paint it black

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

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

※※※

~ line items ~

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

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

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

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

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

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

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April SMART goals (x=extra)

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

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

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

Time of Isolation - Day 2100

is it origami?

in which our plucky heroine folds some food...

I tried a new idea seen online, a pseudo-sushi-wich. While it was possible to make, it does not make the repeat list. Maybe using canned salmon was less than ideal, and fresh or smoked would have been a better choice?

Basically you use a big square of rice paper as the outside, then a layer of nori, then half gets some salmon salad, sliced cucumber, avocado, and the other half gets cooked rice (everything in thin layers) The whole shebang gets folded into quarters and sesame seeds on the outside. Pan fry until crispy on the outside.

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~ well begun, not half done ~

The best way I could think of to get the sleeves close to a good size and length, was to lay the partially finished cardigan atop one already finished that fits pretty well. A few more rows have been completed since the photo, but it is a slow slow process. No one local seems to have any wood size 7 double pointed needles, and 4.5mm is not a standard US dowel size.

※※※

The Ultimate"Leopards Ate My Face" rendition
※※※

There is quite a bit of aluminum wire of various gauges in the "big wire" box, all leftover from making masks back in 2020. Some of it was coiled around a dap and turned into stitch markers for the stripey sleeve sweater today. Particularly good since there is no real other use for that wire currently.

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	blood orange marmalade	bike headlamp	yard waste bin
2	heraldic enamel	passport photo	recycle bin
3	crayon roll	crystal necklace	recycle bin
4	xp2 undies	pattern longjanes	-
5	pot lid rack	passport applied for	-
6	aluminum stitch markers	pear tree planted	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's (and yesterday's) gratitudes -
1. Woke up before the alarm went off on Wednesday, and had an odd adventurish dream set in a Dreamlands analog of my teenage neighborhood, all about sidewalk wedding parties, and a horse drawn cider wagon giving out free samples
2. Managed to sort out the confusion about my prescription coverage
3. So many suggestions for favorite invertebrates! Who would have guessed at what folks liked? I will have to make more than one volume!
4. Managed to not burn up the entire pot of candied pomelo peel, and most of it is salvageable
5. Almost a quarter of the way done with the stripey sleeves.
6. I tried a new food idea seen online, a pseudo-sushi-wich of filled rice paper, layered folded and pan fried. It was tasty, but does not make the repeat list...
7. Some stitch markers made from aluminum wire leftover from 2020 homemade cloth mask making.

Time of Isolation - Day 1652

I can haz eyebrows and other weekend whatnots

in which our plucky heroine experiments...

...so, somewhere in the intervening not quite twenty years since my previous passport, the feds changed the rules about photos, and wearing ordinary eyeglasses is no longer allowed. Never-you-mind that I never take mine off save for sleep and bathing.

And somewhere in those years, my wonky thyroid erased my eyebrows, so without my spex, my face looks odd indeed, and the photo I got at the local FedEx store is probably the most hideous image of my not very photogenic self ever taken. So... I thought, as much as I find cosmetics to be unpleasant in a tactile sense, it occurred to me that might be the way to seek visual improvement.

I purchased a small tube of very basic foundation, and an eyebrow pencil in a sort of grey brown color, and after spending some time in front of the bathroom mirror, my face looked less alien. Who'd have thought that eyebrows were so vital. The foundation did much to even out the rosacea as well. I'm going to see about getting another photo taken.

※※※

~ it's citrus season ~

When I stopped at the store on Saturday, it was their annual citrus extravaganza, with basically all types on sale for $1.99/pound. While there were no Seville oranges, they did have some very nice looking organic blood oranges (I find the ones noticeably darker reddish/greenish on the skins are more often very red inside). About 1¾ pounds (along with sugar and the juice of two lemons) made five 8oz and four 4oz jars to replenish the preserves shelf.

I still vividly remember the first time I ever saw or tasted a blood orange, on one of the trips I took to Berkeley with Bill, back in the LongAgo. We were wandering around, enjoying the sunshine and the jasmine, and stopped at a small store to get some munchable snacks, and I was astonished at the dark red citrus inside what looked basically like a small ordinary orange, and by the subtle complex almost berry flavor. 

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Today it occurred to me to find out if I could wear my barrettes as if they were brooches. My handknit pullovers and cardigans are made at a fairly large gauge from Icelandic yarn, so it was indeed easy to thread the clip through the neckline ribbing! This makes me really happy, as I have a box full of various hair decorations (embroidered beadwork, chased metalwork, ribbon roses, and other confections) I've not been able to wear for years now, that I will be able to enjoy more frequently

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Tonight I turned some of the baked winter squash into a sort of curried stew. I'd begged the aunties for some suggestion for what to do with my abundance of squash, and they suggested a curried squash soup, with onions and apple and broth, topped with yogurt. Well, I started cooking some onion, then saw the Napa cabbage in the fridge and grabbed a few leaves...

