Move your furniture and play with your food

Yesterday I made it to the knitting group, when the torrential rains moved to the shore and the New York City subway, and no new pictures, because no new projects. But talk ranged all over, from why scarves aren't a good beginner project to how people get weird names to hiking in Pennsylvania and t-shirt yarn, and more.

Then I made yogurt, but you've seen that before, and while the milk was cooling, enough to add the yogurt starter, I moved furniture, as you do.

Here's the new vista:

Coming in the front door

And seen from the sofa. You'll see the wall hanging in progress, WIP, and you might spot a couple of changes I've made in it.

The ink and wash painting over the table is one of the Four Sisters artworks. I've done this theme in various artworks. And yes,  there are four figures there.  As to which is which sister, all of them are any of us at different times.  It's fungible.

A while back Rose suggested a series of pictures of the art on my walls, and I haven't forgotten, it's just that there's a lot of subject matter, and it gets elbowed out, but it will happen.

I should explain that I only put my work on the walls because it's a way to store it, not because I think my house is a gallery. There's not enough room under the bed.

And here's a lovely temptation from Tatters this morning

It's trapunto gone wild, just lovely.

Playful work here, very appealing to those of us who play with our food.

Want a new puzzle while you're basking in your roundabout success?

Happy day, everyone, there's fun to be had in even the most unpromising situations. 

Misfits and ballots

 Yesterday's misfits box was smaller, but still great quality

and it came with a bonus item, tzatziki

I don't usually bother with tzatziki because it has cucumber, which I don't much like, but I tried it and it's very garlicky, spread on pita bread, it's fine. 

Once in a while an unordered item finds its way in, possibly a marketing idea, because it's something I've never ordered, like this. I expect the theory is that once tasted, I might order it.

And the bag of onions reminded me about onion bhajis, which I plan on as soon as I get chickpea flour. I'm thinking of them with the shrimp of last week, now in the freezer awaiting a good idea or two. The tzatziki can be a good dip for the bhajis.

My mail-in vote arrived, has been filled out, and mailed back. 

Our state legislature, school boards and fire commissioners are all up. I was careful not to vote for a candidate for school board who, I think, has an agenda which has more to do with control than with education. I read about him. No. I suspect him of running as a fake Democrat, ready to "turn" Republican once elected. It's the new thing.

I was a good foot soldier in the push to establish universal state wide mail in, dropboxes, and ballot cure, the right to correct a mistake on the ballot. You have to do it in person in front of the County clerk. It saves losing your vote over a clerical slip. If there's a clerical snafu, they notify you and give you the chance to fix it.

 Winnowing is done for now, the little table picked up last evening between showers, by a freecycler who sent a very appreciative message this morning. So my house is more orderly, and there are several happy people out there with my stuff, people whose partners are no doubt saying more stuff? You needed more stuff?

Another exciting day of rain today, and a text telling me my covid booster was cancelled yet again, so I booked yet again. I got a spot very locally, though, where I got the rsv from a very competent pharmacy tech. So I'm hoping to get this done with.

Happy day, everyone, the puzzle answer was

ROUNDABOUT

but you knew that.

Fungi, cabbages and kings, the pickers, that is.

 Yesterday's walk was largely about fungi

I thought at first this was a flattened baseball

Top, looking fairly  inconspicuous, then the reveal

the gills underneath. Such wonderful design in nature.

Where those tomato vines were thrown into the trees which I foraged, a brave little volunteer. I must remember to check next year for picking.

On the subject of food, and rising prices, here's why I will always support the farmworkers

Back breaking incessant work, and no benefit from higher prices at the end of the chain. I always thank them with a prayer when I unbox my Misfits, because they feed me.

The wall hanging is in rough draft, pinned onto a backing of unbleached muslin, and is now on the wall, so I can see it over a couple of days, move pieces around and start stitching again. 

I tried several overlay ideas, didn't like any of them, so I think the open areas will be many colors of sashiko stitching instead. That seems to be more harmonious. I'll save the overlay idea for another future piece. I think I've been influenced for the good by that kantha work I showed you recently.

And, in keeping with  my long-standing support of MoveOn, here's the latest sticker, supporting library staff besieged by book bans.  This is on the fridge,  and my Twitter and Spoutible accounts.

Happy day, everyone, read a book, and, to the library folk among our blogistas, go you!

Textiles and Tea, a needle and a puzzle

 Yesterday's Textiles and Tea featured Corey Alston, wonderful fifth generation Gullah basket maker, whose wife and daughter also continue the tradition.

It stems from enslaved West African people, forcibly shipped to the Carolinas, mostly via Charleston, to exploit their skills in growing rice. They found the native sweetgrass similar to the West African grasses they used to weave baskets needed for winnowing the rice harvest, and adopted them, to continue making the baskets. They also use cattails and other grasses, for contrasting color.

They're functional and an artform, as you see. He does a lot of teaching and speaking, to keep the Gullah culture known, and can be found at Charleston Market, weaving his baskets and answering questions, as well as selling. He harvests and dries his own supplies of grasses, which he works, stitching with split palm leaves, to create his artworks. He encourages buyers to handle and use them, not just hang them on the  wall!

If you're unfamiliar with the rich history of the Gullah people, I'd encourage you to go to his website and learn about this national cultural treasure. 

