Homemade Tomato Soup

For all these years, homemade tomato soup was not in my recipe file.  When you have good ol' Campbell's Tomato Soup in the can, why bother, right?  But friend Shirley convinced me that after I made tomato soup with garden vegetables, I'd be convinced it was worth the bother.

And Shirley supplied 6 orangish-yellowish heirloom tomatoes.

The how-to:

Peel 6 tomatoes by putting in boiling water for a minute. Retrieve, cool a bit and the skins fall off.

Saute 1/2 an onion in olive oil in one pan while the tomatoes are cooking on the stove top in another sauce pan.

Add 1 Tbsp sugar to the tomatoes

Make a quick roux by adding some flour into butter and stir along with some water until thick. You'll add this at the last to help the soup thicken.

Combine the onions to the tomatoes and then the roux and cook it all til thickened. Either dump into a blender or use an immersion blender to blend on top of the stove, leaving a few tomato chunks for texture.

Now add 1/8 tsp. baking soda, but don't ask me why.

Then add 1 can of evaporate milk to the soup and heat until it is hot, but DON'T BOIL the milk.  Salt and pepper and croutons on top!!

I'll make this again, especially if Shirley provides the tomatoes!

Watercolor on Heavy Canvas Paper

Several weights of watercolor paper are in my stash, ready to be used for painting with tubed watercolors.

This newly finished "PANSY in BLUES" was painted onto 170 lb. canvas paper.

A thorough explanation of why various weights of paper are used for watercolors can be found here.

If anyone with camera expertise can tell me how to get that flash blur off the glass reflection, please let me know.  I did take the flash off, but then the colors did not show through the glass.

Framed and matted, 9" x 12":

Remembering Rivka

Rivka, an amazing, generous, loving, faithful, Zionist (blogger friend) who went to Israel a while back, wrote a post Called "Choose Life" that can be found here.  She believed so much in fighting that dreaded disease of cancer that she made herself available to speak publicly about how to treat adversity while continuing to live the good life.  Rivka has several YouTube videos that can be viewed here and here and here and here.

In her words, on her blog, she says about herself:

Diagnosed with DCIS (stage ZERO breast cancer) at age 39 (June 2005). Three surgeries and 2 years later (July 2007)... I became a statistical anomaly: breast cancer mysteriously metastasized to my bones, liver and lungs. 2 years later (July 2009), we discovered metastases in my brain.

Diagnosis: Cancer is a "chronic illness." You can live with it.Translation: I hope to be on chemotherapy for a LONG time!

Sadly, Rivka's battle ended this weekend.  Her many friends sat Shiva for her and her funeral was Saturday night at 10 pm in Jerusalem at the Kehillat Yerushalayim Beit Hesped in Givat Shaul, Jerusalem, across from the Herzog Hospital (on Har Hamenuchot). Over 1000 people attended.  Loudspeakers allowed those outside the building to hear tributes to Rivka.

To learn more about Rivka and her strong faith, I would encourage you readers to go to her blog and read over her past few years of writing and encouragement.  Her blog can be accessed at http://www.coffeeandchemo.blogspot.com/ if you are not used to clicking on links.  Again, the web link is the same: CoffeeandChemo.

I did not know Rivka personally, but she had a very positive impact on my life.  Likewise, here is what Baila, another virtual blogger friend, said (go to Baila's blog here):

Some of my friends think this whole blogging relationship is just plain weird. They wonder why I talk to "strangers". They don't quite understand why I am so saddened by a death of someone who, in their mind, I barely knew. It's hard to explain to you non-bloggers. I don't quite understand it myself. But after blogging for some time, we find that the lines of our real and blogging lives somehow blur. RivkA wrote so honestly about her disease and her struggle that I feel like I did know her. I will miss her--I checked her blog daily, even before the last week. She posted almost everyday.

Baila said it well and I agree with her sentiments.

Rivka ended almost all of her postings this way:

Please daven (or send happy, healing thoughts) for RivkA bat Teirtzel.

With love and optimism, RivkA

(June, 2009)

I believe this is what her friends say now and may I also say that her battle is over and Rivka, may you rest in peace.

Please daven (or send happy thoughts) for the memory of RivkA bat Yishaya.

Pumpkin Cake and Candy Corn Fingerless Mitts

Weezalana at Ravelry gives a free, quick pattern for fingerless mitts on this website. It was fun to put in a few cabled stitches, but the screaming colors in the yarn obfuscated don't let those cables shine through.                So why would you NOT wear fingerless mitts? (Don't answer that.)

