Current viewing
A BBC 2024 production, mostly in retrospect, with Cassandra Austen, Jane's surviving sister, as the main character. It's well acted and produced, worth a look. Found free on YouTube.
Today's about refraining from buying, and rather giving and sharing.
Here's today's offering on Freecycle
Late edit: now pending pickup
Then something you may not have realized about Air BNB
And then there's always nature. She gives and shares all the time.
This morning I saw a Carolina wren again, definitely looking for a new nest location, and I hope she chooses my patio. And suddenly a crowd of robins, running around and pecking and being very welcome, singing in the trees.
We have year-round robins (!) then in spring as suddenly as if a commuter train arrived, they're everywhere.
Daffodils are starting
And snowdrops.
Yesterday I had a full house. Handsome Son was here, making short work of a pot of tea and sugar cookies, when Gary and another old friend showed up.
She was delivering my birthday and Christmas presents, a little late but who's counting. Especially when it's hand dipped nuts, cookies and pretzels
Wonderful afternoon of chat -- I was friends with both of her now-deceased sisters -- and Handsome Son met her for the first time.
They're pretty much his friends now, by inheritance. This is all good for his future after I've gone, though they don't like me to talk that way. The chocolate treats will be shared around. Handsome Son accepted some to take home.
Misfits box stages
Last week's insulated bag and ice block, ready for pick up when the Misfits driver brings this week's groceries.
While waiting for delivery, I finished the current socks
I'm doing gloves next.
And here's Jeff, bang on time, arriving, taking the pickup and delivering the box, then on to his next customer.
I now have a lifetime supply of flour, what with absent-mindedly forgetting I'd stocked up on whole-wheat, which I'd put in the big freezer, and that I'd already ordered ap recently. So here's to many loaves to come.
And the Tony's treat was on its way before I knew chocolate treats would arrive yesterday. Not a big complaint though.
Walnuts for scones and other purposes, cannellini beans for both the beans and the aqua faba. I used to drain it off, not liking the texture till I found out how valuable it is. No more draining.
Berries with yogurt, apples for midmorning snack. Done. Week all set up. I'll also shop in the freezer for mushrooms and green veggies.
The box is now broken down for the recycle.
But happy day everyone, we're not broken down, far from it.
Today's cute winter boots: the Heritage Foundation, that sinkhole of fake stories harassing good people, have issued a questionnaire about the effectiveness of DOGGY.
I really enjoyed filling it out with answers (multiple choice) they won't like. Then they end with a fundraiser!
And here's a positive side to add to tomorrow's Blackout
It's the giving economy, as described in Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer, in action.
Here's the latest repatriation of stolen art
And in anticipation of Handsome Son's visit this afternoon I made sugar cookies. It was another trial of using aqua faba instead of an egg.
As usual I put them too close, so there are interesting shapes there. That squashed one on the right became the cook's privilege, and it was good.
Enough to give some to Gary, some to freeze, some to other neighbors.
Thanks, Nicole, for the idea.
And today Senator Kim got back thanking me for my encouragement about the House budget proposal vote, where all Democrats voted in unison against it, plus one GOP. It went down but it's only step one.
Meanwhile we can push to support Democrats in upcoming House elections, some special ones. The House is so close it's possible to reclaim it. Florida voters, you've got a chance here.
Happy day everyone! I'm feeling more hopeful in some ways, less in others but I'm not about to flag or stop.
I'm very grateful to Trudeau for his Ukraine speech recently and for Macron's White House press conference where he repeatedly corrected the lies T***p was telling. It was great. It told regular Americans they understand our passion to overcome that person's destruction, and are undismayed by him. Edited to fix earlier mistake, thank you Jeanie, for the tactful name correction.
We're fighting for our lives here, as well as for Ukraine, and they get it.
The caper with the thermal door curtain that didn't work out involved taking down the old red felt one. Once down I decided I might as well put the summer one up, the green and white stripey canvas.
