Spring Reading

We use our Public and County Libraries a lot in this bookish little family of mine- so much so that sometimes it can get a bit overwhelming. Ahem. (they let you check out so many! And it’s free! what’s one more? picture me hidden behind the stack of books in my arms…) So lately I’ve given myself a 3-book maximum rule: One for research, one to read, one for fun. It works out pretty good, too- two libraries, once a week or two, 6 books. More if my husband brings something good home. It can overlap though- right now I’ve got 7 books to post on the reading list to the right over there (they are going back this weekend) to be replaced by the 6 I picked up last night (holds that came in midweek are too tempting to leave at the library!). I’ll order books I see in the bookstores, or titles I find recommended in my blog reading online. With so many titles lying around I thought I’d round them up and make a list!

Julie Czerneda’s A Turn of Light- This is so good! Wishing Magic, with invisible Dragons, armored House Toads, traveling Gypsies, and pie…all against a backdrop of Frontier Homesteading and Doorways to the Otherside. Yummy.

Marie Brennan’s A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent- Alternative Victorian fanciful piece with Dragons  of all sorts, a tragic love story, Russian folklore, and even a  bit of amateur sleuthing? It was read in a mere 4 days- worth every second of lost sleep!

Mark Alan Hewitt’s Gustav Stickley’s Craftsman Farms- Lovely pictures and line drawing of the houses, furniture and landscapes of the Arts and Crafts movement, some background info of how it came to be, and an in-depth look at the attempt of one man to create a Utopian community.

Michelle Obama’s American Grown; The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America- I’m enjoying this for all the information and background on kitchen gardens, the White House Gardens in general, and the impact food has on our health and well-being.

Bob Thomson’s The New Victory Garden- Love this one! Broken down by month, with colour pictures and beautiful line drawings, this is a gold mine of gardening information, with a little bit of personal history that keeps it from being a dry text book.

Gladys Taber’s The Book of Stillmeadow- A personal account from the 1930’s of running away to live in the country. Susan Branch quotes her constantly in her books and artwork, so I wanted to see what she has to offer. Lovely anecdotal and lyrical writing, and bits are truly funny- she has a ton more that I might check out too.

Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone- A really big, heavy book (not convenient for reading in bed) with lots of really good ideas, some simple, some rather complex looking. Why do these vegetarian books always work out to be behemoths? Vast encyclopedic monstrosities with every single recipe the author can think of, very few (if any) pictures, and rather a lot more commentary and “instruction” than I want to wade through. I am finding ideas, but it’s taking forever to get through it, and I get bored every other page. Very disappointing really. 

So there you have it- some research, some reading, some fun (some not so fun…but necessary). What can I say?

I love to read.

A New Chapter

It's been feeling like I've turned the page recently, and started a new chapter in my life. Some things which never really made sense are now clear; old hurts- don’t hurt as much anymore; old ways of thinking are suddenly replaced with new, healthier ones. I woke up one day and found that I have become a Quilter:
     

This is Ray’s Four-Square Quilt…I made it yesterday. No, it’s not a full size quilt, more of a lap quilt, and no it doesn't have it’s label yet, but it will get done this weekend. It was more important to finish it in time for Dad’s birthday party (which admittedly was a week early, but hey- who cares when it’s a party?!) So I went and picked out some blue flannel fabric Wednesday evening, cut it out Thursday morning, pieced it Thursday mid-morning, and sewed it all together Thursday afternoon. Whew! And suddenly there was a quilt on my work table, where just 7 hours before there had only been a few strips of cloth.
May is turning into the month of quilts- I’ve started my next one already, not counting dad’s. This one is all pretty pinks, greens and lavenders in a Log Cabin pattern- I’m calling it the Alchemy Quilt because combining all the different colours and patterns makes me feel like a medieval Alchemyst:

Combining all these different components to make a brand new…thing is rather awe inspiring in a way. It’s like that in my cooking, too. All my recipes are different now- Diabetes is changing my life in so many different ways it’s hard to keep up with it all. Next week I’ll be reworking my Menu Planning Binder, and working on a couple of recipe ideas all my research has inspired. Today’s Grand Experiment is Hummus (the Garbanzo Beans are soaked and cooked and ready to blitz) and Black Bean Burgers (cakes? patties? fritters? not sure what to call them- other than good! But the recipe needs tweaking- it’s stability is a bit…lacking shall we say?) so it’s off to the kitchen for now.
Funny how one person’s drudgery is another’s bliss…

May Day Musings

May Day is a favorite of mine- the sun is out, the flowers are in bloom, the days are that much longer… it’s Spring! Winter is officially past, something to dream and plan about for the future. Summer is coming and now is the time to air out the musty corners of the house and begin laying in supplies for the hot months to come. Perfect weather for long weekend hikes, tramping about the countryside before it gets too hot, trips to the garden shop for herbs and flowers, and rambling visits to the thrift stores for new old stuff for the secret garden.

