Textiles and Tea, tea on the patio, yogurt reveal

 I missed the live Textiles and Tea yesterday, because I was having a belated mother's day visit

Outside, lovely afternoon.

But I went online to find you a little something about the featured guest, still in her early 20s and already very accomplished. 

She uses her weaving art as a specific vehicie to express her queer life and experience. It's different from being gay and a weaver, which a lot of people are.

Here's what I found for you

Clearly a person to watch for.

Then this morning is the Great Yogurt Reveal

It's looking very good. I made it yesterday morning, so it's been fermenting for almost 24 hours, and evidently doing well. I used the last of the Nancy's yogurt as a starter. 

 I do like to have plenty of yogurt in the house, for all sorts of uses, baking, sauce, soup flavoring, and just eating as is.

Speaking of good food and good health, my doctor's nurse called yesterday with my lab results. She said here's the full message: everything's fine!  She kindly refrained from telling me I'm lucky. I find the more care I take, the luckier I get! 

Happy day everyone, be lucky, it pays!

 

Happy Mday, dove, dandelion and sage

Happy mother's day, if it applies. Mine will be celebrated Tuesday, since today's a work day for Handsome Son.

Meanwhile yesterday's cooking involved chutney, since I have no pickle related condiments in the house. Apple and raisin, with onions, vinegar, ginger, lemons, cinnamon, apple juice 

Apples cooking down while jars sterilize in boiling water in the background

Raisins added in with cane sugar, lemons, cinnamon, to cook down slowly till thick 

And final product. I'll try it in about a week, after it's blended. This will be good with curried fish, or cheese sandwiches, or practically anything that needs a condiment.

And while I had the raisins out, being all out of breadesque food, I made a batch of walnut raisin scone things, nice for breakfast

Also for a snack for Handsome Son's Tuesday visit.

This morning's dove sighting, nearly vanished under henbit

The potatoes doing well, and the sage starting to flower

While I was picturing the dove, I picked a handful of greens. Probably a bit bitter for salad, but they'll work in today's fish sauce.

Surprising how much cooking I seem to need, always at it. I wonder what other people do? Maybe eat out, or buy prepared food or something, I dunno, but they don't seem to be always in the kitchen. Maybe they're more efficient cooks, too, though, there's always that.

Happy day everyone! Enjoy whatever's cooking chez vous, in any sense.

Bougie sweatshirts, and other marvels including curry leaf plants

 Yesterday's knitting group was a lovely big meeting, well, big for this group --  eight people. And here are a couple of marvels

Bougie sweatshirt is Serena's pattern, and there's all that's left of the yarn on the right there. I think there should be a Yarn Chicken Award for this.

and look at this amazing yarnover pattern, looping back and forward over the surface, Sandy at it again. She makes wonderful stitch patterning in solid colors.

Note that all knits I show are works in progress, not yet finished nor blocked. Even so, you can see the skills. There was an embroiderer there at work, too, but no pic, also other projects you've seen before. And my inevitable sock.

It's always a great discussion ranging this week from Long Covid to groundhogs, birth order, grandchildren, complete with latest pictures, book club choices, Misfits market, passports, Italy, underage children's id issues, public gardens in NJ. And more.

Speaking of gardens, following on Jeanie's comment about my new curry leaf plant, she mentioned her one-time curry plant which looked different, more like rosemary. So I checked and found this.

Here's her curry plant, I think 

And here's my curry leaf plant 

They're different, but both aromatic and good for flavor in cooking. 

And they're herbs, not spices. They're not related to curry powder, which is a mixture of ground spices, not herbs. 

I've been there a number of times with people who say oh, but I don't like curry when I talk about how good the curry leaf is for flavor. I don't know how the names came about but i don't use curry leaves in making curry!

Jeanie, thank you for raising an interesting little byway for me to wander down.

Then today the ever patient Dove Parent

Buried deeper and deeper, probably hoping the chicks will soon peep.

Coming back in to report on the home-made laundry detergent, which I used yesterday. It's great, cleaned very well and colors came up bright, clearly residue of earlier detergents had been removed, too. And I made a gallon, which will last ages, at one cup per load. So I can recommend it.

Happy day everyone, happy mother's day tomorrow, if it's celebrated where you are. Handsome Son is working, as usual on a Sunday, but I expect I'll hear from him.

Enjoy your day and remember you don't have to have your own human children to be a Mom! There's honorary Moms, too, to people and pets and wildlife. Here's Billy the Grandpup.

 

Happy Strong Women's Day!

You don't have to be a bio Mom, or even female, to celebrate strong women, to take care of each other,  all the qualities mother's day celebrates.

So go for it!

Yesterday's curried cauliflower soup turned out well

Just as well, since the storm is still stuck overhead, it likes it here.  Handsome Son took 45 minutes to get home last night, normal 10 minute drive when there aren't flood detours.

And, the weather is suited to knitting, too, here's Sock One of Pair Twelve of the Sock Ministry. 

I reversed the sock because the inside worked well. These are reversible socks, both sides interesting. I'll do the finishing so the weaving in is unobtrusive.

As soon as Sock Two is done, I'll ship off the current set of four socks. 

And here's Zelenskyy, with the last word