Happy Fourth, and new finds

 It's a more determined than happy Fourth this year, but I plan to enjoy the day. Handsome Son suddenly texted to say he's visiting later, quite a surprise. 

Fortunately I'd made this yesterday 

Plum and apple crumble, newly out of the toaster oven. And this 

Mysterious parcel, a new batch of yogurt in progress.

So there's a little something for him.

Yesterday in the garden, it was time to collect the honesty and strip the pods 

 I tossed all the seeds around on the patio trusting that some will grow next year, and added this year's branch to the collection.

And, at the other end of its life, I found this while I was looking for the praying mantis 

The first hibiscus bud. Happy dance.

The garden always has something to be glad about, even in dark times.

Happy day everyone, happy Fourth if you celebrate, or happy Thursday, unless it's Friday where you are.  If you follow me.

Snappers continued and buds and home high jinks

Out walking this morning to check on the snapper colony. And found

They'd moved on. Plenty of waterways here to choose from. I'm aware that my photography, unlike that of several blogistas with professional skills and cameras, requires the willing suspension of disbelief as much as anything.

However, if you squint again at the far bank you see only shadows and grasses. No snappers.

And on the left, almost totally camouflaged, the mallard couple have returned, in courting mode. The geese are off, too. So some natural drama may have happened. At any rate, nothing to see here, folks. Now, anyway.  

So at home again,  I got to work on chicken soup, using the last of the chicken and bones, simmered for ages, then the meat picked off, the broth strained, chicken meat added back in plus whole milk, and there are half a dozen servings of cream of chicken soup. 

With fresh cut chives, first of the year, always the best, most pungent cuttings.

As you probably noticed, I was also making yogurt at the same time. 

What I hadn't counted on was Gary showing up in the middle of this, to fix the toilet, finding not only the problem I found, wouldn't stop running, but also a leaking valve. 

This required turning off the whole house water, in order to do the repair. This was unfortunate, since I needed water for various cooking purposes and dishes, also to drink, being ready for a pot of tea. None of this was to be.

I spent my time divided between not letting the milk boil over in the kitchen while holding lights in the bathroom, handing tools like an OR nurse to a surgeon, listening to the latest health problems of a tricky pregnancy in the family, and  generally not getting on with the food.

Many issues and a shopping trip later, this

went back to this

Working now. Many tools from all over the kitchen, hallway and bathroom collected, also his mug of tea, forgotten in the microwave, his phone, various cables and lights, all sorted. 

He tends to be on the mad scientist side of the equation, all possible tools around every room, just in case. But it's done and I no longer have to trudge upstairs to a working bathroom. And I'm very happy with it all. 

I did get the yogurt organized, ready tomorrow. 

And when I finally got to sit down,  noticed the Christmas cactus is now evidently planning on being an Easter cactus. Yes, I know, different varieties, just a joke, don't explain at me.

Anyway look

Buds, buds, I tell you! Suddenly. All over. Maybe she heard the ficus was getting the heave-ho and thought she'd better show her value to the organization quick. Plants know more than we think.

Happy day everyone, you have nothing to prove around here. Just be!

Yogurt and other wonders

Yesterday I unwrapped the current yogurt supply. As you see, I make it with containers of hot water, one either side, wrapped in a cloth, inside two insulated bags, one inserted into the other. 

This keeps it steadily, evenly, warm, and I usually leave it for 24 hours, longer than the usual time, but I like the extra tang and consistency. It's still slightly warm when I open it.

You can see the consistency here, served with blueberries, sprinkle of pure cane sugar.

There's something very satisfying about making yogurt, using a few spoonfuls of the previous batch as a starter. I make it about weekly, until the texture gets thinner, then I get a container of Nancy's yogurt from Misfits,  to start a new cycle. This time around, it's been quite a few weeks. 

 

Yogurt is my go-to for snacks rather than ice cream, for sour cream substitute, in pastry dough, and to make labneh cream cheese.  All purpose food!

The time change is still with me, but I only had to fix a couple of clocks, unlike the groundskeepers here

 

I did get the knitting ministry gloves completed, still to be finished, and started a neck gaiter in Tunisian crochet.

And, in need of encouragement, found a bit in the daily poem

I keep up with the daily poetry readings from the 365 poems book, though a lot in February were stuck on romantic love, and a bit hackneyed.

Happy day, everyone, pick your poem, whatever form that takes for you, and go for it. Gently, if the time change is an issue for you.

Photo AC

 

Granola, yogurt, and freecycle

Yesterday was about returning to hippie food. Granola and yogurt happened. Enough for about a week of power eating.

Breakfast for now, though, is cranberry sauce on toast. When you think about it, cranberries, sugar and lemon juice really make jam. That's my reasoning anyway.

