weekend whimsy and whatnot

in which our plucky heroine determinedly focuses...

The ramp up to eventing season is leaving me wistful. It feels like a whole lifetime would have to arise again for those good times to be possible, but wonderful that they ever did occur is what I tell myself.

Once every two months or so, a booklet of once a week coupons from the grocery store arrives in my mailbox. Mostly not much use, for things I never buy, so the whole booklet is recycled. The coupon for this week, though, was for a pound of ground pastured beef free with a 10$ purchase! Hence, there will be meatloaf tomorrow, mostly made into patties and plonked in the freezer for easy future dinners.

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~ homage to the 5th god ~

Almost all the lost things have been found, but my box-o-blox with some of my larger lino printing blocks is still missing... so re-carving will be the fastest way to have them either turn up again, or at the very least allow me to once again have this motif, I've begun. 

Bujold's "World of the 5 Gods" books are favorites of mine (and of a number of my friends) so a while back I carved a block with dancing rats and crows, inspired by a description of embroidered 5th god regalia decoration in one of the novellas. I wanted to use that block to embellish new pinafore, but discovered the block missing. So... have re-drawn the image, and begun carving anew. The lino I picked up from I've Been Framed is excellent, fresh and soft enough to carve easily. Am thinking that also drawing and carving a corner block with the "no hands but ours" motif would be a good addition, to help make a block printed border for a summertime kerchief, once at least one of the yard square pieces of cotton lawn gets a rolled hem.

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After making so many (5) boro baskets, it occurred to me that the same layered and stitched scrap technique would be a fun way to create a hat. However, after measuring my noggin, it turns out that there are no suitable objects inside the house that are the correct circumference. Kitchen canisters are too small, and the mixing bowls are much too large. Maybe one of the smaller plastic buckets used for yardwork  Maybe a plastic plant pot that was the right size?? OTOH, while checking out the buckets, found two different sizes of rounded square containers, which would be interesting to attempt...

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Yesterday, drilled a hole in the red paring knife handle, so as to allow it to hang up over the sink to dry. Mostly the over-sink hooks work well to dry cooking utensils like spatulas, slotted spoons, and colanders (the smallest cutting board just fits as well). All my other kitchen knives are carbon steel, so they get hand dried to avoid rust, but this Victorinox paring knife is stainless, but sharpens well and holds an edge. 

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The linen fabric pieces, which at first appeared to be black, instead daylight proves are a very dark blue. Which isn't bad, but still leaves me with only the black/white stripey patchwork fabric to make a pinafore from. That robust fabric, originally a gift from Luz Clara, would really be even better as a pair of overalls. Shall instead focus my garment sewing efforts on the other three colorways: brown, teal/turquoise, and possibly indigo/denim.

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May SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Rosa sketch	Bad Smell gone	greenwaste bin
2	boro thread basket	dishrack tray	recycle bin
3	boro basket 2	paring knife	-
4	boro basket 3	-	-
5	boro baskets 4 & 5	-	-
6	sharpening box	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- tools and knowhow
- mailbox coupon that was actually useful
- lino from I've Been Framed is excellent quality
- Super Supportive

Time of Isolation - Day 2137

Thursday thoughts

in which our plucky heroine makes small improvements...

This morning, after putting away the now dry dishes from last night, it became apparent that my long time method of using a towel under the dish drainer to catch extra drips was less than ideal for the crap formica countertop. Usually I remember to pull the towel out after it has done the job, which lets the counter dry out overnight as the damp dishes do the same. 

In the interest of not creating a mold farm, instead there was an Ikea excursion. They had VÄLVÅRDAD in stock, a powder coated metal catch tray large enough to (probably) fit the dish rack here. While I'd cleverly cut a piece of kraft paper the size of the bottom of my dish rack to take with to check the size, when tray and rack were in the same place it turned out I'd not accounted for the thickness of the wire legs. Fortunately, I have tools! There was good use made of the rawhide mallet and the stump; with crashings and bashings the legs were bent just enough to fit neatly inside the tray edges.

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~ very very sharp ~

Last night, inspired by this Instagram post, I finished making a sharpener for fabric marking chalks, from an old carved wooden box, hardware bits, and some new double edged razor blades (surprisingly cheap!). While my sharpening box didn't turn out quite the same as those others, it works eversomuch better and faster than scraping away at the edge of the chalk with a knife or scissors blade. The wooden box itself is at least fifty years old, maybe more, and likely came from an "import store" when I was young, and this will be a way of using it for something that will see more frequent use than tucked away on a closet shelf holding random smaller trinkets. 

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Well that was a bit of a perturbing minor memory fail... One of the several times living in the Lexington house with friends, the year after the Allston household broke apart, some of us moved there and kept living together. I've very few memories of those not particularly happy years. At my sisters husbands class reunion, one of the men (Doug Weston) from way back then ran into her and sent his regards. I'm embarrassed to not remember him, by face or by name, perhaps he was more Gary's friend than mine??.

