wardrobe Wednesday

in which our plucky heroine...

Rabbit rabbit rabbit! and another month begins. March felt very busy with many projects in process, but less completed progress than usual was logged in to the SMART goals matrix, so with effort April shall need to make up the difference.

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~ Fritillaria meleagris ~

A small but constant delight each spring, to see these tiny checquered flowers return. There is only one clump, underneath the star magnolia. They always remind me of my parents 50th anniversary party, when rather than cut flowers to decorate the tables, we filled bowls with arrangements of pots of flowering bulbs which could be replanted, to continue bringing joy and memory forward into the future.

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Yesterday morning I rode back to the Safeway pharmacy to get my vaccine booster. (still no word on my missing test strips). The technician was so new that he asked if I was okay with him doing the jab, or if I would prefer the pharmacist. I chose to give him the benefit of his training, and since he was so very new there, the pharmacist also came in to supervise. Young man did so well that it was not at all painful, indeed was done practically before I felt it. I complimented him on doing better than some of the techs at the big hospital

That afternoon during my video chat with Karen, I was noticeably more tired than usual, (possibly as a result of my vaccine booster), so it was early bedtime and not all my daily chores were completed, much less my intended daily writing. Still catching up today, and still a bit tired.

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Rummaging through the fabric shelves, a shortish length of grey linen turned up, though not quite the same as the worn out grey pinafore, it is close enough that my thought is to simply replace the bodice entirely, and thereby gain at least a few more years of wear. The skirt is only worn right at the center front waistline, where the countertop rubs while I am washing dishes. A shaped waistband could take care of that as well, and give a bit of a different style. Worth the effort, and have added to the list. 

Looking at the closet for further refurbishment, a black linen pinafore that never gets worn any more is also a good candidate. It was originally made as part of my black travel/capsule wardrobe when we went to Paris, and is significantly longer than anything else in my wardrobe. If hemmed to the same length as all the others (ie safe for riding my bike), it then would become suitable for everyday wear instead of only for funerals. I don't want to have things in my closet that aren't being worn, just like I don't want to keep saving fabric for "something special" but rather continue my current practice of making things I will wear now.

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April SMART goals (x=extra)

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

today's gratitudes -
- Pharmacy tech gave me a painless jab, and I now have had my 6 month booster. Wish there was a way to have the vaccines be a better match to the actual circulating virus instead of being several generations behind; would be great good fortune should that someday be possible.
- the blue-green sock yarn I started knitting into a Sophie scarf has a subtle and pleasant variegation. Given the gauge, it will be a slow project, but it is almost mindless garter stitch, so ideal for pickup work, and when eventually finished, will be a great addition to my coordinated accessories in the teal/turquoise group.
- managed to trap the Very Annoying housefly between the window and the screen.
- my DIY goddess dressing turned out quite good, even though it needed the stick blender to deal with the lumpy tahini

Time of Isolation - Day 2092

QID

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

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

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

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~ 3 color stenciling ~

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

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

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

Tahini Goddess Salad Dressing

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

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

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March SMART goals (x=extra)

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

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

Time of Isolation - Day 2082

somewhat less than ideal

in which our plucky heroine has eye trouble...

I woke up this morning with my right eye very swollen and painful, burning and gritty feeling, and have booked an express care medical visit. The first available appointment was at 8:40 am... And with my right eye so wonky/painful it means I can't do anything at all as sewing, knitting, embroidery, workshop tasks etc all require binocular vision (Last night it didn't feel quite right, so I used extra of my regular before bedtime eye drops).

There seems to be not only an eyelid infection, but it may be spreading to the eye socket, so the plan is for both antibiotic eye drops and daily pills (for the whole system) for a whole week. Yogurt will be a daily necessity, and my sleep wake will become very wonky indeed as every three hours I will be either medicating, or, alternately ingesting probiotic substances, as the pharmacist said to eat with medicines, but not dairy, and then to eat yogurt after a three hour window. Lather rinse repeat.  

