Stormy weaaaaatherrrr

 This is where we are at the moment

Rain coming in all directions, trees whipping back and forth.

So when the weather gets wild, the wild make soup.

Here's the stock simmering

And a sheet of cauliflower, onions, red and white, and garlic, ready to roast before adding in to make a spicy, creamy  curried soup.

There will be home made curry powder, salt, added turmeric, curry leaves, cumin and a  black pepper mix which includes cinnamon.

Meanwhile the visiting orchid, whose owner may or may not be back tomorrow, storm will probably change that, took her weekly brief dunk and drain.

Working backwards, yesterday I noticed a couple of birds checking the empty feeder, and since I'm out of suet blocks but want to encourage them to nest close by, I made a home version.

The peanut butter has been here for ages, just in case anyone suddenly wants some or I get so desperate I even eat it myself, and I crushed a few walnuts.

Spread on both sides of a bit of plastic canvas, enclosed it in a feeder for the dining pleasure of wrens and maybe woodpeckers.

And of course, you knew this all along, see who found it first

Well, I don't regret the peanut butter, but I wish the birds had a look in. The chief squirrel is a smart guy. I saw him checking the window in case I was about to run out and shout at him, before leaping up to the feeder.

And yesterday, after a lovely knitting group, complete with great idea sharing,  the Misfits box arrived, and you've already seen the next steps for some of the food.

I really like Turkish dried apricots, and now figs. They're a lot juicier than the American style, which I think is because they dry then pit, and the other method is pit then dry, which I think makes them leathery.

Anyway my breakfast is often a half wholewheat pita, stuffed with either apricots or, today, figs. Easy to assemble with half open eyes. 

The apples are my new favorite, Envy. They're small, crisp and sweet and very good. I don't like tart apples at all except for cooking.  Pink Lady, and all the ones with crisp in the name, all give me pains in the face when I bite in, ew. But Fuji, Gala and now Envy, are definitely for eating raw.

This is the end of your morning ag report.

The Downton Abbey movie was so fun, I'm planning to go Wednesday afternoons to catch other movies. 

This month the theme is country houses, and next week is The Remains of the Day. I've seen all the May offerings before but they're good enough to see again. And I'm promised snacks! Personal service.

Fight on! I donated yesterday to my NJ gotv group to enable another volunteer to pick up where I left off when my printer broke down. 

Someone else can now be helped finance the printing and mailing of registration applications for mail in voting, and be in touch with registered voters who haven't been voting in NJ districts. I directed mine to young POC. 

There are no funds for this, so volunteers have to finance it themselves. I can do it up to a point, but my budget's small, living as I do on a modest fixed income. Doing me bit! My little light.

Photo by AC

Remember Ukraine.

It's May

Yesterday was warm, sunny, before today's storm came in, great for a gentle walk. I was surprisingly tired, considering it was the day after a respite day, but moved anyway.

Look at this tiny beauty, fingers for scale

And the dogwoods are in full May fling

The dead tree you see in one pic is a drumming center, with a newly-enlarged flicker nesting excavation and, from inside, the sound of the flicker continuing work on the nest site, now deep inside the tree. I'll keep watching in hopes of seeing nestlings soon.

This is all a few feet from where I sat later, first outdoor tea of the season. Raisin scone there. Great blue heron beating overhead on her way to the nearby marsh, favorite hunting ground.

Meanwhile back on the battle front, here's one of my MOCs, former fighter pilot, current member of Congress, who's not having it. Yes, she posted this

Right after this, SCOTUS started erecting Mikie-proof barriers. Somebody realized now we've done it, we've annoyed the Jerseygirls, look out.  Pro tip: don't annoy us, we're fierce. 

I wonder if similar barriers are going up around Alito's family home in nearby Trenton. Sigh. He's a Jersey boy. We didn't send our best. But we did enshrine reproductive rights into our constitution this year. So we take care of our people at home.

Happy day everyone, and drum on.

