Rain! Errands and Some Cooking

It’s cloudy and cool with some gentle rain off and on, but with no appreciable amount of water. The bulk of the storm is just skimming the SC coast and mostly missing my thirsty grass and plants.

I will take ANY moisture I can get. And tomorrow is another day.

I ran errands–returning a book to the library and food shopping at Costco and Whole Foods. I have not bought meat with which to stock the freezer as I wasn’t sure about a possible hurricane and the loss of power to my freezer. But I believe that we are over the danger zone now. So off I went to Costco, followed by a weekly trip to Whole Foods for organic veggies as Whole Foods has a much bigger selection and their produce is so fresh.

And then…I cooked.

And on the lower shelf:

I put sage leaves under the chicken’s skin–after I spatchcocked it. And THIS butternut squash was ripe and sweet–I use fresh rosemary from the garden, fresh garlic, salt, and a good olive oil.

And now there is food for a few days:

Many of you have said you like to see my meals as doing so gives you some ideas, so here’s some from earlier in the week:

Lamb chops with roasted red peppers, kale, leftover air fryer green beans, and Carolina gold rice (more on this rice later). I cut up my meat when it goes into the bowl so I can read while I eat.

Here’s a hamburger air fryer roasted (with decadent Annie’s organic tomato ketchup), roasted spaghetti squashed dressed with butter, roasted red peppers (did you know they have A LOT of vitamin C?), and frozen broccoli crowns cooked in the microwave in their own bag.

Steak I grilled, leftover spaghetti squash and broccoli, and pan sautéed (in beef tallow) baby bok choy, carrots, and red peppers.

So…

Now I’m going to sew.

A New Toy For The Grill

Look at his very cool pan for the grill!

These very thick grilled lamb chops provided food for 2 days. One was enough for a nice meal.

The French fries and zucchini were cooked in the air fryer, and the kale was blanched on the stove and dressed with butter.

Leftovers, with rice added a day later.

Some days I can still have my noon dinner on the porch too, which is always a treat.

A New Quilt Top

Back in Maine, before covid started and before I knew I was going to move to South Carolina, I had acquired rather a lot of Cotton+Steel/Ruby Star Society fabrics. And my stash was seeming to be way too full, laced as it was with the darker more traditional fabrics with which I started my quilting journey. I gave away some fabrics, and I cut up the whole of my C+S/RSS fabrics into useable strips.

I started with quilts made with Churn Dash blocks made with pieced backings–all from the C+S/RSS fabrics. At some point I cut strips into 3-inch squares and made several quilts with those. And then, as I worked on a project, I cut leftovers into 2 and 1 1/2 inch squares. That journey is all on this blog, and there have been so many quilts made from this years-long project–that is apparently still in process.

At one point, after the Maine house had a buyer and when I was all packed up and waiting for the time when the movers would arrive, I set up a small sewing station and started sewing the 2-inch squares into 9 patches and the 1 1/2-inch squares into 4 patches. (Piecing has always been soothing to me.)

Now in South Carolina, I sewed the 4 patches into these larger blocks (16 inches) and surrounded them with this text fabric. This picture does not capture the vibrancy of these tiny blocks.

This picture is better–at least on my screen.

I’ll tackle the 9 patches at some point.

And, yes, there are still some strips of this fabric left! And two bins of the 3-inch squares. I seem to buy more fabric from these designers for backings here and there–to include one for this quilt as I didn’t have a backing that would fit this size quilt and not enough yardage to piece a backing. I do love those designers.

The other day I pulled out a bag of 1920/1930s reproduction fabrics I bought over 16 years ago when a local Maine fabric store closed as the owner retired. The bag had, also, some neutral muslin yardage, so I’m making some blocks that are color oriented. LOL, I had to buy some extra fat quarters of these fabrics to fill out the colors. The secondary patterns will be fun with these blocks.

It never ends…

Anyway, these are very fun blocks happening, which is interesting as I lost my interest in these 1920/1930s reproduction fabrics some years back.

And, there are 2 quilt tops to longarm quilt and a quilt which needs its binding sewn down and…the hand quilting on Traverse and the former “quilt from hell.” And Tara Faughnan’s very fun block of the month project in solids.

So, I remain so engaged with my ongoing passion.

The New Tunic

Good morning on what is another beautiful morning here.

I finished the new tunic–it’s the orange one, mid-thigh on the left.

To make it, I ordered a gorgeous flannel–which will go with my aqua leggings. And the sewing went well.

BUT (there is always a but when I make a pattern for the first time)…

It’s so heavy!!! I am still getting used to the South Carolina winter weather. Right now, temps drop to 50s at night, but go back up to high 70s during the day. So I start out with warm clothes and switch to cooler ones later in the day–especially if I am going to walk.

