Miscellany and Musings - Recipe Fails and Surprises in the Mail

 

Hi everyone. Fourth of July was a looong weekend, wasn't it. After all these years my little midwestern girl's heart is amazed to sit on my deck and watch the BIG and small fireworks events over the ocean. This year there were again boat cruises and helicopter trips. I'd love to fly into the fireworks display, wouldn't you! google image

Today the Post office finally woke up again and delivered not one but two exciting packages!

One a box of flea market finds from my brother and sister in law [another post for them]---and, finally my winter quilt finishes are back from my quilter.

Oh so exciting, her skillful work brings my ideas to magical life. Separate post on these fun things later too.

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Yesterday my friend L and I made the long drive to Joann's Fabric store. It's quite far and the only fabric shop  near us [before you scoff and scorn].

Multiple different bridges, maybe an hour or so in mostly heavy traffic. These bridges are over the eastern bay and attract a lot of sport fishing boats.

We had heard so much about how JoAnn's is bankrupt and stores are closing. Big sales advertised online. There was the cutest Singer straight sewing/ extra machine on IG. $24.oo.  Bec I just know my current machine will go on the fritz anytime soon and Covid closed all the repair shops here. But no, and nothing seemed on sale either. Not a spool of cotton thread to be seen, just dual duty poly.

It was fun to see rows and rows of colorful fabric! But the store was a mess, a pet peeve of mine. 

The line to get fabric yardage cut was almost out the door. And they charged me 2.oo for a shopping bag, 99 cents at Home Goods.

I did get much needed graphed mylar, as I still often make templates both for applique and piecing. And cute beads for a collar for Mo and projects for little friends.

Elastic to fix my shorts which keep falling off. Not sure if I'm losing weight or if the old elastic in the LL Bean washed canvas standby shorts is just old and needs replacing.

Always have to buy a fat quarter or two. Blue for Noah's Ark animals, and pineapples just because, well, pineapples.

Mo's groomer gave him this beautiful bandanna last visit. I d love to make it into a pillow for summer beach vibes, even if no, it  doesn't ''go'' with my blue and white summer decor.

And my flyaway hair always needs fun clips and barrettes.

Listed as available on their website but not in the store were these wonderful retro Halloween prints! I wanted them for the backing of my Jackolantern project, but wanted to check the quality before buying.

Same print in pink, oooh.

And I need a couple little tables for my deck. These too were listed as in stock at the store, but none to be found. $19.99.

L got beautiful fleece to make nap blankets! In this heat! We were exhausted! It was hot at JoAnn's, away from the ocean, almost 90*. Mo says it's not the heat it's the humidity.

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Cooking: One night I left the burgers to defrost too long on the counter. Didn't dare eat them. And I made this recipe: a Thai slaw, w peanut sauce. https://www.saltandlavender.com/thai-chicken-salad-peanut-dressing/   Salt and Lavender Thai Peanut Slaw  [I made mine without chicken. And still--16 ingredients or more--that I had to buy specially for this project.] 

photo from website

I adore Thai peanut sauce noodles or salads! But---It was so nasty and disgusting. One of my worst fails ever. All those $$ ingredients! Hour spent chopping and mixing. Sooo disappointed. I must give the IG chef-poster credit bec when I posted a comment that the result was so bad, she did immediately contact me and extensively chatted, trying to help me figure out what went wrong. To no avail, though now I am wondering if the precut slaw mix had spoiled. I didn't taste it, just rinsed and used it. I really hate to throw out food! First the burgers, then the slaw. Too bad.

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Brief garden update: why are plants so slow?

Not my usual seed company? Humidity and lots of salt wind damage. Only the little marigolds have peeked out,

and the grand yellow coreopsis, on the second blooming.

They need yet another deadheading; and you can see that their foliage is very wind damaged and scraggly.

Have a great week!

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....

Fourth of July

 Happy Fourth of July

love

lizzy and Mo

June Ends, Welcome Summer!

 Hello, hello! June is almost over! And it was a pretty good June this year. We had some glorious late spring days, yesterday was spectacular.

After a self induced stressful doctor appointment yesterday , my friend and I got out for errands. Early in the day the town was sparkling [on the right], not busy or crowded at all. The bays were beautifully blue.

A stop at Trader Joe's for flowers and cheese, and ciabatta bread, theirs is the very best.

Tomatoes as a houseplant, how cute.

And these are the asparagus I've been complaining about all spring. Ick, thin and skinny, like grass, taste like weed whacker detritus. I got first [possibly local] yellow summer squash instead.

And hydrangeas, $2.00 a stem.

I think my friend should quit his day job, he can be a hydrangea millionaire.

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June Perpetual Nature Journal entries. These end the first book January through June. Next is Book 2 starts July 1.

[photo credit to Google image for lily of valley & lavender pics]

Looking through book two I am especially aware of how late my potted flowers are this year. Last year I had zinnias blooming by 4th of July. 

I'm very grateful for the self seeding early coreopsis.

Here is Mo on a warm breezy day.

Mo is not affectionate or heaven forbid [he says] cuddly, but he likes to be able to see me at all times. Pics taken from my desk chair. Big windows behind, now repaired. Dunes and ocean beyond.

Have a good weekend. Fireworks here tonight, how fun!

                                   cute retro quilt block idea?

love

lizzy

gone to the beach.....

on my picture roll, from the first bridge. Light must have changed?

summer beach, no crowds here...

Nature note: we saw red-winged blackbirds in the marshes and ospreys on their high poles and twiggy nests.

Every evening we see the learning-to-fly baby oystercatchers, three of them, with their patient mom.

And unusual, every evening, at 5.45, one cormorant flies from the north/ marsh to the beach and lands. Cormorants like marsh habitat, not seen on beaches. And he is so punctual!

Flocks of skimmers and arctic terns.