Taking the easy way out, now

We made our day trip to Rhinebeck NY for the sheep and wool festival. It was everything I'd heard and then some.

Anna and I took off from Pittsburgh at 2 AM on Sunday. The weather was clear and cool and we made decent time. By the time we started north on I81, the sun was coming up and the scenery was gorgeous.



By the time we hit the New York State Thruway, less than an hour from Rhinebeck, I was as excited as a child going to a disney park for the first time. The Catskills loomed in the distance and the fall colors were bright and beautiful.



I have a new favorite bridge.



It cost a dollar to cross the Hudson river on the funkiest bridge in existence, and worth every penny.



Just across the bridge, we knew we were headed in the right direction.



There were sheep and llamas and alpacas everywhere. We got there around 1030, just in time to see the llama (and alpaca) parade.





We visited the exhibits barn and I had to take a photo of the prize-winning needle felted piece.



We toured the three big vendor buildings near where we were to meet up with some folks from Ravelry. We managed to not buy everything in sight on the first pass, which was a good thing, because the dozens and dozens of vendors there were nothing compared to the shopping further back in the fairgrounds.

But most importantly, at 1230 we met some people from Facebook, and from the Rubberneckers group on Ravelry.

I took lots of pictures and will link to the slideshow below, but here is my favorite shot, my very dear friend Terri who I got to meet for the first time, and Genny, who came all the way from New Zealand!



There were TONS of handknits of all colors and types and taste levels. This was hands down the best one of the day.



We visited the sheep barns and saw lots of fun sheep and goats. The voices on those critters-hilarious. Some were very loud, some were just too cool to bother with us, some were shy, and some were quite friendly.





Anna fell in love.



I'm not sure how I feel about having a llama for a son-in-law, but at least they make good guard animals.

By 230, it was time to get some lunch so we headed back up to the place we'd been before to see if the fried artichoke line was any smaller. It was. I got the Artichoke French and Anna got the fried artichokes. Both were delish. And we got to visit some more with Terri and Lisa and Kim and Danielle and Elizabeth.



They left, and once I dried my tears, we wandered over to watch the frisbee dogs in action.









One last trip through the food barn to get some nuts, and we hit the road.

The trip back was not as calm and uneventful as the trip up. We were both very tired and it started to rain when we hit Pennsylvania again. But we made it back in one piece, just after 2 AM. 24 hours, 814 miles. Next time, we stay for the weekend.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I've never been a big fan of squash, but this ended up being very tasty. A little savory, a little sweet, a lot delicious.

Ingredients

Butternut squash-five pounds or so (You can also use buttercup squash, pumpkin, acorn squash, whatever fall/winter squash you like or have on hand)
2-4 oz bacon
medium sized sweet onion
2-3 carrots, cut into generous chunks.
2 cups vegetable stock-low salt or salt free is best.
2 cups pinot grigio
1 cup cream, half and half, or whole milk
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
ginger
cinnamon

Directions

Heat oven to 350. Cut squash into large pieces to prepare to roast. (I cut it right down the middle, then cut those pieces lengthwise. You don't need to peel it unless you're masochistic.)

Place squash pieces skin side down in roasting pan. Place whole peeled onion in the pan with the squash. Brush everything with olive oil and sprinkle with ginger and cinnamon-not too much. Roast for approx 40 minutes or until cooked.

While the squash is roasting, cut the bacon into 1/2 inch strips or so and saute' in the butter. Add carrots. Cover and cook on medium heat until the carrots start to get soft. Add the wine and vegetable stock. Cover and simmer until the squash is cooked and cooled enough to handle.

Scoop squash out of skins. Add squash and onion to the broth. Stir, add a little water if needed for consistency, cover and simmer approx 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. You might need a little salt, you might not.

Add a cup of milk, cream, or half and half, and puree with an immersion blender, hand mixer, or whisk. You may add more milk to taste if you wish.

Serve with crumbled bacon or chives on top.

Mustard Greens with Bacon and Carrots

I made this dish for dinner tonight and wanted to write it down so I'd remember!

Ingredients
Pound of fresh, cleaned mustard greens
4 slices lean bacon, cut into small pieces
One carrot, sliced
Two shallots, sliced thin
Low-salt vegetable broth
White wine
Honey

I used my saucier, but you can use any saute' pan with a lid. It should be deep enough to hold the greens.

Saute' bacon with shallots until it begins to crisp. Add carrots, cover, cook for a few minutes until the carrots start to get soft.

Add 1/4 cup white wine and deglaze bottom of pan.

Add 1/4 cup vegetable broth, add greens, and cover

Allow greens to cook until just about done, then add a tablespoon of honey. Mix well into liquid, cover and cook until done.

