Mushrooms

This morning I went out to get the paper. Yes, I know that 99% of the news I read in the paper I've already read about on-line or heard on the TV news the night before, but I like reading the paper. Holding it in my hands, shaking it out, checking out what advise I disagree with that Annie's Mailbox has dished out and the few comics I follow...LuAnn, For Better or Worse, Zits. First thing I noticed outside the door was a small mushroom.


















It was peeking out from the 2" of redwood litter that covers our dirt & gravel drive. This little baby was right outside the door and in a space that never receives direct sunlight. Under the 150' redwood trees and near the house, always in shadow, cool and damp. It looks like a normal, buy it in any store variety mushroom, but I doubt it. We get mushrooms growing around the house every Fall (and other times of the year), lots of different varieties and often different from year to year. They appear overnight. Nothing one day and BOOM! A big mushroom overnight.













Out in the front grass I found some others...bigger, irregular in shape and very low to the ground. They varied in size from saucer to luncheon plate. I've included a shot of the underside of one bad boy.













Now don't get me wrong....I enjoy eating mushrooms, very much so. BUT I'm kind of creeped out by finding them at my house. I don't leave them to mature, kicking them over when I find them. Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of fungus growing deep in the ground. So kicking over the mushroom doesn't get rid of the fungus, but it makes me feel as if I'm doing something to rid my personal space of rot. I took a tour of the front and side yard and found many of the yellowed plate-style mushrooms, one
















of the tiny button type and then found this foul-looking blobby thing. I've seen them before but not for a few years. They look like something boiled over in the pot, slimy and yucky. Their stem is very short and they hug the ground.
I haven't seen any black one yet this year, or the tall white ones with orange spots (the kind you'd see a troll hiding behind!)--those are deadly poisonous, I know. There is one kind that we'll see on the drive....one day you'll see what appears to be a gopher mound and POOF! A mushroom the next day.
Hmmmm maybe we'll have grilled portobello mushrooms on ciabatta bread tonight.....

Family Weekend

This past Friday was a full day. Bill and I got up, puttered around the house and packed our suitcases. While I did the dishes, located a bunch of sand toys and packed the car, Bill was busy buying a new truck. At 11 am he was the proud owner of a new-to-us 2002 Chevy Truck. I think he said it was 3/4 ton blah blah blah...at least that was how much I understood. What I understand most is that we got an incredible deal on a used US Forest Service Vehicle and it is "Forest Service Green" to match my Chevy Tahoe. He bought it at an on-line auction and we didn't have to drive far to get it as it was just a couple of miles away at the Eureka Forest Service Office. He picked it up on Tuesday.
Back to Friday.....after we bought the truck we headed to Liz's house and picked her and Sydney up. Bill dropped us off at the Scottie Dog Quilt Shop and did the banking. Liz and I each had one small task to finish before we could be gone for 4 days. OOPS...one of the lights in the classroom was out. I got the ladder and the bulbs and Liz tried to change the burnt out bulbs. Double OOPS....it wasn't the bulbs, it was the ballast that was kaput. Quick call to Mr. Scottie Dog....don't just honk for us, please come in. It only took him 10 minutes to get the lights back on. Hurray for Mr. Scottie Dog!!!!
Finally we were on our way to Point Arena on the Mendocino Coast to spend a long weekend with my father and his wife Willie (here's where I draw the line......I hate to refer to Willie as my "Step Mother" because it brings up horrible connotations. I loved my mother dearly, miss her terribly BUT as I told Willie this weekend, "If I can't have my mother, I'm happy to claim her."). They met us at their time-share trade. Aren't they a good looking couple?














The time-shares were interesting. They are new modular units only one room (12') wide. Bill figured it out--they are mobile/modular units and are 12' so that you can truck them in on a regular highway. The place until recently was an RV park. The units were beautifully furnished. They were supposed to sleep us all, but Dad & Willie had their room, Bill and I slept in the living room and Liz & Sydney were good sports and slept on pads in the car....good thing the seats go down in the Tahoe. The weather was unbelievable! High 70's, sunshine. Not at all what you expect mid-November on the N. CA coast. Sydney wore shorts and we played in the sand. We played cards and for once in my life I was the big winner (two nights in a row)!!! We took a day trip to Ft. Brag, a trip to the beach for Sydney to play in the sand and two trips to the Pt. Arena Pier. Sydney loved the little beach there. It is all rocks but full of "treasures." Little bits of

shells, crab claws, beach glass and more. She filled a bucket full to take home. We ate a few meals out---who would expect to eat on

the 2nd floor deck of a restaurant right on the waterfront in mid-November???? Mr. Scottie Dog bar-b-qued some awesome steaks and Willie kept us fed too well. In fact I made her chicken cheese casserole for Stash Pot Pie Club yesterday at the store. Liz should have more pictures so maybe I'll post a couple tomorrow. We had a great time. Thanks Dad & Willie for inviting all of us.

