Monday microclimates

in which our plucky heroine sees signs of spring...

It might be a bit early, though winter has been greatly remiss in sending us cold, rain, (or even snow) Today the temperature on the front porch was 72°F (22°C), warm enough to be out riding my bike without cardigan or jacket... scattered here and there were cherry blossoms, even saw a star magnolia in full flower, as well as daffodils, crocus, and anemone. Here at Acorn Cottage, the snowdrops are mostly done, but aside from rosemary and the long lasting hellebore, the only things almost flowering is euphorbia. There are tiny tiny leaf buds on the quince, and before too long, it will be necessary to take the string trimmer to the grass, which has been gradually becoming more and more shaggy all winter.

Today was all about making some progress on quite a few various projects, but nothing is yet completed. Icelandic cardigan pieces pinned together, another few letters on the resepei embroidery, pillow sham pieces laid out and cut to size, found the right size drill bits for the heraldic brooch rivets, 

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~ day 61 ~

Standing in my kitchen making breakfast, and realised that I'd not yet drawn my beloved hand forged iron pot rack! It was made by my friend Heidi in exchange for my stepping in at the last minute to sew her Viking era wedding dress when her seamstress bailed. My dear friend Bill made the set of hanging hooks, and helped me attach the rack to the wall framing above the stove. (yes, I know more than one blacksmith, and in fact know at least four more in addition to the two mentioned above, including one who was a winner on the early "Forged In Fire" show...)

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the BIG herringbone fabric (Ikea curtains from Beth and Karen)... it was a pleasant surprise today when I held it up against my shirts and dresses in natural daylight, it is a significantly better color than it looked under artificial light... still a bit more pale than my usual preference, but definitely in the right indigo color family; a pinafore made from it will have many friends in my wardrobe

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I participate in a weekend online group where one of the members gives a short talk  and then we discuss the topic presented. If no one volunteers, the other option is to watch a short video. As yours truly really does not prefer video as a mode of learning, I have been trying to volunteer at least once each quarter. The first time was really scary, but as I have been doing this on and off for some time now, it has become challenging but not too difficult. Now I mostly struggle to figure out some topic on which I have both experience and enthusiasm, that would also be of interest to folks who are distant from my various venn diagram demographics. This one seemed to be appealing, since it got quite a few votes when we were selecting topics for the coming quarter. I will be presenting it in May, and by then my current actual 100 day drawing challenge will have been completed...

Objects of Affection - a 100 day drawing challenge

100 day challenges are a useful way to explore activities and/or to develop new habits. This particular challenge combines noticing various things that we appreciate in our surroundings, and taking a short time each day to draw them. This is not a challenge about being a "good artist" but rather a way to encourage the hand eye connection, a type of human interface that is often neglected in our education and lives. This challenge requires only curiousity, functional hands, fifteen or less minutes a day, and extremely minimal supplies (index cards and a pencil). The small size and simple materials make the project less "precious", making it more accessible. Needing to find a new "object of affection" each day turns this challenge into a different form of gratitude meditation, which is one of the ways I have found it very valuable.

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~ alteration and repair ~

After chatting with Beth and Karen about various ways to refurbish handknits, the old Icelandic cardigan sitting in the closet called out to return to service. It was Dad's, I think a souvenir of one of their many trips while he was in Germany working for Erno on the European branch of the space shuttle. It has always been much too long in the torso for me, so my current plan is to remove quite a bit of the center of the body, then graft the upper and lower parts together .

Before that could begin, it was necessary to remove the crocheted button bands; fortunately the center front steek had been reinforced with machine sewing. Once I marked the upper and lower future edges to graft using cotton yarn as a sort of lifeline, I first unraveled the lower edge from the cardigan. I tried pinning it in place where measurements would likely place it, but for some reason it wasn't as level as would be ideal. I shall need to lower the back edge somewhat, curving the grafted edge to create the equivalent of short rows. It will be a challenge. Once the body of the cardigan is better fitted to my short round self, I will add new button bands, probably with multiple rows of I-cord, and reuse the original cast pewter buttons. 

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March 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 -
- warm enough to be out without a jacket
- the three holes in the icelandic cardigan I am refurbishing were not moth holes, but rather spots where the color change of the yarn had come undone and therefore let the stitches drop
- simple tasty steamed veggies for dinner 

Time of Isolation - Day 2062

a rare remembering from the dreamlands when awakening... moving into still green water pond edges swimming with a man and a dog companions newly met across to open maze edges waterweed rough coated dog like a deerhound and man hair all spikey no fear explore?? woke up thinking that was Very Odd indeed. Water in the dreamlands is usually both active and dangerous, and this reminded me more of the pond out past DeCordova decades ago where John and I went skinny dipping, the whole being equally weedy and nowhere deeper than my shoulders. Also dreamland folks are rarely so benign. 'Twas much better than waking up from a nightmare...

one two three many

in which our plucky heroine does assorted handwork...

Well really, no surprise there... the projects change, but as long as my hands and eyes and skills hold out, that activity is a given.

In the last day or so I finished the appliqued tiger pocket, which when attached to the front bodice, completed the new pinafore.

The old calligraphy felt markers served okay to do a bit of lettering, as getting back to scribal practice has been on the wishlist for some time now. Might refurbish and set up the slant board on the dining table which would also helpfully preclude said table from becoming a clutter nexus.

And of course, couldn't resist putting in a bit of time on the resipei embroidery, that only needs another two lines and a bit more of the text finished. Another week of random effort on that project and it will be time to figure out how to effectively frame it.