- Last month was a good one for getting things finished, and setting up new routines. It felt so good to get the Watercolour Quilt done!

- The next quilt is still in the set up phase- it will take a little longer to cut the pieces for this one, there is so many!  It wouldn’t do to get hurt again.

- There is a lot more of this kind of prep work going on- yummy veggies are even  yummier cooked swiftly:

Lots more of this going on, too!

(she likes having her picture taken- it means momma is paying her extra special attention!)

- There have been lots of trips to the libraries- too many books, quite frankly, are being brought home! My favorites this week are: Weelicious by Catherine McCord; Sunday Morning Quilts by Amanda Jean Nyberg and Cheryl Arkison; Glamping with MaryJane byMaryJane Butters; and Sew What You Love by Tanya Whelan.

- There was some early season thrifting done last month as well- finally found that potting bench for the secret garden:

Nothing a little elbow grease can’t handle!

Fits perfectly! The Faeries are a little miffed (that’s where their swimming pool slide was located) but it needed to be back away from the ledge so somebody doesn’t get any smart ideas…

Lot’s more to do this month- Happy Beltane!

Wherein I learn more about Diabetes, and Make a Bag…

April 30th. The last day of a very crazy, busy, complicated, hectic month. I uploaded pictures this morning and came across all the things I did this month that I had forgotten about- I’ll get to those later in the week, but first a bit of an update:

I love Brown Rice! I don’t love Spinach anymore. Vegetarian cooking isn’t all that hard- and it’s yummy. But, I’m not a vegetarian. Mainly because… I love Asian Turkey Burgers! But not as a burger- just as a patty next to Pineapple Fried Rice (made with brown rice, of course!)

If you read my last post, you probably know what I’m going on about- if not, I just got diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. It’s made life a bit tricky- but a whole lot more fun! Exercise has  to happen now, it’s not an option. (hint- I love going outside). And although I’ve read vegetarian cookbooks for years, now I get to actually cook from them, too! (turns out vegetables really are good for you! Who knew?) The whole testing thing is…um, painful, messy and potentially illegal (it is illegal to throw your used sharps away, but I made a cute little container for them (I know, right? She’ll make anything!)). But, I’m getting it all under control with the help of routines, schedules, charts and a whole lot of research.

So…I needed a little break from all that jazz yesterday, and after my morning walk I pulled out some fabric and made… a bag for my new water bottle! (‘cause I’m supposed to drink waay more water).

First, I ironed a piece wide enough to go around it (plus seam allowance) and tall enough to cover it top to bottom, set in a double turn hem (which is the top) and sewed it in:

 

Next, I folded it in half lengthwise (wrong sides together) and sewed one seam, bottom-to-top: oops! No picture of this step. But, it looks almost identical to this one, which is sewing that same seam, but turned wrong side out:

which is how you make a French Seam. Last step is turning it inside out and pressing it well:

and sewing a handle on to it:

Then you stick a water bottle into it and go outside!

 

 

 

 

 

And just so you know, this is what supervising looks like when it’s nice outside:

The Faeries are out there, too- you can’t see it, but they’ve got a swimming pool and striped cabana with a bar off to the side there…

It’s a beautiful morning

A corner of my garden this sunny spring morning:

Happy weekending everyone!

Spring Cleaning

Spring is here, and it’s been a month of cleaning up, clearing out, assessing life and implementing new strategies around here lately. I feel the need for a list!

I finally found a new doctor- Yaay! Who diagnosed me with Type 2 Diabetes. Ick.   Which has lead to…

A new diet and exercise regime. Yaay! Been trying to do this for ages it seems. Loads more veggies, whole grains and lean protein. It just feels so…right.

I’ve started a new quilt! The fabric gathering has begun. Pinks, violets, greens and light browns. Yummy!

Found a new Potting Bench for the wee-small garden at the thrift shop this week:

Yes, yes- it’s really just a T.V. tray- but it’s a glorious rich solid wood one, perfect condition- just needed a little oil and elbow grease to spiff her up! Lovely.

So…lots to do, lots to see, lots of places to go. Gotta get back into a daily schedule around here. Here’s a peek at what my mornings look like nowadays. Back soon with more tales from the Magickal side of life…

Poof! Like magic…

Et voila- instant quilt!

