liminality

in which our plucky heroine appreciates looking backwards and bravely looks forwards...

The truth is, we don't know what 2025 will bring. I know no one over the age of reason who is looking ahead with delight. That said, we do our best to find at least glimmering crumbs and connections to light our way. I shall endeavor to do what small part I can, while life and breath continue.

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~ always ~

"The verses are a roadmap of how to live a good life and be a good person, each of them punctuated with that rousing chorus:

Ring the old year out
Ring the new year in
Bring us all good luck
Let the good guys win "

- Charles de Lint

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My experimental shortbread, using browned butter and brown sugar, failed. It did, however, make a very tasty crumble atop a few spoonfuls of quincemeat. I suspect that the small amount of water boiled off in making browned butter was functional in having the shortbread hold together... I shall try again. Maybe instead of browned butter, if I add some almond extract and rosewater (the flavor profile of Shrewsbury cakes), I will end up with something just right?

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~ day 31 ~

The last of the advent swap gifts was these two tiny original artworks by Deb, signed and dated, that will be much enjoyed by my Tansu Terrace tinyfolk as well as myself...

I must say that the advent swap as a whole has been a great pleasure. The creativity of our participants is really impressive, and the outreach this year to some folks who otherwise would not have been part of the project warmed my heart. I have great hopes that the Advent Of A Better Year swap will continue into the future, and look forward to sharing ideas and plans throughout 2025, leading to an excellent Advent Swap for 2026...

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We are gradually building the first glimpses of the world we will be traveling through in Wanderhome, each week just a little bit more. I had no idea that my imagination could even function in this sort of way, and am so pleased to have become friends with Stef and Mischa, and have them let me explore.

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December SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	rainbow cowl tassels	more clothesline	recycle bin
2	85 origami squares	cardboard down	random book parts
3	heraldic potholders	set up paperwhites	recycle bin
4	pine needle stars	grey linen pinafore	yard waste bin
5	solstice sweets	bandana hem	yard waste bin
6	2025 calendar	calendar pages	recycle bin
7	flannel pillowcases	keyboard key cap	recycle bin
8	62 masu boxes	kitchen sink drain	x
9	x	appletree pruning	x

today's gratitudes -
1. good folks near and far
2. all the blessings the bright world still offers
3. hope, the gem at the very bottom of the box

Time of Isolation - Day 1629

SMART Goals, the 10th year

in which our plucky heroine continues to use a tool proven useful...

I actually do what is more of a slight variation on SMART goals (which are intended to be "Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely"), but I change out the "Achievable" to "Achieved". I only include what I have done, not what I hope/intend to do in the future. This keeps my interaction with record keeping positive, while also encouraging me to continue to act in ways that can be recorded as positive actions.

Training theory says that X-ing out tickey-boxes is a Useful Signal and helps in changing habits.  That as certainly proved true over the last decade... For me, the combination of a monthly active chart that I add to with every blog post, and a larger whole year chart that is filled in every month with progress, continues to work well to encourage my efforts to move forward over the year, as well as showing me both where I am investing my time, and where I could use a bit more attention. There is something very satisfying about seeing the actions of a whole year delineated.

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notice all the things that were created, or repaired, or let go of in the last year, despite how little it felt like, and how much still remains undone or unfinished...

