Friday fragments

in which our plucky heroine reaches for bootstraps...

The warm weather on Monday was a fluke, as going forward throughout the week the weather returns to the more usual for this time of year. It has been grey, and drizzly and not particularly warm. Which is fine. 

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~ not buttons but tiny shelves? ~

There are many tutorials online about turning avocado pits into buttons, and how sturdy the inner seed becomes as it dries. Out of curiosity, decided to slice up the most recent one... These little semi-circular slices, while they could be trimmed into small discs and drilled with holes, rather call to mind miniature wall brackets, and could without much difficulty be repurposed into 1:12 scale rustic decor for the tinyworld. Hmmmm....

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With my focusing on completing unfinished projects, the ruffle-edged pillow shams have been completed, and hopefully soon be on their way to their new home, and the bank account a bit more pleasantly enlarged.

The Icelandic cardigan has been ungrafted into pieces, and is getting marked center back and either side in order to better line up the upper and lower sections. Sister made the sweetest interpretation, that once it is altered to fit me, 'twill be like "a warm hug from Dad".

While there are more of my own personal wardrobe projects eagerly awaited, my immediate next effort is to finish Bab's heraldic brooch. Maybe the experimental abalone inlay project will get its turn not too long after that (to replace the lost Mexican silver horse brooch), that is, once I finish with the small enamel award pendants for John. Those enamels are the last thing in the workshop line, my queue is almost empty.

Time to experiment as well with what sorts of enameling I can do without using silver. I switched to a fine silver ground over four decades ago, for technical reasons. Copper has always been less spendy, but much trickier for cloisonne. Now that silver (never inexpensive) has more than tripled in price, it is really affecting the choices artists must make, and it is probably time to switch back to copper... I'm considering moving away from  my beloved cloisonne to limoges style enamel for regalia, as one example.

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The last week or so have been particularly rough. Aside from the multiplicitous dumpster fires that are our current timeline, which are more than enough for anyone who is paying attention, there is no obviously immediate personal reason. Doing my best to seek and pay attention to small joys and bits of goodness is sometimes enough to contradict the brain weasels. But not always; recently the weasels are winning. Plucky heroine is Very Stubborn about not giving up, though. I seem to remember an idea of making an actual ARTifact of anti-brain-weasel serum, maybe time to revisit that idea. I think Acantha had some relevant ideas...

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It is always a small thrill when my internal database tosses out a word that fits my writing perzactly, and the spell check says nope, but double checking several online real dictionaries says yes, and then that dopamine moment of clicking "add to dictionary"

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Month SMART goals (x=extra)

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

today's gratitudes -
- Super Supportive - Chapter 274 !!!
- using chevre as a feta substitute (not quite the same flavor profile, but an improvement on a bike ride in the cold rain)
- quince rosewater applesauce
- that dopamine moment of clicking "add to dictionary"

Time of Isolation - Day 2066

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

Monday miscellany

in which our plucky heroine is tuckered out...

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

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~ 15½ hours... ~

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

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

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

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

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

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

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

Time of Isolation - Day 1792

weekend wonderments

in which our plucky heroine pays attention...

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

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~ halfway there ~

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

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

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

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

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

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

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

Time of Isolation - Day 1791

werk werk werk

in which our plucky heroine enjoys a reprieve...

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

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

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

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

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

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~ just the start ~

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

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

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

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

Time of Isolation - Day 1789

somewhat Seussian

in which our plucky heroine wishes for a different timeline, one where the people on the planet all worked together to ameliorate the human-caused damages to the biosphere, instead of infighting among ourselves...

Now and again, while I am riding my bike around parts of the peninsula this time of year, there is a whiff of something delightfully floral. I am suspecting summer jasmine, which I see blooming nowadays. I could go over to the part of Karla's fence covered in jasmine and have a sniff, to check my surmise.

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~ unfolding ~

being as short as I am, and with my rubbishy memory I vastly overestimated the height of the agave stalk previously mentioned, it is probably about 12 feet tall, rather than 20+. Still quite impressive, and now much closer to flowering...(not sure if these are flowers or buds, so it will be necessary to keep checking it to find out)

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I think our culture ought to have a word for the meal between lunchtime and supper/dinner, in the similar vein to "brunch" in the mornings. I usually have my later in the day primary meal ideally sometime between 4 to 6 pm. which puts in in the UK category of "afternoon tea" or "high tea", though if I took tea as a beverage that late in the day, there would be no sleeping.

