Tuesday tidbits

in which our plucky heroine continues crepuscularity...

It is another hot day - about 96°F on the front porch again this afternoon. Some really early morning Wellington walkies, and a bike ride afterwards for more dinner salad ingredients, but by 8am even though it was only a bit more than 70°F according to the outdoor thermometer it felt hotter. 

The only pleasant thing about my morning ride was the scent of linden and jasmine, which bloom around this time of year, and are floral scents that smell absolutely delicious. La Fermiere even makes a jasmine yogurt, though it is hard to find locally. I suspect that in France, jasmine ice cream might be a thing, and I have heard of, but never tried, linden flower tea...

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~ rabbit rabbit rabbit ~

May leaping luck follow you all throughout the month of July!

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Tonight, after sundown but before full dark, on my bike near the Max line, and the subtle colors lit with neon signs and strands of LED, combined with the passing train cars all illuminated made the neighborhood look like an anime film, almost Miyazaki-esque. Tiny bits of whimsical beauty.

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This scroll for my friend Raven has been a project of incremental almost infinitesimal progress, but is now as complete as I can make it. We first started talking about design ideas all the way back in 2021, and I first began the process of learning a new calligraphic hand and laying out the lettering in January of 2023. Between then and now there has been effort in fits and starts, and the further along in the process, the slower it seemed to go, as I got tangled up in worrying that I'd make some grievous error and need to start again, or other imposter syndrome stories... 

Finally there was an internal shift, reminding self that Done is Better Than Perfect, and that Comparison is the Thief of Joy. I do love doing scribal artwork, and nowadays more than ever need that meditative space where hand and eye and self intersect. There are, if my count is right, another four scrolls I've promised to folks, (plus a replacement scroll for Countess E, of the one that I made years ago, that was lost in the post) I intend to put in some amount of time each week on these, and will hold fast to savoring the incremental completion.

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I've been currently reading the web serial: Super Supportive. It is a very long book, so far up to chapter 226, and I have been reading like a madwoman the last few days. It is unexpectedly enjoyable, as it is and isn't my type of story preference. The writer does a really good job of world building, and there are enough descriptive bits of daily life to keep me happy. I don't usually enjoy "teens at school stories, but Alden's challenges, both inward and interpersonal, are fascinating rather than tedious. I can imagine the tale as a graphic novel, done in the style of Moebius

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

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

today's gratitudes -
- the scent of linden flowers
- a Scythian scroll completed, finally!!
- LED light strands make the neighborhoods look festive

Time of Isolation - Day 1807

Monday miscellany

in which our plucky heroine is tuckered out...

Staying up late last night and working like a madwoman was needful, despite not having the stamina of thirty or more years ago. And my project is a success, both in itself and to remind folks that I am not gone but just isolated. And a success to remind self that I can do complicated things, which ever bears repeating.

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~ 15½ hours... ~

The Laurel medallion I finished working on last night... with a complex two-sided setting that required much cogitation to fabricate, and the disc background under the blue enamel engraved and stamped with a charge from Laeriel's heraldry. This is what I do. The whole piece is 1½" (38mm) in diameter.

Since it needs to be at JuneFaire for her elevation on Saturday, it was most propitious that Mr Dawson was coming down here today and could hand carry it north to Olympia. This meant it need not be trusted to the tender mercies of the USPS, and could be then carried the rest of the way to the event by Elanor. I love it when our impromptu SCA courier crew works out.

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Always a treat to see my friend and colleague Bill, though the days we shared a studio space are decades past. He's always a font of fascinating information, and today, among other topics, I learned about "pine bark iron", one of the materials in his most recent set of inlaid spindle whorls. The texture on the reverse of the one made from that iron was like Ponderosa bark made tiny, (those trees being what we called "ice cream trees" when I was a child, for the sweet vanilla scent). 

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Long ago, there was soup made, but spell check translated "avgolemono" as "demonology" (which says something about common vocabulary?!?) and so it has been renamed in my lexicon. Nonetheless, it is a favorite simple meal. As I also wanted to bake a lemon cookie, which requires 1 egg yolk, the extra white was added to a second egg, and along with a cube of rice from the freezer and a heaping spoonful of "better than bouillon", dinner was ready in a trice. The cookie(s) baked while I was eating my soup, and now the kitchen is filled with a toasty lemony fragrance.

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	2 amanita softies	planted sprouty taters	yard waste bin
2	Laeriel enamel	dyed yarn brown	recycle bin
3	Laeriel setting	replace clothesline	danger bug
4	-	new smoke alarm battery	yard waste bin
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- demonology soup (avgolemono, according to spell check)
- gifts from Jen: Totoro origami, and a recipe from Kestrel
- a visit from Mr Dawson, with conversation and a hug
- many positive comments on social media (re my handiwork)

Time of Isolation - Day 1792

weekend wonderments

in which our plucky heroine pays attention...