Here is my pair:

Jelliebean sold me the blue Faced Leicester 4 ply sock yarn, individually hand painted by none other than Jelliebean herself.  We passed pounds under the table in Cardiff, Wales, at the Knit Up held at a pub this month for this and other yarn bounty. It was great fun and the beer and camaraderie made it even more festive!

Jelliebean Yarns and her dye partner can be found here on Etsy - All Things Handmade.  I previously purchased some yarn from her long before I met her in the flesh, so it was a treat to get to meet that talented young lady while traveling.

Now for more orange goodness, go to Cooks.com for a sweet pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting.

Yes, it has lots of butter and cream cheese and sugar in the frosting.  That is why it is so delicious.  My bargain is that I won't eat any  too much leftover Halloween candy if I eat cake.  But, my, my, that pumpkin cake is good.  We'll see if we can keep it around a day or two.

Can you tell that Libby is not crazy about the doorbell ringing tonight for tricksters? She and Mercy get in such a frenzy over that noise.

Nephew Jackson McCarroll Williams Arrived!

Proud Grampa Mac put together this video.  God bless you all.

Susan Howatch and Knitting While Listening to her on Audio

Susan Howatch is another of my favorite authors.  Howatch was introduced to me (her writings, not her person) by my SIL Charlotte.  We both read one of her book set series several years ago.  That series is entitled "The Church of England", or the "Starbridge Series", and can be found here.  Howatch has many more books that I need to catch up on.

From that same site:

Susan Howatch was born in Surrey in 1940. After taking a degree in law she emigrated to America where she married, had a daughter and embarked on a career as a writer. She left in 1976 and lived in the Republic of Ireland for four years before returning to England. She lived in Salisbury - inspiration for the very successful Starbridge sequence and now lives in Leatherhead, Surrey.

Howatch's Facebook page has thousands of fans, and is fun to peruse occasionally to see how her thoughts are still effecting others.

All this to say that I just purchased a download of her book The Rich Are Different (recorded in 2009, written in 1977).  It is 28 hours long, so will be good company as I knit up The Sage Remedy Top from Ravelry in this Hyacinth Blue colorway from KnitPicks:

The hyacinth color has some red tints in the blue and is working up nicely. Wool of the Andes (a workhorse in the KnitPicks line) shows up the stitch definition.

This is designer Sarah Sheperd's version of the finished top:

I really like this pattern because it will hide my lymphedemic left arm and flat chest since it will be layered over a turtleneck, and has extra fullness to hide all kinds of body flaws.  You know what I'm talking about, girls.

Inspector Lynley Series of Books and TV Shows by E. George

Do you like mystery books?  If so, don't you love Elizabeth George?

You might like to go to George's website and peruse all the book titles she has written.

We have enjoyed  watching many of the Inspector Lynley shows on TV.  The Inspector (a titled British bloke) and his sidekick, Barbara Havers, do service to Ms. George's  main characters.

Fifty-one of George's stories and fan comments can be accessed at this site, so you, too, can be an active fan of Inspector Lynley and interact virtually with other fans.
BBC Mysteries has their own website where you can also delve into the characters of Lynley and Havers.

Over the past year, my husband and our two dogs and I have viewed these TV shows in the Elizabeth George Inspector Lynley series via Netflix:

• Guise of Death
• Know Thine Enemy
• Natural Causes
• Limbo
• Great Deliverance
• Word of God
• Deception on His Mind
• Blink of an Eye
• Suitable Vengeance
• One Guilty Deed
• Cry for Justice
• Traitor to Memory
• In Pursuit of a Proper Sinner
• Payment in Blood
• For the Sake of Elena

I just downloaded George's audio book Number 13 (With No One As Witness) on to my mp3 player, since it is not yet out on TV.  The reader has an authentic British accent and is an easy listen.

Most of my knitting is accomplished while Inspector Lynley and Barbara Havers are chasing murderers in the British countryside (while on the TV background).

Pennies Per Hour of Pleasure for Doctors Without Borders

OK, I was sucked in.  Again.  This time it was a knitting group from Ravelry that caught me:

p/hop (although it sounds like a rapper’s name) means pennies per hour of pleasure. It is a fundraiser for the international medical aid organisation Medecins Sans Fontieres (Doctors Without Borders). Lovely designers from all over the place have pledged to donate patterns to MSF, which you can download in return for a donation! Once you have your newly knitted/crocheted scarf/socks/sweater in hand, we ask you to donate an amount that corresponds to the amount of pleasure you got from making it… I think I’ve made this sound more complicated than it is! Hopefully you know what I mean…

p/hopping has grown from the original name and is what happens when someone offers and item and (hopefully) someone else decides they want it.  Visit www.p-hop.co.uk to see our patterns, catch up on news and share some virtual cake and a cup of tea.

