QID

in which our plucky heroine is still slightly off balance, but improving...

Not sure what waking every three hours does to one "proper" sleep cycles, and I've never timed how often my non-alarm-driven night waking occurs. There were no nightmares last night, though. And most remarkably, in my final dream before getting up today, I dreamed I could skip! Would that it were true, as I've been peculiarly disturbed by the loss of that coordinated ability, and have tried from time to time to re-learn it.

There was also a benign verbal interchange with an analog dreamland person (who was reminiscent in ways to both G and to B) concurrent with my skipping down a woodland pathway similar to but not OCF... (it most certainly wasn't OCF or analog OCF, as it was empty of any other human people)

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~ 3 color stenciling ~

My intent had been to stencil a patch for the pocket of the new brown linen pinafore with a cave horse, just like the one that is "worn to a ravelling" and past re-use. However, apparently my cave horse stencil set has been misplaced, alas... Fortunately I did write up the process used to create the stencil, and posted it to my blog years ago. Making up a new stencil likely guarantees that the missing one will show up soon; it will also be good to have a second stencil, albeit slightly different. Before long, there will be a new cave horse patch for the pocket, just requiring a few additional steps.  

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I put up various foods in shelf stable jars all year long, as a way to have things otherwise unobtainable, or just for the frugal pleasure of storing local bounty. The few apples from the backyard tree, and the quinces from the side yard often end up as "sauce" for pantry storage, and are usually brought out as a special treat for dessert from time to time. This week, however, those jars are a necessity. Antibiotics four times a day ie every six hours, that are best taken with food, but not with dairy. The dairy, in the form of live culture yogurt, is also every six hours, on an alternating schedule. (My phone alarms every three hours 24/7 for the next week, sigh) Other than the doses that line up with mealtimes, food with pills seemed a bit challenging, as string cheese or cottage cheese are my snack of choice. Turns out that a few spoonfuls of applesauce, or in my case quince-apple sauce is both easy to deal with nocturnally, and light on the tummy. 

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Today there was also a midafternoon trip to the store to get some crackers, and Toby's Tofu Pate, which will work well for another speedy middle of the night micro-meal option. I rarely keep crackers in the house, and rarely eat soy products, so ditto for Toby's, and they are spendy for how "easy to eat" they are. I tend to forget though, how delicious they are. Somewhere I have a recipe for DIY tofu pate that is very similar to Toby's, and it is likely time to return to making my own version of "Goddess Dressing", which has completely vanished from the local grocery stores One recipe lasts me for about a week of everyday salad dressing, and is also delicious instead of mayo for use in tuna, egg, or noodle salads:

Tahini Goddess Salad Dressing

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

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

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March SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	ruffle pillow shams	cardigan length	recycle bin
2	clothespin bag	cardigan button bands	-
3	brown linen pinafore	cardigan ribbon facings	-
4	-	planted rhubarb	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- homemade apple-quince sauce
- a useful and useable search box on my blog
- single use bandage scissors turned into kitchen scissors, still going strong ten years later
- the metal lid I found at Goodwill that fits venerable crock pot perfectly  

Time of Isolation - Day 2082

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

wishful Wednesday

in which our plucky heroine is grateful for connection...

Hard to fathom that May is almost over! Hoping to get more accomplished tomorrow, as it will be cooler, and I have a long list of to-do items for the next few weeks. I wish the world was such that I could have in person time with the folks I love, but am grateful that we have electronic connection options. I miss the days when we could gather and work on projects and tasks together, or cook meals, or preserves for the pantry. 

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~ columbine ~

Maybe I ought to do a tinybook of seasonal flowers, since I never tire of finding them to photograph... It'd be a pleasure to go back through the years of my photo archives and pick out possibilities

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Haven't gotten as much work done in the last few days, but have spend a lot of time on the phone... I found out on Sunday (via a phone call from one of her aides) that my elderly auntie had a very bad fall on Friday and was in hospital with a broken right hip and a damaged right shoulder. According to the doctors, surgery is not a possibility, so she is being discharged to a rehab facility, I still don't know where.

Since all this is taking place thousands of miles away, there is nothing effective I can do other than wait for more information. So, in the interest of keeping as much of our small family circle informed, I then phoned my sister-in-law, and also my sister. We do our best to keep connected by phone, and sometimes video.

