Fri Mar 8: Snow, Sewing, Sharon Shannon in Somerville

Fitbit Activity: 10340 steps taken, 12 floors climbed, 4.31 miles traveled, 2001 calories burned, 484 active score

Today it was snowing!  The snow was falling and sticking to the snow that had already come down during the night.  Such a pretty sight!  The postman said it was around 14 inches.

I had oatmeal (coconut, almond, dried apricots) then got dressed to go to the hardware store where I had a new blind cut for the front room.  It was awkward to walk in the snow so returned home - DH tried to put the blind in but first said it was cut too long, then realized I think that he had buggered up the connector when he was trying to put the blind in before.  So I'm not sure what has to be done.

While I was there he got an email from his friend talking about how to meet at the theatre tonight - and event DH had not written down so we were actually double booked.  I wrote to try to give our tickets to game night away to the couple I met at the Cory Doctorow talk but they are in Maryland so the tickets were unused.  Instead...

First I made lunch with TJ salmon - I didn't have rice but did have carrots and broccoli that I put the fish on top of.  Very nice.

Then I sewed two more sections of the Bernie quilt.  The four fabrics that I have left do not have a lot of contrast, so we'll see how that adds or takes away from the project....

And I put out a box of the Trader Joe almond treats for tomorrow morning...

J, B, me, DH !

Then finally it was time to walk to the T to get to Davis Square.  We are getting used to walking so it wasn't a problem at all - left from Harvard Square and were just a little late in arriving to the theatre.  J and B were chatting with other friends in the lobby when we arrived.  The show was called The Sharon Shannon Band, but was just two people and to be honest the accompanist, Alan Connor, really was a star too - magical fingers on the keyboard and guitar sometime he would go from one to the other in the same measure!  Afterwards we went to another place for appetizers and chatting time - fun.

It was more difficult to walk home as the snow that had melted was starting to freeze again so it was a little icy - we managed though.  Got home and went to bed!

Sun Feb 24: Snow

FitBit Activity, 5047 steps taken, 4 floors climbed, 2.1 miles traveled, 1847 calories burned, 336 active score

We pretty much spent the day watching TV (and I cut some fabric).

Started out with an old book talk by a very young pre-President Obama - then the program changed and ended up being Monk after Monk after Monk.  It was pretty fun as most of the episodes I had not seen before.

Before they closed, I went to Life Alive to pick up a salad and hot dish that we split again.  It was nice.  I'm not sure which dishes Bernie got.  I had a bottle of white tea with blueberry flavoring that was delicious while I waited for the food.  It was a nice walk....

But then just as we were thinking about closing down the TV - I was going to call San Diego and B was going to try to get to bed I saw the beautiful snow out the window.  It started after I returned with the food, and mostly was not sticking to anything.  But just as we were going to make the transition I saw the branches had a little pile of snow.  It was so beautiful.

So we went for a little walk around the neighborhood and beyond to see the snow - I called C and chatted while we were on the empty city streets.  It was a nice thing to do - although it got us to bed close to 2am.....

I have four pieces of fabric - I just each into two 4.5 inch strips (that's the width of my ruler), and one 2.5 inch strip.  I cut one of the wider strips into squares.  It will be fun to work on this project - such large pieces so the top will go together rather quickly!

Mon Jan 28: Not a lot

Not successful

I'm sleeping in too much.  These late starts make it difficult to be productive.

So today so far all I have done it try my hand at making Polenta with Mushrooms.

I didn't have parsley.  I added carrots just to have a different color in the mix.

It was filling and satisfying, but looked a lot better really than it tasted.  I haven't really had polenta, so I'm not sure if there was a problem with the way I prepared it, or it that is just how polenta is.  It reminded me me a breakfast cereal, as it cooled it got less creamy and more like a solid.

I have about about 1/4 cup left in the package of polenta, so I might try this as a side dish and add more vegetables and liquid when I do the cooking.

DH showed me how to access Netflix and other things on the TV, it started snowing while we were doing that, so he talked himself out of going out to a meetup - while I was talking myself into going with him to Porter Square and spend time looking around, shopping and getting a cup of coffee while he was at the meetup.  He took a nap, then when he woke I talked him into going out while it was still snowing to get our library cards and for dinner.

