With all the rain we've had the past few days, I haven't been able to get my garden things out of my old place. I didn't want to deal with getting my car all wet and muddy. Hopefully today I can get the bulk of it done. Now fingers crossed I get my deposit back!
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| Posey enjoying a banana treat |
So why the picture? In my small backyard I had several large plastic tub. There were all these dropping on them (think black sesame seed size) so I washed everything down a few weeks ago and sanitized them. I didn't think it was mouse dropping but I wanted to make sure everything was super cleaned. So during the move I had to get the bbq and patio table ready for Matt. I saw the dropping again and knew it couldn't be rodents. The tubs were out in the open and way too many droppings for a mouse to do in just a few weeks. I finally looked up and saw a nest and understood why the hummingbird was so aggressive when I was back there. I had to let my landlord know I couldn't take down the gazebo tent or lights because of the nest. Luck for me he agreed I could leave it until the hummingbird was done with it. At my parent's house many years ago now, they had a lemon tree trellis (my dad training it to be flat against the house) outside the kitchen window. Every year a hummingbird would build a nest there. I like to think this is a good omen but even if it isn't, it makes me smile.
What caught my eye was the birds sitting on their heads, which I'm sure has some symbolic meaning. The woman is holding a baby or doll, guessing that's a sign of fertility. The man is holding what I can only guess is corn. The pair turned out to be bigger than I thought because I didn't read the fine print. About 12" tall. Can't get any comps on these as they were hand carved, probably from some where in South America.
I stopped by one of my favorite thrift book store here in Carmel one last time. I was hoping I would find a book on Sashkio stitching which I'm planning on learning to do. I have a lot of denim shirts which need a little TLC, great to practice on. The Japanese textile book (32 year old art exhibition in Seattle) gives the history behind Sashkio but more importantly inspirational photos of garments I would love to sew. Really I hope to find garments to alter while thrifting because my sewing skills are just basic.
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| Priced at $125 |
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| Priced at $5 |
We've all heard the saying "when a door closes a window opens". I was told that the Carmel house will be sold at some point next year. The cost of keeping this very old house is just too much for my friends. Many, many things have to be repaired or replaces so they decided it was best to sell. One of the requests her mother made before she passed away was to open the home to people who wanted to walk the beach but couldn't afford staying at the hotels. Her daughter (my friend) did that for almost 30 years. It's been a sanctuary for me, a place to recharge and find peace. Happy that my grandsons got to experience the beach house. One of the few regrets I have in life is that we didn't buy the house when my friend first inherited it back in 1993. It would have been a huge stretch for a us to do that but I knew it wasn't the right move for them. Now it's a running joke that we should once again try and buy it. I listened to a podcast about manifesting what you want. One of the small steps is to look for hearts everyday. It's just to get your mind to focus on something. So I decided to not only look for hearts but to also look for the hard to find hag stones. This may be my last time here at the house unless I can manifest a few million dollars in the next year. The photo is what I found on my beach walk last night. I haven't found a hag stone in a long time so I was thrilled when it popped up. Maybe there is hope I'll be able to buy the house!
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| Thrift stores get a lot of dirty and unusable junk. Sorting out all of that does take time as well as disposing of it. Most of my volunteer time is spent getting rid of the junk. |
While I was talking to the handbag volunteer she tossed this over sized canvas tote in the "go away pile". I asked why and she said it was too dirty to try and sell. It was very dirty, especially the handles. I liked it because it was oversized and thought I should up grade from using Costco or Ikea plastic totes. I take my bedding with me whenever I go to the beach house so that takes a really large bag. Since I have access to a large washing machine while at my friend's house I gave it a deep clean. I think after three washes it came out pretty good. Doesn't look grungy any more and better than my Costco bag.