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~ so many... ~

Just a partial overview of some of the now just over 50 sketches... Whenever it seems that there might not be enough objects of my affection, my eye falls on something else that lifts my spirits and inspires my pencil. By the time this 100 day challenge is complete, it will be springtime. The drawing and noticing, and remembering associated stories is a pleasure, a form of gratitude meditation in it's own way.

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Last night sleep was not particularly restful, as there was more than one bad dream. On waking finally into the actual daytime, the difference between nightmare and bad dream was particularly specific. Awakening from a nightmare, it is necessary to be sure that one is actually in the Bright World, even if it is not daytime. Turning on lights, sometimes even turning on the radio, and reading something both absorbing and peaceful (a Laurie Colwin cookbook is ideal) are necessary. We will not mention how much of the bright world itself has become nightmare fuel. Last night wasn't quite as bad as that, as it was mostly about being lost in the industrial wastes of the Dreamlands, about taking the wrong bus and being let off in places where other beings were either missing or purposefully unhelpful. Far too much metal fencing, barbed wire, cracked glass and abandoned buildings, this was a part of the Dreamlands I rarely go. Still better by far than the purposeful horrors, but it would have been helpful to have found allies.

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~ more is better ~

I've had this knit top for several years now, with the unusual split front collar inspired by one that CCL made. While I like variety, it has not become a favorite, as if it is cold enough to want to wear, it doesn't keep my neck as warm as a standard turtleneck. As I already had the teal cotton/lycra jersey ready to cut out a pair of long janes for my next sewing project, the thought occurred that there was no reason not to also cut out a second layer standard turtleneck collar and attach it inside the first one. Should be much warmer now, and looks as if it was meant to be made that way from the beginning

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Between the rain, saw a number of goldfinches in the ornamental plum tree in the front yard. They don't live here, and are just passing through, but oh the males are so delightfully bright. I first noticed they were here today when I saw one of the females, a much more dull greenish brownish color, but very obviously not a junco...

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	plaid flannel shirt	rice bags	greenwaste bin
2	23 postcards	INTERNET!!	recycle bin
3	teal linen pinafore	hydration station	greenwaste bin
4	bedroom shelves	grey felt slipper	recycle bin
5	tiger pocket	teal turtleneck	greenwaste bin
6	-	x	-
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- a tasty experiment with rice paper, beaten egg, and shrimps
- noting the difference between bad dream and nightmare
- Cara Cara oranges
- more than enough teal cotton lycra jersey fabric
- two little oil filled radiators

Time of Isolation - Day 2053

baby bears chair and other miscellany

in which our plucky heroine makes plans...

There are eversomany projects here that need done or that would be desirable. The next few days I'd like to finish the flannel shirt, and finish sampling the raincoat toggle spacing (for my personal projects) and finish the tiny bezels for the Babs brooch project... Maybe find the tarp pieces intended to bridge the gap between the porch and the walkway; getting that built will be very helpful.

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~ the past brought forward ~

This small Chinese rug holds some of my very early memories. It was originally my Nana's, possibly a wedding gift a hundred years ago, and now warms the floor next to my bed, one of the few objects salvaged after my parents demise that made it here to Acorn Cottage. The colors are vivid yet subtle, and looking at it carefully to draw it today, I also was surprised to see that some of its shapes and patterns that still reverberate in my own artwork. 

This is the only sewing machine I purchased new. Prior to this Bernette 330, once I left living with my parents, I had assorted machines from yard sales or thrift stores, none good enough to put money into repairing them when they broke down. I have been using this machine for almost 40 years now, and while it isn't fancy, it is wonderfully reliable, and has sewn everything I've asked it to, from a canvas tent to lightweight lingerie. Past Me was clever enough to buy a walking foot for the machine at the same time, and that attachment is in use several times a year at the very least

The furniture in my home comes from four different places... there are a few pieces that I've had all my life, two small bookcases and two chests of drawers, all rather battered by now, but full of memory. I believe they were bought from one of those "unfinished furniture" stores back in the 50's and furbished by my dad. I have a fair amount of "Ivar" and various other solid wood pieces from IKEA. I have a table, several small shelves and most especially my wooden bedframe that were handmade by friends. 

However, at least half of the furnishings here at Acorn Cottage are vintage or salvage of some kind. When I found this chair at the local resale shop, I could tell it was something special, firstly because it was just my size. Most chairs are too tall, and the seats are too deep for my petite self. On closer examination, the graceful shaping, and the beautiful through wedges of the legs were very worthy of notice. It had at that time a label on the back of the back rung that said "Ercol", a manufacturer uncommon here that I was not familiar with. I feel lucky to have found this unexpectedly affordable gem in a shop where it was not appreciated. It is my favorite chair.

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The switch to my bedside lamp stopped working on Monday.  I headed out yesterday to the hardware store in hope that they might have a replacement switch. Fortunately, they did. In the process of taking the lamp all the way apart to replace the broken switch, I noticed that the harp framework that holds the shade to the light socket was falling to pieces, with three of the four welds broken.

While I have a lot of skills, welding steel isn't one of them. But I do have a useful assortment of chemical bonding agents aka glue. It seemed like a good job for "Milliput", a very superior sort of epoxy putty, and that proved to be the case. After mixing up a tiny batch, I used it to sandwich the broken pieces together in the correct position, and after a few hours the putty set stone hard, and once the lamp was reassambled, it was back in service.

