Potpourri

 According to Miriam, the definition of potpourri is as follows: 

1. a mixture of flowers, herbs and spices that is usually kept in a jar for a scent. 

2. a miscellaneous collection

This post refers to #2 as there is no real theme to this blog post. Oh wait? Is there ever?

Let us begin with something curious that I've noticed during the pandemic. Check out the difference between these two eggs in the same carton.

If memory serves me, something always suspect coming from me, I've yet to have encountered two such wildly different sized eggs before. And although I've no photographic evidence of such, several times in the last few months, the sliced bread I purchase has been, ahem, unevenly sliced. What is going on here? To answer yet another pandemic mystery, I've discovered one of the reasons that the shelves have been bare of Claussen pickles following a little sleuthing on David's part after I mentioned it to him. Whereas it has not come to one of the posters laments, "the struggle is real", we did learn that it is not just me who has missed those cold, crunchy delights. Oh no my friends, there is plenty of online discussion on the topic. Aside from growing conditions, one of the main reasons is a "glass shortage." Not to be confused with the 2020 coin shortage which is explained in an interesting manner on this podcast. Now you may be wondering, as David was, how come there are other products, seemingly not in short supply, packaged in glass bottles or jars. Well, I think I've figured it out---those products were packaged and in warehouses long before the pandemic, whereas Claussens needs to buy them now as their product is fresh. Just saying....

Now that you have learned about some pandemic issues, let's go back to the kitchen and my tip about cooking pasta. Perhaps my explanation was not very clear so here's exactly what I meant.

I've not the foggiest notion of why it works, but it does. The peaches from Clemons this year have been absolutely scrumptious. Sadly the season is nearing the end, so we have them whenever possible for breakfast, and in this instance, with some yummy blueberry bread.

Do you peel your peaches? Even though they have bred much of the fuzziness out of peach skin, I still can't stand it. 

Let's move to the dining room table where my latest finished puzzle is still on display. Ann so generously loaned us the two of them, and both were just challenging enough. 

I admit that Bruce had to come to the rescue as far as the bottom frame is concerned because I was just plain lost!

Here's something else, Blogger continues to make my life difficult and my internet connection is giving me fits. Technology is fantastic until it is not. Those are minor problems for sure, nothing like the struggle it will be for Cris to get back on his feet. Not to mention that there are probably some amongst readers of this blog who are struggling with one thing or another, so take what I said with a grain of salt!

The main thrust of this post is that the quilt has been quilted, however, not without one thing that was amiss and that was my backing. Judi called to say that the back was out of square, plus uneven, and would not go on the longarm frame properly. Are you wondering what the heck a longarm looks like? Wonder no more! A longarm costs $20K which is why it cost a bit to have something quilted. 

The first step is to load the backing, mine of which was in sad shape, so rather than pay an extra $30,  I picked it back up and enlisted Bruce's help. We spread it all out on the floor and it did not take long to see what was wrong. That would be that humped up area near Bruce's foot.

Together we ran a chalk line after determining how far off I was using a string.

Using the straight chalk line as a cutting line, I lopped off the whole bottom part just above the horizontal seam and stitched it back together once everything was straight. Fortunately she lives only about four miles away! Because the top is so busy, she suggested nothing fancy other than a meandering stitch to keep all three parts together and this afternoon I picked it up from the sewing studio she has set up in her garage. 

 

What a blessing to find that she had cut all the edges square for me in preparation for the binding! 

Get this...she has FOURTEEN machines for sewing and embroidery!

Lets just say this is a woman who knows her way around a sewing machine! And this is what the quilting looks like:

The backing fabric with the clustered blue flowers is some I bought ages ago at an estate sale labeled that it was purchased in the 60's. You know how I love blending the old with the new! As to the top, there are fabrics from loads of things I've made for others, along with fabric given to me by Matt, some Liberty from London, and some from a trip they made to Japan. Looking at the photograph I also see some I purchased in Vancouver, so let's call it my International quilt, shall we?

On my first trip over there I noticed a sign to a place called La Costa wetlands, so today I drove in there to see what it was all about. Between the extreme 95 degree heat, and a knee that knows I've been playing pickleball every day, I did not stay too long.

It was far larger than I'd first imagined and the crazy thing is that it is just off SR 436 right in town. I suspect, once the migration season begins, it will be a wonderful place to see birds. 