Back at the ranch, I did get the rsv vaccine and have nothing more than a sore arm to prove it. Next Sunday is the covid booster appointment I finally secured at a location I'm fairly familiar with. 

And here's a midweek puzzle for people who did or didn't get the last one

And a few flowers for your floral pleasure

Happy day, everyone, may all your vaxxes work out with few side effects. And here's a public service announcement in case you didn't know this call for help

Appointment, now you see it, now you don't, but there's soup

 Yesterday I thought I had covid and rsv vax set up. One today, one next week. Then last evening I got two texts from CVS marked urgent and cancelling them, vaccine not available. Oh. Please reschedule. Which I attempted to do, their site crashing three times after I'd reentered multiple screens of info. 

So I switched to another pharmacy chain, and after an evening of hitting buttons, have rsv scheduled this morning, covid for Friday. Hoping when I get there, they'll have the vaccine. If so, I'll see how I do, then decide whether I'm up for another shot on Friday.  

We did this dance last time I had the covid booster, the website setting up appointments, the pharmacies not receiving vaccine. So we'll see.

Good thing I made soup before all this. Butternut squash, carrot, with long pepper, kosher salt, nutmeg, chili powder and turmeric. Italian basil for fancy.

A large pot, as you see. Between this and the chili and  yogurt, I'm ready for anything.

Oh, an update on the Irish gymnastics situation. 

This is the gist, I'm guessing done under duress from lawyers, and finally an admission of wrongdoing. Now some of us are asking if the offending official was fired, no news on that. So all it took was 18 months, millions of protests from many countries, threats of lawsuits, and worldwide shame,  to acknowledge a bad act.

Happy day,  everyone, keep on keeping on, hope springs eternal, and other such cliches. Off to knit a glove.

Photo AC

Rain, furniture, and a mismatch

Rain continues, two inches on Saturday, now not much wind, just endless wetness. The flowers are happy,  the alyssum is back with a whole new flush of flowers after I'd thought she was done, and a few zinnias still, knocked about but blooming. And the chrysanthemums out front I'd taken out have put up a new shoot and much healthier looking flowers. 

Yesterday I finished the Moving of the Furniture, which I did by emptying the big bookcase, damp dusting, then sliding a cloth under the feet so I could push it across the room, then replace the various materials I'd taken out. 

My new winter view. I've moved the artwork over the right hand bookcase, and replaced it with a handmade paper piece that goes there better.

Back at the sock and glove ministry, things went a little pear shaped

As you see, not even slightly related. I'm thinking of knitting a third glove, to use the yarn as the blue reappears, and sending them off as a pair and a spare.  I can't imagine what kind of sock this yarn would work for, because the color change is so slow. I wonder if that's why they donated, says she darkly.

Anyway, today's another day, I may have a taker for the little table, and tomorrow I get the latest covid booster, now on page two of the record card. 

Next week I'm getting the new rsv vaccine, encouraged by my doctor. I checked before going through with it, and she, knowing I can't do flu shots, still says go ahead. 

Despite all the oh get them together urging, which I suspect is mainly handy for the pharmacy, I left a week to allow for my usual reaction to covid shots, then didn't schedule anything vital after the other one, because you never know. And I have supplies of chili! I'm going to make butternut squash carrot soup too. Be prepared!

Happy day, everyone. Did you get the Haggard Hawks puzzle?

ASSESSES

Yes, of course you did. Keep dry if rain is an issue, cool if heat is an issue, warm if wintry cold is an issue! 

Of furniture and art and marathons

 Yesterday was about freecycling more books, to go off this morning

 as the continued bookcase marathon continued, and I now have one small bookcase of art and art adjacent books, moved to its new home, another one now containing artist books and materials, no printed books, so it's going to be a material storage place in its new home when it gets there.

I'm also putting a small table on free cycle, because the oak washstand is now on the plant scene. Meanwhile I found books I'd forgotten about, still very good, like

And among all this activity, did a bit of social justice work, with an email to the Irish Gymnastics Association. They finally released video of last year, when their official, at a medal ceremony for little girls, deliberately stopped in front of the one black child in the winners lineup, then moved on, giving out medals only to all the  white children. 

My grandmother was Irish, and would have been ashamed to see a child treated this way. As I told them.

They spent a year supposedly mediating with the child's parents and finally, after  wringing from the official a written apology, the video appeared. They are now paying for the debacle with a massive backlash from outraged viewers, and a support video to the child in question from Simone Biles.  Here's their automated and beleaguered response to my note.

we'll see what happens next. Let's hope they learned that the crime is bad enough, but the cover-up is plain stupid.

I did a bit of veggie prep, chopping and freezing bell peppers for the next shakshuka, microwaving and cutting up a butternut squash for the next bnut carrot soup.

I saved seeds and I'm drying them to try next year. The squash might not make it, because cooked, but I'll try them anyway.

And I finished the last of the applique blocks. 

Now to the next stage, backing and fronting.

The storm partly missed us, but the butterfly bush is a bit flattened. No major flooding close by, but I may have some major pruning to do when the rain stops, but this is a days' long storm, till midweek. We specialize in long drawn out storm events.

And here's what I woke to this morning

My honorary granddaughter sent me a Garmin link. She's running the Berlin marathon even as I type! Go Heather, you rock! Flew in from Calgary a couple of days ago, already up for it. She's wonderful, bragworthy. Proud honorary grandmother here.

Happy day, everyone, celebrate your family, blood and other!