Serve with crusty bread so you can sop up all the yummy juice!

You don't think like I think, you don't joke like I joke

Haven't had much to say, not much going on.

We went to a members only event at the conservatory, the photo above is from there. I'm knitting socks, but I'll never get as much knitting done as I'd like before the holidays. I've taken too much time off from it. Just can't get into it this year. It's almost like something is bothering me. Hm. What could that be.

My younger daughter and I are going to the New York Sheep and Wool festival next Sunday. Taking a day trip. She would not let me make any excuses for not going, and she said she'd help me drive. Maybe I'll find christmas presents there.

We've been getting some groceries from Penn's Corner Farm alliance, I highly recommend it for anyone local. The prices are reasonable, the products are great, and you're supporting local farmers. We don't get a CSA, it's more than we could use, but the farmstand ordering system works well for us.

I'm off because I cooked like a fool today and need to sit and chill now. If you want to make my recipe for stuffed eggplant, chopped sun dried tomatoes are a nice addition to it, and you can make it vegetarian by eliminating the pancetta. Look on the sidebar and click "recipes".



Hopefully lots of photos from Rhinebeck, New York next week. For now, this one I took at Frick Park a few weeks ago, when we took Lily.

No cure for the summertime blues

My world seems so small lately. Life is going by on the outside, while I stand still trying to grab at little pieces as they fly past. I'm not fast enough.

The dreams continue. I wake up with a glimmer of hope that quickly fades. I see small black cars or dark-haired young women on bicycles and I hope for a moment that it's her, that's she's going to come up to me and give me a hug and everything will once again be ok. I feel foolish. But from time to time I daydream that my daughter is back in my life and we're laughing together or having lunch or she's asking me for advice, something she never did much of anyway. Then I snap back into reality.

It's bittersweet because having my younger daughter living here with us is very much a good thing. We enjoy her company and she is a motivating force on me. But I miss her sister so very, very much.

Recently, a friend from work, a young woman, lost her husband. I don't know the circumstances, just that one day he was alive, and the next day he was dead. I can't imagine what that must feel like, but it fills my heart with sadness and with longing for those I love and for one I fear I have lost forever. Any moment, things could change. You could go on a wonderful vacation for your anniversary, and be a widow the next week. How are such things possible? You must treasure what you have every moment because it could end, any moment.

So I keep hoping, because it's all I know how to do. I've always hoped, even when all logic defied it. I've almost always been disappointed in the result, but that doesn't change my nature. I will keep noticing slight dark haired women on bicycles and shadowy profiles in small black cars and I will keep dissolving into daydream, because for now, that's all I've got.

Been a long time since I did the stroll

Buttercupia has been a busy place lately. So not much blogging.

The craft related things have slowed down due to busy times. My younger daughter has moved back home to PA and into our house while she gets her future sorted out. It's nice to have her here, both local and in the house, she's a good person and does a lot to help me out. In lieu of rent, she claims, but I think she'd do it anyway.

She brought her classroom bunnies with her.



The upward extension happened since they arrived, it's really quite awesome for them.

We're bringing in vegetables.



No photos of the three large zucchini we've brought in and eaten voraciously so far. More to come I am sure. The eggplant, green beans, and onions are a washout but the tomatoes, zukes, and bell peppers are doing well. Part of the problem is the zucchini is just taking over the whole plot.

I spun all Corgi Hill Farm fiber for the Tour de Fleece.



From the top left, 917 yards Merino/Bombyx silk, 725 yards BFL/Tussah silk, 825 yards Polwarth.

I ended up winning a prize, from Anna Marie at Corgi Hill, three gorgeous braids of fiber from her shop.



I was surprised and delighted to win. And such a generous prize! Really amazing.

As always, I enjoyed the tour and the personal challenges I set for myself. It's been too hot to knit so I'd have been spinning anyway, maybe just not in that quantity, considering there was a lot going on at the same time what with Anna (my daughter) moving back in.

This is one of the things she has done so far.



The whole hillside was previously choked with weeds and overgrown grass. We even went out and got a new weed whacker so we can keep up with it now. It looks so nice!

I have still not heard anything from older daughter, other than a second hand hello, which I suppose is better than nothing at all. I miss her so much, and my heart is still broken that she is not in my life at present. I hope beyond hope that I'll see her soon.

We got a new bed. It has been life-changing.



It's a Serta "iComfort" memory foam bed. It sleeps cool because it has a gel component to the foam. I can't tell you what a difference it makes to sleep soundly and without waking up every hour or so because something hurts or has fallen asleep or is cramping up. We've only had it a little over a week but it's wonderful so far. And it has a 25 year warranty, 15 of which is for full replacement.