SMART goals challenge 2024

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Jedi obi sash	reinstall octopus	recycle bin
2	Jedi underlayer	hang candle lantern	recycle bin
3	2 tiny books	paint tiger frame	yard waste bin
4	teal knit top	patch closet holes	recycle bin
5	3 mini hats & scarves	teal top mended	recycle bin
6	plaid flannel slip	RÅSKOG assembled	recycle bin
7	5 tiny books	RÅSKOG adapted	drywall mud
8	hatband roses	bike rear wheel	recycle bin
9	Jedi tunic	prune persimmon	some driveway moss
10	Jedi tabard	wall storage bathroom	recycle bin
11	5 jars marmalade	wall storage utility	yard waste bin
12	tiny camel print	dark of night neckline	recycle bin
13	superb owl traybox	3 separating zippers	recycle bin
14	grey acorn brooch	bathroom access hatch	yard waste bin
15	pinch pouch	wool pinafore	yard waste bin
16	wooly bear brooch	Goran Laurel	recycle bin
17	teal acorn brooch	plunger hook	persimmon prunings
18	dark Pelican enamel	bathroom undersink access	forsythia prunings
19	red enamel samples	contrast numbers on oven knob	yard waste bin
20	turn buttons	paint frame black	recycle bin
21	6 tiny books	frame gift painting	front plum pruning
22	2 velour sports bras	front yard dandelions uprooted	yard waste bin
23	Stromgard enamels	computer zone lamp	recycle bin
24	velour sports bra	blog template	dead rosemary
25	indoor hat	grey turtleneck collar	yard waste bin
26	stitchbird brooch	indigo bunny art	yard waste bin
27	print knit top	taxes done	recycle bin
28	tiny Easter basket	redone bag ties	wonky kitchen light
29	tiny angora print	kitchen soapdish	yard waste bin
30	5th God bag	half front yard mowed	recycle bin
31	scroll calligraphy	more front yard mowed	dead box fan
32	Pelican scroll	replace cloudlight bulb	recycle bin
33	grey rose brooch	clean large paper lantern	books to LFL
34	3 pyramid bags	pocket brown pinafore	recycle bin
35	blood orange marmalade	reframed raindrop print	yard waste bin
36	4 tiny books	partial backyard mowed	recycle bin
37	10 tiny books	front yard mowed	yard waste bin
38	tiny footstools	horses blouse edge	yard waste bin
39	acorn bowls	kitchen light fixture	big plum tree
40	angora goat lino	Luxo plug	driveway moss
41	mini cushions	plaid flannel slip	recycle bin
42	copycat sunhat	oak wall hook ebonised	yard waste bin
43	OGGS setting	towel clip ebonised	yard waste bin
44	sunscreen mitts	cleaned keyboard	recycle bin
45	musk ox print	pruned grapevine	yard waste bin
46	green linen Jedi tunic	horses blouse	old light crap
47	Nandina floral dress	some more pruning	recycle bin
48	2 tiny knit skirts	even more pruning	yard waste bin
49	tiny knit cardigan	poster hanger	recycle bin
50	Salish wooly dog print	nut chopper handle	yard waste bin
51	bathrobe hook	elderberry harvest	recycle bin
52	tiny batik skirt	refurbish Felco	recycle bin
53	sheep print	worm bin	yard waste bin
54	5 tiny knit tops	plinth wheels	recycle bin
55	4 tiny knit vests	corduroy pinafore	yard waste bin
56	tiny cargo pants	pruning fruit trees	recycle bin
57	very smol Birks	porch curtains west	recycle bin
58	silkworm print	porch curtains south	random book parts
59	4 reversible skirts	removed frost	recycle bin
60	Peach tinyprint	prune persimmon	yard waste bin

overflow SMART goals!!!

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
61	8 tiny tops	tidy walking onions	yard waste bin
62	2 tiny cardigans	string trim parking strip	recycle bin
63	2 pillowcases	long jane waistband	recycle bin
64	yak print	black winter slip	-
65	tiny bell-bottoms	harvested quince	-
66	tiny camisole	pruned apple	-
67	small pressing tools	repot spider plants	-
68	tiny playset	harvest persimmons	-
69	denim hat	moar pruning	-
70	lots of dolly clothes	grape pruning	-
71	neon tetra block	mailed advent boxes	-
72	tiny nightdress	long jane hems	-
73	ScribeTober 1	renew worm bin	-
74	blue wolf enamel	more clothesline	-
75	shibori scarf	cardboard down	-
76	robin and holly acorn cap ornaments	set up paperwhites	-
77	Kenya skirt	grey linen pinafore	-
78	pumpkin overalls	bandana hem	-
79	Textile Livestock	calendar pages	-
80	applesauce	keyboard key cap	-
81	Halloween cushions	kitchen sink drain	-
82	applesauce	appletree pruning	-
83	cat head graphic	-	-
84	6 jars to ferment	-	-
85	lime curd	-	-
86	quince jelly	-	-
88	Sidewalk Joy books	-	-
89	tiny hearth fire	-	-
90	rainbow cowl tassels	-	-
91	85 origami squares	-	-
92	heraldic potholders	-	-
93	pine needle stars	-	-
94	solstice sweets	-	-
95	2025 calendar	-	-
96	flannel pillowcases	-	-
97	62 masu boxes	-	-

It was only a matter of time

in which our plucky heroine has concerns...

Today at the grocery store, most of the eggs in the cooler were not there. There were still some few cartons of what I call "bougie" eggs, the ones that are $9/dozen, which had been spread out across the empty shelves in a vain effort at semi-normality. There was a little sign taped up that mentioned bird flu, and supply chain issues. So later today I rode my bike over to Grocery Outlet, and while they did have eggs, the price doubled from what it was last week, and is now $7/dz .

