Dyeing update and Misfits delay

Wednesday was dyeing day. I rewound the cotton yarn to loosen it up, and checked my favorite plant dyeing book 

I needed to see if red onion skins need a mordant, no, then I simmered the skins for an hour to release the color 

Here's the yarn starting to take up color 

To keep the yarn underwater I put a mortar on top of it, heavy enough.

I'll leave the yarn in the dye at least 24 hours to get as much takeup as I can. Meanwhile I have to figure out what materials I'll use for the basket, preferably natural but we'll see.

I've labeled the seeds and stored them till planting time in the house in late March. Turns out the fiber on them doesn't affect germination, just as well since I can't get it off.

Meanwhile here's the chili and cornbread my neighbor brought over, while checking how I'm doing.   

It's mild and very good, quite a change from the fire alarm variety I use. So long since I had c and c, it was great. This is the artist contractor who's going to fix my bathroom. He's a man of many talents.

And Misfits has to postpone delivery till Friday because the storm has disrupted the food supply and transportation. So, no problem, there's food in the house.

And in case anyone is still using FB, here's what Z is up to. Censorship.

I'm currently reading the latest Osman, 

It's as entertaining as ever, same characters bit older, there's been a death and a marriage, and they're undaunted.

This week what with the news, the storm, the severe cold and the car issues, Gary scaring me (he's fine now), I've been struggling a bit. 

Most of my energy is going to resistance messaging and writing, rather than blogging. Bear with me, some questions are answered in the next blog post after you ask, some I don't have quite enough bandwidth for right now. But I do read and appreciate them all, thank you.

Happy day everyone, art will save us all. Now more than ever.

Chili, courtesy of good neighbor

The friend who helped lug bookcases about is also a great cook.

Texted me today did I like chili? he'd made a batch.

Showed up later with

Helping of chili and slice of fresh cornbread.  I'm blessed.

We have a food exchange going on, he samples my jams, pestos, breads.

I haven't had cornbread since I used to make it for my birds. They were mad for it. Half for them, half for me.

It was a human recipe, didn't have birdseed or anything in it, I used to explain to friends I offered it to. It's just one of the foods birds will fight you for. That and egg yolk.

Chili, chives and Cooper's hawk

Easy chili for lunch, from the freezer, and the first cutting of chives. They're the strongest tasting when they're early.

Checked on the mini greenhouse while I was out in search of chives, and the seedlings are starting to look like lettuce, little sawtooth leaves

Few minutes later, a Cooper's hawk settled in the tree nearby. No time for a pic. He groomed his feathers all blown about, brisk winds today, then left.