And Figment loves it.



Lily got a new bed, too.



She was unsure about it at first but lately she just curls up in it and sacks out. We got it for her because we took the carpet out of our room prior to getting the bed-good move, because it was disgusting and full of dust and animal hair. That alone is, I believe, part of why we're sleeping better, along with the cushy luxury of the new bed.

Biscuit is happy to have his mom home, I think.



Finally, I got some more old photos scanned but not nearly close to all yet. My favorite of this batch is this one.



Probably why my older daughter is not speaking to me. Instead of preventing her from closing her fingers in the door, I just kept taking pictures.

Homemade Immersion Blender Mayonnaise

To make delicious fresh homemade mayonnaise with your immersion blender, you will need the following-

One egg, cage free organic and as fresh as possible
One tablespoon fresh or high-quality bottled lemon juice
One teaspoon (or slightly more to taste) white vinegar
Half teaspoon (or slightly more to taste) dijon mustard
Salt to taste
less than 1/4 cup olive oil
About a cup of vegetable, sunflower, or other oil that has very little taste by itself
A tall glass or good plastic container that is a little bigger around the bottom than your immersion blender. (Mine had such a container included, with measurements on it. Very convenient.)

Very important-everything must be at room temperature!

Break the whole egg into the container. Add the lemon, vinegar, olive oil, and mustard. Add about 1/4 cup olive oil, or until your container measures 1/2 cup.

Add 1 cup light oil.

Carefully place the blender into the container, all the way to the bottom. Turn it on for ten seconds, not moving it at all. After ten seconds have passed, move the blender slowly up and down in the container until mayo is completely blended. Don't over-blend! Add salt, more lemon or vinegar, or mustard to taste. Cover and refrigerate. Lasts a week or two if you keep it refrigerated.

Yields about a cup and a half of the best mayonnaise you've ever had. Seriously, you'll never buy it in a store again.

You can use white balsamic vinegar in place of regular white if you like it a little snappier. Blend with a higher proportion of olive oil for more flavor. Add garlic, herbs, chilies, whatever you want for that gourmet aioli experience you keep reading about. It's awesome, try it. Mayo's not scary to make if you have an immersion blender and a source for good fresh farm eggs!

But I guess I'm already there

Midsummer already. Where does the time go?

Not a lot going on here. Younger daughter is considering moving back to the area, which I would love, but is not decided yet. I'm trying not to freak out and become psychomom about it but I really miss her and I truly believe she has a thousand times more opportunity here than in Tennessee. Plus, Tennessee is getting really scary lately with the whole war on women thing.

Anyway, in my opinion, home is always better.



Although where would I be if Bob thought that way?

Speaking of Bob, our garden is doing well.





The zucchini is already about four times bigger than that photo.

I finished the May Mystery shawl.



The beads look nice, I think.





One huge difference I've noticed this year with the rain then the heat, is our flowers are going completely wild growing out of control. Especially the roses.



Four huge blooms at once on the "Love and Peace" rose, which usually only gets one bloom at a time.



The daylilies are going to be prodigious this year too. Sadly, the weeds are most prodigious of all.

Bob and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary last weekend. He gave me a lovely bracelet with amethyst and silver. I didn't get him anything because I opted to be incredibly selfish and buy myself a Nook e-reader that I'd been saving up for. I did buy a lot of really nice groceries, so I wasn't totally selfish. I really never know what to get him, though. I feel more and more guilty about it as time goes on, which accomplishes exactly nothing.

The weekend prior to our anniversary, we went out on a Groupon date. I had purchased two tickets for the price of one on a Gateway Clipper cruse, a discount for dinner at an Indian restaurant, and discounted frozen yogurt. It was a decent cheap date. The Indian food was not so great and the service was even worse. But the cruise was awesome as was the yogurt, so it worked out.



These little girls were just too adorable.


The perspective of the city from on the water is always interesting.









This giant herd of catfish hangs out under the "No Fishing" sign at the Gateway Clipper dock, begging for popcorn and being more social than I've ever seen fish being.



Literally begging.


So that was a nice day.

In medical news, I finally got my support stockings so I can wrap up the bad leg in compression and stop the damage to my skin and stuff. I got them Friday, after three full days I can already see a considerable difference. I should never have waited so long. It feels so much better. And since I don't give a shit what it looks like, the only thing I won't wear it with is shorter dresses.

Also, I got put on low dose progesterone to try to regulate some of the unpleasant menopausal type things that I've been experiencing. No results yet on that but it hasn't been a week so we shall see.

All in all, things are ok. Not awesome, but not horrible. We're surviving. Bob is working way too hard, I'm stressed out over the coming Mensa RG, but all in all, we're ok, and sometimes that's all you can ask for.

