T Stands For Tuesday & I am Late to the Party

   Hello everyone, so sorry I am late for our T Party.
Seems I have been busy busy more than usual these past few days.  Our hostess is Bleubeard and Elizabeth and the link is in my right hand column.

   Yesterday I got up early to join the VRC-Virtual Running Club where we walk or run a 5K or 10K race.  I had built up for a few days and was able to walk my 5K in around an hour.  I was thrilled to read that they raised so far $80,000 dollars for the National Park Foundation. They have fun swag too for all their events-finishing medals, t shirts, I got my solar glasses from them too for the eclipse.

I had grabbed my camera and took lots of photos along my route here in our woods. I will share those photos another time since it is so late in the day already.

After my race I got out my two 8 quart dutch ovens and made a chocolate meringue pie and also a beef roast with veggies. Everything turned out soooo good. These meringue pies turn out so well in the dutch ovens that I don't think I will bake one in my gas oven again. Here are a few photos:
   It was so hot and humid again yesterday that I really got over heated being in and out of the heat most of the day.
  I was definately exhausted by the end of day.

Pot Roast ready to go on to the coals-I put in beef broth then added in onion, garlic, tomatoes, seasoning.  This actually cooked faster than I had anticipated.

   While making the pie and tending to the ovens-I grabbed my special glasses and watched the eclipse-very cool to watch-we were around 98% totality

I added in potatoes and carrots, then later added in garden beans, and then last added in fresh corn from my friends garden.

The guys were planning on fishing at night-so dinner was served early around 4 pm I invited one couple.  After the guys left to fish for bass, us girls stayed up late talking.

I didn't realize how tired I was-when I ended up sleeping in til 8:30am this morning-unheard of for me lol  at 9am my friend was picking me up to check out a new Amish store about an hour away from us for getting produce to can.
  It's late in the season but we were hoping to find tomatoes. We each got a box of tomatoes and she also got a big box of fresh green beans to can up.  We ended up browsing in a few antique stores as well
    Sooo a really  nice day.

This past week I have spun up another skein of bison yarn,  and got another 7 ounces of fiber in the mail today. I also got my new celtic Scottish spindle in the mail too and I also received fresh corn husks to make paper with a couple days ago from a friend's garden. 
   I decided even though tired I really needed to get this cut up and cooking in the soda ash for the two hours-rinse well-and then be ready to make the papers tomorrow. Although I have kept the fresh husks in the frig I did not want them to spoil on me.

   If you do an online search for how to make paper from corn husks you will find videos and several articles. There is also two ways I have found to make the paper. 
   One can not chop up the husks still cook for two hours in soda ash (ratio-one tablespoon soda ash or washing soda per one quart of water) rinse and rinse and rinse again with gloves and then lay out the husks first in one direction and make a layer on top going the other direction and then use towels or those blotting papers on top and bottom and weight it down-I use books. Like papryus paper
   Or as I did tonight-cut the husks up so they will break down easier, cook for the 2 hours in the soda ash, rinse very well, and then add to blender with water to make pulp-and use the deckle to form the papers

Since I mostly dye with natural plant stuffs I always have the soda ash on hand. I have read although not as strong can also use washing soda-found in most grocery stores with the laundry soaps to cook it down with

I have also made a batch of bread and butter pickles since my last post

I won a postcard that arrived today-wow that was fast-I will share a photo in my  next post.

and tonight while waiting for the corn husks to cook, I am eating a bowl of ice cream along with drinking a diet lemon lime soda. 
    If any of you have been to Chicago you may have heard of the restaurant Berghoff  They are a German restaurant fabulous food and has quite a history. Years ago I bought four of these mugs that celebrated their 100th birthday back in 1987-wow has it really been that long ago lol
      I think they had gone through some changes in the '90s and one of the ancestors kept the brewery and did catering. Looking it up online I see they are back as a full restaurant.
   Berghoff  was a place my family always went to for lunch when we visited Chicago-I grew up in Indiana and Chicago was a cool place around Christmas time especially. Allot of fond memories. When I met my husband I found this was one of his favorite places too and he even knew some of the owners-fond memories.

Happy T Day everyone, so sorry I am very late to the party this week. I will visit you all tonight and tomorrow.