Whilst riding my bike early this morning, saw Coyote being chased by a pair of crows across the park near Acorn Cottage. Felt like I'd fallen into a Charles DeLint tale...

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~ halfway there ~

The heraldic enamel Laurel cloisonné work is done, (after grinding away the four tiny air bubbles not visible last night, and re-firing this morning). Everything always takes longer than estimated or expected. Now to build the complex hexafoil setting, hope to have it completed tonight...

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The titanium soldering strips really made a difference in placing the bail and anchor loop, letting me angle the shaped setting and space the finding parts appropriately and easily. They are a good simple bit of technology that I've had for a while, but am still figuring out how best to use.

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~ time it was and what a time it was... ~

Dad was young, and I was even younger... I will never not miss you.

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	2 amanita softies	planted sprouty taters	yard waste bin
2	Laeriel enamel	dyed yarn brown	recycle bin
3	Laeriel setting	replace clothesline	danger bug
4	-	new smoke alarm battery	yard waste bin
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- seeing Coyote
- enamel turned out well
- titanium soldering strips

Time of Isolation - Day 1791

werk werk werk

in which our plucky heroine enjoys a reprieve...

This morning has my favorite weather pattern - "June Gloom", where the morning sky is grey and the air gentle and cool, which made my morning constitutional very pleasant indeed. Today will possibly stay that way all day, so my plan is to turn on Mr Hot, my venerable enameling kiln, and spend the day in the workroom Getting Stuff Done!

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~ and it's blueberries all the way down ~
>

not sure what went right that hasn't ever in the past, but there's more than a handful of unripe berries... Might need netting for protection later, 'cos our plucky heroine isn't the only one who likes blueberries!

A quick check of the backyard plantings, and there are more sugar snap peas coming on, and the smallest signs of tomato formation on Juliet's lowest blossoms. The potato greens keep growing, and I'll try to fill just a bit more mulch atop them before the pot is too full.  

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I'd pretty much given up on finding any more, but I found someone on Ebay selling three tubes of my best beloved hand cream, the one that keeps the skin on my paws from cracking, and doesn't smell horrible. Soon it will be in the post headed my way. This bit of slightly spendy self-indulgence will push back a little further in time the necessity of settling for a less functional bit of everyday body care. 

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~ just the start ~

Custom SCA Laurel regalia project. This is about 6+ hours into it so far (not including design prep time; am trying to do a better job of keeping track of how many hours each part of the process takes). Hoping to get the cloisonné enameling finished tonight (that may be a bit optimistic) so I can start building the complex setting tomorrow.

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	2 amanita softies	planted sprouty taters	yard waste bin
2	-	dyed yarn brown	recycle bin
3	-	replace clothesline	danger bug
4	-	new smoke alarm battery	yard waste bin
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- June Gloom is my favorite weather
- Sharpies are so useful! 
- denatured alcohol to remove sharpie ink
- finding my favorite discontinued hand cream on Ebay

Time of Isolation - Day 1789

Friday fragments

in which our plucky heroine blinks ...

"everything can change in the blink of an eye, so let the good times roll before we say goodbye..."*

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~ weighted branchlet ~

It is apparent to me that pears just want to grow straight up. The pear tree behind Rosehaven, when I lived on a hillside in Seattle, was tall enough to support a pulley clothesline out the second floor upstairs window. The pear tree in my next door neighbor's yard here is so tall that they have no access to the fruit.  Not only is our plucky heroine a devoted disciple of the "Grow A Little Fruit Tree" creed, but have been learning ways to modify the growth of young trees in various ways, not just by pruning.

In the photo above you can see how the weighted branchlet is not quite horizontal, while if you look closely in the background there are two unweighted branchlets growing vertically. By adding a weight to a new branch it stabilises closer to horizontal, which will encourage the eventual formation of fruiting buds rather than just vegetal growth. The new growth on the Bosc pear is still very tender, but attaching a soft rubber band to a hardware store nut makes a weight that can be looped over the branch without damage. It looks a bit odd, but once the branch growth sets, it can then be removed easily.

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I keep wanting to take a nap for a few hours in the middle of the afternoon, somewhere between 2:30 to around 4pm... is this normal? is this a sign of aging? of stress? or?? Once it gets to be actual summer, instead of sunny over 80°F (27°C) ostensibly "springtime", I will definitely turn crepuscular and nap away the hottest sunniest part of the days.

