Daily Notes- Wednesday. November 19th. sunshine and 41 degrees

 I lost the name of this pie but-- talk amongst yourselves and give it a title.   Looks like a Brownie base (crust) and then chocolate ganache topped with whipped cream.   Has my name all over it.  Joanne. I wish it was here......

1.  Well, I paid bills this morning...and I have my fingers crossed I got them in the right envelopes.  My attention span is getting so narrow....that it's hardly any attention at all. Perhaps time to hand bill paying over to someone else.  Or have them check things before I seal the envelopes......

2.  Ironed wrinkled fabric and cut strips to add to the rectangle shaped "whatever" I am sewing....by hand... It's here near where I sit and perhaps I will actually add the strips.....it's NOT a tiny 8 inch square.... I thought about using the sewing machine...for about 10 seconds..... I did use the iron, ironing board and the spray starch.  Amazing.  I really do love eight inch squares.  Actually Nine inch ones.

3.  The Soccer players look exhausted.  The fans in the stadiums look exhausted. World Cup.

4.  FINALLY made the next pot of Joanne's Vegetable Bean Soup.....then had a bowl.  And then another. It could use more salt but then....it would be too salty.  I tried explaining that to my son- he said salt was a good thing....we decided to disagree.   I added sliced large Brussels Sprouts this time.. nice addition.  Bit of "cabbage".  I'm thinking some grated Parm in the bowl- would add a salty-ness????

5.   My hair is "doing things"---like making curls.  It's why I skipped my last hair cut appointment.  Curls. When you are born with naturally curly hair- go with it...... I am seeing a number of women on tv- Hallmark-- with naturally curling white hair...NO hot curling iron.- (so Hallmark) and thought "why not me?"  It's still quite short but another few weeks and we'll see how it goes. My Winter Project-- perfect timing if I need to cover the project with a HAT.  (in public) or (in the SNOW)

6.  Library has requested the return of several books....I plan to keep one of them- for another week. The others are already in the return bag- the bag Deb L sent me.  Which goes to the Library with me every week......all year long.  In warm weather I wear the matching work shirt.

Daily Notes for Tuesday, November 18th...Sunshine and 42 degrees today.

 Dairy Fat- Good or Evil??????   My milk is whole milk.  I use Butter and not mechanically made "margarine". My Cheese is not processed hopefully..  I'm Elderly and Disease Free.  Knock Wood.

I prefer less than five items on the ingredient list on ANY food I eat..  Cheese should be cheese.  Butter should be butter and Milk should be milk.  I read the list in the tiny print- if it looks like Chemistry- I TRY NOT to buy it.  Even if I WANT it.  Cookies are an exception. And Dark Chocolate. Very dark.

1.   Now that that is off my To Do List-  I'll get to other stuff.  Why is CNN showing 9-11?  I was changing channels (terrible football game) and there was the first plane hitting the World Trade Center. I wasn't expecting it and ...so I cried.  Recalled the Fall of Marigolds book...And the woman watching the plane hit as her husband waited for her in the restaurant  Windows on the World.  

2.  Five additional black flies yesterday.

3.  Found another fabric to add to the orange square.... it's in the very tiny center square....so a repeat. I always like a repeat.  Connie, if only there was a table in my house that deserved a runner!!!!

4.  The book I opened to the very center and started reading was not the book I thought it was but is a book I have read before...... and I had given up on Hallmark and Law and Order.  And CNN had made me cry.. And I will likely give up on this book as well.  I've read it before- more than once.  Always by mistake.  It's never clear WHY he is attracted to her...so as a Reader I am wondering why????  For the entire book.

5.  Daughter is on repeat with stores selling soup....which I should be buying...I have soup that I make myself.  It's simple and easy and not great.  It's soup.  I'm content.  

6.   Soon I will move on to Toasted Cheese Sandwiches.  With extra pickles.  Toasted and not "fried in butter" Cheese Sandwiches.  And then?  Not a clue....I do have things that I could put in the Air Fryer....and eat those...but easy enough to just fry them up in the frying pan.   Or leave them in the freezer.