Here is a picture of the pair of fingerless gloves I'm making, with my wages going to Doctors Without Borders in the US:

Designer Jane Lithgow says about the Cranford Mitts:

As the title suggests, the inspiration for this pattern came from the BBC adaptation of Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell. Jane says, ‘This gentle drama, both humorous and touching took us into the lives of gentlewomen of certain age living in reduced circumstances. I noticed that many of their costumes included delicate mitts which they wore to ensure warm fingers in their draughty houses. I have adapted this idea to create some warm but delicately lacy mitts to take the edge off chilly spring mornings."

Further information about Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) / Doctors Without Borders:

MSF is an independent humanitariam medical aid organisation, committed to providing medical aid wherever it is needed, regardless of race, religion, politics or gender.  We currently work in over 60 countries helping victims of war, natural disasters, disease epidemics and those who simply have no access to even basic healthcare.  For more info, please visit http://www.msf.org.uk/

Knitting to Beat the Band

Cowls are the magic cure for disguising crepey necks. If the money fairy gave me an extra $10K, maybe that could be fixed, but that is not going to happen.

So here is my latest cowl rendition, knit in a silk and wool blend purchased at I Knit London and found on Ravelry at this site.

The free pattern from Bernat for the baby blanket is finished and off in the mail to Laura:

This 100% hand painted silk fiber, from Cascade Lace (Switzerland), luscious to hold and light reflective, is being made into the lace Norwegian Woods Shawl:

Designer Sivia Harding says about her design:

This top-down lace triangle portrays a forest progressing from winter into spring. Beads grace the bottom edge....This pattern can be upsized by doing more repeats of one or more of the three lace patterns used in the shawl. Note that more yarn and beads will be required if the pattern is made larger.

The repeats are 12 stitches, so I made lettered index cards for the pattern rows from the stitch charts.  It was too difficult to read that chart, and the cards seem to work for me.

All 33 Miners Rescued in Chile

All Chilean miners were rescued by last night.  One miner said  "I met God.  I met the Devil. God won."

Pictures and Music Accompanying the Craftlit Tour

Please sit back and relax as you tour through London, Bath and Wales on the Craftlit Tour:

Oliver! Stage Play

A quick message to say the stage play Oliver! that the Craftlit group saw in London last week at the Royal Drury Lane Theater was over the top!

The synopsis of Oliver Twist can be found here. 

Charles Dickens wrote Oliver! which was published in 1838.  Why did he write it? Look here:

To make money - it's what he did for a living.

He wanted a subject which would appeal to his audience - readers of Bentley's Miscellany, which was published monthly. He probably based it on the account of the life of Robert Blincoe - an orphan whos story of his life and hard times was popular in the early 19th century - but Dickens's work had originality and it is probably the first novel to have a child as the protagonist.

Dickens used his novel to draw attention to social problems, particularly the Poor Law and child labour.

What struck me was the familiar song "As Long As He Needs Me" that the prostitute character Nancy sang to both Bill Sykes and then later to Oliver could be interpreted as strongly anti-feminist in its lyrics because Sykes regularly mistreated Nancy.

The complete lyrics to the song are here:

As longs as he needs me 
I know where I must be 
I'll cling on steadfastly 
As longs as he needs me 
As long as life is long 
I'll love him, right or wrong 
And somehow I'll be strong 
As long as he needs me 

If you are lonely then you will know 
When someone needs you you love them so 
I won't betray his trust 
Though people say I must 
I've got to stay true just 
As longs as he needs me 

If you are lonely then you will know 
When someone needs you you love them so 
I won't betray his trust 
Though people say I must 
I've got to stay true just 
As longs as he needs me 
(lyric provided by John Bol)

Wow!

Some of us at intermission ...

Tintern Abbey

William Wordsworth's poem Tintern Abbey

.........Once again

Do I behold these steep and lofty cliffs,

That on a wild secluded scene impress

Thoughts of more deep seclusion; and connect

The landscape with the quiet of the sky.