Somehow, some time, when I wasn't paying attention, dry legumes have almost tripled in price, and are now between 4 to 6 dollars a pound. Being high in carbs to protein ratio, they aren't a major part of my meal planning, but there are things I like to cook with beans or lentils. And for New Years,  black-eyed peas are a requirement. But when I looked in the bulk aisle at the store, the bin was empty. And when I found and asked a store clerk, they said that not only did none of their stores have any in bulk, but their warehouse was equally lacking, and their supplier had said "maybe in mid January"...

Every year since I first heard of the tradition, that one must eat black-eyed peas for luck on New Years so that the coming year would not suck pond water, there has not been a year I've missed... Early on, I cooked up the beans with a small chunk of ham hock, the crock pot sending out a savory aroma, and the results delicious. For a long time now the grocery store meat counter hasn't been set up any more to break down large pieces, so instead I've taken to adding a small chunk of other savory smoky meat, or just adding smoked paprika to the seasoning mixture.

This year I am reduced to a can of cooked black-eyed peas, which I will garnish with some discs of bratwurst from the freezer, and grateful to have that much. I will still cook at least some of the other foods that to me symbolise a bright and hopeful year to come, remembering that prosperity does not necessarily mean money. Carrot "coins", and some fresh leafy greens for "greenbacks", and maybe even a half batch of Sister Gigi's spicy savory golden corn cakes.

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~ day 30 ~

A garland of origami butterflies; these will be so much fun for summertime decorating in the tinyworld...

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It was getting very worriesome how the kitchen sink was draining more and more slowly. Thankfully, it turned out to be an easy fix, since clever past me installed a "Handi Works Majic Drain" gizmo when we were working on the plumbing a year ago. (both the bathroom and kitchen sinks here at Acorn Cottage sport this Very Useful hence no longer available adaptation, that substitutes for the ordinary P-trap, with an easily detachable under half that also holds a grid to keep small things from being flushed past the trap and into the pipes and sewer system)

When I thought to pull it out and take a look, the obvious problem was that a. there was quite a bit of detritus stuck in the internal grid, and b. I had somehow managed to install two grids instead of one, which had reduced the flow through... Once those issues were dealt with, the sink has returned to the free flowing drain is should have, and I have added "check Majic Drain" to the every six month list of tasks...

※※※

mulling over thinky thoughts about how the parts of 2024 that I could affect could have been improved, (bearing in mind that most aspects of the year were far beyond of my pay grade) and I suspect that I will still be thinking about that tonight as I head for sleep. There is a good reason why I write down my SMART goal achievements all year long, 'cos otherwise by this time of the year, I am pretty sure I accomplished nothing at all, but my month and year charts tell me otherwise!

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December SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	rainbow cowl tassels	more clothesline	recycle bin
2	85 origami squares	cardboard down	random book parts
3	heraldic potholders	set up paperwhites	recycle bin
4	pine needle stars	grey linen pinafore	yard waste bin
5	solstice sweets	bandana hem	yard waste bin
6	2025 calendar	calendar pages	recycle bin
7	flannel pillowcases	keyboard key cap	recycle bin
8	x	kitchen sink drain	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. Majic Drain installed under the sink made it really easy to solve the slow drainage problem! (unsnap, clean it out, snap back in) Yay Past Me!
2. made really tasty sauce which can now become lasagna for several future meals, and pasta tonight for dinner
3. most of the 2025 calendars are mailed out today, and I had the rest printed today and will cut them out tonight.

Time of Isolation - Day 1628

Saturday and Sunday snippets

in which our plucky heroine still feels is a bit off kilter...

I've been feeling wobbly for the last few weeks, not sure why, to some extent physically, and also very much in the emotional sense. Maybe it is the end of the calendar year, and feeling like nowhere near as much was done as could have been. I'll have to take a look at my year long SMART goal chart to look for any evidence to the contrary...

