Saturday sewing

I started a new project today. I am making a pillow.

I like our small front room best of all for sewing projects because the floor is large and bare, and the windows get plenty of light. In this room I will sit for hours sewing and listening to fall-time music.

Tomorrow is Daylight Saving Time. How do you think will you use the extra hour? Brian says it is perfect for sleep. I am thinking I will wake up early, pad downstairs, and have the quiet apartment to myself. Not so long ago I used to wake up before the sun rose; it would be nice to do that again.

Friday ride

Taking my newly pristine bike for an errand-running ride this beautiful autumn morning. My boyfriend has been muttering forebodingly of the terrible winter to come, but right now it is hard to believe that the sun will ever stop shining. Winter seems like a dream I imagined last year.

Readers: when does the sun set in your part of the world? Here in Chicago it's already setting before 6 p.m. and evenings are wonderfully long.

My outdoor parlor

Yesterday was unseasonably warm. I sat outside for a few hours with a book and a cup of coffee and reveled in the sense of springtime.

Bagels, recently

The best part of making bagels is mixing and kneading the dough with my bare hands. Second best is forcing enormous raisins deep into its warm interior and folding the dough over and over to accomodate said fruits. (I like to use double the prescribed amount.) This batch was made in honor of Brian's birthday last month with different kinds of deliciously jammy raisins.

Adrian Stephen

"Adrian looks immensely long, & his little bow tie somehow gives him a frivolous rather than distinguished air, as if a butterfly had settled on him by mistake."

Virginia Woolf, Diaries, 6 May 1918

Hello autumn

I find myself with lots of free time on my hands after finishing up a long term work assignment this week. Hello to cold winds and rustling leaves, afternoon bike rides, and blogging again.

Mushroom wontons

I made these mushroom wontons a few weekends ago and froze them. Now we are enjoying them in soups like this one with soba noodles and tofu, followed by cold evening drinks on our deck.

Damp upholstery

We went to a forest preserve on Memorial Day. Misty lakes, wild undergrowth, squishy mud trails, and this be-forested living room were our discoveries.

Our Garden, Week 1

This weekend we started our garden: two tomato plants, four bean varieties, two kinds of sorrel, a host of lettuces, one wild-haired chervil, and a little strawberry plant. Already I feel unduly maternal towards my lettuce, which I've never grown before, and which I'm starting from seed. Next weekend I'm adding basil and dill, and Brian's going to plant another set of beans.

Picnic

Brian and I met for a picnic lunch at Union Park a few days ago. He augmented his salad and stir-fry with a honey cookie while I augmented mine with the last of Sunday's pancakes. Verdict: equal satisfaction.