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Our winter weather is being odd. Nowhere near as much rain as would be ideal, and not as cold as previous years, though still plenty cold enough for wooly cardigans and layered leggings. And, as we head towards February, the patch of snowdrops in the front yard are blooming, and I saw two honeybees busy there.

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Today I happened to see a newspaper, a NYT business section lying on the table at the floral counter of the grocery store. The headline was something like "Gold tops $5000/oz". Of course I had to look more closely, for while I don't use gold, I have been using silver in my metalwork for many years. Probably not so much going forward, since silver too has skyrocketed in price. A few months ago it was under $30/oz, but it is now over $100/oz! I don't ever keep metal on hand, but only purchase just enough for a project if a client commissions me and pays a deposit, because silver has always been volatile in price, but in all my many years, I have never seen fluctuations or prices like this. I suspect I shall have to learn a new way to work, for the most part without silver. This will create serious technical challenges, as enamel behaves differently and changes colors depending on the substrate. 

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	final alphabeast drawing	painted mini tree	recycle bin
2	calendar master pages	new bin for  cedar shakes	orangeflower water
3	5+ jars fig mostarda	drawstring cords	large broken bin
4	page 2 resipei	workbench tidy	2 bags paper
5	-	bedside lamp	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

Monday's gratitudes -
- a beautiful Chinese rug that graces my bedside floor
- a very tasty Thai dinner
- Mikki is patient and kind

Tuesday's gratitudes - 
- finding out what is probably causing my tech trouble, and incidentally also finding out it is NOT my laptop
- early bedtime
- unexpectedly saw Helga at the grocery store, and she was able to give me my eye drops from Costco.

Wednesday's gratitudes -
- one major admin task is finally completed
- got over 8 hours of sleep due to early bedtime last night
- found some tiny alder cones for the miniature trinket shelves

Time of Isolation - Day 2029

keep on keeping on

in which our plucky heroine struggles...

it is hard to feel as if my isolated handcrafty life has any relevance in this world of deepening horror, but I am determined to not let despair swallow me. If we give up, they win.

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~ daily drawings ~

day 23 - Shrek's Ears miniature live succulent; just the right scale for a specimen plant in the tinyworld... it is now about two inches tall, having doubled in size since my pal Karen gave it to me. I drilled a hole in the bottom of the tiny ceramic condiment dish to turn it into a planter. 

day 24 - a lampwork necklace of beads made for me by Ariadne in various assorted designs: smaller beads in turquoise and cream, some with trailed feathering or dots and several larger focal beads with raised and flat dotted patterns, more elaborate feathering, and one very long thin oval with multiple feathered stripes. 

day 25 - small but pleasing, this Japanese (sewing) tape measure feels good in the hand, and sees almost daily use here

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Only a little sewing progress this weekend, but I did notice that while I didn't actually mirror the sleeve pieces, they are only about ⅛" off from each other, I suspect that I might be the only one to notice, once the shirt is done. Looking forward to making a sample sleeve placket next.

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While sorting out and putting away "Richard Scarrys Great Big Bucket O Beads"(TM) which I had unpacked all over the worktable seeking possible tiny bits for a not yet finished tinyworld project, I saw these teardrop shaped beads that were an interesting turquoise/light brown irridescent glass... which reminded me that of my pair of earrings made from some vintage acorn charms that combined a textured metal bead cap with a round bright green glass bead. I never wore them, as while I have an assortment of acorn and oak leaf earrings, in this case the shape only vaguely resembled an acorn, and bright green is not one of my wardrobe colors... 

However, these teardrop beads are a great coordinate for the teal and chocolate brown colors of the current wardrobe sewing I'm doing, and the shape was much more acorn evocative. It took longer for me to unearth some headpins than it did to disassemble and reassemble the earrings. I suspect they will be in regular rotation as an accessory now.

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I'm not sure what to do about my tech troubles, as it is unclear what the cause(s?) are. Video chat with my friends has become, in the last few years, a vital tool to maintain my sanity. And recently, as in the last several weeks or so, it has gone from occasional glitches of video or audio, to being almost unuseable, particularly the video transmission, in both directions.

At first it was just Zoom, but now it is also other platforms I've been trying as alternatives. The occasional glitches one becomes used to, when a message pops up that says "your internet is unstable", but now I can't share my video from the laptop at all, though I can see other people most of the time. Sometimes I can share video from my phone, as long as I don't use the wifi.

It would be very useful to have some sort of a diagnostic flow chart to use to figure out what to change or what to do, as there are multiple systems and bits of hardware, and the problem could be in any of them. Is it in the Very Old Modem? The router?? If it wasn't an intermittent problem I would wonder about my internet connection, but it worked just fine up until earlier this month... Maybe somewhere in the wires that connect everything? Are there too much junk files inside the laptop? Does something need to be updated that I have not done so? The laptop itself is fairly new, so itself shouldn't be a problem. I am looking to find "the end of the string" so I can begin to untangle this difficulty.