Well…not quite. It’s taken two years, almost to the day. I got the idea for this quilt when we found this apartment in the Spring of 2011 (time certainly has flown!). May 7th, 2011 we were driving down the road, taking pictures of our prospective new neighborhood and dreaming of our “new” life. The walls and trim of this place inspired me to create a yellow, blue and white quilt- something pretty and light for the coming summer. Well, I gathered a few blue fabrics that summer, but time got away from me as I put together our new house, and next thing I knew it was Summer 2012. A double rotator-cuff injury was making it impossible to finish cutting out the rest of my fabric, much less finish sewing it all together.

  The first cut!

 

 

 

 

Big mistake sending them all through the washing machine- they just snarled all up, causing hours of cutting them apart!

 

 

 

 

This is the first round of piecing- turned out I needed way more fabric than this!

 

 

 

The first block- it’s a nine patch block quilt.

 

 

 

 

The top sewn together- it was at this point that I realized I would have to put a border around it to make it big enough for our bed…

 

 

 

Oh the difference a year makes- from April 2012 (above) to March 2013---->

 

 

 

I was able to gradually piece the top together over the last year, surprisingly. I don’t remember a moment when it became a quilt, per say- but I’m glad I found the time and perseverance to keep working on it. Tasha certainly has helped- whether forcing me to keep it out in the open because no one dared move her from its warm folds, or finding time to work on it in spare moments so she could “visit” with it (my life is spent in providing for the care and comfort of my kitty- isn’t everyone’s?). She just loves it whenever I make a new quilt- she considers them all her private property, running to claim them when they come out of the linen closets in the winter!

I’ve already picked out the pattern and colorway for my next quilt- making these is a bit addictive! This one is going much faster- maybe because I actually know what I'm doing this time around? I’ve done lots more research into quilting, since I started the Watercolour in general, but also just in the last few months. It’s funny how much more enjoyable and easy things are, once you get a few under your belt…

It’s a beautiful Spring morning here in the land of Magick. Let’s get started enjoying it, shall we?

The Science of Writing

Oh dear- another week has gone by without a new update from the Land of Market Day…drat. I have gotten into a bit of a writing slump, as you cans see for yourself, so I am taking the very good advice my husband gave me, and am writing about…not that. I’d like to write about Other Things at the moment (which, truth to tell, is working wonderfully- I’m sketching out another story idea in the background as I write this little missive. Yaay it worked! Block fixed, moving on…)

How is your Spring going? Ours is a tiny bit…wet, at the moment. The newest addition to the garden has been pummeled to smithereens in the latest rainfall, so I can’t really show you glorious pictures. But I can give an update- I brought home the start of this years’ New Design this week; a beautiful deep pink Ranunculus, a pretty little pixie of a pink and white Primrose (sensing anything yet?), a sweet pale pink Ivy Geranium, and a light lavender Stock. Yes- this year I am going for it with a pink, purple and chartreuse color palette (that’s if I can find anything Chartreuse!) I already freshened my stock of herbs with  new Thyme, Apple Mint, and Tarragon plants- which are living in the kitchen until it warms up a bit more (I’ve already had to trim the Thyme a bit- it loves the sunshine coming through the window in there!) I wanted a fresh and frilly little flower garden feel this spring, and it’s already looking quite lovely out there. I’ll have to get some pictures to show soon…

Next up is an update on the sewing I’ve been doing lately. Oh! It’s so nice to be able to work out a creators block, isn’t it? I’ve finally made a new pin cushion, which is something I’ve wanted to do for years now, but never seemed to get around to doing. Well, it’s done! Just a nice big round pouff with a bit of embroidery and shaping, stuffed to the brim and weighted with raw rice, with a dainty little strap. Voila! Perfection, if I do say so myself. The other thing I’ve been working on is taking patterns from existing clothing. It’s a bit tricky, complicated at times, and really hard- but totally worth it, and fun! I’m about finished with the first one, and already have the fabric for a second, and plans for a third. I love figuring out how to do things, doing research and having the time to rip out stiches if I need to. ahem. And I find it interesting how many different ways there are of explaining the same technique for applying a placket to a shirt…

One note about the blog itself- it has come to my attention that I have rather…a lot of categories. Err, they have gotten out of hand, and are making it a bit of a nuisance to find an appropriate one when I go to label my posts. grrr. Aggravating, to say the least. I’ve tried before to shorten the list, with mixed success, but I think what I ought to do is re-categorize the existing posts. Ick. Not looking forward to that, but something needs to be done…

So! No pictures, lots of words, and no story. Hmm…It’s starting to look a little like a blog around here, non? We’ll have to see what we can do to spruce things up around here, the miss and I. Although, I could just give the Faeries free reign…

Gray May

It’s a very gray May so far this year- but we’re loving it! The plants definitely are enjoying the break from the extreme heat and dry air with all this lovely morning fog and cool mid-mornings.