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Much productive communication back and forth with Laeriel and we have settled on a plan for her medallion. There is a voided quatrefoil stamp in my collection of tools, just about ⅛" wide, and by placing that in the center of the cross hatched background, we can reference her motif without all the faffing about with a green central enamel with gold outlines, and just use a clear transparent blue overall for the background. Her husband Wolfegar will be creating an etched backing plate for the setting, so this will be a collaborative piece of regalia. I am much relieved at the design change, as it will be much simpler to fabricate, and better show the diapered pattern.

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Internet Archive has an assortment of Grateful Dead concert recordings, and listening to Providence Civic Center/1974 while out for an evening bike ride was a real treat, if not as much of a treat as actually being there. (I don't actually remember which concert and what year Charlotte and I drove down from Boston to see them there, back in our younger days...)

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May SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	heraldic fern painted	added pea trellis	greenwaste bin
2	XP2 sun protection	planted Seckel pear tree	recycle bin
3	-	Juliet tomato planted	recycle bin
4	-	marigolds planted	-
5	-	pear branchlets weighted	-
6	-	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- nuts and bands: figured out a simply way to modify branchlet growth
- Internet Archive's collection of Grateful Dead concert recordings
- today's gratitudes - - nuts and bands: figured out a simply way to modify branchlet growth - Internet Archive's collection of Grateful Dead concert recordings - Past me got to hear a lot of great live music back in the 20th century...

Time of Isolation - Day 1754

* from: "The Bug", Dire Straits, Mark Knopfler

Friday fragments

in which our plucky heroine wakes up early...

This morning the sky was lemon yellow at 5:30am.  My plan for the month of May is outdoor daylight first thing, and preferably a walk as well. Cool outside in the early morning is pleasant, and I noticed that while tulips are ending, iris is beginning to flower...

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~ partially painted Pegasus ~

This week has, in part, been all about completing the heraldic painting project for Kateline and Dean. I've seriously underestimated the time something like this takes, which I will remember for future commissions. Have almost completed the final quarter, the demi-Pegasus. It is hard to see that what looks like grey in the photo is actually metallic silver paint, as my thought was that combining white with silver details and silver with white details would be effective. It really does show up well when the light hits it. The fern turned out quite well; my choice to outline all the foliage in black before filling it in with green really makes the leaves stand out. They remind me of the sort of botanical images one sees in some manuscripts.

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Helga came by this morning, bringing me bath tissue rolls from Costco that she kindly picked up for me. We had a bit of a chat about the various fruit trees, gardening, and overall health challenges. When looking at the persimmon in the parking strip, she was the first to spot the tiny future fruit, no bigger than my little fingernail, and as green as the new growth. We also noticed that the mystery apple next to the driveway, that bloomed for the first time ever this year, has a cluster of proto-apples.

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Sigh, did not manage to do string trimming today, it was too hot, and I was tired from getting up at daybreak. Might be able to do better tomorrow, as it is supposed to be cool and grey. I am going to log both morning daylight and daily string trimming in my BuJo, since I accidentally created an extra column on the page I record my daily health metrics. I know that ticky-boxes are a helpful tool, and my intent is to go on as I've begun.

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Our plucky heroine is much worried about the possibility that there will not be any effective safe COVID vaccines available this autumn, as there is much misinformation being promulgated from on high at the present.  My continued health depends on a combination of vaccination, isolation, and masking with a P100 mask when around people, since there is no external effort to create safer public spaces for less transmission of viruses. This is not the sort of timeline I'd hoped to spend my remaining years in; I don't even like reading dystopian fiction. (including this comment here as part of my own historical record of these unprecedented times... recent re-reading of my blog posts from the last five years has been most interesting, as a reminder of the many changes that have occurred both personal and social.)

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Month SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	heraldic fern painted	added pea trellis	greenwaste bin
2	-	-	recycle bin
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	-	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- the heraldic painting project is coming along nicely
- found a bit of scrap wire grating to use to start a trellis for the baby peas.
- faith is the ground, stubborn is the crop. I've faith in my determination to give my best effort, and my stubborness as a child is actually a strength.
- when attaching the trellis grating, I broke off two of the pea shoots and ate them, yum! I will be slightly thinning the peas, and eating the rest of the thinnings, pea shoots are delicious.

Time of Isolation - Day 1747

some scribal shenanigans

in which our plucky heroine had a go at something new...

~ Celtic style Pelican Scroll ~

This is the custom Pelican scroll that I worked on last month, for the 48 hour scribal challenge I've been mentioning. It was a bit of a stretch for me, both to return to scribal activity after quite a sabbatical, and to attempt a very different style than my beloved Gothic artwork. The challenge image for this year was "March Hare" and the challenge color was "heraldic Azure"...