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Making good progress today on the Laurel enamel project, the disk is all laid out for engraving and stamping, and the outlines for the leafy wreath cloisons are all drawn out as well. I think I can... I think I can...

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A few just right things or ideas... I picked up a lid for wide mouth jars that has a capped pour spout, and it seems to work well. This will let me store the finished kombucha on the fridge shelf in a quart Mason jar instead of in the door baskets, as the heavy Grolsch bottle currently in service is so tall as to only fit in one spot.

I've an idea about the lower kitchen cupboards, many years an aggravation due to their extreme depth. Because the kitchen fittings are steel, attaching anything structural to them is challenging. It recently occurred to me that plywood, cut to fit the narrow but deep shelves, could have a shallow box also made to fit, with pull out extension slides on the bottom between the box and the plywood... This would make much better use of the spaces, which currently require crouching down and removing whatever things are in front. Then all that would be needed to make that whole side of the kitchen happier would be removing and replacing the countertop (and removing entirely the "stupid L") rather than removing the entire vintage built in lower wall. I shall be researching possibilities...

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

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

today's gratitudes -
- bats at dusk, fluttery silhouettes against the sky along the bluff.
- street sweeper = less broken glass in bike lane. Yesterday the pavement was still damp where it had passed along the roadway.
- My bike did not get stolen! (night before last I was foolishly tired when riding to the grocery, and simply went inside the shop without locking my bike... was shocked to find it sans lock when I came back, with the lock in the basket where it usually lives when I'm riding. Surely Dame Fortune was smiling in my direction !!)

Time of Isolation - Day 1788

making and mending

in which our plucky heroine eats the frog...

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

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~ so tiny and blue ~
.

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

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

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

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

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

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

Time of Isolation - Day 1556

shibori Saturday and other snippets

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

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

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~ mood indigo ~

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

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

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

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

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

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

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

Time of Isolation - Day 1546

Monday miscellany

in which our plucky heroine is feeling a bit swamped...

Tomorrow will be busy, I have six different tree services to phone and get risk assessment consults/estimates; asking friends to recommend helpful options was in fact quite useful. Turns out that there is also information on the city website about tree service providers, as well as information about possible replacement trees...  

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~ Order of the Grey Goose Shaft ~

This medallion, started a while back, is completed and ready to be shipped to the recipient. It feels good to be back at the workbench again...

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It occurred to me that the toile of the fingerless bike gloves could be useable, if I stitch down the serged seams to be neat and flat. The double layer improved version is better, but the toile is not that far off from the final pattern, and an extra set is always useful. A few hours of hand stitching would be a peaceful evening project

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Sewing tasks for me in progress: gores for plaid flannel slip.
Sewing tasks for client upcoming: alterations on green wool cosplay Star Wars tunic, then altering pattern and making a green linen one for summer wear.

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May SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	4 tiny books	half front yard mowed	yard waste bin
2	10 tiny books	more front yard mowed	recycle bin
3	tiny footstools	replace cloudlight bulb	dead rosemary
4	acorn bowls	clean large paper lantern	yard waste bin
5	angora goat lino	pocket brown pinafore	yard waste bin
6	mini cushions	reframed raindrop print	recycle bin
7	copycat sunhat	partial backyard mowed	wonky kitchen light
8	OGGS setting	front yard mowed	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. Chopped up cucumber mixed with yogurt and seasoned with Justice is really tasty, I like it better than tzatziki. My jar is almost empty, so I will need to order some more from Penzeys. I wish they still had their shop downtown near Powell's Books...
2. I started marking the kitchen ceiling in a four foot circle centered on the electric box. I think that the simplest option will be to use paint for improving the appearance. Maybe with some sponge texture...
3. I might be dog sitting later this summer, it will be fun to have Wellington as a guest again.

Time of Isolation - Day 1420

progress report

in which our plucky heroine is taking a breather...

or, one of the reasons I don't drink coffee!

