Skip to main content

It wouldn't be August without a visit from Mr. Wan!

Yesterday morning, we said hello and goodbye to nephew, Austin as he stopped on his way through Montana going back to college in Vermont....then we put daughter Stella on the plane back to Portland. then we prepared for an evening with Mr. Wan and his family and friends as they were passing through here on the way back to Vancouver and Hong Kong.

Here are me, Rosita, Mr. Wan & Jon, with Cassie and Norman standing.
Of course, we had tea - pu'er tea was the favorite this evening.
and fruit, and we baked some triple chocolate cookies, and had great time catching up :-)
We got out the Penguin soda maker (you can see it on the counter in the picture) and added a splash of our recently decanted Raspberry Liquor (bottled in 2007, and made with our bumper crop of raspberries that summer).

It is so clear and pretty - you can see the damask pattern through the bottle!
And, added to the sparkling water = a heavenly refreshing drink.

Mr. Wan brought us the Ganoderma Sporo-pollen that is so difficult to find here - I love that everything in China is packaged so beautifully; note the wax seal on the cover that certifies this brand as organic (in accordance with, and packaged under the inspection of Australian and EU certifying eyes). I showed them the beginning of my Multnomah Shawl I started using my Sable yarn that I purchased last year in Guang Zhou. If you look closely, the second picture really shows the halo of sable hair throughout the yarn...

The little hairs almost "tuft" in places! And it is just light and lofty - knitting on size 8 Kollage (square) needles, this very fine fingering yarn really fluffs up -I hope it doesn't end up too "warm" for me, since I am loving the deep-green color.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Patacones!!

PATACONES   -made with green plantains - if they have gotten yellow & spotty, they will not stand up to this treatment! Heat about an inch depth grapeseed or peanut oil in a deep skillet. Slice 4-5 green plantains into about 1 1/2" chunks, and then remove the peel. Fry the plantain chunks until lightly golden, drain on paper towels. When a bit cooler, take a heavy pot and squash the plantains  flat (they look like "large paws" - patacones -) and dip them (do not soak them!) into a bowl of salted water  (about 2c. water and a tbs. or so of sea salt) then carefully place them in the hot oil and fry again until crispy brown! Top patacones with guacamole and fresh salsa, or a garlic/mayonaise combination- they are a great alternative to chips and crackers. Best when eaten hot!!

Medicare for All should be our goal

" Under the greatest adversity there exists the greatest potential for doing good, both for oneself and others ." ~Dalai Lama And one of Montana's Methodist Ministers, Joan Uda, wrote an editorial for the Great Falls Tribune this week, asking essentially, What would God think of this? Here's a small excerpt: I'm startled by the frenzied opposition to health care reform. Are these good people Christians? Do they recall that Jesus will judge us not by how well we've kept our earnings for ourselves but by how we have cared for "the least of these"? Matthew 25:31-46. This is a matter of salvation. I don't believe God supports any particular solution for health care. But I do believe God wants everyone, even the least, included. And I believe Jesus Christ calls us to display our best Christian virtues in the debate on these issues. Here's George Lakoff's perspective on how language influences the discussion on Health Care policies this seas

My Precious Pikle-It

Now that we have finished running about between Missoula and Portland like bees buzzing between flowers, I can tell you all about my favorite kitchen "gadget" this year..... the Pickl-It from the wonderful People at Pickl-It . I got a set for myself and  my sister-in-law, - since we both are fermenting fiends. A few years ago, I had gotten a Harsch Gairtopf crock (see earlier posts regarding sauerkraut making) because I was tired of skimming my 'kraut. Essentially, I love kitchen science, but I'm even more enamored of  accomplishing kitchen crafts with less oversight! The Harsch crock has a wonderful "burping lid" water lock system that allows you to leave your crock unattended for several days at a time while the fermentation beasties work in a safe environment. My Harsch crock is in almost constant use, and I would never give it up. But there were still times when I wanted something smaller....for those tiny baby carrots, or the 3 small heads of gard