Off to Point Arena

We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful .....no, NOT the wizard..we're off to see Dad & Willie. MY father, Liz's Grandpa & Sydney's Great-Grandpa. I'm all packed...even got a call from Sydney this morning to see if I had the sand toys. We're going to Point Arena, CA: the westernmost point, closer to Hawaii, Japan, etc. Dad & Willie have a week at a timeshare there. We assumed it would be cold, wet & rainy, but the National Weather Service assures me that it will be sunny and in the mid 70's. To those of us on the N. CA coast that is a heat wave! I imagine we'll be in short sleeves and Dad & Willie will be freezing all bundled up in coats and scarves.
I heard it was in the mid 80's where they live in So. CA.
Bill is taking his laptop and Liz & I are taking our sewing machines. We're going to help Willie make some pillows and maybe get in some time to make a store sample or two. I plan to bind a quilt on the 4-5 hour drive.
Well, we're off....don't know if I can blog while we are there (we may only have dial-up) but I'll send pics when I can.

Batik Honey Buns

Moda has brought us Charm Packs, Jelly Rolls, Sweet Rolls and TurnOvers....Scottie Dog Quilts is introducing: TA DA! Honey Buns.....













Available beginning today Scottie Dog Quilts has a selection of 15
precision cut 2 1/2" strips all tied up, pretty as can be. These here are batiks...teal, purple, blue, green....makes your mouth water doesn't it....and I promise......not a single calorie in sight. Price? A great bargain at only $12.99. Perfect as gifts for your Secret Pal, Best Pal, Hostess gift, stocking stuffer....what about a "You made it through the day" gift for yourself!

The Civil War Diary Quilts

I think I've blogged about The Civil War Diary Quilt book and the block exchange I am participating in with several friends. Years ago I made a Dear Jane quilt: my interpertation of a quilt made by Jane A. Stickle during the Civil War. I love quilts....pastel baby quilts, striking two color quilts, art quilts, worn-out-soft-as-can-be-I've-had-it-since-I-was-small quilts, scrap quilts, brightly colored quilts, applique quilts, pieced quilts and even art quilts. But my favorite quilts are ones that evoke days long past, earlier times, Civil War era quilts.
Yesterday I sent out the notice reminding my group that blocks are due on Thursday. We haven't gotten together since early September and it's all my fault. I've been gone way too much. But Thursday is the day.....so guess what a lot of us have been doing this past weekend? Right, we've been sewing our blocks! I was no different than the rest of the Greatful Threads, I sewed way into the night--well, early morning to finish them up. There are 9 of us and so that means we make one block 9 times. The blocks don't have to be of identical fabrics, the only rules are Civil War (read---19th Century reproductions) fabrics and a particular muslin sold at Scottie Dog Quilts. Each block uses muslin somewhere.

I was going for a Brown & Pink combination often referred to in the 19th Century as Peppermint & Sassafras. I also used several fabrics in some to mimic the "she did the best she could with what she had" look to older quilts. OK, I'll admit it, I ran out of fabrics. Just like my quilting sister from the Civil War era.
So here is a look at some of my blocks so far. I've got a ton of them. They are all 6" finished. I can't wait to put them together. I hand quilted my queen sized Dear Jane, but that isn't going to happen with this quilt. My poor hands won't let me. But I'll turn it over to my daughter Liz and her HQ16 and she'll work her magic.

Chicken Taco Soup

Tuesday is a long day for me. Actually it begins on Mondays. I work at home on Mondays until 1 pm when I go into the store. I teach a class Monday nights and get home about 9:30-9:45 pm. Then I hit the computer for an hour or so. Tuesdays I teach a class in the mornings so I start the day running and sometimes have an evening class as well.

This past Tuesday was one of those long, long days. I had planned ahead. I made a pot of Chicken Taco soup. I got the recipe from a friend in Texas. It is sooo good and really easy. When I got to the store I chopped my onion and cut 2 chicken breasts into bite-sized chunks. I opened a few cans, dumped everything in and voila! by 2 pm lunch was ready. I rarely get to eat lunch before 2 pm so it was fine. Funny thing....the crock pot was plugged into one of the classroom outlets. You couldn't smell the soup in the classroom, but when I went to the restroom and came out onto the sales floor, UMMM UMMM, boy that soup smelled delicious! Walked back into the classroom....no delightful aroma met my smeller. I ate more for dinner and it was even better!
Before the class left at 1 pm everyone wanted the recipe. Well, I don't actually use Sandy's recipe anymore (I never wrote it down!) but I make it according to what I can find in the cupboard. Here's the recipe I used on Tuesday.....vary it accordingly.

Tuesday's Chicken Taco Soup

2 Chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1 Can Corn, drained
1 Can Pinto Beans
1 Can Pinto Beans w/chilies
1 Large Can tomatoes
1 Large Onion, chopped
1 tsp pepper
1 Clove garlic, minced
1 Can fat free Chicken Stock
3-4 Tablespoons Salsa

Dump all into large Crock Pot and cook on high 4 hours, then low up to 4 hours. If soup is thinner than you want, just leave the lid off for 1/2 hour or so.

Place 5-6 tortilla chips in bowl, ladle soup over top. Top with 1 large spoonful of Sour Cream and shredded cheese.

Variations: I've used kidney beans, black beans, etc. You may add a small can of chilies if you want it hotter. Sandy's recipe used a can of black olives, drained, but I thought it made the olives tough. You could add those just before serving, I suppose.