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~ was a sunny day ~

The westside esplanade, where the Willamette River bisects Portland, has a short season of springtime when the cherry trees bloom. Usually I only notice this when riding transit over one of our many bridges, but since today was both not-raining, and not-cold, and since I could do none of my usual preferred activites with only one fully functional eye... it seemed that a local "adventure" was a good plan. It turned out that what seemed like half the city also thought it was a good plan! There were dogs, and kiddos, and young families with babies on blankets, new lovers and old ones, folks on wheels: bicycles, and chairs, and skateboards, and rollerblades. There were buskers, and the venerable Saturday Market handcraft tents. It was far more crowded than our plucky heroine prefers to subject herself to, but in this world of trouble and turmoil, it was actually quite lovely and benign.

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The last week has been a challenge in various ways. Never a good sign when I stop writing here, and stop contacting folks. The nightmares that in the Before Times could more often be left at sleeps door when they awakened me in the wee small hours are now far too similar to current events, and have several times made further sleep that night impossible. Fortunately being semi-retired/work from home means that while it isn't ideal, rearranging the daytime to allow for an afternoon nap is at least possible. Reminders from beloved if faraway friends that my being in their lives is helpful and a treat for them, helps my equilbrium. May the week ahead bring, if not fewer daytime horrors, at least some peaceful dreams.

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Lastly, hand stitching ribbon facings to cover the (slightly wonky) steek edges inside the Icelandic cardigan really added a finished look. This was a technique I had seen in some vintage knitwear, but never tried. I found some chocolate brown 1" wide rayon petersham ribbon on Etsy, and the instructions shared by Hélène Magnússon on her blog made the process really clear. It turned out quite pleasingly tidy, and was not difficult. Should I make another steeked cardigan, this will be good to remember...

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Last year a wee baby Victoria rhubarb came to live here, from the plant store at the end of the street. It survived in a pot on the porch next to the front door, where it was very visible, and hence watered often enough. After winter dormancy, it sent out some pencil thin stalks with leaves smaller than my palm, and surely it needed a bigger home. Earlier this week it moved to the raised bed in the backyard. That bed still needs quite a bit of topping up with good soil, but after shifting some all to one end, and adding a few shovels worth of compost, the rhubarb has a new home, where it will get good sunlight all day, and has good rich soil to send roots into. My hope is that if I can manage to care for it well, and feed it richly with compost and worm castings, in a few years I may have homegrown rhubarb. Fingers crossed and notes made on the calendar to keep it watered.

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March SMART goals (x=extra)

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

today's gratitudes -
- I walked five miles today
- cherry blossoms along the esplanade
- being able to get medical attention for my eye, and having the medicine needed be available
- zoom with Jen and a bit of Cathy
- baby rhubarb remains alive and well
- making it back from my doctor visit in time to have some Sewing Nomads zoom this morning

Time of Isolation - Day 2081

so bright such delight wow

in which our plucky heroine appreciates autumn ...

and the last few days have been very autumnal indeed. Well mixed with cool grey mornings and crisp clear afternoons, the leaves turn colors and fill the edges of the streets. We will have a few more days like this, before rain.

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~ maple aflame ~

so difficult to capture the way these vivid maple leaves were glowing in the angled light of late afternoon... Fortunately I'm usually riding on the quiet side streets, since the color stopped me in my tracks.

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One of the three legs of my venerable vegetable steamer somehow fell apart. It appears to have been bent aside at an angle enough that the leg slipped through the attachment hole in the base of the steamer. The legs on this one are riveted in place, and so difficult to easily reattach. So, though my initial thought was to somehow make a replacement leg from wire, my second thought was the hardware store. Indeed, the bulk aisle of the local Ace Hardware had a modest but sufficient number of drawers of stainless steel bolts, screws, nuts and misc. While not perfect (the 1" bolt is about ⅛" too long) combining a bolt, a split lock washer, and the matching nut the steamer can now stand on three legs again, albeit a tad tilted. Fortunately that makes no difference at all to the items being steamed.