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	final alphabeast drawing	painted mini tree	recycle bin
2	calendar master pages	new bin for  cedar shakes	orangeflower water
3	5+ jars fig mostarda	drawstring cords	large broken bin
4	page 2 resipei	workbench tidy	2 bags paper
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

Friday's gratitudes -
- a simple dinner: stir frying some baby bok choi with green onions, and throwing a few (frozen) shrimp in at the end. Having already made Thai peanut sauce and already cooked purple barley in the fridge made it an easy complete and tasty meal
- I am really enjoying the 15 minutes drawing 100 day project, it is like daily gratitude in a different mode
- Karen brought me a different wall mount land line phone, that is grey and white instead of green (so it looks like it belongs in my kitchen), and that has a clever way of keeping the handset from falling off. I like it a lot more than the previous phone
Saturday's gratitudes -
- a house full of all sorts of bits and bobs suitable for creative reuse, and the tools and knowledge to do so
- half-size oil filled radiators... one under the computer desk, and one in the bathroom 
- refurbished acorn earrings
Sunday's gratitudes -
- sunny and dry (if cold) so I was able to ride to the store and get another dozen half pint jars
- the store clerk kindly scanned her magic card for the shopper discount (I've misplaced the card I had fifteen years ago, and rarely shop there, so never bothered to replace it, as almost never are the sale prices on what I might want to purchase.
- mmmmm... blood orange marmalade! There was a 2#bag of organic blood oranges in the produce box this week, and while I did eat a few out of hand, most were turned into preserves. I still remember the very first time I tasted a blood orange, on a trip Mr Dawson and I took to West Kingdom 12th Night many years ago.

Time of Isolation - Day 2036

Thursday thoughts

in which our plucky heroine embodies incremental progress...

which sometimes is expressed with multiple projects. Sewing for refurbishing my own wardrobe, and sewing pillow shams on commission. Finishing up some heraldic metalwork and enamel regalia orders. Planning to work in February on an abalone inlay horse brooch for Year of the Fire Horse (and meant to replace my beloved brooch that was lost) Adding knitwear storage shelves to the bedroom. Yes, I am polycraftual...

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~ slow and steady ~

The neckline of the flannel shirt is completed.The shoulder yoke lining is Liberty lawn, as is the bias binding that finishes the inner edge of the collar seam. The symmetry in this shirt front pleases me greatly, including the unintentional very fortuitous location of the plaid stripes in the button bands.

Once I made the button bands and attached them to the bias fronts of the shirt, my next step was to cut out a bias strip from the Liberty lawn long enough to finish the inner neck edge. It occurs to me that the way I sew my collars in place is not standard and rather peculiar. I don't know where I first got the idea but I have been finishing inner collar edges this way for quite a few years. Depending on what fabric is used for the bias strip it can either blend in or be an accent. I find it easier to get a result I like with this technique rather than the more common turned facing.

The one remaining "challenge" for this project is the next step, the tower placket. Last night I re-read the directions, and think that making a sample later today before tackling the actual sleeves is a very good idea. The notes for the placket suggest that once one is familiar with the process it goes very quickly. 

Yet to do: plackets, armscye seams, cuffs, side seams, waist seam (attaching peplum). Oh, and buttons and buttonholes. Need to decide which of the two sets of dark teal buttons is for the flannel shirt and which for the print blouse. Just might also prepare the peplum for the print blouse as well, while the serger is threaded with teal thread... 

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Throwback Thursday - one of my blog posts from January 2019, that still rings true today:

"Some friends and I were having an online discussion earlier today, about the inevitable planetary disaster that we are all in the middle of. My own ending comment was "I feel helpless to shift anything on a macro scale, and soaking in that feeling doesn't activate anything for me save a desire to die sooner. Instead, I do what I can to live lightly and thoughtfully, and bring tiny modicums of brightness and beauty where I am able. Will that turn around the train wreck we are living inside of... surely not. Will that help me to be able to lie down at the end of my life and say I did what I could, the best I could manage... hopefully just a bit."

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~ day 20 and 21 ~

This is one of my two favorite little ceramic cups. This one is unglazed red clay, with the decoration created by painting the background of the Laurel wreath design with the same black glaze that lines the cup. It was made by my pottery pals at Reannag Teine, and is often my choice for starting the day, as filled with homemade kombucha it is the right size for taking my vitamins.

I wear hats. Almost all the time, especially when outdoors. If it is sunny summertime, keeping the sun from my eyes and scalp, and if it is cold winter, keeping the sun from my eyes and keeping me warm. (well, and if it is raining, doing the obvious and keeping the water from my spex and off my head) 

This wide brimmed shape is my preference, and I have two almost identical, this dark denim hat, and one in some grey canvas that matches my chore jacket. They only differ in the assortment of brooches pinned to their hatbands, which offer a significant "canvas" for decorations, and an optional home for various small handwork projects. 

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This afternoon seemed like a good time to bike to the hardware store and see about picking up some shelf brackets, now that I've the appropriate shelving to create storage for my handknit pullovers and cardigans. Alas, their inventory has been sadly diminished in the last few years, and the only "intermediate" size of shelf brackets they have any more are fancy ones, not the basic (and therefore inexpensive) style. I shouldn't complain too much as at least there is still a hardware store within biking distance. Wishing I had checked the brackets at the lumberyard, or else thought to measure the board purchased; should have remembered that of course a 1 x 10 is not actually 10" wide (and hence my 10" shelf brackets overhang by about an inch) 

There may be some clever solution to this dilemma, will continue to give it some thought. As I began mulling over while riding my bike home, after dropping the bills at the post office and picking up two lemons to add to the blood oranges for marmalade making. The sun was going down, and the temperature dropping, when tapping on my helmet and sleeves was not rain, but tiny lumps of sleet! There hadn't been any such thing in the forecast for today...

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	final alphabeast drawing	painted mini tree	recycle bin
2	calendar master pages	new bin for  cedar shakes	orangeflower water
3	5+ jars fig mostarda	drawstring cords	large broken bin
4	page 2 resipei	workbench tidy	2 bags paper
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -  
- my neighbors bird feeders, in the side yard between our houses
- I rethreaded the serger with no difficulty, and reset the tension to a smoother result for the next sewing project. 
- an assortment of soup cubes in the freezer... today's choice was carrot coriander, along with some leftover lamb roast and some of the new kasha, it made a good dinner.

