Sunshine, puppies, curry joy

Today has been a series of fun things to do. The morning weaving is coming along fine, more than halfway up the panel and my skills improving as I go. This evening I'll spin, and maybe knit.

Then the latest paparazzi shot of Mrs Dove

And nature notes on the solitary cactus flower 

Later this morning I made the chicken curry. 

I used butter, olive and avocado oil to cook the onions, added after first cooking the Bill Veach Curry Powder #1 till it smelled heavenly, technical term. 

Then I added in the chicken, chopped almonds, salt and pepper, turned them over a few times before adding chicken stock. After everything was cooked, about a cup of coconut milk, to simmer a while, till I made sure the rice was ready. 

When I used to make this for Handsome Partner, the curry and rice was only the bit in the middle of the plate. 

I also made side dishes, such as bacon,  fried crisp and crumbled, banana slices in lemon juice, raisins fattened up in hot water, figs in syrup, and more,  and always Major Grey's Mango Chutney.

Eaten Bill Veach style, you put helpings of whatever dishes you liked, we liked all of them, around the margin of your plate, then filled the spoon with a different combo of rice, curry and extras each time. And I used to make the coconut milk from a raw coconut I grated and squeezed through a cheesecloth. Yes, very extra!

I wasn't up to that today, hence the can of coconut milk, but I did have some lovely moist dried apricots and some dried cranberries which filled the extra requirements nicely.

The coconut milk gives a lovely velvety finish and though it's a spicy dish, it's mellow too. And there's enough for tomorrow. 

The rest of the coconut milk is in the freezer for next time I make a curry.

There was an online presentation on ikat weaving which I'll show you tomorrow, editing galore still needed.

Then Gary needed to be out without Billy the Pup, would I just check on him? Would I? I spent most of the afternoon with him, next door. 

I couldn't bring him to my patio, because the last thing Mrs Dove needs is a hyperactive puppy around.  So we played at Gary's, and Billy eventually calmed down enough to sit and be held and watch clouds and birds and anything that moved, and run away with his tug.  

Nice afternoon. L'apres midi d'un petit chien chaud. Warm puppy time.

Now I need to sit down a bit, with my new tray in action

Today's special events:

My township's observance of Founders' Day. Though NJ was one of the original colonies, half the signers of the D being buried around here, my town wasn't founded till 1919, brand new, really.

Also it's the Trenton AKC Dog Show in a local park. It's a cool one if you're interested in the dog world because it's one of the must stops for handlers and dogs qualifying for Westminster, the big one. So you see a huge range of breeds and,  even more entertaining, owners. 

Nothing else of note.. to me, anyway:)

Never a dull moment. Happy day everyone, enjoy your day, I definitely am.

Indian food, genuine and other, Black Women's History Month, and Socks ahoy

 Last evening Gary came over to give me these

Still hot, from his neighbors on the other side. They're Indian food, and i can't remember the name, like soft fried doughnuts in shape, but very spicy. 

He tried one, decided they were more my taste,  brought them over, and I asked if he'd like a swap. Whereupon I whipped out of the freezer the container of brownies I'd saved for him until the next opportunity to give them -- I was thinking Valentine's for his grandchildren -- and he was totally happy with the exchange.

We also found that since yesterday my front hall ceiling light has died. It's an LED, can't replace the built-in bulbs, just the whole fixture. We're thinking of reverting to an old fashioned one where you can change the bulbs.

He's off Friday for the Superbowl, not that his team is in it, then a couple of weeks' moseying around Arizona and, if I know him, looking up old girlfriends! 

I'm like an honorary mom to him, so I'm not supposed to know that.. and we had a discussion of football teams, basketball teams and baseball teams. 

All I know about these sports is what I've heard from Handsome Son, so it stood me in good stead. Nice catch-up about neighbors,  dogs and other pressing news items.

Anyway he'll install a new light if I have it before he goes, otherwise it'll be a couple of weeks. Not a vital area, though, it can wait till I figure out what to do.

Since I'm waiting for the arrival of the roving to spin to get on with the current gloves, those needles are occupied, so I started a pair of socks on the smaller needles

This is that self patterning yarn. I do like doing toe-up socks, and, depending on when the roving shows up, I may send off this pair of socks plus the two finished pairs of gloves.

It's a very good feeling working with sock yarn on smaller needles, centering.

And here's a shout-out to black women for Black History Month, far too short a period, but anyway

About Indian food and Misfits, the hot deep fried thingies, if anyone knows the name please remind me, anyway they put me in the mood for spicy.

So today was a nice chicken curry over jasmine rice cooked with chopped walnuts. 

I used my homemade mix, Bill Veach's curry powder, and plenty of onions and garlic, finished with whole milk 

Enough for another dinner tomorrow. And very good too, though I didn't bother with fancy side dishes and I don't have any chutney, but never mind. It was Good Enough.

And for all the puzzlers most of whom seem to have been right on it, the nine letter word with GPL right in the middle was

GANGPLANK

Happy evening everyone, and I hope your day's been Good Enough.