One of my friends who lives in Falls Church, Virginia, sent me this charming little video about a very young, but serious, beekeeper in Maine.
The area where she lives is up near Bangor, Maine, to the north of Camden, where I lived.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQbsqV7IKbo
Enjoy!
Recently I looked at pictures of my new house–just while searching for another picture. Here’s my home back in November when I put a contingency contract on it and was waiting for my Maine home to sell.
Here it is in late December when I closed on this new home and was waiting for my furniture to come from Maine. The lawn is sodded, but the Centipede grass was dormant. It will do that again this winter.
I took this picture the other day–with the new Crape Myrtle in place of the Willow Oak planted by the developer. Look at the size of the azaleas and hollies out front now. They are thriving. I’ve worked so hard on the grass with hand weeding and fertilizing and watering–and it shows. It’s now like a deep carpet in most places.
And you can’t see them from the street yet, but the 20 little Dwarf Mexican Petunias are thriving, growing, and starting to bloom. This morning three more had flowers that had opened.
They are all the pretty violet/blue I wanted.
It is a bit cooler here these past few days. And we’ve had good rain, but I’m going out to water the new Crape Myrtle now as it does not have a developed root system yet.
In Maine, I used a man called a “grinder” to sharpen knives and scissors to perfection. The knives I took once a year or so and then sharpened with one of those metal sharpening rods (a “honing rod”) as needed.
But here I have not needed yet to track down a person or place that sharpens knives. And, honestly, back in Maine or Virginia, dropping knives off at a store where they are sent out somewhere wasn’t ideal. I’ll call one of the local quilt shops here to find out who sharpens their scissors. That’s how I found the Maine grinder.
But, a Maine friend told me she had purchased an electric sharpener recently. I used to have one of those, and in time it wore out. I didn’t know they wore out but they do. My friend told me the one she bought. Like me, she cooks a lot and loves having sharp knives.
When I read the comments online at Amazon about the one she got, people loved it, but a few comments educated me about the angles these kinds of sharpeners use. Different sharpeners use different sharpening angles–often from the same manufacturer as people “in the know” do prefer one or the other. Who knew?
I settled on this one–as apparently its angle made a sharper knife edge. It will also sharpen serrated knives. And, it was a bit cheaper too. And note that there are VERY precise and exact instructions for sharpening knives. VERY. You don’t just run knife through the left two sides–often one only needs the far right slide–like with serrated knives.
Oh boy! My knives are SHARP! I even tried my steak knives–which were a wedding present back in 1966, so they are 57 years old now and have never been sharpened. They had serrated edges at the point for about an inch that were mostly worn away–so I just sharpened them as usual. (Their blades could use a polish session.)
Oh my heavens!! They are so sharp now–and a pleasure to use. I would have never taken these all to a grinder to sharpen. It never occurred to me.
This one I sharpened too–the sharpener sharpens the points on a serrated knife.
The grinder in Maine was not horribly expensive, and he also sharpened scissors. But the cost of doing all my knives and scissors did mount up over time. This new sharpener is cost effective from that standpoint.
So, now, I’ll figure out the scissors. As you all might know now, LOL, I sew and cut a lot. Some of my sewing scissors have a partially serrated blade which must NOT be sharpened.
Also, as you might know, all people who do sharpening work are NOT equal. You have to find a good one. That’s why I’ll call the quilt shops.
And I will, sooner rather than later so I’m ready when the need arises.
Sorry to be absent these past days. A niece I have not seen in 10 years visited.
Hello Traverse!
I’ve started hand-quilting her as the last work on the quilt from hell (“Happy”) is done and it is ready to be basted on the longarm to prep it for hand quilting.
I treated myself to an online class with Tara Faughnan about her method of hand quilting–she pretty much hand quilts most of her quilts. And like me, she uses thicker threads and bigger stitches. But, her stitches are so much better than mine–back and front.
I’m starting with the orange stripe in the middle of the quilt. I want the hand quilting to be present for texture, but I do not want to overwhelm the quilt so that I take away its charm. So, I’m sticking to keeping thread color as close as I can to the fabrics that are being quilted.