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~ well done ~

The heraldic enamels for the new Stromgard coronets are now completed; last night I turned off the kiln around 11:30 after the final firing. The white enamel detailing of the "mane" on the sea-horses was some of the most challenging enamel I have done, due to the minute scale and intense focus required. Even with the lighted magnifier, this is near the limit of what I can see clearly, and more importantly what I can manipulate. Just one wobble of the brush tip shaping the lines and it is all to do over again. And after the lines are shaped, the remainder of the surface needs to be very carefully examined to be sure that no grain or haze of enamel is left anywhere else on the surface, lest it be permanently attached in the heat of the kiln.

The painting enamel (finely powdered glass, rather like talcum powder), mixed with lavender oil, is first gently dabbed more or less into place with a 3/0 brush. Then once it is slightly less liquid, a 10/0 brush dampened with water is used to manipulate the oily mixture into more precise alignment to create lines finer than would be possible with cloisonné wire. (this is not the only way that painting enamel can be used, but is the way I most commonly find it useful in my work)

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Tomorrow is Pie Day (3/14) and I've planned to make a pear tart in celebration. I made one last year in January, remember is as really tasty, managed to track down where I copied the recipe, and have several Bosc pears in the fridge...

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This is a most peculiar and Bosch-esque piece of percussion...  (scroll down the video and turn on the sound)

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This essay, by the artist Luann Udell is worth the time to read:

“NATURAL TALENT” VS. PERSEVERANCE: Which Works Best?

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March SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	red enamel samples	bathroom undersink access	some driveway moss
2	turn buttons	-	recycle bin
3	6 tiny books	-	yard waste bin
4	2 velour sports bras	-	recycle bin
5	Stromgard enamels	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. I managed to complete the Stromgard enamels, and they look good to me, and hopefully to all concerned.
2. Albuterol. I very rarely need it, but when I do, having an inhaler that does the thing necessary makes a huge difference. My lungs, not my most functional body part, have never been "right" again since got sick while visiting family last year.
3. three good zoom meetings with family and friends

Time of Isolation - Day 1348

spring forward

in which our plucky heroine plans to go to bed early...

in an attempt to foil the somatic confusion that always occurrs when the clocks change.

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~ very small indeed ~

The enamel champlevé project has moved past the making samples stage and into the multiple trips in and out of the kiln stage. The two pieces now have their first layer of transparent blue. I'm very glad I decided to use a lighter blue than I first tried, as the champlevé cells intensify the color value. Next will be adding transparent green to the tiny laurel wreaths...

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Last weekend I was chatting online with my pal Acantha, who mentioned that she and Gersvinda had gone to Kachka to eat pelmeni (dumplings) and other treats. I remembered seeing the packages in the freezer case at the grocery, so decided to try them as a slightly extravagant treat. Boy howdy those are tasty! I topped them with a dab of butter, a spoonful of greek yogurt in lieu of sour cream, and a splash of vinegar (this combination suggested on the package) If I had some fresh dill, that would have been a great addition...

I wonder how difficult it would be to DIY them, as I accidentally found out that Kachka also sells the special tool to form them into the charming little hexagons. It might be worth an attempt, to be able to add a different new option to my made ahead meals... There are a number of recipes online.

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~ just the right size ~

Leah and her husband Randall like making pottery enough that they turned their attic into a pottery studio. I have a few lovely pieces that they have gifted me with over the years, and yesterday, when she came to visit with Ursel, she gave me this sweet celadon dessert bowl, much to my delight!

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Not much sewing is happening, other than I have almost finished making two new very comfy cotton velour sports bras. Such a fast and easy project to complete, they take just about an hour from start to finish...

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March SMART goals (x=extra)

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

today's gratitudes -
1. the new small pottery bowl from Leah is just the right size for small treats, like yogurt with fruit...
2. the cotton velour sports bras are much nicer on my skin than the harsh synthetic fabric used for conventional bras. I keep wondering if there is a way to construct a conventionally styled bra with fabric that was nice instead of nasty.
3. I managed to get the laundry off the clothesline before it was really rained on this morning. If I had put it out earlier Friday, I wouldn't have left it out overnight. Only the second attempt to line dry the washing this year...