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| 6x6 cards and frame |
A few years back I dropped something off at a friend's house and she had a cooler filled with bottled water for anyone delivering packages to her house. It was during the summer when it can get super hot. I always liked that idea so I finally got to do it this week. While at my friend's house it was safe to leave things out by the front door. They ask that all their packages be left by the front door and not their mailbox which is at the bottom of a very long driveway. If the driver can't get their trucks up the narrow driveway, then they have to hike up the hill. All the stars were alined, I had the drinks, an Amazon order coming and a box to put everything in.
Now the challenge is to use up that GC.
1) The handle looks like leather but it has a cord in it to keep it rounded. True Longchamp bag handles are just folded over. The edges are dyed black which is done on fakes.
2) The logo is heavily embossed, so much so it will also show up on the reverse side. It's not always 100% but there should be a little showing, if not it's a fake.
3) I couldn't find this color on the official color chart but colors aren't always clear online.
4) Longchamp stamps the name of the bag and where it was made. There's a circumflex (yes I had to look up what that thingy was called) over the e. It very hard to see but it should be there.
There were a few other things to prove it's a fake but to me it still looks good. It was priced for only $7.00 because it was a knock off. I plan to use it as toiletry bag since I now use a water pik and electric tooth brush which takes up a lot of room in my average size toiletry bag.
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| Antique Sewing Tansu |
I'm staying at my friend's house while they're gone so I feed the birds. They have a really big backyard that gets a lot of wild life attention. The crows are my favorite. It started when I would trap gophers and rats. The crows would carry everything I caught away. Once you get an established pair of crows, they will wait for you every morning. Once a family of crows claims your house the other crows will stay away, it's a territorial thing. Haven't had any luck trapping any rodents so I feed them dried meal worms and toasted bread.
I thought this ceramic piece would make a great thank you gift for my friends as they also like the crows. What do you think?
I know she really wanted birthday and get well cards but I sent what I had a lot of. Crazy that I had that many iris folding cards made and still didn't make a dent in my back stock. I even sold 21 of those cards last week (at a big discount) to a teacher for her graduating class of teachers and my rack is still full.
Every place I've gone to over the past few years, I take card making supplies with me. Most of the time I only get parts done (and I have a lot of parts) and rarely finished a full card. While staying at a friend's house this month, I now have the space to spread out. I'm really trying to focus on the theme she wants. It's so nice to have the space that I can just walk into and be creative for a few minutes or hours when the mood strikes me. I'm working with what I have easy access to as all of my craft supplies are packed away in different boxes.
Who is your mentor or hero?
When I was a child I loved to watch Julia Child on PBS. It was the only time I was quiet let alone inside the house. I spent most of childhood running around outside and only came into to eat or sleep. I loved the show! The best parts of Julia's show was when she made a mistake or dropped food on the floor and said no one will know. :)
I collect The Art of French Cooking first editions just because I can. :)
How do conversations about food inspire you?
I don't have many friends who are foodies. Cooking isn't something they like to do. Most of my food conversations are about restaurants or bakeries they've been to. I don't go out to eat very often because it's just to $$$ now days. I understand costs have gone up for everyone but I just can't justify spending $$$ on a meal that I know I can cook for far less. When I do go out to eat my gluten issue comes into play as well. What inspires me is can I make the same dish at home. The last place I went to was a Mexican restaurant in Los Gatos called Andale. The Monday group of volunteers go out once a month to someplace close to the store. I had grilled steak tacos - $18.00 for two. It was very good but it was the conversation that made it worth it. Our waiter lost his voice so it was more sign language when we had to order.
I also made some banana bread since I had the oven on and tons of bananas sitting on the counter. I use to make banana bread all the time for Mees when he was little. I couldn't find my original recipes (it's packed away somewhere) so I'm experimenting with some new ones. This recipe was a fail but a big part was I didn't melt the butter before hand. For some reason it never blended/creamed in with the sugar and eggs.
This person was an artist (painting and jewelry) so I decided to stop by since I was in the area. It was the second day of the sale which means all the good stuff would be gone. The first day is the best time if you really want something. The third day of the sale is when they are willing to discount what is left but even knowing that there wasn't anything I was interested in.