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Saw Dr Breeze today instead of my usual PCP. I'm glad that he took my concerns seriously, and said that he thought it was good I was not ignoring the issue(s). I am less than thrilled at the idea of going on prescription antacid for two weeks as an initial diagnostic, particularly with the many caveats attached to it, and also that some of the side effects are the very same symptoms I am concerned about. How would one know if it is effective in that case? Apparently there is a progression of testing, which echos the saying "when you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras"

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Decided to go ahead with making five "star books" for the Advent Swap. It turns out that the metallic origami paper is tricksy to use for pages. There will certainly need to be instructions included along with the tiny book/ornament: "Open and unfold all the way, placing the book covers back to back. Tie the cords in a single overhand knot, then use the rest of the cord to hang the star book up as desired. Adjust the pages evenly distributed, with each side forming a five pointed star. To put away, reverse the process"

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	6 lunaria pod ornaments	wheelbarrow tire	greenwaste bin
2	5 more lunaria ornaments	cardigan cuffs	recycle bin
3	5 golden origami dragons	reattach wheel to wheelbarrow	recycle bin
4	5 mini amanitas	vegetable steamer leg replacement	-
5	18 penny luck envelopes	-	-
6	10 holly&bells ornaments	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- our local hardware store had what I needed in the bulk aisle
- had a nice long chat with my pal Wanda
- was able to see alternate doctor today, who took my concerns seriously.

Time of Isolation - Day 1948

wishful Wednesday

in which our plucky heroine wants her left eye to be all better...

...but it isn't. Though there has been some improvement.  The steroid drops prescribed by the eye doctor seem to be making a difference, which is good, since my body has (not surprisingly, it has done this before) suddenly and with great vehemence, decided that taking NSAIDs is very much a not the happening thing. Pain level is decreased to sore gravel and blur as opposed to hot molten lava and eye too swollen to easily open earlier this week.

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~ mini mushrooms ~

Pretty pleased with what can be done with a cotton swab, a small acorn cap, glue and craft paint... These little amanitas were partly finished before my eye escapade started, and today I managed to attach the string ties. {1" tall} These being done means I'm a quarter of the way there towards my goal of 62 additional Advent Swap trinkets before the 31st. Should still be feasible.

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Tried doing a bit more today, but still pretty wiped out. Managed to get the laundry out on the clothesline, since that task doesn't need clear binocular vision and it was a sunny windy cold day. Fortunately my sunglasses are no longer lost, and do a good job of protecting my now light-sensitive eyes. Every small task managed is worthwhile. Much Most of the housey chores, work tasks, and joyful hobby activity all require accurate vision and a reasonably well rested plucky heroine, so there is still a fair amount of napping between med doses.

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	6 lunaria pod ornaments	wheelbarrow tire	greenwaste bin
2	5 more lunaria ornaments	cardigan cuffs	recycle bin
3	5 golden origami dragons	-	-
4	5 mini amanitas	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- extra strong stainless steel bent wire clothes pins from Acantha
- "Gathering Moss" by Robin Wall Kimmerer, the audiobook read by the author...
- made it out this morning for a walk before breakfast. Having to get up for medication at 5AM may help with this goal.

Time of Isolation - Day 1942

moderately miserable Monday

in which our plucky heroine is no Arisaydia...

Though hopeful that in time my damaged eye will heal, it has remained quite problematical today. My phone alarm goes off every three hours round the clock so I can take either NSAIDs, or Tylenol + antibiotic eye drops alternately. My sleep wake cycle is destroyed. I have an appointment to follow up with my regular opthamology clinic. As far as I have been able to discern, there is no magic way to help the eye hurt less or heal more quickly, but as long as I recover without damage, I will continue to gird my loins and persevere. It is frustrating to not be able to do much of anything at all. No work, no handcraft, no bike riding, and even this small amount of computer writing is difficult and tiring. (even after I've enlarged the text considerably) It is surprising how much we depend on binocular vision... 

today's gratitudes -
- I can access medical care for my eye, and we live in modern times so with luck I will recover
- I've not entirely lost my sense of humor
- I can open my left eye, even though it feels like it is full of gritty molten lava, and there is eyesight, albeit completely blurred and out of focus