Here is a description of the area in Wales around the abbey:

The hills around the Abbey are covered with woods, changing colour with the seasons. The land upon which the Abbey is set makes the most of the sunlight, the Abbey receiving the benefit of the last of the sun shining down the Angiddy valley.

Going to the UK today

Packing just one suitcase and one backpack for the CRAFTLIT TOUR , I'm off today to walk the streets where classic English authors walked.  London, Bath and Wales are the destinations.

Now if I can just remember which of the many little fabric and plastic bags, sacks and envelopes contain those necessary travel accessories in the luggage, we're all set.  (It will be like playing Concentration when looking for those aspirin or that iTouch recharger.)

Wooden Crochet Hooks

These lovely hand fashioned crochet hooks were made by William Schmidt of Turn of the Century.

Having recently taken up crochet, and reading that wooden crochet hooks were easier to hold and made pulling yarns less taxing on finger joints, I found this one in walnut and ergonomically fashioned.  The shop is on Etsy and owned by DCWoodcraft.

 DCWoodcraft's Etsy shop made purchasing quick, and DC efficiently sent it out the next day.  The postal service cooperated by sending it quickly.

This hook feels smooth, organic and comfortable while working with it.  My SIL says she really likes hers, too.  SIL has one made in cherry wood in size "J", although any millimeter sized hook can be purchased.

Here is the crocheted baby blanket in progress with the ergonomic hook attached:

Pleased with the wood hook, I might get rid of most of those stashed plastic crochet hooks.

Color Saturday

We took a little drive yesterday up past Powderhorn Ski Resort and on to the mesa east of Grand Junction, CO.

Petraglyphs beside CO 141:

Husband on left and friends on right ... a few fish in the lake.

Read the Directions First

The Haruni Scarf is finished with major modifications, because I started knitting in haste and then repented in leisure.

It is a lace knit.  If you look carefully, one side is one stitch "off".  So I added a ruffle, and there ya go: finished.  Size 40" x 19" with a modified edging.

Close up of the bottom of the triangle:

The original free download for the Ravelry Emily Ross pattern can be accessed here.

Next time I knit this pattern, I'll re-read through all the directions. o:(

Remember Albom's book: The Five People You Meet in Heaven?

Generous Omi, thank you for picking my comment from your posting a few weeks ago, and sending me such a nice box full of goodies.

You might want to read about the amazing occurrence here that Omi and her dog were lucky enough to encounter...spoiler alert: a $500 table she coveted 11 years ago she now owns.

Back to the treats that Omi sent: at least 30 items including little soaps, trinkets, books, charms, buttons, yarn, magazines, pin cushions.  Oh, my!  She even sent extra goodies because she knows they can be passed along to our local hospice patients.

Which leads me to the wonderful thing that happened yesterday while Libby and I were visiting a very ill elderly woman in her last hours of her long life;  and hence, the title of the blog post.
                                                                  
                                                                The Event

Our patient (Mrs. A) was not rousing when Libby and I arrived at the nursing home, along with our special friend and new hospice volunteer, Mary.  The aides said she had been asleep all morning and they could not awaken her, and that likely she had only a few more hours of life.

Libby licked Mrs. A's hand and I talked to her, placing my hand on her shoulder.  Within five minutes, Mrs. A. began a very lucid conversation, and talked about how her daughters had come from long distances over the weekend to visit with her.  Mrs. A. petted Libby and continued in conversation with us for 20 minutes more. The nurses and aides were surprised that she rallied to raise her head and talk with us.

After Mrs. A was fully awake and conscious of her surroundings, an elderly woman was brought in to the room by her middle aged daughter.  The visitor was in a wheelchair, connected to oxygen and had a bit of difficulty in speaking due to lack of breath, but we understood within a few moments that this visitor was Mrs. A's long time best friend.

Mary, Libby and I excused ourselves with heartfelt goodbyes and returned to our car. 

Mitch Albom  in his book The Five People You Meet in Heaven posits that we are all connected to another, and that an action undertaken by one person is destined to have an unanticipated and often life-changing influence upon someone else.

Perhaps the reason for our simple visit and leaving a small gift was simply to awaken Mrs. A. so that she could see her best friend and talk a bit with her before she left this world.

Makes sense to me.

Where are all those American Jobs? Outsourced, of Course

A couple of days ago, I had to reschedule some flights due to an unexpected medical occurrence. Not to worry, United Airlines and Patel, answering the 1-800 number from out of this country, helped me reschedule. This two-way conversation consumed about half an hour, and only after he had to repeat most of what he said at least twice because of my difficulty in understanding his British/American/Indonesian accent.

