Gone To The Beach

Friday, April 22, 2022

Earth Day

Happy Earth Day: reuse/ recycle/ sustain....

This is my current ''reuse'' project. I have a friend who is always growing scallions in her kitchen window. So when I had this very root-y Vidalia sweet onion on my cutting board awhile ago decided I'd try re-growing onions.

It is trying so hard. I hope the weather stays warm enough for me to plant it outdoors this weekend.

What is your go to Save the Planet gesture? Pick up trash? Inveterate recycler? No plastic bags!-ever? Reuse the bathwater for the garden....

Enjoy the spring weekend!

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....

from a friend this morning:

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

Mid-April Miscellany

Post Easter round up. My holiday was quiet, just Mo and me, as family members had exciting post-Covid opportunities to travel again. How could I say no? And then a self invited guest, expected Sunday [rushed to clean and prep], cancelled last minute. I don't really mind either way, though with so many people saying they do not bother to decorate, I felt a bit stupid, with all my treasures on display. Thanks to everyone for your comments and good wishes, I will catch up prob tomorrow, Tuesday.

On Friday I met my best friend L for a fast Home Goods Easter basket [Mo] run.

Mo needed a new bed! He is not liking it so much yet. I hope it doesn't upset his tummy, as he chewed it quite a lot and was unimpressed by its ''Cozy Calm" hype.

And he got treats from the Easter Bunny, plus a visit by a young friend who walks him on weekend mornings, who also brought the special gift of her boyfriend's presence. Mo adores new young active friends, so it made me feel good to provide this treat.

I got myself a few Easter basket treats too, why not!

Markers for my art experiments. Not quite what I expected them to do. I thought they would dissolve and blend like my watercolor pencils do? Huh. No.

And a little box for the finished paintings, gotta have a special box.

Trail mix and a pretty outdoor tablecloth for my deck table.

The stripe goes with new striped umbrella!

For planned/ cancelled Easter dinner I made pork tenderloin with whole roasted garlic heads recipe here,* white wine gravy, and a Martha Stewart new-recipe-tryout: potato-asparagus gratin, made with goat cheese. *[bake the roast MUCH longer than recipes says! and at lower temp.]

recipe:here

Not very pretty Not very tasty. But leftovers are a Good Thing, especially with a storm now on its way.

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Easter eggs: after years of friend Mel talking about natural dyeing of eggs and fabric I decided that this year, home alone, I would try using purple cabbage leaves and vinegar.

The dye is supposed to create bright blue eggs...like this? Not that!

After 12 hours in the pan, the eggs did turn mottled blue-green.

Oddly, even though the drips that fell on the floor turned turquoise,

or as it's erroneously now called TEAL, with splotches on my white tiles, the test paper towel came out palest lavender.

And the pale beige linen piece, left overnight, turned ugly grey-purple nothing. Though--- rewashed and ironed it may make pretty lavender hearts, who knows, perfect for the minimalist who loves drab and dull grey things?

Last, what do I do with half a head of purple cabbage? Make slaw? I have never that I recall eaten red cabbage cooked, any ideas? I feel like my mom make it sweet/ sour when she made sauerbraten and potato dumplings once a year. I hated sauerbraten, all that ginger and vinegar and spice..too complex for a child; she probably made me an omelet or something instead. So: red cabbage. HERE I'd add caraway seed, fennel seeds.

Traditional German Sauerbraten Should have juniper berries too. And sweet paprika? Do not sub wine for the vinegar; do NOT omit ground up gingersnap cookies. Add sour cream dollop to each plate of meat and gravy.

or Asian cabbage slaw

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I had planned my @roomportraitclub painting session for Sunday, then scrambled to do it Saturday night before the unexpected company came Sunday.

I took a lot of care working on the fairly complex challenge picture, within my 2" x 3" parameters. Then again someone painted an entire room on a teabag, so who am I to moan,lol.

And, just for posterity, the earlier in the week,computer generated doodle of the same view..

and the scribble I drew on.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CcIzhe_I7aa/

This week's challenge also has tulips [and real bunnies and chickens!?], so I get to try again.

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Tonight we are having a full moon spring storm, a nor'easter. And it is quite cold, though no snow as some of you had.

love,

lizzy

gone to the beach....

This weird cloud rolled in Saturday just before sunset. It was huge---Jersey Shore to Montauk and beyond. Especially odd as the rest of the sky was beautifully blue with a few pretty spring wisps of angel clouds, tinted shell pink and gold.

And from the west coast, some wonderful Easter neighborhood pics from blog friend Kel..

Thursday, April 14, 2022

Happy Easter Happy Passover

Celebrating Spring ~ Rebirth renewal! Wishing a joyful time to all my friends here.

"It's been a long cold lonely winter...here comes the sun, lalalala, here comes the sun..." Beatles, i think.

Photos from around my cottage, over the past month or so. You will see the same scene, same item, ''faffed'' and puttered, redone as the season takes hold on even bah humbug/ I hate Spring me. I hope you enjoy our visit!

A favorite candle, loved more for its color, though it has a delightful apple scent. With beloved Lily of Valley antique plate from Cape Cod Dump Swap Shop. [English, early-mid 1900s?]

Part of my collection of German eggs.

The hen basket, still rusty, hence the grass.

These are eggs from past few years. Most of the collection I no longer display.

I'm particularly attracted to floral designs. The following are new this year, from eBay.

I thought the auction was for this egg but they included four total, really love them all. But--violets! swoon...

These are the chickies often found still stored in the eggs. The green ones came a few years ago, the faded early chenille chicks are from this year's surprise box. I love them. When I was a little girl, my mom would surreptitiously remove the Easter treasures, my paper egg, my pink and lavender chicks, the grass, the funny dyed purple and yellow raffia basket[s], after a week or so. Then she'd trot them all out again the following year! I loved them every time. She was quite frugal in her own way. But even when I was grown up with kids of my own, every year she sent me an Easter basket---and it thrilled me again, every time.