Charcoal's Gourmet Burgers in New Orleans

Charcoal's is a fun little burger joint on Magazine Street. Upstairs there is a balcony overlooking the street, which on warm nights (and Mardi Gras), I should imagine is quite pleasant.

I particularly liked it because one can get burgers made of animals such as bison, antelope, deer (venison) and elk - not to mention the 'normal' burgers such as shrimp, salmon, beef, turkey, etc.

They didn't blink when I asked for my burger to come without a bun and even suggested making it a lettuce wrap - which I thought was quite decent of them. (Obviously chefs and waitstaff are running in to people who are trying be eat gluten-free.) They also have alcohol-free beer for those of us who are not yet gluten-free, but are also trying to cut out alcohol. What a cluster F, eh?

Anyway, they can be found at 2200 Magazine Street. Good for a casual, but different burger.

Pricey Protein

On my quest to eat good quality protein I am faced with information such as this from The Week Magazine and Bloomberg:

Protein is getting pricey. The cost of beef, beans, bacon, and nine other protein sources jumped 28 percent in the last five years. In 2014 alone, protein prices have risen roughly 5 percent—twice the pace of increase for any other food group.

I suppose this can assist in the general population also eating more vegetables which will help everyone with their overall health. I just read somewhere that planting a garden is like printing money - for what might be very little effort, you can feed yourself and thereby save the outlay of cash. "A penny saved is a penny earned", after all.

How fighting changed our faces

I'm afraid that I need to get back on transcribing Herb's letters, because as of now, the next letter I have is from November 1917. I am optimistic that I will find some letters between August and November - and maybe some will have answers, like what is Karolyn's last name.

In the meantime, I thought I would share some tidbits from my favorite magazine, The Week.

As it is, I thought this blurb from the Jun 27th edition was of interest:

Men may have evolved to take a punch in the face. That’s the conclusion of a radical new theory suggesting that our male ancestors developed more robust brows, jaws, cheeks, and molars for protection during fights over mates, food, and other resources. The conclusions are based on an examination of the facial structures of Australopithecus—the immediate predecessors of the human genus Homo—compared with those of apes and modern humans. “It turns out that the parts of the face that became stronger were the parts of the face that most frequently break when modern humans fight,” evolutionary biologist David Carrier tells LiveScience.com. The theory builds on earlier work suggesting that the modern hand—with its flexible thumb, squared palm, and shorter digits—was adapted for aggression. Researchers note that the ability to form a fist entered the fossil record about 4 million years ago, around the same time that males developed their thicker facial features.

The evolution of man incorporated the adaption for getting hit in the face. What a horrible commentary about the animal which is taking over the planet....

Stix in Bozeman

I visited with lovely Carmen at Stix Luxury Yarns in downtown Bozeman. She has a nice small shop right on the man drag with lots of brightly colored yarns. She has a small section of local Montana yarns, and I found the Bison Wool again for $68. (Hasn't gone up in price in two years time.) With the Bison Wool she also has lots of sheep blends.

I wish I could remember some of her words, but Carmen is making up words to describe the fact that she promotes crochet as much as she does knitting. Carmen says these words without any self-consciousness, so one must look at her and question one's own vocabulary. I heard at least two while I was visiting her shop.

I would like to find some really nice crochet patterns - and she seemed to have some good ones. I am under the impression that crochet would be easier than knitting or needlepoint on an airplane.

Montana Bison Wool

A little break from Herb as I transcribe and sort more of his letters. This is a blog called Spinning a Yarn under a Family Tree, so I do need to remember to put in a little bit about the yarn....

Last year I visited Montana and was fortunate enough to find a yarn shop in downtown Bozeman - very near the café where I imbibed a cappuccino with goat milk; I don't think I will do that again. Though an enthusiastic coffee drinker, I don't seem to have a palate for a blend of goat's milk and espresso.

Back to the yarn....


I once read that bison fiber is collected from the ground - obviously one can not shear from a wild animal - but this booklet which accompanies the yarn indicates that they have been harvesting the downy fiber from the hides of meat animals. I can't quite imagine the meeting of weavers and knitters with the abattoir.... But, the booklet indicates that 'once the fiber is sheared the hide is sold to be tanned and made into leather goods.' I guess the hides would go to waste and it's easier to shear a motionless hide than to collect fiber in the middle of the plain....

I purchased two 3.5 oz skeins of the wool - and, yes, $68 per skein. In this case I am using the Bison Cloud which is a 50/50 blend of bison and alpaca. This yarn is so wonderfully soft. The spinners suggest using it for items around the face because of it's delicious texture. I would agree.

I am knitting a very simple scarf pattern I picked up in Vermont from Battenkill Fibers. And so far only 2 mistakes which I have tried to correct, but that is not yet a skill I have mastered. I said this was a blog about fiber art, I didn't say I was any good at it!

My husband has asked that I never make anything for him. His reasoning is that he never wants to feel obligated to wear it. Sounds cruel, but I understand. I wonder if my brothers feel the same, as they may be getting scarves for Christmas this year (if I finish by then).