Today's Adventures
Dec. 27th, 2019 11:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithWe went shopping in Terre Haute today.
Our first stop was Honey Creek Mall. We walked the whole thing, I think (it's a maze) including the massive Vendor Village installed in a former anchor position. That was more flea market than home business front, and we didn't buy a single thing there, but I was greatly amused by the folk artist who made fish out of junk. LOL upcycling LOL. The mall had an Earthbound store but surprisingly that one didn't pan out; I'm still sad we lost the one in Marketplace that we used to frequent. Also the food court had a pizza place with an impressive array of not-pizza items, including the pepperoni-stuffed breadsticks that we bought. <3
We found a game/calendar kiosk on a closing sale. Doug pointed out a stacking-block game that uses polygonal shapes plus some extra little balancing cubes, called Kozo. That will make a great addition to our collection of stacking-block games. I found a Snoozimals cat pillow. It is exceptionally soft and fuzzy, like Microfyne cut to velvet length, and also exceptionally springy. It makes me want to touch it, and touching it makes me smile. You can see some of the other animal pillows here. If you know someone who needs a squishy Microfyne pillow to hug, this is the closest I've found in local-Earth.
At Glick's I found ash-gray heather pants in that fuzzy fabric I've been hunting, similar to some I already have and love, though without the awesome velvet pockets. This was the most maddening store, because they had a lot of fabrics I liked, but almost every garment had something batshit about it. I don't mean just an extreme amount of things like sleeves four inches too long or a torso eight inches too short. One shirt was open in the front, with a fake front and buttons down the back. The pattern was so pervasive that I started wondering if some sadistic designer secretly designed the stock to exclude the differently peopled -- anyone with sensory issues, anyone with a long torso, etc. -- the same way a lot of stores exclude fat people by refusing to carry plus sizes because it "doesn't fit their image." >_< I'm used to seeing certain fashion foolishness in clusters, but it doesn't usually pervade an entire store that way on so many parameters at once. Right now too-long sleeves were in fashion, but there was also a top with sleeves that were a very awkward length too close to the elbow to make a proper 3/4 length. Stack it all up and I just ... start to wonder.
After the mall, we visited a string of three stores. Dollar Tree had the calendars we needed, so that task should be done. We went into TJ Maxx looking for clothes but instead found shortbread cookies, key lime coconut patties, and a very sparkly aurora crystal candle holder shaped like a lotus. Ross Dress for Less had a short-sleeved top in the same fuzzy fabric, this one charcoal heather with a heart printed on the front in silver dots. So now my mini-capsule for this fabric includes: last year's jogging suit in ash-gray heather with velvet pockets, the same thing in champagne heather except the damn top immediately disappeared so now it's just the pants, another pair of ash-gray heather pants, cranberry heather pants, short-sleeved top in charcoal heather with silver heart. That's not as much as I want, but it is enough to start mixing and matching so I have more than one to wear. It's also a nice replacement for the fact that classic jogging suits are getting all but impossible to find in cotton.
On the way home we stopped to buy groceries. At Wal-Mart I found a top in very soft black velour with white piping that has "power" ironed into several places, so that it creates a black-on-black texture difference like panther spots. Very subtle, truth in advertising, and it goes with the fuzzy black pants I bought recently. \o/
Also when we came home, waiting for me was my copy of The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen. :D 3q3q3q!!! This book focuses on indigenous ingredients, primarily from the northern midwest and its cultures (Sioux, Ojibwe, etc.) with a few other things thrown in; but without the use of primarily European ingredients. Things you'll find useful even if you don't make any of these recipes: a general glossary of native ingredients, a specific glossary of native herbs and spices, a specific glossary of native beans, a native pantry list, a list of kitchen equipment. I have already founds some new ingredients I wish to explore, like the maple vinegar. :D So far the recipes seem to be intermediate between things closely based on historic recipes and the fancy-dancy stuff that tries to emulate French cuisine with American ingredients.
LOL I just realized, given the author's age and origin in Pine Ridge, he is probably one of the kids I ran wild with for a few days while we were visiting relatives some years ago. Small, small world.
TL;DR: If you want to decolonize your diet, go buy a copy.
It has been a wonderful day. \o/
Our first stop was Honey Creek Mall. We walked the whole thing, I think (it's a maze) including the massive Vendor Village installed in a former anchor position. That was more flea market than home business front, and we didn't buy a single thing there, but I was greatly amused by the folk artist who made fish out of junk. LOL upcycling LOL. The mall had an Earthbound store but surprisingly that one didn't pan out; I'm still sad we lost the one in Marketplace that we used to frequent. Also the food court had a pizza place with an impressive array of not-pizza items, including the pepperoni-stuffed breadsticks that we bought. <3
We found a game/calendar kiosk on a closing sale. Doug pointed out a stacking-block game that uses polygonal shapes plus some extra little balancing cubes, called Kozo. That will make a great addition to our collection of stacking-block games. I found a Snoozimals cat pillow. It is exceptionally soft and fuzzy, like Microfyne cut to velvet length, and also exceptionally springy. It makes me want to touch it, and touching it makes me smile. You can see some of the other animal pillows here. If you know someone who needs a squishy Microfyne pillow to hug, this is the closest I've found in local-Earth.
