Leisure Interrupted

 Yesterday after cooking and bed making and laundry  I finally sat down to do nothing much.

But first I made a huge six meal Thelastofthe quiche. This involved the last of the dandelion greens, chard, mushrooms and onions from the freezer, with the usual eggs and a lot of cheese.

Dandelion greens are peppery and a great addition, and this worked out well.

Then I got on with the latest braiding and I improved my sliding knot ability for the fastener.

Here it is in blurry action.

Then I found myself considering a PBS Passport in support of WHYY public broadcasting. Why not, access at least for now, to good drama and documentaries, while sending a modest amount to a good fairly local -- Philly -- cause.  So I did, and eventually got it to work, thinking my evening entertainment for the foreseeable future is set up. 

So I thought I'd start with a couple of episodes of the newer All Creatures Great and Small. I'm so glad I found it. 

Such an improvement in the casting over the earlier one. The Scot Herriot portrayed as a Scot, the farmer Helen as a lovely Yorkshire woman, not an escapee from a finishing school. Anyway I'm very happy with it. And Diana Rigg as Mrs Pumphrey, perfect. 

However, here's what happened in the middle of watching. A bang at the door, Gary suddenly in my midst ready to, are you sitting down, collect the splitleaf. He was in a mood, I think severe back pain though he doesn't mention it.

And after the most commotion possible, here's the uninvited guest, the plant, that is,  leaving. 

Gary may come back for the tall palm today and I hope I can shove off, I mean return, the pony palm, too. It's like having noisy people finally go home, in the way, no matter where they are. I was happy to take care of them and now they need to leave.

It took a while for me to recover from the sudden drama, I'm out of the habit.

Then today the mail brought a great tiny thing.

A while back I think I made a comment on the Modern Daily Knitting site about watercolor painting and the minis I made in July. I think that's what triggered this lovely gift. 

Anyway they got in touch for a street address and here we are. Hannah is a terrific artist, as you see, and an MDK star. Nice people, with a great website and newsletter.

I also created a couple of cards, using the protective card stock Hannah had used to mail her art, waste nothing, to attach to the back of two goldwork pieces I gave to a friend recently. She had noted they were unsigned and asked for an identifier for the back of the frame. 

So here we are 

So that's us Chez Boud! I made a little video while I was out walking early, before the heat got going, now my daily YouTube upload.

But, back to still pictures, here's the local fungi getting underway. 

Just the start. After all our rain, it should be a good fungus year.

Happy day everyone, make art if you want, or delegate it, it's all good.

Visible mending and other clever stuff

An embroiderer friend passed on some nice ideas about visible mending. This sampler of visible mending ideas was created by Candy Barnes of @heartfulstitches

Doesn't that make you want to try out? Most of them are beginner friendly. 

Then there are embroiderers like Melissa Galbraith, who create an entire miniature scene around a patched area. 

There are blogistas who could do this, looking at you Bay Area M!  And the rest of us can admire anyway.

Meanwhile back on earth, I found myself figuring out a simple pattern for knitted slippers made from a rectangle. 

It's all very well to know your measurements, and you see the entire thinking in these notes, but without knowing how many stitches to cast on, what's a knitter to do?

This one crocheted a chain the length required for her foot, added in a few stitches because knitting takes up length a bit more than crochet, and started knitting by picking up the chain loops. Then I counted the resulting stitches and noted it.  I could now do a knit cast on for the second slipper but the crochet chain does make a nice firm start. 

I'm using up small quantities, so this project is striped with a cream yarn.

I started thinking this would be for me, but noticed that the yarn is machine washable, so these slippers may join the items for the Sock 'n glove 'n whistle Ministry.

I have a number of donated projects to finish, all interesting too, and I seem to be doing a project I suddenly thought of instead.  Don't ask me, I only live here.

The weather is grey and there's dirty old snow, but no ice. So I donned those purple wrist warmers I made from a cashmere sweater, 

now ankle guards because of the boots, the new scarf, the beret made from the same cashmere sweater, and went walking, coat open, that kind of cold no-wind day when you can.