Respite day

Yesterday was a day of respite. It's not wise to go on indefinitely in a state of anger and outrage. I'm doing what I can to fight back at the current crisis, and I needed a break.

The library was showing a Downton Abbey movie, the one about the royal visit. 

Just a lovely afternoon, the only person there, in solitary splendor, I adjusted the controls to suit myself!  Everyone at Downton gets their heart's desire, a great escape from the crushing news.

Then, back home, found this treat in the mail

A surprise from she knows who she is, thank you. A picture book of projects and ideas, the kind of thing you pore over with a cup of tea, just perfect timing.

You do have to take care of yourself in order to take care of others. If you need a rest from activism, I hope you take it. And if you haven't done anything practical yet to fight back, I hope you will, starting now. 

Donate to the causes in the fight, ACLU, local activists, Dame magazine, woman run reporting without corporate donors, MoveOn, Common Cause, Planned Parenthood, plenty of people and organizations can use your help. 

If you're a marcher, plenty of opportunities there right now. Support candidates in the midterms who are on the right side of history. Register people to vote. And vote!

Yes, I am doing almost all of these things, in case you wondered. Have been for years.

We fight on, then take a rest, then fight on. But let's remember that we can find a bit of joy in even the darkest time. Peace, everyone.

Sad, but grateful to allies

Sad today, feeling betrayed, and besieged by the SCOTUS leap back to the world of my youth, when friends died of desperate abortions.

First, a shout out to allies Franklin Habit and Steve Reed. I knew we could count on you. You didn't fail us.

Then Gladstone Mog sums up the day and the mood

It's May the Fourth, for those needing Star Wars footnotes.

And on the lifelong belief that even the worst days have glimpses of joy, here's beautiful steamed asparagus with the lemon butter sauce at the ready, with chicken and a green salad.

And a new sock with a new design. This is a tube sock with a spiral variation. 

After a lot of arithmetic and testing, I settled on this, five knit, three purl repeat over an odd number of stitches. The odd number and the even repeat number cause the spiralling to happen. 

This yarn is very soft and grainy in appearance, so stitch definition is hard to come by, but seems to be working here. And it's a lot easier to keep track of  than the previous six knit two purl variation I did in earlier versions.

Non knitters: you can wake up now. 

Today's one foot in front of the other. This afternoon there's a a fun interval, a Downton Abbey movie at the library. So I'll do that. 

Meanwhile to everyone in the world under siege one way or another, try to be like Ukraine.

Fight back the forces of darkness at home and abroad.

Happy day despite all, everyone. We won't let ignorance and cruelty win. 

Opening day at the farm and other excitements

Early May is the opening of the asparagus season at the local farm. First day today, 10 this morning till sold out, that's usually about an hour later.

So I showed up at 10.30,  saw an even earlier bird leaving as I arrived.

Picked this morning from the field you see  across the street.

Now on the menu for this evening. Steamed, dipped in lemon butter sauce. Doesn't get much better.

Meanwhile, Handsome Son is visiting this afternoon, to test the new patio chair and whatever baked goods are on offer with his pot of tea.

Yesterday I tried the idea of ganache (my word recall not being too swift at the moment, I ran through soutache and gazpacho before landing on  the right word). using cocoa instead of chocolate, which I didn't have, and heavy cream powder instead of whipping cream which I also didn't have. 

It didn't exactly come together as something you could spread between layers, so I added cornstarch and brought it to the boil and made a really really rich and lovely chocolate sauce, to pour over slices of the chocolate cake I was also making.

So he'll have a choice of plain chocolate cake, or enrobed (!) chocolate cake. Or both if he wants.

Full disclosure: I tested this for breakfast this morning, why not, I had a wonderful bill of health from yesterday's annual Wellness Visit, Medicarespeak for physical. 

It was definitely good, the cake and the physical. I'm struggling to be nice enough not to reserve the rest of the helpings to myself. 

I'm definitely not giving oxygen to the current apology for a Supreme Court, supreme? as if, draft decision. 