I didn't have any broth, so added water, curry powder, a bit of bouillon concentrate, and some Thai fish sauce to the almost tender veggies. Some of the cooked squash chunks from yesterday added body, and a spoonful or two of applesauce for sweetness; rather than pureeing it to soup, I just poured the whole pan into a bowl, and added a dollop of Greek yogurt... It was yummy!

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	blood orange marmalade	bike headlamp	yard waste bin
2	-	-	recycle bin
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. eyebrow pencil!
2. blood orange marmalade
3. hair barrettes to "brooches"
4. curried squash stew

Time of Isolation - Day 1634

a Modest Experiment might take place...

in which our plucky heroine does some research...

Suddenly, for my future Anti-Weasel Serum shrine, I want a little Dr Vortex bottle, but I can't go to Fair. Karen suggested that I look up DIY versions, and it seems that mixing mica pigment with water the basic formula, and one can add other ingredients for different results, such as glycerine, or clear glue. As I recall, in one of my containers of art materials I have a set of assorted colors of mica pigment powders...

※※※

~ it has pockets ~

As part of my continued tiny dopamine efforts, Opal now has cargo pants (tiny faux denim trousers + patch pockets). I added the tie-dye jersey tee shirt made from a wee scrap of the very precious tie-dye from my friend Aeolus. I imagine Opal could be going to Fair, and needs her own tiny OCF shirt, as do the tinyfolk up in Olympia. I suspect that I shall need to make at least two tiny jersey tee shirts, and add the Peach logo... 

Then on Tuesday chatting with Karen, she thought that Opal needed tiny Birkenstocks! I am wondering how best to make some, with cork and thin leather. Must see what I can rustle up. I've lots of leather scraps, but since I don't have a spare cork pinboard to take apart, I might have to carefully slice some thin pieces off a wine cork to make soles...

※※※

I was going to ride my bike to the store tonight, now that it is cooler out, but there are also assorted explosive noises out there, which would be most unpleasant to be unexpectedly near. Now I'm thinking early morning, right when the grocery opens, would be far better/safer instead... fewer fireworks...

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	4 tiny knit vests	-	-
2	tiny cargo pants	-	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. I rather accidentally joined a FB group "Fantasy-Faction - Fantasy and Science Fiction Book Discussion" (joining the group was a requirement to comment on a query I wanted to answer). This has had the unexpected result of skewing my dreadful FB feed to have more pleasing content. Now with somewhat less grimdark dumpster fire and more book cover art. Maybe even some things I might want to read...
2. Today I had my first chance to begin to play Golden Sky. It was fun, and I was able to successfully use my imagination as we navigated the very first scene. I am enjoying learning a new thing with my two faraway friends!
3. I successfully cleared up the kitchen enough that I could take the needed photos, and remember how nice it looks with the countertops empty.

Time of Isolation - Day 1453

iron-ing

in which our plucky heroine does something hard and something fun...

I mostly hate making phone calls. Not as much if I am phoning a friend, though even then I always feel hesitant, not wanting to "be a bother". But having to call businesses with an inquiry or a request has never stopped being a "grit my teeth and do it"
There were two calls on my current task list today, and I made both of them before noon. Yay me!

I also started the task of decluttering my actual paper file cabinet, to move towards the goal of using the upper drawer as a "home" for important paperwork that tends to get misplaced. I do really well putting things away into their proper homes, IF they have homes. Since I made a "house key home" quite a few years ago, I no longer misplace the house keys, etc. The file cabinet upper drawer is full of random nifty hardcopy, but I pretty much never go there to use it, and it can be culled hard. (The bottom drawer is where I store my blank paper of various sorts, tracing paper, graph paper, art paper of different weights etc... that drawer is functioning well)

※※※

~ paint it black ~
.
after ebonising, and beforehand

So, remember yesterday when I mentioned using iron infused vinegar to ebonise tannin rich wood... well... instead of just waiting for the steel wool to react, I also took some rusty rebar and stuck the ends in the jar (outdoors of course) and let it sit overnight. In the meantime, I slathered the oak escutcheon with strong tea and let it dry in the sun, because why not?

After then applying the almost clear vinegar liquid, the color change was quite rapid though not instant. A second coat darkened the wood surface even more; the only light areas are inside the deeper pores of the surface (the original oak scrap had some sort of wood finish, and while I sanded the surface to remove it, the pores are rather deep) Had I been able to start with totally unfinished wood, it would all have become black! So, I call the experiment quite successful.

return to our normally scheduled programming...

in which our plucky heroine is pleased at the change in the weather...