I was inspired by Insular and Anglo-Saxon artwork and artifacts from the 9th to the middle of the 11th century. I decided that the best way to incorporate the "March Hare" theme would be to add interlaced running hares to the side borders of the scroll, and incorporated heraldic "Azure" by being sure to include plenty of blue gouache in the borders and backgrounds of the decoration, the hares will also either be blue, or on a blue background, when painted.

The scroll is made on a Bristol board backing, painted with Holbein gouache paint and calligraphed with Calli ink. I added a small amount of metallic golden Finetec mica paint as accents. These are all modern materials.

What has worked well for me on this scroll is that I was able to create a pleasing composition in a style I never attempted before. I was also able to figure out a new variation on Roman Rustic calligraphy appropriate to the period, based on the Stone of Odda. In addition I was also particularly inspired by some of the minor imagery in the Book of Kells, and by various Anglo Saxon garnet jewelry.

In the future, I will return to my former practice of seeking out specific pages of manuscripts to use as my exemplars, and writing down where I found my ideas. In this case, I did not do so, and I sorely regret my lack of good documentation. I think this piece would have benefited by being made on Perg rather than Bristol, and will attempt that in the future.

The new to me thing I did was to use pictures of an existing artifact, The Odda Stone, as a source for the calligraphic hand on this scroll. The carved stone, which dates from the middle of the 11th C, has an inscription in Latin lettering. Since that hand is similar to Roman Rustic, which I recently learned, I was able to adapt my writing to this new variation. The other new thing I learned in my reading was that the Book of Kells used line-fillers. Those small graphics have always been a favorite of mine, and I did not know that they were used so early on. Therefore I added those to this scroll as well, where needed.

Sources I looked at for inspiration:
"Odda Stone" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Odda_Stone.jpg)

The Book of Kells"; Bernard Meehan; Thames and Hudson; 1994
 

"The Golden Age of Anglo-Saxon Art"; ed. Janet Backhouse, DH Turner, Leslie Webster; British Museum Publications Ltd; 1984

  .... 
A celtic style Pelican, and the heraldry of the recipient
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May SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	4 tiny books	half front yard mowed	yard waste bin
2	10 tiny books	more front yard mowed	recycle bin
3	-	replace cloudlight bulb	dead rosemary
4	-	clean large paper lantern	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. The KAMsnaps setting tool is sized such that even my wee paws will be able to use it. This is very much not always so!!
2. The new house stepladder arrived today, and it makes a huge difference in what I can reach, for obvious reasons. While it doesn't feel quite as secure as my lower one, the extra foot of height means I can easily reach the ceiling in the main part of the house, and actually, if not quite so easily, reach the ceiling in the workroom
3. I was able to cut away the dead portions of the rosemary, which fortunately was only about half the entire shrub.

Time of Isolation - Day 1398

Friday folderol

in which our plucky heroine is getting things done...

Taxes paperwork and copies are done, money orders acquired and ready to be mailed out on Monday. Yay me!

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~ flora ~

When I lived at Mud Bay, the wild variety of these grew along the roadside... here at Acorn Cottage they grow here and there in neighbors yards. I love them either way...

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This weekend is the Sixth 48hr An Tir Backlog Scroll Competition. As I have finished my taxes, I am going ahead with participation in this challenge. I never actually finish a scroll in 48 hours, because I must needs take care of myself and the needs of the body for food, rest, cleaning, and movement. But I am excited to be trying a different period and style than my former (and still favorite) Book of Hours/Gothic period. I have two goals for this challenge, always... to stretch my skills and learn new things, and to have fun. In addition, this time I am hoping to jump start my participating in SCA scribal activity again. My recipient "wants to be surprised", and my hope is that they will be happy with my efforts when they eventually receive the finished artwork...

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Today was warm, warm enough that I went out for my bike ride without my canvas coat, though still in multiple layers. This weekend I really need to start putting in some time with the string trimmer, the lawn is becoming scary shaggy!

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April SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	tiny angora print	computer zone lamp	persimmon prunings
2	5th God bag	blog template	forsythia prunings
3	-	grey turtleneck collar	-
4	-	indigo bunny art	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. Taxes paperwork and copies are done, money orders acquired and ready to be mailed out on Monday. Yay me!
2. New Seasons had pint punnets of organic strawberries on sale for ½ price! I forsee some strawberry rhubarb sauce put up in jars soon...
3. walked over 3 miles today.

