Broken roof follow-up, and MFK Fisher

Yesterday I wrote my blog post at the library, edited, noted and published. And then I saw a man with a seriously good camera and tripod setup, taking pictures.

Soooo I asked if he was one of the participants, and it turned out it was Wayne Baruch, the photographer who created the image of the tree falling into the house.

We had a wonderful chat about art, exhibiting, nonglare glass and how we hate it, his work, my work and altogether a good time was had 

And since photography is his retirement occupation, he's blending it with a previous career in artisanal construction, rehab, and work as an expert witness in real estate construction cases. 

So he knew the story about that old house with the tree on it. Apparently back in the 18th century it was totally wood, cedar shake roof. Then an early owner decided to add a slate roof on top. 

So when the tree came down, the double roof formed trusses which stopped the tree's descent, see sketch Wayne made to show me

He's drawing in the visitor's book, nearest paper to hand! It's so great to talk with a knowledgeable enthusiast who knows when he's got a good audience.

So that was my bonus.

I got home and found a lovely clean house, and the bunch of lavender still there. Then an email from the cleaners saying oops we remembered the lavender after we'd locked the door! So I said np, I'll drop it in the mail.

Found a plastic envelope, bit of damp paper towel, extra lavender, why not, outer envelope, their address off my Christmas card list, and off to the post office. 

Halfway there, remembered I'd left the package on top of the freezer where I'd put it for a second while I got my keys organized. 

Home again, found the package, back to the PO, mailed it, and came home wondering if lavender is the herb of forgetfulness. It's so calming you just don't worry about anything.

And here's proof that I have something in common with MFK Fisher

 

To me it's the cook's privilege. I've often wondered what other jam makers do with it. 

More rain for the foreseeable future, not exactly flaming June, but I like it fine. I'm designed for a damp climate. 

Happy day everyone, enjoy whatever chance encounters happen.

Sounds as if Putin's finally facing the Russian uprising music.

 

Jam batchette, Nature vs Man, puzzling

 Yesterday I made a tiny batch of strawberry jam, just about a dozen large strawberries

In the bowl is the foam I skimmed off, cook's privilege, with a sugar cookie. Afternoon tea in June.

Today's cleaners' day, and after I left them a bunch of lavender along with their payment, I came to the library, great destination in pouring rain.

I did a bit of the public jigsaw

That bit

And noticed this

If anyone has any and would like me to donate for you, get in touch, and I'll be glad to. Elexexadamsatyahoodotcom. The donations Rose made are very well used, really popular.

This month's Library gallery exhibit, caught it just in time, is an interesting concept, created by three local camera club members.

A lot of lights and reflections, but I did my best

This one shows a 200. year old tree which fell on an equally old house. The  roof was so sturdily built it survived and was repaired. So I guess Nature and builder were a draw that time.

 

These are just my favorite choices. One of them, the barn, looked great for Magpie's Mumblings, for a quilted artwork. And I thought of AC, and wondered if these would appeal. There were a couple of fally-down houses for Mary.

Happy day everyone. Pouring here and I saw a huge beautiful merle collie, trotting by, marvelous coat. In the rain. I'll bet he's rolling about on the rugs at home now, drying off and shedding up a storm. Too bad humans dry off less dramatically!

Going home soon to a lovely clean house soon, wheee!

 

Misfits box, reading, watch this space

 Yesterday was a good thing, handsome Son happy with new refrigerator, then later Gary and neighbor on the other side joined forces to pull out my overgrown no longer fruiting cherry bushes. 

Watch this space

Who knows what will find a home there now. It's in deep shade, so there's that.

And since I'd baked the second batch of that cookie dough I froze, the lemon balm cookies

some found their way to both houses. 

The first batch,  baked per the recipe at 10 minutes at 350°f were not as good as I'd like. So this batch I baked for 12 minutes at 375°f. Lovely crisp edges, much better.

And here's our exciting summer weather upcoming

Weather for jigsaw puzzles, reading, here's the current old fashioned but nice cozy

also cooking, and the Misfits box arrived today, small but good

And here's my Pride Protest New Doormat. I had planned on buying it at Target until they chickened out in the Pride merch. So I went elsewhere, it arrived yesterday, that'll teach them!

Yet more strawberries, possibly for jam, in any case, breakfasts of pita bread filled with spinach and fruit, currently blueberries, strswberries or dried Turkish apricots, are on the menu.

The puzzle answer, as a number of people probably know, is

ETERNAL

 

As in hope springs. There may also be others, but I got just one.

Happy day everyone! Enjoy your day, and I hope it brings good things.

Summer solstice, waiting for fridgot, Textiles and Tea, wild finds

 

Yesterday's walk yielded early fungi

The first jewelweed of this year

And beds of wild daylilies, always a few days earlier than the cultivated ones.