I pushed a bit further, to retrieve my stamina which has decreased a bit with the snow stopping walking. Twenty minutes, in fact pretty good for me. Home to a pot of tea, and probably sleep will happen. It usually does after walking in the cold then coming home to get warm.

Happy day everyone, make do or don't, and remember where there's a will there's a won't.

Butternut Boy is back and other good things

After I'd prepped yesterday's Misfits butternut squash, I tossed out the seeds and rinds because they're a great squirrel favorite and their food sources are scarce just now.

Today Butternut Boy, who will fight any squirrel for his seeds, showed up and plunged in. He ate till he could barely make it onto the fence taking his last chunk of rind with him.

He'll be back. We have a very cold forecast with winds this weekend, so he'll need to load up. 

And though I didn't feel like walking today, so many things to do at home, the forecast probably means I won't get out for a day or two, so I dragged myself out. Not sunny, and that makes a difference. I needed to take out garbage and recycle, two armsful. And I added on a walk.

I had two nice experiences, one where the mailman just arriving near the boxes next to the dumpster, courteously waited down the block till I'd finished tossing bags and boxes and was on the way down the street, before he pulled in without rushing me.

The other was an encounter with a large, strong, playful yellow lab, dragging his owner about and looking as if he'd like to jump at me, as they do.  The lab, not the owner.  

I quickly got into the road -- they couldn't, hemmed in by cars-- and had an armslength chat with the owners, very nice people. I explained I couldn't manage if the dog pushed me. The dog was studying my face as if he understood it all, big fibber.

 I handled a few yellow labs when I had the pet care service, and can assert from my experience that they're the tearaways of the lab world. 

Black labs tend to be more docile and a bit needy, chocolate labs can be reasoned with but yellows, nah. They live to rampage and knock things down and jump shoulder high with such good nature.  Not a mean bone.

Oddly, all three colors can be found in a single litter. So maybe it's chromosomes.

And I'm doing a bit of Freecycle since I acquired a little rack thing at the dumpster, which now houses my shoes. I reorganized various items and freed up this interesting diy vintage basket I've had for many years.

 

I think I have a taker. If I lived near Steve I'd leave it near his house and I bet he'd find a home for it.

Happy day everyone. Do redheaded humans really have a hot temper or is that a gross slander? Or is it chromosomes?

 

Springlike walk and Misfits

Thursday was springlike, just for a day or two, and my morning walk under the trees was full of birdsong and animal tracks. 

I heard a downy woodpecker rattling then saw her (no red hat) start pecking on a tree. Very early for nesting. And I heard but didn't see chickadees and Carolina wrens, saw but didn't hear a little flock of juncoes.

The downed trees are usually left where they fall if they're not in the way,  and they provide habitat for a lot of animals and birds

At the top of the standing trees there's a whole colony of mourning doves, and, lower down, the juncoes flitter about.

A bit further along, you see where squirrels demonstrate their bite strength on these black walnuts.

If you've ever tried to break into black walnuts you'll know what pressure it takes. 

The prescribed method is to spread them on a hard surface, such as a concrete driveway, place a board on top and drive your car back and forward to crush them. 

Then you can spend the rest of the day picking out the delicious fragments of nut, before deciding to just go with regular walnuts. Besides, the regular ones can be cracked to make two miniature doll beds from the shell. Just sayin. 

Misfits pickup is out ready for Haleem, whom I messaged with a New Year greeting.

He got back with a very appreciative text.

Canned goods and mustard for the food pantry, oats and peanut butter for granola bars, cod pieces (!) because I need fish 'n chips, potatoes for the chips, also for roasted dice with the chicken pieces I just roasted, apples great relief, I really missed them last week, mushrooms to slice and freeze ready for omelettes, and to accompany chicken and roast potatoes, sardines for sandwiches for my brain, BananAZ! dundeedeedundeedee etc, mango pieces to go with yogurt, blueberries likewise, avocado oil because I finished the last of it in the red chili oil.

This was a nice order. 

