Probably the most fun activity this weekend was yesterday evening the spontaneous decision to make some block printed heraldic inspired trim for our pal Laurence of Damascus. The design is is arms "per pale gules and argent, an escallop counterchanged". It didn't take long to carve the 1" square block, though it took several hours to actually print the linen trim bands. I love the Speedball textile ink, while it cleans up easily with water, the ink is oil based, and after curing for a week or so, is both permanent and washable, without needing to be heat set... this red and white trim will look quite splendid on his new saffron yellow undertunic!
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a quick sketch became a tiny carved block, a test stamping with rubber stamp pad ink,
then on to the textile ink and the white linen strips
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Thora spent rather a lot of time on yardwork, weeding the side yard pathway, raking the front and back yards, and the leafy litter has been piled up over some layers of old branches covered with corrugated cardboard, in a sort of proto Hügelkultur bed... as more yard debris that isn't weeds turns up, it can be added to that spot, and eventually a raised bed will be created. I myself did a bit of dandelion pulling, and some pruning of the largest of the apple water sprouts, as the tree really needs help. I will do a bit more pruning as time and lack of rain allows...
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Other assorted tasks included dealing with the abundant quinces. They were all peeled and cored, and cut into chunks. The peels and cores were simmered on the stove for an hour or two, then the pectin rich liquid strained off til the next day. Time simmering in the slow cooker overnight softened the quince chunks nicely, turning them from pale yellow to deep red. (Thora's comment on arrival was "ummm is that a bowl of meat") Once they were drained and packed into the freezer containers for the time being, the remaining simmering liquid was combined with the liquid from the previous day, measured and 3/4 the amount of sugar added. When the temperature of the liquid reached 220F, I processed what turned out to be a total of 9 4oz jars of lovely ruby-colored quince jelly.
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There were trips to the Farmer's Market on Saturday morning, and Sunday a thankfully quick trip to Costco to replenish the sugar stash, as well as adding some shredded cheese to the shopping cart. All because my pal Elfrida shared her experience with "cheezles" a sort of low carb waffle made from cheese and eggs! Thora and I stopped at the local "Target" store and I picked up a mini waffle iron (nonstick) to try this out. Our plucky heroine has difficulty when eating breadlike substances, and I was intrigued at the idea of something that would fill that niche while being basically protein and fat instead of grain-based. The experiment was a complete success! Tiny waffle "cheezle" for the win!!
1/2c grated cheese + 1 egg = 2 mini waffles... no grain at all
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November SMART goals (x=extra)
| # | THINGS MADE | THINGS FIXED | THINGS GONE |
| 1 | three sketches | necklace pegs | yard waste bin |
| 2 | 2 more sketches | cardigan sleeves | paper recycling |
| 3 | scrappy collage cardigan | harvest 15# persimmons | lots of leaves |
| 4 | scrappy collage knit top | patched overall pinafore | apple watersprouts |
| 5 | x | Tullia mitts | - |
| 6 | x | side yard drainpipe | - |
| 7 | x | Drusa mitts | - |
| 8 | x | hooks for plunger | x |
| 9 | x | x | x |
| 10 | x | x | x |
| 11 | x | x | x |
| 12 | x | x | x |
| 13 | x | x | x |
| 14 | x | x | x |
| 15 | x | x | x |
today's gratitude - good friends and a sound memory, as well as memories of sound...
Oh the cheezle looks not only delicious but very cute! I'm going through a phase where food is not very appealing but I think some tiny cheezles might be good.
ReplyDeletethe cheezles are indeed adorable, being so very wee! Today my two visiting friends and I made little cheezle BLT (bacon lettuce and tomato) sandwiches, which were a great success...
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