Speaking of which, you can either buy spiderwort at the nursery or let it crop up as it will. This is cultivated 

Textiles and Tea yesterday was mainly talking, very sparse on slides, but here's what I gleaned

And the new fridge arrived, very good installation team, old fridge  gone, and here's the lovely new one in place and working fine. 

Left is Handsome Son making me a welcome cup of tea.

Happy day everyone, hoping for no drama..

Standby, long game, Vicky, and friends

Today's the anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession,  and I wonder if Canadians still celebrate her birthday, always wondered why, since nobody in England ever did that I know of. Anyway here's a bit of Vicky slang which sounds pretty modern to me

And speaking of the long game, nature definitely plays it with this sansevieria plant. It has an ugly common name which I don't use and will block if it appears in comments, this being a misogyny free area.

Anyway

Here's the ancient one I grew from a leaf I took from a plant that I summered on the patio for a friend. It was her rental for the season, one leaf to start my own plant.

These things take literally years to root,but as you see, it's doing fine.

Next to it is a pot of cuttings from it, which have been looking like this for about two years. A couple shriveled up and I took them out. 

Yesterday I thought maybe I'd test whether they were worth waiting for, pulled one up and ohemgee, roots! So I put her back and we'll continue to wait more or less patiently.

This is such an antidote to the rush of spring and seedlings outside and birds flying the nest. and she has her own rules.

This plant observes direction. When you plant cuttings from a leaf, they will only root if they're the same way up as on the parent plant. So, when you cut, you have to lay them down the right way ready to plant,  or they won't do anything.  I like knowing this secret handshake.

And lastly before we run away and set Juneteenth aside till next year, just a note

Tomorrow the Great Fridge Delivery takes place. Between 9 and 12. I suppose the long window allows for issues with earlier deliveries. Handsome Son will still be home, his shift not till afternoon, so I'll have company, and I hope all goes well. 

The very good part of this is that this year's homestead rebate, an annual  state attempt to offset the skyhigh property tax, number one in the nation, yay us, was very good this year and my rebate  will cover this cost. 

When it arrived I set it aside assuming it would go on an appliance either here or at the condo. And so it came to pass.

Happy day, everyone, may your long term plans come to pass. Short ones too are good.

Here's a short term one, a puzzle

Juneteenth, potato baby, jigsaw puzzle and coping

 Today's Juneteenth

And my local library ran family craft workshops to create commemorative Juneteenth signs, with extras to take home.

It's a tradition of this library dating back to a much earlier director, Ginny Baeckler, to stay open on national holidays of this kind, then only Martin Luther King day.  Because, she used to explain,  the library is a center of community learning and it's appropriate to stay open to celebrate that. I'm glad to see it continue. And I wish the person who wrote the quotation had checked the spelling of Corpus Christi.

That same director didn't believe in celebrating minorites with events only during Black history month. She preferred to hire and promote minority employees, walking the walk long before other white people noticed the paleness and maleness of library employees.

I was there changing my puzzle for this one

Meanwhile, I did dig up the rogue potato, according to the judgment of blogista gardeners,  which was indeed a slice of potato I'd planted and forgotten. Moved it to a space in another container, dislodging a baby potato in the process

She's now been welcomed by the herd in the kitchen, reminds me of elephants.

And the saga of the neck pain continues, despite exercise designed to help,  walking, heating pad, icing, Advil generic, pain patch,  trying to read at eye level not head bent. 

I have a complete range of motion, no arm involvement etc. I think judging from the resistance to pain meds, it's a nerve irritation. And violent vomiting last week did nothing to soothe it.

Here's the latest attempt to keep reading devices at eye level

Steve's latest post up, for breakfast company.

I'm nervous about Wednesday's fridge delivery, though I expect they've done it before, but it will be good when it's done.

Happy day everyone, celebrate Juneteenth however you do, if you're in the US. Otherwise, let's do our part anyway. 

Few of us live in places where original and minority residents haven't had a bad time.  Those of us who were born in another country and moved at will are really the human equivalent of an introduced species.

We owe a lot to the original caretakers of the land, in my case the Lenni Lenape tribe,  whose artifacts still turn up right where I live. I thank them by caring for the land, recycling, living happily frugally, sparing water, in the past teaching workshops about their crafts and skills.

And I need to honor and thank the people brought here by force, to build and cultivate the land in misery, torn from their own lands. Black people literally built Washington, including the White House. 

It's the least I can do, as an educated white woman, offered in the US opportunity denied me by class and religion in the place I was born. I was unaware for so long of the cost of my  American opportunity to people who never had my options. So now I try to be aware, be an ally, not an exploiter.  And I'm so thankful. My part is so tiny, but it's what I can do. 

Thanks for listening!

Photo AC