what not to do

in which our plucky heroine corrects an error...

rather suddenly, in the midst of my sewing the blue shibori rayon popover, the machine stopped. The handwheel wouldn't turn forwards or backwards. As I looked it over, on all sides, I noticed that there was a thread going into the gap between the handwheel and the machine casing...

Apparently my habit of keeping the extra spool of thread used for bobbin winding on the extra spool holder is a Bad Habit. I've been sewing for umpteen years, and this never happened before, indeed it never occurred to me that this could happen, but somehow the thread found its way inside the machine, with these unexpected results!

Fortunately for me, the fix was simple, and a few minutes with the small scissors, and some careful unwinding back and forth was all it took to remove the threads. Took the opportunity to wipe out the fuzz and dust and bits of ground down rubber from the machine belts abraded by the Giant Wad of Thread, and the sewing machine is running again.

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Lions Torse charter master	borders on red overdress	my appendix!
2	Terpsichore Fox charter master	trimmed forsythia	Goodwill bag
3	Grace of An Tir charter master	trimmed sage	yard waste bin
4	herringbone undergown	pill case reshaped	appletree bits
5	indigo check undergown	quinceling pruned	-
6	neckroll pillowcases	loppers repaired	-
7	carnelian necklace	broken-apple removed	-
8	charter # 6	sewing machine	-
9	Laurel tablet weaving	x	x
10	blue shibori popover	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitude - being moderately fearless about undoing panels on machines, and that this machine is designed with access panels that require nothing more exotic than a phillips head screwdriver

better late than not at all...

in which our plucky heroine has the blues...

I started on the popover dress this morning... I had forgotten how lovely and silky the fabric is, as all the partially cut out pieces were wadded up in my UFO pile, and quite wrinkly. I think that getting this done before the dog days of August, with potentially triple digit temperatures, are here will be a good plan.

The fabric is a very dark almost black indigo blue, with faux shibori motifs. The assorted designs make rather wide vertical bands on the fabric, I only turned the photo on the diagonal to show all three of the designs. My hope is to complete the dress by the end of tomorrow, so that it can be my entry in the "Having The Blues" contest on The Sewing Place forum.

This is the last of my popover fabric pieces, so I'll be keeping my eyes open for a dress length of some nice batik rayon (or whatever??) to place in stash. My goal is to eventually have a wardrobe of Suitable Size, and a small stash of fabrics to replace garments as they become worn to a raveling... (as opposed to my current stash, which is many random pieces of fabric mostly not large enough to make entire garments)

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Lions Torse charter master	borders on red overdress	my appendix!
2	Terpsichore Fox charter master	trimmed forsythia	Goodwill bag
3	Grace of An Tir charter master	trimmed sage	yard waste bin
4	herringbone undergown	pill case reshaped	appletree bits
5	indigo check undergown	quinceling pruned	-
6	neckroll pillowcases	loppers repaired	-
7	carnelian necklace	broken-apple removed	-
8	charter # 6	x	-
9	Laurel tablet weaving	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitude - I cooked some green beans and made enough that I had extra in the fridge, which made some great snacks. I can do this more often.

Thursday thru Sunday

in which our plucky heroine plays blogger catch-up...

xiao long bao... lunch on Thursday with Z, and we went to XLB over on N Williams. These soup dumplings were just as nom as the previous visit there, and today the special of the day (which we ate up before I thought to photograph it) was "crispy rice balls with pork belly", and I was vaguely reminded of scotch eggs, in a good and savory way.

While there are no dim sum restaurants closer here than the far east side, the assorted comfort food at XLB is a good option for when driving that far isn't possible. Plus who wouldn't like soup dumplings??

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Thursday night did a modicum of pruning, a bit from the apple, a bit from the quinceling, and a bit from the side yard plum, all using Felco hand pruners. Careful not to overdo it and cause bodily harm, as I am still healing.

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My friend Maeva was here visiting this weekend. She is going to PPFN 2019, which is a 16th C themed weekend-long feast and food history event. Since this isn't a time and culture that she has clothing for, she has asked me to sew for her. I'm excited about the project. We started by looking at what different layers and parts will be needed, looking at images of historical paintings and illustrations from that era, and discussed what colors and types of fabric will be needed. Wool and linen, in various weights will be needed to make up the underdress, the outer gown, and various accessories for warmth and fashion.