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~ day 28 and 29 ~

Saturday's gift, this lovely openwork crochet heart in rainbow/red that looks so lovely against the white felt background... and Sunday's gift was a wee bag of handwoven fabric filled with tiny Guatemalan "worry dolls", (that my dear friends brought back with them from their trip earlier this year)

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For some reason, I was so very tired yesterday that I allowed myself to go lie down at around 5. (Might have had some relation to my walk/bike ride of over four miles, but more likely from all my poor, nightmare-ridden, sleep lately) After what amounted to a five hour nap, I then slept all through the night and well into the morning! I might be at least part way caught up on my sleep, and maybe better aligned with a helpful sleep/wake cycle

※※※

I wish that by this stage of life that I wouldn't still be struggling with the same gorram issues that have plagued me forever. But that is, I suspect, part of the human condition. I try my hardest to be positive, and not be a drag to be around, but then I find myself whinging to my friends about things that are really very trivial. And then afterwards feeling a wave of self-loathing, thinking that I could have simply refrained from broadcasting my actually minor frustrations.

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December SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	rainbow cowl tassels	more clothesline	recycle bin
2	85 origami squares	cardboard down	random book parts
3	heraldic potholders	set up paperwhites	recycle bin
4	pine needle stars	grey linen pinafore	yard waste bin
5	solstice sweets	bandana hem	yard waste bin
6	2025 calendar	calendar pages	recycle bin
7	flannel pillowcases	keyboard key cap	recycle bin
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. My old Keen boots, which I wear more and more sparingly as time goes by, as I've not ever found anything like them. They fit the shape of my peculiar feet, and are almost knee high, leather, but built to be waterproof, and delightfully warm in the winter.
2. Today I am better rested than for quite some time, I slept for about 14 hours yesterday. I needed it
3. Today I was able to find a box of envelopes at the local Walgreens, where I hadn't though to search. I needed more envelopes, since I keep finding more folks I want to send calendars to...

Time of Isolation - Day 1627

Betwixtmas

in which our plucky heroine assembles a calendar...

A year calendar is a action of belief in the future, or at least in a future, however tenuous and uncertain. And as I want that future to include art and creativity, and handcraft, so my calendar for 2025 is made from twelve images of pages in my 100 day stitch book project.

That project, which took up almost a third of 2023, was an exercise in very incremental progress, the pages being stitched for fifteen minutes every day. I had no specific plan going into the project, other than to use materials already on hand, though was given some special vintage scraps from friends. It was all very improvisational, and at the end it all somehow fit together and became more than just random noise. As my motto states: "proficere lente sed proficere" (incremental progress is still progress)

Which seems to me like rather a good analogy for to approach the future... Do a little bit every day, use what you have, accept useful things offered to you, and appreciate happy accidents.

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~ day 27 ~

a length of very fancy trim, ⅞" wide by almost a yard long... this might turn into tetra charms, or make some individual pincushions, not sure, but expect that at least some of it will become tiny gifts for next year's advent swap!

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Last night just before bedtime I got a wild hair, and stitched up the coyote flannel into a pair of pillowcases just the right size for my buckwheat hull pillows. New flannel is so cozy.

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Isn't "betwixtmas" a wonderful word! I just ran across it yesterday. It is, of course, the week between Christmas and New Years.

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December SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	rainbow cowl tassels	more clothesline	recycle bin
2	85 origami squares	cardboard down	random book parts
3	heraldic potholders	set up paperwhites	recycle bin
4	pine needle stars	grey linen pinafore	yard waste bin
5	solstice sweets	bandana hem	yard waste bin
6	2025 calendar	calendar pages	recycle bin
7	flannel pillowcases	keyboard key cap	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. my hole punching tool was still set up with the jig and spacing from the last time I made a calendar, which made today's tasks a bit easier
2. I found a spool of marled brown and white bakers twine, perfect for the calendar hanging cords
3. Took the digital images to the copy shop, and had a twenty calendar set printed out for the coming year... Now after dinner I am doing all the cutting/trimming and hole punching so at least some can be mailed out. Might not get there right on January 1st, but will be pretty dang close.

Time of Isolation - Day 1625

Boxing Day aka St Stephen's Day

in which our plucky heroine has a somewhat better day...

Yesterday was lonesome, though I did enjoy a nice long zoomchat with sister. Today I rode almost all the way to St Johns to GrocOut, to get greens, as I plan on making up some lasagna to put in the freezer, and I like to add  layers of cooked greens along with the cheese and the sauce. By the time I got home again, the rain was really falling, so it was a quick scamper to the back yard to gather in all the laundry, which was still more dry than wet. The wind that arrived before the weather front moved in had made a big difference.

I remember seeing this exquisite tapestry weaving years ago in a magazine, and falling in love with it! Here is some more information about the weaver and the work... There are so many different folk traditions hung about this day. Today I learned that it was also Wren Day, when the hunting of the wren took place...