And what, pray tell would a Camera Crazy post be without a bird photograph? Dull, that's what!

My friend Candy posted some amazing photographs of two Iguanas in the trees bordering Lake Cherokee and I went looking for them with my only success being that I saw the traps set for them.

Disappointed, I returned home and went out back to see if there was anything of interest when what to my surprise, as it was 11 in the morning, was that pretty owl flying up into the tree overhead. Well, what was a girl supposed to do?

While at Lake Cherokee I did see one of the young swans looking way big.

Don't you just love the water tension under his front as he makes his way across the lake. Probably not, only a bird/photography nut like myself notices that kind of stuff. :)

August 25 already. Where have the months gone? Nowhere actually. What does this tell us about the passage of time? Any thoughts on the subject?

your friend,

Gail

The Sky is Putting on a Show

Because we've had so many afternoon and evening storms, this past week has been all about the brilliant skies. We'd finished dinner last night when I noticed the reflection of the sunset in the clouds above Lake Willisara which told me that something exciting was happening over Lake Pineloch.

It was a dramatic ending to an enjoyable day celebrating being a couple. Heck, we are nearing the half century mark as a married couple, however, the truth is we've been together years past that official milestone, just not as husband and wife. Naturally we played pickleball in the morning, this time with some of the ladies, rather than just us which, while fun with only the two of us, with more on the court it ensures that we can play all that much longer! Not to mention the camaraderie. After lunch and a much needed shower we went to our polling place to vote. There were way more poll workers than voters, that's for sure, and all I could think about was what is all the fuss about? There are far more folks at the grocery store than at our local polling station.  From what I read in this morning's newspaper, it was a similar situation across the county. Anyway, I went into Publix for some dinner goodies, followed by our very first stop at the newly opened Twistee Treat. On a hot afternoon there was a race to finish the cones before they melted! We raced home as the storm clouds moved in, while Bruce read, I worked on a jigsaw puzzle and before you know it, it was time to make our dinner. We opened the wonderful bottle of wine David gave Bruce for his birthday. Nancy sent us a card; she's so good like that, always remembering. 

We may not look like we did once before,

but we still feel the same, undoubtedly even more so. As you can see, our photos are not the greatest, having discolored over time. Then too, I don't have a lot to choose from as there are only about 15 professional photographs of the event. All the snapshots are super washed out. I do remember laboring over those 12 8X10 enlargements because we paid for them ourselves and back then, photographs were not a dime a dozen. I'd gotten the album out the night before, reminiscing over them as well as both the guest, and gift lists. Some folks gave us $5.00, some $10, and we even received two gifts of $50 which was amazing, one from Bruce's Grandma and Grandpa Loveland, and one from a radiologist I worked with. His gift of a fifty dollar bill was inside a 25th wedding anniversary card. We were crazy in love back then and still are. By the way, I've always been a wee bit out of the ordinary as my wedding gown was a pale pink. :)

So, I've been shopping forever in the plaza where Clemons is located, having grown up on the street that runs behind it. As such, I feel a bit of a kinship with the building that formerly housed the Winn Dixie where we shopped most every day. With eight people in our family, we always needed something. Anyway, it was with quite a bit of a shock that I learned from the cashier that Mr. Clemons has actually sold his business! That is why they now are carrying even more dry goods than before. Actually the reason that is happening is because the new owner, having moved down from New York looking for a business to buy, has a grocery background. Wisely, he plans on keeping the name.

So yes, there are new dry goods, but they are not changing a thing about having such a great selection of produce.

It was not produce I needed but flour, sugar, chocolate, butter and eggs to make brownies on Sunday afternoon. Bruce, once he came home from helping Bill, was going to see his brother who is allowed one visitor a day. From the pictures I'd seen he looks painfully thin, so after checking with his daughter, I got the go-ahead to bake. Here's a little tip that you may or may not be aware of when trying to cut brownies. Have you ever done so and they got all scraggly? Use a plastic knife my friends, it works like a charm. Here I'm using my lettuce knife, however, I'm well aware that most folks don't have those in their gadget drawer as I do.