I started out by enlarging the bodice schematic from Katafalk's site, and after several toiles to adjust the fit, we had a basic shape  bodice for Maeva. Between while I was doing all this sewing and fitting and recutting and resewing, M offered to take my newly refurbished loppers to the sad remnants of the broken apple tree, as she rightly decided that running the loppers used more of the abdominals than would be ideal for my recovery. When I went out into the backyard to call her in for the third fitting, lo and behold she had removed almost all of the twigs/branchlets/green apples to fill the yard waste wheelie bin, and all that remained of the broken part was the core branch!

The other thing we did over the weekend was go to both the Milwaukie and Washougal* Pendleton outlet stores, in hope of acquiring suitable wool. We did find a good chocolate brown wool for her outer gown, and then acquired from a friend some lilac/grey wool for the underdress, as well as some black wool for trimming the brown wool. Since there was so much running about to and fro, we also had several restaurant meals, dim sum for brunch, and another tasty Ethiopian meal on Saturday night at Enat Kitchen.

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Lions Torse charter master	borders on red overdress	my appendix!
2	Terpsichore Fox charter master	trimmed forsythia	Goodwill bag
3	Grace of An TIr charter master	trimmed sage	yard waste bin
4	herringbone undergown	pill case reshaped	appletree bits
5	indigo check undergown	quinceling pruned	-
6	neckroll pillowcases	loppers repaired	-
7	carnelian necklace	broken-apple removed	-
8	charter # 6	x	-
9	Laurel tablet weaving	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitude - The appletree bits have all been removed from the backyard. I have a new sewing work project that is fascinating. And, I was able to successfully fit the bodice to my friends body in only three iterations.

* I didn't know that you can take a tour of the woolen mill in Washougal, at least according to their website. I am going to call and check, as that would be a fun thing to do some weekday. When I was a child, we often went on tours of places that made things. I remember going to an auto plant, a soda factory, a beer bottling factory, the chocolate plant in Hershey, and a silversmith out in the hills beyond LA. As an adult, I've gone to the Tillamook cheese factory out on the coast.

when in doubt, paint

in which our plucky heroine is still recuperating...

It was fun to paint the Lion's Torse charter that I designed earlier this year. The size of the image is 9" x 6", printed on 8 1/2 x 11 paper

a closer look at the horse and rider motif.

A detail image of the narrow 1/2" border; I attempted with paint a variation on the engraved detailing on the metal Seuso Hunting Platter that was my inspiration for this charter master series

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Carol in Denver pointed me to another Viking Age necklace... (or in actuality a large assortment of beads, assumed to be a necklace for being found in the part of the grave where such things would be found. We really have no idea in what order the beads would have been strung, but this is a rather delectable assortment!!

this is a closer look at the beads - and a blog post with more information about this particular find 

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Lions Torse charter master	borders on red overdress	my appendix!
2	Terpsichore Fox charter master	trimmed forsythia	Goodwill bag
3	Grace of An TIr charter master	trimmed sage	-
4	herringbone undergown	pill case reshaped	-
5	indigo check undergown	x	-
6	neckroll pillowcases	x	-
7	carnelian necklace	x	-
8	charter # 6	x	-
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitude - I have the time to stay home mostly, and allow myself to heal...

some historically inspired accessories

in which our plucky heroine is still convalescing  ...

I don't know why it is taking me so long to feel like myself again. Physically I am still Very Tired, and most annoyingly, I am noticing some mental POCD issues surgery/anaesthesia can cause. I've been struggling for words in a way that is unlike me, and  needing to stop and process what I am trying to verbalise in the middle of sentences. Fingers crossed that perhaps this time the issues will be only temporary, unlike after my cancer surgery.

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While I made this project in June, I neglected to post any images of the finished piece, only a post about acquiring the carnelian beads... Necklace inspired by Viking Age artifacts from Birka and elsewhere. Carnelian "cornerless rectangles", and clear lampwork glass in place of rock crystal, with one of Master Helgi's lampwork Laurel beads as a pendant.

links to historical artifacts that inspired this at the bottom of this post
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Since my recovery is being so slow, I decided to start setting up an assortment of small projects, that can be worked on either between other tasks, if I am feeling robust, or just picked up an done for a few minutes at a time. Ever since I made the tablet woven Laurel band for Marya, I also wanted one for me. Particularly now that I have started making some Rus/Slavic clothing, a woven headband can be used to display the wonderful temple ornaments that are what I consider delectable bling.