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~ Day 26 ~

what better for Boxing Day than a little box that proclaimed "open carefully"... when those instructions were followed inside was a most delightful assortment of very small random things! I know that the tiny stick on googly eyes will be of great help when I make some soot sprites for next year, and the fossil shark tooth will be an great addition to my curio shelf (once I build it, that is)

※※※

Plotting out the sleeves, now that I have decided to do yet more alteration of the stripey sleeve cardigan... The body really has shoulders that are totally square, unlike my own, so I am going to do some pretty radical knitwear surgery, since I do like very much how the rest of the body turned out!

I finally have both a value chart of dark/light changes, and a basic plan for how to attach the sleeves. This project actually began waaaay back in May of 2023, and has seen quite a few false starts and changes of direction in the interim. I think it is time to "pick up my pointy sticks" and cast on yet again!

※※※

wondering if anyone I know has ever used one of the portable high speed spin extractors, that remove most (but not all) of the water from laundered clothing... ever since my tumble dryer stopped working properly, I've been managing so far by catching the sunbreaks and putting my laundry out on the line, then pulling it indoors when the rain returns and hanging it above the tub and on the drying rack over the washer. Have been reading about alternatives to tumble drying, and this small, fairly inexpensive, and very energy efficient option seemed like an interesting possibility

※※※

I was fourteen, back in the LongAgo...

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December SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	rainbow cowl tassels	more clothesline	recycle bin
2	85 origami squares	cardboard down	random book parts
3	heraldic potholders	set up paperwhites	recycle bin
4	pine needle stars	grey linen pinafore	yard waste bin
5	solstice sweets	bandana hem	yard waste bin
6	2025 calendar	calendar pages	recycle bin
7	x	keyboard key cap	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. I was able to watch the Call The Midwife holiday special on PBS online last night.
2. Absolute HUZZAH! The replacement key cap for my keyboard, that I ordered on Sunday, arrived in my mailbox today. The seller did a superb job of packing it protectively, it is in perfect shape, and best of all, it simply snapped into place with no trouble at all... My keyboard is repaired!
3. just found out that the spin extractor I've been investigating is also available from Dharma Trading, which gives me more confidence, and also would cut the Behemoth out of the transaction, so double win!

Time of Isolation - Day 1624

naughty and/or nice

in which our plucky heroine says why not be both...

On Monday I saw (posted on social media) that vandals had smashed the door to my local fabric store, strewing broken glass everywhere. Fortunately very little was stolen, but what a blow (literally) to a sweet new local business. While I have vowed to not buy any new fabric/yarn/etc for at least a year, but rather to make good use of the supplies on my Shelves Of Storage, I just had to go and do my tiny bit to support Zach and let him know his neighbors were concerned.

When I saw the "Coyote Hill" fancy cotton flannel, I decided that some fresh new pillowcases would be a win for all concerned. It was good to read later how very many folks came in that day to also wish Zach well and do their own holiday/gift shopping. So... I was a little bit naughty buying a yard of fabric despite my vow (though I in fact had no flannel at all in my fabric collection), but I was also a little bit nice to shop anyway, because supporting local merchants is very much an ethic that is important to me.

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~ day 25 ~

an interesting assortment of artifacts, perhaps raided from the hoard of a small dragon: a spherical silvery bead, a pentafoil shaped resin cabachon covered in irridescent scales, a small lampwork pendant with a blue lightning bolt on a silvered red background, a small irregular purple mother of pearl bead, a disc with the pattern of scales under a layer of translucent orangey-golden, and a carved rose quartz? acorn...

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wishing joy to all who celebrate:

























※※※

My sekrit santa gift arrived yesterday, with a fancy calico and lace decorated gift bag inside, holding several most curious items: an elaborate, large, black and red velvet pincushion with an emery strawberry, both with silvery fittings; an interesting black and white necklace strand of large dark beads interspersed with rings of tiny shells strung together that may be a kukui nut Hawaiian lei, and two packages of "photopolymer" stamps, which according to various youTube instructions can be used similar to commercial rubber stamps but need to be attached to an acrylic block?

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Mostly I just love getting things in the mail. As our Advent Swap winds down, I'm wondering about a valentine something or other in February... not gifts, just a card, maybe, possibly  with whatever else flat could be included in an ordinary mailing envelope.  Cost would be minimal, and the creativity could be maximal. The question is, would there be interest...