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May SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Rosa sketch	Bad Smell gone	greenwaste bin
2	boro thread basket	dishrack tray	recycle bin
3	boro basket 2	-	-
4	boro basket 3	-	-
5	boro basket 4	-	-
6	sharpening box	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- mostly functional public transit
- when an Instagram inspiration actually works
- the stump Bill gave me

Time of Isolation - Day 2134

Tuesday trinkets and treats

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

FOUND!! My beloved retractable tape measure, long missing, turned up in, of all peculiar places, between the crock pot liner and the crock pot! When plugged in to start warming up (while prepping remains of last night's chicken legs to make broth for tom kha gai) noticed the inner pot was sitting all cattywhompus, so before it got hot enough to damage the plastic measuring tape housing it was back in the sewing box where it normally lived, and the broth was able to cook properly

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~ peony ~

Not in my yard, but walking (or biking) around the neighborhood there are all sorts of delights for sight and smell. Roses blooming, and fragrant wisteria... Right now the honeybees are so fond of the sage blossoms that they are loud when walking toward the front door

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I had forgotten the Haptic and Hue podcasts, when a post turned up on one of my social media feeds for their recent presentation about the Folly Cove Designers. Not only was that a treat to listen to, but now there is a lot more content for me to enjoy listening to

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As a way to supplement my earthquake shelf, ordered two new bulk food powders to try: coconut milk, and cheddar cheese sauce. it occurred to me that it might be possible to get some of the dried cheese sauce most often found in little aluminum packets inside boxes of Annies mac, or Kraft dinner. A pound bag was worth the taste test. As was pound of dried coconut milk; since it usually comes in largish cans too big for when I make dinner for one. Yes, I freeze the rest in cubes for future use, but it would be very handy to have some shelf-stable option in the pantry . 

The cheese sauce is tasty, (tried that one with rice pasta the day it arrived) and doesn't taste near as salty as the tiny packets. It will do nicely for pasta or other starch or for veggie sauce, even not in an emergency, as will the dry coconut milk, which worked out very well in dinner tonight (faux tom kha kai) Lots of substitutions but a tasty dinner anyway. Ginger instead of galingale, fresh lime zest and juice instead of makrut leaves, brown sugar instead of palm sugar, some red thai curry paste instead of fresh chilies, and the new powdered coconut milk (very easy to rehydrate by shaking 3 tablespoons in a jar with ¼ cup water. The soup was a treat, and there are two more portions for tomorrow and/or the freezer.

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Last week was the annual five days of "Making Zen": free online workshops, and Selina Ben's "Unwritten Folded Treasure Pouch" tutorial was appealing enough that it will be my next small handwork project. Combining as it does almost origami-esque folded design, and a new-to-me decorative fastening stitch, it will be another good use for small pieces of special fabrics.

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May SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Rosa sketch	Bad Smell gone	greenwaste bin
2	boro thread basket	-	recycle bin
3	boro basket 2	-	-
4	boro basket 3	-	-
5	boro basket 4	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- Good podcasts to listen to.
- Lovely scented seasonal flowers, particularly roses and wisteria.
- long missing beloved tape measure found
- honeybees love the sage blossoms
- faux Tom Kha Gai soup
- finished cutting out landscape blouse

Time of Isolation - Day 2132

betcha can't make just one

in which our plucky heroine solves a conundrum...

... and removes toxic art materials from the house;  also finishes up a second boro thread basket. Now the sewing machine and the serger will have their own, and there are ideas a-fizzing for other ways to use this technique.  

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~ strata ~

Working on a tiny stitched container is incredibly satisfying, one could become addicted to making these and the resulting small squashy palm-size basket is Just Right. This project is small enough to always have one on hand for pickup work. Limiting factor will be the thin gauzy fabric for the innermost layer.

Basket #2 will have the inner layer made from pinstripe leftovers from my most recent shirt sewing project. The directional changes remind me of geological formations. The base form I've been using was probably once a mustard jar, but for years now has been holding backstock whole peppercorns, so as it is turned about during stitching, it makes a small rattling sound, softer than a rain stick.

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a stinky saga... Last night before bedtime I caught a whiff of a most peculiar and somewhat acrid scent. Early today when I sat down at the computer for a video meeting, it came back randomly, but often enough to be concerning. (Since it smelled a bit like burnt plastic/shorted wiring! it was not something to ignore.) My pal Turquoise helpfully looked up info online about "odd smells in the home" which let me know what it likely was not... 

I spent hours this morning attempting to locate what was wrong. First opened windows in each room. Climbed up the stepladder to open the attic hatch, headed over to the far end of the workroom to check the circuit breaker box, went outside to sniff around both my heat pump and my good neighbors heat pump which is just across the side yard from the living room window. Unplugged every non critical bit of machinery, and switched off all the power strips. Periodically going outside to let my sense of smell reset...

It was clear after both walking round the house sniffing everywhere, and unplugging things, that the scent was mostly in the living room . . .  I then glanced down . . . Yesterday I'd purchased some "soft-kut" linoleum substitute, a grey rubbery slab, to carve a new printing block, and had left it on a side table near the computer zone. When picked up and sniffed, et voila, the source of the horrible odor. I immediately put it outside, and after breakfast, returned it to the art store, since it is too stinky for me to want in my house!! 

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As the last of my Sulky variegated mercerised cotton topstitching thread gets used up, remembering Fabric Despots aisles of threads, from many different manufactories (not just the single display that most shops have) makes me sad and wistful. There were so many years of shopping there, from when it was a special excursion from Olympia to Portland, and then once it was a few bus transfers away. It was such a reliable source of everything sewing related, a literal warehouse of fabrics for garments, for quilting, for home decor and all the notional items needed to make use of that fabric. We will not see its like again.