Other than being profoundly glad my State this year enshrined reproductive rights into the State constitution, as a firewall against the current dumpster fire known as the judiciary.

Meanwhile Nancy Pelosi and other Dems, Republicans refusing to make the trip, made a hazardous and timely visit to Zelenskyy in Kyev. Showing up is a big part of being an ally.

As is men speaking up when other men slag off women and make rhetorical speeches about reproduction,  men refusing ordination to a religion which denies it to women, that'll be the day, or anyone speaking up when your immigrant friend isn't being served lunch when you are, at the same table, yes, this happens.   If you don't walk the walk you're not an ally.  Please remember to notice, act, be an ally 

One last note about brave young immigrants, this from today's local obituaries. She died a while back, but this just appeared.

Isn't she great? Someone who brought value!

Happy day everyone!

Herb gardening, soup, first world problem

Yesterday I did a brief burst of gardening. Nowadays that's about all I can manage. I don't hurt, but I get too tired to finish what I planned. Anyway I decided, finally, after thinking about it for several years, to move the thyme plant from the front walkway to the patio.

I originally planted it out front so neighbors could pick it as needed, but quickly found the landscapers were determined to cut it down completely. One time they came around with chainsaws and hacked off ten years' growth.

So I figured now, before they strike again, to dig it up. It's now an old woody shrub, still making wonderful leaves. This was pretty strenuous, since the pachysandra had got in there to tie it down. I needed to dig up and pot it.

However, I managed it, and that open space where the gate used to be is now a herb area. 

Reading from top left, thyme, honesty in strawberry pot, not an herb but I grow it for the seedpods, lemon balm, sage, empty looking pot planted with potatoes, chives and dandelion invaded by lemon balm, Thai basil, then you're back to the thyme.

I moved out the Thai basil from the kitchen, put the potato containers there, the pot of chives and dandelions, and soon the curry leaf plant will join them. The sage and lemon thyme have been there for years.

This year I may start some new rosemary, the old one having given up after many years.

Last night obligingly it rained, first in ages, just right.

And there's always soup, here butternut squash, sweet potato, carrot. Garlic scapes growing wildly in the background, handy for all kinds of meals.

The Sock Ministry marches on.

One more pair and I'll mail off this month's package, then I might take a week off and sew. I'd like to finish the lined vest.

And first world problems we always have with us. One of those pinch and turn bottle caps.

No amount of pinching and turning would open it. Nor a knife run around the base to loosen it, lift it over those internal pegs the cap has to clear. Nor pliers applied where your fingers are supposed to go. Finally breaking in with a big screwdriver was required. 

Turns out the internal pegs are much longer than usual , and sharp, probably a mfg malfunction. Anyway the mouthwash is now available to remedy the cursing that happened in the process of opening it.

Happy day everyone!

May Day, and other things too

 Happy May day!

And while we're frolicking, here in coats and gloves, let's remember it's also the Feast of St. Joseph the worker, celebrating the trades and all other workers. 

And remember the personal cost to the pickers of our food

Each bin holds about half a ton. They split $30 payment. For hand picking half a ton of fruit. 

When we complain about the price of food, we remember what the workers earn.  Machines can't pick citrus and stone fruit without damaging it.  Owners and middlemen take a much bigger cut of the eventual retail price. United Farm Workers Union working to protect their workers.

Spoken as the proud daughter and mother of union members, as well as a past personal member.

Currently registering support of Jorts the Cat, and his symbolism in the current resurgence of the trade union movement. You don't know Jorts? He has a Wikipedia entry. Check him out!  It's his birthday.

Meanwhile closer to home, my frugal heart was happy to score a patio chair at the dumpster, thus continuing a long personal tradition of never buying outdoor furniture. 

Perfectly good pieces to be found at the beginning of the season. Sometimes I swap out current found pieces for new finds.  I currently have three chairs, one a poolside lounger and the two you see here. All found at dumpsters. I'm still using a crate for a side table, until I find a good replacement.

All we need now is warmer weather.

Happy day everyone! 

And look for the union label!