Monday, Monday, Misfits and bananaz

Early morning walk on Monday, windy, and the narrow way I walk between houses and trees was a wind tunnel that morning. Fine on the way out, being blown gently along,  then not so much coming home and battling against it.

The light was sharp and bright for pictures, and I just took several random shots because all the views were lovely.

Home to send text greetings to wish friends a happy Thanksgiving and to say I'm thankful to have them in my life. I like to tell people how I value them, because I don't think most people get much of it.

Then Misfits arrived in the afternoon, the smallest box evah, and yes, look -- Bananaz!

Bananas for bread, sandwiches, smoothies, shipped a bit green so they'll be ready in a couple of days. 

Some conjoined mushrooms in this batch. 

Mushrooms ready to be sliced and frozen in meal size containers. Two boxes make six containers of slices.  I have various plans. Maybe some at Thanksgiving, some in omelettes, some with tofu and rice. 

Blueberries for desserts, yogurt likewise except a dab in soup and maybe pastry or crackers,  it's a good leaven. Aluminum foil is recycled. 

Did I mention that Misfits supports food banks all over the place, and my membership, which I took out as an alternative to shipping, goes toward feeding people? 

This week I needed few items, well stocked already. Every now and then I have a small order. 

In the US we have Thanksgiving coming up on Thursday and I have my annual reminder that people are not always unhappy to be alone on the holidays. Some people treasure that quiet time. 

So before inviting solo folk over do try to find out if they'll enjoy time spent in your family's company.

I had a couple of miserable Thanksgivings in the homes of friends whose family all talked to each other and, after greeting me, ignored me for the rest of the time. 

Don't assume your grown family will be hospitable to your friend. They may resent an outsider and make it plain. After a couple of those experiences, I would politely thank and decline invitations.  I liked my solo day.

Once I had the pet care service there was no need to explain -- from mid November to New Year was peak booking season. My mid December birthday had to wait till January!

Likewise don't assume your solo friends want you to drop in on them at Christmas because well, it's Christmas! My solo sister some years ago, when she lived in the city, had planned a lovely day with a good book, nice fire, cat and dog, glass of wine, to recover from a high stress job.

Instead she was bombarded with people "just stopping by for a minute on the way to xxx". She said she spent the day pretty much giving out her Christmas treats, and washing glasses while her friends polished off her Christmas wine! No wonder she retired to a small town that wasn't on the way to anywhere.   

And, if you wonder why she let them in, the harsh truth is that single older women can't afford to stiff-arm people, when it's clear they're home in a tiny house, window next to the sidewalk. A lot of people are  transactional, and supports are tenuous.

Anyway just a couple of pre-holiday suggestions. 

I did make those peanut butter granola bars, and they're very good. Handy for a snack or breakfast.

I substituted honey and molasses for the syrups in the recipe, added in ground flaxseed, good opportunity, used the pumpkin spice you saw me make, instead of cinnamon alone.

The bars are crisp and chewy, really good. This is great for breakfast. 

I was called on recently by a former student to advise a relative about natural dyeing. After a career in various helping professions, she's training to be a death doula. 

She wants to learn natural dyeing for -- shrouds. That's certainly unusual. I emailed her with a few beginning suggestions, and she plans to keep me updated on how it goes. Never a dull moment!

Speaking of which, the chickens were out, yay, they're still here, out at dusk so the picture isn't very good, but they have grown dramatically. Still peaceful, pecking and cheeping.

At this point, happy day, feel free to count your chickens!

Domesticated folks, fall plans

 Speaking of domesticated animals

September, and fall is nearly here. I usually have some project for the upcoming season, but this summer's been so here and there with one damn thing or another that I don't have fall plans yet. 

Maybe it's a time to stop things, as a change from always embarking on them. Life keeps on presenting new embarking without looking for more. To be continued.

Chicken saga also continued. Gary and I saw a whole gaggle of chickens out pecking, which he loved. But he's dogsitting two granddogs, as well as Billie, and he's worried about the chicks wandering among them, not sure what would happen.

He tracked down the owners, turns out they've erected a chicken shed on their patio and they've had the chickens several weeks, but hadn't let them out. He cautioned them about our foxes and redtails.  Now he's looking around for greens, unsprayed, to give them. They're the granddaughter's pets  Never a dull moment. 

We worked on houseplants between catching escaping dogs, and eating a plate of chicken biryani, rice,  some very hot veg dish and that crisp spicy snack stuff Indians love. A neighbor brought it over to share.  

We reminisced about H and worried about her husband J and son J.  Gary started moving out stones ready to level for my new patio, and I pointed out the couple of self planted offshoots from the Russian sage that  he can have.

He and I are going to visit Hs widower next week. And there's my audiologist visit, and the knitting group and handsome son's visit, and the doors to be returned.  I don't think I have time for a project.

I did pick the last of the sweet peppers and roast them with olive oil and garlic powder, to crisp chips, to go with the last of the shrimp for lunch. Then I dropped the seeds into the container that used to hold the non potatoes. Maybe they'll sprout next year.

I pulled more dead foliage, so the garden is looking winter ready, or something. New sprouts of the crushed giant Russian sage have come up from the debris of the wall repair, right where my future patio will go. Gary has wanted one of these for  years, no longer obtainable. So he's going to dig up and transplant them, very happily.

In the course of pulling foliage I unearthed my long lost bird bath. 

Frogs have been known to occupy it when I've left an inch of water for butterflies.

The Chinese owner of the chickens sent over these leaves, doesn't know the English name for them. She makes a tea with them. 

Can anyone identify them? Hibiscus?  We both need to be careful to identify it in case it reduces blood pressure because of being on blood pressure medication.

I had a dramatic experience some time ago, ending in the hospital, after drinking delicious holy basil tea. It's used to reduce blood pressure, which I didn't know and I ended up with a serious overdose and plunging pressure.

Happy day everyone, do you have projects for the seasons? Aside from those grand ones like reading The Iliad, and the lesser known Anatolian poets, or maybe the care and feeding of neighborhood poultry.