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Additional impetus to the declutter and tidy plan: sorting my smaller fabric scraps by color, as well as making clear what size of scraps are worth saving. It would be useful to have a modest box for holding packets of boro basket materials, since there are additional uses for such small containers of holding. I want to experiment with a triadic option next.

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May SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Rosa sketch	Bad Smell gone	-
2	boro thread basket	-	-
3	boro basket 2	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- seasonal asparagus
- dopamine hand sewing
- adorable tiny boro thread "baskets"
- Past Me cleverly ordered backup filters for the heat pump air handler. Current Me cleverly made a pull handle from duct tape to more easily remove the filter next time, as it is a Very Tight Fit.
- the Bad Smell was not the house wiring shorting out, but a package of Soft-Kut printing block, now returned to the art store.

Time of Isolation - Day 2125

weekend whimsy

in which our plucky heroine looks all around...

or at least up and down. Parts of the weekend were a treat, and parts were a trial. Successfully trying out a new to me handcraft technique, remembering the frozen Roma tomatoes, and visiting with friends online were treats. Spiraling down into dark weasel territory on Saturday night was hard; the worst of the brain weasels don't actually lie, they contain just enough truth to really hurt. Erroneous choices can't be undone, and chances noticed too late will not come again in this lifetime. The trick is to find the small joys still possible.

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~ Rosa ~

Mischa and I are gradually setting up a new Wanderhome game (our first since Steph left the bright world), building new characters and a new place to create stories. I'd only barely dipped into the world of "gaming", in a particularly gentle, interactive, non combat-driven way, when my newest friend Steph was diagnosed and C all too quickly took them away. The rough sketch above is Rosa the maned wolf, my new character. They are a peddler/trader and deal primarily in spices, dyestuff, incense, miniature bells, colored floss, and tiny shrine furnishings.

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The tiny shreds of fabric and ends of thread leftover when sewing become frelch and have apparently a magnetic attraction to caster wheels. Rather than my vain efforts to neatly dispose of them in the large waste bin in the workshop, it occurred to me that small scrap holders in the immediate vicinity of the sewing machine and serger would be a better and more direct option, easy to empty into the larger bin as needed.

Ann Wood's "Stitched Vessel" tutorial (which has been sitting in my file of patterns-purchased-but-not-yet-made for ages) seemed like it was a perfect solution. Several hours of hand stitching turned into this boro-esque thread basket. A second one is already on my work table, also using the random cabbage from assorted wardrobe sewing projects; there are so many potential uses for such appealing small containers! 

2 ½" high, almost 3" diameter
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With the weather so hot as to make actual cooking less of a treat, a glance in the fridge showed the ingredients for a sort of panzanella. Well, there was a slice of leftover bread, cucumbers, feta, salad greens and suchlike, all that was missing was a tomato... Then I remembered that there were Roma tomatoes in the freezer, intended for making another batch of Awesome Sauce! Peeled and partially thawed, it was cut into chunks and added to the proto panzanella. The tomato did collapse into shreds, but added good flavor and moisture. A hack worth remembering.

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was not expecting thrilled to see this on Saturday morning when I checked the weather for the rest of the weekend: 
Issued: 10:57 AM May. 2, 2026 – National Weather Service...
HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 8 AM TO 11 PM PDT SUNDAY... 
- WHAT...Temperatures up to 91 degrees F expected. Significant cooling expected overnight. 
- WHERE...Greater Vancouver Metro, Lower Columbia River and Cowlitz River Valleys, Inner Portland Metro, and East Portland Metro. 
- WHEN...From 8 AM to 11 PM PDT Sunday. 
- IMPACTS...Hot temperatures may cause heat illnesses. 
- ADDITIONAL DETAILS...There is around 5% chance of high temperatures of 95 degrees or greater in urban areas around the Portland-Metro area. Overall Moderate HeatRisk with relieving cooling temperatures overnight. Highs will be near record breaking temperatures for this time of year.
So it wasn't a big surprise that the temperature this afternoon on the front porch was 94° F (34.5° C). Very grateful for the magic cool air machine aka heat pump.

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I've rather fallen in love with the printed motifs of this fabric, and think it would could make a very fun autumnal shirt. Rather more colorful than my usual wont, but there are almost all the colors I do wear: brown, and grey, and teal/turquoise, and blue, as well as all the rest of the rainbow, in a playful admixture of shapes that reference mid-century design.

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May SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Rosa sketch	-	-
2	boro thread basket	-	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- heat pump aka magic cool air that falls from ceiling
- left foot less painful
- using frozen tomato as salad flavoring
- anti-weasel serum from friends
- riding my bike past the park, seeing families celebrating birthdays or other special occasions, life happening in a pleasant public place. 

Time of Isolation - Day 2123

Friday fragments

in which our plucky heroine is charmed...

Earlier this week the birdfeeders next door were spangled with goldfinches, which was such a delightful visual way to start the day.

Also rabbit rabbit rabbit for the first of May!