I am narrow in the front, between the shoulders. Over time I’ve found a great hack to take out the extra yardage at the neck for a pattern that is cut on the fold. I have to lose about 4 inches at the front center neckline for this top. So I’ve made that change on the tissue pattern I traced.

It’s too long. I added an extra inch at the bottom when I drew the tissue pattern, so the top sits just above my knees. (I wanted to make sure the top covered my bum.) So now I need to shorten this top by a lot, which I’ll do next. AND the pockets seem to be a bit high for me, so I’ll lower them.

This top is totally wearable; it’s just big and heavy. I’ll layer it with a turtleneck and call it a day. I very much like the plackets at the hem, and with the excess front fabric removed and the bottom shortened, the whole thing will fit very well.

I’ve ordered an Essex linen in a soft grey, so I’ll make it again in that lighter fabric, with my alterations. And, layered with a turtleneck, it will be warm enough for all but the few weeks of really cold weather here.

Here’s the hack that removes neckline extra fabric without changing the grainline on the front fold:

https://www.threadsmagazine.com/project-guides/fit-and-sew-tops/remove-excess-fabric-neckline-video

Halloween Aftermath

I started out sitting near the front door, but quickly moved down to the driveway edge—as did my front street neighbors.  We talked and visited while children came and went—mostly little ones, accompanied by parents.

The weather turned off cold, so at some point many of us went dashing back into our houses to add warmer layers.  (And this morning I woke up cold and as soon as I had showered and dressed, I got out my Maine comforter to put on my bed.  It’s time!  The heater cranked up this morning too.)

Halloween costumes are clearly a big thing–for children and adults. Over on the Isle of Palms, son Bryan made full use of his viking regalia used in the golf cart parade.  He holds the fort while Corinne takes their three girls around the neighborhood.

Here are the three younger granddaughter’s costumes–the older two have aged out of trick or treating in the neighborhood as they are now in high school:

The older girls are now holding the fort:

I had a TON of candy left over. I bought two big bags at Costco as I had no idea how many children would come around our neighborhood. We have lots of children here, and I didn’t know if children would come from other neighborhoods?

 It’s a “thing” here to send leftover candy to our American troops overseas—so mine went down to a neighbor’s house who, in turn, took all our neighborhood candy to a donation spot.

And now, on to Thanksgiving!

Well, How Fun is This?

Maine friend Roxanne recently wrote that she had connected with an old friend who had moved from Maine and who made really pretty jewelry. Said friend had an Etsy store.

I asked Roxanne for the name of the Etsy store, and here’s what arrived in the mail yesterday.

The earrings are so pretty. They were beautifully wrapped and packaged. And look at those sturdy wires. They also came with plastic protectors, which is good since I lose earrings a lot. Or, did. They’d catch on Maine scarves or coat collars and pop off without my realizing they were even loose.

LOL, I’m really good at giving myself “treats,” which I often justify by saying I don’t drink wine, don’t go to restaurants, don’t go to movies, don’t go to indoor events, yada, yada.

You get the drift of this theoretical move, right?

Anyway, Roxanne got some new earrings too!!

And since I’m mentioning Etsy stores, if you quilt, you might take a curious look at another of my Maine friend’s Etsy fabric store: Sew Me A Song.

I have not in a while done that myself, so…

But I am trying to use up stash fabrics… Which I am now reminding myself.

And tonight is Halloween. I’m going to sit in a chair at the driveway so the kiddos don’t have to ring the bell. For a while, anyway.

I hope the fog we have right now clears away…

Late October 2023

The Holly Berries along the roadside where I often walk are so beautiful now. I hope mine in the front of my home turn this very pretty red.

Some days are cool enough now that dinner on the porch is best when sitting in a sunny spot and wearing a sweater. But not all days; the past two days have seen me finding a pair of shorts and a short-sleeve t-shirt–at least in the middle of the day.

The air fryer does a great job with fish filet coated lightly with a gluten-free panko and sweet peppers. The asparagus got cooked in the microwave. The berries are a treat.

Last week a host of repair men were in and out of the house–at the 11-month occupation “clean up” of things needing fixing. I roasted a chicken last Monday, so had some meat for a few days. The cauliflower and baby bok choy was pan sautéed in a little duck fat–with herbs and garlic, of course.

I decided to go back and add a middle line of quilting to the solid bar strips in Traverse–and I’m so glad I did. They just needed…more. I am nearing the end of this hand-quilting project, but have some wide bars to do before I can say “done.” My stitches, front and back, are so much more steady and reliable now.

Yesterday I had dinner with Bryan, Corinne, and the girls–and Corinne’s mother (Cheryl) who is here for a few days. I have not seen her in over 10 years, so it is delightful to see her again. Cheryl is a very special person.