Ice and snow are mostly gone, so there was both bike riding and some walking around outside Monday. It felt so warm compared to last week, though on the north side of the house, my heat pump still had a deep cap of ice atop it. I am considering some sort of sturdy awning/roof-like structure to be set in place during the winter, to divert the ice and icicles... not directly atop the machine, but high enough to allow for easy air flow.

※※※

There is a small cluster of snowdrops currently blooming in the front yard, tucked under the rosemary bush... eventually spring will arrive!

※※※

The RÅSKOG trolley cart arrived Monday, though I am still waiting on the TRONES storage cabinets (not sure why they are not arriving together, but all sorts of deliveries and pickups have been deranged by the ice storm we had last week).

Am I the only person who enjoys assembling Ikea furniture? It is a sort of 3D puzzle, which, when you complete it, becomes something useful for your home. I was able to adjust the height of the central "basket" so that the lower compartment is taller, with room for some of the larger containers I store in the bathroom, like the gallon jar of white vinegar (used for descaling), and suchlike.

※※※

Started on the Thai-Inspired Chicken Meatball Soup last night. Ground chicken meatballs are problematical to shape and to brown in a pan, as the recipe calls for. I've never tried ground chicken before, and it was a lot looser than say, ground pork, which meant rather "squishy" meatballs that didn't want to hold their shape. 

After making up the soup and the meatballs, I have some definite changes I want to make - needs to be much less salty! I tried using bouillon (diluted) for the chicken broth and that was a mistake; perhaps unsalted chicken broth would be better, since the meatballs and the other broth ingredients are so very flavorful... also possibly reduce the amount of fish sauce by about half. I would also use a fresh lime for the juice next time, as it would be an improvement over the bottled juice (which wasn't bad, though) and possibly adding some fresh basil or fresh thai basil as a garnish. Other things could be added to the soup such as mushrooms or rice noodles. I am going to make some additional soup tomorrow to use up the rest of the can of cocoanut, and freeze with the now frozen extra soup from today...

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Jedi obi sash	reinstall octopus	recycle bin
2	Jedi underlayer	hang candle lantern	-
3	2 tiny books	paint tiger frame	-
4	teal knit top	patch closet holes	-
5	3 hats & 3 scarves	teal top mended	-
6	plaid flannel slip	RÅSKOG	x
7	5 tiny books	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

yesterday's gratitudes - 1. today it warmed up enough that the ice was mostly melted and the snow was mostly gone; I was able to go out and ride my bike!
2. rummaging around in the workroom, I found a old box of music CD's that various folks had given me, so I have some different tunes to listen to that I haven't heard in ages...
3. There is a tiny patch of snowdrops blooming in my front yard

today's gratitudes -
1. My new Ikea RÅSKOG trolley cart arrived, and is now mostly assembled. I am looking forward to moving forward on the project it is intended for, once the rest of my order arrives
2. The plaid flannel petticoat slip with the double layer skirt really does a good job at keeping my legs cozy.
3. snowdrops!

Time of Isolation - Day 1300

Reading in 2024:

1. Mink River
   by Brian Doyle -
   This book is written in most lyrical prose about the most unlikely folks, in a small town on the Oregon coast. I found it so engaging that I stayed up far too late reading it. Perhaps because I am lucky enough to have coastal people among my circle of friends, and heard some of their quirky stories, the inhabitants of Neawanaka won my heart and my interest
   
2. A Half-Built Garden
   by Ruthanna Emrys -
   
   
3. Three Twins at the Crater School
   by Chaz Brenchley -
   this was recommended to me, but it wasn't my cup of tea... I am not keen on the "adventures of young people at boarding school" genre, even if transposed to a fantasy version of Mars. While this novel is better than many, since there is no infighting and nasty behavior, I just never connected with any of the characters or their challenges in a way that allowed "the willing suspension of disbelief" which is crucial to entering a tale.
   
4. The Inheritance & Other Stories
   by Robin Hobb and Megan Lindholm -
   
   
5. The Year Without Sunshine
   by Naomi Kritzer -
   Novelette
   
   
   
   
   

Friday fragments

in which our plucky heroine will begin an experiment...

I've been thinking about Kestrel's question "what will we do when December is over?" every day... and while I have not come up with something to replace the small dopamine hit of opening a new gift every morning, I have thought of something I want to try. And I might not wait until January 1st to start.

I'm going to start each day off with a 15 minutes of creative activity. I really enjoyed the hundred day stitch book project earlier this year. I think it will be interesting to find out how doing something artistic and creative as a bridge into the waking world each day might affect me.

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~ Advent Swap day 22 ~

Today is the first official day of winter, and my advent gift was this carefully packaged linen handkerchief...