I saw in the pictures the auction sent out before the sale this metal thingy in the center. I know it's use in jewelry making and thought it might be helpful in a class I'm working on. If it was still there on the second day I would pick it up. Of course it wasn't but I still looked through everything just to make sure. They had some lovely paintings but with everything I have in all boxed up, didn't think I should pick up anything new.
My go to comforting food is Japanese fried rice. I don't make it too often anymore since it's only me. It's something we have almost every morning when my family gets together at the beach house. Great way to use up all the leftovers (if there are any) from the dinner the night before. Everyone likes it no matter who makes it or what's in it.
My healing food has to be honey and lemon. Lemons pretty much grow year round here in California so access is easy. The honey is local too as a good friend is a bee keeper. She has a lovely garden with chickens and bee hives. When I'm really sick I ask for the dark fall honey. It has more of the good stuff as the bees had more access to a big variety of plants. It has a stronger taste so not for everyone.
I've seen this symbol/design many times especially from people who travel a lot. I knew it was called an evil eye, which doesn't sound like that would be a good thing. :)Last year while dog sitting, the owner had one so I decided to look up the true meaning behind it - yes I was very bored. The symbol is to help protect or ward off an evil eye curse. So when one came into the store I added it to my vest. I feel like there's a black cloud hanging over me with a whole lot of negative energy. I usually would go spend time at the beach but the house isn't available this month. :( Let's see if this charm works
The Evil Eye
OK so why the all the banana peels? I like to make a fruit smoothie every morning. It's like how other people carry around their coffee all day, I carry around my smoothie. An elder customer brings in almost expired food from Safeway. Not sure how that is legal or how safe it is but I go with it. ] I always shout, "the banana dealer is here" and all the other volunteers run out to the parking lot to see what she has. I never know when the bananas will come in so when they do I stock up and freeze them. :)
Living in California we don't really have "seasons" so I'm going with early summer. Produce is grown almost year round here so early summer is when it really hits the stores. Barbecuing has always been my favorite cooking method since it's all done outside. Making fresh green salads (I'm a big salad fan) with all the toppings as a side. Growing up on a farm (we grew vegetables, not cows) I really only knew fresh vegetables. I really don't think I ever ate anything from a can growing up. Coming from a big family canned anything would have been to expensive.
If that means what one ingredient do I use all the time it would have to be black pepper. I love it on everything and it goes into every dish I make. I do like the mushroom umami from Trader Joe's and red pepper flakes so I guess they could be a runner ups.
Fresh lemons and honey is my go to pick me up but I guess that would fall into beverages. :)
What is your most treasured kitchen object?
Sorry no pictures as everything is packed up waiting for my move.
I had to think about this. Picking something I treasure because I know I can never replace it? Something that invokes a strong emotion or memory? I can only pick one thing so here's my list of candidates.
My vintage (well it's vintage now) green Tupperware stacking measuring cups. I cried when I found them, thinking they got sold off during the big purge when I got divorced. They're avocado green, so you know how old they are.
Another vintage item, my little rice cooker. It's over 40 years old and it's a no frilly. Cooks Japanese rice super fast. Really makes me feel at home when I use it. I just love the load click when it's done. If you have one you know what I mean. :)
My Grandmother gave me a dinner set over 45 years ago. Always reminds me of her. I've never seen another set in all my years of thrifting. I only have the dinner plates now and have no idea where the other pieces went.
I think I will go with the measuring cups. My mom was all in with the avocado green when we moved into the suburbs from the farm. Always makes me think of her kitchen and what a good cook she was.
