I Love These Pants

Usually I'm not a fan of pants without pockets but the fact that I couldn't squeeze my fatass into these last spring when I measured myself and then drew off the size pattern that went with the measurements and now I can wear them with ease, well, I love them.  If I had any of this seersucker left I'd be tempted to slap some patch pockets on the sides but I think I wrung every last inch out of what was left to cobble together pair of capri-length pants in the next size up.  I'll dig around and maybe find some scraps or maybe I'll find some other fabric I can make some pockets out of or maybe I'll just deal with them pocket-less.

I made the best stuff for supper tonight.  Durwood found a recipe for Cauliflower Puree with BBQ Rotisserie Chicken in the April Cooking Light magazine, I ran it through the WW "create recipe" function on their website (7 Freestyle points with a mix of white & dark meat or 5 Freestyle points with all white meat), and tonight was the night to make it.  I've gotten into the habit of picking up a rotisserie chicken when it's on sale, boning it, making broth with the bones and a bit of the skin that I then freeze in 1 cup portions, and then chopping up the meat and freezing it in approx. 12 oz. packages, getting 2 packages per bird.  The cauliflower puree has a bit of cornmeal in it, some sharp cheddar too, so it's like cheese grits.  Then you make BBQ sauce with tomato sauce, a little yellow mustard, some catsup, and a little garlic, onion, and ancho chili powder.  The sauce gets simmered, then the meat gets stirred in and heated through.  You put some puree into a bowl and top it with the BBQ chicken, then garnish it with sliced green onions.  We are both so glad that it makes 4 servings--and that we have 2 more bags of rotisserie chicken in the freezer so we can make more soon.

 

More things are popping out of the ground in the back.  This unassuming bump of green and brown is the first fern just getting started.  The green spears around it are lilies of the valley.







This clump of leaves is the bleeding hearts 


 




and the honeysuckle is recovering from its drastic haircut (I had to hack it back so the handyman could replace the privacy fence) and sending out leaves.  Hooray!








This morning I spent an hour downstairs in the workshop levering out the railroad spikes (okay, they were 10-penny nails) that Durwood had used to secure pieces of 2 x 4 into corner brackets to make something that has since been partially deconstructed.  I used a pry bar, a flat-head screwdriver, and a hammer to get the darned nails out but I managed with minimal bloodletting and no splinters.  Next I have to take the boards outside to measure how long they need to be to fit between the T-stakes on either end of the straw bales so the stakes will stay vertical and support the trellis wires and the weight of the plants.  Durwood warned me earlier that I have to think "wood," not "fabric," that wood isn't as forgiving as fabric.  I told him that's why I'm taking this project one step at a time, doing a lot of thinking and reading the directions in the straw bale book before making a commitment with a saw.   And I ran out of high nitrogen fertilizer today with two more days of fertilizing yet to come.  Guess I'm going to the garden center tomorrow and the weather tomorrow is supposed to be absolutely dreadful--45 degrees and rain all day.  Yippee.

May 10--Robert Peckham, The Hobby Horse.  They called it Pokey. Even though they imagined going like the wind when they rode it, it's name was Pokey.  Earl and Charlie rode the hobby horse so much that the carpet was worn under the rockers.  Even the floor under the rug was dented from the constant weight and friction.  Pokey was their faithful steed and was rarely without a rider.  Miss Emma took away any toy they fought over.  At one time or another just about every toy they owned was taken away for a time but not Pokey, never Pokey.

I did a little sewing after I got the nails out of the boards but not enough to warrant a picture.  I also added a few rounds of stripes on the Packer Hat but that looks the same too, just a little longer.  I feel the need for a bit of something to snack on or maybe I'll just turn everything off and go to bed.  Can't forget to hook up the dishwasher for Durwood to turn on when boxing's over.  Night-night.
--Barbara