation (for me a great way to clear, for a while, the things exercising my brain) and coffee and cake.

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    1. I have an idea for a first project, using a couple of techniques I fancy trying. Speaking of transport, your teaser about more furrin travel has me following with interest.

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  7. The fritters look mighty fine.
    I have no real experience cutting out stencils or paper- yet another art avenue I've never explored. I knew a woman who loved to make paper-cut art. She carried tiny fold-up embroidery scissors in her purse in case of emergency inspiration. She may still for all I know.
    I wish we had free-cycling here.

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    1. That woman is lovely! You never know when an idea will ambush you. I know people who carry emergency knitting in case of sudden hold ups in traffic. I think you probably don't have a big enough population for free cycle. You need plenty of people in easy reach of each other, really.

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  8. I love, love, love that you added beans! I have beans in the Instant Pot as I type. Such a great add. Happy Sunday.

    PS: To answer your question, Barnes is a bookstore. We love it there! Though we still miss Borders. Another bookshoppe.

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    1. So long since we had bookstores. Barnes and Noble was local, now gone, Borders likewise. I'd forgotten them, sigh.

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    2. Wow, even your Barnes went out? Ugh.

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  9. I made fritters yesterday, too. Yours look better. If I could run I would take you advice and not run with tiny embroidery scissors!

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  10. You added lots of flavour to the fritters. They’ll be good for sure!

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    1. That's the thing about cannellini beans, they're so neutral you can add a lot of seasonings.

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  11. What was that about embroidery scissors? Is there a story here?

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  12. Fancy bouquets from a florist are lovely but nothing beats a bunch of hand picked flowers.

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    1. And when they only travel a few feet they last longer in the house!

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  13. It’s so frustrating when you can’t get something to budge. I often will have problems with jars. The ones I’ve boiled to seal. And boy do I do a great job.
    Apparent you can buy some dry stuff to add to dogs food to stop the anal gland issues. I think it’s fibre but I’m not 100% sure.
    The flowers do look lovely

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    1. I'm usually very adept with my tools, but this one, uh. The dog is now back with her owner, who's on top of things, great pet mom.

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  14. Gary is certainly lucky to have you act as his salesperson. Our Odin used to have anal gland issues and nothing smells quite like it. I learned to 'deal' with it rather than taking him to the vet. Not fun for either one of us.
    btw - I've been enjoying your floral displays.

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    1. When anal glands are working properly, they're a marvel of engineering. People are less evolved, and need toilet paper and other cleaning assists. Dogs and cats are superior in that regard. I'm glad you like the flowers.

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