This pot in the corner has been quietly growing all year, ever since I transplanted some seedlings into it towards the end of January.

My Calendula has finally blossomed! It’s been a long year, full of watering, watching, wondering and ahem..forgetting…

Kind of awe inspiring to think this all started last August in an egg carton on the counter in the kitchen:

Early morning spring light

I’ve been taking a study of the light out here in our new home. We’ve just renewed our lease, which means we’re staying another year. Which means we’ve been here a year- where has the time gone?

All this light has been a revelation for me…I haven’t experienced Spring like this before. The light can be blinding as it crashes through the windows first thing in the morning.

The day unfolds with endless possibilities- shall I garden? Or sew? Do housework? Go for a walk? Play with someone who suddenly acts like a kitten again?

I brought home flowers for the garden this last time through the nursery (I’ve waited so long to say that!), they love all the spring rain we’ve been getting. It’s hard not to whip the blinds open first thing every morning to get drenched with all that glorious Spring Light and revel in the roses.

Monday Lists

This week I am going to:

• Sign up for my first quilting class- yaay!
• Finish a Spring Purse- before spring is over this time!
• Draft a hardcopy newsletter?
• Get the washing machine fixed- yaay!
• Knit a new dice bag.
• Sew a new book bag.
• Finish piecing the Watercolour quilt…
• Learn how to pre-level a Pathfinder character- oh my!

Goodness gracious, that’s a lot of things to get done. I think I’m gonna need my timer this week!

Attack of the Devouring Hordes…

Roses get aphids. It’s a fact of life as a gardener. It’s also devastating when it happens to you. Especially when it’s your own fault.

Nasturtiums attract aphids. They appear out of nowhere, out of thin air itself, in my case. One day you’ve got beautiful pale pink, delicate froths of fragrant blooms, the next every surface of your beloved is covered in a carpet of voracious, devouring hordes that blight the very sun from the face of the earth. Or your roses, as the case may be.

I didn’t pay attention. I ignored the warning signs. I waited too long, and didn’t do enough, fast enough.  I didn’t believe what I read on the  internet. Any one of an infinite reasons why, it all comes down to one unavoidable fact:

I have aphids.

So I hemmed and I hawed. Did more research. Checked out bug books and organic gardening bibles from the library. Started spraying the little boogers off with a spray of soapy water. Then a spray of chamomile tea. Then I just squished them by hand, consigning them to the depth's of the garbage can.

Nothing worked. The aphids came right back the next day. Three weeks, then four went by, while the rose valiantly kept producing beautiful green flower buds, which were all covered by a beautiful lime green living, moving, writhing carpet of aphids. Because right next to that pot was… a bigger pot full of flowering Nasturtiums.

Because I love nasturtiums. I love how big their leaves get in spring, big huge floppy leafy green platters that just get bigger and greener with every spring rainstorm. That apparently just love me right back, because they just exploded with growth the second I placed them in dirt. I love their bright sunny yellow flowers faces, and their deep crimson (crimson! be still my heart!) skirts of flowers that cascade over the edges of their pots, sweeping the floor in every breeze that happens to wafts by.

Yes, pots. Plural. I had planted the seeds in three or four other plants, hoping to underplant them to offset the austere legginess of the Camellia, and provide some colour to the rose which wasn’t due to bloom for a while.

I might as well have just dumped a pile of aphids right on the poor plant! Pouring gasoline over her and lighting a match wouldn’t have destroyed her quicker!

So what do you do when you get an infestation? You stare, aghast, at the evidence before you, of your own folly, your own arrogance. Yes, your own greed, even. Then, You Get Real, folks. You wake up to the facts, stop hiding under your own bed from insects the size of a grain of rice, and start making decisions.

The nasturtium-underplanted  camellia- which, by the way, hasn’t been touched by the aphids, is outside the front door. It’s a little windy out there, so I’m watching her like a hawk to make sure she doesn’t start going downhill, but I think it’s going to work out. It’s an open courtyard-ish kind of space, so she’ll get sun and fresh air, and I’ve wanted a plant by the front door anyway, so we’ll see how that goes.

The rose has been divested of her nasturtiums, had her infested blooms removed (ahhhh! my heart clenched with every snip!) and moved into a more open area of the balcony to let the spring rain and winds work their magic. A lot of water, and some fertilizer, lots of love and attention (Ahem, back off aphids! This rose is mine!) and the fight is on!