Time of Isolation - Day 1377

a few springtime flowers and other bits

in which our plucky heroine girds her loins...

Despite that arithmetic is not my jam, my intention is to have all the assorted taxes paperwork completed by the end of the day on Thursday. Though it isn't actually due, and won't be mailed out, until Monday.

Why Thursday?... because this weekend is the Sixth 48hr An Tir Backlog Scroll Competition. I am hoping to use that impetus to give a bit of a jump start to getting back into spending some time every week on scribal arts.

Why scribal arts? Because when I spend time doing that, I stretch my creativity, I find it to be the best sort of meditative recreation, and because it is a way for me to have some connection to the SCA despite being safely socially isolated. While it was more fun when I could attend in person scribal social nights in the Before Times, folks still appreciate having handmade wall art inspired by the manuscripts and artifacts of the past

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~ plum blossoms ~

The plum thicket in the yard is still covered in these splendid white blossoms. A cursory look at the apple tree shows there are unopened flower buds just turning pink at the tips, same for the quinceling. Fingers crossed for a good fruit crop this year.

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This morning a loud buzzing in the front yard, turned out to my delight, to be not one but two bumblebees! And there was also an unexpected bright red tulip in the garden bed. It is odd how things show up in the yard from time to time I surely did not plant! I know I once planted a lovely dark near black tulip, which bloomed once and never showed up again. I never planted the pink violets which carpet a lot of the front garden bed, and the blue wood hyacinths were here when I arrived, but where did the one white variant in the parking strip come from? and so forth...

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April SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	tiny angora print	computer zone lamp	-
2	5th God bag	blog template	-
3	-	grey turtleneck collar	-
4	-	indigo bunny art	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -  
1. I found a (very old) jar of salt pickled lemon in the back of the fridge... and just a bit of that chopped finely was a great flavor addition to the cheese sauce I made for the chicken/rice noodles/bok choy that was dinner.
2. I was able to scan and share some info from a long out of print but Very Useful book/pamphlet. Took a while for me to figure out/remember how to get the scanning function to work, but it did, eventually, and I was able to save the image as a PDF for ease in access. Three people wanted the information!
3. printed out more pages for tiny Gashleycrumb Tinies, since I recently thought of a few more folks that need a copy.

Time of Isolation - Day 1374

some Saturday snippets

in which our plucky heroine continues incremental improvement...

I skipped the intended pruning Saturday, as I noticed that the weather forecast was for two days of possible rain this week, which would be lovely for me, but not for the plums. I will try and get a bit more done on the apple pruning instead, which are not as sensitive to rain. Also today was even hotter than yesterday, and I just was feeling too tired.

Instead, I decided to use blue tape to repattern my Alabama Chanin cardigan, as I want to make another one. I seem to have lost my TNT cardigan pattern, and rather than tear the house apart trying to find it, decided that duplicating the pattern from the existing garment would be less time consuming. Indeed, the first taping only took about an hour or so to complete and transfer onto some scrap paper. Next I will smooth out any irregularities, true the seams, and stitch up a quick toile using some leftover jersey to make certain the pattern does what I want it to. This felt like the perfect way to start my morning, before making up some breakfast and sitting down at the computer for the fortnightly Sewing Nomads meeting... It was a real treat to return, and to hear about everything my online friends have been doing in the last month while I was absent!

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"A library in the middle of a community is a cross between an emergency exit, a life raft and a festival. They are cathedrals of the mind; hospitals of the soul; theme parks of the imagination. On a cold, rainy island, they are the only sheltered public spaces where you are not a consumer, but a citizen, instead."

this essay "Libraries: Cathedrals of Our Souls" is well worth reading! and brings to my mind the Anne Herbert quote (from The Next Whole Earth Catalog, 1980)  "Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no libraries."

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Having finished hemming the rainbow linen veil, today I cut out the rainbow wool plaid to make the panova and/or shoulder shawl, and decided to use some pretty jacquard woven blue silk (salvaged from a bins find) to narrow bind the edges. It will be fun to eventually have some FAFO clothing for SCA wear, even if I am not able to go to events right now. The handwork keeps me sane, and I can share photos online.

(this is the rainbow wool fabric, ignore the floss)
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Still working on getting the tinyprint blocks set up for actual printing. They are so very small, that I am going to use them more like rubber stamps. I found a scrap of wood that was close to the right size, and cut little ¾" cubes, which once I sand off the rough edges will be epoxied to the back of the blocks. Then I can hold them to apply the printing ink and not simultaneously ink up my fingers! Stay tuned for further developments...

