happy Halloween!

in which our plucky heroine hides in the dark...

I miss the good old days in the Before Times when I could easily open my door and interact with the few trick-or-treater kids that showed up here. Now I turn off all my outside lights and wait out the two hours or so that I can hear folks roaming around. It was dreadfully cold and rainy, which probably cut back on the activity. Maybe next year I will do the thing where you put out a bowl or bucket full of candy with a sign that says "take one", as some of my friends do.

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~ spooky season reigns supreme ~

This might their favorite holiday...

along with the wee felt witch, and the playmobil tiger baby, who both love to join in the celebration! I'd a few more festive decorations (the vintage cat head banner and the little candy buckets) that I had hoped to make, that may have to wait for next year. (though I may paint one of the banners to add to the Spooky Season challenge prize packet, along with the orange skirt and the trick or treat bunting... I'd also like to make a bigger spun cotton jack-o-lantern, and adapt a circular LED tea light to be a table.

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the second package for the Advent swap arrived in my mailbox today - yay! Fingers crossed there will be many more...

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checked "Ballot Tracker" and my ballot has been received and counted. Always a good feeling!

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Picked 20# of Fuyu persimmons yesterday morning before it started raining; wasn't everything on the tree, but the most visible. Kat and Grendel came by at lunchtime for a quick porch visit and I sent them off with some persimmons and some quinces; it was lovely to see them.

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	ScribeTober 1	removed frost	yard waste bin
2	blue wolf enamel	prune persimmon	old light crap
3	shibori scarf	tidy walking onions	recycle bin
4	robin and holly acorn cap ornaments	string trim parking strip	yard waste bin
5	Kenya skirt	long jane waistband	recycle bin
6	pumpkin overalls	black winter slip	yard waste bin
7	Textile Livestock	harvested quince	recycle bin
8	applesauce	pruned apple	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. sorted out how to get access to my Norton account
2. my ballot was accepted and has been counted
3. being able to gift folks with homegrown tree fruit
4. took out various containers of proto soup, which are now all in the crock pot turning into rich flavorful broth and sending out enticing smells, rather like a 1930's cartoon. I can just imagine the slightly wiggly hand at the end gesturing "come this way"

Time of Isolation - Day 1571

soot sprites and other carbon

in which our plucky heroine continues on the admin path...

Rode my bike to my PCP office to pick up a copy of my outdated advanced directives to review, and get a set of new paperwork to fill out.

Put in hours of admin time trying to get answers to current medical renewal paperwork questions. Was "bumped upstairs" to speak to supervisor, as the person I spoke with initially did not have the info I needed. When the supervisor called me back at the end of the day, she was able to understand and answer my questions (fingers crossed that she is correct, as it seems much simpler than I had feared), and also gave me some info about a program I am currently enrolled in that will continue after this change, and a phone number to call to get more help in sorting out the insurance options... So, ultimately productive if exhausting day.

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~ hold on it's almost here... ~

My tinyfolk are having fun getting ready for Halloween, and I am having fun attempting to photograph tinyworld vignettes...

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I opened the bag of Halloween goodies that Ashe & Co gave me. There was a charming assortment of themed treats: some pencils and a little pen, bat stickers, a homemade ghost and ghost pumpkin, a few pieces of candy, and several pompom soot sprites! I love soot sprites, but had not thought to simply combine black wooly pompoms and googly eye to make some!  (remember this idea for next year's Advent Swap)

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I leave the kitchen while I am cooking at my peril, and really need to make it a hard rule that when something is on the stove, that I just stay there until it is done. I burned my 3qt saucepan. Even after two treatments with hydrogen peroxide and baking soda, the carbon deposits inside the pan were intractable. So I have ordered a replacement, of a different brand that will actually be a better fit for my pot rack. Being somewhat taller and narrower, with a handle that is 1" shorter, means it will not bang into the kitchen range back.

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Made some Sister Gigi's Corn Cakes tonight to go along with the Hake fish I cooked for dinner. There is plenty of both leftover, the corn cakes store nicely into a Talenti tub in the freezer, and I will mash up the remaining fish and make some fish cakes to match!

Monday miscellany

in which our plucky heroine does her duty as a citizen...

...I voted, and decided to take my ballot to the public library because they have an indoor locked ballot deposit box, given the appalling arson vandalism of outdoor ballot boxes in both WA and OR. I doubt that (at least currently ) anyone is going to light a deposit box on fire INSIDE the library, so it felt like a more secure if less convenient option...

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~ almost here ~

Alphabet noodles - they are not just for soup... one of the things I am making (for the Tiny Rag Doll Nation "Spooky Season" prize collection) is another miniature holiday bunting, but a bit different style than the one above... Instead of gluing letters directly to the thread, I have added many little paper flags first, then glued the "trick or treat"to each individual one.

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I managed to get to the Hollywood Farmer's Market on Saturday, and bought some "Habanada" peppers to try... they have a unique flavor, complex but not hot, and I want to try lacto-fermenting them. Also try out some of the lower bok choy stems, that are thick and crisp, but not hard like carrots.