Time of Isolation - Day 1344

Monday music and miscellany

in which our plucky heroine begins various things...

After a weekend marred by two visual migraines, today I am feeling much improved, and able to start working on samples for the next enameling project. I am collaborating again with Mr Dawson, who has asked me to do champlevé enamel on the two small shield shaped pieces he engraved in amazingly fine detail. Imagine this design on a shield only an inch tall total:

The blue waves and green Laurel wreaths will be done in transparent enamel, but as there is no I've not found any really good heraldic red transparent enamel (for use on silver), those portions will be opaque red. So, today was all about making assorted samples on very tiny discs to try all the options in my shelves of enamel colors, and also to start experimenting with how to achieve the additional details needed. I'm inclined to use opaque white 325 enamel for that. I'll be doing a bit more sampling tomorrow, to see if using lavender oil instead of water for the medium gives me cleaner lines on the sea beast's "mane". If we are satisfied with those results, I will be working on the actual pieces later this week.

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Steady progress on making a set of tiny books for the solstice miniature swap, using an assortment of low denomination USPS postage stamps, that all have really pretty fruit artwork. My intention is to also create a tutorial, so as to encourage other folks who may want to make miniature books. It is fun, not impossibly difficult, and unlike enameling, uses ordinary household supplies!

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Additional incremental progress on the refurbish the bathroom project - I realised that wooden turn buttons to hold the under sink access panel in place would be fairly simple to make. The first one has been carved and painted, to hold the edge near the tub closed, and one more under the center of the sink should be all that is needed. I'll do that one tomorrow, then attach them..

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"Halley Came To Jackson"

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bah! my overhead kitchen light isn't working; it had been very occasionally intermittent once or twice in the last several months. I can't tell if it is the switch or the fixture. It isn't the fuse box, since everything else in the kitchen has power and is still working (thankfully!)

I'm in the middle of actually working on enamel sampling for the upcoming job, and not very keen on instead researching how to diagnose electrical problems (which will require tools I don't own or know how to use) Plucky heroine is grumpy, and simply moved a table lamp into the kitchen temporarily. It is all rather soft focus and atmospheric there now, which is less than ideal for any activity that requires using sharp objects. I shall have to plan any actual food preparation to occurr during daylight hours.

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Month SMART goals (x=extra)

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

today's gratitudes -
1. Yesterday we had a 90th birthday zoom for my mom. My siblings were there in person, with their spouses and my youngest nephew, while I and the older nephews zoomed in from the west coast. It was bittersweet. I guess I am grateful that I had mom for as long as I did, and 90 is a venerable age to achieve, even though dementia marrs her elder years. I hope she enjoyed the balloons, and the cupcake, and the visit.

2. Instead of walking just around the blocks, I detoured through the alley, and was delighted to see flowering quince tumbling over the fence from someone's yard, the orangey-pink flowers always make me happy. There are various spring bulbs here and there, and this morning a tree just chock full of robins. It is still cold and raw and wet most of the time, but spring is on the way.

3. I have a moveable table lamp, which normally sits on the dining table, so I was able to put it in the kitchen when the kitchen light stopped working. Not ideal, but better than nothing. I have it pointed towards the ceiling, to bounce the light and get as much general illumination as possible. Might try and get a brighter LED bulb as an additional temporary improvement until I can solve the problem.

Time of Isolation - Day 1340

oh so bizzy

in which our plucky heroine enjoys a rare treat...

The guest space here at Acorn Cottage held guests overnight on Friday. We did things together, we cooked and ate a meal together... my internal batteries of well being are no longer entirely running on empty.

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~ well underway ~

The black Lettlopi yarn that arrived recently is doing just what I'd hoped for, providing a distinct edge for the body of the cardigan. Knitted on I-cord is a good way to border a garment, being both stable and flexible. The vintage wooden toggles, that I tucked away for safekeeping in the box full of assorted Lopi and Lettlopi yarn (and promptly forgot I'd done so) will finally get to escape the button basket and fulfill their destiny!

