Earth Day, Textiles and Tea, and an important step

 Still Earth Day as I write, and here are some great Patrick O'Donnell Mutts takes, with Earl the dog and Mooch the cat.

That's all I need to say, said more eloquently than I could. Patrick is a NJ native, just sayin.

And Emil came this afternoon for a really strenuous time, involving testing my ability to stand up from sitting unaided, check, climb the full flight of stairs (!), check, get into my rather high bed, check with apostrophe, use the shower bench in the bathroom that's too narrow to admit the walker, check, come back downstairs, check, walk with only a cane, check, and, get this -- walk unaided at all. I managed all of it, yay. Checkity check. And the session ended with some test movements on the table, range of motion. 

So I still need caution, someone with me when I'm off Walker Twostep, but he may be retired after another week, yay.

Gary is figuring out building me a wood step to enable me to get into bed, in the next couple of days, using scrap wood 2x4 pieces. Then I'll be able to sleep on a real bed. The sofa's worked fine but I fancy being more comfortable. 

After Emil left I fell asleep quite abruptly and just missed sliding off the sofa, but all's well. This was a vintage afternoon.

Textiles and Tea featured Jennifer Williams, an inkle loom band weaver. They didn't show her loom, assuming their audience was familiar, but if you're not, look online. You warp a very long warp to create a long narrow band which can be cut and stitched into wider pieces of fabric. It's a tradition in quite a few cultures.

Happy day, everyone, I hope you have all the help you need when you need it.

I checked out Quinn's recommendation of Jam and Jerusalem, and kept thinking it was just like the Clatterford series I watched and loved and blogged about years ago. Turns out it's the same series with an American title. Joyful reunion!

Happy Earth Day

 

I remember when Gaylord Nelson, Democrat of Wisconsin in the 70s,  organized the first teach-ins about the earth, which developed into Earth Day. 

We took it very seriously having observed the near extinction in this region of the iconic bald eagle, as well as many other less spectacular species. We did save the eagle and the osprey, but we need to take care of Gaia to preserve our remaining species.

Meanwhile let's enjoy her and admire things like this ancient b and w spread from my family dictionary from 1935

I used to read this dictionary all the time as a kid, and it's the only thing I inherited from my parents. And it's enough.

Then there's

Then locally out and about, daffodils have done their job, so now it's dogwood

And here's the little gnome, reunited with his umbrella and installed among the tulips.

Food is happening, too, so here's my latest flatbread, red lentil.

I put the lentils to soak in water overnight, rinsed them today, minced in garlic and fine seasalt, added a bit of water, then blended them to a nice consistency for flatbread.

It made a lot of batter, so there's a container of it in the freezer, too, now.

So here's today's lunch, the rest of the chickpea tuna salad, with the avocado oil, heated, with a lentil flatbread. Garnished with fresh sage.

You need flatbread here because the salad dressing is too good not to mop up. 

And if you can't stand fiddling away with the puzzle any longer, it's been going forever because it's 

ETERNAL

Some people were right on it. And I added to the entertainment by being too dense to pick up some clues and answering them solemnly! I guess there's worse things than providing what G and S would call innocent merriment.

Happy day everyone, Earth too. 

Earth Day

 Today we celebrate our big blue marble

And here's a series of paper mosaics by young  children in Darrell Wakelam's classes

And closer to home, balancing, more or less, the destruction of our lovely old weathered cedar fences, the roots of a felled tree across the street were removed yesterday, and a lovely new flowering tree planted in their place. 

Mary, I thought of your grandchildren when I watched these boys with toys at work. They'd probably have been asking to help.

And, my own little bit of up cycling, here's the first fitting of the vest, to check my shoulder seams.  

I'll be cutting more from the armholes, armscyes to posh seamstresses, before I settle on the side seams. Depending on how the pockets work, too, I may shorten it before hemming. It's a work in progress.

Aren't we all.. happy Earth Day, everyone.

Treading lightly on the earth continues

 I'm in the process of changing my Misfits day from Wednesday  back to Friday in the hope of better choices and delivery. 

So this means a couple of extra days before I get the next box, next week. Which I'm using to see if I can get ahead of the vegetables in the freezer,  by means of soup. 

Hence today's leeks, yay the last of them, spinach, parsley, onion, garlic soup with diced yellow potatoes added. Chicken stock cubes, Old Bay, salt. After it's blended I may add in a bit of hot sausage.

And the many times rewashed and reused self sealing bags, draining.  Enough plastic comes in uninvited that it's years since I bought containers or bags. I wash and reuse parchment paper and tinfoil, too, unless it's been around chicken or sausage. 

I've been doing this for many years, back to the first Earth Day, when people ridiculed it, with dismissive names like cheapskate. Times have changed, younger people are more aware, and it's ages since anyone made dismissive remarks. So in this way, at least, things are better.  

Take joy where you can find it! While I was writing the labels for this post, predictive text, seeing the word reuse, helpfully suggested I meant apple streusel. I might consider it. I do have apples in the freezer. Not right now though.

Cleaners day adventure

 Except they didn't show. I book for every four weeks, and I think they've decided on last Thursday of the month, which is sometimes five weeks.  A couple of times I've checked and found they're all set for the next week. This time I didn't check, not wanting to bug them, they're wonderful workers..

Anyway I went out for the morning, and quickly discovered that winter is back. Sunshine was deceptive, with temps in the low 30s and strong winds. Earth Day on the calendar, back dressed in layers again. 

Off to the Preserve anyway, and found whitecaps on the lake, a first. Blowing right in my face, no shelter just there. 

No birds either, smart guys shelter from wind. Woodpeckers busy calling in the woods though.

So I took refuge in the beechwood where it's always a bit warmer in winter -- it makes its own microclimate -- and it's always cooler in summer, then returned by a trail sheltered from the wind by trees and shrubs, to read in the car. 

So warm in there that I ran the window down while I read a P D James, Death in Holy Orders. I also borrowed the audio version so while I'm stitching this afternoon, I can go on with it. 

I've read it before but don't remember the outcome. Anyway James is more than a mystery writer, a lot of moral and ethical dilemmas in her work, too, and many motives.

I didn't get the house cleaned but I did get a walk for Earth Day. And a view of the newest foliage in the woods. Good day. 

Home for hot tea and to continue joining up the Mitered Square Jacket bits.