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currently reading:

The Art of Dying Well by Katy Butler... I read this a number of years ago, and found it valuable enough to keep in my own library. Now that I am having to deal with various aspects of aging, advance directive updates and the complexity of my parent's legacy, it is obvious to me that a re-read would be useful, but it is proving more difficult going, as the topics covered are more immediately relevant. The book talks about the various stages of "as we age" and things to think about as  good to prepare in our thoughts and in our actions, and how we set up our surroundings both internal and external.

and Gaia's Garden by Toby Hemenway (a guide to home-scale permaculture) This book is so full of content that I know it will take me a while to even begin to digest the ideas. I am pleased to find out that there is a whole concept, that of the "keyhole" that explains the vague idea I was trying to articulate about how I wished the outside of my house was structured. I suspect that I will learn a lot in the reading and re-reading

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Most of the mutual aid apples were turned into applesauce, which will be most welcome addition to meals this winter.

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	ScribeTober 1	removed frost	yard waste bin
2	blue wolf enamel	prune persimmon	old light crap
3	shibori scarf	tidy walking onions	recycle bin
4	robin and holly acorn cap ornaments	string trim parking strip	yard waste bin
5	Kenya skirt	long jane waistband	recycle bin
6	pumpkin overalls	black winter slip	yard waste bin
7	Textile Livestock	harvested quince	recycle bin
8	applesauce	pruned apple	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. a surprise porch visit from Ashe and his family! (I got to meet Mackayla and Isao!!)
2. Heather came down to PDX this weekend, and brought me some more of her excellent sourdough bread
3. my Fiskars papercutter is very useful

Time of Isolation - Day 1568

and so it begins...

in which our plucky heroine receives a box in the mail ...

and much to my delight, it is the first of the (hopefully) many boxes for this year's Advent of a Better Year swap. Not only is is chock full of charming tiny packages, but Donna included a beautiful wee patchwork pillow just the right size for my tinyfolk, and a bag with some of the micro sized glass "beads" that are used to add weight, for me to try out...

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~ finished books ~

"Textile Livestock" (an edition of nine) is complete, the book blocks are now attached to their covers and they are ready to be distributed. I chose an origami paper that has printed what appears to be "a resist dyed indigo pattern on woven cloth" for the cover... The hem measuring tool, which I have owned for years but never use in my sewing, is rather quite useful in repeatedly marking paper and card for book arts (as well as giving a sense of the small scale of these miniature books)

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I have put out queries in hopes of getting recommendations for the professional services I will be needing in this time of transition. I also made it over to the Office of Aging and Disability this afternoon, where I found out that while they do not have any appointments sooner than late next month, they do allot a few "this day" appointments every day, which one can attempt to get by phoning in first thing each workday. And that I could request a phone appointment, which would save me hours of transit time. (since an "in person" appointment consists of sitting in an empty office room talking to someone on the phone anyway, why not do phone talking at home?!?)

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Today I printed out some singular tinyprints using the "enjoy the small things" rubber stamp from the Japanese matchbox stamp set. My intent is to round out my own Advent items , maybe as either ornaments or magnets, or just as tiny artwork. The ink will have cured in a few days, and I will back them on some black matboard.

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time for me to get on with both making another prize for the Spooky Season challenge, and gathering what I want to use for my own photo. Leslie suggested I set up a scene with my tinyfolk sitting on their sofa, with snacks and popcorn and watching Over The Garden Wall on my viewmaster, which for them would be rather like a Very Big Screen indeed. I forgot to get some quinoa from the bulk aisle at the store, as I have read one can pop it like miniature popcorn, which would be perfect!

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	ScribeTober 1	removed frost	yard waste bin
2	blue wolf enamel	prune persimmon	old light crap
3	shibori scarf	tidy walking onions	recycle bin
4	robin and holly acorn cap ornaments	string trim parking strip	yard waste bin
5	Kenya skirt	long jane waistband	recycle bin
6	pumpkin overalls	black winter slip	yard waste bin
7	Textile Livestock	harvested quince	recycle bin
8	x	pruned apple	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. the first Advent swap box arrived today
2. it is becoming slightly less difficult to do admin tasks
3. Internet Archive, for so many reasons...

Time of Isolation - Day 1565

when did that happen?!?

in which our plucky heroine is feeling a bit like Rip Van Winkle...

Biokleen Free and Clear laundry powder is completely gone! As in I went to the store and there was none on the shelf. And there was basically no dry powder laundry detergent any more. Not at New Seasons, not at Freddies, not at Safeway...  From what I have been able to glean online, using powder laundry detergent is no longer popular in the US?!  (re Biokleen, which I have been using for well over twenty years, the company had been bought out several years ago; the new owners decided to discontinue that product, which has been gradually hence disappearing from retail shops.)

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~ just needs a cover... ~

My latest miniature book is almost ready, the block is done and the spine reinforcement is attached. All that yet remains is to create and attach the cover, and this "edition" of nine copies is complete. Most will be part of the Advent Swap, with a few going to special individuals. Wondering if I ought to make a second edition...

