Monthly Archives: April 2020

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Calico Kitty Socks

This sock knitting thing is addictive. It is so much fun to see how different yarns knit up, the pattern they create and what a variety of stitch patterns can do for the yarn.

Val really liked her first pair of socks so I knit her up a second pair, this time with regular sock yarn so they are more sock, less slipper. I found the yarn on Etsy in a shop called CatNappinIndie Yarn out of California. I loved her colors and patterns, several of which were inspired by cats and picked up a few skeins back in January or February.

I have to say I really liked how these turned out – so much so I told Val if she didn’t like them I would make her another pair and take these back. She likes them, and apparently wears them all the time, so I’m now knitting her more socks. Apparently southern California is significantly cooler than southern Florida. 🙂

 

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Screaming Betty, Vermentino

  • Producer: Delinquente Wine Company
  • Location: South Australia
  • Year: 2018
  • Price estimate: $20
  • Tasting notes: Very pale in color, almost clear. Very little aromas when cold. Some hints of apple, lime and pear, but not much. Very light taste. Citrus is the main flavor with some notes of peach and nectarine (Bob said the part near the pit, specifically). Short finish.
  • Conclusions: This wine was fine. It was very easy to drink, but didn’t offer much character, especially when cold. A little warmer and some of the flavors started to come through, but not as much as I would like. Easy to drink on a warm summer day and definitely a pool party wine.
  • Notes: I wanted to like this wine more than I did since it was part of our cheese and wine box from our wonderful local cheese shop. It went well with the cheese it was paired with, a California goat I believe and it did bring out some good flavors when a little warmer. So not bad, but not one I’ll seek out again.
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General Update

I realized I have not done any kind of general update in a while. Not much is really new, but with all the virus new out there, I thought a genera update might be in order.

So … first things first, Bob is working from home full time, but that happened in December and was totally unrelated to the virus outbreak. I started with my regular spring break in March and we did not go back to work in the school buildings after. The school buildings are closed, but our district handed out over 20,000 devices to make sure every student had access to classes through distance learning. I spent my first two weeks helping teachers figure out how to teach remotely because you can’t just take your regular in-person lesson and expect to use it. So we worked on essential information, providing options for learning or demonstrating learning and how to run small groups to help those who are having more difficulty. I then shifted into professional development mode and have been working on and giving live PD sessions (virtually, of course) and helping teachers try to organize their lives and classes. Working from home is fine for me – I don’t miss going into an office and doing my job digitally is not that bad – in some ways it’s better than in person. I do miss the drive a bit because it was my gear up and wind down time, but I’ve adjusted.

Everyone asks if the pets are happy to have us home and in all honesty, the answer is no. They just do not care that we are here most of the time. Alinea gets irritated if I sit in her chair (the best place to record videos because it’s quiet and has a very neutral background) but other than that … not much has changed for them. Arthas still refuses to go for walks in the morning and they all do their own thing during the day. They re adorable, but not so interested in us.

I, like everyone else, is cooking all the time now. I miss going out to eat. I’m building a mental list of all the restaurants I am going to eat at once they reopen. But … in the meantime, I’m cooking. Not many elaborate dishes as I’m only willing to go to the grocery store once every ten days to two weeks, but some interesting dishes – grilled cheese with roasted tomato and pesto, quinoa and white bean tacos, vegetable pancakes, and of course a variety of stir-fry dishes. We are eating well, but I still miss take out.

So that’s it. I’m working from home and knitting up a storm. My stash of yarn may actually get mostly used this year. Bob is working from home and working on his car (don’t ask). The pets are good and totally uninterested in our presence and my pantry and freezer are better stocked now than they have ever been. The bathroom is done from the construction end, but we need to touch up some paint so final pictures are delayed. We are good. Can’t really ask for much more than that right now so there it is. We hope everyone else is staying home as must as they can, staying safe and staying well.

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Friend & Farmer Tempranillo

  • Producer: Friend & Farmer
  • Location: Castilla La Mancha, Spain
  • Year: 2019
  • Price estimate: unknown (from our cheese & wine box)
  • Tasting notes: A purple-ish ruby color in the glass and opaque even at the rims. Aromas of dark fruit, licorice and chicory. Alone, the taste is sour, tart and sour like an underripe plum. With the cheese, chocolate and sour cherry come out and only a hint of the sour remains. Short to medium finish.
  • Conclusions: By itself, I was not a fan of this wine. I wasn’t certain how I would drink it, but once paired with the cheese, it really came into it’s own. Good, strong flavors that compliment food. Not my favorite wine, but as long as I’m eating I wouldn’t turn it down.
  • Notes: My local cheese shop does a monthly cheese and wine club that we decided to try after years of just doing there regular monthly cheese. This was paired with Jasper Hill Clothbound Cheddar and it did go really well with it. I personally liked it with the gouda we picked up for our cheese plate even better – the chocolate notes in the wine complimented the caramel notes in the cheese really well, but not in a way that made either sweet. Just a nice wine with cheese.