During my semester break I’ve been painting, but do make time to get out of the house as much as I can to enjoy my neighborhood in the recent mild temperatures.
The other day I ran some errands downtown, and passed through one of Daegu’s treasures, the Oriental Medicine Market. The market encompasses a few streets not far from the more modern shopping area in Daegu. The Yangnyeongsi Oriental Medicine Museum is there, too, but it has been closed for some time due to the pandemic. Nonetheless, there are still some open shops in the market with all manner of traditional herbs and remedies on display, and the earthy, pungent scent of ginseng fills the air.
Everything from tomato wine to deer antler to the finest home-grown ginseng can be had here. The east entrance sports an outdoor foot bath that is popular in summer.
There are several historic buildings in this area, too, including a few historic Protestant and Catholic churches (see above photo). There is a Daegu city walk that I took a few years ago that passes by many of these cherished landmarks of the city. I’m looking forward to things opening up again, so I can go back to the museum and explore, and maybe be brave enough to finally try acupuncture. I will certainly blog about it, if I do.
If you are curious about the medicine museum, a good primer can be found at this website.
At home, my crochet projects are moving at a glacial pace. I must regain my “crojo” after the painting is done. My mom sent some awesome chunky yarn in my holiday care package – several skeins of Lion Brand “Scarfie” that I’ll use to make two new patterns, a fringed pocket shawl and a poncho. I love the gradient look of these jewel tones with black. I also just received some sumptuous 100% yak yarn from an Etsy retailer called Lotus Yarns. Yes, I found yak yarn online, something I’ve been wanting to try working with for awhile! It’s unbelievably soft, and I think it will make a beautiful sweater.
The Frill Seeker 