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Friday morning we girded our loins for a trip to Costco, which is always a challenge. I only ever shop there two or three times a year, for the few necessary staple items only available there, and it seems each time it is even more crowded, to the point of seeming like bumper cars inside the store. I was bashed into by other shoppers who backed up without looking. Thankfully the parking lot, while crowded, is less fraught! 

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Later in the day on Friday, my friends and I prepared and ate a Thai-inspired dinner: variations on Pad See Ew (noodles with broccoli and chicken in a sweet savory sauce), and on what they call Swimming Angel Baby Rama (spinach with a tahini coconut sauce). We made changes to adapt to our assorted food sensitivities, and while there were no prizes for authenticity, it was all Very Tasty indeed. I turned part of a jar of mango apricot juice into small gelatin desserts, inspired by the mango jello I used to enjoy 30 years ago at Sun Ya in Seattle.

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The engraved champlevé pieces to be enameled arrives via courier. OMG, the renowned Mr Dawson has outdone himself, creating heraldic images at such a small scale. And apparently intends me to add cloisonné details to something no bigger than my fingernail. I suspect know that will require thinner wire than what I normally use, if it is even possible! Time for more experimentation...

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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 -
1. a successful trip to Costco, thanks to friends. It gets more exhausting and overwhelming each time, but there are a few staple items that need bought two or three times a year: usually TP, pecans, and Tillamook bricks. This visit I added in eye meds, and some grass fed ground beef.
2. VISITORS!! I had almost a whole day with my friends (before they had to head out to to play music for the dance at the event tonight) We even fit in a bit of just walking around the neighborhood together, in the sunbreaks between the rain or the wintry mix.
3. Today I found both the things I misplaced. The toggles for my new cardigan project were in the box of Lopi yarn. My current bujo was tucked in with the cookbooks instead of with the other past journals.
4. The leftovers from the Thai-inspired dinner we cooked yesterday made a delicious lunch, and then a delicious dinner for me today. Made me smile to remember cooking and eating together with two friends. A now Very Uncommon and Rare pleasure that I never take for granted these days
5. I managed to clear off the dining table, which had become one of those Horizontal Surfaces of Magnetic Junk Attraction for far too long. Now it is once again a place where meals can be eaten, or writing or drawing take place while looking out the front window to see the weather and the botanical activity, and possibly the antics of Bob the wayward squirrel
6. Borrowing the Fiskars paper trimmer is another treat. It is so much easier to cut the strips for making miniature text blocks! This (older) style trimmer uses a regular large rotary blade, and clamps the paper in place while you trim, so comparatively safe and very effective. I am going to prep as much as I can before they pick it up on their way home tomorrow.

Time of Isolation - Day 1338

Wednesday in the workroom...

in which our plucky heroine puts everything else on hold...

The current enameling commision, which is on a timeline, needs to be completed and mailed out ASAP, so until it is done there will be little else happening here at Acorn Cottage, other than basic maintenance of self and surroundings.

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~ everso smol ~
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This afternoon I started on the smallest enameling I have ever been asked to do. The flower, stamped in the 4 mm silver discs, is only 2½ mm across; even with my lighted magnifier it is hard to see the details. There will be many of these little enamels set as cabachons to decorate a coronet that my friend Bill is making

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Music of the Mediæval and Renaissance - just found a link to this recently, and it will be pleasing to have some new things to listen to while I am working, or cooking, or whatever...

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This morning, between my zoom meetings, I was able to take half the Advent Swap boxes to the post office, and get them mailed out with tracking numbers. The rest will be mailed out on Friday. Fortunately the nice postal clerk was on duty, and was completely unfazed by my peculiar project. He even suggested a possible helpful change for next year, for the tracking, if that option is still available.

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November SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	6 jars quince jelly	glove thumb re-knit	yard waste bin
2	tiny tiger stripe dress	persimmon pruning	recycle bin
3	Elphinore brooch	steamer basket	imperfect cold packs
4	candied quince	shadowbox painted	recycle bin
5	dried pears	fridge bracket gone	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. enamel project is doable... I had concerns
2. I realised that the annoying locking bracket at the base of my fridge (which has been rusting away for the last ten or fifteen years now) might be detatchable. And used my phone to look underneath the fridge. And then used the tiny offset ratcheting screwdriver to back out the screws, and now it is gone for good.
3. I have tools. I have a decent assortment of tools, (if never quite enough). In fact, I am Tool Girl.