Time of Isolation - Day 2033

Tuesday tidbits

in which our plucky heroine returns to everyday life...

Somehow, the day afterwards seems to drag. My friends are far away once again, in the same way that in the Before Times, the day after one returns from a lovely holiday can seem most banal. Still there were tasks useful done, and sparks of beauty found.

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~ day 20 ~

I have two of these plaster Japanese Akita dog figurines, this one is about 4" tall, and white with golden accents and a red collar. (the smaller one I have is about half the size, and red) In 2023, this same dog was my subject of a reduction linocut print.

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An additional benefit of sorting/decluttering is finding things that have been missing or "lost". Since I have tinyfolk and their tiny world here, some of those things are very small indeed, and easy to overlook. I was very happy to find Opal's missing Birkenstock sandals, which are about the size of my fingernail. They were quite complicated to make, as shown in this blog post from 2024
In addition, while sorting through much of the paper clutter hoping to find where I'd written down Kate's address for the valentine postcard exchange, I remembered where it was, and could add it to the list for next month.

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Most of the birds I see every day in my yard are crows, juncos or chickadees, and sometimes hummingbirds. This morning I saw a small bird, with a reddish head and chest. According to the internets it was likely a house finch, also a very common local bird, just not one I had noticed here before.

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Many years ago, while travelling, we stopped at Rumiano's retail store in Crescent City, and bought part of a wheel of their dry jack cheese. Amazingly, I still have a very little bit of that cheese left; stored in the freezer it has been doled out over the years, thawed and grated to use as an ingredient. It is a long aged jack cheese, similar in texture to parmesan with it's own unique strong flavor. Why this is in my mind?.. While B & K were here, Beth shared some of their "cheesy buns" with me, a gluten-free roll made with tapioca and flax meal, egg, and a mixture of cheddar and strong dry cheese. (they use Romano) It occurred to me that some of my Rumiano's dry jack could also/instead work really well to flavor the recipe, and I am planning to give it a try...

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	final alphabeast drawing	painted mini tree	recycle bin
2	calendar master pages	new bin for  cedar shakes	orangeflower water
3	5+ jars fig mostarda	drawstring cords	large broken bin
4	page 2 resipei	workbench tidy	2 bags paper
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes - 
- cold dry wind makes laundry line dry faster
- finding more lost things (Opal's sandals, and Kate's address)
- the button bands on the plaid flannel shirt project do interesting things where they intersect the bias bodice fronts.

Time of Isolation - Day 2031

it's log...

in which our plucky heroine knows all good things must end...

at least for the moment. My visitors had to pack up to go home in the middle of the day, and return to their everyday life. It was lovely having guests, particularly my dear friends with whom I've been sharing a story for so many decades now.

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~ day 19 ~

This "stump" is about hip height on me, and 12" in diameter. It was a kind and thoughtful gift from my dear friend and former studio colleague Bill, who knew I'd always wanted one ever since I moved away and set up my own workspace.

Why a stump? It is an alternate work surface for tasks that are improved with a stable high-mass non-resilient surface, (for example, stamping designs or using drive punches on leather or metal. A bouncy surface like an ordinary table, makes such tasks a lot harder...

 
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Given how long it took to clear out the space to (temporarily) store Ikea BEKVAM, and how long it took to tidy my workbench, it may realistically take me a month or more per room for sorting, tidying and decluttering, since I am unlikely to be able to allocate anything like whole days at a time. This is Useful Information, and I can use pixel-world body-double time to help me continue progress.

BEKVAM, a wooden Ikea kitchen cart with shelves, is a gift from B&K to be used in my future/someday kitchen reconstruction, that for now, is living in the corner of my living room. At some point it will need it's tabletop cut narrower, and the legs fitted with proper full rotational casters, but for now, it will be useful out of the way storage, in a former clutter haven. 

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~ a vast improvement ~
.
before and after

The other declutter/tidy task I really wanted to work on while I had in person companionship was returning my workbench to an orderly state of being. It seems as if it shouldn't take that long, since the surface area is fairly small, but it was several hours in before the results in the "after" photo. This is not only much more appealing and functional as a work space, but my friends also had several useful suggestions for additional/alternate storage for some of my tools. I now have clear decks to begin some work that needs doing, and a few simple changes to implement next.

I'm going to make some storage "pockets" for my metalworking files and rasps that can hang on the wall next to the workbench, add a small pinboard or bulletin board to the back of the workbench for notes about current project(s), and turn the vintage sewing machine drawers I bought years ago into a kind of narrow-but-tall rolling tool chest.

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	final alphabeast drawing	painted mini tree	recycle bin
2	calendar master pages	new bin for  cedar shakes	orangeflower water
3	5+ jars fig mostarda	drawstring cords	large broken bin
4	page 2 resipei	workbench tidy	2 bags paper
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes - 
- my workbench restored to tidy pleasant useability makes me want to go do some metalwork and enameling, which I have been avoiding for ages
- I might be able to use BEKVAM's lower shelves as temporary canned goods storage space, which would clear counter spaces in the kitchen! 
- listening to various tributes to Bob Weir and his legacy
- several chances over the last few days to walk around the neighborhood with company of Beth and Karen; I miss being able to walk with friends, as most of my most local pals have moved away...

Time of Isolation - Day 2030

Wonderful weekend whatnots

in which our plucky heroine enjoys in-person time with friends...