Edited to add-last week, I got my 75,000th blog visitor. Said visitor was from Loveland, Colorado, and arrived via the Daily Knitter website, checking out my scrappy mitts with flounce pattern. Happy Knitting, knitter from Loveland! And thanks to my small but mighty readership for putting up with me.

Followup

Today, this arrived in my inbox.

Dear J,

Thank you for your comments regarding the Hornitos® Tequila television commercial.

While this commercial went through a multi-stage review process and was tested extensively with male and female consumers prior to launch, we acknowledge your concerns and want you to know that Hornitos Tequila is removing the advertisement from our media buy.

Throughout the ad’s creative development, we were in no way suggesting or condoning any kind of inappropriate or illegal behavior.

We thank you again for taking the time to contact us and certainly value your feedback.

Sincerely,

Paula K. Erickson

Vice President, Global Communications & Public Relations

You could have knocked me over with a feather. Way to go, Sauza, and thank you.

Happier Days

05302011_81, a photo by mensabuttercup on Flickr.

I miss this little girl so much. I miss her even though I know she's way bigger than this now. I miss her even though she's all grown up with her own concerns and her own problems to solve and her own life to live. I'm beginning to lose hope that we'll ever be part of each others' lives again. I want to tell her it's all okay, that I don't want there to be this space between us any more, that whatever it is, we'll work it out.

I just miss her and want to help her, or just to talk to her. Or just to give her a hug, if she needs one.

Speaking up

This commercial airing on Versus during the Stanley Cup Playoffs makes me feel sick to my stomach.

http://www.commercialpedia.com/2011/04/hornitos-tequila-brotherly-love.html

Essentially, the twin brother is all set to rape his brother's girlfriend. This is seen as a good thing.

I sent the following to Sauza on their "contact us" link.
http://dev.wearepixel.com/sauzatequila/contact.html

"Your advertisement for Hornitos tequila condoning rape (the twin brothers ad) has convinced me that I will never buy another product manufactured by Sauza. It's a shame, because you all make some very good tequila, but the implication that this man can rape his brother's girlfriend (she can't consent, because she thinks he is someone else, lack of consent equals rape) is so incredibly repellent that you'll never get another dime from me. Shame on you for contributing to rape culture in such a disgusting way."

(Sauza is the parent company of Hornitos, the Hornitos website has a contact us link but when you click it, nothing happens.)

Please speak up against this kind of "edgy" advertising. We can end rape culture, but it takes all of us to do it. Let companies know this sort of thing will not be tolerated.

Sharing the goodness

I've been using groupon a bit lately, it's a good way to save money and still get to go out for dinner and stuff, which we've had to curtail recently. This gets us the occasional cheap date. I have a couple for gateway clipper cruises sitting in my groupon account waiting for good weather and time, and I've got one for coffee or tea waiting for me to get a chance to the appropriate store. I nice thing about it is they're usually good for six months or so. You can stockpile a few and when you feel like a treat, go to your groupon account and there they are. Increasingly, merchants are letting you use them via your smartphone, which is a cool use of tech, too.

I had a bad experience with one merchant, out of state, obviously not considering the number of people who would buy the deal, which was $35 for $70 worth of organic meat. I placed an order for over $150 worth of food. It took forever to get the order, more than six weeks, and when it arrived, it was incomplete. They did not communicate well and some of the staff were rude and unhelpful. I called Groupon today and they immediately refunded my original purchase price of $35 with no argument whatsoever. It was nice to be able to walk away from the experience with at least some satisfaction. So I recommend them. If you want to try Groupon, and want to help me out too, I get a ten dollar credit if you buy one using this link,

http://www.groupon.com/r/uu22619728

Easter came and went. Younger daughter came into town for the weekend, bringing her classroom guinea pig, Miss Piggy.



Very cute critter. I loved her little mohawk, and she made the cutest noises.



They went back to Tennessee way too fast.

Not much else going on. I spun all the yarn for the knitalong I mentioned previously, probably 1400 yards or so of fingering weight in a lovely variable mauve color. My "plying wheel", my Babe fiberstarter, broke a treadle, so I had to go through all kinds of nonsense getting the yarn plied as I only have three bobbins for the Kromski wheel and they were all taken up with singles. Ended up making a HUGE plying ball and went from there. Not ideal, but at least it's done.





Bob is working late today and tomorrow so I'm kinda on my own here for a bit. Miss Lily and I are chilling out together and watching TV. I hurt my hands spinning too much over the weekend so I'm not really doing much, a little knitting, some laundry, making ham and bean soup. A good way to spend Monday.