Already my stitches are so much better. I’m practicing new skills, so my fingers have to relearn what they used to do. And I have a sore finger from feeling for the needle. So, soon, I hope, it will be “hello callus.” That’s a size 6 Embroidery needle made by Tulip. Right now it seems perfect. I have some smaller sizes (which have bigger numbers, LOL), but the Artisan shot cotton in this quilt is heavier than a lot of fabrics, so the bigger needle feels better.
And my back stitches look SO MUCH better now.
I’m using a mixture of threads that are all 12-weight cotton. Over the years I’ve collected a lot of these threads (Sulky, Wonderfil, and others), so I have a great selection of colors. The Wonderfil is thicker than the Sulky.
For these heavier threads, I think Tara Faughnan is right about using Thread Magic as a conditioner. It is heavier and stands up better. For thinner threads, like the 50-wts and smaller, which I would use for binding, I do like the Sew Fine better. It just seems to tangle less with the thinner threads.
Here’s my new thimble–note the raised top. And I mark for the most part with a Hera marker.
I did purchase Tara’s Wonderfil 12-wt, 3-ply, “Spaghetti” thread collection from her shop. These colors are ones she uses a lot, and they are in the quilt.
Here’s a recent picture. I’ve almost completed two rows. I’ll do the yellow row next so I can better practice the running stitch.
So, I’m off and running with this anticipated project!
Who knew?
The Sable Palm is a palmetto, but I mistook that in an earlier post and called a regular low shrub that is also a palmetto and called a palmetto the South Carolina state tree. The Sable Palm is the real state tree and is on the South Carolina flag.
Here’s a link to that flag if you want to see what it looks like.
And here’s what the blooms look like. They have been “blooming” for several weeks now.
Here’s a close-up.
Fruit does form after these blooms–a tiny pea-size darkly colored edible fruit–but it is mostly seed and skin.
Local people say that when the blooms die back, they are a mess to clean up. That is probably also true for the palm fronds when they die as the tree grows upwards and forms new palms.
The dried upwardly facing pieces on the trunk are the remnants of old palmetto fronds that died. This area of the palm is called the “boot.”
And that’s all I know about the South Carolina state tree for the moment.
DIL Tami Enright shared this informative interview on South Carolina ETV the other day.
I think some of you might enjoy it.
Tami is a co-founder of The Bee Cause and its Director. The Bee Cause now has hives in all 50 states and in some international countries.
In this video, Tami not explains the history of The Bee Cause but what we can each do in our lives to help create a habitat for bees. Small acts can make a difference.
No bees, no food.
I finished the half-square triangle quilt made mostly with solid scraps–at least it started that way. But soon I did have to cut some fabric from my stash of bigger pieces as I got picky about balancing colors around the quilt. And don’t laugh, but I did order a few colors I felt I needed when some ran out. The colors in this quilt are way more vibrant than I am able to capture on my phone and in a room where it is tricky to get light where I need it for pictures.
The blocks are 9 inches finished, so it will measure out about 82 inches square. I am thinking of naming it “Inspired by Tara Faughnan,” since that is the truth and since I adore her quilts. She just released a lovely pattern made with solid half-square triangles–but without internal sashing. However, I was drawn to my idea below by a quilt that hangs behind her on some pictures and videos.
I am totally in love with the secondary patterns that form, depending upon how one places these half-square units. Dynamic designs are totally possible–and that’s without getting to color choices beyond just light/dark units. I had such a good time with this one. It tantalizes the eyes.
I will likely put it on the longarm pretty soon as I have a backing for it that I like a lot. I have no idea about a binding. Maybe the dark midnight purple of the internal sashing, a Kona color I love, but whose name escapes me for the moment.
Then, YEAH!!!: here is the FINISHED QUILT TOP FROM HELL. The dark border just makes this quilt–in part I think because it draws out the internal dark shapes that repeat.