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Ugh. Last night I had a horrible nightmare that started in analog Powells with seemingly innocuous shopping for charming trinkets, miniature animal figurines and containers for cooking spices, then couldn't find my friends and decided to take the bus back to where I'd come from, but I got on the bus and realised I'd forgotten my mask back at the bus stop and then the driver took forever to respond to my signal to stop so I could exit and try and get back to where my mask was, and let me off the bus somewhere sketchy and when I asked where to catch the bus back told me the routes didn't run that way, and I'd need to walk back... and it wasn't safe and there were sketchy boys in cars and dark woods and ravines and no residences or shops and it was nighttime and then I woke up. The transit route was part of the Dreamlands I'd not visited before (I've been to analog Powells before...) The tone of the dream was menace-impending rather than run-and-hide, and self-caused danger rather than external-imposed. The embedded outer layer of meaning is obvious to me, but I am not really up for currently teasing apart the inner layers. Indeed, when I took a nap later in the day, because 4am = not enough sleep, I woke up 20 minutes later after another nightmare.

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I've been dropping in on one or two of the MakingZen 2025 free crafting video presentations this week, despite the annoyance of not being able to watch them on my laptop, but only on the phone?! I've downloaded instructions for a mushroom softie, for a sashiko "mindful mountain" biscornu, and taken notes on some additional techniques. There is a box construction video tomorrow I am hoping to see and download the instructions for. The interesting thing is being able to watch and learn from teachers in other countries, I'm grateful that they have a free (if limited access) option, as well as a spendy permanent access option, and enough folks seem to sign up for that one that they can (hopefully) compensate the teachers well...

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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	heraldic plaque	Juliet tomato planted	recycle bin
4	spicy peanut sauce	marigolds planted	greenwaste bin
5	3 prs undies	pear branchlets weighted	-
6	pendant for Cricket	turtleneck to Eames top	x
7	2 more prs undies	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -

- my friend Jen Walker introduced me to the music of Richard Shindell
- managed to figure out how to watch the MakingZen videos (only possible on my mobile phone, not on laptop?!?)
- kombucha culture is working well, creating new scoby layers and converting tea syrup to probiotic drink over the course of several weeks
- a good long phone conversation with Mikki
- instructions for a sweet mushroom softie with pleated gills - looking forward to making at least one of those...
- My pal Ursel just got offered a job ♡

Time of Isolation - Day 1773

weekend whatnot and whimsy

in which our plucky heroine seeks the silver lining...

Woke up in the wee small hours before dawn, from a quietly horrific WW2 nightmare. I was walking in drylands grainfields after the harvest, having a philosophical discussion with some adventurer. He and I passed a large tree that had been limbed, debarked, and cut in half, but was still standing like a sentinel. Then came the warplanes strafing the roadway, and the sky all patterned bomber formations like flocks of geese. Adrenaline taste in my mouth at 3AM when I opened my eyes to the quiet bedroom. Ugh, there would be no more sleep that night....

Exhausted already, but I finally managed to regain enough composure, pull on outdoor clothing, and was outside before sun was high enough to start battering my eyes. Started cutting back the plum seedlings, a bit of fruit tree branches, and the grapevine extensions that were reaching across to the apple tree, thereby filled the greenwaste wheelie bin.  If I can manage to do this every morning (sans nightmare hopefully) I will actually make progress on my sadly neglected yard.

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~ yin yang petunias ~

Yin/Yang petunias, in a decorative planter pot for sale outside the grocery store. I don't think I have ever seen the white ones with the textural black throats before, and the combination is striking! If I had both a sunny spot near the front door, and the funds for such frivolity, I would be tempted...

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currently reading : "Once There Was" by Kiyash Monsef
currently listening to : "Paladin's Strength" by T. Kingfisher

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	4 tiny knit vests	cleaned keyboard	recycle bin
2	tiny cargo pants	-	-
3	very smol Birks	-	-
4	silkworm print	-	-
5	4 reversible skirts	-	-
6	Peach tinyprint	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. the scent of mint underfoot as I rolled the greenwaste wheelie bin down the side yard path this morning
2. the blueberry bush that Larissa gave me 20 years ago remains alive, and this year has more blueberries than the two or three that usually show up. I harvested an actual handful, enough to top some yogurt, or drop into a serving of pancakes!
3. naps

Time of Isolation - Day 1464

a smattering of sushi

in which our plucky heroine remembers she meant to post this yesterday...

~ day 20 ~

Day 20 (the summer Solstice) - All good things eventually come to an end... I'll be sad that our swap is over, but ending with two coil built bowls and a smattering of sushi is a lovely thing indeed!