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in the park yesterday, as I was riding past, I saw a woman calling crows, standing under the big trees with a pan full of food...

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~ the Brian Duncan Memorial Tree ~

Not raining today, and the fragrance was perceptable when walking past the Quinceling, so it was time to harvest. I filled the Japanese tote bag three times over, each time weighing self + fruit and subtracting selfweight to get the final total of 39.2# of fruit! That will make a lot of quince jelly and membrillo, and possibly other preserves...

Just harvested 39+ pounds of quince from the little tree in my side yard. Tree was planted in 2018, and in six years has grown from a wee little knee high thing to about a (pruned) height of six feet, and a robust producer of delicious fruit

an assortment of quince recipes:
easy peeling and cutting tips
Pliny's quinces preserved in honey
Quince-o-rama part 3 The quest for Membrillo
Membrillo and quince squares
Tartine's panforte with candied quince
Quincemeat

~ when the Quinceling was new... ~
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I am being tempted by Last Homely House Kate to make a rainbow colorwash pin board for the Emporium door. While she makes some amazing patchwork including English paper pieced hexagon quilts, I know myself too well to go down that particular rabbit hole. I might, though, be willing to piece squares into a cover for one of the reconfigured pin boards...

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	ScribeTober 1	removed frost	yard waste bin
2	blue wolf enamel	prune persimmon	old light crap
3	shibori scarf	tidy walking onions	recycle bin
4	robin and holly acorn cap ornaments	string trim parking strip	yard waste bin
5	Kenya skirt	long jane waistband	recycle bin
6	pumpkin overalls	black winter slip	yard waste bin
7	x	harvested quince	recycle bin
8	x	pruned apple	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. the Quinceling has had a fantastic crop this year
2. for some reason, the cool weather made yard work feel good today, and there was much pruning...
3. Ursel shared a really fun way to make a dragon ornament

Time of Isolation - Day 1564

if you're not outraged, you're not paying attention...

in which our plucky heroine is sure that those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it...

This information is important: H5N1 Update: Vanity Fair Got It Right. The article mentioned in the update is here: Inside the Bungled Bird Flu Response, Where Profits Collide With Public Health

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the season is definitely turning... I headed out on a bike ride today under blue sky and puffy white clouds,yet before I made it all the way to St Johns I was riding under a dark sky and drenching rain. Needless to say, after sheltering under a handy awning for the initial cloudburst, I turned around for home...

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Later in the afternoon, prudently checking the NOAA website for the local forecast, it seemed safe to head out again, this time for the local art store. I'm just about ready to make the covers for my new miniature book, and needed some suitable cardboard or matboard, as I've already cannibalised most all the backs of whatever pads remain in the stationery drawer. Came home with some discontinued black mat board for the book covers, which also will make good backing for individual miniature prints and paintings for the Advent Swap

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~ a song for John Prine ~

Yesterday I had the rare experience of the algae-rhythms sending me something that sent me on a search for more, (instead of a search for the hide advert button)... Carsie Blanton a songwriter with a style and focus I actually enjoyed and was interested in. You can get a taste of some of her other offerings via Bandcamp

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~ look up ~

while we don't get the spectacular New England color here that I grew up with, isn't this something pretty??

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Checking on my small jars of lacto-fermentation, both appear to be making good progress after seven days... the carrot sticks are still very crunchy, but have a distinct tangy flavor, as do the beet cubes, and neither are unbearably salty. I carefully disinfected the utensils with boiling water before I stuck them into the jars. I am going to give both jars another week at least before putting them in the fridge and starting some new ones

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This post (by Jim Rosenthal) has information about making a tabletop size Corsi-Rosenthal box filter, that uses quiet computer fans instead of the large size box fan: Corsi-Rosenthal Box – Modular Mini – Small, Quiet and Effective

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Hmmm the stuffed cabbage turned out really tasty, but I think that it may be that savoy cabbage leaves are more tender than standard green cabbage? as these were a bit more "robust". Not tough, but not fork tender either. The filling was every bit as succulent as I remember though! This recipe leaves me with maybe ten more "me sized" meals at least, plus some very savory tomato sauce. I'm thinking that baking lasagna would be a good idea for tomorrow, using the zucchini in the fridge, and the sausage leftover from the stuffed cabbage...

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	ScribeTober 1	removed frost	yard waste bin
2	blue wolf enamel	prune persimmon	old light crap
3	shibori scarf	tidy walking onions	recycle bin
4	robin and holly acorn cap ornaments	string trim parking strip	yard waste bin
5	Kenya skirt	long jane waistband	recycle bin
6	pumpkin overalls	black winter slip	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. homemade frozen gyoza, for when I can't cope with cooking dinner (or for when I just want gyoza!)
2. sunbreaks, for shopping and laundry on the line time
3. central heating, warm wool clothing, and hot running water
4. made good use of some of the mutual aid head of cabbage and turned the outer leaves into wrappers for Italian Stuffed Cabbage... most of which will end up in the freezer for future meals. So yummy!