And now? Well, now all there is to do now is wait and see what those little monsters do next…

Weekend Booking and other things…

Whew! That was a crazy, whirlwind weekend, wasn’t it? Appointments, family visits, heavy rainstorms, no grocery shopping, a garden overhaul, and some last minute-but-really-good! booking:

The King Arthur Whole Grain Baking book- I’ve loved this ever since it was first hinted at, even if they faked me out and printed the regular-flour-cookbook first. Baking with whole-wheat is so tricky without help- stone biscuits and rock pancakes was on the menu at our house when I first tried baking with it! Ah. . . now it’s feather-light whole wheat scones and faerie cakes. (no, not faerie-in-or-is-a-cake! You faeries get outta that flour bin right now!)

Delia Smith’s Christmas- English Tradition Christmas, with time-charts! How much fun is this? I’ll be dreaming over this one for the rest of the year. Apricot Orange Chutney, Mince Pies and Pheasant Terrine! Okay, maybe not the Pheasant…

The Foster’s Market Cookbook- I check this one out from the library every spring and summer to ogle the luscious pictures of farm-fresh veggies, dreaming of opening my own restaurant someday, which oddly looks just like Foster's Market does in this book…

And I scored a hardback edition of The Best of Martha Stewart Living Great Parties! These are all so much fun to browse through for ideas, without having to dig out my collection of old magazines. I love that they have collected all her party layouts and Good Thing’s section from a few seasons of the magazines and bound them into a book- they’ve done this with a lot of the categories from the magazines. I especially like the Christmas ones. Great resource, and lots of fun to just flip through, dreaming of spring parties.

Lastly, I wanted to note here that I have officially started the Couch to 5K exercise program today. It went great! The stretching guide is the best part- it helped fix the first calf muscles cramp I’ve had in years (!!!), and got my heart rate down to where I didn’t need a nap after I got back from my run. (eep! I just went for a run! Who is this girl?) Go me! Actually, I will get going just as soon as I can peel myself off the floor- I haven’t done anything like this in about 5 years! Wish me luck…

Hello Spring!

I was starting to think we wouldn’t make it! But Spring is here- albeit a wet and windy one:

A few of the more delicate herbs got squashed this weekend- the Dill will have to come out, but at least the Rose’s aphid invasion has been stopped in it’s tracks- they got blown off by all the wind and rain from Saturday’s storms.

It feels like a whole new year out there today- let’s go out and enjoy it, shall we?

This week’s List includes:

Finish hemming That Dress…

Make a Library run…

Find a new Park for Spring picnics…

Assemble the Watercolour quilt…

Make a new bag for Spring…

Prep the week’s dinners (this one’s already done!)

and Go Outside!

Right here, right now-

I am reading: Joelle Hoverson’s more Last Minute Knitted Gifts (it’s all knitting, all the time around here again- funny how the urge to knit is seasonal, isn’t it?) Also Jane Austen’s Emma, since I haven’t read it since college, and this time I read the introduction- which is helping to figure out the irony of it all.

Scored two new – old books this weekend: a lovely old Children’s Classics edition of Little Women, complete with coloured illustrations on the end pages, and line drawings I haven’t seen before all throughout  the interior. Bliss! And Gardening Essentials by Barbara Pleasant. It’s chock full of gardening information, with beautiful colour pictures of gardens, plant lists, tips, project ideas and step-by-step instructions for things like stone walls, and brick walkways. I dream in crushed gravel nowadays. . .

Planning the week’s meals: a spinach Gratin, maybe chicken crepes with mushroom sauce, definitely pork chops and sauteed cabbage, and something with fennel, my new favorite this spring. Or it could just get eaten up raw- I served it sliced paper thin and sprinkled with lots of lemon juice this weekend, and loved it!

Starting a new sewing project this week, and thinking of creating a sew-along for it.

And lastly, it’s time to fertilize my plant babies again, so it’s off to the garden I go!

Does anyone else feel like it’s the middle of summer suddenly? The weather here is so strange this year. . .

Friday Musings

Last year around this time it had been a record season for rain-

not so much this year, it’s bright and sunny today, due to hit the ‘80’s sometime later this weekend. Happy weekending!

Spring is almost here!

Spring is making her arrival in southern california, despite the tragedy happening around the world:

This sweet little girl was floating along down a stream out at Mission Trails last month. We haven’t made it back out there for a few weeks, but with more rain in the weather forecast for this weekend, we might just see some rivulets on our next walk.

Yup- she floated the whole way down this little stream! So quiet and peaceful, her morning errands done, she packed up her market basket and just floated home. I love watching nature unfold before us on days like that- no cell phone, no cars or traffic or chores. Just sunshine and fresh air.
A quiet moment for the disaster victims in Japan…