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~ acorn tassels~

All I ever want to be speedy is my sewing machines and internet connection) As previously mentioned, I am not a fast knitter. Some folks can bang out a Sophie scarf in a few days, this one took me a whole month of intermittent knitting. The last several days of which were taken up in creating these knitted acorn and oak leaves added to the tips instead of pom poms or tassels. It was so slow because sock yarn and tiny needles. It is fairly narrow, and long enough to wrap around my neck and tie, intended as supplementary warmth over a turtleneck, which was hard to imagine Thursday afternoon, when it was 83 F (28 C) on my front porch

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Monday my friend Poni was willing to take me on a trip to Linfield Gallery in McMinnville to see "Continuality" by artist Tammie Dupuis. I've been following Tammie on social media for years now, she is one of my artist heroes. Highly skilled in multiple art forms and thinking deeply about what she intends to communicate using those skills. It was wonderful to see the actual pieces, which are so much stronger and more resonant in person than in tiny pixel images online. Rather like the difference between an LP and a live concert. I was particularly taken with the "Counting Coup On Curtis" series of portraits, which combine beadwork and mixed media in a unique way that really needs to be seen in person.

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Eeee!! new Becky Chambers coming this autumn!

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"Acorn Cottage Crafthouse"could be a good name for Discord server, I need to look up how to start one...

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May SMART goals (x=extra)

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

today's gratitudes -
- goldfinches first thing in the morning
- pad see ew
- Tammie's artwork is amazing, impressive, and inspiring 

Time of Isolation - Day 2121

Sunday snippets

in which our plucky heroine sees something pretty...

... it moved too fast for a photograph, but might have been a Western Tanager? There was a bird on the japanese maple, and it looked a bit like a goldfinch with a reddish head. Not as bright as some I've seen in years past, but late April early May is the right time of year

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~ a favorite motif ~

This is the cast iron door knocker here at Acorn Cottage. I found it years and years before ever moving here, and carried it around in my "hopeless chest" in addition to other less weighty bits of wishful thinking. Never expected it to have a door to grace, though it has now been here for over twenty years. Acorns and oak leaves, in various configurations, have been one of the oldest of my resonant decorative motifs, (along with the running horse reguardant), long before my SCA activities where they are now part of my personal heraldry.  

Being quite close to finishing the slow Sophie scarf, rather than my initial idea of finishing off the pointy tips with pom poms as a few folks have done, it occurred to me that small knitted acorns and oak leaves might be an even better embellishment. I've used those on prior knitted projects to decorate a hat, a tea cozy, and as brooches. I was hoping I'd copied out the "recipe" for them; there are two folks ahead of me in the library line for "100 Flowers to Knit and Crochet" which is the book that contains the directions.

While I only intermittently remember to add index data to my BuJo, after failing to find any helpful blog posts, and hoping not to have to wait weeks for the library book, it occurred to me to try and cross reference between when I made various projects, and the various years of journals on the shelf. Bingo! et voila!! surprisingly I had even made a specific notation in the rudimentary index. Directions for both acorns and oak leaves are both where I can access them.

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Ten years ago I was deeply into carving blocks to print on fabric, and making clothing for my Blue Cedar House SCA pals; I miss those good times we had... still, might be a fun single crafternoon one of these days to print some trim for decorating next winters long janes.

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Have been trying out two of the glucose hacks today. A spoonful of vinegar in a glass of water before meals isn't a treat, but isn't horrible either. Figuring out how to start each meal with something vegetable-ish is challenging, but possible, particularly breakfast. My usual morning museli is a bit odd following some steamed veggies! Although the protein/fiber/carb balance for my museli is pretty sane. (adding whey protein and flaxseed meal to 2T soaked rolled oats)   

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My left foot is intermittently painful again. Not all the time.  Dr Google suggests it might have a broken small bone, and is not the most accurate of diagnosicians. But wouldn't that hurt all the time, and wouldn't that have some sort of injury as a cause? So hard to figure out what response is appropriate. If every intermittent ache or pain sent me to medical care, I'd be living in their waiting room. OTOH, I don't want to foolishly ignore something either.  

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April SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	glass button shirt	apple tree pruned	recycle bin
2	accordion pouch	tiny beaded star	greenwaste bin
3	bone acorn earrings	electric bill found	recycle bin
4	stripey pinafore	shirt sleeve length	recycle bin
5	-	tax papers	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- a dark almost black blood orange that was really fragrant
- helpful Past Me wrote down the directions for tiny knitted acorns and oak leaves in an earlier BuJo and indexed the pages
- phoned Poni about getting a lift to the show at the Linfield

Time of Isolation - Day 2117

Tuesday tidbits

in which our plucky heroine enjoys flowers...

The gradual shift in what is flowering made my first glance out the front door yesterday a real treat. Almost gone but not quite little grape hyacinths in dark purple, along with the ongoing paler purple faux bluebells, and the barely starting dwarf lilac. The further distant dwarf apple blossoms peeking through, and the front garden beds are full of dozens of pink violets. 

There seem to be a few more birds this year, at least there are some I don't recognise, aside from the local corvids and juncos. The grassy spaces in the front and back yard are horribly shaggy, but each time I get ready to try and attack it starts to rain.

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~ apple blossoms ~

There is a random dwarf apple tree next to the driveway, and I have no idea what sort of apple it is, though it has been there for well over ten years. It was likely a giveaway, maybe leftover from some tree planting scenario. It is still not as tall as I am, and last year, for the first time, had one flower cluster but set no apples. This year there are four clusters of apple blossoms, and I will be curious to see if there is any fruit to follow. (there are plenty of bees this year)

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Taking a break from my garment sewing shenanigans, and started transferring the rest of my shirt/blouse/pinafore pattern pieces to Costco cardboard before temporarily storing them away. Time to give my brain some time to mull over what I want to do next. Also, whilst perusing the fabric storage shelves, found some Spoonflower prints that Ariadne sent me when Kestrel was a baby, but never had their chance to become kiddo clothing. Will be taking photos of the various fabric designs so we can ask directly what would be the happiest options for future garments, as K has Definite Opinions. It will be fun to sew for them.

