Some wonderful people are Sagittarians, not that we Sags believe in astrology, so let me shout out Piper, Diane, Mare, Tarang and Anthony, all celebrating this week! Happy Birthday everyone, and many many more. What good company. I wish you all knew each other. And I do thank all the great people who let me know they're donating to a food or rescue bank, and making it my birthday gift. I know they're all the sort of people who don't need to be asked, but it's lovely to feel I'm included!
Meanwhile, back on earth, before I even got the credit card statement for the washing machine replacement at my rental, my own machine here at the townhouse went the way of all metal. Dangit, it pretended to go through the cycle, but was only phoning it in when it came to actually spinning and draining.
Sooooo, back to the people I now know by name, to see about another machine. The good part is that I know who I'm dealing with now, that they did a good job, was it only two weeks ago, and that this time the space for the new washer is standard size, no going all over creation to find something to fit.
After I get my old Honda beater into the dealer tomorrow for a repair, which is probably, judging by the washing machine prices, going to astonish me. Sigh.
I have to allow for a nice lady who's coming this week to pick out a piece of art, so I'd better wait a few days before I start emptying the walls, currently covered in art, and moving furniture to let the old washer come downstairs, round two corners, and the new one go up likewise.
Also today a not so good encounter at a local pretty upscale supermarket, where the employee I asked for directions to a product I was in search of, started to ridicule my request. This happened one time before, different employee, and I read the riot act in writing to the manager, who humbly apologized, ran a staff meeting to remind folks of civility to customers, etc., and I eventually began to shop there again.
This time I wasn't so flustered, and met the ridicule with a steely glare and a repeat of my request in low, cold tones. Whereupon the guy went red, his turn to be flustered and stammered, oh, sorry, sorry, didn't mean, uh, I mean..obviously having finally realized people get fired for this kind of talk to women nowadays. And that I may be old and small and talk funny, but I can handle bigger men than he. And that he doesn't get to decide what's funny to me. So that store is off my list, and anyone who asks will hear why.
On the other hand, this time it didn't take a formal letter of complaint to elicit an apology. So possibly the #MeToo wave is starting to wash over nonfamous men, too. Let's hope.
Meanwhile, back to civilization, in the studio..several books on carving and whittling from the library, and I quickly realized that while I wasn't interested so much in what they suggested, I'm still interested in some sort of carving adventure.
And until I get my hands on some wood, I also realized, I have another carveable material to hand. I've made stamps from wine corks, so I don't want to repeat that, but there are other possibilities.
Since I can't drink my beloved red wine any more, having fingered it as the culprit in my ever increasing heartburn, dangit, why couldn't it have been oatmeal or whitefish or something, I may as well use up the corks anyway.
This will probably involve carving and painting, silly fun. And while I was waiting for the carving books, these slippers happened.
What you make when you're waiting to make something.
Yesterday Handsome Son came to dinner, and had what you could call fish and chips, again, but it always goes well. Especially since it was at short notice.
This time it was a nice piece of flounder, with a marinade of plain yogurt blended with Dijon mustard and Colman's dry. Then added in some extra flavoring I had in the freezer, fish sauce from an earlier meal, and it worked a treat. Then after this pic, pretty much smothered the fish in the sauce. Or enrobed it, if you like fancy cookspeak.
With roast potatoes mixed with all the usual spices, but with the addition of a little dish of spiced radish salad, courtesy of Indian friend, all mixed in and roasted together. And peas, and nice glass of red. I interrupted Handsome Son's meal to take the pic before I forgot. He's very patient.
I recommend this idea, of mixing some very spicy addition to potatoes, comes out more interesting. And since both the potatoes and the fish go in at 400F, the fish for half the time of the spuds, it works well with the oven, too.
Served after carrot and cabbage and chicken soup, and before banana bread with a pot of tea. Followed by an Agatha Christie dvd.
Before he left he noticed the latest slippers in progress, I seem to urgently need slippers to match my blue robe as well as the pink ones, and promptly dashed up the the stash, picked out an exciting grey yarn, and ordered a pair for himself.
So I traced around his foot on a piece of paper, and he wondered if I needed to trace the other foot, as well, for left and right. It reminded me of the question about when you turn the elbow if you're knitting a sleeve. Well meaning, good thinking, but a non- knitter at work.
Oh, and Bev, from whose website I got the free pattern, came in to Rav to explain to me that there really was an Aunt Maggie, and she really did design these slippers. Bev transcribed from her handwritten pattern, and published, to share and to honor her. So I'm glad to know all that. She's long gone, but we still honor her when we knit her slippers.
The weather, high winds, low temps, are causing me to keep warm at home, knitting, baking banana bread for tea, grumbling, domestic life, oh well.
And here are the slippers I just started, must cast on the second before I fall prey to SSS, second slipper syndrome. That's where you never get around to casting on the second one. Applies to socks, too.
It's a great little pattern, made several pairs of these for friends as well as me, very satisfying to make. Using up some acrylic yarn on these, since they need to wear pretty well. It's Aunt Maggie's Slippers, from Bevs Country Cottage website, here
Not quite ballet slippers, except they're pink and they have little square toes. There the resemblance ends.
And here's the banana bread, cooling for afternoon tea. With walnuts and golden raisins.
It's a consolation for not being out and about.
