The Summer Sorrel top is coming along nicely. I finished the bind-off yesterday and am picking up the stitches for the first sleeve now.
We had our Madroña pop-up meeting on Tuesday. I decided to make the TikTok Pasta recipe again. We haven't had it for a while, and the basil needed harvesting. (Not pictured are the sliced salad olives I like to add to the "traditional" recipe.) I found out about this recipe from someone in the Madroña pop-up Zoomies.
Here's the recipe, my version, at least.
We had it with a Madroña Malbec 2023, a tossed salad and some of my homemade whole wheat sourdough bread.
It was good to see everyone who could make it to the Zoom meeting. They're a fun bunch, and we share a love of fine wine with them.
If you read last week's blog post, you may remember that I wanted to fix the back cushion on the door side of the dinette. It falls over when we move the trailer or bump the cushion, and it has to be removed along with the seat cushion every time we need to get into the storage locker underneath the seat. It came with Velcro, but the tape with the hooks hadn't been glued in place, or maybe they were affixed to the wall but came off. I tried gluing them, but they wouldn't stick, (You can see the Velcro strips on the cushion in this photo. One is by Sandy's right front foot.) Jim's didn't have Velcro, but he had seen ours and got some of the stick-on Velcro and put it in place. It worked for him.
I went out and bought some of the Velcro stick-on hook-and-loop tape and glued it in place. They only had the right kind in white, but I figured that was just as good...or maybe even better, because it blends better with the wall. Last week I stuck the two strips onto the wall. I was supposed to wait at least 24 hours before pulling on it, so I left the cushion down, actually for several days.
Then I put the seat back cushion against the wall with the seat cushion still in place, connecting with the hook-and-loop tape. Yesterday I pulled the cushion free, which took some pulling. The tape I stuck to the wall stayed put, the part with the hooks, but it was still possible to get the cushion free. Here I pulled out the seat cushion to show that the back cushion stays affixed to the wall. Now getting into that under-seat storage will be easier, with only the seat cushion and the plywood lid to remove. If we ever need to use the dinette for an additional bed, we can get the back cushions loose to cover up the table.
I've been wanting a hook for a dish towel near the sink. When we saw how well the Velcro stuck, Charlie decided to try to use it on the hooks I had, a present from my friend Joanie, which she had purchased at IKEA in Salt Lake City. I also have a black one, which I plan to affix to the wall by the door, a place for Charlie to hang his hat. Joanie was a good friend. She is no longer with us, but now these little doggy (or kitty) rear ends will remind me of her. The hook had an indentation designed to be attached to a screw, but Charlie didn't want to drill holes in this cabinet, because it contains some electronic equipment. He cut a piece of Velcro and stuck it in the indentation for the screw. I pulled off the plastic protecting the glue and fastened it in the place I wanted the hook to be. That was Saturday. Yesterday, I went back into the trailer and stuck the hook in place on the wall, and it stayed put. The loop side of the Velcro is glued in an indentation, so I was a bit concerned about whether this will work, but it seems to be strong enough to hold a dish towel, so we're good.
I've been spending considerable time working on the new book. Saturday Charlie and I sat down together to go over his corrections. (He's a great editor, and the new book has some science in the stories, so I wanted to get him to read through the book and help me correct anything that was wrong or misleading. There wasn't a lot, but together we worked out some wording that I think makes the science more understandable. Both of us have taught science; I taught at the high-school level and he taught college-level classes. We're aiming for preschool through middle school, so we had to keep that in mind.
Jim has already gone on another trip, this time to Washington State. I think he's meeting up with some fellow model airplane enthusiasts. He sent a photo of his R•Pod set up at his campsite. I think that's one of his model airplanes resting on the ground under the awning. These model airplanes actually fly! Jim is a retired pilot.
On Saturday, a group of us will be singing with the Cascade Horizon Community Band at the annual Sound Fourth Concert to celebrate Independence Day. We've already had two rehearsals, and this evening we have the third one.
We got in some walks this week, but not daily, due to excessive heat or rain, which we needed.
Next week's blog will have photos of the big event. If you live in or near Bend, Oregon, you don't want to miss it!
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What's in The Doll's Storybook: In Petrified!, Emil and Pippa wonder what makes the piece of wood holding the door open so heavy. Mandy can explain, as usual.
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