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August SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	bed socks	driveway window cleaned	recycle bin
2	more bed socks	eye flannels edged	recycle bin
3	feather linocut	bathroom scale pad	yard waste bin
4	sunhat toile	some apple pruned	Ailanthus
5	fungi linocut	hemmed rainbow gauze veil	yard waste bin
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

todays gratitudes-
1. my Sewing Nomads pals! Just like having TNT sewing pattern, the best thing ever is to have TNT sewing companions.
2. little Kestrel really liked the origami dragons I sent her, and I got to talk with her about what sort of clothing she would like made from the Spoonflower kestrel and Totoro fabrics.
3. video with my Mud Bay pals... I got to see the sunhat toile I made for Cathy, as she was wearing it, and we discussed how it needs to be changed to work even better, plus it is always a treat to see Jen and Kestrel.

Time of Isolation - Day 1157

Tuesday tidbits

in which our plucky heroine maintains forward momentum...

My hand is improved enough that I can manage to use it for delicate work, though not yet for anything requiring strength. Some house chores are getting done.

I made a wonderful (if incidentally vegetarian) lasagna a few days ago - used up spinach I had steamed (chopped small) and some rehydrated dried shitaki (also chopped small and then sauteed with onion) as inner layers, along with cheese and my homemade tomato sauce. I usually add some cooked chopped meat or sausage, but all the meat is buried some ways down in the freezer, and I didn't want to try and rummage around with one hand. The mushrooms served the same function albeit with a different flavor profile, and I will definitely remember to try this combination again!

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~ outdoor views ~

This is the underside of a lovage seed head... The plant itself is pretty architectural, the blossom stalks are taller than I am. I planted it for the taste of the leaves, which occasionally are used in soups and stews etc. It is a stronger version of the celery flavor, and since it is perennial, I will probably have it forever, which form of  "celery self sufficiency" was my intention. (While the seeds can be pickled, and were so in Roman times, the one time I tried it I didn't end up using them. Maybe next year I will try again and see if they would work well similar to capers?)

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So very happy that my pal Tamra came over here on Monday in the middle of the day to cut back my shaggy yard. She did yeoman service in making the backyard passable again, which was not an easy task. The yard is not flat, and parts had been neglected since early spring. Now I have access to do needed pruning, and cut back the things that the string trimmer couldn't tackle, and prune back the apple tree, and hack away at the Feral Rosebushes so they don't hack away at me, and suchlike. She also cut the grass in the south side yard, I can now get to the quince and the plum to keep them pruned back as well. I will have to think of something really nice to do for her, since she did such a nice thing for me!

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~ regalia - it is what I make ~

I've been working every day on this current Pelican medallion, which must needs completed before the event this weekend. Grateful that my bruised hand is continuing to recover enough that I can work. Today I am beginning to build the pendant setting for this piece, slowly and carefully. Another few hours and it will be completed, the enamel set, and the whole thing polished and packed for travel...

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Sometimes I feel like my writing here is becoming very boring, but this blog is after all a somewhat attenuated record of my everyday life, which is purposely not terribly exciting. I am continuing to do most of the various things in my life, albeit slowly.

It sort of alarms me when my "things made" column is empty, so completing the current enamel was a bit of a relief. I'm thinking that one of the four other enamels waiting for me to build their settings might be better need to be redone, as the background is looking like it might crack, which would be a disaster were it to happen once it leaves my studio. It would be another two or three days work to redo the enamel, but that time is well worth it compared to harming my good name.

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Pelican enamel	many apples thinned	recycle bin
2	-	grapevines cut back	-
3	-	backyard mowed	-
4	-	side yard mowed	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. cool mornings, and waking up early so I can enjoy them
2. My pal Tamra who went way above and beyond to mow my yard
3. pruning the sage plant is a way to enjoy the delightful scent... it isn't finished yet though, because I don't want to remove the parts that are still flowering, because bumblebees!

Time of Isolation - Day 1114

Friday fragments

in which our plucky heroine does her best...

Sometimes incremental progress is really incremental indeed. That said, I am moving forward bit by bit on my enameling work, as well as in textilia projects, and housey chores...

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I've been working on yet another Pelican medallion, somehow summertime is when this sort of regalia is most in demand... I rather wish it was more needed in the winter, when turning on the kiln was a treat. (1300 to 1500°F really warms up the workroom)

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Textilia updates: I have been steadily stitching one square of the Moody Blues patchwork every day. Only a few more squares and the top of the coverlet will be complete. It will be a pretty change to have it as a warm weather bed covering. 

More than half of the rainbow tablet weaving is completed, and soon it will be time to decide how best to use that, as a headband or as a hatband on a simple headdress.