Two granddaughters went with me for a quick walk on the beach late yesterday afternoon–and they went swimming–though the water is colder now. You can just see their heads out among the waves. They warmed up in the tidal pools left up on the beach.

We used to call these pools “buffalo holes,” and I have idea why–it came from my Georgia mother way back in the day.

I’ve almost finished a quilt top made with 1 1/2-inch squares I cut from the Cotton+Steel/Ruby Star Society fabrics. When I had leftover scraps I cut them into useable pieces–based on quilter Bonnie Hunter’s scrap system. I should have a picture to share in a few days.

The Annual Isle of Palms Halloween Golf Cart Parade

I’ve heard about this event for many years now as Bryan, Corinne, and family participate. Bryan gets a big kick out of decorating their golf cart each year. This year he hit the decorating ball right out of the ball park. And Corinne and the girls worked on the costumes.

Here comes Bryan and Corinne’s viking ship golf cart as it enters the final stretch of the parade.

This event was an…event. There were lots of people at the IOP rec center, which was hopping with music, speciality events on the fields, children and many adults in their Halloween costumes, and the 54 decorated golf carts that ended their parade at the main rec center building after a route around the neighborhood streets.

Here are some of the carts lined up in numerical order before the parade started:

And here are some of the carts passing me at the end of the parade. I just chose at random as all the carts were amazing.

This “Pac Man” cart was a 2-cart entry. If you know this game, you’ll understand it better than I do, but the crowd loved it.

And here’s Bryan’s viking ship again–which he created with cardboard, pcv pipe, ropes, lots of zip ties, and paint.

Some of the carts ended their parade by going through the white “haunted house” tent building to the left. Many were too high though and just continued back down the street to find parking places.

There were all kinds of dogs at the event as well, many riding the parade. All seemed to be having as much fun as the people.

Here is Bryan in his costume before the parade:

And the family:

It was a warm day, so they did not use the bottom parts of their costumes, like the leggings and boots.

Clearly, Halloween is a huge event here. I am a bit shell-shocked as having lived for 19 years in rural Maine, where children went into town to “trick or treat,” I have not given out treats.

Now I hope I have enough…

More Bowl Dinners: Lamb Chops and Meatloaf

*I wrote this post last week, and this week has been so busy. I’m at the 11-month occupation of my new home, and the builder sends in various subs to fix things that got missed in the first inspection. Sometimes you don’t see things at first, but you do after living in a new home for almost a year. And there are things that range from the simple to the more problematic that need fixing or adjusting.

Grilled lamb chops, baby bok chop with onion and sweet peppers cooked in the air fryer, and rice I froze and defrosted.

Leftovers!

Meatloaf, okra with butter, and roasted butternut squash with fresh garlic and rosemary dressed with olive oil.

Here’s the herb garden these days. The tall plat on the right is lavender, and there is some chive between the sage and the lavender. The oregano is going wild, so I trimmed it back and am drying those stems in the kitchen. When dried, I’ll strip off the stems and save the leaves for winter use.

So…

That butternut squash…

Normally roasted it would have a dense candied sweetness to combine with the garlic, rosemary, and olive oil. I have always looked forward to this dish in the fall.

But this squash was absolutely tasteless. Likely it was picked green and had not had time yet to develop its sugars. It’s hard to tell before one cuts into one of these winter squashes. Maybe if I had held it longer it would have “ripened.” This squash is a good keeper. But I’ll pay more attention next time. An over-ripe one is too mushy. So, I guess it is a bit of a crap shoot.

I Saw a Monarch Butterfly

And it was the second one I’ve seen in my flowering plants in the past week.

I was surprised as I would have thought the Monarchs would have headed west before they get to the South Carolina coast.

But as it turns out that there is a very, very interesting thing going on with the Monarchs in South Carolina: some here on the coast stay here all year, which is a conclusion made after years of study. Here is a quote from the article linked below from the South Carolina Division of Natural Resources:

“The recently published research indicates that monarch butterflies live year-round in South Carolina, relying on swamps in spring, summer and fall and sea islands in the winter. While these monarchs rely heavily on aquatic milkweed (Asclepias perennis) as a host plant for their eggs and caterpillars, they were also found to use swallow-wort (Pattalias palustre) – a viney relative of milkweed that grows near salt marshes and was previously unrecognized as an important host plant for monarchs.

“This research adds another layer of nuance to the fascinating story of the monarch butterfly,” said SCDNR associate marine scientist and first author Dr. Michael Kendrick.”

https://www.dnr.sc.gov/news/2023/Jul/jul11-butterflies.php

The monarchs upstate (to the north and west) in South Carolina are migrating likely to Mexico. Here’s an article from Clemson University:

The Monarch Highway

And, here’s a link to information about Monarch migration in the United States:

https://monarchwatch.org/migration/

Who knew?

But, life happens…

Which is one of the marvels of Mother Earth.