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Since 5am was too early to get up, I tuned over and went back to sleep... and fell back into the dreamlands. This time I hadn't yet reached the Scary Bridge, and instead left the highway that runs along the Big River, so we could break our trip in a small road adjacent town (for the purpose of stretching our legs and getting some food etc).

I wasn't lost perzactly, but ended up wandering by myself into a rusticated western emporium of small shops. (my sleeping brain does small shops filled with delight really well) There was a classroom of folks making miniature things, and a wonderful side alcove used clothing shop with vintage Hawaiian shirts, leather jackets and other garments similar, and a shop selling cabachons and mineral specimens.

However, nowhere in the entire building was I able to find my own traveling companions, so I went outside again, but it was an entirely different outdoors than the alleyway entrance, despite being the same doorway. There was a different plaza, and road construction obviously underway, with eroded dirt in the streets and some areas being rebuilt. I was wondering how to find my friends, and our vehicle, and if we would get to our destination before bedtime, or be better served by trying to find shelter in the town we were in...

Then I woke up not in the dreamlands, in my own bedroom, and in this timeline...

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~ ready to use ~

The bathrobe hook is now in the correct location, looks very much as I had imagined, and works just as desired! It makes me very happy when such small improvements turn out well.

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not surprising (but not delightful), the next few days are likely in the 90's. Time to become crepuscular...

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	musk ox print	horses blouse edge	yard waste bin
2	green linen Jedi tunic	kitchen light fixture	recycle bin
3	Nandina floral dress	Luxo plug	dead box fan
4	2 tiny knit skirts	plaid flannel slip	-
5	tiny knit cardigan	oak ebonised	-
6	Salish wooly dog print	x	x
7	bathrobe hook	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. finally figuring out that I dream in color!
2. 5 flavor sauce works just as well atop pretty much anything, like I had some leftover stir fry, so added more bok choi and some potato cubes and voila... instant tasty dinner
3. The email that came after today's "independence days summer 2024 challenge" zoom was exactly right. Instead of leaving me feeling hopeless because I'm not doing "enough", it was all about being where you are and doing an incremental bit more, which is going to look very different for each person.

Time of Isolation - Day 1442

the sky so blue

in which our plucky heroine enjoys the day...

In dreamland last night, apparently the activity of the evening was a creme bruleé cook-off between various friends. I was just getting to taste test the Earl Grey flavored one that Marya had created when I woke up. Sadly, it was only a dream...

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~ out and about in my neighborhood ~

My neighbor Carla built this artistic sitting spot in her front yard garden a few years ago, between the sidewalk and this impressive edgeworthia. A bit behind and closer to her front door is a wonderfully fragrant daphne, and on a sunny day the scent is just delightful. The seat is embossed with the words "be the kind of person your dog things you are...", and the border between the seat and the sidewalk with the words "be the change you wish to see - practice patience - tolerance - kindness - love -  ☮ " which tells you a bit about my good neighbor Carla...

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Tomorrow I will start on the Stromgard enamels, but first I want to give my enamel workbench a really good clear out. It always astonishes me how quickly the tops of workbenches gather random frelch, detritus, and bits of former projects. Also, I found another lazy susan hidden atop the filing cabinet, and want to make space under the benchtop shelf for it; they are just the right thing when using multiple colors of enamel, as each of the little dishes can be accessed as needed.

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~ C is for creative ~

I've been making six tiny books for the Countdown to Summer Solstice miniature swap and I needed a way to press them while the glue dried (books are about 1" x 1⅛" x 3/16")

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March SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	red enamel samples	bathroom undersink access	recycle bin
2	turn buttons	-	yard waste bin
3	6 tiny books	-	recycle bin
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. The light coming back on in the kitchen meant I could confirm which fusebox switch controlled that circut, so eventually I can deal with replacing the light. Once I figure out how to remove the fixture from the ceiling.

2. the paddy cake cats always lift my spirits at least a little bit. It was a rough day yesterday, like most Wednesdays are these days, and I really needed a grin and a giggle...

3. my friend Ursel is coming for a porch visit on Friday afternoon. I am going to bake her a Very Small birthday cake first thing tomorrow. Which will be a nice way to start the day.

4. the rotary blade paper cutter I ordered online Wednesday night arrived on my doorstep this morning. Granted it only needed to travel from the next town on the other side of the West Hills, but UPS can be peculiar, so I am glad. It is indeed just about brand new, and came with some fancy cutters in addition to the basic one.

