Randomday

Once again it's Randomday, when the blog eats leftovers and is happy to do it.

That awkward moment when Secundus, trying to back Dad's car out without hitting Grandma's, manages to wedge it between Grandma's car and the garage with less than an inch to spare in either direction.  He did, eventually, have to come back in the house and ask for help.  Neither car was damaged, but he was a little late to his job at the fair.  Now that the fair is over, he is plotting how best to spend his earnings, researching used pickup trucks.

Zucchini recipes here and here.  Surely you will find something to do with your zucchini.  You know you have them!  This is Quarta's blue-ribbon fair zucchini.

Speaking of the fair, here are my results and the judges' comments, clockwise from the top:

• Feathered star, red ribbon, "some quilting is not straight but I applaud you for doing it yourself."
• Mayan Spring shawl, blue ribbon, "nice tension. One end needs yarn worked back in, easy to do."
• Orca Bay quilt, red ribbon, "some points do not quite meet up and some are puckered. Nice use of scrap."
• Jack's Chain quilt, red ribbon, "some points don't quite match up.  Very nice binding.  Sweet retro quilt."
• Wingspan shawlette, blue ribbon, "very nice.  Keeps shoulders warm."
• Handspun BFL yarn, red ribbon, "Great color in yarn, nice twist - no info as to use and source of fiber."
• Argyle socks, blue ribbon, "very nice, lovely colors."

I have decided I will probably never win a blue ribbon on a quilt, if those three didn't qualify.  I tend to think my quilting skills are a little better than my knitting skills, especially when it comes to design and color choice, but the clothing department where I entered my knitting had more generous judges.  Oh well, it was still fun.

And a random book review: The Ionia Sanction, by Gary Corby.  This is the second book in a series of historical mysteries set in ancient Greece.  Nicolaos, (whose kid brother is a hilariously geeky Socrates), is called upon to pursue an investigation of the murder of a city official with ties to Ephesus.  He rescues a slave girl and travels to return her to her family, along the way reconnecting with his ex-girlfriend, the priestess Diotima, and the great general Themistocles, now a traitor to Greece and in the service of the Persians.  And though the book is meticulously well-researched, and the dialogue is witty and hip so as not to turn off the modern generation of readers, and the main characters are well-drawn and sympathetic, I can't recommend it wholeheartedly.  Graphic, sickening violence and gratuitous sexual situations are woven into the plot, making it a bit too disturbing, in my opinion, for the lighthearted tone the author is trying to create.  Definitely not for kids or sensitive adults, but a fascinating glimpse into history.

History is the record of an encounter between character and circumstances  

- Donald Creighton