More crochet, and walking exploits

Exciting showering this morning, then later a walk to the mailbox with HS, then still later a solo trip across the street to a neighbor's house. It's all go, this unassisted walking life.

HS is going home tonight so I've tried out everything while he's around, and it's worked fine.  

Meanwhile I got out the crochet and changed colors, now a bright white. 

I'm thinking irregular stripes in green, white and blue. The tension seems to be working better now, and the warmer weather is friendly to my hands, so I can work a bit longer each time.

In the midst of my listening to Heat and Dust read by Julie Christie,

Gary came in with a cactus that looks a bit over watered to me. He decided to move it outside the fence, and I didn't argue though there's rain in the forecast.  It might be sheltered under his butterfly bush.

Happy day everyone, May the Fourth be with you!

Sometimes it's good to not do something, as in watering cactus. I'm not very skilled at refraining, full disclosure, though not surprising. Anyway do this 

And here's the haggard Hawks puzzle solution 

Everyone's taller than me now

Marigolds have joined the ranks of taller than Boud! Here's this morning's first view 

On other important issues, the bursitis is so much improved from the icing. Why didn't I do that before! Ice is not in my vocabulary. I don't use it in drinks, doesn't occur to me to apply it. It takes a doctor with multiple credentials to tell me to do it. 

I was thinking about people's approach after yesterday's neighborly chat. The shouty neighbor is one I hear from when she wants something. Information, an egg, a cup of sugar, name of my powered milk, name of plumber etc.

My oldest, lifelong bully,  sister was the same, except she'd call, once in a while,  to tell me what she'd just acquired. Or to say she'd waxed the floor, had nothing better to do, so she called me.  Never asked about my family, not interested, seemingly. Same idea.

I didn't like this for many years, why not just visit or call to ask how I'm doing, anything, you don't need an excuse.

Finally it dawned on me that they want to be in touch and feel they need to provide a reason. Oh. More benign than I'd realized. Not able to be casual. Maybe it's a bit of shyness.  So now I'm not so ready to criticize.  I'm a bit slow at times.

Today is about knitting, I need to finish a second pair of socks, maybe gloves, to send off. 

Top, first spiral sock of the pair, bottom, the other style, with the patch toe, this pair complete. Same yarn, different looks. I always try on to make sure they're comfortable.

Small finishing job on the woven vest. More postcards to voters -- handwriting is tough on my neck, don't want to go back there -- and another Horowitz audiobook. 

I googled Horowitz to check on books and got a lot of references to the pianist. Forgot about Vladimir! Have you seen his keyboard style? It's weird, very flat hands, not what my teachers taught me, but clearly it worked dramatically well for him. Giant hands, too. 

Happy day everyone, play life your way, never mind the convention 

And here's yet more black eyed Susans 

And more fungus veil, decorated with fallen Russian sage flowers

And for the brave folks who tried it, here's the Haggard Hawks puzzle solution 

Linen emerges as new summer thing to wear

 I got out the white linen piece, ironed it, then here's how I decide what's next

Just throw it around and see. Not enough for long sleeves but yes, enough for a tunic type summer top

So here I've folded and refolded to find the middle, to estimate where to cut the neck opening.

As you see, it's keyhole style

but this vee is not the final shape. I'll refold to work differently, more of a T shape

then I pinned the estimated sleeve , got out another top to gauge width, you see it on the left

Now it's cut out.  Those bits of linen will be used at the neckline.  A bit of stitching and I'll have a top for practically everything I wear. This will have side slits, it's fairly long. 

I'm making this while I decide what to do with the woven squares. They may end up being a vest with this top... I'm weaving them while I decide about the next page in the fabric book. But first..

Summer's waking me early, up long before seven. Out walking shortly after nine, in the morning shade, giant frogs leaping and the drake annoyed with me for disturbing them all.

This means I'm ready for lunch very early, too. Today spicy plant patty things with roast diced potato, malt vinegar, big handful of cilantro. Enough to do it again tomorrow, too. 

It also means I don't know if I'm tired or not.  Hm. Knitting while I consider that. 

Happy day everyone. As long as I'm doing all the things, you don't need to.

Two loose ends: the donation check I handed over the other day? Already cleared. They made sure of this one.

And the Haggard Hawks puzzle answer 

ULTIMATUM

 

but you knew that!

Misfits box, much better day

Day three is definitely better. I got a walk, tossed  an errant golf ball back, breathed in the scent of honeysuckles, saw three huge frogs dive into the pond as I got close, to lurk till I left.  Lovely.

Home to an early Misfits delivery by Jeff.  I barely caught his pink truck leaving 

He conscientiously took away the freezer block and cooler bag I'd left out for pick up,  and replaced them with this 

The local strawberries are far more expensive and not organic, so I seized the day and ordered two one pound containers. Cilantro because I always need cilantro, goes everywhere and I'm one of the lucky people who taste a good dark flavor, not soap.

Chickpeas and coconut milk are for future curries. Salmon is for simple sauteeing over rice, later today.  Spinach with it. I might add some of those dried cranberries to the rice, too, and walnuts. Cannellini beans for sauteed salmon cakes.  

Oat milk goes with toasted sweet potato bread for late evening snack.  Blueberries why not. The strawberries are mid morning snack once last week's apples are finished. And the nutritious crushed almonds in dark chocolate, well, they fell into my box. 

All planned, subject to many sudden last minute changes of mind or appetite.

I did bake the rest of the salsa with Cheddar cheese, egg broken over, at 385°f  till the egg was cooked, which happens after the tomatoes have heated through and the cheese has melted. Mini naan to make sure none of the sauce went unaddressed. There's enough for a third meal there, too. 

This is a very food oriented post, probably because I feel a whole lot better and interested in food prep. 

