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Church sale finds : cherry pitters

The addition of cherries and some Dutch cocoa  to my morning smoothie turns it into a black forest delight.

The last time I bought fresh cherries I discovered that the only cherry pitter I had was awful  -  it seemed to be avoiding the pits rather than finding them and popping them out!  I ended up on a sort of squish and search mission because I did not want my blender - or my teeth - to encounter pits.

So when I found these pitters at a recent church sale I bought them both because this style is what has worked well in the past.

Cherries were $6.99 a pound in the store today so these pitters remain untested.

Take a look at the top one.  It looks hand-crafted and this was its appeal.  It reminds me of villages where craftsmen sit on the ground in open markets and make such wares copying the machine-made ones.  Where you can watch the process and see who made it and what was done and how it was done and likely with your interest be shown the pride of workmanship involved.  And buy the item and bring home the value of meaning behind an object.

I can only imagine all this but when I see the pitter, when I use it,  I will think of who made it and where and how.....  

Cutouts : scarf and vest

Grandson Orion has been taking paper,  folding it randomly,  cutting it into pieces,  unfolding the cut pieces.  Some very interesting shapes are revealed and there is  great fun in interpreting them.

This led me to wonder how paper cutouts would translate in fabric.

Denim was decided upon for its density and this scarf was the first attempt.

Wanting to have the shapes immersed  in the garment was a challenge and this vest is a work in progress.

I am intrigued at how one tends to see the space between the intended figures first;  would this reverse with light on dark instead of dark on light as in the vest over the  coatlet?

It is possible to do fine cuts on the single layer once the fabric is unfolded and so not have to be so precise on the cutting through several layers.

More playing is needed .......

Fibre archeology ; seamed nylons

The local flea market has now gone weekly and I had had a good browse and was on my way out without having found anything when I spotted a small basket with  a "vintage nylons" sign.  They were new and each in a sealed package.  One pair said it was "seamed".  That caught my interest;  I can't recall when I have last seen nylons with seams. 

Come to think of it - what an interesting thing;  I don't think seams meant they were sewn together there - was it not surface  decoration?  And I wonder who came up with the idea.

They certainly brought back memories.  It is likely close to fifty years since I have worn nylons but I have a vague memory of twisting head back to make sure seams were still straight.

They were washed in the bathroom sink each night and hung to dry over the towel rack and if they had become mud splashed during the day they could be rinsed out and shaken dry enough to be put back on.

They seem so fragile;  I drew one over my hand so carefully but they were quite sturdy, actually.

Runs could be stopped, if caught at the hole stage, with a dab of nail polish.

Scrunch scarf ; quick and easy

A continuing fascination with fleece material - it is light and warm and rain and wind resistant and some is now being made from recycled pop cans - led to these scarves. 

A length of fleece was taken and stitched up the center  with long running stitches and then those stitches were gathered.  That, basically, is it.

Different effects can be obtained by varying the amount of gathering either all the way along the length  or in sections.  I  loosened up around the middle of the length where it goes around the neck and then made it tighter near one end which gave more weight there and thus a nice drape and hang when looped in a half knot with the other end.

 

A shorter version gives a collar effect and teamed with a collar-less coat makes for options in changeable weather  (such as Victoria's "...wait twenty minutes...." )  and changeable seasons.

I imagine running the stitches closer to one side and not down the middle would make an interesting difference but I haven't played around with that yet. 

Seven years a'blogging.

This was the first blog back in 2003.

Computers,  the Internet amazed me then and continue to astound me. 

I continue to poke around and stumble on new things.  The latest epiphany:  I knew that blue text meant I could click on the word(s) and be taken to a site.  In conversation with Middle Son about how to easily access the archives of my blog without having to backtrack post by post from the last one listed in the side bar  I was alerted to fact that I could click on the word Archives in the sidebar (in spite of it not being in blue!) and have a list of past  posts pop up.  This may seem trivial and maybe a bit silly but it was huge for me.  As assumptions being shaken from their assumed horizons usually are!

PS  Later, while looking at the blog,  I looked at that word  Archives again,  gave a bit of a squint and peered closer.   Oh lord -  I think it is in a sort of subdued blue.  Sigh and chuckle.

The last frontier - us; explorations on the journey of s/Self.

When conscious focus on the now brings about the natural-state attention to the present moment then relief and relaxation happen:  the worry and scurry of the past and the future vanish, for the moment;  the experience remains awaiting repetition.

Irish soda bread; hey, Edna .........

Sometimes when I make her soda bread and want to tell her that I have and who is coming for tea and that I have added caraway seeds to it again and listen to her likely tell me that she has added caraway  in the past and  have I also  tried this or that  - I forget that Edna Staebler is no longer accessible by phone at her home Sunfish in Waterloo, Ontario.

But I feel my 'call' has been re-routed.

It requires the simplest of ingredients and satisfying construction - kneading always brings that about - and is ready in under an hour.  Oh, okay, you have to let it cool a bit before you can cut it and eat it - so add another fifteen minutes or so and 'feast' on the fragrance while you wait.  It freezes beautifully (I cut it into slices first, freeze these on a baking sheet and then put into a plastic bag) and in a toaster or toaster oven it comes out as if just baked.  A good Irish cheddar and some thick cut orange marmalade are favourite accompaniments with a green tea/lapsang souchong tea in a 80/20 ratio.

Thank you,  Edna.

Early morning stroll ... orange peel ... miner's lettuce ....

Was this some sort of modern day divination practice?   Someone getting rid of the coat of an orange?  A new form of tagging?  The  pattern caused me to pause and wonder.

New growth on a butterfly bush brought to mind a tandem bicycle.

The miner's lettuce patch on the road to the Bagel Factory has started its sprawl.  I snacked a bit.

And pulled up a small clump to bring home and let loose in my garden.

The piece of art/driftwood that made its way from the ocean to this garden many months ago had its essence brought out by the recent rain and it got another bout of admiration.  It is quite beautiful in sun as well. 

These were seen on the next day's walk.

Snowdrops!

Homemade yogurt .... simple and quick ....decluttering the diet.

And it tastes great;  there is also the  kind of multi-level satisfaction that comes from using only basic ingredients and making it yourself:  decluttering the diet in the sense of what we put into our body.

To make two cups of yogurt put two cups of milk in a saucepan and bring it almost to the boil - this is the hardest part - you have to watch it;  when  bubbles appear and increase  around the edges and the middle begins to look like it is forming a skin and then the bubbles look like they are going  to make a mad dash up and over the side of the pan - take the pan off the stove.  Quickly.

Now set a timer for twenty minutes.  When it rings put your  finger in the milk - it should feel hot with a bit of a bite but not so hot that you yell "ouch".  If you yell, wait a minute or two more and test again.  I have never had it be too cool so I have no idea what to do should this happen - heat it up again, I suppose.

During those twenty minutes get out an insulated jug that will hold two cups and put some hot water in it to warm it up.  Around the end of the twenty minutes pour out this water and  put two tablespoons of plain yogurt into the jug;  store bought yogurt will do for the first time;  after that use the yogurt you have made.  Next pour the milk-with-a-bite into the jug over the yogurt and give it a quick stir.  Put the lid on the jug.

Leave it for twelve hours at room temperature.  You are not supposed to disturb it during this time;  I guess that means no peeking or more likely no moving.  If you happen to want to test this admonition and give the jug a nudge or open it up and peer inside, let me know what happens.

Started at  supper time by breakfast you will have a batch of pretty decent yogurt to put with your granola or in your smoothie or over some fruit.

Fat Mom

This book is available  with complete free access at Google Books.  Thanks again, Google!