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I got a message this morning from the seller of the (defective) DVD, I am a little worried concerned that they said they are just sending me a replacement disc without a case to protect it... fingers crossed that when it arrives, the new disc is in better (ie playable) condition, and undamaged...  

※※※

At my doctor appointment today, the machine that does the instant A1c readings broke. So my PCP asked if I was okay with a regular blood draw... I agreed, but it was a bad move on my part. Neither tech was able to get my wonky lil veins to cooperate, and I ended up with gauze bandages on both arms and no blood for them to test. Harumph! (also double ouch) I really don't want to take the better part of a day to go to the big lab at the hospital, and then wait around for an hour or more in the room full of unmasked and possibly viral people before getting another blood draw. I am going to ask (tomorrow on Tuesday) if I can just wait until the machine at the regular clinic is repaired...

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December SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	7 jars quince	kitchen plumbing	old plumbing
2	dried pears	heat pump installed	old furnace
3	dried persimmons	return vent vanes	high pitched whine
4	linen gauze privacy curtains	bedroom register	yard waste bin
5	tiny peach charm	bike flat tire	recycle bin
6	1-wire Laurel setting	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. after the stress of my office visit, and the cold and damp from riding my bike there and back again, I was able to take a nap this afternoon.
2. Roasted zucchini is fast, easy, and very tasty.
3. Gyoza, homemade, always.
4. I have a new idea to experiment with.

Time of Isolation - Day 1268

a slow Sunday

in which our plucky heroine has a day of rest...

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~ Advent Swap Day 10 ~
 

Good things come in small packages, as I was told as a little girl. This good thing, which reminds me of Peter Max artwork, came all folded up neatly, in a nicely made tiny cardboard box that was printed with stars and tied up with ribbon. I can't imagine using this painted silk square as a handkerchief, so maybe it will become a little banner or flag

※※※

That was an interesting experiment... re: using fusible web and an iron to attach poster to foamcore. I was quite concerned and careful, as several folks warned that it might cause the internal plastic "foam" in the foamcore to melt. Which turned out not to be the case. I set the iron temperature to "silk/no steam" as per the fusible web instructions, and carefully first applied the web to the scrap of poster paper I trimmed off the edge, then carefully trimmed the edges of that, and applied it to a scrap of foamcore. It took but a moment to bond, and there was no scent of melted or burning plastic, and a visual examination showed no damage at all. I was careful to keep a layer of the non-stick paper between the iron and the working portions, as a sort of press cloth. This gives me confidence to attempt the process on a larger scale, albeit after carefully repeating it first using the actual foam core I mean to mount the poster on...

※※※

Rather than holding on to the linen gauze curtain pieces, found a number of years ago and intended for some Roman style summertime SCA garb, I decided that recutting them into actual curtain panels to fit the large front window would be a better use. The current linen privacy curtains are rather too narrow, with a skimpy effect under the indigo drapes, and I don't know what took me so long to decide to switch them out. (I was able to cut away the folded valance before hemming the edges, which will give me some remnants of the linen gauze, so useful for things like straining jelly, or anywhere else "cheesecloth" might be called for) Now I am wondering if I also have more indigo fabric suitable to replace the equally skimpy looking front drapes as well?

※※※

Only one short bike ride today, as it was cold and drizzly. I did want to return to New Seasons to acquire another turkey thigh though. Much to my astonishment, the singular thigh the butcher offered was over two pounds! Apparently they are cutting up the unsold turkeys into parts, and have begun with the Really Big Ones. It will, however, make a very nice roulade roast indeed. I will bone it out and roast it tomorrow.

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December SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	7 jars quince	kitchen plumbing	old plumbing
2	dried pears	heat pump installed	old furnace
3	dried persimmons	return vent vanes	high pitched whine
4	-	bedroom register	-
5	-	bike flat tire	-
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. a good conversation with the produce manager and the store manager at New Seasons, regarding my wistful desire for Pacific Rose apples, and my concern about diminished product availablity due to a new distributor... I felt heard, and was given the manager's card to contact her re missing products.
2. Heather is going to set aside (in the freezer) some of the incredible bone broth she made, and bring it to me the next time they come through Portland...
3. found the missing recipe for lime curd via the Wayback Machine, and this time cleverly copied it into the back of my current BuJo, so I don't need to reverse engineer the URL again...

Time of Isolation - Day 1256

wishful Wednesday

in which our plucky heroine considers replication...

This is the Taxco style brooch I lost last week. It took me years of looking to find one of these little vintage abalone brooches that I liked... It occurred to me, after I stopped being annoyed at myself for losing the brooch, and for losing my nice new grey canvas hat that it was pinned to, that maybe I could DIY myself a replacement. I've probably got at least some of the needed skillset, and there are bits of shell veneer for sale on Etsy.

