I Nailed The Grits

It required attention and patience, but the third time was the charm with cooking these Anson Mills “rough cut” ORGANIC grits.

I soaked them overnight in milk and stirred them for the first 8-10 minutes and then didn’t leave their side until I was sure covering and cooking slowly wasn’t going to make them overflow. It takes about 40-50 minutes adding bits of water (or more milk) about every 10 minutes so the grits don’t burn on the bottom and cook very, very, very slowly until the chunkier bits are soft.

But oh my heavens! They are so delicious. I will be ordering again, but will drop down to the finer cut version, which is still chunky and slower to cook.

Here was my noon dinner on the porch–made with assets and the grits: roast chicken and roasted sweet peppers and carrots (with garlic), sautéed spinach (butter and more garlic), and sliced Honey Crisp apple and an espresso.

And I look at this view while I eat. My neighbor pulled out her struggling gardenias and put in these pink “Knock Out” roses–which are a hybrid made with landscape roses, tea roses, and maybe other roses. They will be smaller than my red landscape roses and will grow wider I suspect.

The taller plant on the corner of the house is a tea olive, which I would love to have, but I don’t have the right spot for one. They get tall over time, but have the sweetest fragrance when blooming. They are a quintessential Southern plant.

Here’s a link to the Knock Out roses: https://www.knockoutroses.com

There are now lots of colors–this hybrid has been around 20+ years now.

Here’s one up close. They are so adorable!

The 4th and final quilt in the 1920-30’s reproduction fabrics series is off the longarm and has been trimmed and bound. Yeah! I’ve called it “Four Stars.”

We, hopefully, will get some rain today. But NOT a tornado as we are under an alert until 7 pm. A nasty system is moving toward us. Just rain please and thank you.

I’m sewing together the blocks from this year’s online block class with Tara Faughnan into what I hope will make an interesting improv quilt. Certainly it will be a memory quilt for me. So far, so good.

And, at night I’m sewing down the binding on “Four Stars.”

A Quiet Day Today

But I have been plodding along with all sorts of projects nevertheless.

Today I’ll finish the quilt on the longarm and will trim and bind it.

I did finish my name tag for the Charleston Modern Quilt Guild. I kept this one simple and…modern.

Along the way I learned how to monogram with my new Janome 6700’s alphabet, which was fun. The camera picked up the shadow lines in the name making it look rough, but it isn’t.

I donated both my old Janome 6600 and the Janome 8900, so there’s that.

I soaked the Anson Mill’s rough grits last night, so I’ll be cooking those at noon today. I can’t wait!! The rest of my meal is already cooked and will just need reheating.

This afternoon a clean water company is coming to test my water and to recommend a whole-house water filtration system. I got spoiled in Maine with my well water. This water has red iron residue and reeks of chlorine–and I know there is fluoride in it as well. I’m not sure about reverse-osmosis for the kitchen sink as I don’t like the taste of it. (RO removes ALL the minerals, some of which we need.)

So, I’m looking forward to learning more about water in this region. And I do use a Clearly Filtered pitcher for my drinking and (some) cooking water.

Sunday: Some Moments of Joy From This Past Week

There have been many, but here are a few that leap into my mind as I sit to write.

There was a morning coffee visit with my backdoor neighbor Patti, where her two beautiful cats were happy to see me. (I took care of them months ago while Patti was away.) This time, surprise, the shy female wanted to love on my bare feet and play.

My neighbor Teri is feeling much better after a bout with something that made her quite sick for about a week.

The magnolias are blooming. We have a number of the small, dwarf “little Gem” versions in our neighborhood. These big blossoms are mildly fragerant. A regular magnolia is a big tree. Way back in the day, my first cousin who lived in rural Virginia (Lovingston) near the mountains, carried a magnolia blossom in her June wedding in a beautiful little rural Episcopalian church. I was in her wedding at a young age–15 or 16–and my parents flew me from Omaha, Nebraska, to be in Elizabeth’s wedding, which would have been a big expenditure for them at that time. My Uncle Jimmy (Elizabeth’s dad) picked me up in a small plane at a DC airport (maybe the early Dulles) and flew me to Lovingston.

A wonderful neighbor has her house here in Moore’s Landing on the market as their dream house is up for sale on Isle of Palms. She included this drone pic of the upper part of OUR neighborhood in the pictures of her house. (She is a realtor.) The lower part of the picture truncates the little cul-de-sac where our development backs up to a pond and woods that separate us from houses that lie beyond.