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Good news is that the glucose test strips conundrum has been solved as of yesterday, as part of my quarterly medical visit (My PCP is still on indefinite medical leave alas, I hope she is doing okay) Bree, the PA, very kindly lent me a book about glucose and ten suggestions for ways to hack your metabolism, backed by legitimate scientific research, and not involving exotic and expensive chemical or supplemental interventions. Still reading through it, and there seem to be some changes that would be simple to implement

Alas and OUCH! While I felt just fine yesterday, today my left foot has developed a peculiar and intensely painful ache in the area of the long small bones. I have not fallen, or twisted my ankle or foot or done anything out of the ordinary, but the pain is "loud" enough to be distracting. There is no visible change from the usual appearance or difference from the other foot. Just making a note of it here as a way of tracking the issue, in case that turns out to be useful. Bodies are weird, and do things for reasons I don't always understand.

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April SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	glass button shirt	apple tree pruned	recycle bin
2	accordion pouch	tiny beaded star	greenwaste bin
3	bone acorn earrings	electric bill found	recycle bin
4	stripey pinafore	shirt sleeve length	-
5	-	tax papers	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- tax paperwork has all had fair copies made and is tidied away
- all the spring flowers in the front yard
- what appear to be 1 or 2 potential baby pears on the Bosc

Time of Isolation - Day 2112

an interesting revelation

in which our plucky heroine has a new thought...

For many years, while I never doubted that I am a maker-of-things, indeed I apparently arrived with that characteristic, it never felt like I was an artist. I spent the philosophical aspect of my higher education learning about and thinking about why our culture chooses to draw a line between art and craft, the delineation began in the Renaissance. I don't identify as an artist, my self declared occupation on my tax forms is "artisan". To my mind and in my experience with other makers of things, "artists" are folks who make their art form irregardless of input or payment from others. And there is all the cultural baggage about what kinds of making are "art", which even if we don't agree with it, still permeates our lives, and the commentary from adults when we are children. I remember being told in reference to my creative endeavors as a teen and young adult "that is all well and good for a hobby, but you (will) need to major in something for a real job when you aren't in school. 

Our plucky heroine went on to have enough varied peculiar jobs to have an appropriate resume for a back of the novel blurb, should I have turned out to be a writer of words rather than a manipulator of stuff. None of those things was a career, a real job, though I have been a working taxpayer since I was fifteen. Since 1993 I have been making SCA regalia, using my enameling and metalworking skills. And while I am fairly competent at what I do, I rarely ever spend my non-work time in that genre, unlike the metalwork "gods" I have been fortunate enough to meet or know as friends. This disconnect is part of what manifests in my mind as imposter syndrome, my not having the behavior like the other artists I know. 

Whereas there is always part of my brain that is designing, not jewelry, not regalia, but my personal clothing. When talking about my dissatisfaction with Karen last week, I came up with the idea: "Making jewelry and regalia is my day job; creating whimsical unique garments is my art form."  This counterchange of how I think about what I spend my time doing may be a solution to a mental and emotional challenge that has caused me pain for decades.

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~ what a mess ~

Yesterday, when it became apparent my workshop wheelie chair(s) weren't rolling as well as formerly, it turned out that over the years the chair casters have been collecting random frelch, mostly snippets of thread that end up on the floor while sewing occurrs! This is not acceptable, and obviously my ongoing attempts to send bits and pieces into the large workshop wastebasket are ineffective. 

What to do, what to do? Aha! One of my favorite designers, Ann Wood, has a pattern tutorial for making "stitched vessels", little containers made from precious (or not so precious) scraps of fabric. I already bought this pattern last year, it is currently residing in my folder of assorted future/someday projects, and I've intended to do something about the growing pile of garment sewing cabbage*. A pair of smallish containers to be placed right next to the sewing machine and the serger will be next up on my handwork list, though for now some small teacups will have to suffice. 

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Finished up the stripey pinafore that is intended to be overdyed chocolate brown/black instead of off-white/black. Very pleased with the various width black linen bias edge binding and overlay. I used a second strip of bias to cover the places along the bottom edge of the skirt gores where it had been necessary to piece the fabric, and once I completed that, it reminds me very much of some Elizabethan skirt decoration.

My overdyeing turned out to be not quite as successful as hoped for. Apparently Procion MX #119 "Chocolate Brown" can be just a bit tricksy. The resulting color reads more like a dark grey than any sort of chocolate. It isn't perzactly brown at all, nor black, nor grey, but one of those betwixt-colors that I love but cannot name. And, since I didn't actually strain the dye (not having a suitable strainer) there are a few fairly subtle splotches here and there where the magenta in the dye mixture left speckles. Thankfully not alarmingly vivid given the overall darkcolor, but I notice them, sigh and alas. Once the pinafore is dry, it will get a careful looksee, (note from next morning, the magenta is in fact difficult to see if one isn't looking for it) and hopefully it will be friends with the rest of my wardrobe, despite being a peculiar dark rather than the hoped for chocolate brown.