Time of Isolation - Day 1561

snippets and scraps

in which our plucky heroine takes a break...

Over the last few days, have repeatedly girded loins and spent numerous hours doing admin, and have hopefully come to a brief resting spot in the various bits of official paperwork that needs doing. Still a lot further to go, but for the weekend there is time for rest and recreation, a nice long bike ride, and some walking around the neighborhood. Trees are starting to turn color here and there, and I just noticed today that the tree full of quinces is ready to be harvested, as they are becoming fragrant. (I sniffed at them a week ago and nada, so...)

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~ pumpkin overalls ~

Today I added the finishing touches to the Spooky Season overalls for Almandine: a festive embroidered jack-o-lantern on the chest pocket! It was necessary to pay a visit yesterday to Sewlarium, as I'd no orange floss at all... Finally all four of my current tinyfolk have something special to wear for the holiday later this month, and to dress up in when I take my photos for the challenge I am sponsoring over at Tiny Rag Doll Nation on Ravelry.

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Found the missing edge binding fabric for the raincoat project, which was the final part needed to move forward. For some unknown reason it was on the soldering bench, underneath a pile of papers to be recycled?! Since the autumnal weather is here with enthusiasm, getting the raincoat finally put together is an excellent plan.

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Being tired of being annoyed by the kitchen oil dispenser every time it was used, which was pretty much every day (it somehow oozed oil (from the cap?) so that the top was always slightly greasy, as was the saucer it lived atop on the kitchen shelf), it was the last straw when the counterbalanced cap decided to stop working and remain stuck in the open position. I decided that the OXO 5oz precision dispenser might be a better option. It is a bit smaller than my current container, but it is eversomuch better configured. Not only does the spout not drip at all, but the innards of the cap are removable, so that the entire thing can be periodically scrubbed clean. I am sorely tempted to get a second one for the tamari, which is also being stored in a sub par container. (I keep the large "back-stock" of those in the pantry, but like having small dispensers handy...

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	ScribeTober 1	removed frost	yard waste bin
2	blue wolf enamel	prune persimmon	old light crap
3	shibori scarf	tidy walking onions	recycle bin
4	robin and holly acorn cap ornaments	string trim parking strip	yard waste bin
5	Kenya skirt	long jane waistband	recycle bin
6	pumpkin overalls	black winter slip	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. I ordered a DVD of "Over The Garden Wall" as my October treat, and it should be delivered next week.
2. The new cooking oil dispenser works better than any I have had in the past, which makes me very happy indeed. Just as poor design drives me bonkers, good design is a delight
3. I picked up an assortment of acorn caps in various sizes, some of which should work well as a base for miniature vintage style Halloween candy buckets.

Time of Isolation - Day 1559

making and mending

in which our plucky heroine eats the frog...

well not literally, of course, but I did spend too many hours today doing admin tasks, which is one of my least favorite thing ever. (I'd even rather clean the bathroom fixtures than make phone calls) Got partway through one set of confustication, and made appointments to deal with two more. Will return to the fray tomorrow. Incremental progress is still progress.

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~ so tiny and blue ~
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On October 6th I mentioned the heraldic blue wolf enamel I had been commissioned to make, to embellish an SCA coronet, and today Cathyn sent me a photo of the completed project that it was made to decorate:

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More mending: one of my wintertime underdress/slips was becoming worn out around the seamline between the skirt and the bodice, and was also too longwaisted. Why you may ask... because I rather cobble together these underlayers from various bits and bobs on hand; this one had originally been made from a thrifted and wonderfully embroidered black jersey skirt and a thrifted black rib-knit tank top. When the tank top wore out, I tried to copy it with a different fabric, which mostly worked but had a different stretch factor. The only part of this that anyone sees is the decorative hemline extending below my everyday pinafores, the rest merely provides wintertime insulation. Folding the slip at the bodice/skirt seam let me use the serger to clean finish the new seam as I cut away the worn parts and incidentally and insignificantly shortened the whole thing by about an inch

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The two big spider plants in the south facing window have been direly in need of repotting, as for some reason they seem to push themselves up and out of the soil? (either that or they somehow consume the soil leaving themselves high and dry in midair, only tenuously connected to their roots?) Anyhow, after dinner it was time to tackle the largest of the three, and a long messy task that was, though satisfying. Now it needs to settle back and hopefully add new roots from the nodes that now are in contact into the fresh damp dirt.

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	ScribeTober 1	removed frost	yard waste bin
2	blue wolf enamel	prune persimmon	old light crap
3	shibori scarf	tidy walking onions	recycle bin
4	robin and holly acorn cap ornaments	string trim parking strip	yard waste bin
5	Kenya skirt	long jane waistband	-
6	x	black winter slip	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. made significant progress on the admin tasks, despite frustration
2. repotted the largest of the spider plants, and it will be able to return to its living room window home soon
3. my second round of testing (post antibiotic) came back clear of any bacteria...huzzah... buh-bye E.coli!

