Marla Bowie
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Human candy

1/30/2019

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I stumbled upon this article in Wikipedia. I feel like there's a really good horror story in here somewhere. Someone write this into their book so I can read it and be thoroughly horrified. (Because this article isn't horrifying enough??!) Eating a confection made out of honey and human bodies. Um. No.

Mellified manFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Mellified Man (artistic impression)A mellified man, or a human mummy confection, was a legendary medicinal substance created by steeping a human cadaver in honey. The concoction is detailed in Chinese medical sources, most significantly the Bencao Gangmu of the 16th-century Chinese medical doctor and pharmacologist Li Shizhen. Relying on a second-hand account, Li reports a story that some elderly men in Arabia, nearing the end of their lives, would submit themselves to a process of mummification in honey to create a healing confection.[1]
This process differed from a simple body donation because of the aspect of self-sacrifice; the mellification process would ideally start before death. The donor would stop eating any food other than honey, going as far as to bathe in the substance. Shortly, his feces (and even his sweat, according to legend) would consist of honey. When this diet finally proved fatal, the donor's body would be placed in a stone coffin filled with honey.[2]
After a century or so, the contents would have turned into a sort of confection reputedly capable of healing broken limbs and other ailments. This confection would then be sold in street markets as a hard to find item with a hefty price.

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Jamming!

1/10/2019

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I've been making jam again. (when I'm not crocheting or writing)
 I had a freezer full of marionberries from a friend who lives
on a 44 acre marionberry farm.
​ ​Though no actual word were spoken,
I think it was under the expectation that I work some magic
and turn them into what you see below. I gladly obliged! 
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Juicy thawed marionberries.
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Beautifully set marionberry jam.
I also made some habanero jelly,
specifically mango blood orange habanero jelly.
​Isn't the color gorgeous!
This stuff is hot, sweet, "put it on everything you eat" paradise. I made some chicken curry  over roasted sweet potatoes and drizzled this all over it. Perfection!

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Freshly squeezed blood orange juice.
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Cooled and nicely set.
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Hot out of the boiling water!
(Also, it's my late father's 87th birthday today. Happy birthday dad, I sure miss you!)
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I love to crochet

1/4/2019

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I found a gold mine the other day at a little thrift store in Keizer, Oregon. Vintage crochet booklets. I am in LOVE with them. I especially love crocheting with thread or cotton yarn that is essentially made up of several thin threads twisted together. Most all of these booklets are techniques using thread.

This one is bed covers. I love the cover pattern, on the left. But I plan on making the pattern on the right (I love it too!) because it's easier. I might try the one on the left when I'm willing to dedicate myself to the one project for as long as it takes.
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The bedspread booklet is from 1949!
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Here are a few for making doilies, edgings
​ and table covers. I love the vintage look!
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"Bangle" hats from a 1962 booklet. If you look closely,
​it just looks like a beanie covered in quins. (all the patterns in the book look like odd shaped beanies under all the bangles.) Beanies are timeless!
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This is interesting. Who does this bangle hat model look like?
(remember this is the early 1960's)
Hint: first name is Diane. I don't know if it's really her or not and have no way of verifying it, but it sure looks like her, doesn't it.

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This is what I'm currently working on.
​ Heavy duty, rustic place mats made with cotton yarn. I'm going to make a long centerpiece to match, an "extended" hot pad for lining up warm dishes on. I'm happy to email a pattern, just send me a note on my contact page.
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I hope you enjoyed seeing my vintage crochet booklets and delving into one of my favorite past times! ​
Thank you for stopping by!
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    Marla Bowie

    Just doing this thing called life. Maybe I'll blog about it.

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