Spirit lifting food and freecycling

Times like this, the world around us in turmoil, it's more important than ever to practice self care, wise dining. 

Tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, hardboiled egg, spinach, naan to make sure no juices are left behind, with a glass of lemon suntea.

And freecycling is in full swing 

The drawing board and brayers are about to leave, the others still waiting on claimants.

The art bag I put on earlier now has a taker, too. Sunday is a good freecycling time, so many people free Sundays and why not pick up nice free stuff.

And when my reading became violent, not up for it at this time, I switched to 

A much-read comedy of manners, full of delicious set pieces, nobody except Georgette Heyer, does them better than Pym.

I've organized the upcoming pillow so some stitching will get in soon. Watch this space.

And for a bit of comic relief, since the question of condos and townhouses came up, between AC and me,  I was an early adopter, bought my condo in  the early eighties. In this town refers to the only condo development built apartment-style, townhouses are also condos but have ground to roof ownership.

I was the second owner, only naive city dwellers came here and bought way over local prices, for commuting homes. Second, local,  owners got them at about half the developer's original gouging, I mean pricing. Second mouse gets the cheese

Anyway, I suddenly was hearing from friends wanting to visit! Curiosity,  they asked the weirdest questions.

Q Do you all take meals together? Who cooks? 

A Does everyone in your street take meals together?

Q Do you have to be in residence a minimum time?

A it's my home, I live here.

Q Do you own shares in the whole development?

A it's a condo, not a co-op.

Q does everyone have a master key?

A does everyone on your street have a master key?

Q does the management office administer renting?

A owners do that if they want to rent

Q does the Board own the development?

A each unit owner buys and owns their home. The board directs the manager to contract for exterior service.

Q are all four doors on this landing yours?

A each is a separate front door! I own one place.

As you see, there was great confusion about coops, communes and condos! They're so different, but if the whole concept is new I can see why these hilarious questions came up. I was a safe person to ask, too, so there's that. 

On more serious issues, I think my role right now is to refrain from speculating too much, to stay strong for a democratic victory, and not follow mainstream media, which I've already shut down in my devices. 

Happy day everyone, let's first attend to

our own oxygen mask, whatever form that takes.

Photo AC 

Sari, soup,and late breaking Misfits

About the chimney people. No, it's not done with. That's only stage one, getting the certificate.  They're licensed contractors and have the power to fuss. 

One time the previous chimneys folk, now retired, refused a certificate for the fireplace on the grounds that two floor tiles on the hearth, just set down there as plant stands for the summer, broke safety code!  I had left Handsome Son in charge that time, thinking it was a simple visit, he could handle it. 

They insisted on a second visit, with me present, to show compliance. By lifting the tiles six inches over, onto the rug! So I've been burned, if you follow me!

But now the HOA also have to accept the certificate. A whole separate issue. And that's the one I'm nervous about.  It's all about safety. But I'm all for safety, and what I'm doing is safe.  But we'll see. They too have been known to throw their weight around. Not exhaling yet.

Meanwhile, good things arrived yesterday. That sari I ordered from India, as affordable fabric, came. They chose what to send,  color and condition up to  them,  condition of sale. And I got so lucky. Look

Lovely figured green, black border, perfect condition. A whole sari, quite a few yards. And a bonus purse, with Gujarati embroidery. Which I'm using right away, just right for phone, keys, small wallet. 

This is plenty of fabric for pants, tops, just need to decide. Happy sewing lady here.

And the weather's cooler so the cooked rice and tomato bits in the freezer from the tomato jam, are now a very nice tomato rice soup.

I needed room in the freezer anyway, for the late arrival of the Misfits box, holiday delay.

Whenever I get a cauliflower I think of Mary Moon! You never know what reminds people of you. It's on account of the life changing recipe for roasted cauliflower.

Then the usual total boredom of prepping, which I talk myself through with the aid of audiobooks and reminding myself this is how I get to eat well at a good price. I do love the results if not the process. 