While Friday was a bit scrambled, as my friend M had vehicular difficulty and didn't end up staying here overnight after all. On Saturday my dear pals B and K arrived for the long weekend. We ended up cooking lamb roast for dinner that evening, and then staying up late talking and doing handwork.

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~ day 16, 17, and 18~

These are the warmest mittens, as they are at least a quarter of an inch thick or more and completely block the wind. I wear these when I am riding my bike in the winter. My dear friend Ariadne made them for me, using the naalbinding technique. Naalbinding pre-dates knitting, and was commonly used in the Viking Age, for obvious reasons.

This small handmade pouch started with a sample block print of a design I made for a friend, inspired by Bujold's "World of the Five Gods" series. The design so charmed me that I wanted to make the sample into some object of everyday use, in a way that characters in the books sometimes have done. 
The pouch has a square base with a full lining, and double drawstring closure, simpler to sew than to describe how to sew. The felt beads are both decorative and provide handles to open and close the bag. Lastly, I over-stitched the background of the block printed portion with small cross stitches, to add both texture and additional stability.

Much larger than it looks in this drawing, my maslin pan is one of the best kitchen purchases I've ever made. It seemed like a huge indulgence to get a special pan designed to make cooking fruit preserves easier. It turns out that it is a great pan for all sorts of cooking: soups, stews, and suchlike, as well as preserve making. When putting up fruit in various ways, I sometimes start cooking it in the maslin pan, then when it is closer to the desired result, I transfer the almost-jam to a smaller pot, and use the maslin pan for water bath processing the jars for stable shelf storage.

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Yesterday spent time transferring page one of Kestrel's "resipei" artwork to linen for embroidery. Page two is already finished, and I am looking forward to the relaxing time stitching more of her words and pictures. I love kid art, (particularly from this kiddo) and the finished stitchery will have pride of place in my kitchen.

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A plan to convert my venerable Muji A7 binder into a hardcopy recipe book sadly has been delayed as my initial order of filler paper and dividers went astray. I ordered it from an eBay seller, and for some reason (that remains unclear to me despite hours on the phone to both eBay and UPS customer service) the package was not delivered to Acorn Cottage, but to some unknown Wells Fargo bank "front desk" and signed for by someone named "Dani"?!? If all goes well, I'll get a refund, and try and track down something similar. It will be very handy to have a small kitchen notebook with all my favorite most often used recipes in a legible and convenient form. "Soup, Savory, Sweet, and Shelf-stable"

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Today we had minor but very pleasant adventures in the form of shopping excursions, much facilitated by the automobile. Started out by heading over to Mr Plywood for a piece of 1 x 10 lumber to make shelves in the bedroom to hold my wool handknit cardigans and pullovers, an improvement long desired. From there, we decided to walk the few blocks to the international market for various grocery and confectionary items unavailable in my neighborhood or their town, like a new bottle of orangeflower water to replace the one that broke last week. 

Since that shop did not have kasha (roasted buckwhat groats), which I'd been seeking for quite some time, I wanted to try one of the Russian grocery stores in outer SE. Now I've a 3 kilo bag of kasha in the pantry, and K found some interesting cheese, and zefir (a marshmallow made with apples). After heading back home, we ordered takeaway sushi, which made our dinner extra special (along with the cucumber salad and green salads that B made to go with). Our visits aren't just like the Before Times, but embraced a similar "flavor" both literally and figuratively...

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	final alphabeast drawing	painted mini tree	recycle bin
2	calendar master pages	new bin for  cedar shakes	orangeflower water
3	5+ jars fig mostarda	drawstring cords	large broken bin
4	-	-	2 bags paper
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- the braided nylon cord I ordered arrived safely, and worked perfectly to repair my rat and crow drawstring bag.
- sushi dinner takeout, such a special treat
- Karen makes homemade toffee, and the contrast between the very thin layer of unsweetened chocolate and the very sweet sugar and pecan topping is wonderful.
- with companionship, yesterday I was able to tidy about a 2.5cuft chunk of the living room, with much of it going directly to recycle, and today sorted through about two grocery sacks full of random papers, of which more than half also went to the recycling bin.
- Mr Plywood. I just love everything about that place, particularly how the men who work there are always courteous and helpful. And how they always have what I need for projects. Plus today when I was checking out after buying the lumber for my shelves, and I told them how I loved their store, they gave me a sticker that said "I love Mr Plywood", with an image of his very rectangular retro line drawing self

 

Time of Isolation - Day 2029

such a long long time to be gone and a short time to be there...

in which our plucky heroine scents mortality on the winds of change...

Bob Weir died yesterday. He was 78. Our plucky heroine is starting to feel the weight of years passing as the legends of my youth continue leaving the bright world, closer and closer to my own age...

"Faring thee well now
Let your life proceed by its own design
Nothing to tell now
Let the words be yours, I'm done with mine"

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Still having all sorts of technical difficulty with various video chat platforms that were previously trouble-free. And not sure what to do about it. The Pixel World is a great help in maintaining sanity. So far we've managed to find one platform (Teams) that doesn't immediately degrade into unintelligible sound, or silence, but I would very much like to be able to access Discord again, as I like their interface a LOT better. Sadly though, their "helpful problem solving" essays are not at all helpful, being written in a way I can neither understand or implement.