Et voila, I've begun the weaving, after first attempting to dye the background wool a pale blue. Food color dyeing of wool yarn is easy, but unpredictable, and I ended up with a color more grey than blue. The speed/ease/non-toxic nature of the process outweighs the drawbacks. All that is needed is to soak the yarn overnight in water that is slightly acidulated, then set up a dyepot with 1/4c white vinegar to 1c water (increase as needed), warm not boiling. Add in tiny amounts of paste food color. Tip the soaked yarn into the dye, stir and watch the dye become absorbed into the yarn and the water become almost clear. Easy peasy chicken squeezy! The previous band took about a week and a half of intermittent efforts, so this one will likely take at least that long...

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Lions Torse charter	borders on red overdress	my appendix!
2	Terpsichore Fox charter	trimmed forsythia	Goodwill bag
3	Grace of An TIr charter	trimmed sage	-
4	herringbone undergown	pill case reshaped	-
5	indigo check undergown	x	-
6	neckroll pillowcases	x	-
7	x	x	-
8	x	x	-
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitude - my ability to express myself in writing seems unimpaired.



* a partial list-of-links to assorted Viking Age necklaces of inspiration:

carnelian and rock crystal in various shapes, with treasure pendants mostly beads

mostly carnelian and rock crystal cornerless cubes, with a small amount of lampwork, and treasure pendants

carnelian and rock crystal with many treasure pendants
... and (another view of the same necklace)

assorted shaped carnelian and mostly facteted rock crystal

assorted carnelian, rock crystal, stone etc

mixed shaped carnelian, rock crystal melon and rounds, etc

Sunday snippets

in which our plucky heroine sees unexpected consequences...

Walked into the back yard this past week, and something was very wrong. Almost half the apple tree was on the ground.

.

I am partly to blame, as I didn't thin the fruit or summer prune the tree as I usually do, though hospital time was partly the cause. There have been assorted wild suggestions from friends to try and winch or bolt the tree together again, but that seems impossible, plus it would require massive pruning of the downed half to be able to raise it again. My thought is to try to remove the damaged half, clean up the wound, and see what sort of pruning can reshape the remaining tree. (other option would be to simply take it out, and start over)

Went to look for the loppers, and remembered that the last time I let someone else use them, they got damaged via an encounter with the chain link fence, and had big divots taken from the cutting blade (grrr) So instead of being able to let my weekend visitors help me with this, they helped me by driving me to the garden tool repair place. Loppers can indeed be reground, but will remove part of their ability to cut all along the blade. I decided it was more important to retain the ability to cut through difficult limbs than to retain the ability to use the lopper tips. Not pleased at this now needful repair, but grateful that there is a pleasant honest man who repairs tools, that is reasonably local, with prices that are affordable. In the meantime, I will be doing Very Tiny Pruning with my hand Felco pruners, since that is about all I am yet rated for as far as activity.

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This weekend the Aunties and Beth's brother John came down from Oly and stayed here, as they had a memorial ceremony to go to on Sunday. It was great to see them all, there was good talking time, and a few of my errands run, as they have a car. We went out for Ethiopian food for Saturday lunch, (after the aforementioned run to the garden tool fixit place), and I had called ahead on Friday to ask for teff injera instead of wheat (the Aunties don't eat wheat, and in fact I do better without it as well). The lunch was nom, as is everything I have pretty much ever eaten at Enat Kitchen. Still doing my best to up my protein and veg in order to help my body to heal. Healing is slow going, and I am still needing to have a lie-down every afternoon. Today we went to a different farmers market (King) than the one I normally go to. Stocked up on salad greens, and then splurged entirely and bought a small fillet of black cod to have for dinner. It is a white fish, as rich in antioxidants as salmon, spendy, flavorful, as delicate as butter, and probably my absolute favorite protein. Once my friends went home late in the afternoon, I lay down to rest for a few hours, and made myself some dinner and will next tackle Mt Dishmore, a little bit at a time, because I am still so tired.

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I seem to be feeling terribly nostalgic as far as what music I want to listen to... I remember seeing the Kinks in concert in Boston, I think back in '78. We got really good seats for that one, about four rows back from the stage.

Better Things - The Kinks - 1981

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50 years ago...

in which our plucky heroine remembers feeling hopeful about the future, and proud of my father, one of innumerable engineers that worked on the space program, back when we had a space program...

welll begun but not half done...

in which our plucky heroine recovers, albeit slowly...

The fourth room I was moved to while in hospital was on surgical oncology 7th floor. Same floor I was on seven years ago. This time only because there was an open room, and this time I was on IV antibiotics, not IV post-surgery morphine. Nicest hotel I never want to visit, and my room had a spectacular view of Mt Hood. And a truly splendid bathroom I wish I could take home with me!