7.   And even at that...my Life is MORE interesting than it has been in decades.  REALLY.

Daily Notes for Monday, November 17th. Clouds and temps around 39 degrees.

 I have ALL of these.   I found the Williams Sonoma catalogs on the Internet this morning.  Same block but not the same knives.  I use them all.   My son's knife block sits next to mine.

1.  I made Strawberry Rhubarb Jam yesterday and it needs a bit more thickening...I don't have pectin but information says I can use lemon or the peels from an apple.  To get the mixture thicker.

2.  Watched Curling yesterday the regular, always wins USA team, did not win.  A new team won. And they deserved to win.  Great Job.   I also watched some European Soccer- World Cup.  Norway and Italy. Norway, as one team member said, got fed up with being pushed around and scored two goals. That was that.  Big tall guy with his long white hair in a bun (Manchester United)...  and that happy note ended my day yesterday.  I may or may not have Soccer set to record.  This was a first for Norway in World Cup.

3.  Oatmeal this morning and more recipes from my Master Gardening Partner.  She must have a different system on her computer and phone..  Not MAC.  Nothing translates as being "easy"...she mentions a "jump to recipe" thing I should press...well, I saw nothing like that on my screen.  And, honestly, I don't need the recipes.

4.  I never think cooking with vegetables actually needs a recipe...they all taste great together in my opinion.  I chop and stir in a pan and eat.  Add water if I want soup.  Which reminds me that I have one jar of soup left....for lunch today.  I might be wrong- NO SOUP.   I need to make more. I do have salad greens and grocery store made chicken nuggets- crisp those up in the toaster oven and dinner is served.

5.  While watching American Football (Chiefs and Broncos I think) I sewed strips to a large center square and now have something larger than usual that needs spray starch and a hot iron.  Not a clue as to how to move forward with this cloth...after I iron it.  I don't need potholders.  I don't need placemats. I sure don't need quilts.......and I sure as heck have TONS of fabric......

Daily Notes on a Damp Cloudy 41 Degree Day here in Coastal Maine. House temp is 65. Heating Oil is extremely expensive this year.

 Something colorful.   I noticed the flowers at the grocery store on Friday but nothing as bright as these. And it'a actually pretty dark in my living room right now...I have one lamp turned on and will do another and be right back.  Yes, that's much better.

1.  One black fly and son "reported in" yesterday that he had flattened one on the front door glass...so added that to my totals.  Five yesterday down from a high of 15 on Wednesday.   One so far today.

2.  The numbering helps one reader of this blog post keep track of subject changes. I do what I can to keep the small number of you all happy.

3.   Soccer yesterday and - World Cup behavior (of one game) was unsportsmanlike.  I might have given out a second red card. To the guy who got the first one. And I would have had words with him.... sorry excuse for sports conduct.  The Ref usually refuses to talk to the guys. Just holds the red card in their face. The guy argues and he holds up a second?????  Or just escorts him off the field????

4.  I noticed a missing button on my very old sweater (during the soccer argument)- one of the sweaters rejuvenated by the cold water gentle cycle in my new-ish washing machine.  I went shopping for a button in the button box by the sewing machine. I also had my Grandmother's Button Collection (from after she died).  Could NOT find the same size but did find an almost color match- larger button and it's now on the sweater.  While sewing the button I enjoyed looking at all the variegated colors of the mending....holding the sweater together.  Wondering what "mending" is holding me together.

5.  My daughter has my Grandmother's  Vintage Treadle Sewing Machine at her house...as a table----I doubt she will ever use it to sew anything.. it's a really old Singer and could sew thru layers of wool or leather. What a Machine!!!!!  It could also sew right thru your finger nails...... My Bernina can also do that and I did sew right into my finger nail.  Getting the needle out was worse than it going in.

6.  I need to reheat my coffee and settle into my space on the couch....pull the down lap quilt over myself.