One of the things I liked about the brooch I found was that it reminded me of my heraldry. With just a little design tweak, I came up with a design in the same style, that is even more like the horse on my armory. I have several new pieces of studio work on order, perhaps once those are completed I will give this a try...

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Time of Isolation - Day 1074

Monday miscellany

in which our plucky heroine gets an early start on the day...

This morning was the first attempt at our artistic encouragement meeting via Discord. My online pal Turquoise had suggested it, and since she lives in the New Forest, and I live a good way toward the other side of the planet, we met at a time later in the day for her and not too terribly early in the morning for me. Which encouraged my waking earlier than usual so as to have gone through my morning routine prior to tackling the computer. I even managed a bit of a before breakfast walk!

Our meeting went well once we somehow got it all sorted out with the Discord video interface (though I can't guarantee it will be any smoother the next time. We each have aspects of our art life we wish to move forward on, so I think that this will be a fun and helpful weekly activity, not to mention that it is lovely to be able to see friends in "person" albeit on the pixel screen. She was able to give me some useful tips about using the new printing press, and how to set things up for registering multiple colors. Since learning and trying more in the way of print making is one of my goals for this year, I expect to begin some explorations soon, once I clear away a space on one of the worktables.

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slabs of avocado pit drying and oxydising:

I found an interesting post by someone called "The Artful Acorn" about making a miniature basket using slabs cut from an avocado pit for the base, and weavers of dried dandelion stems... I realised I had one more avocado left, so after adding it to my salad, I decided to try cutting the pit into slices. It wasn't as easy as slicing bread, but I was able to use a paring knife, taking good care not to slip and slice my paws. I'll drill holes, rather than use a steel straw to punch holes for weaving as they did, and see what I can come up with using whatever botanical weavers foraged for last year since for sure there are no dandelion stems tucked away somewhere. For now, I am letting the slices of avocado dry...

Isn't this inspiring?! Images by "The Artful Acorn"
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making slow if steady progress on my "return to the benthic strata" fingerless gloves, knitting up in spare bits of time while on zoom meetings. Have finished completely one of the two today, and will soon begin on the fingers and palms of glove the second. Realised that the first benthic strata had fingers that were in stockinette stitch but two row stripes rather than how these are just single rows. Oh well, still looks okay if not quite as sharp, and no one but myself would notice.

※※※

I was going to mail out more calendars, but since I need the extra postage (adorable rabbit stamp) and today is a holiday the post office is closed. Hopefully there will be another day this week without too much rain. I can hope that they also have the Lunar New Year of the Rabbit stamps as well.

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	striped tabletweaving	drawings for Vikki	recycle bin
2	night socks toile	2023 calendar masters	yard waste bin
3	2nd set of calendars	-	-
4	night socks	-	-
5	music broadside	-	-
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. figured out how to reset my laptop display to be more correctly sized and how to make the text large enough to easily read. Dunno what I had bollixed earlier, but this is better!
2. despite getting a late start on cooking dinner, I managed to find enough already prepared things to throw together something tasty in just a few minutes. Which did rather put paid to my idea of making a spinach rice bake, but the spinach and the rice were easy to combine with a frozen cube of zucchini sauce and some cottage cheese, with some canned applesauce for dessert. Yay for preparing food ahead!
3. the amazing treat of meeting online with my friend Turquoise, as we begin our artist support dyad

Time of Isolation - Day 1045

Monday media and miscellany

in which our plucky heroine figured out a solution for the spinny teasing and mannerless but sweet little dog I am taking care of...

since he refuses entirely to hold still and let me clip his leash to his collar in the ordinary and polite way when it is time for walkies (and this has been making yours truly completely bonkers). I awoke this weekend with the thought: if I get him to jump up into the tub chair that he likes to sleep in, I can "corner" him there just long enough to connect collar and clip and off we go... This new strategy has worked like a charm ever since.

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My previous (rough) sketches for the Scythian scroll turned up, so I spent most of the time during Crafternoon refining the linework, and then covering the lines on the reverse with soft pencil so I could transfer the design to the Bristol board, then actually transferring the designs. First the metalwork beast, then taping that in place as a sort of paper resist so I could transfer the Pazyryk felt carpet design that will make up the background. That sort of pencil work is hellaciously tedious; virtual company made it much more pleasant. The next step will be to do more practice calligraphy so the inscription can be sized to the border and to become more adept at using the "Roman Rustic" hand...

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time in the tinyworld:

More effort on making sunflowers from dried weeds, paper, and paint - as previously mentioned, I found some weed heads with all the seeds gone, and the leftover discs really reminded me of sunflower centers. A wash of umber and black paint darkened them to an even better resemblance. I remembered there was a piece of yellow tissue paper on the wrapping shelf, a fragment of which became petals (which were quite a fidget to get them to stick to the centers) A dab of green paint on the back of each flower head to represent the sepals looked well, but then showed through the yellow tissue paper, oops... would have been better to use some paper that was a bit heavier for the petals.

