Eat, mend, give, move,sit

 The Sunday chili was as good as ever. It's a simple recipe, Firefighter Chili from World Central Kitchen, that takes a lot of ingredients, and I always forget the hour of simmering it needs. So I was ready by the time I served myself.

Note the recipe page showing serious crowd cooking in vats with paddles. My pot makes about seven meals. I rarely get food in plastic reusable containers, , so I was searching for freezable containers.  I found three to freeze,  and have three more helpings in bowls in the fridge for this week.

Mayo and a resulting tuna salad happened Monday. 

Then there's Freecycle, Monday's offerings, complete with hand embroidery. I've shrunk out of the pants, I went small, they didn't, which are in very nice condition, so we'll see.

With Freecycle comes the reminder about items I like and wear, but which need some tlc.

These jackets, heavy cotton, were turtlenecks when I got them about 20 years ago at a garage sale. I cut them open to make useful jackets, and for years the cut front edges curled under neatly, needing no stitching.

Now the edges are fraying and looking a bit pathetic, so I think I'll bind them with contrasting bias tape I was given many years ago in a stitching declutter gift. I like that rust color with the pink one, jury's out on the jade green. 

And there's a pair of black pants inherited from Handsome Son, great length, good rise, waist too wide.  

The label is stitched right through, closing that channel across the back waistband. I'm going to remove that to open it, then insert wide elastic to draw in the waist. I'd like to avoid cutting and stitching canvas if possible. So we'll see. I can't be accused of having an extravagant clothing budget.

And Freecycle reminded me to attend to exercise again. The weights I gave were out of rotation for years, likewise the leg weights Handsome Son wants. But the five pound ones I officially use were just sitting, too. 

So I did a session, noting I was rusty, needing to rest in the middle of the overhead moves. I'll be more faithful now. 

And I already have the getting out of the chair practice under way. That's where you stand and sit, slowly on the way down, several times without using your arms to lever yourself up. If I don't do it for a few days,  there's a real loss of strength. And there's balancing and stretches, all that.

The immediate effect of weight work is a feeling of strength, capability and total smugness.  And with the encouragement of Chris, though she may not know it,  I've adopted the practice of sitting outside, just sitting, no book, no screens, for a while, just being. It's calming.

Happy day everyone, I hope your reno plans work out. If not, wave your weights about.  Or just make comfort food chili, it's healthy. Beans, you know.

If you're really in need of an exciting quest, here's an idea