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December SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	rainbow cowl tassels	more clothesline	recycle bin
2	85 origami squares	cardboard down	random book parts
3	heraldic potholders	set up paperwhites	recycle bin
4	pine needle stars	grey linen pinafore	yard waste bin
5	solstice sweets	bandanna hem	yard waste bin
6	2025 calendar	calendar pages	recycle bin
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. figured out how to be both polite and accurate at the same time, at least in one instance.
2. I've folded enough masu boxes for at least two sets of Advent Swap gifts next year.
3. remembered to start making candied pomelo peel, which will be a good addition to the tiny quincemeat tartlets for next week...

Time of Isolation - Day 1623

Tuesday tidbits

in which our plucky heroine has mixed feelings...

I've finished putting together the digital images for my 2025 calendar, now all that remains is getting the pages printed up, assembling, hole punching, and collating them, and getting them in the mail to everyone I want to share them with. My idea of using the photos from my 2023 100 day stitchbook project pleased me with the results; it is quite a change from my previous tinyworld set, but my creativity is rather varied in how I express it, and hopefully folks will still find it enjoyable.

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~ Day 24 ~

a bag containing enough black glass faceted beads to fill a small bowl, which may at some point become part of a necklace

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Today we began Wanderhome. It felt a bit odd to be meeting my gaming pals in the middle of the day. I am starting to figure out "Brin" the character I've chosen that is a tiger and a Smith. I may have to do some drawings, perhaps a portrait, or an inventory of their pack of tools and supplies...

※※※

I really enjoyed this festive seasonal concert from 2020, including a very Early Pandammit version of "Christmas Wrapping" which I had never heard done before by Richard Thompson..

※※※

Not sure what I will do tomorrow, which feels a bit peculiar...

I might make some quincemeat tarts, attempting the brown butter brown sugar modification of shortbread, and mixing together several of my home preserves together with assorted spices for a combination rich and strange.

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December SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	rainbow cowl tassels	more clothesline	recycle bin
2	85 origami squares	cardboard down	random book parts
3	heraldic potholders	set up paperwhites	recycle bin
4	pine needle stars	grey linen pinafore	yard waste bin
5	solstice sweets	bandanna hem	yard waste bin
6	2025 calendar	calendar pages	recycle bin
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. managed another bike ride today, which though it started out rainy, before too long the clouds cleared away and it was much improved riding
2. I have all the pages for the calendar prepared for printing, and Lesley pointed out that I can also send them as digital content to my pals on the other side of the great water.
3. The wilted cilantro in my grocery order reconstituted well with topical application of cool water in a tea towel, so I can transmogrify it (with knifework and water) into small frozen cubes for future use. Thanks to Elizabeth for the suggestion

Time of Isolation - Day 1622

beauty in adversity

in which our plucky heroine has a pleasant surprise...

...today while heading out in the morning to prune a few wayward forsythia branches, I looked down and noticed this sprig of hardy fuschia still had a few blooms in late December. I snipped it off to bring inside. Winter has not really been that cold, we have had frost, but no ice or snow, and some days, like today, are surprisingly moderate.

As a maker of things, I imagine that a trail of objects large and small, and more or less ephemeral, lie scattered behind me, drifting away into the created world. Some are gone quickly, some are lost but not gone, and some are my legacy to whatever future may exist.... Enamel lasts for centuries, at least

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The more time I have been spending reading the book, the more I want to live in the world described in the game Wanderhome. We start tomorrow, and it is going to be so much fun...

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Further adventures in drying laundry without a tumble dryer. It is possible. Not as convenient, but OTOH, not as energy intensive. If we had the sort of winter that up until recently has been common, with many days of rain and even snow, it would be more difficult. But this winter there have been occasional partial days of simply grey damp, or even sunbreaks.

Since I work from home, I can take advantage of this, and choose to run the washing machine then, and put the clothing out to get mostly dry on the tangle of lines I've set up across the middle of the yard. When I hear the rain returning, I run outside and gather it all in again, and hang it on the big ceiling rack in the laundry zone, or across tension rods over the tub or in the hallways, and socks as always on the octopus in the "furnace" closet.

the big drying rack
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~ day 23 ~

- a translucent opalite glass heart gathers what light there is in these times of minimal daylight

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Apparently chop shop of used tech on Ebay is not unknown, other than to me, as mentioning it to other more tech savvy friends I see knowing nods. So, I have ordered a salvaged key cap set, with great hopes of successful refurbishment. Stay tuned...

