off for the weekend...

I'm off to a Mah Jongg Tournament for the weekend....in Piscataway, NJ.

64 games from Friday night to Sunday morning, if you join the late night mini tournaments.
Sometimes I can't get enough Mah Jongg.

I'll report back on Sunday night.

Win or lose, it's a fun weekend!

Alive and well in winter

It's been a long hiatus, but here I am, weathering yet another snow storm in the northeast. I've lost track, but think it's the 4th or 5th one....and January isn't over yet.

A good 'soap' day. I've been making soap nonstop for Saipua and keeping our little Creekside business tooling along, too.

This is me, trying to be a better blogger.

I'm Backkkkk....

I've been so occupied with other things...the garden, overflowing with tomatoes, making soap so we wouldn't run out while I was away....AND packing to go away.

I'm in Northern Ireland with my brother, sightseeing and checking out our roots. My great grandfather came from Derry.


So, finally tonight I figured out how to blog from his computer, with my iPhone camera. My battery already ran out on my camera and I can't recharge it. Forgot the charger. His won't work on my battery.

So, here we are in Derry (Londonderry) at a place he booked which could be Faulty Towers!

John, bartender, got our drinks and entertained us with humorous stories....
(he even looks a bit like an older John Cleese...)

And...here's the bed you get when you're the older sister:

Ta, ta for now. Tomorrow we're off to the city of Derry and the Giant's Causeway.

Too Hot to Blog?

I feel like we're living in the deep south. It's been hot for as long as I can remember. (well for the past month at least, with no relief)

I have air conditioning only in my workshop....so I've been working a lot.

Too hot to work in the garden, but here's what's happening there:
Remember this....from May
Now it looks like this....

That's a Giant Belgium...almost ripe:

And San Marzano plum tomatoes....for sauce:
I'm off to mix up lye for soap....where it's cool!

please bear with me....

But I'm a sucker for Nea.
We played hooky today. Sarah and Eric came up with Nea to spend a day by the pool.
Not sure about entering via the steps.
Practicing the dog paddle.....before the race.
Nea jumps the gun.
Sarah's ahead by an arm.
Good dog!
Ohhh...shake off!

return to the first harvest

I've been in Bermuda for a week...on a cruise.
My favorite way to relax and get away. Read lots of great books...including the final Millenium Book: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest. Loved it!

Back to soapmaking and gardening!

Look at these beauties: French Breakfast Radishes!

How should I enjoy them??

With butter and salt as recommended by the LA TIMES?
or as Molly describes on Orangette?

a new soap mold...

one that doesn't need to be lined!

Now that's something that I can get excited about! Here is the soap block that slid out of that new mold...with a new special coating that Pentti came up with.


You know how much more time I could have for Mah Jongg if I didn't have to fold the paper and line all of those molds??

Still a few kinks to work out.....but definitely going to work!
Good job, Pentti!