Time of Isolation - Day 1238

Saturday and Sunday

in which our plucky heroine is pleased...

There was a modicum of positive activity this weekend... Progress on my knitting happened, as I slowly wend my way across the cardigan back and towards the second arm opening. There was bike riding in the sunshine. There was laundry, including bleaching all the dishcloths. All the ripe pears are currently in the food dehydrator, and by tomorrow they should be done and I can start on the persimmons. There was a trip to the farmer's market. There was some reorganisation of the workroom space, just a start...  

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~ so much fun! ~

Today I spent time assembling the boxes, and then taking the tiny Advent gifts from their individual bags and redistributing them into the correct assortments so everyone in the swap gets various treats and no one gets their own offerings returned... the entire top of my worktable is covered with little fixed rate postal cartons. This is delightful!

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Saturday, managed to move the plywood sheet (used to protect the plum tree from being fried by the AC during the summer) from the side of the house back into the carport, without harming myself. Remembered to get the rubberized gloves to get a really good grip, before splinters occurred. Next year this will not be required, as the AC will be moving to a different window that doesn't blow hot air onto any of the fruit trees.

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The teeny tiny enamel blanks for Bill's project arrived today, they are so very small, maybe 3+ mm in diameter? I will have to fire them on mica, which Bill thoughtfully included in the small packet.

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November SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	6 jars quince jelly	glove thumb re-knit	yard waste bin
2	tiny tiger stripe dress	persimmon pruning	recycle bin
3	Elphinore brooch	steamer basket	imperfect cold packs
4	candied quince	shadowbox painted	recycle bin
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. love living in a neighborhood where I know (at least some of) my neighbors to wave to in their cars, or to say hello on the street, or in the case of my Good Neighbors, to ask for help
2. managed to get to the farmers market on Saturday and find some garlic to plant, using the last of my market scrip before it expired
3. best Crafternoon in a long time because Rois, and Vesta both showed up, I've not seen them in ages... not that I am not also grateful for my regular attendees Beth, Karen, and Ursel...

Time of Isolation - Day 1235

make and mend

in which our plucky heroine has taken up afternoon napping...

I am not sure why this is becoming a thing, other than perhaps as a counterpart to the waking up at first light. But if that means I can continue to keep the house fairly cool during these heat advisory alerts, I will put up with the falling asleep at around 3pm...

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~ Pelican regalia ~

I spent all my functional two-handed time yesterday building the setting and setting the enamel. By the time it was complete, I was done, at least done with all the tasks that needed both my hands. I am really happy with how this one turned out, and so was C when she came to pick it up this morning...

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Today we managed to get the zoom room to work, and I was able to have a bit more than a half hour video visit with Mom... She was more conversationally engaged than the last time we chatted which gave me good feelings. She was happy to hear that I will be visiting her in the future. Also when I phoned in a bit earlier to try and connect with Bethany, the person who answered the phone (not Bethany) said she knew who my mom was, and that they all liked her.

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Back in 2015 I made a grey popover summer dress, which I loved dearly and wore often. Eight years is a good long lifespan for a rayon garment, and earlier this year the fabric under my daypack strap zone became completely abraded. There was plenty of fabric still left in the lower half of the dress that large patches could be cut to replace the outer edges of the upper half to down below the worn away bits, and my hope and intention is to get a bit more wear from it as a popover top (to be worn under or over a pinafore)

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Finally sorted out the paperwork issues for my medical supplies. Only took two weeks of my making almost daily phone calls to the pharmacy and my PCP clinic. The pharmacy manager now knows me by name. Fortunately we manage to laugh about the dreadful and ridiculous topsy turvy issues to sort things like this out, and fortunately the prescription that was bollixed was not one that was mission critical, just somewhat challenging to do without.

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

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

today's gratitudes -
1. persistence and humor in the face of gummint paperwork
2. the Pelican is off on its journey to July Coronation - I don't go to the event, but my handicraft does
3. ice cubes, and a chest freezer to keep them frozen and keep making more

Time of Isolation - Day 1116