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~ day 11 ~

Years ago, after seeing these beautiful lights and lanterns ever since my first time at the Oregon Country Fair, I decided to splurge and get one for my own. My line drawing in no way can capture the charm of this night light, which is next to the mirror above the sink in the bathroom here. I see it every day, and it has brought me joy ever since I brought it home. The central medallion is a multicolor translucent design, set into a framework of pierced copper, the light behind it illuminates the artwork and sparkles through the tiny holes in the metal. Artist-made objects inhere personality

~ day 10 ~

I was just too tired yesterday evening, so postponed my drawing til this morning. (Going forward, drawing will happen at the start of the day, not as the last thing, which is more appropriate as well. Begin as you mean to go on and all that...) This ceramic soap holder, which looks a bit like Brutalist architecture writ small, was a gift from my friends Randall and Leah. It sits on the edge of the kitchen sink, and by draining off the excess water, keeps my bar of soap from turning into a puddle of soap slime. Very Useful!

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Bob Weir died yesterday. He was 78. Our plucky heroine is starting to feel the winds of years passing as the legends of my youth continue leaving the bright world, closer and closer to my own age...

"Faring thee well now
Let your life proceed by its own design
Nothing to tell now
Let the words be yours, I'm done with mine"

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	final alphabeast drawing	painted mini tree	recycle bin
2	calendar master pages	-	orangeflower water
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- I got to see the Grateful Dead live, many times.
- Beth very determinedly and patiently managed to get all four of us onto Teams and able to have a bit of Crafternoon today. It took a long time.
- the eggplant parm came out really tasty

Time of Isolation - Day 2023

so much time on transit

in which our plucky heroine spent hours on the bus...

Finding a 22" long zipper in beige or tan was more of a challenge than expected, and required an excursion to the posh fabric store Josephine's Dry Goods, in residential SE, as that was the closest possible source. Fortunately, the resipei embroidery is very suited to being stitched while riding the bus. And when I got there, they didn't have two of the same color, so I bought two that were close but not identical. Foolish me didn't think to ask about that over the phone.

When I got home and could take a look at the emailed receipt, it turns out they are buying their zippers from WAWAK. Which is what I should have done in the first place, given the extremely good prices and selections that WAWAK offers. I'll go ahead and order more in the three most likely colors, since they are less than $1 each. 

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~ day 9 ~

I've had this little Japanese inlaid wooden box since I was a girl. It is about 6 inches tall.

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Rather than going directly home after buying the zippers, instead rode the bus all the way to Grocery Outlet, to pick up suitable cheese (different from my regular sharp cheddar) to top the eggplant parm I want to make tomorrow. Had to look up a few recipes to get an idea of what the usual ingredients were, and decided on some mozzarella. 

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Tomorrow I am going to draw two Objects Of My Affection, as tonight I am just too tired to draw at all (sad). It is much better when I draw at the start of my day, not wait until before bedtime!

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Friday the calendar master pages were finished, now off to the copy store, then they need be cut to size, have punched holes and added string, and will be ready to either mail out or hand off to my local pals. Am quite happy with the slightly rustic hand drawn effect of doing all the words and numbers by hand rather than using digital fonts. That said, I will be scanning in the finished pages to also save as PDFs, so I can email them as files for my out of country pals to print out.

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	final alphabeast drawing	painted mini tree	recycle bin
2	calendar master pages	-	orangeflower water
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- Very Helpful clerk at the copy shop, did several adjustments to  my master copies so they would print out as well as possible
- a tiny indulgence, on the way home from Josephines Dry Goods, I walked the seven blocks to Fifty Licks, and bought myself a mini scoop of my favorite "Lemon Coconut Saffron" sorbet
- made a really tasty tomato sauce for Sunday's eggplant parm, using half of the remaining freezer tomatoes, assorted veggies, herbs, and dried mushrooms. Yesterday I sliced and oven roasted the two eggplant that came in the produce box this week, so all I will need to do tomorrow is layer the ingredients and bake it

Time of Isolation - Day 2022

wishful Wednesday

in which our plucky heroine has lots of wishes...

most of all that this was not the timeline we were in, or as it has been said "where am I going and why am I in this handbasket"...

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Just figured out that instead of the kitchen timer, I can use "work through the next x-number-of-songs in the set" as my way of keeping self on task! I've been listening to recordings of Grateful Dead concerts via Internet Archive, and they have notated how long each song runs in that particular recording. The Internet Archive (also home of the Wayback Machine) has all sorts of very interesting things to listen to; Dead shows make up only a tiny fragment of their audio collection.

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~ day seven ~

This is my stainless steel chain mail pot scrubber, that moonlights as a paintbrush drying clamp (or is it the other way around)... It normally hangs from one of the drying hooks over my kitchen sink, and one day it occurred to me that I could weave the handle of my just washed paintbrush through the gaps in the mail, and the brush could hang there point down until dry, which is the best way to keep brushes in good condition.  This was a  Useful Gift from Britta's husband Karl, from back when he was making chain mail, and I was renting their spare room. Boy howdy is this thing difficult to draw! I tried to give a sort of impression of the way the links catch the light. Makes me really appreciate the skill that goes into scientific and archaeological drawings. 

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Today I cleaned up under the pantry shelves, where yesterday a bottle of orangeflower water fell from an upper shelf to the concrete floor and shattered. The little vacuum did most of the work, fortunately most of the broken glass landed on some cardboard, and at least the broken jar contained something that had a pleasant, though in this concentration rather intense, scent.

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To balance between what is happening in this country and the bandwidth to continue daily life; we need both to dig in our heels and stop the slide towards fascism and be the sand in their gears, and find what joy exists and build whatever better world for all beings that may still be possible within the ashes of the current debacle.

