Resting Sunday

Today I'm trying not to spin, weave, knit, because my neck and shoulder are asking to rest. 

I'll walk and think.

Yesterday I made this, no idea what to call it, some sort of fryup. Spiced tuna, steamed broccoli, red lentil crumbs, bound with an egg, fried. Served with the rest of the apricot sauce 

You need plenty of spice here, and I added baharat to the already spicy ingredients. With the sweeter apricot sauce, good.

And since the very hot day Friday brought on the lavender scent, 

I cut a bunch for my neighbor. 

I do this each year, except last year there were no flowers at all, and I wondered if it had died. But this year it's back looking as fine as ever.

I was thinking recently about poet Padraig O'Tuama and his thoughtful newsletter, about our perception of time and other things. 

Here's a great new thought from him, which I'll pass on in his own words

And I have an example of art making something happen, not to me, but to an observer of my work, which then affected me.

This was years ago, when I had a local solo show titled Four Sisters, made in copper wire, black gesso and  metal upcycled items.

Most of the pieces suggested three sisters and an observer. None of my sisters made any comments on it though I had sent pictures of the pieces in the show.

Here's one, most of the show sold to collectors, so only a couple are here 

Then, years later, sister Dogonart said they'd all gone out for coffee and to look at the pictures. She said they kept wondering why it was called four sisters when they could only detect three people in the various works.

Then she said it suddenly dawned on her that the fourth was relegated to being an outsider, observing the group. The artist was the fourth, outside looking in. She was dismayed and said you must have felt you never had sisters. 

I suspect that's why I never heard from them about it, didn't even know they'd looked at the pictures. They got it.  They just didn't know what to say to acknowledge it. But one sister reached out, much later, as a result. 

That was the power of art, which words and my personal reaching out for many years,  had never achieved. It wasn't my intent at all. I was just creating a concept based on my experience, as artists do. So that came as a bonus.

In another context, here's an ink and wash if Four Sisters. 

It takes a bit of looking to find them all, a metaphor for the life of a large family, of which this was only half.  And any of these sisters could be any other, depending on circumstances. Identities and relationships are fluid. 

Do you have any experience where any art form, music, theatre, dance, painting, created an epiphany for you? Maybe you'd like to share? 

Happy day everyone, I'm off to walk in the sunshine. Trala!

Puzzle, plain sewing and food, near and far

Yesterday I made a humble fryup, onions, a baked potato, spinach, the rest of the Gary turkey, the kind of meal I wouldn't offer anyone but liked for myself.

Which reminded me of a couple of wonderful non-textile references in the Silk and Cotton book

Flatbreads, and

melons, pride of Central Asia, wonderful climate for them.

But I can't resist, before I leave the book, which I hugely recommend, this great temptation to the quilters and sewing enthusiasts among us, looking at you, Magpie! You'd dive in here

Back at home, more humble doings, a bit of plain sewing. A (long) while back I upcycled a couple of heavy cotton turtleneck sweaters to make useful jackets, by opening up the front. I'd worn them for years, after getting them at a garage sale for $2 each, until the neck went a little tight. 

The cut edges of one curled back on themselves after cutting, so  didn't need any finishing. 

The other is this one which had been fraying a bit, and I finally hemmed it

So it continues to be useful. Now in its probably 25th year of use, along with the other one. Land's End made good quality back then.

And the puzzle, which has more than one possible answer

I've thought of two: garlic and gothic. Gaelic isn't admissible because it's a proper noun, usually not an option in word puzzles. Did you find any others? It has to be six letters, which rules out gastric, sadly.

The pattern, for those still baffled, is that the initial letter advances through the alphabet, the final letter retreats. 

Happy day everyone, use, reuse, enjoy!

Food Friday third try

Blogger froze, shut down and lost the other tries.

So here we are. Not much food around so I mixed a batch of bread, set it to rise and forgot all about it while I did paper weaving finishing,

 see https://beautifulmetaphor.blogspot.com, at least see in a while, after I write the post. I listened to a chapter of Braiding  Sweetgrass while I worked. She's the best studio companion, almost as good as a cat.

Then I needed lunch so used up yesterday's roast potatoes, broke an egg over and called it lunch.

 Fast food

Finally noticed the nicely risen bread I'd forgotten,  but couldn't bake it, off out to knitting group and shop. Wonderful afternoon as always, then home for cornbread and a pot of tea. And a catch-up on social media.

At last got the bread into the oven, but what to eat for supper? The cupboard a bit bare but a can of peaches waiting to be curried. Heaving a sigh, I thought fine, I'll do that. Jasmine brown rice, good.

Then found I had used up the Bill Veach Curry Powder 2. Dang. No help for it, I made a new batch.

You see the cast of characters waiting their turn, and the Bill Veach book of curries in the background.

I don't measure much, just estimate, and I guessed pretty well how much this would make-- one filled coffee grinder, which filled the little glass container.

A bit of luck entered into it, too. You don't want to make too much at a time, because fresh ground is wonderful.

The smells as you make this are just so filling to your senses, particularly when there's nostalgia for learning this as a newlywed. You can hardly go wrong, really.

And if you make it yourself you get the best mixture, not just overwhelming cumin, turmeric and pepper.

They're all in there, but so are cinnamon, cloves, coriander, mustard seeds, ginger, black pepper, cayenne. So each taste is a different combination from the last.

So I thought just  peaches, drained and rinsed,  no need to worry about not having chicken or fish, for once.

Here's the base, onions and salt and a heaping tisp of curry powder sizzling gently in olive oil and butter.

 Not clarified butter, I used to clarify butter for curries, but I didn't have any today. Haven't done it for a long time. My  Indian friends think I'm nuts, because nowadays you can buy it ready clarified. But I like doing basics. Peaches here into the mix

And the little wells appearing in the rice to tell you it's nearly there.

And here we go

It was really good. I think I can add a touch of chili powder to the mix, too. It was very good and can still afford to go up a notch.


Did I mention that the bread was baking all this time? I had time to eat my curry before it needed to come out.

Today it's whole wheat, a bit of white, a lot of oatmeal, and a shake of sunflower seeds.

I guess today was busier than planned. Now there's food in the house. Except I need cheese, urgently.  No, not tonight..