What it didn't have, alas, was a night of undisturbed sleep. I once again managed to fall asleep by around 2AM, only to be awakened by the phelbotomist In My Room! I have a terrible bad startle reflex, and there may have been a wee scream. I know that there was Way Too Much Adrenaline! and an arguement about where in my arm (NOT the hand!!) to draw the blood. After we got that sorted out, I was, of course much too hyped to sleep at all.

I actually started to cry after the night vampire man left the room, but decided that putting on my bathrobe and pacing the middle of the night hospital hallways would be a better way to transform and use up my exhausted rage and fear (adrenaline is my Least Favorite drug). I paced for about two hours. Until I was calm again. Then I noticed that the sky in the east was becoming light...

I was sent home on Sunday evening, and so far this week has been all about managing to do one small thing, then collapsing into napping, then getting up eating dinner and falling asleep again. Surgery and infection took a lot of my stuffing out, in a virtual sense.

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My homemade buckwheat hull neck roll pillows only have a pair of floral flannel pillowcases, which are lovely in winter, but I've been craving new summer pillowcases in lightweight cotton. Found a remnant of Heather Ross fabric with VW campers on it, enough to make a sweet set of summer cases. A small sewing project is not strenuous, and adds a modicum of additonal comfort...

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Yesterday I did some minor very minor pruning, and trimmed all the  faded blossom stalks off the culinary sage, and some of the wayward stems of the forsythia bush that keeps trying to overhang the sidewalk. Nothing heavy, or requiring anything other than hand strength. Then, after putting the plant detritus in the yard waste bin, and rolling it out to the curb for collection, I lay down for another nap.

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Yesterday, Heather and Sharon and Ellie came down to visit from Olympia. Always good to see friends, especially Sharon (Heather's mom) who is less mobile and doesn't drive any more. There was chatting, and while we went out to the grocery and hardware store in Heather's car, she also deployed Jarvis the robot vacuum, to give my carpet a thorough going over!

I now have food bits to tide me over for a while, and the nails and spackle to start attaching the bathroom trim, a little bit at a time, once I feel strong enough. The individual pieces are not that big, or heavy, and they all need painted first, then nailed/glued to the wall, then the nailheads spackeld and painted over. I've put this job off long enough.

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Lions Torse charter	borders on red overdress	my appendix!
2	Terpsichore Fox charter	trimmed forsythia	Goodwill bag
3	Grace of An TIr charter	trimmed sage	-
4	herringbone undergown	x	-
5	indigo check undergown	x	-
6	neckroll pillowcases	x	-
7	x	x	-
8	x	x	-
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitude - yay for antibiotics, without which I would be dead now. and Yay indeed for my many kind friends, who visited me in hospital, brought me fruit and nuts for snacking, and company, and my own toiletries, and bathrobe, and comb, and my earbuds, and charger and extra tech so I had contact and tunes, and generally were true angels of connection. And a third yay for the unlikely event of being awake to see sunrise, and high enough that it was visible!

The LSP bed and other peculiar things

In which our plucky heroine is both exhausted and very bored...

Attempting to write a blog post on my phone is a real challenge compared to on my home computer desktop, which allows for basics like... cut and paste

It doesn't seem like I'll be able to return home tomorrow. There really has been no improvement so far, but at least the infection doesn't seem to be expanding.

The bed here in the critical care unit is probably the weirdest bed I've ever experienced. It consists of many pneumatic lumps, which shift at what feels very random intervals. Combined with the pneumatic leg wraps the effect is very peculiar.  It feels like trying to take a nap atop Lumpy Space Princess.

Yesterday I got barely three hours of sleep. Attempts at sleep today were micro catnaps, between various medical necessities and the demands of my own body.

The salmon dinner was surprisingly good, not entirely overcooked (which was sadly the case with lunch, but then chicken breast is often wooly and dry)

There is a wee design fail in the room. The automatic soap dispenser was installed attached to the mirror just above the cool water handle of the faucet. This means that whenever either turning on or off the water, additional soap excitedly spurts onto the handle, even when all that is wanted is a rinse off of previous soap..

I have nothing to do here but attempt to rest, attempt to read, or browse online. Hopefully tomorrow Chris will bring me some embroidery stuff, and Young Heather will be able to bring me things from home that will make a big difference. And hopefully tomorrow I will have had a few more hours of sleep. I am doing my very best to cultivate equanimity and good cheer.

