Snakey...

This is the story of Snakey, The Catnip Snake.  If you’ve read other posts, you know I crochet (and knit) and I garden.  My cats love catnip, so I grow it to make catnip toys for them.  Anyone who does crafts, bakes or makes things, will be able to relate to the journey I had to take to finally come up with Snakey. 

First, I tried an ornament for Christmas. I obviously didn’t have the right color yarn, but it was a flop regardless of the color.  Next I tried a bird.  My daughter says it’s a seal because it obviously doesn’t look like a bird.  While it’s filled with catnip, Ginny and Oliver almost never play with it. 

Then came the mice.  Felting yarn was all of the rage when I knitted these two mice.  They looked too bulky, and they were too complicated to make. 

Making prototypes always helps me focus in on a project.  The toy needed to be a simple crochet pattern in a shape the cats would like.  There was a stuffed snake in their overly-filled toy basket.  That seemed like the perfect shape for the cats.

I found a snake pattern by Jackie at Amidorable Crochet.  Check out her blog for really cute crochet patterns.  There were some modifications to Jackie’s pattern.  I used sock yarn, made the snake smaller, embroidered the eyes and stuffed it with lots of homegrown catnip.  The first “Snakey” (because we use baby talk and add “Ys” when conversing with our pets) was a huge hit with the cats.

After about four years, the original Snakey is still in the toy basket.  As you can see, the head is separated from the body, and there is no catnip left.  Oliver killed the poor thing.  It was the Snakey I made with an acrylic yarn.  The wool blend sock yarn I use now holds up much better.

Our cats have another beloved Snakey, and I’ve made several as gifts.  I’m writing about Snakey in celebration of his return to Etsy.  I stopped selling on Etsy about three years ago when I took a full-time retail job.  Check out his listing at CiasGarden.

Please Take a Seat…

There are 13 chairs in my garage. The space accommodates our two cars, but doubles as a rescue shelter for chairs. I take in unwanted, discarded chairs. I also buy chairs at garage sales.

It started several years ago when I brought a chair home from Ohio State. The building I worked in was being demolished, and when the area was cleared, a chair was left. It was a really cool fifties-looking wooden lab chair. I refinished it with some swimming-pool blue paint and sold it at a garage sale. I realized quickly that I can acquire chairs cheaply or for free, they provide an interesting moment in design time, and they aren’t a huge project to refinish. So, I have thirteen chairs in my garage waiting for attention. My husband supports my habit, but isn’t really thrilled when the stock builds up like this.

Covid 19 has changed almost everything. I used to work full time, now I don’t. Our family loved to eat out, now I cook a whole lot or we get take-out. We used to travel quite a bit, but now we stay home. My story is no different than so many people adjusting to different lives. However, for some, the adjustments come with hardship. I’m thinking about the restaurant industry workers. We used to eat out about twice a week, and when I hear how food service employees are without their normal income, it breaks my heart.

Recently I subscribed to Columbus Navigator. One of the first stories I read was how the Ohio Restaurant Association has created a fund to help workers. The Ohio Restaurant Employee Relief Fund was established by the Ohio Restaurant Association Education Foundation to help food service employees impacted by Covid 19. The goal is to reach $30,000 in donations by the end of September.

As I was reading the article, I was thinking about idle, empty chairs at restaurants and bars, and the light bulb went on!

I have a garage filled with empty, idle chairs.

What if I make them useful again?

And what if I could use the chairs to make some money to donate to the restaurant relief fund? It seems like a winning proposition all of the way around. I'm not working, so I need a project to feel useful. I can make a few dollars to help people I care about. Hopefully, I can make other people aware of the fund so they can donate. And last, but certainly, not least, I'll see a smile on my husband's face each time a chair leaves the garage!

So, Please Take a Seat…As I refinish chairs, I will be listing them on Etsy. If a chair sells, I will donate half of the purchase price to the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund. The light blue chair pictured is listed now. Shop CiasGarden at Etsy:

If you would like to donate to the Ohio Restaurant Employee Relief Fund, go to: ohiorestaurantsrelief.org.

The Great Pepper Taste Test...

Top Chef, Chopped, Guy’s Grocery Games, Spring Baking Championship, Sugar Rush, The Great British Bake-Off…if it’s a food competition program, I’ve probably watched it.  And, chances are good that I’ve convinced my daughter or husband (or both) to watch with me.  I don’t have to twist Emma’s arm, she likes most of the cooking shows.  Sean, however, is much more discerning, and will only watch certain ones.

The program we all watch faithfully is Top Chef.  Thanks to quarantine and Hulu, we’ve seen all episodes of all seasons.  One our favorite challenges on Top Chef is when the contestants have to identify ingredients while blindfolded. Our Great Pepper Taste Test (GPTT) was loosely based on a Top Chef challenge. 

I believe it all started with a family conversation about bell peppers.  After that, Emma posted an Instagram poll to see what color bell pepper people prefer. Her unscientific results showed red as the clear winner, and green as the clear loser.  That poll and its results sparked yet another family conversation about bell peppers.  We wondered if you can really taste much difference among all colors of peppers.  The GPTT was born!

To satisfy our curiosity, we did a blindfolded taste test of four colors of bell peppers.  What we found was probably not news to any of us, but interesting.  We all identified green correctly.  We found the flavor was intense, and two of us described it as “grassy.”  The red, orange and yellow peppers proved to be more difficult for some of us to distinguish.  Of course, Emma’s young, but developed palate helped her identify all colors correctly. We found that the red, orange and yellow all tasted very similar, but had varying levels of flavor intensity. The yellow and orange tasted "fruitier" than the red pepper.  I could see using the orange and yellow interchangeably in dishes because to me the difference was negligible.  I think the real reason to use the yellow and orange peppers in recipes is their fantastic color.  They look great in salsas, stir fries and salads.  

Speaking of salsa, here is a delicious recipe from Weight Watchers.  Make it now while nectarines are still in season!

Nectarine – Bell Pepper Salsa

From: Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook, 2011

Serves 6

3 small nectarines, pitted and diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon lime juice

¼ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 

Combine all ingredients in small bowl.

Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Use within one day.

The Great part about the GPTT was the fun.  We really enjoyed it, and will certainly do more family taste tests in the future.  The tastiest part of the GPTT was the dinner--fajitas we made with all four colors of bell peppers.