Time of Isolation - Day 1940

a horrible no good terrible day

in which our plucky heroine is having a terrible day...
Putting life on hold until my eye is healed. Woke up at 5AM with excruciating burning pain in left eye. On advice from consulting nurse, went to ER. Eventual diagnosis: large corneal abrasioin?!? (somehow acquired while asleep??) Pain is about 8+. Sadly, they cannot prescribe the wonderful numbing drops used when they examined my eye, because that med interferes with eye healing, sigh..... am grateful that we have an ER, that I was able to be seen and diagnosed. But this is truly extremely painful, and precludes my doing anything at all that requires clear sight I'll spare folks a description or photo of what the eye looks like right now, but it isn't pretty.

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my arm is a noodle

in which our plucky heroine gets her jab...

Last night a cold front came through, and the weather shifted. Drizzle, some rain, and the ground is damp with droplets. Apparently Wellington does not like the rain. We have repeatedly answered his whining, or little barks, or just sitting and staring at me with attempts to go walkies. Emphasis on the "attempts" rather than the "walkies". Quirky little dog is full of quirks. 

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~ just for fun ~

"above the clouds, the sun is always shining"

...those were words on a card mailed to me the year I lived in Idahell. They are a sort of minor touchstone. Tonight there was an online zoom intended for intuitive artwork, which I didn't really grok, but took to be something like freely artmaking without pre-planning. This is what mixing it up with crayons on a page in my journal turned into. Shapes that could be letters and words and landscapes. 

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When seeking out beads for the lunaria ornaments, an abandoned project also turned up, a bag of assorted black and white felt beads with two vials of japanese seed beads also black and white... intended to become "beaded beads" all counterchanged. Since now there were readily available beading needles, the felt beads have all been properly decorated. They are asking for some sort of appaloosa pendant next. Material objects are demanding, at times. Not quite sure where to take this, but it will be interesting. 

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Shopping news: Today I ordered some back up single vision computer glasses from Eye Buy Direct, since my attempt to repair the temple/hinge with epoxy only sort of worked. And I ordered a pair of backup shoes from Ebay, since the shoes that best fit my feet are no longer being made. And as a treat after my jab, the new Carson Ellis calendar (I love her artwork) which reminded me that it is time to get back to inking in the drawings for my own "AlphaBeast" calendar for 2026...

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After trying to take Wellington for a walk this morning, it was time to head out to the pharmacy in St Johns to try again to get my booster vaccine. Fortunately the little piece of cardboard (Medicare card found yesterday) contained the right bit of data needed for approval. "Make your arm be a floppy as a noodle" is the best instruction for a relatively painless injection. I wish someone had told me that as a child, since the less you tense up, the less resistance and thereby the less pain. I probably looked rather peculiar afterwards, with how I kept waving my arm around, in various range of motion directions while riding home again, but that does help with the aftermath of the jab, as does good hydration. Had I not felt the vaccination initially, I'd be uncertain it had even happened; my arm is not sore at all!

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September SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	4 barkcloth tea towels	box fan grille	greenwaste bin
2	yellow triangle pouch	needle gauge herb stripper	greenwaste bin
3	knitted pony	pruning elderberry	recycle bin
4	8 jars quince apple  rosewater sauce	pruning nandina	greenwaste bin
5	6+ jars fig lemon marmalade	picked moar figs	recycle bin
6	dried pears	picked plums	x
7	4 jars pickled beets	small radiator foot	x
8	11 jars salsa verde	spex temple	x
9	5 jars strawberry rhubarb	got Novavax jab	x
10	5 jars spiced applesauce	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x

several day's gratitudes-
- knowing that the weather was going to shift, I picked all the figs that were ready, and now have enough to make a 2nd batch of fig-lemon marmalade
- was able to get my Novavax jab for 2025/26 today
- a good long conversation with my old friend Sharon

Time of Isolation - Day 1926

Monday miscellany

in which our plucky heroine has multiple tasks...

and only manages to get some of them done, the easiest ones of course! More laundry, the entirety of Mt Dishmore, and filling all the now finished canning jar boxes. (There are still several dozen unboxed, of less uniform sizes, an inventory of which will be useful for planning additional storage)

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~ it's a start ~

This is going to become a Laurel wreath border, for printing fabric. The motif is inspired by, though not a direct copy of, the border on this 8th/9th C woven silk textile fragment. I'd already carved a confronted pair of horses block back in January 2016, when I was starting to get enthused about the idea of using block printing to evoke the complex woven silk of early eras... That block has always been intended for the central motif.

