Aren’t they beautiful? Here are the same green tomatoes with my thumb, for scale.
I’m growing “patio” tomatoes, with an average fruit size of 1-inch. I’m not a cherry tomato lover as much as a big honking slice of giant tomato lover, but I figured these plants would do better in the containers. And I guess I was right because there are tons of little green tomatoes, and the plants are still putting out blooms!
Chamomile continues, albeit slowly. I don’t know if I’ll actually get flowers out of it but what the heck. And with the recent heat, the lettuce bolted like it was fugitive from the law. No bitter lettuce allowed! I planted some rosemary instead.
Finally, one more gratuitous tomato picture:
Posted in Blather | 2 Comments »
I assume you are well-acquainted with my obsession admiration of the Yarn Harlot. And you probably remember how heart-broken I was to miss her local appearance yet again. But a friend pointed me to the Free Library podcast* series, and so I was able to listen to Stephanie Pearl-McPhee’s talk yesterday. Not as good as being there, but close enough.
*If you are not fussed about knitting, check out the series anyway. Andre Dubus III, anyone?
Posted in Blather, Creativity | 2 Comments »
My continuing obsession with gardening and vegetables and being all local foody keeps me glued to Finny’s blog. If she cooks it, I want it. The latest? Swiss chard.
I’ve actually never eaten Swiss chard before, and I assumed it was very bitter and spinachy. I don’t like spinach. But Finny is cooking it, so I was up to try. I chose her Easy Chard Thing recipe, but had to make some critical changes. Let’s cook, shall we?
First, you saute the chard stalks in olive oil with some garlic until the stalks are soft.
Then Finny says to add Trader Giotto’s Gorgonzola Gnocchi and cook for five minutes. I - being unable to drive to Trader Joe’s - was forced to substitute regular ricotta gnocchi from my freezer.
After the gnocchi is all melty, you add the chard leaves and cook until it is reduced and wilted. My gnocchi, however, not being the proper gnocchi, did not get melty. So I waited until it seemed cooked through and added the chard leaves.
And that’s it! You just eat it. I was pretty psyched, this being all easy and everything. Sadly, it turns out that my little substitution of regular gnocchi was a HUGE ASS MISTAKE. It didn’t taste bad, exactly. The chard was certainly not bitter or spinachy, and was actually pleasantly green tasting. But the dish was just dry and kinda boring. Take my advice and follow Finny’s instructions to the letter. Personally, I think I’ll start with this. And I’ll definitely eat chard again, once I get the proper gnocchi.
Posted in Blather | 2 Comments »
My first salad! I grew it! (Well, the lettuce part. The tomatoes came from the store.)
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This is how much knitting I knit during a 9 hour emergency room wait.
These are the flowers Eliza sent in the wake of the emergency room visit.
Mr. Tumblyday had a kidney stone last week, necessitating two trips to the ER, several nights in the hospital, outpatient surgery, and a fair amount of misery. The Emergency Knitting Bag turned out to be a tremendous asset (just grab and go) and you can find one here. But beware, in case having an Emergency Knitting Bag makes it more likely that you will need an Emergency Knitting Bag.
But thankfully, Mr. Tumblyday is doing better now.
Posted in Health, Loved Ones | 4 Comments »
Are you having a dull moment? Can I borrow it? Just for a little while, honest. I would like to have a week without any stress, troubles, or difficulties. Can you help a girl out?
Posted in Health, Loved Ones | 3 Comments »
I am driven to tears by what I hear on Bill Moyers’ Journal. The gap between the rich and the poor, the fall in workers’ wages, the government’s latest plans to spy on Americans . . . why are we not in the streets? Why are we letting this happen?
Because we are. We are allowing this to happen. And I fear the consequences that will follow, both for our country and its citizens.
Posted in Beliefs | No Comments »
My knitting friends came through in a big way for the Botswana project. Our final tally:
3 pairs mittens
2 pairs socks
1 pair slippers
5 washcloths
12 scarves
4 baby sweaters
20 baby hats
11 large hats
26 blankets
You can see the collection of all 84 gifts here. To all of you who donated: thank you. I am overwhelmed by your generosity.
Posted in Beliefs, Creativity | 2 Comments »
My beloved friend Kathy turned 40 last month. Kathy and I have been friends since she sat down next to me before a Criminal Law class and struck up a conversation. Together we survived law school and the bar exam (ginger ale and saltines are a girl’s best friend), a cross country trip (I saw her driving close to 100 mph although she denies it), and the births of her two sons and their subsequent adventures in boyhood (stress balls? seriously?). I cherish her friendship, so it seemed only right that I make something special for her birthday.
When I asked, her husband suggested a blanky. So a blanky it was. This is the Catherine Wheel pattern from Scrapmania. I used different color scraps for the small squares, but unified the blocks with a single background fabric and coordinating borders.
I did not quilt the piece myself, but found a wonderful local artist who could. She selected a wreath pattern for the blocks and a coordinating wave for the borders. After she finished, I turned and hand-stitched the binding myself.
I thought about putting Kathy’s name on the quilt to make sure the kids don’t co-opt it. She assured me today that there would be no co-opting. Kathy understands the energy that goes into making something like this, and I hope she will feel special every time she catches a quick nap on the couch. Happy Birthday, old friend.
Posted in Creativity, Loved Ones | 3 Comments »
I have lettuce!!!! But it looked awful crowded to me, so I thinned it on Saturday.
Did I thin enough? I have no idea what I’m doing. But I do have the beginnings of tomatoes!!!!
Posted in Blather | 5 Comments »