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December SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	rainbow cowl tassels	more clothesline	recycle bin
2	85 origami squares	cardboard down	random book parts
3	heraldic potholders	set up paperwhites	recycle bin
4	pine needle stars	grey linen pinafore	yard waste bin
5	solstice sweets	bandanna hem	yard waste bin
6	x	calendar pages	recycle bin
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. hopefully within a week I will have a key cap to repair the keyboard, seller has sent several info emails
2. starting work on a calendar for 2025, have all the pages numbered and background colored
3. hardy fuschia still has flowers in December!

Time of Isolation - Day 1621

Sunday snippets

in which our plucky heroine wishes bootstraps were not so distant...

... or that maybe I didn't have such short little dinosaur arms! Today I was all grumbldy-grump, and not until I went out for a walk in the cold rain just before sundown did my mood turn around. Moving the body through time and space shifts my spirits so much better than any other accessible option, (and I am so grateful that I am able to do that still!) It is silly to let any weather other than deep cold and ice keep me indoors.

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~ day 22 ~

The tinyfolks will be delighted to add this very tiny shrinky-dink wonky heart to Caer Cardboard's festive decor.

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I can tell I am going to need to read the Wanderhome book more than one time through before I even paritally grok how it is intended to function, but I already like the various premises. I am going to be a smith, and a tiger (being both a patient and strong animal), and am gradually looking through the various options available to be that flavor of character.

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Eva gave a really good talk today about life purpose, and shared these as possible overall guidelines:

Your purpose should be:

• Possible (something you can do)
  
• Pleasing (you find satisfaction in it/enjoy it)
  
• Personal (your own thing, not someone elses)
  
• Positive/Prosocial (does not do harm, and preferably does good)
  
• Process-oriented (stated in terms of what you are doing or causing in an ongoing way, not achieving a set goal)
  
• Particular (specific enough to help you make decisions)
  
• Portable (not tied to one job, act, or identity descriptor)

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My experiment with the half-size spinach rice bake worked really well as far as the size goes. I'll save the full size recipe for when the plan is to wrap and freeze sections for future "can't cope" meals. The experiment with the medium cheddar instead of sharp was less successful IMHO, as it made the dish less toothsome. (I am pretty sure the original recipe called for mild cheddar and only ¼ teaspoon of dried herbs! I don't remember ordinary food as that bland back in the LongAgo??) I slathered a good spoonful of Awesome Sauce over the top of my slice for lunch, to add a bit of zing on this very grey day.

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December SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	rainbow cowl tassels	more clothesline	recycle bin
2	85 origami squares	cardboard down	random book parts
3	heraldic potholders	set up paperwhites	recycle bin
4	pine needle stars	grey linen pinafore	yard waste bin
5	solstice sweets	bandanna hem	yard waste bin
6	x	x	recycle bin
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. when I decided to go out for a walk despite the cold drizzle, it wasn't more than half a block before my mood improved a lot. I should remember this always
2. This silly filk really made me laugh...
3. Eva gives really good presentations of ideas, that spark good discussions
4. I can walk around, I can ride my bike, I can, with care, be mobile in the world.

Time of Isolation - Day 1621

septugenaria

in which our plucky heroine says hippo birdy to me...

and how did I not notice that I have the same birthday as Will Stanton? I have read "The Dark Is Rising" by Susan Cooper every year as a seasonal ritual since I was first introduced to it... Now there is also a beautifully done BBC radio drama in twelve parts, and I have also been listening to the chapters as I do my morning chores...

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This is just plain lovely... happy Solstice one and all!

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"And so the Shortest Day came
and the year died.
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive.
And when the new year's sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, revelling.
Through all the frosty ages you can hear them
Echoing behind us - listen!
All the long echoes, sing the same delight,
This Shortest Day,
As promise wakens in the sleeping land:
They carol, feast, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.
And now so do we, here, now,
This year and every year."

~ Susan Cooper

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I ordered my favorite Grateful Dead album "American Beauty" as a CD (from their webshop so as to bypass the Behemoth), and it arrived today, a timely birthday treat!

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I had been really hoping to get one of the pretty koi ornaments as one of my Advent Swap treats, et voila! The silvery colors of this fish are perfectly complimented with the sparkle of the golden and translucent beads.

