Tuesday, cabinets, locks, Textiles and Tea

Tuesday's plans got moved around a bit. Michael the Marvellous Maker, installed the cabinet and the door keys.

Ted and Big Ursy checking there, to make sure he does it right.

Then we had a ceremony of carefully keeping the new keys, tossing the old, and I tossed all the old then later had a thought. The top lock, for which I had several keys, was the original builder-installed one. As is the lock for the outdoor storage.

I vaguely remembered there was a key for the outdoor storage, too. I never lock it but, in case any kind neighbor turns the inside knob and carefully locks it, locking me out, I'd better find the key. 

So I retrieved the two old keys for the top lock and, clever me, they fit the outdoor storage. So now they're labeled and saved. 

I thought about the neighbor possibility because years ago in our first house a visiting friend followed us out to the garden, to drink tea,  locking the door after her. 

I was too late to stop her, and pointed out I didn't carry house keys out to drink tea in the garden! And the only other door was the front porch, which only locked and unlocked from inside. Windows were too high for any of us to force. Very expensive locksmith visit ensued. The friendship was a bit dented by this incident.

Back to the present, Gary buzzed in and out, admiring, making me accept potato bread, he's deglutenizing his kitchen, retrieving the plants I minded for him, and Billie barked along. 

After all this I thought I'd rest a minute, after lunch, before my Tuesday knitting group. I woke when it was half over. Oh. But I did make the planned delivery to the food pantry, ahead of their Thursday distribution.

Then it was a pot of tea on the deck, crowds of shouting birds, and my kindle open to

Late summer deck reading, very niche.

Textiles and Tea was a revelation about making, farming, dyeing and working with silk.

Karen has literally done all that and learned from silk farmers in India, working with wild and domestic silk production. That's what her book is about. She's a plant whisperer!

I made the crunchy tofu for supper, this time as dice, with more seasoning -- umami mix, cayenne -- in the batter. 

It used up the rest of the batter from the fish, and the panko. I thinned the batter a bit.

This worked fine, in the toaster oven, not much oil, and it still crisped up, about 40 minutes at 400°f, or what the toaster oven claims to be that.

Foyle in the evening. Nice day, despite detours.

Happy day, everyone, may your detours be fun ones.