Not my best day ever

In which our plucky heroine is back in hospital. Waiting in the ER for a room to open up. I'm going to need IV antibiotics for a few days, as the itchy turned out to not be normal healing, and not an allergic reaction to the surgical glue, but cellulitis. Will post more later

convalescence and reminiscence

in which our plucky heroine convalesces...


listening to old favorites via the magic of the internet never stops being a treat. I lost my record collection years ago, but as the sign on Charlotte's kitchen wall says "I may be old, but I got to see all the good bands"

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Today, there is itching in what is called the tummy, where all the surgery happened last week... since there are no signs of infection, I am confident that this is a sign of healing. Is most annoying though, as scratching is contraindicated, given the tender condition of said tummy and the slow process of how healing happens (abdomen can take up to six months to fully heal, though the outer wounds will be closed much sooner than that) I am simply gritting my teeth as it were, and ignoring it. Going to try applying an ice pack briefly and see if that helps....

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one of my current goals is to make my SCA clothing a bit less "fantasy" and a bit more historical. This means I need some less highly decorated underdresses. I now have an unbleached herringbone linen gown completed, and am currently working on finishing up the hem on one in indigo gingham check linen. (the two things I can do when I can't do much else are sew, and knit... as it is mid July, sewing linen is more pleasant than knitting)

My plan is to create an SCA wardrobe that is planned, rather than my current higgledy-piggledy mostly Norse/fantasy one, where there are garments that work together in layers that make sense, and allow me ease, comfort and historical beauty while at outdoor events, and indoor ones. (My other current goal is to not die with the most fabric, but to actually use the nice fabrics I have to make SCA and modern clothing, as I will get more enjoyment from wearing it than I will from a yard sale after I am dead!)

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Lions Torse charter	borders on red overdress	my appendix!
2	Terpsichore's Fox charter	x	-
3	Grace of An TIr charter	x	-
4	herringbone undergown	x	-
5	indigo check undergown	x	-
6	x	x	-
7	x	x	-
8	x	x	-
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitude - my body is healing from the appendectomy, and eventually I will not be sore, or bruised, or itchy or weak. Today I was able to get out of bed without making loud ouchy sounds. This is an improvement.

Saturday snippets

in which our plucky heroine slowly convalesces...

The best thing at hospital, aside from the excellent quick care for my appendicitis, was the post surgery pneumatic leg compression. OMG, was like gentle calf massages all night long. I loved it!! (according to the night nurse, people either love it or hate it)

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Currently doing some refurbishment on an older SCA overdress. All this is part of the ongoing effort to use what I have, and to wear what I have, rather than leave it sitting in the SCA closet. The beginnings of this gown date back to the turn of the century, since the geometric embroidery was done whilst working for the 2000 census. At the time, I thought that "prairie points" were the bees knees, and a lot of my handwork then was edged with those triangles. The overdress itself is a thick herringbone silk, much too warm to wear at indoor events, but will be quite good for cool nights camping outdoors.

A closer look at the refurbished sleeve cuff embroidery, now with an additional red silk border above the triangles, and tiny silvery ribbed metal studs. The metal dots and seed pearls will reflect nicely in firelight, and I am stitching away in faith that there will be more camping in my future. This dress would have been ideal for keeping me warm at Egils earlier this year!

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Overall, feeling slightly improved today, though the wounds are still quite painful, and there is much bruising becoming evident. Coughing is still horrible, as is getting in and out of bed. The other odd thing, which I will be calling and asking about, is that there is a most harsh unpleasant acrid taste in my mouth ever since sometime yesterday. Last night I had to put the pretty roses outside, since to me they smelled not sweet and floral, but more like chemicals??? The water from the tap also tastes unpleasantly bitter, and I don't know if all this is some sort of odd result of surgery, or something else...

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Lions Torse charter	borders on red overdress	my appendix!
2	Terpsichore's Fox charter	x	-
3	Grace of An TIr charter	x	-
4	x	x	-
5	x	x	-
6	x	x	-
7	x	x	-
8	x	x	-
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitude - still alive, still walking in the bright world. Also, finding the wee metal prong-studs, which I purchased years ago when Larissa (may her spirit find peace) and I went to the Sewing Expo in Puyallup, and using them instead of just keeping them as a memento.

tragedy narrowly averted...

in which our plucky heroine is not going to ATWW this year after all...

woke up on Tuesday feeling odd, right around the center of my lower belly. When breakfast and a bike ride made it worse rather than improving things, and it hurt to touch, I called the nurse hotline, since "Dr Google" aka the Mayo Clinic website said that immediate medical attention was recommended. Called my friend Wanda, who gave me a ride so I didn't have to take public transit to the Emergency Room at hospital. Intake was not too slow, but I began to worry when they said that there might be some sort of blockage in my abdomen, (cancer survivor always has a fear of recurrant tumors) so was much relieved when the subsequent CAT scan showed I had "early" appendicitis. The good news is that diagnosis is straightforward, and has a specific remedy - immediate surgery. There is no decision tree, or wondering if something I did or didn't do caused the problem, apparently about 6% of the population ends up with this for one reason or another, often unknown etiology.

