This and that

* I need to get the other items I finished (a pair of socks, a hat, and a dress) over break photographed some time, but wow, is summer session kicking my butt. The students are good - I like teaching summer because I get some interesting and good students - but it's time consuming and it's tiring being "on" so long every day.

* Cooking is a bit tougher when you get home later and have to do other life-tasks (e.g., mowing) at a later time than you might. I have some spinach in the fridge and am going to try "wilted spinach" at some point - this spring the "baby" spinach has been quite coarse and tough (I suppose it's the drought, or else it's having to come from somewhere other than California) and with my achy teeth (allergies are still bad), it's not so fun to try to crunch it up in a salad. I tried creamed spinach but I can't quite do that, the strong earthy spinach flavor breaks through and, no. (For some reason, raw spinach doesn't have that quality). I'm going to try tossing it in a little hot olive oil with garlic just to wilt it and maybe make it a little softer. I hope this works. I suppose I could also add vinegar at the table. (Maybe that's part of the long tradition of vinegar-with-cooked-greens? It covers up objectionable flavors? My mom always eats mustard green with vinegar when she has them.)

Also, maybe cooked spinach makes the nutrients in it more available? Supposedly cooked tomatoes are like that, it's easier to absorb some of the stuff if you lightly cook them instead of eating them raw.

*I also harvested the first few turnips that were big enough, but haven't figured out what to do with them yet. I may just do "neeps and tatties" and boil them with potatoes and mash them, I don't know.

* I did start crocheting the Baymax softie over the weekend. The head is done. I may have slightly messed up the eye placement and put them too high, but oh well. It seems like show or movie accuracy is not my forte when making these things.

* I will have to track down the tiny heart-shaped buttons I KNOW I bought back when I got the yarn; I want to sew a little heart onto my Baymax where the "chips" went in the movie.

* I also have on-deck yarn and patterns for Cheerilee, Maud Pie, and since I decided to buy the "Filly Trixie" pattern I will have to see if I have yarn that works for that, or maybe get more at some point. And I'll have to get the yarn for Discord at some point (I may hunt my stash first to see if I have some of the right colors instead of buying full skeins of Red Heart where I will use maybe 30 yards).

* I still think I want to try to scrumble up a Smooze to go with my Discord. (Though I think I WON'T be trying to make outfits for Discord, though I admit the other day I thought of how he once wore a "Patton" uniform, and he had that Dumb and Dumber tuxedo....but yeah, trying to tailor patterns to a stuffed draconequus is more than I want to be doing). The main trick with Smooze will be finding the right shade of green.