Here’s a close-up–the quilt is about 73 inches square when finished. And it has not been pressed since I took out the paper templates (except for the border). I’ll press the border really well and then remove the final paper templates. Then I’ll press it again and likely baste it for hand quilting on the longarm–maybe before “Inspired” gets quilted as basting on a longarm does not take up much time.
I started this quilt in June 2018 and there are, literally, a hundred thousand or more tiny stitches in it. The prepping of all the templates also took many, many hours. Five years, and she isn’t totally finished yet. But, soon… And she needs a happy name–maybe even “Happy”–as in “I’m happy this one is finally over.” I’ll put on a hanging sleeve before I bind her. And she is the last of the handmade quilts for my seven grandchildren. Now there are seven of these handmade quilts.
Big Red (that will NOT be its name) is now on the design wall. It’s hard to get the color red to show well in my pictures. This quilt made from Kaffe Fasset prints bought in a kit many, many years ago. The reds are vibrant and not at all muddy. The lavender (Kona Thistle) will be the 1-inch sashing and the binding. The 8-wide 10-inch blocks will go right to the edge, so using the same-color sashing fabric for binding will pull everything together. Right now it would finish at 87 wide, but I might go at least one more row long so it wouldn’t be square. I’m not planning to use corner stones between the rows, but you never know what will happen. And of course I’ll move blocks around like crazy as I add them.
I’m so excited about putting the Modern Quilt Society’s “Summer Camp” mystery quilt blocks on the design wall–so I’ll likely do that as soon as this red top is all together. That mystery quilt reveal for the public will be September 1st, which will arrive pretty fast, given that I have so many projects happening.
I brought Traverse downstairs yesterday, and I’ll start hand-quilting it as soon as I have the paper templates out of “Happy”–which may happen tonight.
I’m so looking forward to trying out new hand-quilting skills gleaned from Tara Faughnan’s online hand-quilting class. I have a thinner backing (Cotton Couture), a thinner batting (Dream Cotton Request), a new thimble with a ridged top, some new needles, some of those little finger guard circles for the finger under the quilt that has to meet the needle point, some new thread conditioner, some new thread, and a whole lot of excitement.
I’ve been worried about this tree in my front yard–a willow oak planted by the developer.
These trees are hardy here, yes. But they will get HUGE and will dwarf the house, the front yard, the street and the neighborhood. Plus the roots that develop get huge and thick and can spread far and wide–disrupting…the street, the driveway, the house foundation (?), and so on. I am hearing some real horror stories.
So, I contacted Estaben Hernandez (EstebanHernandez Luxury Painting). Estaben is also a carpenter, and his brother has a landscape business. These two guys are a part of a network of young men who are hard and willing workers. Estaben made taking out the willow oak and replacing it with a gorgeous Crape Myrtle an easy event. And I am so grateful. He and his guys chose a beautiful tree for me. (I wanted a watermelon pink color.) And the willow oak went to one of the guy’s brother’s house, where there was ample room for it.
I made a trip to Loews and got new pine straw for these two beds and put it down myself. The pine straw is light to move and easy to put down.
Now, all I have to do is pay attention to how much water this new tree is getting. And I already do that with the grass and the beds I have planted. (The roses are blooming like crazy again and are so cheerful. The flowers are smaller, but that’s due to the heat.)
I find myself following the afternoon thunderstorm possibilities–especially in the strong heat we have had recently. (It was 102 on my back porch one afternoon last week.) You would think this storm would have provided some good rain. Well, it did for some west of me. For sure. We didn’t get one drop out of these scary clouds.
But we did get a good rain a day Saturday evening. So I’m good on the watering for one more day. I usually water early evening, so the plants can take all the water in without the sun drying everything out too fast. The night temps are in the 80s, so leaves don’t stay wet long. Plus, the extreme heat would fry a plant’s leaves that were wet if I watered during the day. Early morning watering might be ok, but is not as ideal as early evening watering.
Today it is a bit cooler. High 80s and into the 90s mid to late afternoon. It is late July in the tropics–and August is coming. My house is cool–I run a dehumidifier upstairs in the afternoons–and floor fans on low to keep the air moving–and that helps a lot. High humidity makes everything feel hotter.
