updated August 6 2021 a new DIY article on how to get rid of hornets is here
After dinner Steve said he wanted to go to Bloomfield/ Friendship neighborhood and show me an incredible nest, alive with hornets coming in and out. Perhaps an expert will be able to identify what type of hornet they are by the nest structure but after researching them when we got home tonight, I wish I had the telephoto lens and didn’t get quite as close with my 50mm fixed lens. I read about how they can sting multiple times and can be very dangerous to animals and humans. Hope no one decides to disturb this nest but it is so low to the sidewalk, hanging right over the middle, near a PAT bus stop.
People walk under it all day long and it ‘s fairly well camouflaged by the tree leaves. It seems the color of the church stones.
from the other side you can see the nest entrance
Unsuspecting woman approaching the sidewalk where the hornet nest hangs.
A topic I study and explore from time to time. Take a poll.
In fact, i asked this question just last December.
I was with a friend on Saturday and we were talking about eating in response to stress.
His choice? a pint of Ben and Jerry’s (i forget which flavor)
It’s a new school year.
Grilled cheese on stove and plate below.
“Comfort food is traditionally eaten food which often provides a nostalgic or sentimental feeling to the person eating it,[1] frequently with a high carbohydrate level and a simple preparation.[2] The nostalgic element most comfort food has, may be specific to either the individual or a specific culture.[3]” Wikipedia
Yes, that is a slice of summer tomato on Laura’s Birthday grilled cheese dinner. I asked her what she would like me to make for her birthday (they were in town for Celeste and Shawn’s wedding weekend)
Last year or the year before, I forget which year, I didn’t get a birthday card mailed.
But this year………
since it’s my sister’s birthday Monday,
and she’s going to visit our brother and his wife in Okanogon WA on Tuesday,
I thought I’d bake a cake with our mother’s old recipe. The Happy Day Cake. I decided to cook the old fashioned penuche icing, you have to put your hand on the bottom of the pan after it sits in cool water, then add the 10x sugar and beat it, just like our mom did and frost the layers. Tomorrow after school, I’ll ship it off for them to share.
I put it in a tin, packed it up and it’s in the front hall, taped in a box, ready to mail.
It’s a Happy Day Cake recipe from Swan’s Down Cake Flour box from way back. You can see it written in my sister’s hand on a quilt square from the fiftieth anniversary quilt we made for my parents in 1989.
And I put in a pound of Zeke’s coffee beans to go with it. Happy Birthday Mary.
love,
Ruth
Happy Day Cake in a tin
A full rolling boil
Adding a 1/4 c milk
Penuche Frosting
My grandmother gave me this
The recipe for Penuche
The cake recipe on the quilt I made for our parents 50th
You know how I love coffee. That one wonderful cup in the morning.
This morning I receive a text from a colleague who’s teaching art in a different school this year.
He texted where to come for coffee in East Liberty. Zeke’s. Huh? I couldn’t picture it in my mind.
Zeke’s Coffeeon Penn Ave at Highland Ave. Only 1.5 miles from my home. I found it easily once I made the left turn onto Penn it was right there all the time.
And I’ve driven 50 feet from it several times a day and not turned down that particular block on my route.
Today was the first time I was introduced to the locally roasted delicious coffee. And they’ve been there since 2011!
I bought two bags for friends and family to try and my car smelled like a roastery when I got home. Mmmmmm.
Owned by Chris and Tom (who were out at Farmers Market selling the full one poundbags of their beans that they roasted themselves) In fact that’s how they started at Farmers Market and now they go to NINE of them. ( I looked it up and there was no apostrophe in Farmers Market)
I met Brye the baker (wife of Chris) and Alex was the barista and operated the register. I asked if I could photograph them for the blog and they agreed. Steve and I plan to return in the morning when they open at 8.
A November day, three years ago, my sister Mary and I were visiting the family in Ohio. She was walking with her two great nephews and youngest great niece and Murphy the Airedale (RIP Murph we miss you) to greet Anna as she came home on the school bus.
The adventure may not seem epic in scale compared to some of the other entries, but when you’re almost 3, 4+ and 6, walking the dog and riding scooters down the block to welcome your big sister( 8) home is pretty exciting.
I like the feel of the wind, the weather, the line of the five of them, making their way to the bus stop at the end of the road.
Whether it be flowers in a garden, a rainbow in traffic, or colorful cake mixes on the store shelf.
The color is what caught my eye!
Unsure about actual consumption, though. Here’s how I came to see these boxes of cake mix……
After school, I drove down to the Waterfront to get gas, stock up on provisions. Lunch items to take to school.
Targetwas right there and I needed more wonderful 8GB Flash Drives that are still at a low, low price. The ones they keep by the checkout line so you can load up as you head out the door. Must be an old shipment as the ones up front are two dollars cheaper than the ones in the electronic section in the back. (Hope I didn’t clue them in and they change the price!)
Now you might already know if you follow the blog, I really don’t like to eat anything blue
(with the exception of fresh blueberries)
but those fakey blue raspberry popsicles?
Just looking at blue food/icing gives me a shudder down my spine.
But if you need to bake a Smurf cake, the Blue Suedemix might be your answer.
I can definitely see some of these colorful cake mixes as the basis for art/photography projects.
And from what I read on Charm City website, “Our inspiration comes from everywhere: art, fashion, fabric, furniture, architecture, landscapes, science, music, and history.”