My laparoscopic surgery late last night dealt with that. Was a shorter and less fraught surgery than my cancer surgery back in January 2012, and I now have three new stabbity spots on my belly, changing the constellation of scars in the future. Wanda waited until I was re-installed in hospital bedroom, then went home for the night before returning in the AM to take me back to Acorn Cottage. Truly I have a treasure trove of amazing pals!

Home again, but camping is verboten for the next little while. Happy that this all took place here in PDX and not while driving down the Coast Highway, or camping outside Gold Beach; sad to miss all the good stuff at the event, and all my friends I rarely get a chance to catch up with. Also very grateful for modern medicine, a straightforward protocol, and that what was wrong being probably benign and definitely entirely enclosed. I had a second brief chat with the surgeon Dr Zelko before being discharged from hospital, and he said that what he found inside looked just like the CAT scan showed, and that the biopsy would be interesting, as there are various possible contents in the unhappy appendix.

Now I need to rest and recover. Gentle walking is allowed, but no lifting over 5#, and of course, I had to forgo the long awaited yearly ATWW, and the chance to not only hang out with various friends I rarely see, but the opportunity to re-connect with some long ago friends now living in Port Orford going to the event for the first time. Still, now I will no longer ever have to worry about my appendix again!

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Lions Torse charter	x	my appendix!
2	Terpsichore's Fox charter	x	-
3	Grace of An TIr charter	x	-
4	x	x	-
5	x	x	-
6	x	x	-
7	x	x	-
8	x	x	-
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitude - modern medicine and anaesthesia, which repair issues beyond my ability to self-care, the Oregon Health Plan and the ACA which give me insurance coverage so I can access modern medicine, and that I remain alive and functional still walking in the bright world...

makerie Monday...

in which our plucky heroine enjoys petrichor...

Saturday at Athenaeum the most recent regalia project - a second Laurel enamel brooch to match Martin's repaired and refurbished brooch, was delivered; both were commissioned for Helewisa, to decorate her elevation cloak.

Creating a second twin to an enamel made long ago was challenging. First off it was necessary to order new deadstock enamel, since the color used was no longer in my collection... once that was done, the biggest challenge was creating the tiny veins in the 5mm leaves. Not trivial.

IMHO, the completed enamels appear to be fraternal rather than identical twins, but the effect is just as requested. Once they were set in their simple silver settings and attached, they added just another tiny bit of splendor to the occasion.

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My new linen underdress is almost but not quite completed. There were some odd errors made in my cutting out the parts, and so there is some non-standard piecing together, but it will hopefully serve me well. Letting the herringbone fabric do the work on this one, and not adding extra decorations.

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I made a set of three An Tir Kingdom level charter blanks, inspired by the very large "Hunting Platter" from the Sevso Treasure.  The leafy border is from the outer border on the platter, and the asssorted images are from the central medallion. Someone else will do the calligraphy for these charters, since timely delivery was more needed than my taking time to learn a new calligraphic form. Maybe next time...

This is the motif I chose for the Lion's Torse charter...

Here I adapted an image of a dog to create the Terpsichore's Fox motif...

... and adapted a servitor motif for the Grace of An Tir charter... (I've not yet inked in the leafy border)

(for the curious here is a detailed photo showing the two latter motifs on the original artifact)

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Almost finished a new linen apron dress for Isabel, using the lovely blue/black texture weave linen. Once I get the measurements for the shoulder straps, it will be completed...

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Lions Torse charter	x	-
2	Terpsichore's Fox charter	x	-
3	Grace of An TIr charter	x	-
4	x	x	-
5	x	x	-
6	x	x	-
7	x	x	-
8	x	x	-
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitude - it rained this afternoon, LOTS of rain, and wind, and thunder, and Loud Hail. More the sort of rainstorm I remember from my youth Back East. And I noticed the first few pings of precipitation on the window awnings so was able to grab the laundry off the line before it underwent a "Eugene Rinse Cycle"