Time of Isolation - Day 1556

Tinyprint Tuesday and other tidbits

in which our plucky heroine didn't remember...

Yesterday was "Columbus Day", one of those "holidays" that really isn't one, except for the few folks who get a certain number of paid days off from work every year. I'd not realised it was a postal holiday, so after carefully packing a large box with jars of lemon fig port jam, and some other treats for the Mud Bay crew, and figuring out how to balance it on my bike rack, I headed out to mail it off... only to find the building locked and empty! I wasn't the only one. In the short time it took to lock up my bicycle and head for the doors, there were at least 3 other folks equally confounded.

Fortunately, today there was a sunbreak, and I was able to pedal as quickly as possible back to the post office and mail out the package. Fingers crossed it arrives safely, I did mark it "fragile" on several sides, and all the jars are well wrapped up padded with bubble wrap.

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~ incremental progress ~

With it being halfway through October, it was time to get busy finishing up the Textile Livestock miniature book...Yesterday I started printing the page strips, which are hanging up on the drying rack to cure (oil based ink cures by oxidising, which takes several days at least). Once the ink is cured the book will be glued up and bound, some for the Advent Swap, some for friends, and one for the Tansu Terrace Library.

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There are now two jars living on top of the fridge, one with ginger garlic carrot sticks, and one with cubes of beet, both covered in salt brine. The carrots appear to have begun to ferment, as there are small bubbles forming that I can see underneath the glass weight. The beet jar is not obviously doing much yet, but it is only the second day. By next Monday I am hoping for active fermentation, we shall see...

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My very first pair of "long janes" are getting rather worn, which isn't surprising since I've no memory of how long ago I acquired them in some resale shop. Hopefully they can make it one more winter, despite some incipient tatters along some of the seams. The waist elastic had stretched to the point of not quite functional, and since replacing it didn't make sense at this point, instead a quartet of snips deeply through the waistband and overlapping to create "darts" that could be sewn down with zigzag stitch tightened it all up just enough. Time to make a few new pairs of this cold weather basic...

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	ScribeTober 1	removed frost	yard waste bin
2	blue wolf enamel	prune persimmon	old light crap
3	shibori scarf	tidy walking onions	recycle bin
4	robin and holly acorn cap ornaments	string trim parking strip	yard waste bin
5	Kenya skirt	long jane waistband	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. getting the package to Mud Bay mailed out today
2. the tiny jars of veggies seem to start fermenting
3. I had an inquiry about making another enamel brooch

Time of Isolation - Day 1555

a weekend assortment

in which our plucky heroine reaches for various bootstraps...

I have a small packet of senior discount coupons for the farmers market, but had yet to manage to get to one this year. Yes, I know it is already the middle of October. So I set out on Saturday morning, there being no Sewing Nomads meeting this past week. While I got there rather late and didn't find much that immediately called to me (although there were many varieties of peppers and a fair amount of tomatoes I was hoping for Asian eggplants),  I did find a local organic farm that had part of a box of very ripe white peaches, and splurged on two! They have been such a special dessert treat, peeled, cut into chunks, and topped with Greek yogurt.

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~ so bright ~

My online pal Roxanne, who quilts, sent me a whole box full of Kaffe Fasset scraps to use for tinyfolk treats, and the first thing I made was this bright pieced and embroidered skirt for Kenya. Since we have still had a few sunny days in the last week with the afternoon temperature around 80F, a bit of tree climbing was on her agenda. I had no purple embroidery floss, so I stopped by The Sewlarium to have a look through their selections, and was able to find a nice deep hue.

The pattern I used was the same one for the bias cut striped Halloween skirts, and I really need to get on with turning that into a PDF; in this case, since I wasn't going for diagonal stripes I didn't cut the gores on the bias, which is much more economical of fabric. Inspired by the aesthetic of Kate from The Last Homely House, I'm rather tempted to create another 1:12 scale patchwork quilt, using the Kaffe Fasset fabrics to make a bright colorwash design. Tiny bedding is eversomuch faster than full size!

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Today was my first attempt to start lactofermented vegetables, using the tools that Acantha sent to me. I have one jar of beet "kvass" and one jar of carrot sticks (with ginger and garlic) sitting on the kitchen counter. As suggested in many online sources, I scrubbed the veggies well before cutting them up, but didn't peel them. The beets went in cut into ½" cubes, and the carrots in sticks. I'm using widemouth pint jars, (though I will probably move the dry goods I have stored in my precious two 24oz Ball jars and convert them to fermenting as well). Each pint got 1½ tablespoons of live yogurt whey, and I made a light brine from 2c water and 1 teaspoon of salt. I hope this works! It will be a week or two at least before I know...

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I had started reading "Floating Hotel" by Grace Curtis, as it was recommended to me as being "cozy" similar to Becky Chambers Wayfarers book series. Though it started out quite pleasantly, and I was enjoying the world and the characters, partway into the book there was a chapter that contained content I found so disturbing that I immediately stopped reading the book and returned it to the library. I would have appreciated knowing that was there prior to checking out the book, as I would never have started reading it in the first place.

