Brussels Sprouts 11-28-09

When I was in Trader Joe's on Tuesday I was surprised to see Brussels sprouts on the stalk. In the past I have only seen them sold this way at farmer's markets or upscale stores that feature unusual products - which I guess could describe TJoe's!

After I put a stalk in my shopping basket at least six different people stopped me to ask what I was buying. I suppose there are a great many people who aren't familiar with BSprouts, much less those little darlings on the stalk.

The long things sticking out are the leaf stems - the leaves are whacked off in the field, no time for carefully trimming them off down between the sprouts, close to the stalk. Notice that the sprouts grow in spiral rows up the stalk. There is an inspiration for design if I've ever seen one!

When I bought the stalk I was sure I could find a neighbor or a friend who would like to have some of them, but I have not. Since I am going to be gone for about a week I don't think they will last, so I will have to put them in the garbage tomorrow before I leave. I have eaten some, but not enough to assuage my conscience - what a waste. They are so delicious.

The day after Thanksgiving 11-27-09

It was a lovely Thanksgiving, I'm so glad that the Bednar's asked me to join them. The meal was delicious and the ambiance lent itself to leisure conversation. Thank you, Carol and Dick.

Carol Bednar (in the foreground her gurgling Derby pitcher - cute!)

Dick Bednar

Del Thomas - who always forgets to change her glasses when she is indoors!

The yummy apple crisp with vanilla frozen yogurt.

Being the perfect hostess, Carol sent home a bag of leftovers! So, I could have a turkey sandwich with homemade gravy and cranberry sauce today.

I plan on leaving to drive north on Sunday morning and go as far as I can before finding some place to spend the night. I'll try to keep you posted.

Decisions, Decisions 11-25-09

It has been a very long, very tiring day and I need to rest. Now that the Surfside Quilters Guild newsletter is ready to post in the morning, I will be able to give more of my feeble brain to getting to Portland and back in the next week or so. I am 99.9% sure that I will drive - I do love a Road Trip and am still chaffing that I wasn't able to go to Ohio last spring. Each time I have flown in recent years the experience gets more upsetting and stressful; I would just as soon avoid that.

Yesterday (11-24-09) I met Corky and his mommy at the vets office where Corky was having his every-three-weeks acupuncture treatment. Although they seem to do him a world of good, he tolerates them less each time we go. It does take two of us to hold him still so he doesn't knock out the needles before they do him any good. We went across the street for a Starbucks and a little visit and Sherry was explaining all she had to do before leaving this morning for Havasu. Way too much to do in less than 24 hours! I suggested, and she concurred that I take Corky for the rest of the day and return him in the evening. It worked great. When Corky and I arrived at my house about 11am I put out one of his beds in the office. He jumped in without hesitation, flipped his pillow over and rearranged it with one foot. Then he turned around a couple times, tucked his nose under his ear and went to sleep for the rest of the day. When 4pm rolled around he was bright-eyed and ready to go for his walk and eat his dinner. Then he went back to bed and pretty much slept until I took him home about 9pm. What a life!
This morning I had PTherapy on my shoulders and then ran some errands. I'm making too many errors in my typing - caused by sleepiness. So, I will go to bed. G'nite.

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Maybe a break from blogging 11-23-09

I had an e-mail this evening from one of my cousins telling me that my Aunt Dorothy is in hospice care and has been given a month or so to live. If I can possibly arrange it I will go up to Portland, OR., to see her sometime in the next few weeks. I will have to figure out how to make the trip - not sure I am up to the thousand mile drive. I'll keep you advised. Del

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Charlotte Patera quilt from TCQC 11-22-09

"P.U.D. - Private Unit Development" Charlotte Patera 1994 22"W x 25"L

Commercial Cotton Fabric, cotton batting, cotton thread, polyester thread. Hand applique, machine pieced, machine quilted. This quilt has an irregular border and is photographed on a light grey background.

One of the first small quilts I purchased, this one came from the East Bay Heritage Quilters silent auction, held at their semi-annual quilt show at the Oakland Convention Center.

Everything about this quilt appealed to me, even though I have never been a fan of pink. The interesting combination of coordinated fabrics, even though none of them come from the same manufacturer, the traditional house design appliqued (instead of pieced) in a very nontraditional color. I felt very fortunate to have the highest bid - and still do.

The quilting is done w/poly thread on the top and cotton in the bobbin, and it forms sort of icicles hanging from the sashing to the bottom of each block. Very subtle and effective.

http://www.charlottepatera.com/

Catch Up! 11-21-9=09

I think Corky went to sleep sitting up like this while we were driving a couple weeks ago!

I stayed with him last evening while his folks were out. I drove down with my laptop about 5pm with the intent of spending hours working on the Surfside newsletter. And I did accomplish some work on it. But "we" decided to drive over to California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) to pick up a Gorgonzola/pear pizza and half of a Bar-B-Q chopped chicken salad for dinner - my long time favorite 'take-out' meal. Corky loves to ride in the car almost more than I like to drive and while we are waiting for curbside delivery he hangs out the window staring at everyone and everything. Of course, the people have to coo to him and he eats it up. By the time Corky's parents returned and I drove home I was too tired to even set up the laptop. I fell into bed about 11:15pm, so this is last night's blog post.

I should have put in the URL for the Picasa album showing all the items on the live auction at Surfside's December Fest. It isn't just for members - anyone can come and spend their money on the auctions and enjoy the food we serve, along with our holiday spirits. I also have another item in the live auction - a red/white/blue table runner. Check them all out at: http://tinyurl.com/yzqlel7

Also, I don't have a recipe for the soup - I just make it up as I go, so it is different every time. But always tastes good to me. I use the carrots to make it a nice color - just butternut squash is such an insipid color.

The analgesic patches I use are labeled in Japanese, so I can't give you a brand. Google "analgesic patches" or "pain relieving patches" and you will find a number of different brands.