You might note that there is not even a smidgen of brownie residue on the knife. And while I'm thinking of it, here's another kitchen tip that works for me. Have you ever had your pasta water boil over on the stove leaving a sticky, starchy mess behind? I sure have, more times that I can count. Recently I've been laying a wooden spoon across the top of the pan and for some reason this seems to keep the mess at bay. Try it yourself and report back, okay?

Jessica was very enthusiastic when I mentioned peanut butter, so I made those cookies as well.

And while I could have done an online search for recipes, why not use what I have in the form of my Betty Crocker cookbook that I received as a wedding present? It looks as if it is 47 years old!

Our friend Carolyn lovingly calls me Betty Crocker, so I just had to take some down to her place with a note saying Betty Crocker made a visit.  Or so I hope her intentions are loving!

Along with the goodies I had Bruce take a quilt because when a person is thin, a person gets far colder than the rest of us.

We have not heard how long he will be in the rehab facility because although he has finally tested negative for Covid, he still has pneumonia and is very, very weak. As my old buddy Dr. March used to say, "tincture of time" is the best medicine.

You would think with living in Florida, one of the lightning capitals of the world, that I would have been successful photographing it at some point in my camera crazy years. Not so. Nada. Never even once before, but because the storms have been extraordinary of late, ta da....

Not great, but the best of the batch! Remember what I mentioned how the clouds reflect the sunset? The photo above demonstrates that phenom perfectly as it was taken facing East around 8PM. Which reminds me, have you noticed the days shortening? For sure, as this photograph, taken the next morning was around 6:45AM, about forty five minutes later than the sunrise around the time of the Summer Solstice.

While the light rays were super impressive, even more so was the Crescent Moon overhead with Venus nearby.  Should you need confirmation, click on the provided link.

Don't see Venus straight away? It's the tiny white speck on the right. Honestly, I was stoked.

Today I invited Pam over to see what all the pickleball fuss was about as she just could not understand my enthusiasm. She got it after one session, and she and Glen are coming over in the morning so he can get hooked as well. Here's one happy pickleball player who probably didn't even know I was taking his picture, but I imagine he's smiling so broadly because he had a good shot.

People are always wondering why it is taking so long for Bill to finish his house, which I get, but if they were paying for each project with cash, while doing most of the work themselves, they would understand. Of course Bruce has helped a bunch, but as an example, here is the nearly final project after Sunday's work session.

The wall on the right was added as was the molding, done one piece at a time. He covered the ceiling in wood, again, one piece at a time. As to the floor, he sands each piece multiple times before staining, followed by the installation with his Dad's help, followed by three coats of sealer. Everything has been designed by Bill, and none of his designs are run of the mill, resulting in long construction times when he is not working for the bank. Nearly every bit of the four bedroom, three bath house has been transformed from drab to fab with a ton of work. That said, he is the first to tell you that he has had just about enough construction to last him a good long while. I, for one, will believe it when I see it!

Speaking of one piece at a time, I've found someone to do my quilting as soon as the batting arrives. In anticipation, I've made the binding, wrapping 400+ inches of fabric around a paper towel roll until it is required.

Woo hoo....nearing the finish line at last!

Hopefully this blog post finds all of my readers healthy and strong during the continued Covid-19 crisis. Here in Florida there is a glimmer of hope that the cases are receding, however, with everything Covid, there is no guarantee as there is nothing to compare it to. We continue to mostly stay home and for how much longer is anyone's guess. My heart goes out to those who are still without employment or those victims of domestic abuse which is on the rise. Oh how I wish that nothing like that happens, but sadly, it does, as many people do not live out the "happily ever after" dream. I'm grateful every single day for my dreams coming true.

your friend,

Gail

Well, It's About Time

 Back in November, when I began this massive scrappy quilt, if you had told me that it would take me until the first week of August to finish the top, I would have thought you did not know me very well. You see, when I begin a project, I generally get going and don't stop until I'm done. Not so this time! Had it not been for discovering podcasts, I would still probably be putting 2"x3.5" pieces of fabric together! 