When I posted my concern to the Fantasy-Faction FB group, I got several good suggestions, (other than "Does The Dog Die" which is more robust for film than for books). One person suggested doing an online search with the book title/author and "content warning" or "CW", and another referred me to a site called "Storygraph". I think I shall use these techniques prophylactically before reading books by unknown-to-me authors...

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Today I began carving the title page block for Textile Livestock. I have the paper strips prepped for printing, and then remembered I still needed the title page! This project is one that I hope to have completed by the end of this coming week, as I am still 11 pieces short of my own contribution to the Advent Swap... I figure tiny books, and maybe some tiny single prints or paintings will fill in my box of goodies!

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	ScribeTober 1	removed frost	yard waste bin
2	blue wolf enamel	prune persimmon	old light crap
3	shibori scarf	tidy walking onions	recycle bin
4	robin and holly acorn cap ornaments	string trim parking strip	yard waste bin
5	Kenya skirt	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. the most delicious organic white peaches from the farmers market
2. started lactofermented carrots, and beet kvass, using the new tools from Acantha...
3. I asked for helpful suggestions in a FB group, and received several

Time of Isolation - Day 1553

crashings and bashings

in which our plucky heroine uses her little sledgehammer...

While most of today was fairly productive, part of today was rather destructive! I have not been sure what to do with the remainders of the former ceiling light fixture from the kitchen. There was a metal strip, and a large textured plastic piece, both too long to fit in the wheelie bin. Then I thought to copy how M had bent the largest metal piece in half with a hammer. It was easy to dent the metal strip enough to bend it in half, making it a legal size to dispose of. Next, by laying the plastic diffuser atop the burden cloth, then covering it with some scrap denim so no sharp bits went flying, I was able to fairly quickly bash it enough that it was reduced to bin size shards. Now there is a bit less garbage in my side yard.

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~ mutual aid ~

Yesterday Gersvinda stopped by here on her way down to Corvallis to pick up a small packet of gifties I had been saving up to send to Acantha, who had messaged me earlier to ask if I could use any of the excess garden bounty from points south. I said yes to some winter squash and onions, maybe a small cabbage, and a definite yes to orchard apples... All of which are visible in the photo. Unsprayed orchard apples can be buggy, but with the funky parts cut away, there will be some good applesauce made from that 5 gallon bucket full to put into storage.

There are also a few unseen medlars, which I mistook for small onions until I pulled them out of the bottom of the box. Dealing with them will be an interesting experiment. The bright blue things are silicone fermentation airlocks, and there are also some of the good heavy glass weights to go along with. I had been wanting to try again at making fermented condiment(s), and now I have some spiffy tools to use! Very grateful for the generosity of my friends!!

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Being tired of wrestling with the lid to the 5 gallon sugar bucket, the search was on for a Gamma lid (those clever constructions that snap onto the bucket rim and have an airtight inner lid that screws on and off). After much searching online (no, I don't want the cheaper off brand version with the bad reviews), finally found them at TAP Plastic, and took some time off this afternoon to go pick one up. It was a beautiful autumnal afternoon to be out and about running errands, and I managed to time it to avoid the "schools out" transit rush...

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While it was still light after dinner, I spent some time with the string trimmer tidying up the parking strip and along the front sidewalk. Then did as much cleanup of the dead stalks of walking onion as I could bear to do, until my knees and back were screaming too much for me to continue. (almost done with that task). After sweeping up the grass remnants and gathering the stalks, all that went into the greenwaste bin. As a change of position, I did a bit of pruning away of the vertical growth on the persimmon tree. The green wheelie bin was full and my back was done!  at least for today... Still, it was a very productive few hours. If it isn't raining tomorrow, I will dig out the second extension cord and try to do some string trimming on the south side of the house.

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	ScribeTober 1	removed frost	yard waste bin
2	blue wolf enamel	prune persimmon	old light crap
3	shibori scarf	tidy walking onions	recycle bin
4	robin and holly acorn cap ornaments	string trim parking strip	yard waste bin
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. amazing generous mutual aid produce delivery, from Acantha via Gersvinda, showed up on my porch this morning! (also included fermentation airlocks and glass weights!!)
2. I managed to get some yard work done today
3. by the afternoon, it had turned into a sunny day, which meant the laundry on the line was able to dry...

Time of Isolation - Day 1550

Wednesday whatnots

in which our plucky heroine tries not to worry...

The major Florida hurricane "Milton" made landfall just about on top of where my elderly auntie lives. I have been somewhat obsessively checking the weather, despite that there is nothing at all I can do at this far remove. I did call her yesterday, and let her know I was thinking about her and that I love her.