I marked my house with a tiny black arrow (it is on the right)–and that is the back of the house and my screen porch “outdoor room.” The street leading out of the development on the top leads to the big street where I walk daily (2 miles today). We are NOT this close to the sound and the barrier islands, but we aren’t far either. That would be Isle of Palms on the right side of the picture, beyond the mainland. We get to the barrier islands via 2 “connector” roads that go over the water.

Noon dinners on the porch have been wonderful this past week. Here, roasted chicken; roasted sweet peppers, carrots, and garlic; baked sweet potato; sautéed baby bok choy; sliced Honey Crisp apple; and an espresso.

And some days later, grilled flank steak, roasted sweet peppers and steamed carrot (assets), steamed broccoli, air fryer French fries, sliced Honey Crisp apple, and an espresso.

With FaceTime help from Jimmy at Carolina Quilt Studio (a wonderful and patient man), I was able to switch out the ruler billet foot on Innova with the “quick change” standard foot that can also use the same foot adapter. And now I have now the last of the 4 quilts using the 1920-30’s reproduction feed sack fabrics on the longarm. All looks well. Big sigh.

My name tag for the Charleston Modern Quilt Guild is almost finished. Maybe some hand quilting on the front before adding the back? I do a lot of hand quilting, so that seems to be a good idea.

I’m moving steadily through the last two rows of “Happy” with the hand quilting!!!! This quilt has taken me SIX YEARS to finish it.

A dental procedure involving replacing a bridge involving 3 upper jaw teeth knocked me back for a bit last week, but I have my energy back.

I had good time with Bryan and Corinne’s three girls Saturday, ending with a lamb chop dinner last night cooked by Bryan. (Corinne is in Philly for the weekend.) There was also a visit on his front porch while dinner cooked–which is always good. We have fun talking about ideas and life.

Saturday, neighbors Teri and Mike took some of their family in their boat to Capers Island where Boneyard Beach is located (off the coast of Awendaw, SC) and had a great time exploring. So I learned all about that place after Teri told me all about it. Here is a link that has some pictures.

https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=boneyard+beach+sc&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&lqi=ChFib25leWFyZCBiZWFjaCBzY0ikoNjrgbWAgAhaJRAAEAEYABgBGAIiEWJvbmV5YXJkIGJlYWNoIHNjKgYIAhAAEAGSARJ0b3VyaXN0X2F0dHJhY3Rpb26qATkQATIeEAEiGqhHmVTDha-vtunJ-PMVO5J5UZEEmLy9KEyHMhUQAiIRYm9uZXlhcmQgYmVhY2ggc2PgAQA#rlimm=15922024207442797517&lpg=cid:CgIgAQ%3D%3D,ik:CAoSLEFGMVFpcE16a2FoNUREak9SeXdXLWYzakdseGpFa29SNFNXNVF3UFo5ZFU5

And now it is time to go upstairs to sew! That’s my happy time too.

More Bits and Pieces–April 27, 2024

My neighbor who saw and filmed the otters in our neighborhood ponds told me that there were THREE otters in the pond where she filmed when she and another neighbor first got to that pond while walking their dogs.

She told me that she, too, has been reading more about otters in coastal South Carolina. Apparently they are somewhat rare and other nearby costal states don’t have them at all anymore. She said the otters travel around through the sewers and culverts. Well, that makes sense as there are A LOT of drainage systems here in the Low Country.

Also, Betsy wrote that her husband Bill gifted her with the quilt pattern for the quilt I showed you yesterday–it wasn’t a kit–which means Betsy chose her own fabrics, and didn’t she do a great job with her choices? (I fixed the post.)

The diffuser has peppermint and lemon in it this morning–and it is lovely and fresh smelling in the big room. (This would be another small moment of joy.)

The sequel to Erica Bauermeister’s novel The School of Essential Ingredients may be even better than the first book: it’s The Lost Art of Mixing. I read/listened to The Scent Keeper a while back, and now I have No Two Persons in my Audible system. I’m listening to The Survivors by Jane Harper, and so far it seems like it will be interesting. It’s set in a small beach town on the coast of Tasmania. Yes, there is a mystery involved. The printed book I’m reading is Jan Karon’s second book in her Mitford series, A Light in the Window.

Today is my youngest granddaughter’s 9th birthday–so there will be cake later this afternoon. I’m getting her card from me ready this morning:

I have for a long time now printed out pics of my quilts and used them in cards. I smile when I see them–and hope recipients do as well–so here’s another small moment of joy.