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~ creativity challenge ~

I made a new thing (to me) -  a sauce from zucchini. While looking up recipes online for some new options for the delicious squash from my Mud Bay pals, I found one for a zucchini pasta sauce, which was the jumping off point for my own creativity... The online sauce was a bit of a riff on pesto, but in the interest of using what I have on hand, I went in a vaguely southwest direction, with salsa verde and some minced cilantro instead of basil and grated cheese.

Cube and gently saute a medium onion. Cube and add about 1½# tender zucchini to the pan, cover, and steam saute until soft (add water if needed to avoid sticking) Puree (with added liquid if need be), and add a 4 oz jar of salsa verde, the zest and juice of one lemon, and at least ¼ C finely minced cilantro. This made about 3¼ C of sauce. It would be good made with lime instead (if available) It turned out delightfully savory, and will be a good addition to my short list of saucy staples.

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August SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Kestrel apron	ironing cart	yard waste bin
2	tiny armchair	shims for molding	recycle bin
3	tiny plate rack	tub trim added	ancient printer
4	four hair snoods	pruned quince + plum	yard waste bin
5	snood and pillow	added bathroom hooks	recycle bin
6	indigo tiger dress	worm bin refreshed	x
7	tiny fairy book	bathroom wall touch-up	x
8	tiny Viking flag	spinny Wellington	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 - prepubescent zucchini, so very tasty, and such a wonderful gift from my friends up north.

Time of Isolation - Day 920

wistful Wednesday

in which our plucky heroine feels caught in nostalgia...

It was good yesterday to talk to the family and friends who called me with natal day felicitations. Overall it was a quiet day. Some packages arrived on my front porch. I went ahead and opened my sekrit santa swap package, like I do every year, for the Solstice and my birthday. I was pleased to get the potholder looper weaving loom from my wishlist, and immediately set to weaving one, with the rainbow loops included in the package. No such thing as too much rainbow! Still, I miss so much the years when instead of sitting quietly in my living room alone, there would have been a Saturnalia party, with festive treats and friends warming the house and my heart. Maybe someday we can gather again, I can only hope...

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warm in winter:

Tonight I experimented with making something new for supper: tsumire-jiru (a japanese fish-ball/miso soup). It had showed up somewhere in my internet rambles, and looked tasty. This was easier and faster to make than I imagined, and there is enough leftover in the pan for a portion tomorrow, maybe for breakfast? Given that the cost of any sort of meat or fish has risen so very noticeably in the last year, a warming meal that uses a minimum of protein to such good effect is a good addition to the recipe book!

The recipe called for fresh sardines, but I substituted rockfish, since that was what was available. I suspect salmon would have been a better substitute, if much more spendy, as the rockfish was so mild as to be bland. (Also the recipe comments allow that it could be made with canned sardines?)  Still, the basic technique is quite straightforward enough that I may attempt it using chicken minced finely instead of fish, as an experiment...

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Still working away at getting the sewing commission work for Deb done in a timely way. I think I hate Simplicity patterns. The way they suggested making the elastic waist was awful, and tore the fabric when I tried to insert the actual elastic. Am going to redo it a different way that will give a cleaner finish.

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December SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	carpenter pockets	pruned Japanese maple	yard waste bin
2	3 jars spiced pears	pruned persimmon tree	recycle bin
3	some candied peel	reset back door latch	-
4	more mini papel picado	AC removed for winter	-
5	final quince jelly	-	-
6	x	x	-
7	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 gratitude - Today there was a large shoebox sized package on my front porch, which turned out to be a second birthday gift from my brother and sister-in-law. In addition to the wonderful picture book "The Shortest Day" that arrived yesterday (on the shortest day), they also sent me the 3qt saucepan from my wishlist. So, not only something to feed my spirit, but also another something to help feed the body I live in... I love them so much and wish that we didn't live thousands of miles apart!

Monday music and miscellany

in which our plucky heroine notices rising winds...

It has been a rough week. Two friends passed away, and my very favoritest canine pal Toshi (who lives up with the Mud Bay folks) may be following them across the Rainbow Bridge soon. Somehow, rather than these deaths feeling like an anomaly, in the way the few previous ones in the last few years have seemed, I sense a hinge in my arc, and that now this is the part of the story where my cohort starts leaving faster and faster. The image in mind is the old animated cartoon where the pages on the calendar start being blown off faster and faster by a rising wind

Two days ago the roof above my workroom began leaking, and it is unclear what is causing the problem. Figuring out what to do and how best to deal with the problem, difficult in the best of times, is made infinitely more complicated by the gorram pandemic. Still, I am still here, still above ground, still reasonably healthy. My closest circle of family and friends remains intact, at least for now.

