Friday Food 02-21-25

In the last 35 years I have pretty much lost all my cooking skills and barely manage to meet the nutritional needs for my age.   Cooking is just not interesting, so I depend more on simple meals or occasionally on prepared foods.  Never sure exactly what I might be eating with prepackaged things and they are always higher in salt than I prefer.   However, I do experiment sometimes.   At the market I was looking in the refrigerated case for cheese when I saw a bargain on fresh packaged meals, buy one get one (BOGO), that are things I have enjoyed. 

 
In fact, Carbonara is my favorite Italian offering. 

And Chicken Marsala is a close second.  

Both are easy to make at home, but require more cooking time than I usually want to give.    $7.99 for two is a deal.  The plastic bowl is filled with soft pasta and there is a plastic pouch of sauce.  Pour the sauce and mix with pasta, cover and zap for five minutes.   I took it out, stirred, and zapped for another 1-1/2 minutes so it  would still be hot when I had zapped a serving of fresh broccoli. Not as tasty as  my favorite Italian restaurant, it was a satisfactory meal and would be cheap enough at $7.99.    I will probably purchase again one day. 

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Miscellaneous February 20, 2025

I  looked back a few years and find that I generally blog about the same things every year!  In February I write about what is blooming, the weather, and what I have been reading.  With being sick most of the month and unable to do much other than doctor myself and take care of KoKo, I have been reading with Kindle on my cell phone.   

One recent Book Group read was "The Kitchen Front" by Jennifer Ryan, which takes place in England during WWII and covers food rationing and food preparation.  Of course,  it has a romance and personality clashes, but I found the food part fascinating. Another Book Group selection was "The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife"  by Anna Johnston.   It is a fantastical tale of two men who look very much alike, one dead and the man who accidently takes his place in an elder care home.  Also in England.  I enjoyed this one a lot, although hard to believe the coincidences. 

On my own I have read several books about the late Queen Elizabeth II.  "The Other Side of the Coin:The Queen, The Dresser, and The Wardrobe"  Angela Kelly.  Interesting look into the Queen's closet by her long-time "dresser"  who manages all clothing and designs dresses  for special  occasions.  I followed that up with an autobiography by Elizabeth's cousin, Margaret Rhodes, "The Final Curtsey: A Royal Memoir".  Born between the wars she experienced the diminishing of the aristocracy, but led an exotic life.  Candid pictures of the Royal Family.  

I enjoyed "Doc" by R.E. Losee, a doctor starting in WWII and his continuing practice in a tiny town in Montana.  Very much an informal sort of ramble.  "Sisters in Science" by Olivia Campbell covers the troubles of European female scientists during and after the rule of the Nazies. 

Currently I am into "Life After Manzanar" by Heather C. Lindquist and  Naomi Hirahara.  Researches what happened to the Japanese detainees at Manzanar concentration camp in California's Owens Valley after they were released at the end of WWII.

I have read a lot of books since I stopped blogging last June.  Since I don't have TV my "down time" is usually reading time, although I do spend an excessive amount of time on Facebook, Instagram, and e-mail.  Hard to keep up with the news these days, it is confusing and oh-so-depressing. Where are we headed?

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What's Blooming 02-19-25

I have been able to walk KoKo several times this week, getting out in the sunshine and enjoying the flowers feels so good. The rain last week has washed off the dust and erased the sidewalk art work, making everything look new and clean.  The landscape roses, almost all are white, are always blooming in some density, rather sparse right now.  Regular roses were pruned in the last few months and are just leafing out.  But there are always perennials and succulents in bloom. 

 

Osteospermum  Also known as Cape Daisy, African Daisy, Cape Margarita. 

It has several color variations.

Delosperma. Trailing iceplant.

And a sneaky dandelion!

Coral Aloe

Bougainvillea

Almost always blooming in abundance. The flower is the small white blob deep in the red brackets.  No fragrance.

I am still not over the RSV, the cough is worse at night.  I managed three hours sound sleep this afternoon, which I hope to add to tonight. Still sleeping sitting mostly upright, otherwise the draining starts the cough. KoKo on my lap, of course.

 

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From TCQC 02-17-25

"Early Birds" Ruth Powers - Carbondale, KS 2005 49"W x 38"L

Cotton fabrics, thread, batting.  Machine pieced and quilted.