I am just finishing hand sewing the LAST block in the 4th row of 6 rows in “Happy,” the quilt that has taken YEARS to make. That means the middle is done and I’m over the hump of finishing this quilt as the edge rows are so much easier to get to while hand quilting. The border will quilt fast as there are not pesky, bulky seams to manage.

Betsy also identified the little purple wildflower I saw along my walking path.

It goes by several common names, like Dakota Mock Vervain,” depending on where one lives–all involve “mock vervain” in the name.

From Wikipedia: “Glandularia pulchella is a species of flowering plant in the verbena family known by the common name South American mock vervain. It is native to Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, and it is present elsewhere as an introduced species and roadside weed.[1][2] It is an annual or perennial herb producing one or more stems growing decumbent to erect in form and hairy to hairless in texture. The rough-haired leaves are divided deeply into lobes. The inflorescence is a dense, headlike spike of many flowers up to 1.5 centimeters wide.[3] Each flower corolla is up to 1.4 centimeters wide and white to purple in color.” (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glandularia_pulchella)

I didn’t think to use my plant ID app, but Betsy did, using my picture. When I tried, yes, up came the ID. Duh!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Betsy’s Gorgeous Quilt

Betsy lives in Vermont, and we met years ago on the J&E Riggin windjammer, which sails out of Rockland, Maine. Betsy was volunteering to help cook for that trip.

I offered to let Betsy spend the nights she was off the boat at my house, which she did. She saw my quilting, and the rest is history now.

Betsy’s husband Bill gifted her with this quilt pattern Christmas before last–and she has now finished it. Can I just say that there is no way I would attempt this challenging project!!! And, that I am so proud of her as she has now gifted so, so many beautiful quilts to family, friends, and babies.

Betsy is keeping this quilt though and is going to hang it in her house. She should, as the pattern was a gift from her husband. *Note that the fabric choices are Betsy’s. Didn’t she do a nice job with her choices?

Betsy accompanied me in taking Tara’s Faughnan’s “block” online class this past winter. We had such fun making our blocks and sharing them with each other as the months went flying by. Indeed, there are only a few nights where one of us doesn’t send a picture to the other one late at night. Often, Betsy sews then, and I’m usually in front of the tv with a hand sewing project.

Betsy sent a pic of this quilt she just finished for a friend only the other night. This quilt looks easy, but it isn’t as there are block orientation issues. What followed when she sent this picture was a discussion of what binding to use. (Her longarm quilter does awesome work, doesn’t she?)

Go Betsy!!

Bits and Pieces

What a busy week it has been so far.

Tuesday night’s meeting of the Charleston Modern Quilt Guild was a lively, fun meeting. Among the many visual treats, Cathy Beemer showed us the quilt she had just picked up from her longarm person. Cathy is teaching us how to make these blocks at our monthly Sit and Sew meeting. I have 1/4th of one of these blocks made and need to slow down and make at least one other 1/4th. They are so fun to make and use up solid scraps. Cathy has taken many classes with Maria Shell, and this quilt shows that influence. After it is bound, this quilt is meant to be a gift for Cathy’s nephew, which is “Wow” What A Gift of Love and Care.

I went back to Hidden Pond Nursery also on Tuesday, to look for a plant for this vacant spot in the garden. I came home with this rose–a floribunda called “Popcorn”–and three perennial Lantana that are the same color. All these plants will spread out–but not get higher than 2 feet.

It took the Maddox and a shovel and lots of will power and energy to dig the hole for this rose as there was a large vein of black clay running right through where I wanted to put it.

Hidden Pond has BEAUTIFUL container pots these days. I came home with this one so I could repot these Kalanchoe plants (Calandiva is a hybrid) my sweet neighbor Teri gave me for my birthday. They have NOT stopped blooming since mid-March.

And, I had a visit with the three hens that were loose in the Hidden Pond gardens today. Like most hens, these were very social and started hanging out with me as I walked around–making me miss the days I had some chickens of my own in Maine. These gals were very vocal and encouraging about keeping on walking.

The honeysuckle is blooming in the woods now. On my Tuesday walk, I stopped to smell this honeysuckle plant. It was heavenly–and qualifies as savoring one of the quiet moments in one’s day.

This little wildflower is growing along the sides of the path here and there. I can’t figure out what its name is.

And the very fragrant Ligustrum shrubs are blooming now. Some like this plant’s strong smell; some don’t. I do.