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adorable Totoro ongiri bento

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Although Parkrose Hardware was having a 50% off sale, my plan to get over there and buy some Gamma lids ran headlong into the reality of spending multiple hours getting there and back. It is over an hour and a half each way on transit, with three transfers. Plus their full price is significantly higher than full price at TAP Plastics, so even the large discount turned out to be a little over $2 per lid. So, instead, time for a bit more housey chores to get done this weekend

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April SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	glass button shirt	apple tree pruned	recycle bin
2	accordion pouch	tiny beaded star	greenwaste bin
3	bone acorn earrings	electric bill found	recycle bin
4	stripey pinafore	shirt sleeve length	-
5	-	tax papers	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- my friend Claire is on vigil for the Order of the Laurel
- new stripey pinafore pleases me despite not being brown
- vocation avocation revelation

Time of Isolation - Day 2110

* "cabbage" is a collective noun for fabric scraps... 
some historical context in this post

taxman

in which our plucky heroine has a dining table awash in papers...

but managed to ride to the post office early this morning and get each of the four Envelopes of Payment hand-canceled and photographed so as to prove they were posted today. I'll be organising the receipts and paperwork copies into an envelope labeled 2025, and very much look forward to getting my table back again!

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~ hold it! ~

Last week a recent tutorial post from @bookhou caught my eye and I couldn't wait to try making this little accordion pouch/bag. It is the perfect size to hold my transit pass and card case, and let me use a special scrap of embroidered fabric so I can enjoy it every day!

 . 
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Not sure when I'd run across information about a new podcast "In Your Spare Time". Various different writers and folks will be reading each of the blog posts that Ursula LeGuin wrote starting in 2010. There are 130 posts, so as a once a week podcast, there will be over two years of things to enjoy. I am planning on enjoying the ride...

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My sleep schedule is entirely out of whack. Am now in some sort of only sleep for about five hours or so at night, then can't get back to sleep, and end up tired all day and taking afternoon naps. Shall have to research how best to improve this; suspect that starting off by setting some kind of regular "bedtime" might be where to begin...

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April SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	glass button shirt	apple tree pruned	recycle bin
2	accordion pouch	tiny beaded star	greenwaste bin
3	bone acorn earrings	electric bill found	recycle bin
4	-	shirt sleeve length	-
5	-	tax papers	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- 4 envelopes of payment safely posted and documented
- Wrote another verse for my filk, now there are three. It might be done. Two wasn't enough, but three might be enough to go on with...
- Managed to fit all my errands, and my grocery shopping between the stormy weather. Now safe at home listening to the rain and thinking about a short nap.

Time of Isolation - Day 2106

Tuesday tidbits

in which our plucky heroine woke up to intermittent rain, and wind, and the sort of blustery weather appropriate to the season.

An early morning message let me know that our usual Tuesday morning zoom was derailed as Turquoise had car trouble... this circumstance allowed me to shift admin tasks earlier in the day, and deal with acquiring the various money orders needed for tax purposes. A long loop by bus and tram took care of that, and eventually brought me home again around lunchtime. 

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~ deconstruct reconstruct ~

Long ago I was gifted with a bracelet of acorn-ish charms made from round green glass beads with the textured bead caps seen above. Neither bracelets or bright green are really part of my wardrobe, but back in January, after finding some teardrop shaped turquoise/taupe glass beads, took apart a few of the charms to use the bead caps as part of new acorn earrings. Those so quickly joined the ranks of my favorites, that curiosity sought through the beads and bits for what else might turn into another pair of acorns. While there were no more beads of a suitable shape, there was an unused-for-years bone clasp, each half of which was just the right size and shape. Rather than let it languish in the storage drawer of bone and antler bits, it has a new destiny!

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Since heading out to get to the post office as early as possible had meant no time for breakfast, and seeing the Max tram just pass by heading south meant a wait of at least fifteen minutes, it seemed like a good idea to get something sustaining from a local coffee shop. Savory cheddar bacon scone was my choice, and a rare treat and a delicious nibble while waiting for the next transit tram to arrive.

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Almost done making fair copies of all my admin paperwork, and tomorrow will be another trip to the post office to get each of the envelopes hand cancelled by the postal clerks to prove day of mailing. This year the USPS no longer guarantees that simply dropping envelopes in their post boxes has any relation to when they will be stamped as actually mailed. The weather tomorrow will be equally blustery as today, but the forecast thunderstorms are not till mid to late afternoon, so the excursion should be manageable.

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April SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	glass button shirt	apple tree pruned	recycle bin
2	dual fold wallet	tiny beaded star	greenwaste bin
3	bone acorn earrings	electric bill found	recycle bin
4	-	shirt sleeve length	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- cheddar bacon scone from Posie's Cafe
- sewing "kits" to allow for incremental sewing breaks = intermittent reinforcement
- made all my admin errands happen while managing to escape the worst of the hard rain
- the halves of the vintage bone clasp turned out to be the perfect size and shape for a new pair of acorn earrings

Time of Isolation - Day 2105

Monday miscellany

in which our plucky heroine has ongoing insomnia...

I'm tired of being an adult. There is gorram little about it to enjoy, despite the lie all children are told that "when you grow up you can do whatever you want". By the time I was a teen, I was already adding the caveat "if you want to enough and are willing to pay the price". I will, however, admit to one evening last week choosing to have ice cream for dinner instead of a proper meal...