After our transactions were concluded, Patel asked my level of business satisfaction, on a scale of one to five, with five being the highest level of satisfaction. It took me a split second to decide on the level "3"; an accurate and very generous response, I thought. Patel seemed very disappointed in that response, and you could almost hear his sigh of disappointment in only receiving a "3". He asked me why he had received this seemingly low number. I replied (likely in too much of an exasperated tone) that it was because our half hour conversation could have been transacted in about two or three minutes, if only I could have understood what he was trying to tell me in our lengthy discourse.

Poor Patel, I probably cost him a bonus that day because his customer satisfaction levels with United Airlines was less than exemplary.

Along the same lines, James Lileks tweeted this:

Therapy Dogs and Getting Ready for Dog Work

Just an update on Libby and her Therapy Dogs International visits: she has been awarded a new certificate for 250 completed "official" visits with clients requesting her pooch services of dog licks and cuddling.

This is her previous certificate.

Her "new" certificate is in the mail.

(See video on sidebar for Libby's Work Day)

Nostalgia in the Fall with Fidget Pie

Since my children were small, every autumn brought out the baker in me and the need to make fidget pie. 

This pattern of making a fidget pie with apples and potatoes first started when we lived in Michigan and the fall season brimmed with gorgeous pumpkins seen along the roadside.  Of course, apples and apple cider were in abundance, too.

Here is a scanned page of a fidget pie recipe that must be over thirty years old, and still resides in my jumbled hodgepodge of recipes that cannot be discarded:

My husband has played along with the "Season of Fidget Pie" each September, and made an excellent one last week.  He wrote the recipe and has pictures of his pie here.

The main ingredients are potatoes, apples, diced ham, onions, a bit of apple cider, and a buttery pie crust.  It was delicious!

Sunday's Thought

Love your neighbor as thyself.

Baby Blanket for Nephew Jackson

A new baby blanket for a new nephew!  Niece Erin is over the moon about becoming somebody's mom next month.

This is the front cover of the pamphlet where I found the pattern for this cozy item made for Baby Jackson:

Sandnes Lanett 9910 Baby 0-4 Pamphlet
(a paperback booklet from Norway)

Knit in mostly a multicolord heathered yarn, the details on the hearts did not pop out.  Instead, after knitting one lace repeat of the hearts at one end of the blanket, a light blue acrylic yarn was added to the interior of the piece, and another 80 rounds or so of the heather.  The major modifications to the original pattern were:

• 12 repeats of the ten stitch lace chart were used, with 120 stitches per row
• the blanket was made much larger by knitting more rows
• two of the chart patterns were substituted for a simpler design
• a contrasting lighter yarn was used for the inner part of the blanket
• acrylic yarns were used instead of the wools specified 
• an attached Icord bound off the two shorter edges
• a single crochet was added to bind off the longer edges

                                                   the chart:

some definition:

This is the completed blanket with specs that can be found here on Ravelry:

                                                         finished size: 35" x 41"

Hopefully, Jackson will drag around this easy-care blankie for several years to come.

Lace Shawl (Eliina): A Ravelry Favorite

Those knitting errors that caused me such grief (rows and rows of lace kntting that had to be ripped out):

Never fear, it is now completed:

It grew as it was knitted.  Finished size: 90" by 51".  Specs are here on Ravelry.

The Eliina Shawl is a free pattern download available by designer Lankakomero.  It is available here.

It will stay on a living room chair nearby the fireplace.  The Debbie Bliss cashmerino wool  that it was knit with will be comfy and soft as a throw this fall and winter.  (That cashmerino wool is often used in high-end baby accessories.)

Jell-O Mold with 10 Layers

This is from Craftzine, including the Jell-O mold picture.

How To Make Stuff - Ten Layer Jello from Rarebit Productions on Vimeo.


Wow.  If you thought the video was lengthy, think how long it would take to make this dessert.

Photographs at Summer's End

SIL Jack has some great pictures on his Flickr account.  He sent one on email yesterday, so I'll show it along with some others from our garden.  (Go here to see more of Jack's photographs.)

This is a volunteer sunflower growing alongside morning glories.

These morning glories are also volunteers from seeds sown several years ago.

Can you see the spider web to the right of the head of the plastic iguana below?

This summer, 12 yellow finches were eating from their feeder at the same time!  Below, four were caught on camera a bit later

It feels like autumn in Colorado, although we still have three weeks of summer left.