pieces and bits: a review of the first week of lent

 

The days are lengthening.  7 am is now bright, whether the sky is cloudy or clear, such a contrast to the exact same time at the winter solstice, when I shot the photo above.  A cardinal revs his deafening song at 6 am.  He sounds like a car alarm, which reminds me of the apartment in Yonkers where my husband and I lived as newlyweds.  We fought tooth and nail for parking spots in the tiny lot behind our building that flooded with every rainstorm, or else circled the street endlessly, scouting out a tiny spot into which our car could squeeze.  I may have called my husband out to do the parallel parking maneuvers for me more than once.  Car alarms blared at all times of day and night, and we finally got used to it.  Cardinal song is much easier on the ears.

The other morning, as I fumbled to get a pot of tea going, I shattered the top to my favorite teapot.  The good news is that there are replacements.  The bad news is that they're currently out of stock.

Two minutes later, I ripped all that out and started again.  My gauge was off, and anyway, my hands were not made for colorwork on 9" circumference size 0 circulars, no matter how lovely the result is.  They are still aching days later.  Perhaps a vanilla sock and those needles will be a good combination, but later, when my hands have healed. "RRRRRip, rip, rip and re-knit" has been the theme lately. As a product knitter, with limited time for knitting, re-dos discourage me.  Yet! The results of my tinkering will be much more satisfying in the end, and I'll be more likely to reach for the finished garments.

There's a metaphor for life somewhere in that, I just know it.

The homemade granola that I made without any dried fruit so my raisin-hating kid will eat it, that he still won't eat.  So I am.  It's delicious.

A sweater and shawl and socks waiting to be knit.

A little experiment, which was given to some friends when they came to visit. They always come bearing gifts, and their visit was a short-notice one.  I didn't have time to get anything for them, but whipped up a little teapot trivet one afternoon.

On the menu:

~ Hobbit Stew (with a Shiitake, Portobella, and assorted other mushrooms blend)
~ Ramen with Charred Scallions, Green Beans and Chile Oil (and shrimp)
~ Cabbage, Potato, and Cannellini Soup with Laganá
~ Crock Pot Aloo Gobi with Chickpeas and rice
~ Boom Boom Shrimp, Potato and Root Vegetable Fries, Vegan Creamy Coleslaw

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