Up early, so I got back into training!

 Up very early this morning and I decided this was a good day, first of no coughing, and with actual breathing, though a bit stiff, to get back to weights. So I joined April and Aiko and worked out for 30 minutes using 5 lb weights. 

That was good. Later I also had a walk, not wanting to miss the lovely weather.  First day I've seen violets.  

And the Korean spicebush is nearly in bloom and ready to release a wonderful scent any day now.

The last chance for daffodils 

I've been hearing a lot of birdsong, and yesterday I noticed the mockingbird is back. That might account for some of the singing, since they have quite a range.

Yesterday was a day of puffy clouds, blossoms and birds. 

Also a mystery moss, I think, an emerald carpet of fine straight fronds. It's in a damp area, moss friendly, so that's why I think moss.

This time of year is precious because it's warm enough to walk and the mosquitoes haven't started up. I notice that despite the spring activities of the birds, the juncoes haven't left yet. Usually they're gone by now to wherever they summer, but they're maybe checking the weather at their destination and deciding to wait.

Cooking today was about that penne with cashew  white sauce, which I'll bake on Monday, since we now know that's when Handsome Son is free to celebrate Easter.

Yesterday I tried another idea, to go with my roast potato dice and a ground turkey croquette. A date, lemon, onion relish. And it definitely worked. 

I think this is worth doing again.

Last evening I treated myself to a new Beka rigid heddle, to continue my bandweaving backstrap style. This one is halfway in size between the tiny one I made and the medium one I wove a scarf on. 

There was also a beautiful small one, lovely wood, good small size. However it's made in Lithuania and the shipping would treble the price, oh. So mine is coming from Minnesota instead.

Happy day everyone, e came through her surgery and is now convalescing at home, great news, and many vibes to her to regain her strength. 

Long gone, and never forgotten, my feline textile assistants, or supervisors. 

Strength, cardio and misfits

Thursday is misfit day, and I did a workout to get my strength up ready for the Big Lift. In fact I bring the food in bit by bit, so the big lift is usually the almost empty box with maybe a few apples in it.

April and Aiko again. I hadn't done resistance, the physical kind, that is, for a few days, just walking and stretches and dancing in the kitchen, so I was pretty feeble. I did get through it, strength, cardio, isometrics, not resorting to sitting.  Strength really melts away if you take too many days off.

Yesterday I donated a bag of food to the food pantry with the help of a ride from Gary, and he carried in the bag. I did have a little agenda here, because he's been talking about donating and hasn't been doing it. 

But once he saw how local the pantry is and how easy it was to donate, no bureaucracy, he was all fired up with ideas about cans he has in the house that he'll donate.  He tends to over buy, so he can do this.   And he has plans to buy for giving in future. That will be good.

On the way home he said his phone, yet again, was out of action. Until he could get it to the shop later that day, he couldn't get on with some urgent calls. 

So while his latest top of the line $$$ iPhone, carrier some big name,  was out of action, I lent him my cheap and cheerful $Motorola, carrier Tracfone, and he got caught up.  I was nice. I didn't gloat.

Today's haul, delivered by Jeff. Pure cane sugar, fair trade, for general use, red onions to dice and freeze because I'm out, yellow onions dittto, I use a lot of onions, ginger and garlic likewise, spinach to go in everything, more or less, canned goods for the food pantry, beautiful brown free range eggs. 

These are real eggs, that need a sharp rap on the counter to crack them, and have a deep yellow stand up yolk. I don't crack eggs on the side of the bowl since Jacques Pepin said it was a way to drive eggshell fragments into the egg. 

Blueberries to go with the yogurt, bread because I'm too bone idle to bake, chocolate almonds because everyone needs a little something now and then. Some to my neighbor across the street whose soup container needs to be returned. Never return a container empty!

Look at these beauties. Too big for the supermarket -- this is two pounds each of the onions. They're now more or less diced and frozen, and the red onion skins are in a jar of water to make a nice pink dye for some future purpose or other. 

Happy day everyone, do all the things, follow the Yorkshire saying: break eggs with a stick. Meaning plunge in, regardless.

Marigold looking down from the blanket in the sky saying look at that, still running about doing stuff, she hasn't learned a thing.

