This and That on a Hot Day

Photo by Edneil Jocusol on Pexels.com

A sunny breezy May 27th. A sure promise of another hot day. Rising early after a good night of sleep, I was able to plant 2 bitter melons and 3 little hot peppers in the greenhouse before breakfast. Taking advantage of these little pockets of time, I am able to get things done. It was still early after breakfast. I seeded small rows of lettuce, radishes and Chinese edible chrysanthemum. I found the Chinese long bean seeds gifted to me. I will soak them and some bottle gourds after I get back from my medical appointment. Now I will chill a bit before heading out. I don’t need to fill every little minute.

My appointment took longer than anticipated. Things are taken care of and all is well. I picked up a few bedding plants enroute to lunch. Then it’s getting groceries and dropping some books off at the library. I will refrain from taking out any more books till winter. My mind is not in a reading book mode. I have a whole library in the basement if I am moved to read.

The day is hot as promised by the weather man. I was happy to spend the afternoon in the cool of the basement. I spent some time shortening a pair of jeans for my sister. I researched what kind of needle to use for stretch denim. I tend to sew the way I garden – by the seat of my pants. I am trying to change my ways to see if I would get more pleasure doing things correctly. And by gosh, I did! By using the correct needle, thread and stitch length, it was a snap. The hem turned out beautifully. Of course I do have a Bernina 790, a cadillac of a sewing machine.

The day is almost over. I’m waiting for supper. It is 30℃, a bit warm. I’m a little sweaty but not uncomfortable. Don’t need the AC yet. Soon I will open the window. There’s a strong breeze.

THANKSGIVING, THIS AND THAT

Oh boy! How to start a conversation again. That’s what happens when you are interrupted by life. This time life was Thanksgiving and our family gathering. It’s our first Thanksgiving together in 3 years. The last being in 2019 before Covid. That’s enough to be thankful for and such a nice warm October day is another. Being absent from here for 3 days makes my conversation a little slow and stuttering. I hope I can get warmed up and flow more smoothly.

In my last post, I talked about making scalloped potatoes and Jamie Oliver’s curried squash and chickpeas for our Thanksgiving meal. The potatoes turned out really well. I had trouble with the squash and chickpeas by adding too much water. I doubled the squash and chickpeas as the recipe was for 4 servings and I was feeding 12. I didn’t double the called for coconut milk as I didn’t have any more. I added half the amount in water. I shouldn’t have. I should have waited. But I didn’t. So it was a bit watery but the taste was fine. I had alot left over. They are jarred and in the freezer. No one complained about the food. It was all good. We were together. Conversation and drinks flowed. We had a lovely evening.

I think our fine October days are coming to an end. Time to finish harvesting my 2 Roma Tomatoes and 2 pepper plants. No point in messing around covering them every night. They will not get much bigger or ripen. Best save my energy for other things like finish washing the windows. Yesterday I washed all but 3 in the sunroom. Today I did the bedrooms and bathroom. It felt good getting these jobs done. I feel I got my feet back on firm ground and dealing with life again.

That’s all I’ve got now. Time to close up and go to bed. Tomorrow is another day.