5. There was enough black cotton velour on the resource shelf for me to cut out 3 sport-style bras, and enough non-roll elastic to make up two of them. I think I bought that velour at least fifteen years ago, maybe more. Over the years it has made leggings, knit tops, and assorted lingerie. It will be hard to find fabric of an equal quality, to eventually replace it as a staple

6. I was able to get outside and do a bit of pruning and cutting back today in the yard. There are a bit less watersprouts on the apple tree, I trimmed some of the overgrowth on the japanese maple that keeps trying to invade the porch, I removed the rest of the nandina berries, and started to cut away the large fern that is far too close to the heat pump. I even managed a bit of progress on removing the moss from the driveway, which is a very very slow process with the metal push broom.

7. I am feeling somewhat less dreadful than I did yesterday. I put in specific effort to pay attention to what is good. And it was amusing to me when I was all focused on pruning the rosemary in the front yard; I heard a gentle thump and looked down to see that The Baby Down The Street had toddled onto the lawn and fallen over into the prunings in my burden cloth. The baby's granny was right behind, and picked them up and dusted them off. We both agreed that the weather today was just about perfect.

Time of Isolation - Day 1342

Friday fragments

in which our plucky heroine ends the afternoon with a bang...

I was in the workroom when a Very Loud Noise had me peeking through the living room curtains towards the front porch... The narrow planter had collapsed, its internal bracing had rotted away over the years since 2016 (seen newly built here) The collapsed planter spewed potting soil across the porch floor, though fortunately? the summer plants were done and therefore no harm done in that respect.

It lasted 6 years... not bad for something built of salvaged discarded lumber and old cedar fence boards. The 2x2 bits internal braces were not pressure treated, and are now basically mulch.I am not sure if the planter ca n be refurbished for yet another go round. That will require some thought, as woodbutchery is far from my strong suit; clearing away the potting soil, (and moving that to a garden bed in the backyard) will give me plenty of time to think...

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the wedding ring project:

The wedding rings are completed. One wouldn't expect such comparatively small projects would be so very complex to fabricate, but they were... and well worth the effort. Learning to fit and solder the shaped bezels to a curved surface, and adding the tiny decorative bits one at a time was quite nerve wracking, but I, and the engaged couple, are all quite pleased with the final results. I am thinking of some future complex metalwork later this autumn...

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I've put up four small jars of pub-style* pickled onions, and they are now residing in the pantry for the next several months to mellow. I am hopeful that my experiment with the top bulbs of my walking onions will be a pleasing success, some for me, and some to share with friends as holiday gifts.

*using malt vinegar spiced with coriander, mustardseed, and peppercorns

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I seem to have fallen into a pattern of napping in the afternoon, as a counterbalance to sleeping less at night, I guess... the interesting thing is that my napping dreams are short vignettes, both interesting and benign adventures, rather reminiscent of the animated series I enjoy, that are also only about 10 or 15 minutes long. I wish I could remember the various dreams I had this afternoon, beginning with my driving a little square auto like a cross between The Phantom Tollbooth, and a PT Cruiser.

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September SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	7 tiny sunflowers	6 pants for Beth	yard waste bin
2	poppy pod vase	4 box fans clean	recycle bin
3	grey canvas hat	heraldry painted	yard waste bin
4	4 jars pickled onions	M skirt waistband	recycle bin
5	wedding rings	-	yard waste bin
6	x	x	recycle bin
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. being able to go to the dentist! for so many years dental care was beyond my resources, with the expected results. Much pain and dollars later I am finally back at maintenance level care. My visit today confirmed that the self care protocols I am doing at home are enough to keep my mouth healthy and in good condition.
2. the kindness of strangers! After my dental visit on Wednesday I took P out to lunch at XLB, where we enjoyed the eponymous soup dumplings and other delights... I somehow managed to forget my phone was sitting on the table. Fortunately we had only gone a few steps away when two folks noticed it and called out to us asking if it was ours/mine. Whew!! it would have been a very bad thing to lose!!
3. my life allows me to take naps when needed.

Time of Isolation - Day 946

Tuesday tidbits

in which our plucky heroine wakes up tired...

The Dreamlands last night was strange and full of potential conflict unpleasant, exhausting, and disturbing. From walking along a busy elevated highway verge and across bridges taking photos of analog San Francisco, to walking through a hot dusty urban environment with men lined up for food relief and vaccination tents, to dodging around corners to be less visible to soldiers and grateful for my head to toe garments that made me look more like I belonged there. Sometimes in the Dreamlands I have a task, sometimes I have allies, sometimes I can parse out my dreams, and sometimes they are just a mystery.