I also ordered a couple of treats ahead of time for various December events, pictures when they arrive.

And, partly as a response to the national law that requires people to shop the day after Thanksgiving, I went my contrarian way and freecycled some artworks. 

They've all been exhibited, the ink drawing in a fairly prestigious juried show, and they've run their course with me. The recipient was happy, so that's better than sitting in my loft.

Elsewhere, Liz Hinds, see her blog, she's lovely, writes occasionally about absent mindedness, reminding(!) me of a recent attempt I made to boil an egg for tea. 

I put the little pan of water in to boil, forgot to set the timer, and went away. Arrived back later to a hissing noise, a skim of water, spitting as it dried. Just in time to avoid burning the pan. Which was okay, as it turned out, because I'd also forgotten to put an egg in.

Happy day, everyone, when you boil an egg remember to add the egg.

Photo AC

Textiles and Tea, yogurt updates

Yesterday's Textiles and Tea featured Melissa Weaver Dunning, weaver specializing in historic weave structures, tartans, Acadian (Cajun) weaves and vintage looms. See her blog spot blog for more. She's also a folk singer, a lot of YouTube videos to check. Though she's a spinner, it's the weaving she really plunges into. 

She gave a brief account of (originally) Arcadian, then Acadian, then, with moving from Canada to Louisiana, Cajun, weave forms.  Using two harness looms, the weavers created many inventive variations on weave structure.

She's knowledgeable about tartan and its political and clan identities and significance, and loves working with the designs, mixing color as they do, alternating with pure color sections.

She knitted this Aran cardigan in a mad rush to wear on a trip to Scotland, finished it at the destination! What keen knitter among us doesn't identify with that situation?

she loves to teach, and offers round robin experiences, where every participant works samples on several available looms.

Definitely look her up on YouTube, for her Mount Vernon weaving demos in costume, to her unaccompanied folk singing.

Back to today, here's my current audio book while I knit and stitch and, soon, weave. 

Written and narrated by Rachel Maddow, it's about the history and politics of fossil fuels and a lot more dramatic than I'd expected. It's adding to my education about the current turmoil in the world. 

A peaceful note to end on -- do you remember I mentioned I was processing yogurt using insulated coolpack bags, with containers of hot water  with the glass jar of yogurt?

It makes the best texture yet. I think it's because the cooling is slowed down to a very gradual decrease. So yesterday's batch I made in one bag inside another. After 24 hours, there was still warmth, and another good batch. 

This is the fourth generation from the original yogurt, and I'll soon buy another, because I think it loses vital potency after a few iterations. Anyone with experience on this issue, please let me know your opinion on how many generations you go for. Chris, looking at you!

Then with the new supply of oatmeal expected from misfits tomorrow, there will be more granola, this time with walnuts, dried apricots, cranberries and maybe caraway seeds.

Then I'll definitely be flying my hippie flag!

Happy day everyone, let's hope and pray our President can help avert worse conflict with today's Israel  visit.

Photo AC

Kantha embroidery, hippie food and freecycle

 Yesterday the Philadelphia Art Museum presented a marvellous program about the Kantha embroidery of Bengal. This week Hindus celebrate the god Ganesh and the birthday of Lord  Krishna. They didn't mention this but I expect Indian listeners were aware of  the season.

Kantha is a women's family-centered art, stitching shawls and blankets for home use and birth ceremonies, some to be handed down. They also incorporate strips of old saris into the work, and sometimes imitate the sari patterns in stitches. 

Since the slides were very fully labeled, I'll just show you

It really spoke to me, with the stitching and up-cycling, and the pleasure women take in this art, a meditative break in very busy lives.

Yesterday I played latter day hippie, making yogurt and granola! I have a new approach to yogurt, using one of the insulated foil bags from misfits coolpack shipping, and the containers of hot water recommended by blogistas. Last time I did this, the yogurt was still warm after 24 hours.

 And, fortified by this great grub, I began to think about changing the furniture around. Now that I don't have a tv, I can use that alcove -- the one you saw Gary at work in -- differently.

On the other wide side of the fireplace is another, bigger alcove, currently with Dollivers and bears on a table. But I measured and found my smaller bookcase will slide into the small alcove, the bigger one into the other. Finally, a change of indoor scenery. 

This ended up where you might have guessed, with winnowing the bookcases. I did this three years ago, in the Great Winnowing, and now I'm at it again, not having used any of the art books I spared last time.

So this all happened, and by the end of the day I'll have free cycled two stacks of books to happy recipients, all being well.

In waiting, one pickup scheduled this morning, one this afternoon.

Happy day, everyone, and happy winnowing if that's how the onset of the new season moves you.