The rainbow linen gauze cowl is complete; with all the edges and seams handstitched. It turned out to be fairly easy to remove enough weft threads from the edge of the fabric to be able to stitch the edges with some of the same linen, and the linen itself is of good enough quality that it held up well to such use. I've chosen (for now) to not add little tassels to the edges as I just couldn't figure out what color(s) would work well, and can always go back and add them if a better idea occurs to me in the future...

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I was poking around online to see if I could find any way to make a really smooth-textured hummus. I've been removing the skins on the canned garbanzo beans already, but it still is sort of more "chunky" than I prefer. One recipe I found said that a ten minute simmer with ½ tsp of baking soda would make a big difference. I figured it couldn't hurt, so I gave it a try... lo and behold, it really softened up the canned beans, and the resulting hummus was the best textured I have yet made. Using the Soom tahini also made a big difference in improving the flavor. I wish I'd had some fresh lemon and fresh garlic, but needs must use what is on hand, and I am grateful for bottled juice and garlic granules... The hummus will make a nice lunch for the next several days, particularly combined with some salad and the gluten-free flatbread I recently made (still need to figure out how to cook that on the stovetop without burning the pan, as both the cast iron griddle (that I used the first time, and a heavy steel frying pan (that I used the second time) both ended up with carbonised surfaces that needed much elbow grease to return to useable condition

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It has been a rough week in the lower spine, and I just haven't felt like checking in here. I have been doing various stretches in addition to my PT exercises, and my back  is very slightly better than a week ago, but only slightly... Hopefully my next acupuncture visit will help.

There have also been all sorts of paperwork confusions with renewing my prescriptions, despite they are things I have been using for many years now. Each day I either talk to the pharmacy or to my primary care doctor office and get told something different each time. It is really frustrating. I hope it gets sorted out before I run out of medication completely.

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	some quilt squares	tea rose temperature	rose and grapevines
2	tinyprint fox	partial backyard mown	some grass
3	arm protectors	Acantha cereal bowl	some more grass
4	moar quilt squares	tie dye scarf	recycle bin
5	tinyprint fan	white horse print frame	yard waste bin
6	denim daypack	rewarp rainbow Laurel	yard waste bin
7	yet more patchwork	x	recycle bin
8	rainbow cowl	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. improved hummus texture hack
2. a slightly reorganised pantry... I was able to put away about half the wayward canned goods, and my kitchen countertops are a lot more clear. I've also a better idea of what is in the pantry, and therefore what I do or don't need to can up this autumn.
3. Despite stupid levels of pain, I've managed to do some work, and also do small things that unfuck my habitat, each day this week.

Time of Isolation - Day 1104

not quite totally miserable Monday

in which our plucky heroine is weary...

I don't understand why my SI joint hates me so much. I had a very helpful acupuncture session and massage a week ago, which gave me complete relief for a very short while and put everything back where it belongs, but the hour+  car ride home did me in and I was in terrible pain again by the time I was back at Acorn Cottage. I don't know what an actual solution would look like. I have assorted Salves of Anodyne to apply to my back, PT exercises to attempt, hot and/or cold packs, formerly helpful stretches and so forth. This time there was absolutely no reason for my SI to secede from the rest of my body, it just stopped cooperating three weeks ago. Sleep is very difficult, work is difficult. Sitting down is the worst of all, and I cannot spend all my time standing, walking, and riding my bicycle.

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I've been distracting myself by imagining all that would be involved in creating "my perfect kitchen". Writing it all down, it isn't quite a huge a set of changes as I had imagined, though still well beyond my current resources. And that has also led me to imagining what sorts of things I could do to move incrementally towards that kind of space. I could get a better wall phone. I could find or create a floorcloth to cover the burned places, even if re-flooring is not an option now. I could paint the upper cabinet doors. and I could certainly give away all the assorted kitchen gear that I am not using and am not likely to ever use.

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~ in the creativity corral... ~

Switched out the grey background on the tablet weaving for black. It seems a better choice, at least enough to continue weaving the Laurel headband. Slowly continuing to make progress on the Moody Blues patchwork coverlet top. Only one long row of squares left to piece, then it will be time to cut out a whole lot of bias strips for the edging, and attach the layers together. Later tonight will be one or two more tinyprints, and in a day or two, making a toile of the sunhat for Cathy, so I can send it up to Mud Bay for her to try on.  I also received confirmation and a deposit for an additional Pelican medallion, with a very short timeline of two weeks, so need to get moving on that one right away.

