...a frugal breakfast smoothie...

...did you know..."There is absolutely no nutrient, no protein, no vitamin, no mineral, that we know of, that cannot be obtained from plant-based foods." ~Michael Klaper M.D...neat...huh?...

...this morning...I had a lone banana...just on the cusp of being way too ripe...sometimes I freeze them at this point...for smoothies...or banana bread...these overripe ones are really nice for that because they're so very sweet...but I prefer them firmer and 'greener' for eating plain (with ground flax seed...another favorite brekkie...)

...so I peeled it and tossed it in the blender...

...with a handful of flax seed and some strawberries...and a little water...that's all...

...and breakfast was served...so simple and so good...

...a March Lamb...

...Scout wanted to go see the Star Wars - Episode 1 (which if you're old enough to remember the original Star Wars...it's actually Episode 4...but wait - they started with Episode 4 for some strange reason...and went back and did Episode 1...)...anywhoo...it's been remade and released in 3D...

...and since I have about 8 new Grandma's Favorite Dishcloths in my stash...I thought I'd knit something else in the dark...

...and I had seen this cute pattern over at Wool Free and Lovin' Knit...and it fit the bill...

...it's just a series of short rows...all knit...super easy...and you only have to count...you don't have to be able to see it...

...so when we got home from the movie...I had this cute little knit circle...which could be done in any colour and make a nice trivet...or even a sweet little circle wash cloth if done in cotton...I used some old acrylic from my stash...not sure what it was...just a ball of cream coloured yarn...

...so then I knit her little face and hooves...out of some yarn leftover from Scout's 5 figure...and stitched them on...

...gave her two little French Knot eyes...and she was done...so cute and fun...

...and she's been keeping me company...holding my tea...and Teecino...while I work...

...it really was a fun little afternoon project...now back to the Sawtelle...

...Signs of Spring...

...this is a photo of the broken tree that was in the front yard when we moved...this pic is from October...when the Man first saw the house...

...but sadly...half of it was dead and the other half was dying...I'm sure it had been a lovely tree at one time...

...so we cut it down...(we saved the wood to burn in our wood stove)...

...and shaved off the trunk as close to the ground as possible...

...and planted a new little dogwood in it's place...actually we dug around the roots in the little 'V' they formed close to the stump...

...and then mulched around...rather heavily so as to cover up all those roots...

...we're hoping that the dogwood will do well here...it will bloom white...but probably not this year...

...what are you planting?...

...the Tulip Tree...

...our Japanese Magnolia has finished blooming...

... and cast her petals on the ground...

...and as lovely as that carpet of petals was...we thought the grass would prefer it if we removed it...so Scout did just that...

...the weather here has been outstanding...in a crazy sort of already summer-let's skip spring sort of way...

...I just thought this lone blossom sticking straight out of the trunk was unique and lovely...

Vegan Country Captain...

...we wanted a nice mild curry for dinner...so...

...from Joy of Cooking, Rombauer and Becker, 1995 edition, p. 428.

"This dish has become a favorite in America, although it probably got its name not from the sea captain who brought the recipe back to our shores, but from the Indian officer who first made him acquainted with it. So says Cecily Brownstone, a great friend; this is her time-tested formula."

...all she says about it in my newly updated version is "Versions of this fragrant, subtly sweet chicken curry have been prepared in American kitchens since colonial times"...

...but this article describes a tussle over the rights of ownership of this old recipe...





Vegan Country Captain

Soy Curls - for the chicken - you don't need to to cook it or anything - we'll add it to the casserole later...

1/4 cup finely diced onions
1/2 cup finely diced green pepper, seeds and membrane removed
1 minced garlic clove
1 1/2 to 3 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon thyme

Add:

2 cups stewed or canned tomatoes and bring to simmer...

Pour this sauce over the soy curls and bake uncovered about 40 minutes or until the Soy Curls are tender.

During the last 5 minutes of cooking, add:

3 tablespoons currants - we used raisins

We served this with rice and Brussels Sprouts...it was really good...

