Happy equinox and seasonal events

 

Sandy Boynton's inclusive equinoctial greeting to everyone!

Yesterday around here was about bringing in plants before the forecast storm, including the ficus, which I wrangled myself, nobody available to help. But she hadn't put down big roots this year, so I didn't have to saw through them. She fell on me a time or two, but we came to an understanding.

The coleus and begonia also came in, and, in the kitchen, the Thai basil and Italian basil are now hung in the window near the  food action.

Outside I grouped the chairs,  stacked, and the folded lounger, under the butterfly bush, which you see through the patio window,  against the high winds and rain

Then I got busy with storm prep chili, from the World Central Kitchen cookbook, highly recommended.

I subbed ground turkey for their beef, leeks for their scallions and long pepper for their black, because it's related and much better flavor, and cannellini, aka white kidney beans, for their red kbs. Otherwise I pretty much followed their recipe, the family size, not the mass size they give for all their recipes,  for hundreds.

Anyway it is really good. I can't remember the last time I made chili. It was one of my American epiphanies, when, that first winter in Wisconsin, a  new friend took me to Rennebohms Drugstore, in Madison, on the main street,  for their lunch counter chili, first I'd ever had. A flourish of trumpets with the first lovely taste!

It seems as if our HOA is in tune, too, in their latest email about storm prep, which arrived after I'd made mine

 Speaking of food, I really owe you all who comment with info, because I learn something new all the time from you. Here's a bit of information on the golden berries, after F.  gave us the botanical name and Chris confirmed it.

Happy day everyone, take care if, like your humble blogger, you're in the path of the storm. Make chili, move furniture, whatever floats your boat.

Wild Thursday, friends and freecycling

Yesterday was all about parcels on the step, misfits arriving, and general post activity on the front step.

Almost all the books, several parcels, were picked up yesterday from the step by happy free cyclers, in the middle of which the misfits box arrived, barely room to fit in, and Gary came hurtling over to collect his ice packs, he always likes to have them from the coolpack,  and carry the box indoors for me. Hence no outdoor picture.

But here's the bigger than usual haul

I'm trying cacao for cocoa, and I think it's the same thing. I often make cocoa in the evening, sometimes make a chocolate cake. And then there's the beauty of some of the food, like this bowl where I put the blueberries with the golden berries.

Golden berries are new to me, introduced to them by Misfits, and I like them. They're related to tomatillos, and are sweet-to-savory in taste. They're also packed with vitamin C, which those of us allergic to orange juice are glad to know.

The influx of beans is related to a plan for firemen's chili from the newly arrived WCK cookbook. This weekend being forecast as stormy, is a good time to make and eat it.

And in the middle of all this, my tea delivery happened

Complete with complimentary teabags, which are usually decaffeinated and go to Handsome Son.

Then my artist contractor friend came over for first look at the artworks I'm free cycling

He sometimes gets frames from me, but this time didn't need anything. We had a lovely convo instead about furniture he got from me in the past and spruced up as only he can, Globe Wernicke bachelor bookcases, which had run their course with me. 

He also showed me pictures of the completed mancala boards, now delivered to  the uni for presentation to big donors, beautiful woods. And we discussed my current applique wallhanging, his input really good.  

He noticed my surface for organizing current stitching is the library table he handmade long ago and passed on in its turn, very happy about seeing it in use. And we paid our respects, as every time he visits, to the beautiful mahogany mantelpiece he designed and installed. 

We also talked about my new furniture moving plans, which he likes, agreeing that these houses, he lives in one, are quite rigid in design, not many choices of arrangements because of the traffic patterns. 

Busy social day, all in all, getting things accomplished before the weekend's stormy forecast. I'm wondering whether to bring in the ficus today, too, before it gets waterlogged. It's about the time of year I usually do, nights getting cooler. We'll see..

After he departed, I listed the artworks on free cycle and had a taker in a few minutes, so they'll be gone this morning. 