Wednesday was a dreaded dental day–but all went well.

And today I spent the whole morning outside–planting “Popcorn” and the Lantana and repotting the Calandiva. I fertilized, trimmed, and watered the roses and the new plants. When I came in, I showered (boy did that shower feel good) and had my dinner on the porch with my book (Jan Karon’s second in the Mitford series, A Light in the Window). Neighbor Teri came over for a porch visit catch-up, which was nice.

And now I’ll sew.

The River Otter is Back

We have three large ponds and 1 smaller one here in my neighborhood.

I think I told you about a neighbor seeing an otter in the big pond in the back of our neighborhood a few weeks ago. And I may have put a link to information about river otters in South Carolina, but I can’t remember if I did or if I just sent the link to my son after telling him about it, and I don’t see a post where I might have talked about otters in our area.

Well! This neighbor saw an otter again–this time in our front pond. And she got a great video before it “took off.”

The video is absolutely adorable when the playful otter comes toward my neighbor (who had two dogs with her) and comes out onto the bank–about halfway through the video, which is a little over 2 minutes. The beginning is where my neighbor is training the camera on the right side of the pond, and the otter comes, finally, from the left.

And here’s more info on river otters in South Carolina.

Enjoy!

https://www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/species/riverotter.html

The School of Essential Ingredients

Lynette, a reader of my blog, suggested I might like Erica Bauermeister’s book The School of Essential Ingredients after reading my post about a movie about which I recently posted: The Taste of Things.

Boy was Lynette right on. I love this book. I am listening on Audible, but I found the sequel on my library app and have already downloaded it. I only have about an hour to go now, and I’m already planning to sit and finish sewing some binding while I listen to the last of this book.

The link below has a link the recipes taught in the book.

School of Essential Ingredients

Find the Small Moments

I’ve spent some time this week thinking about all the small moments where I’ve slowed down and appreciated something small–and realized that in that moment, there was joy and peace.

So, I’ll share a few of these moments of mine with you today.

Roses on the kitchen counter…alongside a “minion” piece made and gifted by a granddaughter. AND, now that I look, a glass all filled with filtered water and a straw.

The view from the porch that revels in the roses, the shells, the lush green grass. It’s hard to leave this view when it is time to leave it.

The sight of “Happy” on the floor as I make sure that I don’t have binding joins at the corners. BTW, I read recently on Bonnie Hunter’s blog that she DOES put on the binding of a quilt that she is hand quilting. So, that’s what I’m doing. Except for the border, I’m half done now. And the binding is all sewn down.

Noon dinner and supper all organized and each bowl including slices from a roasted lamb rack and freshly made low-country organic stone ground (rough version that takes a long while to cook) grits–alongside freshly roasted carrots and peppers and steamed fresh broccoli–with half a Honey Crisp apple for dessert.

Dinner on the porch, next to the beautiful flowers that my neighbor gifted me for my birthday–these flowers are new to me but are ones she knows from her life in California. The brown jug sat on my Georgia grandmother’s back porch and was locally made…so long ago. (I told you she loved brown.) There is joy too in the espresso freshly made.

Then there was the moment where the stove top had been scrubbed and scrubbed where I let the grits overflow AGAIN–making an awful mess. (You can’t turn your back on them for a moment until you get the heat right so they just simmer.)

And the moment when the dishes were all cleaned and the kitchen set to rights.

The sight of my current fiction book on the table as I walked past. I’m so enjoying it–the first of Jan Karon’s Mitford series.

Or my DIL Corinne coming over to help me plant the camellia she and Bryan and the girls gave me for my birthday–which also contained our fun visit to Hidden Pond nursery. I was so happy to see her as the chosen spot for that plant was SOLID clay all the way down. It took both of us using the Maddox and the shovel and water to dig a hole deep enough to line it with sand and compost. We sweated, we laughed, we got all dirty, we persevered.

And LOOK at the Asian jasmine this year. It’s off and running now every where I planted it.

The sight of how happy the six hollies are now–after a year of care and love. They are lush and green and all fluffy and are forming LOTS of new berries for the fall.

Or the time spent with new friends at a local Sit and Sew Saturday morning–where a very talented member of this modern group is teaching us a new skill.

You know…

I’m realizing that I could go on remembering these moments of peace and joy of these past few days. And I’m feeling so grateful.

And my hope this morning is that you, too, will slow down and think a bit about these moments in YOUR life.