My listening took me all over the web, including the Alaska story, America's Test Kitchen, and many excellent episodes of How Stuff Works. While I did not listen to any of these episodes, I now want to because they are so darn interesting. I did learn about jigsaw puzzles, including that the first one was made by a London mapmaker. Lots of really interesting information about how soap works, the difference between soap and detergent and when people actually began using it on their bodies. (not really that long ago) Miniature golf baby! Yes, there is an entire segment devoted to that, and it is just as interesting as you can imagine. Speaking of jigsaw puzzles, Bruce did one on his own for the very first time and he liked it! Sort of, anyway. There comes a time when one is doing a puzzle that the thought crosses one's mind that there must be some missing pieces. Generally, or at least in my limited experience, that is not the case, although for a moment, convincing Bruce of that took some doing.

So here is the finished top spread out on the floor after moving the furniture because it is so darn BIG! How big you ask? BIG, as in 90"x96". 

Well, you can't just have a top can you? No, you cannot, so making the backing was my next task using a variety of fabrics that have been stored in baskets under my sewing/blogging table. The good news was that in those baskets were several pieces at least two yards long and one piece of vintage fabric that was about 4 or more yards long. How do I know it is vintage you wonder? Because it is but 36" wide and they haven't made that width in a very long time. It's the one with the small flowers on it, but you guessed that already I bet because there is so much of it used.

The last part I need to make, aside from the quilting, is the binding, something lots of folks wait to do just before they need it. I, on the other hand, prefer to make it now and when it is needed, there it is waiting patiently for me. I've yet to decide on who exactly will do the quilting, but for now that is a moot point because batting is hard to find at the moment. In spite of it being offered as Prime on Amazon, it won't arrive until late next week. Which reminds me, does anyone imagine that Amazon will offer extensions on our memberships because they have not been able to deliver many goods within two days?  But, I digress. 

What about the current shortages of goods surprises you the most? Gutterman thread is also hard to get, something I could never have imagined, pre-Covid. As far as sewing is concerned, I'm thinking it is making a big comeback, somewhat like home cooking. Neither are new to me, but for some folks this business of making three meals a day is getting very old. Or not? Are there converts out there that are enjoying feeding themselves and their family if they have one? I will admit that procuring ingredients poses some challenges, but thankfully between Clemons and Publix, plus an occasional visit to Costco, we've mostly been able to get what we need/want. One product though remains elusive and that is Claussen's pickles, so we have taken to making our own. In a surprise move, Bruce spent some time in the kitchen making hot pickled cauliflower that is still brining; already it is far too hot for me! Speaking of Clemons, they've had some yellow seedless watermelon lately that I purchased for Bruce. He tells me that while it is good, it won't replace the traditional pink for him.

In my last post I mentioned that Ann was our fairy godmother, and in this post it is Nancy who sent me a care package with FOUR skorts for playing pickleball along with two dresses to boot! The dresses, while not pictured, are perfect! My female pickleball friends, I must admit, are a wee bit jealous of that Lily with the cute little rackets and pleats.

Should you have been wondering what a pickleball paddle looks like here is mine which is unique to our group, making it easy to find in the rack amongst about six or so of the same.

Today Bruce helped Bill with his wood flooring and I played a bit with the ladies. A bunch of the news around here is weather related, as we've had part of a big oak tree go down by the tennis courts while the weather was sunny, barely missing someone as they drove in through the gate. Before much of anything could be done, aside from cleaning up the debris, a massive storm came through late Monday afternoon. Serious wind, massive thunder and lightning, along with almost 3.5 inches of rain came as a surprise because it was so strong, enough so that our little tree took a thrashing. Not to mention we had no dire warnings from the weather folks.

Yesterday afternoon Bruce put stakes on it because, if history is any guide, we are in for more big storms before summer's end. In fact, the wind is whipping up the lake as I type. By the way, if anyone knows someone who is looking for a wonderful place to live, our friend Nancy is moving soon and her place will be up for sale. It is a 3/2 upstairs unit just around the corner from us. She has lived here for more than twenty years and her next stop is a lovely 11th floor apartment at Westminster Towers. I've no doubt she'll be making friends there soon.

Back to the storm, remember I mentioned the tree limb falling a few days prior? Well with such strong winds and a weakened tree, another huge limb came down in about the same spot.

Here's what it looked like the next day from the entry....

And here's what it looks like today.

The visible fence is the tennis courts which are now in more sun than is optimal, but that's what happens when there are giant old trees. We can only hope that this is the only one that has to be removed during storm season!