This dog was leaping in the air chancing
the snow his friend was tossing up in the air.  
I didn't capture a leap, but did get the wagging tail....

We are so close to the main Cambridge library - it has long hours - lots of places to sit in the sun and read.  Will be fun to go there and be able to check things out too. He said he felt better but still didn't want to go to the meetup.

Then we walked on S & S Deli.  He got scallops and I got a wonderful chicken with candied pecans and blueberry vinaigrette salad.

Back home we watched the missing Downton Abbey episodes so tomorrow we can watch the one for this week.  With Amazon Prime we could actually pay ahead and see the entire season if we wanted to!

I called home but C wasn't near phone so didn't connect.  It's midnight, I'm going to try to go to sleep.

Mon Jan 21: MLK Day of Service and Snow

 "We are made for this moment, and we will seize it - so long as we seize it together."

I had a nice time at the Cambridge MLK Day of Service - they were well organized but ran out of supplies so had to send people out to get more.  If I had had a car I could have done that - but instead I chatted with a nice lady from Quincy while we waited.  I helped make some ER play kits, but spent most of the time with the fleece helping sort out the scraps into different sizes and getting the colors the really artistic people requested.  I made a few blankets too but mine were plain - it was more fun to sort and help get people what they needed.

I stopped by that quilting store that was having the classes that I wrote about before, on the way home.  The fabric for the embroidery class is interesting.  The design is printed on the fabric, but once the fabric is washed the silver paint dissolves.  

They mostly have knitting supplies in the store - guess they are trying to increase their quilting presence or maybe quilting wasn't enough so they are pushing the yarn and needles.  

Makes me want to knit.  

Maybe someday I'll connect with that - but not now....  Fabric at quilting stores is so expensive - I can't imagine paying $10 to $20 a yard and then just cutting it up.  It would be hard to pay that much to make practice learning to sew clothes from too. Oh well.

It actually was snowing tonight!  Bernie needed a break when I came back so he came with me to the store - we went to the Shaw's store that I found yesterday while looking at the discount fabric places. There were clothing stores nearby too so I got a pair of long under ware and a shirt, B got a hat and muffler, and we got a bunch of food and walked back thru the 1 inch of snow while it was snowing.  We each held one of the straps of the bag so the task of carrying the food was shared.  We stopped for some Indian food at a place very near us, then just got in now.

We remembered that we had meant to get milk at a closer to us place - so we are almost out of that.  If the snow is high then I can't go out as I only have shoes - B has some worker boots so he could maybe go get some milk - but we are okay without milk for a few days. We have a bunch of yogurt that we can put on the oatmeal so B can have milk in his coffee!

Wed Jan 16: First Snow

Didn't make a sound, and the house is so warm it didn't feel different - but last night it snowed in Cambridge Massachusetts!

It was fun to see the ground all covered with white, but soon people and cars were moving, it warmed up a bit and the snow was melting.

After oatmeal breakfast, my husband and son went out to clear the sidewalk of the snow.  They made very quick work of it - not more than ten minutes and the entire sidewalk in front of the house was clear.

I had already decided to stay in today and take it easy.  DH and DS each had work to work on so they liked that plan.

After a few hours though I got antsy and started making the soup - and then also made biscuits so it was a more complete feeling meal.

Pea Soup & Biscuits

Saute
2 onions 1/2 inch dice

Add
4 large carrots 1/2 inch coins
4 stalks celery each cut in half length wise then 1/2 inch pieces

Add
5 t vegetable broth concentrate
5 C water
2 C peas rinsed

Bring to Simmer then turn heat down and cover.

After about 30 minutes:

In another pan
Saute
About 3/4 C diced 1/2 inch ham

Add to the soup pan.

After about 20 minutes

Turn oven on to 400 degrees

Take butter out to soften

Combine
2 C flour
2 t baking soda
2 t sugar
pinch salt
2 large shakes of herbs or seasoning

Mix in
about 1.5 C cream

Add flour so able to handle, form into biscuits

Place on oiled pan

Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove lid from soup pan and continue cooking that to thicken the soup.

I have not decided if I will get the sewing machine - or will borrow the machine an online friend has offered.  She does not live nearby so there would be complication of getting car to get to her place - I'm sure it's a better machine than what I found on Craig's List....