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One of the tasks on my list for today was to contact Dr E and ask what was happening with the bone density scan she suggested. Lo and behold, today the phone rang and it was the scanning receptionist, wanting to know if I was ready to schedule an appointment! We had a pleasant thorough chat to clarify what would happen and how to be properly prepared. My only question was about masking, and she was very encouraging, and said that a note would be placed on my chart so there would be no surprises. I will be most curious to find out what the results are, given that I am fairly active.

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The next sewing project will be turning the turquoise batik fabric, acquired last year, into the popover dress it was always intended to become. And incidentally, making a start on the teal/turquoise themed sewing plan... Do need to remember to not partially cut out pattern pieces without leaving self a note and a diagram about what was intended for the remaining yardage 

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August SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	4 jar storage trays	tiger block	greenwaste bin
2	4 jar storage lids	bright rayon top width	recycle bin
3	-	indigotiger popover  hem extension	recycle bin
4	-	-	window AC
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- bone density scan is scheduled
- hiding indoors is a legitimate strategy when the thermometer on the porch shows triple digits
- I did buy enough of the rayon batik fabric last year to make the next popover dress

Time of Isolation - Day 1848

weekend whatnots

in which our plucky heroine gets turned around...

at least it felt like that waking up Saturday morning with vertigo. A new and different experience, that hopefully won't return. For no apparent obvious reason, upon arising for my usual everyday morning routine, the world seemed to be spinning towards the left, as if my head was the still center of a turntable. Very disconcerting, as it continued for some time (I went back to bed and shut my eyes, which toned down the effect) and had never happened to me before. Once it eased off, everyday life was able to resume, and fortunately it did not happen again the next day... weird, eh?

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Repaired the tiger block by using sharpie to mark the location the lino needed to be on the substrate, then mixing enough epoxy to adhere the entire loose tiger back into place. Let the whole thing sit overnight under heavy weights and it will hopefully remain in one piece going forward. Currently adding several additional layers of acrylic paint to the edges and back of the block, for further protection when cleaning ink after printing.

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While putting away some of Mt Washmore, uncovered the missing batik summer top that had been folded away inside the grey rayon top! If it is possible to eke out enough bits of fabric from various batik scraps, the top can be adjusted to have a better fit, just by adding a narrow strip to either side of the center front panel. Not sure why I'd cut the cap sleeves in such a peculiar way initially, probably something to do with how limited the fabric on hand had been, but my intention now is to alter the current garment to be a closer match to the ones that I prefer.

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~ a snare and a delusion ~

The potato growing experiment was a failure.... not in that they didn't grow, but that they were not yummy at all! They looked lovely, and definitely were freshly harvested. I was careful when tending the plants to make sure that the layers of garden soil were properly built up, indeed I had no idea there would actually be potatoes under there until I turned the pot upside down and rummaged about and found them. There was almost a pound of what appeared to be lovely "new potatoes"... I decided to simply steam them, then add a bit of melted butter and some fresh thyme. Much to my dismay, though they had skins that were thin and tender, and were cooked through, my first taste was unpleasantly and horribly bitter! I have no idea what went wrong, and the internet is not giving me any helpful advice.

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For the most part, my computer usage has been self taught in a totally random and haphazard way. While this has the advantage of not getting entangled in incomprehensible pedagogy, it also allow for unexpected and unknown gaps in what is common knowledge for other folks. A day I learn new (useful) things is a good day!