Happy day everyone, I hope you're as well fed as I and able to get out among trees and calming nature,  in our current turmoil and tragedy.

Fluffageddon says breathe, plan, persist, resist 

Kitchen done! More about keys

This morning's walk was beautiful, cool sunny weather, happy neighbors on their patios, including one who's just finished getting his redone with tiling. He was so pleased when I admired it, though I think hello and yes was the limit of his English, but we communicated anyway.

What happens when you neglect to move the kids' bikes before the landscapers come around.

 The Sleeping Beauty effect.

And this looks like a natural object at this point, so weathered 

This morning Michael the Contractor came, caulked the cabinet, chatted about his mother, the food pantry, his noisy neighbors, crunchy tofu, he loves it.  

Also I paid him, very fair price, though a stretch for me. I rationalize that it's a once only job. I may have converted him to contribute to the food pantry; he didn't know where it was till now. Also he's going to see if his mother can get the bone density injections I get.  Quite a productive convo.

About locks and keys, when I had the pet care service I had many keys I kept safely, coded for security. One time I got an anguished call from a client, so sorry to disturb me, could I rescue him? 

He happened to live close by, which I knew but he didn't, for my security -- I didn't broadcast my address. Anyway he lived in a third floor condo in my development,  only one possible entrance from the staircase. 

He was getting his excitable Golden retriever ready for a walk, dog jumped at him, he staggered out the door,  the door slammed shut, he heard the lock drop! 

This left the dog inside with the keys, owner locked outside, luckily with phone and my number saved. I brought my copy of his key, let him in, no charge,  and he begged me not to mention it to his wife, who would never let him live it down! I did get a nice Christmas gift that year. No connection I'm sure..

Happy day everyone, try not to let your dog lock you out! You feel pretty silly explaining it when you need help.

Up to now: the Gubbernor ordered the rainbow crosswalk near the Pulse, scene of a mass shooting tragedy, painted over. A crowd of LGBTQ+ people protested with joy, flags and chants and repainted the rainbow. Once more Gov. Boots had it painted black. Once again the rainbow returned. Up to now. 

Don't let anyone dim your rainbow! Screenshot this one to preserve it in case Boots paints it over again.

Ginnels, orchids and an irruption

I've been thinking about the word kanal, German for YouTube channel. It showed up in a recipe video, and made me think of related words. Canal, for one. 

And ginnel, hard g, the north Yorkshire word for a narrow passage between joined houses. I wonder if ginnel has Norse origins, as many northern words do. All I've found is French ancestors though. 

Sunday morning while I was stumbling about early on the deck, Gary appeared, home again. Good morning, you okay, I'm exhausted, need to sleep now that's a lovely orchid blossom, see you later. Gone.

Sunday was the sudden appearance of this lovely thing 

Later to be a model for an ink drawing, I seem to be on a roll because of flowers blooming 

Meanwhile I got in a walk, a bit shorter walk because of a tired left leg,  maybe from new stretches last night. Here's something I noticed 

Picking flowers for today's bouquet I did a sneaky Picasso reference 

And later, after shower and laundry, since I ran out of socks or walked out of them, I made  crisp tofu katsu sticks. The dipping sauce was the the usual ketchup, soy sauce and apple cider vinegar.  

I served myself with cilantro, an interesting dark flavor against the sweeter sauce. Tomorrow I'll make crisp shrimp with tofu katsu and sauce.  I've been baking the tofu in the toaster oven, so I'll try doing the shrimp the same way.

Today's the start of my fourth week without a car, and I can't say it's been hard, up to now. I have only needed one ride, and I get a lot of things like food and medicine delivered. It's been surprisingly okay, up to now. 

So, since there's a least one more week to go, we'll see. I can get to the knitting group, which includes library visits,  and doctor visits. And I Freecycle on my step, but can't pick up, though that's not altogether a bad thing if it keeps stuff away!  Anyway I'm considering driving or going carless and I'm undecided.

Happy day everyone. On foot or wheels of various kinds. 

Sez Ted and Big Ursy