Things is lookin up

Sunday evening a neighbor gave Gary a few Indian snacks with instructions to share with me, and he came over and did so, while we whined about being old. 

He is trying not to get back surgery, is living on pain pills, and is impressed with how well I've done. He is very worried about surgery, but was listening to how much better I'm doing than for ages. So we'll see.

Then Monday morning Mike the Craftsman came over to admire the kitchen and plan how to do the slider cabinet for me. He can use the carcase and adapt. 

He could build from scratch, but wants to save me money. Also the cabinet is in good shape. It's the design that isn't. And we already know it fits the space in all directions. 

And joy, back in a working kitchen, I was able to get my postponed tofu katsu. 

With stir fried green beans, scallions and garlic. I found another variation for the dipping sauce. Still using ketchup and apple cider vinegar, I used Worcestershire sauce instead of soy sauce. Really good and stepping up the heat factor a bit.

 

I'm addressing the kitchen window now and this is where we are so far.  This involved ironing, please be impressed, pun intended.

When the coleus plants come in, in the fall, they'll hang from those brackets, filling in the top half of the window.

The Freecycle items were picked up swiftly, both recipients very pleased with their finds.

More up on Monday, spare cream pitchers 

Left to right Danish pewter, Irish Belleek porcelain, unmarked Lenox china.  Lenox is located near here and a lot of older local people worked there. Sometimes small items left by the back door so to speak, so didn't go through the marking phase, but clearly recognizable as Lenox.

Deciding now what to take to Tuesday's knitting group, between cordage materials and embroidery.  Maybe both. 

Happy day everyone, especially August birthday people, some great birthdays this week. I hope you greeted e,  of Life in Progress? If not, I bet she and kitty Mercy won't mind belated wishes.

It's my flag too, dammit.

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 

Juneteenth, Walking and Misfits

It took a long time for the news of the January 1, 1863 Emancipation Proclamation to get around.  Slave owners were not in a big rush to lose their source of wealth, the enforced labor of Black people. 

This date in June commemorates the arrival of the news, finally, in Texas, in 1865. Two and a half years to get there. 

Celebrate while we can before someone decides to abolish the holiday. Nobody can abolish the day and its significance. 

I've taken to early morning walking before it gets too hot, amazing for someone who has never been a morning person. I'm out with the dog walkers nowadays. 

Looking back towards my house, down there on the left past the little red aralia. 

And home again after about half an hour, and the empties are now out for Misfits pickup 

I bless them for retrieving the ice blocks and insulated bags, saves my trying to find homes for them, too bad for such good items to be single use. The ice blocks go to Gary once his summer sports with grandchildren start, for his cooler. He'll let me know when.

The Envy apples ran out, sad, but everything else showed up. I remembered yogurt and eggs and cheese as you see. The pumpkin filling is for a bread with the dried cranberries. Cilantro because I add it in all over, and chocolate covered nuts and raisins,nutritious.

Yesterday the tofu katsu plan didn't happen because I found one more container of the spicy black beans and rice in the freezer.

I added in chunks of fresh apricot, which worked well enough to make a note to do it again. The combination of spicy rice-and-beans heat, and fresh fruit was very good.  And I'm reheating on the stove, up to now working fine.

Maybe the tofu sticks will happen today.

 Narrator: they did.

This time I skipped the batter, but dipped the sticks into aqua faba then the panko, and they worked just as well. More to come, too. 

The dipping sauce you see is just enough for this number of sticks. Tablespoon of ketchup -- organic, not that brand name metallic-tasting kind-- a bit less of soy sauce, splash of apple cider vinegar.

The salad was spinach with a few bits of scallion I'm growing from a previous one, and a dash of lime juice.

Also summer seems to be here, so I broke out the hand-stitched linen top from last year, cool, loose fitting. Not seen here, there's an inverted pleat detail on the sleeves. 

 And another sign of the season, the lavender is out, bringing bees, well, one bee

And the first little bouquet of the season 

Lavender, poppy dropping her petals, philodendron, coleus.

Happy day everyone, when apples don't arrive, you're obliged to eat chocolate.

