The Judgement of Plaster of Paris

Sorry, had to. 

You can't take me anywhere. 

I'm confident I'm not the first person to take advantage of a photo-op in the statue area of Mulhall's garden centre. Now give me my golden apple and I'll just be on my way.

What is it about statues that encourage silliness?  

Memorial Day is the official point (in the US) where it is considered acceptable to wear white. I don't give a toss about that rule (or most others for that matter) but it has been far too cold for a gauze/cheesecloth. We finally had a nice day with sun and temperatures in the 60's, so I broke out the white and headed to Mulhall's. Mulhall's is my "Happy Place."  I never leave there in a bad mood. I never leave there with any money, but still-you can't put a price on happiness. They have a rewards membership programme, but that just encourages more spending. I came home with a few more pepper and tomato plants, as well as yet another bay laurel. I keep killing them. This one is already Christened, Apollo III. I also purchased a jelly-feeder for orioles. Less than 24 hours after hanging it, the orioles started coming to our balcony. I didn't think we had orioles, but I guess I was wrong! 

I bagged up sorrel and set it out by the sidewalk with a note to help yourself-no one took any! I have pounds and pounds of sorrel and there's only so much schav I can eat. I might need to start leaving it at people's doors. Our cool weather resulted in the bumper crop from hell. We're about to be overwhelmed with peas as well, but

I can freeze those. Ah well, I guess you can have worse problems. Sorrel makes a nice sauce for fish, so I can always do that.

This is my first wear of this beautiful Judith Leiber belt. I was so happy to find it at New Life Thrift. If I ever find a Judith Leiber handbag I'll probably fall into a coma from the shock. I'm happy with the belt. White accessories can look naff, but not this belt! It is heavy, and well made but not adjustable. It is a bit large, but I don't care. 

Outfit Particulars:

Gauze blouse-K Mart

Gauze skirt-Hand-Me-Ups

Vintage Air Step handbag-Can't remember

Judith Leiber belt-New Life Thrift

Gold shoes-Goodwill

Shell earrings-Sears

Whiting and Davis vintage panel bracelet-Goodwill

Damascene bracelet-Goodwill

Gold bangles-various places

Fragrance-Vintage formulation Diorissimo

 My skin is finally healing with the multiple salves I'm using now. I'm happy it wasn't my wrists as that would impair my ability to wear bracelets and that would be like running around stark naked (or as we say, "Starkers.").  What do you call it when you walk down the stairs naked? Starkness descending."

 Want to know how much the ointment cost? With insurance, it was $2.00. That's the price our insurance company negotiates for it. Without insurance a tube of generic ointment would have cost $869.00. I often wonder if the people screaming about being forced to buy insurance have ever had a serious case of allergic eczema? The second salve cost $35.00. I have no idea what that would have cost without insurance and a coupon from the drugmaker. This isn't some rare disease people are unlikely to contract-everyone gets a rash at some point in their life. I don't know about you, but I don't have eight hundred bucks sitting around to pay out of pocket for a rash ointment. Yes, our premiums are high, and yes there are co-pays, but if rash ointment costs this much I shudder to think what it would cost if I broke a leg. Young, healthy people have accidents too.
*Steps down off soapbox*

On a happier note, I baked my first cherry pie of the season. These are sweet Bing Cherries from California. I used instant tapioca as a thickener.

 I also made vanilla ice cream because you can't have cherry pie without ice cream-not at my house anyway.

I didn't wear white to bake the pie!

I'm finishing up the syllabus writing this week and next. The paperwork for next year needs to be in by 15 July, but I feel better having it done by June. We homeschool year-round, but I build in breaks during the summer. Half-days in July gets our work out of the way by the time the pool opens. The teacher needs a holiday too.

I wonder if a fish and sorrel pie would be good? If you live in Omaha and need some sorrel, drop me an email!

Schav-Cold Sorrel Soup

Schav is a love it or hate it food. I love it, the boys hate it. I have several sorrel plants producing like mad at the moment, so I made a batch of schav figuring I'd be the only one to eat it. They each politely tried some at dinner. They still hate it. I understand, sort of.

This recipe is for a small batch, which is a good place to start if you're unsure about your sorrel soup feelings. As food goes, schav is ugly. The sorrel turns grey, and the liquid itself becomes a milky green-grey sludge. I know, I'm really selling it, aren't I?

The thing is, on a hot day, to grab a glass of iced cold schav is a delight-if you grew up with it. The sourness of the lemon and sorrel is balanced by the sugar and egg. Some people add sour cream when serving, but I prefer it more basic. Either way, it should be as cold as possible short of freezing.

You Will Need:
2 cups water
2 cups chopped sorrel leaves
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 large egg, well beaten

In a pot, combine the water and sorrel. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook 10 minutes. Add the salt, sugar, and lemon juice, and stir to dissolve sugar.

Place the egg in a heat-proof bowl. Whisk in the hot soup whisking quickly to avoid it cooking the egg. Let cool, then chill several hours. Serve alone, or with sour cream.