I prepped always, even before I found Misfits,  because I like cooking not prepping, so I appreciate ready chopped vegetables and washed fruit and scrubbed potatoes. So there's that. Otherwise I wouldn't eat half so interestingly.

Last night's Misfits salad supper

Romaine lettuce, rainbow carrots, scallions, blueberries, raspberries, drawing of mayonnaise. This was really interesting to eat, a different set of flavors in each mouthful. Scallions and raspberries are surprisingly compatible.

Speaking of which, I watched a taste testing yesterday on YouTube of the America's test kitchen people. I like these and learn a lot, Jack Bishop being very knowledgeable and their lab onto the detail. 

This one was supposedly about supermarket cinnamon. But only one of the samples was true cinnamon, Ceylon cinnamon. 

The others were all actually cassia, a different plant, much cheaper and harsher and much less healthy than the real thing, but sold in supermarkets in the US as cinnamon to shoppers who don't know. And who might not like the cost of the real thing.

They referred to it this fact only in  passing, and the tester cook even said during the blind tasting oh this one is like cardamom, don't like it. That was the real one, as it turned out, when they revealed it. 

Tastes differ, but I think if you prefer cassia it's okay to say so, not insist it's cinnamon which it isn't. Ceylon is much more delicate in flavor, and expensive, but I've never gone back since I found it. Not that I'm at all passionate about truth in labeling or anything!

Usually they're excellent, though, and I learn quite a bit.

After all this, I finally got to the beaded figure's beaded knitting. I had spun the yarn, a nice silky blend, lace weight in sparkly black. I do the crochet hook method of hitching the beads onto the yarn. Pictures not too good, best I could manage 

The idea is to slip the bead onto the hook, then hook the stitch then draw it through the bead, then return the stitch to the needle and knit it. It's permanently attached. And this way you just bead at will, no need to thread the beads onto the yarn ahead of time and plan and manage them as you go. It needs a tiny hook, the kind people use for the finest thread.

This is the start of a beaded knitted top for the figure. The glass beads I started with don't show in pictures, but the next ones, pearls and solid colors, will 

There's a knitting group today and I actually have work to bring, instead of just chatting. I'm also being reunited with the stash where I donated a lot of novelty buttons a while back. I'm going to check whether anything might work for Magpie. If so, they'll be on their way.

So that's us, controversies all round, with art getting in anyway. Good Day, everyone!

An encore post. Misfits musings

 I completely forgot it was Friday when I wrote earlier. Then my Misfits box arrived several hours early, and I set to work prepping and photoing. So you're stuck with a second post 

I like this handy sheet. On the other side it tells you how to use them. Judging from the questions on the Misfits Twitter account, a lot of people are unfamiliar with varieties of veggies and need a bit of a tute  I suspect it's because they haven't seen veggies as they grow, with roots and outside leaves. Nor a large variety of produce unless they have a local Asian market.

When I first started buying mushrooms from the Kennett Square growers at the local farmer's market they would hand out mushroom guides with cooking suggestions for people who'd had white button mushrooms and not much else in stores. Great idea. 

So here's today's lovely haul. I was able to buy extras of some items with the new setup, so I got extra carrots, plums, ginger and onions as well as various other great stuff, including huge dandelion greens. Spring tonic.

And I got a supply of quinoa at about literally one fifth of the cost locally, where I've only seen it in tiny expensive amounts. I've wondered how friends in other states could afford to eat it so casually. Now I know. I guess I don't live in a target market for it.

After a lengthy period of washing and draining and chopping and wiping and peeling and freezing, I had a very good lunch.

These greens were as crisp as if I'd just run out back and picked them. Strawberries totally ripe.

Salad of leaf lettuce, dandelion greens, celery, roma tomato, rainbow carrot, dressed with crumbled blue cheese, ribbon of mayonnaise. Dessert was perfect strawberries, labneh, chocolate chips.

Fit for a queen. Because I'm worth it!

I have plans for various meals. Plum torte, which I make any year I can get plums, carrot cake with labneh frosting, celery and dandelion soup, for starters. My neighbors are in for a few treats, too.

Watch this space!