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beauty in the time of isolation - day 254:

all the rain has brought mushooms of various kinds to the yard
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There was adventure in cookery on Saturday - I took the "homemade pot stickers" class as part of the local online SCA event. Duchess Hlutwige was sharing her recipes, tips, and secrets for making them, and even though I have made my own previously, I learned a number of new-to-me details that will make a big difference. Her DIY wrappers worked out much better than the recipe I found online and attempted; these worked out really well. And I much prefer her "steam the napa cabbage" to soften it beforehand to the salt method I was using. There are now several containers full in the freezer, waiting for those nights when a readymade dinner will be a treat or a necessity.

I made more filling than the amount of dough matched up with, so tonight I attempted "scotch eggs" baked in the oven, as the difference between sausage and pot sticker filling is primarily one of vegetable content. The taste and texture was good, but there was what seemed to be some shrinkage of the meat layer possibly also because of the cabbage/scallion/cilantro content, and so the HB eggs rather burst out in a not very attractive way. Still, I am most unlikely to be going to a pub for pub-grub, but scotch eggs are a nice high protein occasional treat. I'll try again at some point with actual sausage and see if it makes a difference.

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~ 100 day creativity challenge - day 72 ~
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Last week I spent two days working on a sample enamel for a potential project, to find out if it was possible to get that level of complexity in a piece only a bit more than an inch tall. It is, but it was quite challenging.

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November SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	five new dishtowels	restring beads	recycle bin
2	new apron	x	-
3	another new apron	x	-
4	two floral dishtowels	x	x
5	x	x	x
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 gratitude - I returned this week to Stitcher's Guild, where I formerly spent a LOT of time. It had occurred to me that, in this time of plague, my simply dropping out could have seemed something much more dire than mere lack of sew-jo mojo. In fact it felt rather good to return there, as it is once again SWAP planning time, and while I do not intend to sew eleven garments, since I certainly do not need that many more, SWAP season is also a segment of my year-wheel. I also am back in touch with my online-to-IRL friend Claire, and we are going to do a wee small sewalong together. I actually purchased a pattern, a different style of pinafore, with some interesting seamlines and a "workwear" aesthetic; Claire had found the pattern online and wanted to try it. 

when the going gets wierd... the wierd turn pro

in which our plucky heroine continues resolute, moment to moment...

not even day to day, as each day seems wierder than the previous one. Although Sunday just involved cleaning up the broken glass, which was tiring, but not peculiar. Monday was started fairly pleasantly (see below) and after the class ended, I went outside to pick some of the plums before the forecast windstorms arrived. I filled two tote bags as the wind picked up speed, and noticed that my throat was feeling raw, and the sky was an odd shade of yellow-grey. Went inside to check the AQI websites, but they all said that air quality was "green = good (20 AQI)" which wasn't true. Some kind of time lag in the updates, or a glitch, since the next time I checked it was "red = unhealthy (180 AQI)". In the interim, I shut down the house fans and closed all the windows, as well as preparing the candle lanterns and matches in an easily accessed space, and clipped the mini flashlight as a necklace.

As the winds increased, and news reports began coming in about trees coming down, I decided that I would set up my camping bed in the kitchen, that being the spot furthest from the big tree next door, and the big trees in my front yard. Might be overkill, but better safe than sorry. Aside from the howling of the wind, I slept fairly well. The magnetic towel racks made a useful spot to hang my glasses and the flashlight above the head of my cot...

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~ 100 day creativity challenge - day 50 ~

Monday I took a six-hour online SCA Ithra class on making your own gloves, and my (successful) goal was to fit a pattern, so that I can actually make work gloves etc that will match the shape and size of my hands, which have very short fingers, but are otherwise an ordinary women's medium/large. I have never had gloves that fit me aside from handknit homemade ones; inch long floppy empty ends of fingers rather reduce the functionality of work gloves for yardwork or handling rough objects. I am eagerly looking forward to trying this pattern out in suitable leather in the future (once I manage to acquire some deerskin, or goatskin leather)

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Jesmyn Ward's essay articulates a personal connection between tragedy, COVID and BLM in an intensely beautiful and heartbreaking way. I read it and wept, and remain determined to do what little I can to work for change...

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beauty in the time of isolation - day 167:

so, Friday my young neighbor brought this over to my front porch, they have been working on this surprise for Nandina: a little pup tent complete with zip up sleeping bag, pillow, and plenty of cushiony camping pad! I am not sure who is more charmed, me or my tiny housemate...