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	some quilt squares	tea rose temperature	rose and grapevines
2	tinyprint fox	partial backyard mown	some grass
3	arm protectors	Acantha cereal bowl	some more grass
4	moar quilt squares	tie dye scarf	recycle bin
5	tinyprint fan	white horse print frame	yard waste bin
6	denim daypack	rewarp rainbow Laurel	yard waste bin
7	x	x	recycle bin
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. the enamel I ordered arrived, with a lagniappe of some millifiori discs
2. switching out the grey warp for black was less difficult than I feared
3. an new regalia commission, for someone I admire

Time of Isolation - Day 1100

more steps back than forward

in which our plucky heroine is flummoxed ...

Normally when I use this weaving draft, I have the "vine and leaves" be basically one value, and the background be either much lighter or much darker. So, today I learned why my instinctual choices are, in this case, absolutely correct

I had the intention of creating a tablet-woven rainbow Laurel headband... My current attempt, however, is not being successful. Too much hue and value contrast within the "rainbow" (yellow is really light and blue is almost black visually) and it is difficult/impossible to separate the rainbow leaves from the grey background, and the whole thing looks quite colorful, but unidentifiable as a Laurel wreath

Not sure where to go from here, but it sure doesn't feel like spending additional time on this makes sense, with hours of sunk time-cost in setting up for weaving already gone. I am going to try switching the background to black, as that will allow me to salvage the already cut and threaded cards, with only replacing the grey with black required.

I may also try changing out the vivid yellow for a softer color, and the too-dark blue for one that is just a little lighter. I do wish that it was possible to purchase DMC heavy pearl cotton locally, but will make do with whatever embroidery floss I have on hand instead. I miss the Before Times, and I miss the grand old now long gone Fabric Depot, with their myriad aisles of not just fabric, but all sorts of haberdashery. It is eversomuch easier to pick colors when the whole range is visible, and various combinations can be judged for how they interact.

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	some quilt squares	tea rose temperature	rose and grapevines
2	tinyprint fox	partial backyard mown	some grass
3	arm protectors	Acantha cereal bowl	some more grass
4	moar quilt squares	tie dye scarf	recycle bin
5	tinyprint fan	white horse print frame	yard waste bin
6	denim daypack	x	yard waste bin
7	x	x	recycle bin
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. I am alive
2. cool enough in the middle of the night so I can cool the house in the early morning
3. many suggestions for ways to improve weaving

Time of Isolation - Day 1099

unexpected rainbows

in which our plucky heroine is surprised...

Today I managed to walk over to the pharmacy to pick up medication, and whilst walking back home, noticed that the art store had a tent setup outside the store with "Demo Today - Tie-Dye!" on a sign.... I had forgotten that this was going to happen this weekend, and once I dropped the meds at home, speedily returned on my bike with a piece of undyed linen and an Indian blockprinted voile headscarf that was mostly white... Spent some time dyeing, they were wrapped up in plastic so I could bring them home, and after 24 hours have passed, late tomorrow I will be able to rinse out the dye, remove the rubber bands, and unfold them to see what sort of effects were created. I love the anticipation...

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A bit of effort every day for quite a while, and my denim daypack is finished. I am right pleased with the results, and hope it will prove as durable as my black Eames daypack I made back in April of 2019. Decorative patch created by Cada Johnson, day pack adapted from the Range Backpack pattern by Noodlehead.

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I hate it when my body does this, gets stuck in pain mode and interferes with my ability to move about in the world. It hurts the least when I am standing up and walking around. Transitioning from standing to sitting or lying down, or just sitting, or just lying down are dreadful. Riding my bike is bearable, and feels like is is almost doing gentle ROM exercise. Mostly I hate that I don't know why, and that scares me, and always makes me wonder if it is cancer somehow returned and attacking my bones instead of my now missing uterus. I will never be free of that fear, until I am no longer in the bright world.(and lack of sleep doesn't help with my mental equilibrium at all)

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~ FAFO fragments ~

A small Viking-esque festoon made from a combination of amythest beads and some faux granulated beads, to be worn with my FAFO/Pride Viking Age set of clothing, at some unspecified future date. This is my nod towards adding a bit of purple accent color...

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	some quilt squares	tea rose temperature	rose and grapevines
2	tinyprint fox	partial backyard mown	some grass
3	arm protectors	Acantha cereal bowl	some more grass
4	moar quilt squares	-	recycle bin
5	tinyprint fan	-	yard waste bin
6	denim daypack	x	yard waste bin
7	x	x	recycle bin
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes - 
1. serendipitous art demo of the rainbow tie-dye variety
2. delicious Soom tahini from my friend Jenna made the most excellent baba ganoosh.
3. a precious few random moments today when the pain abated

Time of Isolation - Day 1091