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~ so lovely ~

Everything about the quince is a delight. It is a small tree just outside the south window in the living room. It is one of the first fruit trees here to leaf out, and the flowers are about three times as large as its other pome relatives (apples, pears, and plums). Later in the year those flowers will become the huge golden fragrant fruits quince is renowned for, that get turned into preserves, and jelly, and are added to applesauce, all destined for jars on the store cupboard shelves here at Acorn Cottage, and eventually special sweet treats.

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There is a tangle with my admin paperwork beyond my ability to solve. Things I thought were done correctly weren't. After about a day and a half of not coping at all, it occurred to me that this sort of situation is perzactly what asking for an extension to file tax forms is intended to deal with. Since the extension is only for the forms and not for the payment (still due on the 15th), I've been spending the last two days figuring out what the amounts due would be if there was no tangle, and will send that amount in on Wednesday. Then I'll arrange for some professional assistance (after April 15) and get everything properly sorted. As earlier mentioned, adulting is no fun at all.

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I've been giving self short breaks from admin paperwork to continue with assorted sewing related activity, that being as close as I can get to some sort of "treat". Since I'd already made a sewing kit for the next up pinafore, it has been possible to get the entire bodice sewn together in the last two days. Am quite tempted to make up sewing kits for the rest of my wardrobe refurbishment: 3 more pinafores (one blue/black, one indigo, and one teal); 3 more long janes (one teal, one indigo, and one brown) and the PNW landscape print blouse.

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Another oops! Recently and sadly remembered/realised that it has been days and days since any of the 100 day drawing project activity. There are 29 more drawings waiting to happen. Shall start up again on Thursday. Have been thinking that it would be interesting to find a way to pin all 100 up at once, though I suspect that there isn't any wall space large enough here in Acorn Cottage to make that happen...

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April SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	glass button shirt	apple tree pruned	recycle bin
2	dual fold wallet	tiny beaded star	greenwaste bin
3	-	electric bill found	recycle bin
4	-	shirt sleeve length	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- managed to get up, dressed, and out the door for a walk around the block first thing a few times in the last week, which has been a goal of mine for months, nay years.
- decided that the best option for dealing with admin issues is to file for tax extensions this year. Stress level decreased down to dull roar from complete overwhelm.
- Helga sweetly took me to Costco today
- local transit tax only requires Schedule C's included so that one set of forms and payment can be sent in and crossed of the to do list.

Time of Isolation - Day 2104

paint it black

in which our plucky heroine makes steady if scant and erratic progress...

The most exciting and positive thing for Wednesday was dealing with the oak gall ink project. The container had been forgotten in the workroom, and was much evaporated, with a tiny mold colony growing in one corner, ugh. Some internet research actually stated that mold did oak gall ink no harm (and sometimes increased darkness??) Rather than discard the ink project entirely, the mold was carefully removed with a small stick; it came out neatly all in one tiny clump. Next, the very thickened proto-ink was reconstituted with distilled water, a few drops of clove oil added to forestall further decomposition, and then transferred to a sealed glass clamp top bottle. Am looking forward to finding out if it actually behaves like ink!

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~ line items ~

Simple embroidery to decorate the sleeve extension on the stripey shirt, half done (still need to do the matching embroidery for the other sleeve) and well begun. Once the other band is embroidered, I will cut the sleeves just past the armscye and insert the sleeve extensions, correcting the length to be more comfortable.  

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Not much in the way of wardrobe sewing or knitting projects today, but rather more in the way of seeking and looking through paperwork preparatory to tax tasks. Tomorrow I'll hopefully be able to get the rest of the needed papers in order, and take a trip to the library to print out the not-Federal forms also needed. I'd have done that today, but there was minor confusion with when zoom needed to happen. Thursday addenda: forms acquired from library (yay!), and an error discovered in paperwork from last year, so Friday will be rather more problematic than I would have hoped, as it must needs sorted out. 

I did, however, while rummaging for paperwork, find a piece of lightweight black linen just large enough to cut out bias strips for edge binding the stripey pinafore, which is next on my sewing list. That one will definitely be overdyed in teal/turquoise. 

I also figured out a different way to combine wardrobe components - if I wear my huipil/popover tops over one of my pinafores, it gives the effect as if I was wearing it over a skirt! In the summer it is all about wearing popover dresses by themselves, but during the bridge season it will be fun to have an additional choice, and huipil tops can be made from leftover fabric from larger projects. Right now I've only three, but they fold up small, being basically just rectangles. 

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"If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all..." 

One would think that after 70+ years, I'd have learned to converse in realtime with other human people. One would think wrongly. Despite my rather bodacious vocabulary, it is all the other aspects of verbal interaction that have been a challenge lifelong. There were whole chunks of my childhood where it was easier to just not talk; I always won "who can be quiet the longest" on the car trips. In the last decade or so I often try to remember that my best strategy is to only offer conversational comments about things that have been going well, or positive observations. When I ignore this hard won knowledge, it never goes well, and leads to hours (or days) of downward spiraling. I really should add putting together that notebook of "Anti-Weasel Serum" to my list of small hardcopy books of helpful info, along with "Useful Recipes" and "Origami Box Instructions"

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April SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	glass button shirt	apple tree pruned	recycle bin
2	-	tiny beaded star	greenwaste bin
3	-	electric bill found	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

Wednesday's gratitudes -
- when the weasels dig in, I eventually remember I have anti-weasel serum.
- new Penric and Desdemona novella
- the pharmacy tech is really trying hard to sort out my paperwork

today's gratitudes - 
- it is warm enough now to retire the rice bags til next winter
- moved all the marmalade into the pantry, incremental decluttering
- midday phone chat with Mikki
- most of a day before the return of the weasels
- the linear embroidery for the sleeve bands looks good

Time of Isolation - Day 2100

taxtime Tuesday

in which our plucky heroine gets ready...

