if enough is a good as a feast

in which our plucky heroine has a kitchen full of food

Pandemic isolation has had the peculiar quality of increasing my attunement to the seasonal food fluctuation... not that I was unaware prior to this year, but it was of somewhat less consequence. Monday was the day of the arrival of food. A big box of goodies from my Mud Bay friends, produce from their garden, which is most abundant currently.

Heather drove down from OlyWa and as she is my designated shopper, she headed out to buy more food, it had been about a month since her prior visit, and the fridge was looking very empty. Somehow, in the distressing prior week, I forgot that I had also ordered my every other week Imperfect Produce box, which arrived today, fortunately with almost no overlap of the contents.

My kitchen and refrigerator are feeling a bit turgid. I have been cooking and steaming things in order to condense them somewhat, and to prep things for freezing. Cilantro was chopped and frozen in big ice cubes, as I have learned that leaving it in the fridge for even a few days is sadness. The green beans were all cut and steamed, and now wait in the fridge to be added to salads. Kale is steamed and in the freezer. Spinach is being prepped to be steamed, half will become a spinach rice bake, and the other half will just get frozen. Two beautiful eggplants will become Melanzane al Funghetto, and 5 flavor eggplant. There are some early apples, which is suspect will become applesauce and get put in the pantry. The exquisite fresh peach however, ended up in my breakfast today!

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~ 100 day creativity challenge - day 38 ~

I made a tiny "knitting book" for Nandina's knitting tote, using some scraps of art paper, the leftovers from the leather strips I used on the tote, and a bit of old cereal box cardboard. The cover title took quite a bit of hunting through the old Yellow Pages to find a suitable word in a small enough size.

a handknit cardigan, made this weekend during assorted Zoom meetings

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I made mayonnaise. I have learned three things so far - 
1. a stick blender is so NOT the correct tool for the job. I stopped using it when it became too hot to hold, ((and then I noticed on the top, where the specs are, that it is rated for no more than 5 minutes continuous use!) I continued the process by hand using a whisk), The correct tool is an actual blender, with a robust motor.
2. should I do this again, I will use vinegar instead of lemon juice, unless I want lemony mayo
3. it is actually very easy to pasteurize an egg, and it does in fact still appear a raw egg when you crack it open.

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beauty in the time of isolation - day 138:

delphinium
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"And yet, we have all been given gifts, creative gifts, that are just that: Something special, something extra, something that can make the world a better place.

Our desire to make something beautiful, no matter what form it is, is a gift.

And whoever/whatever gave it to us, will be honored when we make room–and time–for it in our lives.

So put on your oxygen mask (or Covid-19 mask!) and make something beautiful today. Whether it’s your art, your music, your story-telling, your care, whatever your superpower is, put it in the world. Today.

Because the world will be better for it, because of you."

- Luann Udell
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August SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	scribal sketchbook	light bulbs replaced	-
2	scroll for Countess E	x	-
3	tiny knitting bag	x	-
4	tiny tote bag	x	-
5	Nandina handknit	x	-
6	Nandina sunhat	x	-
7	tiny knitting book	x	x
8	x	x	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 - I have friends that love me, that make sure I have food to eat. In addition, Heather brought her mom Sharon down to visit me yesterday; her mom and I have been friends for fifty+ years. We had a socially distanced visit, sitting ten or so feet apart, both wearing our masks. It was wierd, but much more immediate than in the pixel place. Someday if fortune is benevolent, we may be able to hug our friends again...