Sez Ted. And Ursy agrees mrmph.

Driving, Jerseygirl style, and writing

Yesterday I did the planned drive, went to drop my ballot in the dropbox then to the post office then triumphantly home. 

I was a basket case of anxiety starting, carefully climbing in, remembering what buttons to push. It took two exits from the house, because I forgot my keys and had to go back.

However, on the way home, I was stopped behind one of those drivers who sit at the green light deciding whether to go, and my NJ mojo returned as I shouted abusive suggestions and realized I was back in Jerseygirl form.

I made the crisp tofu katsu, lovely, with a dipping sauce of soy sauce, ketchup and apple cider vinegar. It was great, and more for today. 

Handsome Son sampled one after work, really liked it, would eat it again, especially  with the dipping sauce, and pronounced it a good substitute for French fries (!)

Tuesday we're finally going to celebrate Easter. HS pointed out that it's probably historically authentic since word probably didn't get around ancient Palestine that fast, and there may have been people rejoicing two weeks late then, too.

I'm pushing through Howard's End and realizing more and more what a huge favor the screenplays of the Merchant Ivory movies did to the dialogue and action. That's the work of Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. 

I just looked her up. Only person with an Oscar and a Booker! Two Oscars, Howard's End and Room with a View. I must look up her own novels now. Especially her Booker winning Heat and Dust.

Happy day everyone! Remember to drive politely. No horn, just screamed insults. 

Billie the Pup will act lookout for you.

Misfits, smoothies, surprise and kind offers

Today is Misfits day, this time Ronald has the honors, and the morning shift.

Neighbor contractor Mike who designed the risers for my sofa saw the pink truck arrive and carried in the box for me.

I got a refund on the eggs because two arrived cracked, very unusual. The other ten are fine but eggs count as a unit so Misfits takes  the loss on the dozen.

Sugar because I use sugar, and this is organic and fair trade, or I suppose as fair as you can get in the sugar trade. Nice pack of hake, affordable white fish which will make fish cakes and whatever else I think of, maybe just battered and fried.  Spinach which will make an appearance below, along with berries and a couple of these apples.

You'll notice other things happening in the background on the stove too. That's because I finally got around to making the crunchy tofu sticks. So easy and I really enjoy them. 

I make a dozen sticks from one container of extra firm tofu. Simple batter, panko, fry in avocado oil, dipping sauce made of ketchup, soy sauce and a dash of oil. Done. Today's lunch was roast chicken chunks with tofu sticks.

I forgot a picture of mine, but they're pretty much like these

This also gives you the reference to find the recipe on YouTube.

And I found a smoothie idea on Shug's blog, thank you, Ivy,  which I tried with the ingredients I have, not much resemblance to the original. I don't like the name smoothie, a bit twee, but I do like the results, and definitely appreciate the reminder.

Gala apples, blueberries, spinach, milk, honey, blended 

Here's two instant breakfasts or something. It's a nice mix, not all smooth, more of a roughy, but good anyway.

Today was not all food. I made it to the mailbox and met a couple of neighbors on the way, who both offered help in the next little while, so nice. 

Then there was actual mail in the box, a beautiful pop-up from C, thank you so much. 

I've been playing with it. Local birds there, too. It's a great lift to my spirits on a grey cold day. 

Good day, and I'm recovering from yesterday's excitement. My shoulders definitely feel the results of lying for long periods on my back, arms stretched above my head.  But there's worse stuff around us,  not much to complain about really. 

Happy day everyone. I may need to wait a day to crochet, to give the shoulders a rest, but that's fine. I'm planning the stitch pattern, simple, the size, small, figuring out the hook and number of chains to start. For once I'm thinking ahead, amazingly.

And in more direct resistance,  I wrote an email to one of those treacherous Dems who voted for the SAVE act, which will disenfranchise millions, Jared Golden, of Maine. 

The others close their contacts to anyone outside their district.  If you're in the districts of Ed Case, Hawaii, Henry Cuellar, Texas, or Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Washington State, please give them your thoughts. Firmly.