sprite writes
broodings from the burrow

November 11, 2014


ten on tuesday: collections
posted by soe 11:40 pm

Today’s Ten on Tuesday topic is Collections I’ve Had over the Years.

To my surprise, I was able to hit the mark without having to resort to collections wholly in storage.

  1. Books. I dream of the day when I live someplace with built-in floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and of the day I’ll be reunited with the books stored in my parents’ attic.
  2. Music. This is an inherited hobby, as my parents (and my dad, in particular) have an extensive collection of records, tapes, and cds. Rudi also collects music, so it’s one of the first things you notice in our apartment. (No, there’s not really an order to any of it.)
  3. Yarn. For such a new collection, it has grown vigorously.
  4. Related: Hand-knit socks.
  5. Nail polish. (If I call it a collection, will that make Rudi less irritated about the bottles that fall out of the bathroom cabinet when he’s hunting for something in there?)
  6. Plastic Smurf figurines (of the ’80s version, rather than the ’10s film version). There is also an extensive collection of glass/ceramic (non-Smurf) figurines also in storage at my parents’ house.
  7. Christmas ornaments. I’ve bought them as souvenirs while traveling. I’ve inherited/stolen them from family collections. I’ve made them. I’ve received them as gifts.
  8. Stickers. I like to add them to real mail I’m sending out.
  9. Jam. Another thing that tends to return from travels (and trips to the farmers market). Also another thing I have in common with my parents.
  10. Photos. Mostly they aren’t displayed, but I’d really like to rectify that.
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November 10, 2014


music on monday: reunion hill
posted by soe 11:41 pm

Richard Shindell has one of those beautiful voices that just makes you want him to keep singing to you forever.

I thought “Reunion Hill” was appropriate for the day before Veterans Day.

We thank those who serve, those who came home, and those who did not. And we thank those who watched them go, whose love is always in view. We are grateful for the time you all have given to us as a country.

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weekending
posted by soe 12:55 am

The weekend included:

  • Pumpkin Fest (clearly the highlight)
  • Reading
  • Hanging out at coffeehouses
  • Shopping at the farmers market
  • A short bike ride
  • Knitting
  • Working at the garden (I planted some cold weather seeds with hope, moved around some mache, and yanked all but one of the tomato plants)
  • Cooking with Rudi
  • Listening to a final episode of Car Talk

How was your weekend?


Weekending along with Karen.

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November 9, 2014


pumpkin fest 2014
posted by soe 3:32 am

Early in the fall, Rudi began buying pumpkin beers, eager to try those he encountered. He mentioned this to our friends John and Nicole, and John expressed interest in trading a few from his collection for some in Rudi’s, and I suggested they should do have a tasting evening.

Somehow this grew into much more.

While we were on vacation, Rudi hunted high and low for new pumpkin beers, and by the time we returned home, we had a total of 19. John had another seven.

Clearly they were going to need more people than just the two of them to drink them all. (Nicole is not a fan of pumpkin beer, and I’m not a fan of beer, period.)

I ran into John and Nicole a couple weeks ago and suggested we expand beyond beer and make it a whole pumpkin-themed evening, with food focused on squash, as well, which she and I would enjoy, too. They agreed and Pumpkin Fest 2014 was scheduled.

I bought a ton of winter squash in the last week. There were canned varieties, as well as the actual thick-skinned varieties—delicata, butternut, carnival, longnecked, blue hubbard, and, of course, pumpkin (two kinds). Clearly, scale is not my strong suit.

Our plans were grandiose, but got scaled back as today went on. John and Nicole are dog-sitting, so offered to host (a total mitzvah), so we were just responsible for bringing a couple dishes (preferably vegan, so Nicole could try everything) and the beer.

A plan for pumpkin-ale pretzel rolls was tabled after the dough failed to rise sufficiently (old yeast was probably at fault). A pumpkin curry got sidelined. Ingredients for pumpkin juice never made it off my web browser to my shopping list.

We did each manage a dish, though. Rudi made a squash chili, which was tasty and hearty. And I made pumpkin pasties (with dough from here and savory filling inspired by this post). I am inexact, though, so I sort of broke off dough pieces that looked like they’d be the right size and rolled them out to ovalish shapes and just squeezed the edges together instead of crimping. The filling had maple syrup added to it, I subbed soy sauce for the amino acid, and I mashed the pumpkin instead of cubing it (it was really hot and I didn’t want to touch it any longer than necessary!). Also, I had no soy milk, so I skipped the wash.

Pumpkin Pasties

They were very tasty.

Nicole made pumpkin muffins, a quinoa-pumpkin-kale-almond salad, and a pumpkin bread pudding. One guest made a spicy butternut dip, which she served with sweet potato chips, and another brought a pumpkin pie from a local pie shop. Nicole kept me supplied with a Grenadan-inspired drink of lime, pineapple juice, and seltzer water and Earl Grey tea.

Pumpkin Fest Remains

Everything was delicious, and judging by the fact the party lasted until past one, I’d say the guests had a good time, too.

Lining up the Bottles

The guys definitely had a favorite pumpkin beer, but I can’t remember which one (hopefully Rudi will chime in in the comments with that info). Between everyone, 13 beers were sampled, with an average consumption of a gallon of beer apiece over the 8 hours we lasted.

pumpkin fest 2014 beers

We brought home tons of pumpkin beer, but Rudi assures me this is not a hardship. He assures me they’ll be gone before our Christmas party in a month.

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November 7, 2014


finished object friday: halloween socks
posted by soe 11:23 pm

sprite's socks framed against Vermont foliage.

Made from Knitterly Things Vesper Sock in the Autumn Sky colorway, my socks posed before an autumn sky in Brattleboro, Vermont, when Rudi and I were on vacation last month. They’ve also been apple picking, gone out to eat in a former train station, and just hung around town.

Halloween Socks and Jeremiah

The socks only took me a month to knit, Sept. 1–Oct. 1, but I’ve been slow to post about them because I love wearing them too much to wash them and stage a shoot.

Halloween Socks

I highly recommend Vesper Socks (although I caution against machine-washing). This is the second pair I’ve made with her yarn and I have one more skein (in a St. Patrick’s Day-themed colorway) in my stash.

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November 6, 2014


orange, progress, and free time
posted by soe 5:24 pm

So early in the day to be posting!

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. A week later and my scalp is still orange where I spray dyed my hair for Halloween. It’s getting less obvious, but it still makes me smile when I glimpse it.

2. Gramma fell and broke her hip late last week. She had surgery over the weekend and spent a few days very out of it. When I spoke with her yesterday at the nursing home where she’s working to regain strength and mobility, she seemed more aware and focused.

3. I spent a little time after waking Sunday confused about what time it was versus what time the alarm clock said. Convinced I’d seriously overslept, I got moving quickly in order to catch the farmers market before it closed. As I was grabbing my phone, though, I realized the bedroom clock was still set to daylight time. Suddenly, without having to do anything, I was presented a whole hour back into my life. It was like magic.

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world this week?

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