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	final alphabeast drawing	painted mini tree	recycle bin
2	-	-	orangeflower water
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- Just figured out that instead of the kitchen timer, I can use "work through the next x-number-of-songs in the set" as my way of keeping self on task!
- began a massive declutter project
- the Internet Archive

Time of Isolation - Day 2019

bang said Max! and other Tuesday tidbits

in which our plucky heroine feels determined...

My intention is to get the living room and guest space into a functional configuration in the next week and a half, which will entail putting in significant time Every Day between then and now. After all, if guests are incoming, there needs to be space.

I'm separating the removal of clutter from the re-sorting of clutter from the rehoming of clutter. Aside from items that turn up that have known immediate homes, everything else can get boxed up, papers can get put in paper sacks, and all that can be stacked up out of the way. That will clear the space the quickest. Then I can take one box or bag at a time and deal with it. I'm going to try out Leslie's suggested 15-15-15-15 method: Choose three areas, work in each for a fifteen minute go, and the fourth 15 minutes are for putting feet up and taking a break. Wash rinse repeat as needed

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~ day 6 ~

Over fifty years ago, when I worked in a leather shop in Harvard Square, learning leathercrafting and repair, my lunch breaks were spent wandering around and about what was then a much less corporate Cambridge landscape of tiny restaurants, boutiques, and galleries. My memory, whilst rather vague on the details, tells me these hand turned implements came from some (long gone) craft gallery on Arrow Street. Over the decades they've become a bit battered, their once dark purple has faded to brown, but then I too am a bit more faded than that vivid young woman and been a bit thumped upon by life, but we will both last as long as may be...

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Oops! while putting the bin of brown sugar away on the pantry shelves before sitting down to dinner, somehow a bottle of orangeflower water slipped down behind, and smashed on the concrete floor. While it could have been worse (at least the spill is pleasantly fragrant, and the broken glass was contained behind some boxes) it feels very wasteful and sad, and will be a challenge to clean up. This is more incentive to reorganise the pantry. I should know better than that. Fragile glass bottles should not be stored on the top shelves.

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Flannel shirt report: the 7 gores of the peplum, that makes the lower half of the shirt, are now stitched and pressed and set aside. The mirrored outer collar pieces have been interfaced and stitched to make a single piece, ready to be lined with some more of the special Liberty Tana lawn fabric. The upper front bodice will have the benefit of my doing the "correct" thing as far as matching the plaid. I'm wishing now I had done the same mirrored matching with the sleeves, but a. I didn't think of it until they were cut out, and b. there really wasn't enough fabric to have done so. Live and learn. I have never before worked with a large and uneven plaid, just tiny houndstooth plaid too small to need any matching.

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	final alphabeast drawing	painted mini tree	recycle bin
2	-	-	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- mutual encouragement between myself and my UK pal Leslie
- the lightweight woven interfacing I bought from Sewlarium is just right for the flannel shirt, adding substance without stiffness.
- Clever Me figured out a solution to the dreadful echo problem when zooming with K. If her laptop sound is muted and she uses her mobile phone for the audio channel, whatever is causing the feedback replay is circumvented.

Time of Isolation - Day 2018

go get your eyes examined

in which our plucky heroine is up and about before dawn...

As indeed, my visual fields test was the first task on the list this week. So, up before 6, got to eye office at 8 when they opened, along with rather a lot of other folks so there was a long line to check in. Unfortunately my mask doesn't cooperate with the machinery, so had to change to a KN95, which only added to my stress. Thankfully as far as test results can discern, my eyes are okay... I always worry, because family history, and more so after my dreadful corneal tear last year, but as long as I keep using eye drops, the doctor said there appears to be no significant changes.

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~ day 5 ~

My electric teakettle is terribly useful, and is filled multiple times a day. Not just for the obvious, but also when washing dishes, or cooking. For years I had either a saucepan, or the sort of teakettle one filled and put on the stovetop, but after the time I absentmindedly walked away from the kitchen and came back far too late to find the heat coil red hot and the enamel base of the kettle melted into the burner (which necessitated discarding both and replacing the burner) my pal Elfrida gave me this electric teakettle that cleverly turns itself off when the water has boiled.

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Valerie of the custom pillow shams came by today having found the specific edging trim for the next set of shams. I still need to get suitable 24" zippers, which will first of all entail phone calls to see if anyplace local has something suitable. Bolt is closed for the next few days, but maybe Modern Domestic? Otherwise will have to venture further afield. 

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Put in time cutting out more pieces for the plaid flannel shirt. The peplum sections, and I decided that mirroring the two ends of the collar would make enough of a difference that it was worth the trouble. There is a whole lotta math in sewing, as I calculated the various rectangles needed for collar and cuffs and front button bands. My next step on this project is to read the instructions for the tower placket, as adding that before sewing the sleeves to the body will be easier.

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	final alphabeast drawing	painted mini tree	recycle bin
2	-	-	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- holiday lights in the darkness
- the busdriver recognised me, and noticed I was "going the other way" from where he usually sees me on the bus. I guess my attire is pretty distinctive
- my eyes got a basically clean bill of health, in that they are not any worse than they were a year ago, and the optical technicians and doctor were willing to mask at my request.
- Gersvinda came by this evening with a grocery sack full of winter veg from Acantha; onions and potatoes and squash oh my!
- A belated birthday gift package of treats from Iceland, several skeins of blue Lettlopi, a delicate pierced metal tree of life ornament, and a bar of soap encased in felt with a pony design. 

Time of Isolation - Day 2017