When I first began selling photography, Roger kept trying to convince me to begin selling canvas prints stretched on bars. It took me months to get up the nerve, not to mention anguish over what I thought might sell because I had to buy them first and what if no one liked it? Eventually I settled on a sunset that I titled Solid Gold. The funny thing is that it didn't take long to sell it and the person who bought it was the market manager, the very same woman who once would not accept me as a vendor! Anyway, following the storm, the color of the sky reminded me of that time in my life.

In other sky related news, I saw Venus next to the Moon in the morning sky!! The photographs are not worth sharing, but it was so remarkable I called Bruce from his place in front of the morning newspaper.

Cris has been moved to a rehab center, the only one in Orlando that will accept positive Covid patients, where they will do all that they can to bring him back to health. One piece of good news is when he eventually tests negative, Judy should be able to finally see him up close! Let's hope it is sooner rather than later. Maureen is still in good shape for which we are thankful. All of the immediate family, as in my siblings, their spouses and grandchildren, remain clear of the virus. The same goes for our boys and their spouses. All remain working from home, for how much longer is anyone's guess. 

Today I have no new vocabulary words to share, instead I'm thinking about an old word that is a good one and describes not just myself, but more people than are probably happy to use the moniker....homebody. While it suits me just fine, not everyone is loving it. And to think I subtitled this blog...Out & About with Gail? 

2021 will be the year of the gadabout for everyone, or so I hope!!

your friend,

Gail

p.s. Blogger was acting up big time today, thus the crazy formatting. 

A Mixed Bag

I've got some good news to share about Cris, which, btw, is how he spells his name. It's short for Crispen, a Latin name meaning curly haired, or so I just learned. Unfortunately I never did ask my in laws how they came up with that name for their firstborn. Two things, his first name is Joel, but he goes by Cris, and no, he has anything but curly hair! More importantly, he is improving as he enters his second month of hospitalization. He's eating better and has even sat in a chair which is huge. Today he received both a second dose of Convalescent Plasma, and a new Covid test. Should that come back negative, he most likely will be moved to another unit and here's the real biggie....visitors may be permitted!! Cris and Judy are coming up on their 48th wedding anniversary and the hope is that even before that big date, Judy will be allowed to see him again for the first time since she dropped him off at the emergency room!! Hallelujah!

For us, this week has been much the same except, get this, I've actually gone a few places and they were not Publix or Clemons! Before we delve into those exciting places, when last we met, a storm was heading towards Central Florida. It did not. We were on the pickleball court when it began raining, enough so we all scrambled to our cars, however, once we were all home out of our wet clothes, it stopped and never started again. While I'm glad for that, I am gladder still because the name, Isais was so difficult to pronounce, I was hoping we wouldn't have to use it for more than a day. Sadly it did hit in North Carolina with some damage, but nothing super major.

Yes to playing pickleball most mornings, and no to any field trips. We had loads of rain in the afternoons, keeping us inside to work on puzzles. Plural because, one of my little afternoon trips was to visit, as it turns out, my fairy Godmother, Ann. We were slated to just do a puzzle swap, but she ended up inviting me in and we had a marvelous visit, socially distanced, of course.

I'd finished this during the alleged storm and was having withdrawals, so I got in touch with Ann. Before I go further, this puzzle, while a neat image was interesting in that there was less puzzle than the image portrayed. I know weird, but once that frame was done, it was pretty darn fun. While doing the frame, I kept looking for more of that lobster on the right to no avail. Puzzled, I looked at some online reviews where I was alerted to this problem. Now when I loan it out I will pass that along. I left her place with not one, but two fantastic puzzles, two novels and a small bottle of some homemade Limoncello which is in the freezer as I type. She began the process near the beginning of the time of Corona, probably never imagining that it would still be raging on after the something like the 80 days of fermentation. Gosh it was nice to see her.

Early on I wrote a post about all of the new language associated with this unprecedented time and over time more phrases or words have emerged that are new to me. Have you heard the term "security theater"? It means safety measures that are done somewhat for show. Then there is "cancel culture", "Karen", and "woke". Some enlightened readers may have already known these terms, but they are new to me. I would be lying if I told you that any of them are very appealing to me, especially Karen as I know plenty of Karens that are good people.