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some experiments are more successful than others... I wanted braised oxtail for a special rare treat, for dinner tonight, but the store said none available til January at the soonest. (and they didn't have any black cod, which is my other special rare treat)

The butcher suggested using a piece of beef short rib instead as a likely substitute. Cooked with the same recipe as I would have the oxtail, it filled a similar niche for flavor, but shrunk to about half the original size in the cooking! The texture was more like brisket than succulent oxtail.

Given that I almost never splurge on beef, I think that if/when I do that again, I will simply get a tiny bit of bavette steak, cut it into crosswise strips and add it to a veggie stir fry. More bang for the flavor buck, as it were...

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~ Solstice sweets ~

After seeing the little cakes Beth made, I wanted to also make something sweet and sunlike for Solstice, but didn't feel up to making pastry. Karen explained how simple shortbread is to make, and since I'd never made it before, I gave it a try. 1 part sugar : 2 parts butter : 4 parts flour. I used gluten free baking mix, pressed the mixture into the bottoms of silicone cupcake liners, and baked in the convection oven for 20 minutes at just under 300F. Filled them with some blood orange marmalade. I particularly like how the corrugated liners left a decorative pattern on the sides of the shortbread.

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December SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	rainbow cowl tassels	more clothesline	recycle bin
2	85 origami squares	cardboard down	random book parts
3	heraldic potholders	set up paperwhites	recycle bin
4	pine needle stars	grey linen pinafore	yard waste bin
5	solstice sweets	bandanna hem	yard waste bin
6	x	x	recycle bin
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. solstice sweets: shortbread tarts filled with marmalade
2. several short sweet zooms with friends and family
3. Grateful Dead, studio or live...

Time of Isolation - Day 1620

Friday fragments

in which our plucky heroine mulls over many things...

... mostly having to do with the passage of time, and how it varies. So slowly in our springtime years, and like a whirlwind in late autumn shading into winter. I've read that the early slowness is connected to the experience of novelty, when everything is new and uncategorised, and as we age, and develop patterns to connect and file what we sense, that it takes less of our attention, so seems to take less time.

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~ Day 20 ~

a colorful magnet... one of those things one can almost never have too many of, at least if, like me, you have vintage steel kitchen cabinents, and steel house doors... whole vast swathes of bulletin boards

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~ a singular experiment ~
.

I saw a tutorial online (edited to add: and then found a better one here, days later) of making a beautiful woven star from willow withies. Not having any willow handy, it seemed possible, at least, to scale it down and weave the same pattern using pine needles instead, to create miniature decorative stars for the denizens of the tinyworld... it was harder than it looked, which I lay directly at the feet of the materials. Pine needles, even when soaked overnight, are just not as limber as willow.

That said, the results were fairly pleasing. I clamped the parts together while weaving, using tiny clothespins, and let the stars fully dry before lashing, gluing, and trimming the points. Some fancy colored twine added a festive accent. I'll probably not make many more of these, at least not with pine needles, as it was not a good match between material and technique, they kept trying to break instead of bend. There may be some other more amenable very small foraged stuff to try?

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Still trying to find suitable key cap parts to repair the wireless keyboard. The first place I tried, laptopkey.com, after three days of back and forth communication and multiple photos, and despite having "over 200,000 modals in stock" finally told me they couldn't help me. Then, today, further searching sent me to Ebay, where apparently there are folks that have what appear to be "parts" keyboards, and will happily sell you bits and bobs. I will continue the hunt...

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December SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	rainbow cowl tassels	more clothesline	recycle bin
2	85 origami squares	cardboard down	random book parts
3	heraldic potholders	set up paperwhites	recycle bin
4	pine needle stars	grey linen pinafore	yard waste bin
5	-	bandanna hem	yard waste bin
6	x	x	recycle bin
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. I successfully halved Spinach Rice Bake, into a better size. I love it as a breakfast or lunch, but six portions is too many. I have been making it full size for decades; the original Sunset Magazine recipe probably dates from the late 60's.
2. Ebay may end up being a place to source a replacement key cap for the damaged Caps Lock
3. This salad dressing is so good, on greens, or even as a topping on rice...

Tahini Goddess Salad Dressing

⅓ c oil 2¾ T tahini 2½ T cider vinegar 2 t tamari 2¼ t lemon juice ¾ t salt 1 T minced parsley 1 T minced chives 1 minced clove garlic (or ¼ t garlic granules)

Mix together the tahini and the oil first, to allow the tahini to be smoothly incorporated. Then mix in all the other ingredients. You can add some water at the end, if the dressing is thicker than you prefer.

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Time of Isolation - Day 1619