It was a good day today. The forecast rain didn’t happen as I wished. I met Raven at Starbucks as usual then off to the farmers market. “What shall we have for lunch?” says I, “I pulled out some chicken.”
“I was thinking about a stew, but it’s not cold after all.” Stew sounds good. We pick up potatoes, a nice parsnip, some crimini mushrooms and a carrot that looks mandrake. I get a couple eggplant as I want to try baba ganoush dip and some pineapple guavas. “Meet you at home.”
I put the eggplants on the stove burners low turning with a fork as Raven chops the veggies. Pealed the burned skin, I look up the recipe on line, oh, I need tahini, OK. I have sesame seeds and olive oil, toast the sesame in a pan, I found my mortar and pestle in the cupboard, ground the seeds and add oil, tahini in. Parsley chopped from the garden grabbing a bouquet garni for the stew of more parsley, thyme, oregano and tarragon. Back to the ganoush, chopped garlic and lemon juice, salt. maybe more lemon and garlic, pretty good with sesame rice crackers. I chop more onion and garlic for the stew. Olive oil and mushrooms browned to a bowl, add onions more oil clear, chopped chicken to brown, garlic now. The chicken is just browning, veggies, O chicken broth, a glug of white wine, light soy sauce and a touch of Worcestershire sauce. Covered to boil then simmered on low to cook the veggies.
I go out and re drill the half inch holes in the extensions for a clear through bolt as the soup cooks. Raven is sanding the metal plates by hand in prep for paint. Tiring of that she goes in the vardo and adds a hook behind the beam to hang the curtain up in the middle.
She pins the curtains on the bottom in prep to cut and sew, it’s looking good.
The stew is done with the addition of flour and water to thicken, let’s eat. I like the baba ganouch, Raven doesn’t like sesame, I’m eating it as I write. The stew is excellent, salty enough with all those flavors, yum.
Back to work, Raven is working on installing the fire extinguisher, it needs a 45 degree angle board, I find a scrap 2×3 with drill holes in it and cut it 45 on the table saw, sanded on the lapidary with a course belt smooth no blade marks, clean on top. She installs it as I work on power sanding the rust away using an older belt on the lapidary drum sander.
That done she sands and spray paints the parts as I prepare to mount the frame extensions.
After bolting the spring mounts to the extensions Raven helped me hold the extensions in place to the previous bolt lines as I clamped and hammer adjusted the parts in place. I used the 1/2″ drill in the 1/2″ holes to secure the center for the drill points. Removing the extension, I tried drilling with the large 3/8 pre dril bit. This is too slow, I found a smaller bit and punched through on center, then the 3/8 went quick, finishing with the 1/2″ punched through using the 1/2 inch big drill the whole time with the side handle to prevent spinning the drill. I only large drilled the inner two holes, then cheap bolted the extension in place, finishing the final outer holes guided by the extension for a perfectly centered hole.
Repeated on the other side, the holes are in, whew. Removed, Raven and I sanded all parts, then painted black to keep the rust off, including tape where the welds will be applied.
During all of this, Raven pulls out the pirate chest CD player. I thought it was broken. She puts in a CD by our friend Haila, low and behold it works fine, really good tunes from our friend.
We got a lot done today. The frame extensions are drilled ready to install. Everything is clean painted black to prevent rust. Inside the extinguisher is secure and curtains prepared. After Raven headed home I pealed the tape to allow the welding, a clean surface.
I chopped up a 3 lb batch of Meyer lemons seeds removed for marmalade to cook down tomorrow, 2 cups water resting in the fridge overnight under plastic wrap. Another short two cups water, match weight 3 lbs sugar and cook to jell wrinkled on a cold plate tomorrow, then canned. It’ll be good.
8shotoflove8 