The next week is all about tax prep, and I have another several days of gathering assorted papers before actual arithmetical activity begins. Today several of the necessary pieces were found living in the container of postage stamps, current bills, and blank check registers. There are at least two forms that will need downloaded from online sources. Fortunately, last year Past Me cleverly subdivided the little desktop business receipts file into categories that match those on Schedule C, which should make that part of the process easier and faster. 

Once all the papers are collected together, it usually takes about a day or two to do all the math, make all the multiple copies of forms both for my own records and the various different pages from the national form that get sent in with the state and transit taxes. Then a trip to the bank for a cashiers check, and the post office for postal money orders, and finally hand carrying the packets to be correctly postmarked on April 15.

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~ storefront signs of spring ~

This particular combination is new to me, intensely pointed orange petals shading to sharp green. All of the other green and orange tulips I've seen have been either softly rounded or ruffled. Of course, I am not any sort of aficionado, but these were odd and lovely, and tempting 

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The kombucha culture living on my countertop is doing quite well these days. It has occurred to me, amidst my current cogitation about devolution of supply chains and economic collapse, that kombucha left to ferment too long for pleasant drinking is as sour to the taste as vinegar. While probably not safe it would be challenging to ensure the acidity/strength was at a safe level to use in waterbath canning recipes, it would likely work well as an ingredient for  everyday cookery, or for things like salad dressings.  

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Sadly, I've fallen way behind on my 100 day drawing project. But rather than berate myself, shall simply begin again once the taxes are out of the way. If I can find a large enough wall space, it would be both fun and encouraging to lay out the index cards as a ten by ten grid, so that making more drawings would fill in the spots. It would probably be as satisfying as ticky-boxes. There isn't much in the way of empty wall space here, though.

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As part of refurbishing and replacing my current wardrobe, it has become obvious that collecting together supplies for mending the same, whether it is the specific yarn or fabric or spare buttons, would be very helpful, and avoid massive rummage through all the supplies. My first thought was a shoebox, but there were none empty. Then my eye fell on the pile of picnic baskets. I've more than a few, as rectangular wicker lidded storage was very useful indeed for my (former) SCA camping. They aren't in use now, and could be return to active duty in a different line of work.   

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April SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	glass button shirt	apple tree pruned	recycle bin
2	-	tiny beaded star	greenwaste bin
3	-	electric bill found	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- the organic Cara Cara oranges this year are really good: sweet, very flavorful, and juicy.
- in the process of clearing off the dining table to have room for tax prep paperwork piles, found the current electric bill (that was due 3/31!) and was able to pay it over the phone with no fee or late surcharge.
- using rectangular wicker picnic baskets to hold garment mending supplies.

Time of Isolation - Day 2098

short but very sweet

in which our plucky heroine is delighted...

Most of my Mud Bay pals were headed south this week so Kestrel could visit her great grandmama, and they stopped off briefly on their two day trip south for a bit of a porch visit/drive-by hugging from three of my favorite humans on the planet. Took some time to walk around the yard, stretch their legs, and eat some snacks. I got to meet Leche, their new dog. I love all of them so much (as well as Maeva who was staying home to mind the garden and the chickens) and hope that someday visiting with them in person will be possible again.

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~ proto-pears ~

In January of 2025 I planted the Bosc pear tree in the front yard that was my response to the Urban Forestry permit requirement for replacing the ornamental plum tree removed in 2024 While I suspect it isn't large enough yet to really support fruiting, it has done well enough to open a singular cluster of flowers this year!  The Shipova and the Seckel seem to be doing well but of course are about half that size. With luck, there will be some of my favorite tree fruit in a few years, though I expect to have to baby them and hand water every summer for quite few years to come, particularly given how hot it already is and that the forecast is for a dreadful El Niño season...

Bosc pear planted in 2025
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The disorder in the house is getting to the point where it is interfering with my ability to function. My thought is that once my taxes for the year are done (in the next ten days) I will then take at least the next six weeks or more and focus time every day on creating more order from the current chaos. If I focus each week on one aspect or room, it should make a big difference, and maybe allow me a chance to get some of the refurbishment projects underway as well. I am going to go ahead and order the window awnings that have been on my wishlist for years now; aluminum is only going to get more and more spendy, and while the prices are a lot higher than last year,  it is not yet in the "unobtanium" category, and shading the east and west windows will make a big difference in the summertime .

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Brenda Dayne has connected all her past catalog to her current Substack site. This means that I have a lot of audio content I can enjoy (again). Cast On was one of the first podcasts I ever ran across, and despite looking, I have yet to find any that I like anywhere near as much. Her voice, selection of music, and mixture of content just feeds something in me that nothing else does. I wish I could articulate what about Cast On makes it just right.

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April SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	glass button shirt	apple tree pruned	recycle bin
2	-	tiny beaded star	greenwaste bin
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- Beloved friends Bill, Jen, and Kestrel stopping by on their trip south
- meeting Leche the dog, large and quiet
- "Cast On" with Brenda Dayne

Time of Isolation - Day 2097