Happy day everyone, enjoy doing whatever's in your plans, or whatever comes at you unexpectedly, as things tend to do.

And here's a puzzle

One thing in, several out, ficus, Freecycle, Fiona

Yesterday was the Bringing in of The Ficus, now a bit over eight feet tall and almost fifty years old.

As usual I had to cut the taproot she'd put down over the summer, and a lot of hair roots, before she let go. 

Also as usual she came right out of the pot like a kid dragging her feet and leaving her boot behind.

But this was good because I was able to brush off some earth, then, once indoors and back in her pot and saucer, I added in new soil and watered it down.

And now she's all what kept you, been waiting to get in with my friends.

Reunion party last evening.

Some of the friends have left via Freecycle, while the weather is still warm enough to travel.

I started all of these from cuttings and rootings from the parent plants which I still have. 

No lack of takers including people who didn't read the entry and asked what they were! And would I split them up, yes, of course, but you need to tell me when you'll come, I'm not getting into a penpal correspondence about it.

But I'm nice to plant fans because I feel they're kindred spirits. And now I know it's easy to pass on extras via Freecycle.

While I was at it, I moved on some chairs I've had around unused for ages, 

I made the entry late last night and woke this morning to someone who wants to come by any minute. So I got up promptly to lug them outside onto the step,  where the last of the houseplants await pickup this morning too. 

The step's getting a bit crowded.

Yesterday was a day of finally getting things done. I baked bread now there's no need to think twice about heating up the kitchen

Oatmeal and wholewheat, very sturdy and artisanal, and ready for that Vermont butter and Vermont sharp cheddar you see in the picture.

I'm very concerned for Marie, our blogger friend on Prince Edward Island, and hoping she  and family managed to get through Fiona intact. It was a big hit on coastal Eastern Canada.

Thankful for a quiet day here and wishing you all a happy day everyone.

Photo AC 

Knitters ahoy! And reading, with junk food for thought

Yesterday was a great knitting group, a full house, with work like this

Beautiful, no? S is a great knitter. Someone pointed out that you could tell who was knitting what, from the color choices which they'd dressed in, too. 

S was wearing an outfit in the warm mellow shades of the foreground hat, M in the blues and greys of the shawl she's working on, and I was in bright green and toned in with the current socks. 

At home, a sleepless night made me glad of junk reading, like this hugely enjoyable box o' gossip

Earlier, in contrasting,  I'd read this really serious examination of the history of monarchy as a concept and whether it has a future, very well written with the inside information of a reporter now free to write what his paper was obliged to suppress at the time. Not gossip, serious consideration of the concepts.

And here's the current book group selection

She wrote the Olive Kitteridge books, and I keep on thinking that's the writer, forgetting the actual writers name. This one promises to be as episodic and provocative and touching as earlier books featuring the main character here,  Lucy Barton. 

Yesterday on the way to the knitting group, I saw a double crested cormorant at the lake, sitting on a fallen tree snag, wings held out to dry in the sun. No place safe to pull over for a picture, but here's the pose

They're fishing birds, whose wings are not waterproof, because they dive and need  to be not too buoyant, or they wouldn't be able to stay under water to hunt. So when they surface,  they have to dry out like this.

They look primitive, like dinosaurs, which I guess they are.

Happy day everyone, today's plans include bringing in the ficus, the nights getting chilly now, sorting out the houseplants with a view to Freecycling duplicates, likewise  a few other household items, and a bit of urgent food shopping. If I get the current jigsaw puzzle completed, nearly there, I'll Freecycle it, share the wealth.

Doing pretty well at the moment, the knitting group being a great timely infusion of good company. 

May all your company be good today!

 

 

Another storm on the way

 This is our current situation

That dark green bit around the middle is me. The wind has already got up, tearing out and throwing down the ficus tree which had put down new roots after being displaced once by the benighted fence situation. Tore most of the roots. 

