Sylvia's Simple Shots

These rain drops on leaves was creating a magical world low down near the ground.

The leaf was turned upside down which happens when it rains.

There were some perfectly spherical drops and some fatter wider ones too.

I did get wet knees as I had to get really low to capture the magic.

I purchased this fused glass tree at the Art Walk in Beaumont a while back. 

I had seen them posted on Instagram in the spring and really loved them. I knew the artist was in that area and her work was in the local gift shop as well.  There was a good chance I would find them at the walk or the shop.  

The shop is called the Painted Door.  I did purchase some loose tea there as well.

I did purchase it from the shop but then introduced  myself to Chrissy (A Touch of Glass) at the art walk.  Glass is one of my favorite art mediums. 

I found another dessert plate for my Snow White Regency dinnerware.  I now have 7 which leaves only one more to complete a set of 8.

That works really well with the little book I bought a couple of weeks ago.

Totally Tea Time Cook Book.  What a cute little book published in 1995 written by Helen Siegel and Karen Gillingham.

I love the cover and that fact that the book is shaped like a teapot.

With chapters like snacks and sandwiches, Scones, Crumpets and Tea Breads and Tarts, Puddings and Ice Creams it should be ideal book for getting back to entertaining.

The Iced Tea chapter is ideal for this hot summer weather we are experiencing right now.

I am so glad to have found this small book.

I have been looking for a metal object which would fit on top of the stove and allow my pots to be higher than the top of the stove.

This plant stand will do the job wonderfully.  The metal was flexible enough to be placed in the firebox and provides at least 2 inches of open space which will allow air to flow and me to add wood to the firebox. 

I finished this book Fingersmith by Sarah Waters last week.

Set in London England in 1860's it had great potential for my kind of read.

I enjoyed the first part which described the lift of Susan Trinder, an orphan raised by a kind woman Mrs. Sucksby.  The house is occupied by various characters of dubious reputations.  Fingersmith is a word to describe a thief of which Susan is one of many in the house.  Goods are redistributed by Mr. Ibbs and Gentleman is a caller who makes regular visits to the house.

The other orphan is Maud Lilly who lives in a grand house outside of London in the beautiful countryside. She lives with her uncle and serves as his secretary for his business.  Her uncle is obsessed with books and had a grand library where he spends most of his time. His clients come to visit and time is spent in the library.  Eventually, one discovers that the books housed in this library all relate to unsavory subject matter. 

I skipped quite a few chapters which went into the library's subject matter which I did not need to know.  I read the last few chapters which concluded the story of these 2 young ladies. 

This is definitely a book for mature audience and I can not recommend it as a wholesome story.

With keeping with the way I had prepared the place for sale and I have decided to keep the counters in both the kitchen and bathroom as uncluttered as possible.

The stuff from the counter and from under the sink had just been stacked willy nilly thinking that all would be sorted out when I moved.

Alas, I am not moving as there is little movement in my market and the prices are so low that I could not move forward with a sale in this market.

I had to address the clutter in the cabinet so I purchased several clear totes and sorted things out.  I had hoped for drawers like I have on the other side but the P-trap position prevents me to put an identical drawer unit on this left side. 

At least they are clear and I can see where things are.  The small one on the top holds my everyday items - hair brush, tooth brush, glasses cleaner, etc.  Easily pulled out to access what I need and then placed back out of sight.

IKEA Hobo Stove project

I am planning a bit of camping soon and last year I did not get around purchasing to a stove for cooking.

I was not comfortable storing propane or butane in my car where I was sleeping. So, I decided to do some research.  

I discovered several you tube videos documenting the making of an IKEA Hobo Stove using an Ordning Utensil holder.  It is made of stainless steel and very available at thrift stores.  It serves as the fire box for the stove.  I think overall the supplies for the stove ran about $10.  Mark Young in Nova Scotia has several good videos.

I needed a base which raised the hot box to allow air to flow from the bottom and prevent coals and ashes which may fall through to the ground.  

This is an IKEA Ordning food warmer which is designed to work with tealights. It raises the fire box about 1.5 inches and provides protection from falling coals and ashes.

With holes in both pieces I just needed to connect both pieces.

I used a short bolt and nut with washers on both sides. I small washer on the inside the fire box and a metal plate on the bottom in the ventilation space of the warmer.

Now I needed  away to elevate my cooking vessels above the top of the fire box which provide ventilation at the top and a way to add wood to the fire box.

One of the videos by Charles documented the process of a triangular support for his veggie steamer stove.  After trying several options which did not turn out I decided to give this a try.  

I had bought 2 stainless steel drinking straws so I combined those with lengths of wire hangers cut with my home pliers and a little persistence.  

I straightened the wire then put it in the straw and made the first bend.  I made the triangle about 6 inches on each side then put the other end in the next steel straw and cut the end of wire to the bottom of the straw.  

Repeated this 2 more times but I need another straw.  I was lucky to find an aluminum tube yesterday that will do the job.

It supports my cast iron fry pan, my stainless steel water kettle and my camping pots. 

It is great because it folds down flat and is easy to store. 

You can see the 2 pieces in the image above.

I needed a bag to store the stove and chose a black bag because the stove will get dirty with soot in the process of making the fire. 

It holds the stove, the tongs, the cooking triangular support folded, the pellet holder and maybe even the saw.  I used a couple of the leftovers from the wire hangers to make skewers which will allow a support for alcohol fuel as well.  I saw several fondue burners at the second hand store the other day which would likely work well.  More immediate than wood.

This stove can burn wood pellets as well.  I bought a stainless steel sieve with a handle which fit perfectly in the fire box. The handle prevents the pellets sitting on the sieve from dropping down too far in the firebox and makes removal easy.  Pellets can be purchased at several stores.

The triangular cooking vessel support works well with this option too.

Now I need a bit of wood and fire starter.

On my regular walks in the river valley I collected small pieces of dead fall wood. They have been sitting on the balcony to dry out and letting any bugs around time to leave.  The firebox is 7 inches tall so today I just broke the pieces that length.  I found a plastic bucket which will store pieces that tall.  

I bought a small saw in case I need to trim longer pieces into shorter lengths.  Of the wood I collected I was able to break most of them with my hands.  There were 2 that needed the saw.

I have no idea how many fires this much wood will make.  In campgrounds I will likely be able to gather more wood if I need it.

I gathered a few supplies to make fire starters.

Dryer lint, shredded paper, toilet paper roll strips, and some wax.

I stuffed the rings of toilet paper roll with paper and lint.  Dripped melted wax on top of the stuff all contained within the small roll.  I hope they work well.  There were several recipes recommended.  I will keep you posted about how it goes!