Because of all the rain the quilt has been back in the picture. Friends, I am nearing the finish line on the top and the time that it has taken me is nothing to be proud of, that's for sure. Having, once again, used up all of my cut fabric, I just could not face using more of the same so.......I took a trip to Hobby Lobby for something different. Their supplies were diminished and the woman who cut my fabric told me that not only are they not having their usual sales but they can't keep enough fabric or elastic in stock. Apparently mask making is still going on.

The new fabric was cut, more couples were put together,

and it still wasn't enough!! I have 34 more duos to join,  then they all get put together, and then the rows which I'm hoping will all blend together and the new stuff won't show up like a sore thumb! Whew, sorry for that run on sentence! Seriously, it is going to be so busy, it will be a blur. All the while I listened to Lost in Alaska, finally finishing it yesterday afternoon. The bottom line is that even after nine years of digging into this story, the plane has still not been found. For those who listen to NPR, I did learn that it was Cokie Roberts father who went down in the plane. If for no other reason, I suggest you click on that link and see what her real name was. Amazing. I am thinking of sending it out to be quilted because, Lord knows, it is huge and will probably take me more time than I can imagine. Then again, what else do I have right now but time?

Dated 6/23/2020, I finally drove over to the bank to deposit the check my publisher sent me all that time ago. Sadly it was small, but is that any surprise? No, it is not. Yesterday's headline was that Disney lost $2 billion in the last quarter!!! Where, oh where, is all this leading us? What pray tell is the photo below all about? You tell me. Why would make someone take off their sandals in a bank parking lot? It is as if she stepped out of them and got in her car. Perhaps there is a short story in this?

A couple of posts ago, one that most people apparently did not see according to my stats, I showed a Mother Mallard on some eggs in a planter on the pool deck. Well, here's some exciting news. The eggs have hatched!

While riding my bike around this morning my friends told me they had seen the new ducklings on their walk, even telling me where they had seen them. Music to my ears friends, music to my ears. The first photos I took were terrible due to poor lighting, however, after an hour of practicing pickleball in the horrible heat, I was bushed so on my ride home I swung by again to see if I could get some better photos. Done and done! They came quite close, and while I've got some good ones, this one is super cute because they are close to shore in very clear water.

Aren't they just adorable?? From talking to folks, it seems as if they are about four days old. I wish they were on our little lake where there are more hiding places, but time will tell how many survive on the big lake.

I know the very best way to cool off when it is blazing hot....yup, the swimming pool where I swam and began one of the books Ann lent me. It was super great in the shade.

As you can see, there is not a social distancing problem at all. In fact, while I was there, only a handful of people came and went. Thinking about the ducklings, Mama was in the ivory planter on the right side of the dock. We are all mystified as to how the ducklings survived the jump down and then into the lake which is many feet below the pool. Nature is amazing is all I can say. The water lilies are looking lovely, especially when the sky is reflecting so beautifully on the water.

Oh snap...there's a dragonfly on that water lily! While not nearly as impressive as the Victoria water lilies in my last post, they are lovely, nonetheless.

So, there is one short story prompt in this post, and here's another. What printer would not alert the customer to the misspellings on this car I saw parked today? They paid for this sign?

Closely cropped to leave out the phone number, I'm mystified. While on the topic of mysteries, we began watching Breaking Bad and while it was good, the violence was a bit much for us. Ann and I talked about British television mysteries and she recommended one that I could not find on Amazon or Netflix, however I did stumble upon a series that has turned out to be nothing short of excellent, Endeavour. Holy Cow, is is good.

One fascinating thing about living on water is how you notice the movement of the Earth through the sunrise, sunset, and moonrise. I love walking into our not-yet-updated bathroom and seeing the day begin.

With all of the stormy weather, both the sunrise and sunset are much more dramatic than when the weather is calm. Taken this morning, will the red sky mean anything? So far, not, but the day is not over yet.

 Finally, the once a year blooms on a Giant Schefflera are something to behold.

We used to have one of these trees at our home and the yearly show was dramatic,  plus the bees had a heyday with them.

The kitchen is calling dear ones. Stay safe, wear your masks, social distance, and for heaven's sake, love one another because this virus is no joke as Cris's story clearly demonstrates. Don't let petty political differences alter that because you just never know what tomorrow will bring. Heck, Jessica is still not 100% and she's young and healthy!

your friend,

Gail