I'll feel like a bit of stitching too in a while, and you'll get an update, once there is one.

The Haggard Hawks puzzle solution is 

FLEXIBLE 

which quite a few blogistas not only solved but wrote terrific clues for, yay you!

 

Butterfly sighting, drumroll stew, seeds

Today I had the first sighting this year of a red admiral checking out the blossoming sage, with several kinds of bees, shiny, furry, large, small, not a bee expert. 

I had planned on planting seeds today 

then remembered I had to soak the morning glory seeds overnight, and one thing and another, after I'd assembled the squirrel deterrent you see on the counter, found the containers, trowel, spare potting soil, cleaned up the upstairs houseplants in search of another container, it seemed like a good idea to do it tomorrow.

I did a load of laundry, changed the bed, wrangled one friend who dropped in with an HOA question, another who called with not so good news about another who fell and we didn't know. Among all these tasks and interruptions, I cooked this terrific lunch.

Spicy sweet potato, cannellini and red beans, onions, garlic, rainbow chard, loads of spices, paprika, cayenne, including what turned out to be a habanero pepper. And fresh picked thyme. 

I handled the pepper through a cloth, removed the seeds to dry them, and though the stew was hot, with toasted naan, it was great.  The pepper was in a mix of Misfit hot peppers in the freezer, and I looked it up after I'd added it. Oh. 

The neighbor who stopped in with the HOA question gave the stew, smelling and looking,  many stars, a good review! I'd just set it up to take a picture when she showed up. 

Timing, boud! How rarely people see and smell something at its best. I didn't offer samples because this is a nice acquaintance who tends to take more than give.  No need to raise expectations. Prudence prevailed.

Enough spicy stew for three more meals. 

Lovely afternoon eventually, finishing The Reluctant Widow on the deck, I love that book, and loafing.  A bit tired.

Happy day everyone, I recommend prudence in giving, once in a while, and a bit of loafing when you're tired. Do what I say and rarely do! And tomorrow is another day, about stitching and planting seeds. 

The Haggard Hawks puzzle solution 

SCENIC.

Caro got it and maybe other people who just didn't post a funny clue. Or who posted one so subtle I missed it. That happens, in the Bluebird puzzle group when you're a Robin with ideas above your station.

A note of thanks, and spring shoots

Soon, this will be here, from a friend who moved away but keeps in touch

in response to my request for advice. C. simply said here's some nice cotton yarn, want it? Look at those colors! Just beautiful.

What I don't knit for myself will go into socks and gloves for the Knitting Ministry. 

Meanwhile, in anticipation, I had bought some very fine cotton/bamboo mix, for the tender bits,

which will go with a heavier yarn for the body, so I cast on, three threads held together, looking promising.  

Thank you for the boost to the Boud Handmade Lingerie Department, dear C.

Meanwhile, speaking of boosts, look at the sudden shoots of the pony palm

It's new and sudden and exciting.  This is after years of growing taller but not showing interest in multiplying. The big stems are the established ones, and here are kittens.

This means the light is increasing though I can't say I've noticed, but the plants have.

Happy day everyone, notice stuff! 

The puzzle answer is

TOUCAN

But you smart folks got that right off.

I'm an action figure! And other exciting things

How I got to feeling better Part One

Dave Croucher, a marvelous member of Spoutible, a platform of which I'm an original member and participant, designed and run by Christopher Bouzy as a safe, interesting online harbor for minorities and women,  has started creating these figurine images for members, and yesterday he made mine. He entitled it Fearless!

 For a much better explanation of why this improved my day significantly, go here

Cut and paste or Google, this is a screenshot not a live link. Bloggers are familiar with it, but in case you aren't..

Then Part Two

Gary came over, spent a while chipping ice to open the hood

And finally, his own battery booster not working, he used mine and my car fired up, causing me to exhale. I've lived so many years alone in an area with no public transportation, that the car is a lifeline. 

It's hard to understand the real anxiety of being old, tired and alone -- many days I don't see my neighbors at all -- and having your car fail you, unless you've lived it.  And I was unable to get the hood up, cold weather making my  hands clumsy, or I could have started it myself using my booster kit. 

It's years since I had feeling in my fingertips, old fingers, so I can't tell from feel where the hood latch is, which you have to do in order to raise it.  That was a big part of yesterday's down mood.  

So that was great, instant upward trajectory.

Then Part Three, the Misfits box arrived, reminding me how lucky I am to be in their delivery area, and to be able to afford excellent food

This week was a small order, the eggs not available, but not a tragedy, and supper came from pita stuffed with spinach and tuna mashed with cannellini beans.

I'm going to get back into bread and pita baking after this supply is done, now that I've managed to find whole wheat flour. I'll use a combo of that, chickpea flour and oats. 

Then, once again art saved me, with Part Four, making!  a new idea! 

If you've been reading in here a while you'll have read about my handmade underwear repair (it made AC comment "you never know what you'll find in here!") and underwear making, after I couldn't find what I needed online, to replace the current tatters. I'm in need again, so I looked around for knit fabric, found I didn't have any and then..

Thought wait, I can knit my own knit fabric! So I hauled out the deconstructed underwear that I use as a pattern and figured I can knit by matching the shapes, why not. No need to count stitches, just look at the shape to know when to increase.  

Here's the notes, left hand page, the yarn and needles, with the model pattern pieces. And here's the start of a great new idea.

I'll have to use bits and scraps of whatever yarn I have, not much just now,  just to try this out. If it's doable, I'll order some cotton yarn and I'll be set. Wheeeee!!

Happy day, everyone, I hope your mid winter Northern hemisphere blues are lifted soon.

The puzzle answer, which the high flyers around here got, was

WINGSPAN