So, since I usually bring her in around early October, I thought I may as well do it now before she has to weather another storm. 

Not easy to wrangle an eight foot tree  singlehanded,  across the patio, over the doorstep, past the screen door and storm door, and the curtains and other houseplants.  Even more fun in a high wind which nearly tore out my own roots a time or two. 

I did get the roots clipped, then remembered the saucer in the storage area, to set it in. Ran across the house, out the front door, to retrieve it.  Pausing only to clout a lantern fly which was strolling about the front screen door, using my handy clippers to flatten it, beautiful but a serious food pest, I reunited tree and saucer.

Hitched it, tree not saucer, to the screws in the wall which keep it upright since it's gone more lopsided with age, haven't we all, and here she is.

Lights on in her honor. She's about fifty years old at this point, eight feet tall, brushing the ceiling. Doesn't owe anyone anything. I hope she hasn't brought any wildlife in with her. I often find a little frog or toad hitchhiker in the fall. 

This wasn't how I originally planned today. I thought I'd be gently humming and sewing, gathering the skirt. Not panting and snarling and hauling and shoving and heaving a tree. 

When I've recovered, I might get to sewing. After I've prepped the veggies I had to shop for, before the storm, which Misfits failed to send, the veggies, not the storm. But who's counting.

After a contretemps like this I'm always profoundly grateful I can still do this labor anyway. So there's that.

I don't care what you print as long as you get my name right

Today I had a HASfit workout planned, but plant moving happened instead, thanks to Chris for suggesting this lugging about and lifting and puffing is a good substitute.

Soooo I found myself at the sink. No matter where a lady's ambition takes her, sooner or later she's at a sink.

 Today it was about retrieving the giant saucer for the ficus, and realizing I needed to scrub off a year's detritus before bringing it into the house.

Then came the surgery on what I now realize is the dieffenbachia, always call it dracaena, sorry.  This involved finding out the plant saucers were also desperately in need of scrubbing. So that happened.

Now, this looks savage but is a way I've successfully restarted leggy, failing dieffenbachia plants. This one had reached over five feet tall, outgrowing its strength and my patience.

Last time the stump sent up a lovely big new plant, which is the one I'm now cutting back. Then the top, like this

also developed into a healthy plant which now lives next door. The center several feet of stem went nowhere, so this time I just tossed it out into the trees to rot down and feed the earth.

So now I have two going and a third,a little offshoot I potted up a while back and it hasn't decided whether to grow yet or just sit there defiantly. No, I don't use rooting hormone. Never have, and plants still seem to germinate. I think it's one of those nice but not necessary touches publicized by the Rooting Hormone Board.

That freed up the wallhook situation so I brought in the ficus.  And, after a bit of combat, with her swerving about trying to escape, and sticking twigs in my face, got her secured more or less in place.

Then I shook the rugs, swept the deck, and declared the area winterized. Before I remembered I still have to drain and turn off the water to the outside faucet.

This involves charging up and down a flight of stairs like a piston rod, getting the upstairs valve,great house design, fully off, the downstairs tap open, but not dripping, ha! and the eerie groaning noises it makes while it's still not.quite.off, silenced. 

Not up to it today.  That can take the place of HASfit next time.

Sign of Fall

The ficus tree, very healthy, plenty of leaves, in contrast to the failing tree that went to camp on the patio in May, is back in the living room.  She did not want to come in, scratched me, fell on my head, but I finally wrestled her in and into the giant saucer. After disentangling the drapes she'd clutched on the way in.

The reason she does so well outside is that she puts roots through the bottom of the pot into the earth, and pretends she's a wild daring outdoor tree. Then I have to cut them to bring her in and she does fine over the winter, but starts to fail toward spring, when she goes outside again.

As you see, she's brushing the ceiling now. I've root pruned her twice over the forty-odd years I've had her, since she was a little sprig of a tree perched on the back seat of my car coming home from the shop.

So that's done for the season.