Of tea and flowers and feathers and lawbreaking, et cetera

Walking is easier in the suddenly much cooler days, the grey skies making colors pop, and this year I notice greater carpets of yellow sorrel

And a blue jay feather, which I brought home. 

It's against the law to own wild bird feathers in this State, such an outlaw. I hope the feather police don't check my coffee table.

At home again I'm trying a different blend of tea

and find this is exactly like my mom's tea. I must have hit on her choice. The leaves are much smaller and it's snarlingly strong, not much required. I think this is my comfort tea of choice now.

Speaking of which, shakshuka has become a comfort food of choice, also what I make when I can't think what to make. 

This time I used spinach and celery leaves as a base,  and canned diced tomatoes. It was a bit liquid, so I siphoned some off for use in future spag sauce, and ended with the best version I've made up to now.

And, since Handsome Son suddenly announced he was visiting yesterday afternoon, I baked a batch of blueberry and cranberry muffins, since I had nothing to offer him. I'm happy with just honey toast, but he's not a fan.

I also broke it to him that I'm not up to cooking elaborate meals, such as Thanksgiving any more, and he was disappointed, but amenable to take out, as long as we did Tday and other holidays one way or another. 

Years ago I would cook a three course meal weekly for us, when he was going through a difficult unemployment period. I went to monthly after he got settled, and between the pandemic and advancing age with retreating energy, I usually nowadays offer him a little something with a pot of tea. 

We did keep up a bigger deal for Easter, Tgiving and Christmas, but last year I moved to having us serve ourselves from the stove instead of a fancy table setup. I think I'm ready for an even simpler way to save energy, just buy takeout.  

This way we can enjoy the company without my getting worn to a thread. Self care rules! Not that he's demanding, in fact for the holidays he always brings parts of the meal. But I need a break.

We already started  simplifying by having pizza to celebrate handsome partner's birthday, and I'm doing Bad Food for Labor day next weekend. 

Bad Food, meaning things we never normally ate, became a tradition with Handsome Partner, for July Fourth and Labor day, usually hot dogs with everything, potato chips and that.

I haven't been in the mood for a couple of years, but I'm doing it this year, and Handsome Son might join me, depending on his work schedule, which he won't know till the weekend. So I think we're easing into easier ways for me.

The stitching is continuing, and I'm doing a variation on applique, using the stumpwork technique of button hole stitching round the shape,  then cutting out around the stitching. 

Then I'll mount another smaller shape, in green,  on this one, then apply the result to the blue backing.

Speaking of stitching, I realize that the knotted candlewick technique described by Caro isn't the candlewick I was talking about. This is the thing I meant.

I couldn't track down more info on it.

Seems that there are two techniques using the same name. The version I mean was used for warm robes and bed spreads, usually in white, using multiple soft cotton thread cut into tufts, exactly like the kind of soft threads used in candles, hence the name. The other, knotted version,  is pretty, and new to me.

While we're thinking puzzles anyway, Haggard Hawks finally produced a new one, yay

Funny clues please!

Happy day everyone, self care is the current mantra all round!