At Glick's I found ash-gray heather pants in that fuzzy fabric I've been hunting, similar to some I already have and love, though without the awesome velvet pockets. This was the most maddening store, because they had a lot of fabrics I liked, but almost every garment had something batshit about it. I don't mean just an extreme amount of things like sleeves four inches too long or a torso eight inches too short. One shirt was open in the front, with a fake front and buttons down the back. The pattern was so pervasive that I started wondering if some sadistic designer secretly designed the stock to exclude the differently peopled -- anyone with sensory issues, anyone with a long torso, etc. -- the same way a lot of stores exclude fat people by refusing to carry plus sizes because it "doesn't fit their image." >_< I'm used to seeing certain fashion foolishness in clusters, but it doesn't usually pervade an entire store that way on so many parameters at once. Right now too-long sleeves were in fashion, but there was also a top with sleeves that were a very awkward length too close to the elbow to make a proper 3/4 length. Stack it all up and I just ... start to wonder.
After the mall, we visited a string of three stores. Dollar Tree had the calendars we needed, so that task should be done. We went into TJ Maxx looking for clothes but instead found shortbread cookies, key lime coconut patties, and a very sparkly aurora crystal candle holder shaped like a lotus. Ross Dress for Less had a short-sleeved top in the same fuzzy fabric, this one charcoal heather with a heart printed on the front in silver dots. So now my mini-capsule for this fabric includes: last year's jogging suit in ash-gray heather with velvet pockets, the same thing in champagne heather except the damn top immediately disappeared so now it's just the pants, another pair of ash-gray heather pants, cranberry heather pants, short-sleeved top in charcoal heather with silver heart. That's not as much as I want, but it is enough to start mixing and matching so I have more than one to wear. It's also a nice replacement for the fact that classic jogging suits are getting all but impossible to find in cotton.
On the way home we stopped to buy groceries. At Wal-Mart I found a top in very soft black velour with white piping that has "power" ironed into several places, so that it creates a black-on-black texture difference like panther spots. Very subtle, truth in advertising, and it goes with the fuzzy black pants I bought recently. \o/
Also when we came home, waiting for me was my copy of The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen. :D 3q3q3q!!! This book focuses on indigenous ingredients, primarily from the northern midwest and its cultures (Sioux, Ojibwe, etc.) with a few other things thrown in; but without the use of primarily European ingredients. Things you'll find useful even if you don't make any of these recipes: a general glossary of native ingredients, a specific glossary of native herbs and spices, a specific glossary of native beans, a native pantry list, a list of kitchen equipment. I have already founds some new ingredients I wish to explore, like the maple vinegar. :D So far the recipes seem to be intermediate between things closely based on historic recipes and the fancy-dancy stuff that tries to emulate French cuisine with American ingredients.
LOL I just realized, given the author's age and origin in Pine Ridge, he is probably one of the kids I ran wild with for a few days while we were visiting relatives some years ago. Small, small world.
TL;DR: If you want to decolonize your diet, go buy a copy.
It has been a wonderful day. \o/
(no subject)
Date: 2019-12-28 11:00 am (UTC)Thoughts
Date: 2019-12-29 08:15 am (UTC)Yay! I'm glad I could help.
I've read more of it now, and it's really a good book. I'm looking at building up more of the ingredients it uses that I don't have yet. But already I can look at the list and figure out things I have (sage, onion, juniper, and we're getting some elk tomorrow; maple syrup, maple vinegar, and I have some squash cubes in the freezer) then think about what to make with them.
>>Is there a Terre Haute in Illinois or did you go to Indiana? Indiana is the only one I know about.<<
We went to Indiana.
(no subject)
Date: 2019-12-29 11:22 pm (UTC)Well ...
Date: 2019-12-29 11:30 pm (UTC)I have just finished modifying my previous elkloaf recipe to use mostly Turtle Island ingredients, and I'm going to make a version of the maple vinaigrette to pour over some steamed squash cubes. :D
Re: Well ...
Date: 2019-12-29 11:39 pm (UTC)Re: Well ...
Date: 2019-12-29 11:46 pm (UTC)*ponder* I should consider buying some black walnut oil, since that's another Turtle Island flavor. It makes a great base for salad dressing.
Re: Well ...
Date: 2019-12-30 12:26 am (UTC)Re: Well ...
Date: 2019-12-30 01:32 am (UTC)Re: Well ...
Date: 2019-12-30 01:38 am (UTC)Re: Well ...
Date: 2019-12-30 10:53 am (UTC)