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~ embroidered edging ~

Since we are well into October, and I am sponsoring a "spooky season" challenge for Tiny Rag Doll Nation, I wanted to get started making a few prizes for the random drawing winner... The bias gored skirt is such a fun way to use striped fabric, and this time I decided to give it an embroidered border using chained feather stitch. I love how elaborate that embroidery stitch looks, and how easy it is to do! (description and tutorial)

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As part of my attempt to improve my health, and to increase resilience, I will be experimenting with making some brine-fermented veggies... With this intent, I went ahead and ordered some of the glass weight discs, as I'm pretty sure my previous effort(s) were foiled by not being able to keep the contents properly submerged. I want to try ginger garlic carrots, and also beet kvass, as both of those have been recommended to me as good to start with.

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Checking on the remaining tree fruit here... the quinces are not quite ripe, but getting close. The persimmons are nowhere near ripe yet, being mostly green. And the second crop figs are still quite hard; they almost never ripen. I really need to rewatch the Useful Video and make notes about how to prune figs for a better first crop. Indeed, I really ought to start a notebook about the various tree fruits here and how best to care for them!

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It occurred to me to try to remove the layers of frost from the upper sides of my chest freezer by sort of chiseling it off with a large screwdriver and a hammer. Carefully of course. It was possible to place the screwdriver "chisel" just past the actual edge of the freezer, and a few strong taps with the hammer had a surprisingly large "iceberg" break loose, without have any adverse effect on the freezer itself. It took eversomuch less time to work my way around the circumference than it would have to defrost the whole thing in the usual way!

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	ScribeTober 1	removed frost	yard waste bin
2	blue wolf enamel	-	-
3	shibori scarf	-	-
4	robin and holly acorn cap ornaments	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. My aged Florida aunties residence home facility is not in an evacuation zone, and is a designated "shelter in place" location, so I can only hope that she is okay...
2. I made a delicious vaguely red Thai curry inspired meal tonight with chicken, greens, and a mixture of carrot and sweet potato, and thought to put half of it in the fridge for tomorrow before actually eating dinner. Future Me will be happy
3. I defrosted the chest freezer by carefully using a very large screwdriver as a "chisel" and hitting it with a hammer
4. Did I mention how much I enjoy my Wednesday evening game time with Stef and Mischa?

Time of Isolation - Day 1549

Monday miscellany

in which our plucky heroine hopes for healing...

And in the meantime, makes progress on various current projects, and begins a long list of future projects large and small, indoors and out.

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~ acorn cap ornaments ~

When I found these large acorn caps, they needed to become frames for tiny ⅞" artwork ornaments... Image search helps to find inspiration, and after sketching out various possibilities, I pencil the chosen design onto art paper that already has circles marked out. (I use templates for circles and ovals). The pencil sketch is outlined with .005 Pigma Micron pen, the pencil erased, and then they are painted with gouache and watercolor paint...

When the round paintings are dry, they are cut out and glued into the acorn caps. Once they dry overnight, I coated the painted discs with two coats of clear nail polish. The last step is to drill a 21ga hole in the top of the acorn cap, and epoxy in a wire loop to hold a hang cord... I thought about maybe turning these into magnets instead, but they are somewhat delicate...

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Had a good chat with Acantha today... mutual aid is going to send some apples my way (yay, applesauce!), as well as some assorted garden harvest bounty. We also talked about brine fermenting veggies for probiotics, preservation, and flavor. I want to try carrots, which are supposedly fairly easy. Then when I chatted with Karen in the afternoon, she was telling me about beet kvass, which is her most favorite for a happier tummy, as well as being a quick ferment. I may end up doing some home fermentation experiments this winter, and may also get back to making kombucha again... (I really do hope that this antibiotic helps my body take down the E coli infection; whenever I am done with the medication train there will be great need to refurbish my internal biome)

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~ Almandine has no pants ~

Now that it is October, it is time to put together festive garb for my tinyfolks... Some of their holiday clothing is from years past, like the witchy hats, the tiger striped knit dress, and the black linen and orange felt pinafores. Opal has a whole new set of clothing this year including the wonderful crocheted vest from Dawn, and Kenya has a new black checked dress made from fabric that Roxanne sent me. Apparently the least prepared at the moment is Alamadine; I am thinking that she could use a pair of black overalls, maybe with a jack-o-lantern embroidered on the pocket? (I'm going to rummage through the garment tin for something temporary, as it just doesn't seem right to leave her with "naikey-nethers") I also want to make Nandina a tiger head hat to go with her stripey dress, similar to the deer head hat I made back in 2020

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Yum yum... I made corn pancakes for breakfast, and put enough in the freezer for several more meals:

Sister Gigi's Sweet Corn Cakes

4 ears sweet corn (or 2 c frozen) ½ c cornmeal or masa ½ c flour 1 t salt 1 t sugar ½ t baking powder ¼ t cayenne 1 large egg ¾ c buttermilk 3 T butter, melted and cooled 2 green onions, chopped small

If using fresh corn, cut the kernels from cobs, (you should have about 2 c) Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl, combine all wet ingredients in a bowl, mix together and add the corn and the green onions. Let rest in the refrigerator for at least a half hour or more (cornmeal will hydrate, texture will be nicer; if you use masa, might need more liquid than called for) Fry like pancakes 'till both sides are golden. serve with green salsa and sour cream

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	ScribeTober 1	-	yard waste bin
2	blue wolf enamel	-	-
3	shibori scarf	-	-
4	robin and holly acorn cap ornaments	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. somewhat better sleep last night
2. my good friends Acantha, and Karen
3. I was mostly pain free for several hours this morning, before it came back

Time of Isolation - Day 1547

shibori Saturday and other snippets

in which our plucky heroine is feeling blue, in more ways than one...

on the upside, creative cerulean enamelwork and indigo dyeing creative playtime, on the downside those sorts of nights where waking up at 3am with dark blue thoughts of wrong choices made and opportunities missed.

