Fridgescaping, art, ducks, fall copper

 Fridgescaping, my minimalist take. This is after shopping. Just sayin'.

In the container at the bottom is this, cooked Saturday from Yeung Man Cooking

Here the cartoon is nice, and the quotation is everything

Art is not to make a living, it's to make a life.

And in order for our lives to continue as planned, democracy work continues. I write a few cards then rest my hand a while, then resume. I've timed it to be done in time for the mailing date.

Today's art is setup, the latest color combinations chosen, ready to stitch.

Meanwhile I went for a walk, lovely sunny weather, saw fall copper, goldenrod and some white fluffy stuff 

And at the pond, the little flock of wild ducks is back. Briefly. As soon as they spotted me, one warning quack, and they were off 

Back at the ranch, the pioneer lady is ready to make a gallon of clothes washing liquid.

 

It suits my budget and I know what's in it, no scented additives or whiteners other than what I put there. This recipe gets the laundry as clean as the expensive stuff. The container at the back is empty. It's what I use as a dispenser, disregard the label.

So that's where I am at the time of writing.

I finished Clever Girl, and find that Tessa Hadley is the only writer I've found whose novel and short story writing both work well for me. 

Alice Walker, wonderful essays, but novels not for me. Anne LaMott, great nonfiction, oh dear on the novels. Hadley, more of both,  please.

Happy day everyone! You do you.

 

After the funeral

No, not the Agatha Christie one, this is a writer I just found out about 

Her stories are so powerful and filled with layers and questions and significance that the short story form is enough for the reader to deal with.

Oddly I found out about her from Florence Knapp's newsletter. I say oddly, because I know her as Flossie Teacakes, from whose book I learned English paper piecing, a far cry from literature.

This Florence 

As soon as I started the newsletter, I checked Libby, the library app, found a book of Hadley's short stories, and was engrossed in them before I finished reading the newsletter.

I really recommend her. The stories seem workaday, ordinary, but they're far from it. She can fill out a character in a few touches, and draw the reader in right away, such a sure touch.

Signs of life on the patio 

Here's the bulb that broke off when I separated the ponytail palm, and gave it a pot just to see what would happen 

And sansevieria, tossed away, looking dead, months ago, is making a determined comeback in unlikely places

Here's a flower from my seed strewing, name escapes me, but I'm thinking candytuft. Yes?  

Today's walk yielded this. 

One spent blossom, more buds. Wild? Garden escape? Please say if you know.

While I was waiting for the Misfits delivery, I was idly scrolling about in YouTube and found a lovely Elizabethan, Thomas Morley, quartet, this one, April is in my mistress' face a cynical love story but not.

So, long time since I played recorder, but I hauled them out and tried my hand, with these three in turn, soprano, alto, tenor. 

There's a harpsichord accompaniment, which showed me how amazingly out of tune and out of practice I was. 

I'd lost track of the fingerings, but they came back after a few false starts.  Alto is different from the other two, and I eventually realized I should also be playing this piece an octave up.

This was another hearing adventure, first music since hearing aids. A bit tinny, but that was probably my rusty playing. I was terrible and I had such a good time.

I'm going to leave the instruments and stand out, so I'll be encouraged to play more. And I'll find my sheet music, medieval, Renaissance and Elizabethan. It's time I played a bit.

Anyway Misfits arrived 

It occurs to me that it may not be crystal clear, blogistas not being mind readers, that I do these pictures and share them as my record of the condition on arrival, in case I need to take it up. I also check that the whole list arrived.  This is a good place to store that information.

It's also interesting to readers who like to see what I'm up to in the kitchen, just as I like to know what they cook and shop for.

The yogurt and fruit will be desserts, also greens, berries and seedy bread make great breakfasts. I'm using avocado oil a lot more since mayo became a staple, used all over, in salads, spread instead of butter. 

The eggs are beautiful, sturdy shells, yolks that stand up, very much like my mom's home raised ones. Feta cheese gets everywhere as a dressing, especially on the salad greens, red potatoes as a change from yellow, great for German, non mayo, potato salad. Plans for everything with an emphasis on easy.

So that's the state of Boud today. I think I'll take a nap now.

Happy day everyone. Plan to enjoy.