Hanging in there, creating Plan B, Candlemas Day, also groundhog

this is the official religious observance, The Feast of the Purification, and I expect it's another borrowing from folk tradition. 

As in Candlemas Day, when you could throw all your candles away, metaphorically, meaning the daylight in the Northern hemisphere is visibly lengthening. And no doubt the groundhog will forecast six more weeks of winter, what a  surprise!

On the raisin bread front, I tried to phone Gary to check if he'd like some raisin bread, couldn't get through, voicemail full as usual, so I just left a container with a couple of slices at his door. With instructions to toast, butter, enjoy.

Later he called, very anxious, not home yet,  worried about me, he'd been on a conference call, was I okay? I explained, and he was hugely relieved, and happy about the bread.  It seems he's always thinking disaster when my name shows up on his phone! I need to make it more balanced, I think. I don't want to call only when I need something.

I'm going to make this recipe again, with more AP flour mixed with the whole wheat, to lighten it a bit. It's very good, but I'd also like a lighter version. Not the air-filled stuff you buy, though.

So it's possible my social security, main income source, may be at risk in the latest power grab. I'm working on a Plan B, which I'll talk about with Handsome Son when he visits this week. This isn't how I planned to spend my last years, but one day at a time, one foot in front of the other.

Meanwhile, my sock is progressing.

On the plastic weaving front, I'm continuing to cut up bags as they appear, and I've found a good piece of cardboard for a loom -- the latest Misfits box, opened -- and I'll soon warp it with cotton warp, and get to work. I'm going to cut up other food bags, too, those recloseable ones that also pile up, to incorporate.  Resistance weaving! Recycling ftw!

Special request, and this really is for a friend,  since I don't  do ice: if you use Yaktrax, what model do you recommend? There used  to be just one, now there are multiple confusing designs. Speak up if you know, thank you for your service.

Happy Groundhog  day, everyone, but without the repeats.

Candlemas, Groundhog Day, fire alarm fritters

It's Candlemas Day aka Feast of the Purification aka Groundhog Day, and the greatest of these is

Six more weeks of winter, no matter what Punxsutawney Phil says. 

Yesterday was a great food day

Misfits arrived on time, and the driver was taking a picture of the delivery just as I was, so we waved.

The blackberries I ordered turned out to be what were known to us as loganberries in North Yorkshire growing up, much better, less seedy, though they're labeled blackberries. These are larger, reddish more than black, match online pictures of loganberries, so I think I'm on safe ground.

And as promised, I made the chickpea fritters.

Here's the YouTube channel where I found them. And I used chickpea flour instead of the AP he uses. 

Mashed potatoes and chickpeas, handful of cilantro, quite a bit of spice, and he deepfried, I baked at 400°f  for 20 minutes, turned them over to brown more for five minutes. Here ready for the oven

Made a dipping sauce of lemon juice and plain yogurt, fancy curry leaf sprig on the plate.

I really recommend you try this! They're spicy and  really good with each forkful dipped, very crunchy outside because of the panko, which I used because I wasn't deep fat frying to get them crunchy. Gosh they're good. This made nine fritters from two potatoes and one can of chickpeas,  aka three suppers.

Pro tip: I'm still learning chickpea flour and find it mixes much faster and absorbs more liquid than AP, so I'll use less flour next time. It was pretty sticky. But the flavor is much better than plain AP.

And loganberries with yogurt are a great cooling dessert after the fritters.

Successful supper.

Happy day everyone, whatever your season. 

Misfits miss, groundhogs, Candlemas and daffodils

Groundhog Day, and beautiful sunshine so, puffy-coated, fluffy-hatted and sunglassed, I went out to see if the local groundhogs, a family of whom live here, close enough to houses to eat any flowers unwisely planted within reach, had any comment.

No sighting. They evidently decided that unlike their Pennsylvania cousin, Punxsatawney Phil, they aren't up to forecasting weather just now.

The story is that if he sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. Not a difficult guess to make in the first week of February in the northeastern US, and here's confirmation

from the resident concrete rabbit, who is not amused at being conscripted to play  a groundhog.

However, further along, there are signs of spring

Daffodils coming up among last year's leaves.

Back on the home front, this is happening

Glove One of Pair Three of the current package. After these are done and shipped, sounds posher than mailed, I'll do more on the daylily basket. 

One white cotton thread, one beige thread, one handspun variegated green thread. Green again, Groundhog Day has struck my knitting.

And the current puzzle is very slow going. I even had to renew the loan, because it's due back today, and as you see, nowhere near.

Three more weeks. The website says firmly, in red, that I can't renew it more than this once. I suppose they think if I can't get a 500 -piecer done in two lots of three weeks, maybe I should borrow from the kids' department. 

Plenty of flowers in this one, so, as Handsome Partner's favorite home health aide, English her third language, used to say "Me, I am not doing the complaining!"

Misfits fell down a bit this week. I always order within minutes of the window opening so as not to miss out.  But even so, three items, leeks, blueberries and hake,  can't be delivered, dangit, had plans. 

The box is also not yet shipped, now estimated tomorrow, rather than this afternoon. There may be weather issues with receiving produce, not everyone having our dry winter. We shall manage. 

Speaking of which, did you see that lovely clue from Cathy  from Melbourne, about the Haggard Hawks puzzle? It pays to read the comments.

That impossible word ending in AK?

TIEBREAK!

Happy Candlemas Day everyone! 

Candlemas, candlemas, candlemasDay Throw your candles and candlesticks away! 

Old rhyme recited by my mom every year.

And may your shadow never grow shorter -- Irish wish for a long life, meaning stay as vertical as you ever get.

Candlemas, Groundhog Day, Ulysses

 Happy Candlemas

"Candlemas, Candlemas, Candlemas Day

Toss all your candles and candlesticks away!"

Old rhyme recited by my Mom on February 2nd. A bit hasty, considering the days have a ways to go before we can discard lighting.

There's also Groundhog Day

And here's the soup of yesterday

also a batch of walnut raisin chocolate chip scone things in case Handsome Son visits today. 

That's a sprig of curry leaves decorating the soup. 

Putting a sprig of aromatic herbs on hot soup looks appetizing,  and also flavors it  subtly.

And here's the current reading which I hugely recommend. It's about eloquent silences, aloneness in the world, making a single life, fleeting communication. 

Written in Italian and translated to English by the writer, Jhumpa Lahiri, it's a tour de force of writing, perception and language.

It's also tautly written, no excess verbiage, no hundreds of pages of bloviation. I don't think anyone less than George Eliot, or Susanna Clark, or Tolstoy or Tartt,  or Joyce can successfully sustain huge narratives. I hope to find one but haven't up to now.

Speaking of huge narratives, today's the hundredth anniversary of Sylvia Beach's publishing Ulysses in Paris. 

From the celestial back to the daily. This is partly for Pam's benefit, but generally interesting. Here's the current list of available Misfits produce this week

There's also pantry, dairy, snack, pet food, various other aisles. Just FYI.

And, once we're sustained by good food,  here's a five year old horseback archer warrior girl in Mongolia, in action. 

I'd like to be her, just to feel that expertise. Archery, on horseback, what a combo. My astrological sign, too.  Look at that concentration, and how together she is with her horse.

And here's an older archer in action. These are stills I took from a YouTube video. She's galloping while firing.

With these great insights into fierceness and skills, I'm off for a cup of tea now.

I'll catch you up with a great Textiles and Tea with Susan Maffei tomorrow.