Another goal achieved, and a horror movie

PT today included a new goal: walking outdoors on the grass, bumpy terrain, slopes. When I ran out of steam, we headed home. 

It was great, no need of assists, and next I need to increase stamina, bit by bit, until I'm back to my walk to the pond and the turtles and frogs. This was a definite great new frontier. 

Later I did a mailbox run, look at me!  This was after I slept on the deck thinking I was reading Howard's End..

About Howard's End, I don't really recommend it if you saw the  TV production  with Emma Thompson and the Welsh actor whose name always escapes me.  Anthony Hopkins, yes.

Forster is able to create intriguing plots on important subjects and great conflict ideas. But he doesn't really know how to handle it. He tends to stop dead at intervals and start telling us how to feel.  And he gives away important outcomes ahead of time, the old had I but known approach.  

I think if he'd handed his plots over to maybe Trollope, and collaborated, it would have been so much better. Trollope wasn't in the old boy network, but I digress. Anyway that's my take, and I'm stickin with it.

Yesterday I watched Legally Blonde, again, and Legally Blonde II, both great fun.  

The second featured Bob Newhart playing a doorman and totally crushing it. 

They do address serious issues, sexual harassment, Washington shenanigans and double dealing, but with plenty of pink fluff and it's great fun to watch.

Then today my version of a horror movie. A documentary about the inner workings of a giant cruise ship. 

It's a treadmill of work, great tech equipment, meticulous organization, humans working at breakneck speed to accommodate thousands of people partying it up. 

Wall to wall people, flashing lights, noise, no escape, floating in the ocean, save me. It was entertaining and as close as I ever plan to come to taking a cruise.   I know people who love them, and I say great, go for it. My introverted little hearted will wave you off happily then stroll away to walk, watch birds, think, avoid the neighbors.. I might dance a bit in the kitchen while waiting for the microwave.

Happy day everyone, I'm having a lot of them.

Easter, Mother's Day, pearlworthy

Today we celebrated belated Easter and early Mother's Day. I thought HS had done quite enough for me this year, without doing anything special next Sunday.

My bit consisted of setting up the cheese board, the table and some vegetables.  And making his favorite Colman mustard. He brought ham, more vegetables, tiny chocolate eggs and jelly beans.

I sported The Pearls! It's a family joke that they come out for special occasions, even if I'm wearing t-shirt and jeans.

It was a lovely relaxed easy time, and we took our tea outside on the deck where we watched a merlin fly over the suddenly quiet area, first sighting this year,  not a bird moved, this picture right before the sighting

and I found this on the Japanese maple.

I think it's a gall. I removed it and the branch looked undamaged. I must learn more. If any blogista knows more, please say.

After Handsome Son left, I watched Textiles and Tea with famous Scottish tapestry and paper artist, Joanne Soroka. She wrote a classic book on tapestry weaving, and her own work in paper and in fiber, breaks barriers.

Here she's showing miniature tapestries based on Japanese boro work, originally patching to save fabric, then recognized as an art form

These two pieces below were commissioned for a super yacht!

And here's a collaged weaving

this piece is about the losses of the covid period, and you see it behind her in her studio

 

She works mainly in linen and cotton, very little wool, unusual for tapestry. And her work makes me want to warp up my handheld loom and weave, always a sign of a quality artist!

Happy day everyone! I definitely had one. The rain and thunder held off till early evening, very obliging.

A crossroads and new decisions

I'm looking on the recent surgery interlude and the current recovery period as a crossroads. It's a useful time to consider things to change or move on from or continue. 

I'm considering what continues to work for me and what I need to move on from. Just small stuff at this point. But the whole adventure and the encounters with much younger people, reminded me how old I am, something that doesn't cross my mind often when I'm planning projects. 

One thing I decided could go was the dusty old dried flower arrangement in the downstairs bathroom. 

Statice, lavender from my plant, roses from the last birthday bouquet from my now long late sister.  They were years old and disintegrating, aren't we all, so I decided they'd done their bit.

They were in a lovely porcelain container which led to another small decision.

My teaspoons, on top of the stove for tasting when I cook, have been in this old metal can for years.

Now they've got an upgrade

And today I'm going through my sewing stuff to pick out useful items for my friends at Pine Ridge.

I'm looking for multiples, tape measures, scissors, that kind of thing, also I have tons of sewing needles for hand stitchers.