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The Kitchen Saga: Removed the oven door yesterday, as suggested by a friend; turns out that lifting the door straight up slides it off the brackets that hold it to the internal door springs, who knew? Now it is in the carport waiting for a trip to the transfer station. Been trying to get through to the gas company to find out what might be needed to convert the cooking appliance here back to a gas appliance, (which is the first step in the process of gathering information) but having real difficulty getting through to the customer service department. Persistence is needed.

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lyrics here
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September SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Gwen sunhat	removed oven door	old underwindow
2	dozen EQUITY prints	x	dead cold-packs
3	tiny deer hat	x	yard waste bin
4	x	x	recycle bin
5	x	x	favorite saucepan
6	x	x	oven door glass
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 gratitude - no trees fell on Acorn Cottage last night

imaginaria

in which our plucky heroine imagines things...

so, I wake up, and hopefully it is still early early morning... clothes on, vitamins and meds taken, sunhat and mask and out for a sanity stroll... I can walk for about a mile radius of Acorn Cottage and have been, in various directions, over the last few months.

But inside my head there is a little child having a tantrum, who really really wants to go somewhere ELSE, who wants to be somewhere there are trees, and vistas, and running water in the wild (though I am ever and eternally grateful for the water that comes into the house from a faucet - no one who has lived without it ever stops being grateful). That little child is still screaming, and kicking the ground, and flopping about in rage/sorrow. Pixels of the  don't cut it.

And inside my head, my imaginary husband hugs that screaming child, and wraps strong arms around that grief with lovingkindness. Not gonna say it will all be okay in the end, because this is not the end, and no way to know how it will all be. Imaginary husband tells no lies. Imaginary husband is a boon companion in these times of seclusion, holds my hand on sanity strolls, holds my heart when I lean against a tree and imagine the loving hugs from those too far away to touch...

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~ 100 day creativity challenge - day 26 ~

a potentially plausible Viking Age needle case - made from bird wing bones, in this case goose wing bones that had been languishing in my freezer for years now...

Started by cutting away the ends, clean out any remaining interior bits, then saw to a size that bypasses any irregularities in the bone structure. These particular bones were rather on the small side, so the nice smooth central section was also shorter... once they are cut to size, I simmer the bone in an alkaline solution to draw out excess fat. Usually I use alum, but since there was none in the house, I used some washing soda. The alkaline solution sort of saponifies the fat? and I carefully scrub the outside, and use a small tool to scrape the interior. One of the two bone tubes cracked badly at this point.

the images I have seen of bone needle cases found, most all have two holes near the center, and some still have a ring through the center apparently for suspending the needlecase so it can be worn. The three bone tubes here have all been drilled, and the edges smoothed. The upper two are from goose wings, and the lower one is part of a lamb leg bone. They will all get a bronze wire ring through the holes.

we are not sure how the needles were retained inside the bone tube needle cases; it occurred to me a while ago that a cord or band through the tube, but long enough to have the center section drawn out at need, might work very well... I was determined to try it out, and this was the result.

A braided wool cord of two shades of indigo passes through the bone tube, and has some additional padding of wool felt stitched to the central portion. I decided to decorate the ends of the braid with some lashing and beads. The hanging attachment is a scrap of tablet weaving, folded and stitched to the loops at each end.

the central section of the braid, with a needle in place in the felt padding. It slides neatly into the bone tube to be safe to carry around, and fits just snugly enough that it stays in place

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while the weeds are probably winning the battle for sovereignty of the back yard, I am also seeing some impressive growth on the green tomato front... Today I took down the pea vines, which were at the end of their lifespan. Those planters will all need topped up with some additional nutrients and then the rest of the baby plants will have a good spot in the backyard. I am hoping that the purple shiso will like it there, as I think it likes sunshine (must check), and I know that the nasturtium will... Did some pruning this morning while it was still clouded over... got the sage plant groomed,removing all the excess flower husks, cut back the black elder, and did a bit of plum pruning on the side yard (still need to brave the backyard plum thicket). It does not look like there are much if any persimmons this year, as far as I can see. Research on how best to prune for fruit would be my next step. I think I need to do some serious thinning of the interior branches, as well as getting to the sprouting straight up ones! it is getting taller than I can reach!!

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beauty in the time of isolation - day 104:

local wall art - reverse shadowplay

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	deerskin pouch	sage pruned	yard waste bin
2	bone needle case	some plum pruning	-
3	x	x	-
4	x	x	-
5	x	x	-
6	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 gratitude - it has been a pretty good day. Walked 4½ miles before breakfast. Had a wonderful Zoomtime with my Mud Bay pals, who I'd not seen in months. Heard from Barb that the meeting with the senior care facilitator went well, plus any chance to chat with dear SIL is a good day (just wish she and my Big Little Brother lived closer)