Dahl Soup, Beet Applique, and Moth Dreams

Went back to Eatonville yesterday evening where my sewing room is and this morning started work on a uniform top with extra embellishment. I had found some fabric of a muted dark red perfect for beets, and some complimentary floral fabric with similar reds and greens, so for the first time I decorated a uniform top. I appliqued a bunch of beets with greens on the back of the top. That's as far as I got. [I will sew the top on my next visit.]

I like the effect, and the beets seem realistic, and the greens are good, but it's out of balance. There are no stems between the beets and the leaves. I had forgotten what an important part the stems play in the conformation of a bunch of beets, maybe because I enjoy the stems less than the beets and greens. Too late to fix it now.

It reminds me of the latest project I made, a duvet cover for a silk comforter I had gotten at the Fair. I had picked up books on butterflies and copied the shapes from the book for appliques on the cover. A couple of weeks later, after so much hard work, I finally figured out what made me uneasy about the whole deal. The shape of the butterflies was not one you would find in nature in a live butterfly--still, with the wings outspread. Butterflies rest with their wings together. The butterflies photographed for the book were probably deceased. I tell myself they are just resting moths . . .

A lovely 24 hours out of town, fixing up a room for myself so my husband can listen to the TV all night long and sleep. I can't sleep with it on and he can't sleep with it off. So we accepted reality and both slept well. In the morning I sewed and he made dahl soup with red lentils, potatoes, garlic, and lemon juice. Absolutely delicious. I hated to leave, but had chores at home.

Dahl Soup

1 cup red lentils
6 to 8 cups water
2 to 3 baking potatoes
4 to 5 peeled garlic cloves [adjust according to taste]
4 lemons or limes, cut in half and juiced
salt to taste

Put lentils, water, potatoes, garlic and salt in water and cook on medium heat about 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender and lentils are dissolved. Stir in lemon juice at the end.