New adventure soon, winnowing and muffins

 Today I found out that English ivy can be used to make laundry soap. Since it grows next door, I'll see about getting some prunings and trying it.  You boil the leaves, then next day strain them, and the liquid works like soap. It's one of the saponiferous, just means foam-making, plants. There are quite a few but this one's the handiest to me.

I wouldn't mind planting yucca, too, same reason, also you can make sandals from the dried foliage. Indigenous people have done this for centuries in the South West in places where it grows wild. I'll have to check whether the northeastern climate will suit it. 

The  person I learned the laundry soap idea it from is, at my suggestion, going to learn paper making from plants, and string making from foliage, too. Each one teach one.

Aside from that possible new adventure, winnowing continues pretty successfully. Last night I  pulled out my collection of scarves

I hand made most of them, knitted, crocheted, Tunisian crocheted, painted, stitched. A couple were handwoven or knitted for me as gifts. And I remade the acquaintance of a few I'd forgotten about. 

I've made many knitted scarves and slippers as gifts over the years. Many an anxious hospital wait with Handsome Partner eas accompanied by knitting and crocheting. 

I once crocheted a freeform wall hanging as part of a traveling group invitational project, still on tour maybe, who  knows, in various surgical waiting rooms. 

So, back to now,  I winnowed out some nice things I don't need to keep

Put them up on Freecycle and had a door busting response. So they're all bagged up and waiting to leave this afternoon

Not that I'm deprived. Here's the tidied up scarf repository

If anyone wants a more detailed look, with ideas on how to try  for yourself, let me know and I'll post accordingly (Handsome Son's current favorite word).

In other gripping news, since my doctor, as well as advising to watch salt, also wants me occasionally to check bp, Handsome Son is coming over this afternoon to lend me the family bp cuff. 

This involved bustling about to make a batch of blueberry muffins

Because I can't give him a cup of tea without a little something. I might get some over to Gary, to cheer him up, too. 

About cutting back salt, I made yesterday's soup without salt but with extra spices, and it works fine, so now I'll continue. Taste reeducation. And I have to make a new supply of berbere spice mix.

Happy day everyone, may your all your taste  experiments turn out well.