So this will be the next winnowing. It might include hexies I've stitched and other stitched motifs I really am not going to use, I have to be realistic here. They might work on projects under way at Pine Ridge. There may be sewing plans I won't go on with.

About what to continue, the knitting ministry is definitely to continue soon.  And I'll complete the fabric book that's been waiting. And I'll do a bit of spinning.  And pinloom weaving. And maybe socks for me, even.

I just need to take this opportunity to rethink a few making-related plans, and how realistic they are.

I delivered a couple of treats across the street as a thank you for various reasons, including crisp tofu sticks with heating and eating instructions,  and chocolate cherries. It was a visit as well as a walking expedition.  I reunited with their two Cav King Charles dogs, who were wildly excited! 

It's nice to be a giver again, after being dependent for a couple of weeks.

Happy day everyone, take an expedition of some kind, including in your mind.

Ted sez 

More crochet, and walking exploits

Exciting showering this morning, then later a walk to the mailbox with HS, then still later a solo trip across the street to a neighbor's house. It's all go, this unassisted walking life.

HS is going home tonight so I've tried out everything while he's around, and it's worked fine.  

Meanwhile I got out the crochet and changed colors, now a bright white. 

I'm thinking irregular stripes in green, white and blue. The tension seems to be working better now, and the warmer weather is friendly to my hands, so I can work a bit longer each time.

In the midst of my listening to Heat and Dust read by Julie Christie,

Gary came in with a cactus that looks a bit over watered to me. He decided to move it outside the fence, and I didn't argue though there's rain in the forecast.  It might be sheltered under his butterfly bush.

Happy day everyone, May the Fourth be with you!

Sometimes it's good to not do something, as in watering cactus. I'm not very skilled at refraining, full disclosure, though not surprising. Anyway do this 

And here's the haggard Hawks puzzle solution 

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.

Haggard Hawks, voting and other important things

Are you up for a puzzle? I haven't offered one in a while, one thing and another. I did this one last night, and was pleased to be able to.

The letters provided are each used once.

And my PT has been pressing me to drive. I think he's concerned that I might get too nervous if I don't just go ahead and try it. We already established that I can get in on the driver's side.

So I decided to make a destination drive, to the voting dropbox to cast my ballot, thereby getting two birds.

We're voting in the primary for Governor and various county and local offices 

I did other administrivia, too, voting for Board members of my HOA, donation to local rescue squad, studying yet another increase in my gap health insurance before sighing and filing.  All my civic duties done.

I read this yesterday 

Chick lit, I guess - a romance and a puzzle and very readable to the end, with surprises, which I hadn't suspected.

Then I found this, at no cost, so why not, I've never read it, just seen the video version.

Another classic to explore. I do like Kindle reading as much as audiobooks.

And just for the halibut

Happy day everyone, what's your stretch goal, if any, today? Mine is the short drive, doesn't sound like much, but it's looming.

Ted sez 

 

White Rabbits! May day!

 Happy May, with white rabbits. Or brown ones.

I'm in the middle of a very happy time. Walking without pain, Handsome Son preparing to phase out what has been a very successful stay. Visit yesterday from local friend, screaming laughing,drinking tea, eating store bought cookies, a couple of hours. Furniture restored to pre surgery arrangement. Lovely weather. Misfits today, with a new supply of tofu for crisp sticks.  Physical therapy this afternoon. It's all good. And later I'm going to winnow sewing supplies for my rez friends.

A

Meanwhile Gary came skidding in,  in search of Pam, nonstick spray, which I don't use. Went across the street to K to ask her, then I saw them both go next door to another neighbor. Then Gary was back, maybe parchment paper? I supplied him with a sheet and he promised me a cinnamon roll, the reason he needed the nonstick item. All good!  I'm guessing a heat 'n eat thing, he not being a baker. He has a new stove, so testing, maybe.

And he delivered it, cinnamon roll, not stove,  to my sofa shortly after 

Later he brought in the Misfits box 

I got a taste for cereal after seeing Handsome Son enjoying his, so I added Heritage flakes -- various grains including ancient ones -- and muesli to my box. Tofu for crisp sticks with dipping sauce, strawberries and blueberries to go with yogurt and cereal, shredded carrot to save my energy, gala apples because they're a staple, spring mix salad because it's spring. 

Nice outlook here, easy nutritious meals. I have fish in the freezer for when I feel like cooking it.

Happy day everyone, later it's PT, and meanwhile I'm resting and doing a few desultory exercises.

Do something desultory today, it's May.