Balance and boots

After snow and ice meant no outdoor activity beyond trudging to the recycle, I thought I'd better keep up my strength Saturday, and did a thirty minute resistance and balance workout with April and Aiko.

April used 8 lb weights, I used 5 lb and Aiko used 2 lb. It was certainly warming, and I felt more cheerful after it. 

And I thought why not try the ice idea, thank you Ellen, for stretching the right boot, the one more in need. 

I found a Ziploc bag, to my surprise, half filled it with water and for safety put it inside a plastic loaf bag, not wishing to soak the boot. 

Putting it in the boot was tricky because the design of this one doesn't open up completely. There's a kind of inner lining holding it together. Anyway I managed it.

And here it is in the freezer for a day. So we'll see.  I already tried ramming a plastic glass into the toe of each boot, and hadn't tested whether it worked on this one.

But I did wrestle the glass back out of the other boot and found it had worked okay there. 

Fairly happy foot there. One down. 

Happy day everyone, One foot after the other does it.

Yes2next, Knitting Group, Textiles and Tea,

Heavy rain Tuesday, so instead of outdoor walking, I did an interesting 20 minute yes2next walking video

April, the trainer, daughter of 84 year old Aiko, seated there, is very good on warm-up and cool down, and reminders about a sip of water now and then.  Much better than when I do it without their instruction.

Two offers to ride to the  Tuesday knitting group, it's like a polite bidding war!  

Despite pouring rain, the regular members showed up. With all kinds of work in progress.

The two pictured above are hand spun yarn created by the knitter, who has resolved to use her stash of hand spun before buying any more yarn. 

Note the Icord edging 

Wearing one sweater while knitting another for her niece.

Talk ranged over teaching writing, blogging, freelancing,  teaching music, transgender relatives, giving away art -- invitation extended to group to come here and pick -- dermatology, pet care, houseplant care, the urge to make, the pandemic, the way we washed and sterilized everything, and more. It was a lot funnier than it reads.

Then at the close of the meeting, the member who'd driven me arranged with another to drive me next week! I felt like a parcel, but they're so determined to keep me going, it's lovely.

Home to a pot of tea, with honey toast and Textiles and Tea with 

Rebecca studied tapestry with the iconic Archie Brennan, and practiced it before moving into transparent weaving, where you can literally see through the work, which casts shadows onto the wall behind.

She also incorporates beads into freestanding weavings, and uses the transparency of the glass as part of the work. She's written a book which will be out next year, currently the only one which gathers the knowledge and skills of transparency weaving in one place. 

See the Anni Albers quotation from her upcoming book. Albers pioneered many weaving approaches and patterns in her Bauhaus and Black Mountain College days. What she says here is so true. In the making comes the shape and meaning of the work.

Happy day, everyone. Leap, and the net will appear! That's my policy anyway. It's worked up to now.

Everything's relative, socks, shortbread and time travel

 Just sayin

And finally despite the spazzing finger, the socks are finished. Onto gloves next

They're cheerful, large size ankle socks. I'll steam press them before I send them.

And in case Handsome Son visits this week, I'm making his favorite shortbread from my favorite YouTuber, Baking on a Budget. 

Simple recipe as you see.  Nice crisp results. I don't like making shortbread though I like eating it. It's a very dry dough you have to press together. But it came out okay.  

I tested those little pieces which broke off as I was putting the batch in the oven. With an afternoon pot of tea. Pretty good.

 

My latest library ebook arrived, another Elly, not so sure about this one. Still police mystery, but this one involves time travel. I'll see how it goes. Not my thing, a bit woowoo.

I'm still in Small Island in book form and another Elly on Hoopla.

 I'm pretty well supplied.

 

The weird thing about the hour change is that it works like jetlag. I keep waking up and falling asleep at weird times. In between, I'm getting the laundry, the bed changing, the garbage and recycle and the knitting and baking, so I'm not exactly out of action, come to think of it.  

But I did a nice workout, strength, balance and cardio

With April and Aiko. 

Happy day everyone, hoping all has gone well with the friends handling medical issues today and that travelers have had happy landings.

Still my flag dammit