And they result is that the eggs are so tender and velvety–so much better than the old poaching pans with which I grew up.
You need a regular, pot of water that you bring to a SIMMER ONLY. More than simmer makes the egg white come away from the egg. There should be no bubbles on the surface of the water. Some use a wide flat pan, especially with more than two eggs. The water has to be deep enough, so a wide flat pan might need a cover, with the heat turned off. (See the video below.)
And you need a utensil with holes to pick up the egg when it’s ready to your satisfaction. A flat spatula works well too.
Break your egg into a glass or a ramekin. Ramekins are shallower than this glass, but I just grabbed what was near. Use only one egg per glass/ramekin and don’t cook more than 4 at a time. You can reuse the same simmering water if you want more eggs.
Many add a teaspoon of WHITE vinegar to the water as it helps the whites stay put. I often don’t, but after looking at the video below, I’ll try the vinegar addition again.
Slide the egg gently, gently into the water. The video below uses a cover and a timer to cook the egg to soft boil–and turns off the heat. I just watch the egg so I can tell when it is done to the consistency I like. I can also spoon water over the top GENTLY if the top needs more heat. This pot is smaller; I would use a bigger pot for more eggs.
When done (either decided by eye or a covered pan with the heat turned off and a timer as in the video below), remove each egg gently. I like soft eggs with golden yolks that will run out on my salad. But harder boiled are lovely too.
I needed some protein for this supper salad, so the poached eggs were perfect. And, delicious.
A bit of practice makes perfect.
And this video is excellent to get you started.
And, this bit of easy cooking provided the bulk of two days of meals–given that I eat two meals a day: dinner at noon and something fairly light for supper at night.
Yesterday I wanted fish–which I have not had for some time now. I keep frozen wild-caught fillets in the freezer. And this time I had cod, which I defrosted early in the morning. You can flash defrost meat by putting it on an iron of some type–I have a griddle I use, but a skillet would work too. Just make sure you regrease whatever you use before storing it again. Today I thought I’d use a deeper, heavier pan to make my dish.
I layered the bottom with two small unpeeled potatoes (a little bigger than eggs maybe) into the bottom of the pan–thinly sliced. I added some diced sweet onion, carrot, red pepper, and some frozen corn. Salt and basil from the garden went in on top of the raw whole milk.
I heated the pan on the stove until the mixture was bubbly and put it in the hot oven COVERED for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, I washed and chopped two baby bok choy. I love that vegetable and often flash stir fry it in a good fat with seasonings. I do not like it overcooked–the bigger stem pieces should be al dente.
I layered the bok choy on the top and put the fish fillets on top of the mixture. I added more salt and some butter on the fish. I covered the dish again and put it in the oven for 10 minutes and then uncovered it for 10 more minutes. My oven does not brown well, so I broiled the dish for about 5 minutes–keeping a close eye on it so I didn’t burn it. I wanted a little color, that’s all. The fish were done.
This method proved to be a great way to add fresh greens to a dish–and now I’m wondering about adding frozen broccoli crowns at this step.
I topped my dish with chopped parsley from the garden. And, yum!
While the fish was cooking, I put together a salad for supper. I could either top it with the other piece of fish or add some other protein. If I used the fish, I’d still have a nice chowder to eat–and I could always defrost another cod fillet and bake it for the salad or the chowder.
I wasn’t terribly hungry after the large and rich dinner at noon, so I just soft boiled some eggs in a pan of water–yes, I’ll do a future post on how I do this quick and easy task. These poached eggs are velvety soft, and you can make them as hard or soft as you like.
For dinner today, I’ll have the rest of my fish dish. But there is a lot of the “soup” to eat, so I’ll save some and add it to a soup I took from the freezer to have for supper. I’m always happy to have “assets” in my refrigerator or freezer. I’ll cut up an apple at supper to have something sweet.
And tomorrow I’ll need to visit the grocery store for more fresh veggies and fruits. But NOT today. Today is mine to enjoy without tasks I need to do.
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