And there's now a taker for the red felt on Freecycle, for Santa Claus purposes!
And while the kitchen curtains were down, testing the new thermal that didn't fit, I thought I might as well wash them. I seem to be rushing the season, doing spring things, just because it's in the 40s f. For now anyway.
Here's a new bud or two on the cactus, which blooms Thanksgiving, Christmas, now late winter, intrepid little plant.
And be ready for Friday
This one day demo was originated by Black people, leading the way. It's symbolic and may lead reluctant resisters into finding other ways, too,rather than just wringing their hands.
Today, cute winter boots enabled by the Southern Poverty Law Center, I wrote to all my MOCs urging them to vote against the current budget proposal in the House today.
I know mine are already onside, in fact Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman has been at 12 hour long meetings fighting for the budget and against cruel cuts. She's a great MOC for her constituents.
Back at the Tuesday Knitting Group, various projects at work. Here's a discussion
about how to proceed with this
Chat ranged over hips, aged parents, assisted living, fabrics old and new, LEGO, children, cats, medicines, libraries, Mobius strips, changing knitting patterns, springtime, Joann's closing, deliberate mistakes for religious reasons in building and craft, longevity, and more. A new member joined us, very nice crocheter.
Then home to a pot of tea to accompany Textiles and Tea with Line Dufour.
She's made barrier breaking large tapestry works, some with the participation of many people in protest mode.
The first M**k e-mail, there may be more, went like this
This is in response to the Unelected Felon's demand that Federal employees all submit five bullet points of their activities last week. Quite a few other unauthorized people accepted the invitation to flood the box. At this point agency heads are instructing employees to ignore the demand. So maybe they'll get largely trolling messages instead of whatever they expected.
At home I'm sorting through the results when Gary eventually leaves, deciding if and how I can manage here, as an owner, without his help, all aside from the loss of such an interesting neighbor. I wonder if he's realized he'll be cut off from chocolate cake?
If I move to rent, where? My current house is worth a whole lot more than I paid for it, so selling it would yield good $$. But the idea of moving.. Anyway there's time. And options without moving.
Meanwhile I ordered thermal drapes for kitchen and front door. They arrived last night, in fact Gary brought them in from the step. I tried them. Too short for the front door, too bulky for the kitchen, and the color was too grey. Aside from that they were fine. Quite a time installing and uninstalling, and by 10 am they were on the way back to the seller. I tried. The return process was the best part of the project.
Meanwhile I'm drowning my sorrows in watching a TV series about Edward VIII and Mrs Simpson, whose troubles were pretty much up there, too, though with nice clothes and jewels.
It's very well acted, great cast who even resemble the real life people. Wonderful Nigel Hawthorne playing legal adviser Walter Monckton, and on.
This is a time my parents remembered very well. They had great sympathy for Edward, as working class people did. They found him very likeable and appreciated his concern during the depression and unemployment. They hated the Prime Minister, Baldwin, and thought he was out to get Edward. Much emotion over that period of constitutional crisis.
The finer points of law escaped most people, I'm guessing. Also his Nazi sympathies went unreported in the mainstream media, and that could have made quite a difference in understanding the delicate balance at the time.It would certainly have affected his popularity.
So you could say I'm coping with the present personal and general upheaval with the story of another upheaval, in true Greek classic theater pattern.
This is a highfalutin way of saying I was in it for the dresses, wonderfully bias cut and fabulously constructed, great colors, and pounds of jewelry.
Furs galore, there must have been a lot of naked animals around then. The makeup, too. Beautiful women. Patricia Hodge playing Diana Duff Cooper, remember her as the glamorous Phyllida in Rumpole? Edward's clothes were sharp and edgy, pushing the envelope in fashion. Apparently he was very interested in fashion. Anyway, I found it on Freevee, and recommend it.
Happy day everyone. Today's about soup and tuna melt, taking advantage of the sliced cheese I ordered by mistake. Sometimes you can see a downturn as an upturn. It takes a bit of doing, admittedly.