Here is an older quilt from the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection added in 2007. This is "Early Birds" (40"W x 38"L) a quilt made by Ruth Powers of Carbondale, KS. It is entirely machine pieced and quilted and won the Best of Show in the "Think Spring" catagory at IQA in Chicago in 2006.It is now part of the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection and is shown here on a grey wall. 

I first saw a Ruth Powers quilt in 1998 at the Autry Museum in Los Angeles and asked about availability, but they had no information. No pictures were allowed, but I stored the image of "Vireya" in my brain somewhere and didn't forget it. In early 2010 a friend heard about a new group "Kansas Art Quilters" and sent me the URL for their website. I was so impressed that they had a great website up so soon after they formed that I sent a query about membership. They replied that I could be a member, so I sent my check. When I looked at the membership list I found that Ruth Powers was a member and we exchanged the first of years of e-mails. I was so glad that I could purchase this quilt in 2006, although it is hard to choose a favorite among Ruth's many masterpiece quilts this one in particular 'spoke to me'. KAQ was a group that I enjoyed very much, even though I live so many miles away.

"Early Birds"  Best Of Show at Celebrate Spring! IQF, Rosemont, IL 2006 and was in the Celebrate Spring! Special Exhibit at Houston in 2006. Published in Fons and Porter’s ”Love of Quilting” May/June 2007 and the SAQA Journal Vol. 17 - #2 Spring 2007" Ruth machine pieces EVERYTHING using commercial fabrics almost exclusively and FMQs her quilts on her home machine. She also does exquisite thread painting on some of her work. The texture of the fabrics she selected for this quilt give the illusion of depth and the one that shows the distant trees is an inspired choice. This quilt is one that requires many close viewings to see all the details. Ruth has a commercial pattern business, INNOVATIONS, where she sells designs that are just a little different than others on the market. http://www.ruthpowersartquilts.com/patterns.php 

Look at Ruth's work at: http://www.ruthpowersartquilts.com/ Her blog is www.ruthpowersartquilts.com/weblog

Quilts for Philanthropy 02-15-25

 One activity that is quite common to quilt guilds across the country is making quilts to give away to people in need anywhere in the world.  Surfside Quilters Guild's about 100 members create four or five hundred quilts each year that are distributed to various organizations.  Colorful cotton pillowcases are also produced and given to children's hospitals, Meals-on-Wheels, veterans organizations, and others.  Here is a selection from those many donations showing the variety of designs selected. Some are made from orphan blocks, some are incompleted projects donated to the Philanthropic groups, some are purposely made by one maker and others by friendship groups or just friends.  I am constantly amazed by the variety of pattern and the generosity of the makers.

A special "I Spy" quilt with a different motif in every block.

This is a quilt displayed at Road to California that I think would be a good pattern to  make for a Philanthropy  quilt  -  very scrappy.

I am feeling much better tonight.   KoKo walked me around the loop this morning, about 2000 steps, a bit less  than a mile.  I was tired, but not exhausted as I feared.   Tomorrow we may try for the park. The sunshine feels so good and with the rain we had this last  week everything is greening up, flowers are blooming.

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Friday Food 02-14-25

HOPE YOU HAD A TASTY VALENTINE'S DAY.

At first glance this looks edible, but it is really a glass box of hearts made of stone, wood, leather, and enamel.  Clutter collected over the years.

Here are some real chocolates gifted years ago. Good, but not See's.

The February meeting of Surfside Quilters Guild always  has lots of Valentine goodies on the refreshment table. 

These appared on my porch table this year.  From neighbors with no names!  Thank you!

I am feeling much better, still coughing, but no spasms today.  The four of our small group who were going to Phoenix for QuiltCon have canceled our trip.  Sickness, apprehension about viruses, and the death of a  husband.  It just wouldn't work. 

I do hope to be able to walk KoKo tomorrow.

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We need the rain. Thursday, Feb 13, 2025

 

This image of the rain pouring down the greenhouse window over the sink, is supposed to be a video.  I thought  I had finally figured out how to post a video, but it appears I have not. Let me know if it moves for you!

It has rained pretty much all day with various intensity.  Not much temperture range  (53F to 56F)  and the clouds don't seem very thick. So, bright  anyway. 

I spent another inactive day, still coughing, but generally feeling stronger.  The doctors office finally called and refilled the cough med I had used up.  5ml every four hours isn't much, but seems to help some.   Mostly I sit up silently, reclining and talking are the worst instigators of coughing.  I'm reading on Kindle, currently  

"Doc" an aurobiography of Dr.Losee of his medical practice postwar II in the wilds of Montana.

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