Lined
I am a note taker. I am a list maker. I am a doodler. All this means that I've been known to go through lots and lots of little slips of paper. But I don't actually think little bits of paper are the best way to keep track of some of my thoughts. I want something a little bigger, something that will last from one day to the next, but not something else I have to find a home for or put away at the end of the day (I like to have a clean desk every day when I'm [...]
Off to a Great Start
So, we thought we'd turned off the pipe leading to the outside faucet. We really really did. Then, we opened the outside faucet to let it drain and to keep it from freezing. Now, we did this after it was already super cold, so no water came out of the outside faucet. But still, we thought the situation was stable. Then, when I woke up this morning and headed into the hallway, I heard the noise. The noise that means 'somewhere in this house, water is running.' Now, normally, this means one of the toilets didn't quite flush right and [...]
Preserve, Part II
Really, this is very easy. So easy I'm going to let the pictures do most of the talking. Ready, here we go. 1) Juice several of your backup lemons. I usually need about one lemon per jar, and in this case I'm doing 5 jars. 2) Cut the tips off your Meyer lemons (optional, but it feels tidy to do it). 3) Cut your Meyer lemons almost all the way into quarters (cut most of the way through the lemon, leaving just enough to hold them together at the bottom). Don't panic if you slip, you can still use them. [...]
Preserve
It's freezing cold outside today, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to hole up at home and make something yummy. Today's plan is preserved (or salt cured) lemons. I made these last year and have fallen completely in love with them. They are delicious in any sort of vegetable dish (we use them most every time we make chicken or vegetable soup) and are called for in lots of Moroccan recipes. They've become a must-have staple in my kitchen. There is a bit of a seasonal aspect to them. They're best made with Meyer lemons, and those are easiest [...]
Not That Powerful
So it seems the sock, the pale blue, leafy, spring-tastic sock, has some limits to its magical powers of winter banishment. This is what I woke up to this morning. That's one of my office windows. This is another. It's a wee bit brisk out there. And gray. And windy. All of which is completely appropriate. It's January in Cleveland, this is what it's supposed to be like. But I am definitely going to spend the day in woolly socks to compensate. And I may set the leafy socks aside for today. Knitting on them when it's like this out [...]
Brisk
So the stars worked (or, alternatively, it just got to be far enough into December that snow was inevitable, take your pick). It got cold outside. And then, because we don't believe in any of that new-fangled nonsense like windows that haven't lasted through two world wars or insulation composed of something other than 90-year-old wadded up newspaper, it got cold inside. How cold you ask? Well, that's the inside of the storm window right there, and that's also some lovely, icy frost. The kind that makes a hugely satisfying skritching sound when you scrape it with your fingernail. [...]
I’ll Be Out Back
People, I love you. Really I do. But just lately, I've had to make a choice. I can spend my evenings at the computer typing reams of trenchant prose. Or I can go outside and do this. And, if forced to pick, well, fire wins. I'm sure you understand. I'll toast a marshmallow in your honor. And if any of you are looking for something to knit while hanging out around your own campfires, the folks over at Knitcircus have a copy of Rabble Rousers to give away if anyone's maybe looking for one!
Lurker
This is my mailbox. And yes, yes the top of it is covered in pollen. The plants are up to all sort of illicit activities and I can't keep it clean from one week to the next. If it offends you, you're welcome to wipe it off. Sweep the porch while you're at it. Imagine my surprise when I opened it to set out some mail and saw this. Interloper! He was (gently and carefully) relocated. I generally take a live and let live approach to critters (at least when we're outside...it's more of a kill them all approach if [...]
So Then I Fixed the Furnace
Some time yesterday afternoon I decided I'd clean up the kitten corner in the basement. (The corner where the kittens' litter boxes live...the kittens themselves have free reign of the house. Don't worry that they're stuck downstairs or anything, two of them are in my office right now as I type.) We have some super cheap-o carpet (the kind from Home Depot meant for going in garages) under the boxes to keep them from bringing anything out on their paws. Every now and then, it's good to replace that carpet. In the process, I noticed a puddle. A puddle under [...]
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