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~ mood indigo ~

I am quite pleased with how my new linen gauze scarf turned out... the doubled horses teeth border surrounding a medallion of acorns and oak leaves taken from my SCA badge. Since I knew about the indigo dyeing demo at the local art store more than a week ahead, there was time enough to prepare this more structured shibori design. Quite a few days "spare time" went into yards and yards of running stitches. Even so, I was up far beyond my bedtime on Friday night, pulling up the stitchery as tightly as possible to form the resist pattern ready for dyeing:

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After hours of work, (more than one would expect for something so tiny), I finally finished the Very Small (⅞") heraldic blue wolf enamel, and I shall ask C if he can send me a photo of the finished coronet, once it is set in place and all assembled.

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thanks to Vestia for sharing this, it sure made me smile...

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On a hunch, on Friday I took myself off to Immediate Care (the storefront doc-in-the-box for my health plan) when I realised that the ongoing pain in my back might be my kidney and not referred SI joint pain. While the quickie-tests were clear, the sample they decided to send off for culturing apparently came back chock full of bacteria, despite my not having any of the usual symptoms. Indeed, I got an early morning! call on Sunday! from the doctor to let me know that they wanted me on antibiotics right away. Do not pass go, do not collect $200...

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	ScribeTober 1	-	yard waste bin
2	blue wolf enamel	-	-
3	shibori scarf	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. I now am on antibiotic medication for a systemic infection I have had for who knows how long. Hopefully this will reduce pain, help my body heal, and maybe even improve my mood...
2. My shibori project at the free indigo dyeing demo turned out really well
3. I am more than halfway done making my advent swap treats

Time of Isolation - Day 1546

cool cats and other artwork

in which our plucky heroine starts a new month...

Today is the first day of "Scribetober", which has a whole month of daily prompts for calligraphy, illuminations, tutorials, and other scribal art fun. I intend to use the month to make at least one 1" square per day of something, to try out different techniques and also incidentally to build up my stock of tiny artworks to share at the various Free Little Art Galleries

Day 1 - a combination of this Zentangle tutorial and "Gem", the tutorial being modified for scale, and with the gemstone being pearls. I decided that the best way to encourage myself to actually do something each day was to start small, so I have cut out 31 pieces that are one inch squares... This one is a combination of .005 Micron pen, gouache paint, and some Finetec "Arabic Gold" metallic color. The metallic paint is really hard to photograph.

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Since Saturday is the free indigo dyeing workshop at Artist and Craftsman Supply, it would be good if I started setting up the piece of linen to do shibori. The last time I tried making anything other than the random rubberband patterns I did last time was probably nine years ago, when making pieces to use for the Japanese kosode for Honor Feast. Time goes by in a flash. I want to make the scarf border using the "horses teeth" pattern, which I think is really pretty. Fortunately I was able to track down the instructions via the Wayback Machine, since many of the links in my older blog posts need that extra help.

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~ cool cats ~

When the new art for this month was posted online, I had to set off immediately for the St Johns Free Little Art Gallery, even though it was almost dusk (I did think to grab my set of bike lights), as last month I waited until the next day and the tiny sculpture I had hoped for was already gone. Of course, I did bring some of my own tiny art bits to trade, and how could I resist this pair of 1" tall portraits? While they are intended as fridge magnets, I will add them as part of the decor for Tansu Terrace, perhaps on either side of the fireplace mantle in the library...

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This morning was a Costco run, with much thanks to a local friend with a car and a membership, which allowed me to replenish my stocks of "loo rolls" and Q-Tips,as well as a few sharp Tillamook bricks, (and a 25# bag of sugar - a year or more supply for making preserves and condiments).  I also picked up a few bags of pecans to store in the freezer for special treats, and impulsively decided to add some vinegar, and a box of shelf stable milk to my haul... I try and get to Costco two or three times a year, for the particular staple items that are worth organising a trip there. The best part is having a chance for a small visit with my friend, which we both enjoy.

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Scribtober 1	-	-
2	-	-	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. a fun drawing tutorial for ScribeTober day one. I have never heard of Zentangle before.
2. getting to have a bit of a visit with Beth when we went to Costco. Plus being able to afford to stock up on various items, and having enough extra dosh to get two unplanned but useful pantry items (milk in a box, and cider vinegar)
3. The Wayback Machine! most of the time I can retrieve images and instructions no longer easy to access. It is a priceless resource!!

Time of Isolation - Day 1541