For me it's trying something new. When I go grocery shopping I always try and pick up something I haven't tried before. I usually do this at Costco because I've tried almost everything at Trader Joe's. :)
I don't have the taste buds of alcohol but I do like the fancy glasses that are sometimes used. I do have two huge bottles of vodka I picked at an estate sale. They legally can't sell any food products, so they just give it away. I have plans to make vanilla extract again so this was the only reason I picked up the bottles. I looked up what to do with vodka other than making extract. I came across Moscow Mule, vodka, ginger beer & lime. I know you're suppose to serve it in copper mugs but I never knew why, another rabbit hole. The copper is suppose to enhance the drink while keeping it cold but I still think it's marketing thing. Ginger beer isn't a "beer" which lead me down yet another rabbit hole to find out what is was. All of its ingredients are things I like so I picked up a box at Costco. I'm currently staying at a friend's house that has a very nice lime tree and copper mugs. The cooking stars were all in line! I have all the parts to make a MM. Then I thought since I don't like alcohol, I would leave that part out and make it a mocktail. The word is still out if the copper mug makes any difference.
So how do you overcome a creative rut?
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| Alton Brown Grilled Pork Tenderloin |
When I have a lot of energy I'll tackle one of the many recipes I have flagged in my cookbooks. I'll also make a dessert. :)
Tonight I'm making Alton Brown's marinated grilled pork tenderloin. It takes 24 hours to marinate so it's something that has to be planned ahead. Another one of my go to dishes is lasagna. I freeze most of it for a quick meal when I'm not up cooking.
On the same shelf was the book by Lindsay Gardner, "Why We Cook Women On Food, Identity & Connection". What caught my eye was the homey for lack of a better term watercolor illustrations. Since it was raining and not wanting to lug a ton of books out to the car, I went to the quiet room to see if any of the books were worth the effort.
Tasting History was just OK, rather boring. His videos are much better. Why We Cook on the other hand was written in a style I really like. It flows easily and a book you could open to any page and find something interesting to read. It's has questions they asked the chefs and it makes you wonder how you would answer those questions. I think while I have a wifi connection for the next few weeks, I'll post my answer to one of those questions everyday.
What kitchen tools do you love most? A good knife and my cast iron pan are my essentials. I use my Nutribullet blender everyday and my pour over coffee set up but it's more a "like" than a must have. What's yours?
While I was down in Carmel I just love to walk the beach during low tide. I especially like when the ocean does this around the rocks. I my fantasy garden I would love to have a water feature that makes this ripple effect. It's it too cool?
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| May not look pretty |
The reason I call this Fire Alarm Chicken Soup is because I set off the smoke detectors. I roasted the chicken, garlic and jalapeño peppers and when I opened the oven door, I needed a second pot holder. The few seconds it took me to grab another pot holder was enough to smoke up the house. I added a lot of spices to the soup and I think it turned out super!
While I was there some women were looking at this glass vase. One making a comment it was vintage (which it is) and maybe there other friend would like it. I could tell even from a distance that it had a purple tint, meaning it was made with uranium. It does glow but it's not super bright. It was on the rack with the all the cheap glass vases and marked for only $5, so I picked it up. I walked right passed it an would not have even seen it if I didn't hear the ladies talking about it. :)
I also found a pyrex baking dish for $5. I'm slowly replacing all my lower case Pyrex baking pans with the old ones that have all capital letters. The new ones (lower case) can shatter if exposed to high oven heat. I've been waiting for some to come into the store but so far no luck.
I plan to send one more box once I'm back home and have time to get my extra cards put in clear shelves.
I did stop by the Safeway thinking maybe they have fresh crabs. I heard they're now in season around here. They didn't look too good so I asked the butcher if they were fresh. He gave it a really good sniff and said, it's gone south. I thanked him for his honest opinion and just brought popcorn.
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| Little Sandpipers at low tide |
I follow a watercolor artist on Youtube and she said "the artist way" was a must have book. I asked the book person at the HD to keep an eye out for me. It's an old book and I think I had a copy years ago. Anyways, a few hours later the very last book she took out of a box of donation was "the artist way"! It's a very old copy with the paper all yellow but that means it was free. Now I'm looking for "writing down the bones" which people think inspired the artist way's author.