...storage...

...just one of the neat little things about our new home...

...the blue slate in this photo is going away...it'll be replaced by a neutral Travertine soon...

...but I'm still stowing away the last of our boxes...and the winter coats will go in this cedar lined cupboard...it seems so strange to be making the big seasonal clothes switch this early...but Scout was asking for shorts the other day...so we'll surely have a cold snap - right?...

...but first I'll put my wedding dress in...it can stay at the back as it shouldn't be needed for a while...

...when do you switch your winter clothes for spring/summer clothes?...

...from my back deck...

...I just can't get over how lovely spring is here...

...the pretty magnolia (or tulip) tree is carpeting the grass with it's spent petals...thinking we'll need to rake those up soon or they'll smother the grass...

...the woods are coming to life in soft colours as well...

...the Red Bud trees are blooming now...they'll turn to a soft lavender as they unfurl...lots of people have them planted in their yards...but they grow wild here too...so the woods are dotted with purple among the greens...

...even the moss under the trees is coming to life...

...beside the front door is a Lily of the Valley Bush (Pieris japonica)...it's lovely and smells so sweet...

...beneath that are some pretty little grape hyacinths...right outside the downstairs window...

...and this as yet unidentified vine growing along the steps...

...hoping things are blooming in your world too...

...Pot-O-Gold...

...I wish I could have done this post on St. Patrick's Day...rainbows and gold and all...

...the rainbow, of course, is from our back deck...it's been really stormy of late...

...and the bag of WV goodies and the gold coins are a welcome gift from a 'talk' that the Man gave at a breakfast...

...just some of the gold that we're thankful for in our new community...

...what 'gold' is in your life right now?...

Baby/Puppy Gate = Drying Rack

...just a good idea I thought I'd share with y'all...I use an old puppy gate to dry my sweaters flat...I just set it on top of an empty laundry basket in the laundry room...we still use these gates to confine Jack sometimes...like if we want to vacuum...he attacks the vacuum cleaner for some reason...it's kinda funny...

...of course screens for this specific purpose are available...but then you've got another thing...and you have to store it when it's not in use...double duty is always better...don't you think?...

...Wednesday...WIP...

...I'm still working on the Sawtelle Adult...I finished the body at Scout's Troop meeting last night...I usually get a good hour of knitting in there...and even though I got gauge...it kinda looks too big...but maybe that's because I'm not used to seeing the sweater all in one piece laid out like that...I'll sew the shoulder seams and do the collar next...then on to the sleeves...

...what are you working on?...

...Exploring WV...The Keith-Albee Theatre...

...the venue for the concert was...

...the historic Keith-Albee Theatre...it's a pretty amazing 1920s Vaudeville theatre...

...these photos were taken from our seats with a flash to show the intricate plaster work...

...directly overhead...

...during intermission...this lovely light glowed...it looks like something from a spaceship...

...the lush patterned carpet on the stairs...

...the ornate balcony opposite the 2nd floor balcony entrance...

...the original light fixtures were so pretty...hard to photograph with a point and shoot though...

...the ladies lounge...with plenty of little tables and chairs in front of well lit mirrors - for fixing faces I guess...

...both of the ladies rooms had fireplaces...this one has a decorative 'fake' fire...but they probably had real coal fires at one time...from the article I bet the men's lounge had them too...and a smoking area as well...

...when's the last time you saw a public telephone...anywhere...I loved these little glass doors - there were two in the ladies lounge...sadly no phone though...I would have used the phone for sure...

...there were velvet curtained mirrors everywhere...

...and the stairs up to the balconies were lit with pretty chandeliers too...

...and there's still velvet covering some of the handrails...so posh...

...the Mighty Wurlitzer Theatre Organ...

...it could play every sound effect needed for the show...

...and just looking at all the knobs and pulls and buttons...I believe it...

...it was so much fun...stepping back in time...to the opulent 20s...

...are there any old theatres where you live?...