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time in the tinyworld:

Among the various miniature tidbits I brought home from back East is this little porcelain doll. She is quite a bit smaller than Nandina et al, more the size of a six year old. Apparently I didn't feel confident to make her clothing back in the day, as she is simply wrapped in fabric with a strand of beads as a belt. She too may end up living in Tansu Terrace... though she will need both a name, and some clothes.  My friend Ariadne suggested that she looks like an Emilia, and I think therefore, that her name is Emilia Kaolin... known by an assortment of nicknames as well (Emmy, Em-kay, K, etc)

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Making progress on the attachment of the side rails. Using the combination square together with the wide metal ruler allowed easily marking an even depth from the top edge of the wooden sides, despite their rounded reeded edging. C-clamps held the steel side rails in place so as to drill placement holes for the screws. It still required rather a lot of wrist strength to do the actual attachment, until I remembered to simply use the phillips screw bit in the electric drill. I suppose if I did this sort of thing more often, I would remember these little clevernesses.

The attachment of the center support is the next needful bit. By resting it in the rope web, I was reassured that there is enough give in the ropes that there is room for the depth of that steel U-channel without my needing to remove the rope web from the bed. I would rather keep it in place as a backup, and also to avoid the several hours it would take to unlace the bed. Placing the brackets that hold the center support in place is a challenge I've not yet figured out, since those brackets do not end up at a matching height to the side rails. Heigh ho and onward. Once the assorted bed support hardware is in place, the rest of this project will hopefully be straightforward: Place slats, staple textile strips, unroll mattress, et voila!

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Kestrel's friends clothes	replace clothesline	yard waste bin
2	tiny green flannel dress	repair Nandina overalls	recycle bin
3	individual cheesecake	sew buttons on blouse	-
4	-	old mattress off bed	-
5	-	bed slats shorter	-
6	-	Nandina overall pockets	-
7	x	move towel holder	x
8	x	bedrails attached	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 gratitude - determination to surmount fear

Time of Isolation - Day 813

Sunday snippets and fragments - day 23 (year 2)

in which our plucky heroine does not give up...

...sleeping brain has been sending me on all kinds of strange adventures, including a trip to a formerly unknown part of the dreamlands, filled with narrow pedestrian streets, analog strip malls, and odd shops stacked atop one another, rather like a cross between an Old World city and Japan. In one of those small shops, I found a stash of deadstock canning jar lids and was really delighted. When I got to the register to pay for them, I woke up.

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~ creativity challenge ~

almost finished with a new planter cage... should be squirrel-proof. My hands are sore from hours of cutting wire mesh, bending it to shape, and cutting and twisting wires to connect the pieces. I'm hoping to be able to plant edible greens here, soon. Inside the planter, the current "crop" of deadnettles (which I just found out are actually edible?!) will be replaced with a layer of compost, and some planter soil. and then I may plant some peas, or radishes...

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started the process of adding a cover to the sleeve board that has been floating around my sewing space for a number of years now. Layers of melton cloth wool padding, and then a linen cover held on with a drawstring. Did the smaller side first, and have some idea of how to improve it for the larger side... 

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Auntie K and I have been spending some time just hanging out on video as "body doubles" for one another. We did this one time before, with good results, as I was able to clear the surface of an entire workbench, while she worked on her own project. This time I was able to clear away all the fabric that had piled up atop the guest futon, (ever since early in the pandemic when I was in a frenzy of mask making). Four grocery sacks full of fabric scrap are ready to leave the house now, and while it isn't anywhere near as much declutter as desired, it is a start.

Though mostly as body doubles we don't do a lot of back and forth chat, K had a good question for me: "how do you envision this room? and does what you are picking up add to that vision?" I want the floors to be clear with only enough fabric and supplies on the shelves, not SABLE*. I only want mostly lengths of fabric that can be turned into garments, as I am not really into patchwork for clothing or as a handcraft. It will take time, but it is POSSIBLE

*Stash Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy

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April SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	wire planter cage	cover smaller sleeve board	yard waste bin
2	-	-	recycle bin
3	x	x	bag of fabric
4	x	x	bag of fabric
5	x	x	bag of fabric
6	x	x	bag of fabric
7	x	x	-
8	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 gratitude - an unexpected book delivery yesterday. My sister sent me "The Art of Dying Well" by Katy Butler, and "Advice For Future Corpses" by Sallie Tisdale... both books I have borrowed often enough from the library that adding them to my reference library makes sense. Food for thought, as I navigate being a good daughter to my ageing parents, and as I consider and make choices about my own ongoing life as an elder