It's Snow Surprise

Good morning, my friends. It was another easy-going day. Today will get a little busier. We need to do our grocery shopping. We had a short list last week, which means this week's list is longer. Oh well. As a team, we can get through our shopping excursion pretty quickly. After that, I'll get back to the Merry, Merry Snowmen. 

There was good progress made on yesterday's block. I expected to get the fusing finished, and I did.

Sadie showed up about that time. She was appawlled at the mess on my work table. She's a tidy cat, and may I just say that Tidy Cat is her favorite kitty litter. (Actually, we use Fresh Step, but don't tell her, okay?)

What surprised me was that all the top-stitching was finished too. The applique pieces are stitched down, and I was able to machine-stitch in some of the details. 

There is still some hand-stitching to do on the snowmen faces and words on the sign and the hat. Then, I'll need to add some embellishments. I should finish it easily today. Slow-stitching those details will be a good way to settle myself down after grocery shopping. 

By the time Smitty showed up, everything was finished, and I'd even cleaned up my mess. Oh well. Another day, Buddy. He's sad on days he doesn't get to sew. I know the feeling.

Back upstairs, I looked out the window to see this guy. 

Our squirrel population is definitely down from previous years. I've seen this one big guy...or maybe there's more than one...but we generally only see one at a time. Mike and I both think our theory of cyanide poisoning might be correct. They did it to themselves by stealing all the cherries off our tree, and then breaking open the pits and eating the inside where the cyanide is located. The evidence is still scattered all over the sidewalks and patios.

We went out for dinner last night. I had a yen for the Chicken Bibimbap they serve at a local Korean restaurant. When we arrived at the restaurant, we found it closed with a sign on the door saying they were closed until the 17th, taking care of some business in Korea. Really? People who own a Korean restaurant in Korea? Who would have thought? So...anyway...certainly people have a right to take some personal time, but my taste buds were fixed for that Chicken Bibimbap. I guess we'll have something to look forward to in a couple of weeks.

Instead, we went to a different restaurant. The Reuben I had there did not satisfy my desire for Korean food, but we had an appointment with some watermelon sorbet at home. It helped to take the "dis" out of the disappointment. I'd churned this earlier in the day.

It's so tasty and refreshing. It's cold enough to give you a brain freeze. It's easy to make. I given you the rundown on how to make sorbet along with recipes for different fruits right here. You'll note they all add a little bit of vodka or some other liquor. It's a tiny amount that's added with the idea that it will keep the sorbet from freezing solid. There are substitutes for this. According to my friend The Google, some alternatives include adding a small amount of corn syrup, honey, or sugar to your base, as these ingredients help lower the freezing point. Other options include stabilizers like xanthan gum or gelatin. A less conventional but effective method is to add a small amount of food-grade glycerin, which also lowers the freezing point of the mixture. I can't say I've tried any of those, but if you're trying to avoid alcohol, you might want to give one of them a try.

Okay, so it's time for me to be on my way. Those groceries aren't going to buy themselves. Also, the man I live with is hoping I'll include him in my breakfast plans. It's time for me to go save a life. But before I go, a little follow-up from my soapbox rantings from yesterday. It's hardly a soapbox moment, but if you avoided yesterday's, then today's won't make much sense.

I may have found the solution to our COVID vaccine problem. For one thing, our governor will probably sign an executive order making COVID vaccines available to everyone without a prescription. But the alternative is to take part in a study going on at Oregon Health and Sciences University (my previous employer). We can get our vaccines, and then we would need to fill out a daily diary for a week, noting any side effects from this protein-based vaccine. They're trying to determine if the protein-based vaccine will lead to fewer side effects than the current mRNA vaccine. There is even monetary compensation. So, I've signed us up. We're hoping to get vaccines via the study within the next couple of weeks. I'll tell you more as I know more.