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Friday, October 6, 2017

Kombucha Korner and Ratty-Tatty Jim-Jams

I have tried and failed to maintain Kombucha over the past year.  My ever-patient source of all things Kombucha, Lisa, has come to my rescue on numerous occasions.  I had thrown in the towel and dehydrated my last SCOBY and moved on, when I came across a Freecycle listing for a free SCOBY in a town not too far from me.  It had been a while since my last attempt, so I pulled up my BGPs and said I would love one.  Well, this time it's magic!  First, the SCOBY I inherited was about an inch thick.  A big, lovely, healthy SCOBY.  Second, the woman who had grown this lovely thing was something of an Earth Goddess type.  I drove quite a distance, following both paved and dirt roads, until I came to a dead end on a very remote dirt road and rolled into a little slice of Heaven, tucked way back into the woods.  If I had known, I would have put the dogs in the car and packed a bag...


She gave me some very good information, handed over this monster SCOBY plus some Kombucha to house it safely, and was thrilled to get a dozen eggs in return. 


It's been over three months and look!

L-R:  New batch of Kombucha fermenting;
Kombucha Hotel; bottled Kombucha in
last fermentation before fridge
(Check out the SCOBY in that jar!)
I even have a SCOBY hotel!  I feel absolutely virtuous.


Hold that feeling.


I admit that I hang onto clothing way past its lifetime.  I will patch, mend, sew, darn, glue, and do whatever necessary to keep it together.  This is particularly true with two items in my wardrobe - my dressing gown/bathrobe and my favorite cotton pullover/sweatshirt thing.
OMG

OMGG!!!
I am inordinately attached to my robe.  It is an LLBean chamois robe that originally belonged to my maternal grandmother - although that is not the source of my sentiment.  She has been gone for - it's got to be over 20 years!  I have patched it, I have put new collar and cuffs and a tie on it.  But it is now literally falling apart at the seams.  Seams I have resewn.  I have not been able to find a robe that I liked as much as this one.  I even ordered a new chamois robe that was woefully poorer in quality.  So I clung onto the original for dear life.  I had to revisit the need for a new robe this fall, as I am afraid the sleeves will fall off and I will freeze.  Lo and behold, I think I have found a replacement that may stand up to this high benchmark!  It's another LLBean robe - even though more and more of their trademark items are falling to Chinese low standards.  I received it yesterday and I think it will stand up to the test of time.  Check with me in 20+ years.


The cotton sweatshirt?  The neck, wrist and hem bands have stretched into a ruffled state and it is rather fragile.  I don't dare wear it.  So it lies supine in a bottom drawer.  I am sentimental to a fault. 





20 comments:

Debra She Who Seeks said...

"Ratty-tatty jim-jams" is now my new favourite expression!

Susan said...

I feel like putting it to music... :)

Charade said...

Save that old robe & sweatshirt and check out this whole other rabbit hole to go down. Google all things Boro on the internet, especially Boro as art. Then in your spare time (hah!) check out Jude Hill and all her talented friends by starting at Jude's blog
http://spiritcloth.typepad.com/ (don't miss her wind robe). You'll never toss out a cherished piece of clothing again. And if it truly can't be saved, it can become scraps for your new hobby!

Susan said...

Oh, Charade. I may be cursing you at some point this winter... :)

Michelle said...

I'm not even clicking on Charade's link....

Susan said...

Smart woman! That said, it's fascinating...

Susan said...

I also have a sweatshirt thing, it's like a second skin. I wear it over my jim jams, gardening and dog walks on the beach. I even wore it to the ER although normally I try to look more professional in case they mistake me for an old lady who needs a bath and an enema.

Susan said...

LOL! And not necessarily in that order... :)

Charade said...

AND her Feel Free section can keep you occupied for a year or more with all those lessons. Costs you nothing but time.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Ha ha! Excellent and very creative blog post title. What a score on the scoby.

Ed said...

When they start falling apart, they are just getting comfortable!

Mama Pea said...

OMG, we ARE related! I had a yellow sweatshirt in high school that I adored. One day my mother told me I had to stop wearing it because my father was ashamed for people to think we "were that poor." Just today my daughter told me the jeans I have on look terrible 'cause they're waaaay too big on me. But, but, but . . . they're so comfortable! (Yes, I've always been a fashion statement.)

Guess I've been lucky with my kombucha making. We've not been without it for nearly 20 years now. Good stuff, isn't it?

Theresa said...

Hark, Did you hear that sound??? That was me falling down the spirit cloth rabbit hole. Ha! (Maniacal laugh) Charade says nothing but time....
Susan, I'm going to have to check out LLbean because I haven't seen a nice chamois robe in YEARS! They used to sell great chamois shirts too.

Susan said...

We can blame Charade! I ended up buying a robe made of a sweatshirt-like material with a fleece-type lining. And a hood! Warm, soft and weighs 20 pounds!

Susan said...

I knew it! Twins from different parents! :)

Susan said...

Amen!

The Maine Gray Zone said...

I looked in the mirror and saw food stains on my old bathrobe that I love. I think I will keep it, it will fit right in at the nursing home. Just did a Gray Zone (mainegrayzone.blogspot.com) finally!

Sandy Livesay said...

Susan,
We get really attached to our bathrobes and don't want to let them go. We constantly wash, and mend them until there's absolutely nothing left to wash and or mend.

I'm happy to hear you've found another that will last you at least 20 years ..... LOL!!!

I had no choice, had to replace mine, 8 years ago we visited family out of state and stayed in a hotel room. I hung my robe on the back of the bathroom door, took a shower, dried off, and got dressed. Totally forgetting my bathrobe on the hook in the bathroom of the hotel. I remembered it when we got home, and was so disappointed but to embarrassed to call the hotel about it because it was falling totally apart (it was in it's comfortable stage).

I guess you could say our robes are like a little kids blanket....we can't live without it!!!

Hugs, and love
Sandy

Theresa Y said...

Ratty tatty jim jams? Sounds like a new name for acookie to me. OKAY Susan start baking ;-)

Rain said...

Hi Susan! I have to admit when you and Kymber talk Kombucha and Scoby's I'm a little confused. But congrats lol! :) I'm all for successes. I've had a sweater I bought in 1991 that I refuse to get rid of. It's one of those 90's style sweaters that goes down to my knees and it's the most comfy warm thing ever. There are holes in it, but I will take it to the grave lol...I LOVE LL Bean...I only wish we had an outlet here so I didn't have to pay the exchange!!