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August SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	-	tiger block	greenwaste 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 -
- Mischa patiently explained a bit more about how to use "File Explorer" and PrtScn.
- there was just enough epoxy left to repair the tiger block
- today, while sunny in the afternoon, never got beastly hot
- found the missing sewing pattern in with the knitting patterns

Time of Isolation - Day 1840

Trapezoidal tiger

in which our plucky heroine prepares...

Tomorrow is the start of the roof replacement. Today an assortment of roof things were delivered to the side of the driveway, and a porta-potty on a tiny trailer is now in residence next to the driveway ramp. I still need to rearrange the front porch, so as to have suitable space for cold drinks and salty snacks. After chatting with Mikki this afternoon, I decided that adding some homemade cookies into the offerings would be a good idea, so am making quince crisp bars, being right out of any other suitable frozen fruit.

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~ just a sketch ~

My indigo tiger popover dress is too short. There are several possible fabric options for adding a bit of length. The turquoise rayon that could work is really too bright, compared to the printed fabric. In the end, it will probably be the black silk noil skirt taken from the lace top dress; cut into many trapezoids in an attempt to fill in the hemline. Inspired by some gift wrap I saw, and by the dress fabric motifs, this recent sketch will be transfered to either lino or soft-cut rubber, carved, then block printed in teal on the black, to best echo the smaller more varied indigo tigers on the dress...

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"The River Has Roots" by Amal El-Mohtar... not sure where the recommendation came from, but the story evokes a classic ballad while remaining original, and the writing is beautifully complimented by truly lovely illustrations. It was a pleasant surprise that the audiobook also goes beyond the ordinary, with sound effects and singing interspersed with the reading in a way that feels right rather than excessive. I enjoyed them both.

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So tired right now, even though it is only a bit after 6pm, and much too hot  try and re-energise with a walk or a bike ride. Had a very hard time falling asleep last night, and then woke a bit before sunrise. The good part of such early rising was getting the fans going, and being able to do a small amount of yard chores before it was time to hop on my bike to the medical center for my annual physical. Dr E suggested a bone density baseline test, given my age. I was appalled to find out that I was shorter than I had been last year, which is common, but distressing. Still, older is better than the alternative, at least for now!

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Raven scroll	6 prs Beth pants	recycle bin
2	black floral scarf	prune² Wanda plum	greenwaste bin
3	4 jars strawberry- rhubarb preserves	mulch peartrees	greenwaste bin
4	sunblock mitts	Eames top	-
5	catch tarp for porch	filter box legs	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- it is 77°F in the living room, it is 100°F on the porch outside
- the audiobook of The River Has Roots has some delightful audio embellishment, sound effects and songs, in addition to the reading   
- I found the other folding table, hidden in plain sight in the workroom, the one that is about 2 ft by 4 ft. This will be very helpful tomorrow.

Time of Isolation - Day 1822

dilatory dilation

in which our plucky heroine gets her eyes examined...

... as happens once a year. Only now, maybe ten hours later, am I able to focus my eyes again well enough to type this post, or do anything else that requires clear vision. I've read that those with lighter colored eyes are more prone to this issue, so perhaps my blue-grey peepers are the cause.

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~ lacecap hydrangea ~

On either side of one of the hillside stairs down to the hospital parking lots, there are billows of beautiful lacecap hydrangeas currently in bloom. As I was attempting this photo, one of the workmen stopped to say "so pretty"...

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Yesterday my (xp3*) sunblock mitts were completed. The cotton lycra jersey does function better than the cotton jersey sheeting, but, discovered that the "long cuffs falling down" issue is not caused by a lack of lycra, but rather because the pattern has the forearm portion at least 1½" larger than my arms!! Now the question is - do I cut into and restitch the current pair or move on to xp4? The pattern will, of course, be adjusted for future use...

* xp = experimental and the number indicates what version

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I hate that the drops take almost a day to wear off, which means I can't do anything at all functional and need to avoid bright light; I'm glad I can get my eye health checked. I doubled up the temporary sunglasses they send you out with afterwards, which helped while taking transit back home to Acorn Cottage. And once home again, even my usual indoor lighting was too dazzling for my eyes, so I gave up even on such non vision critical chores as washing dishes or folding laundry, and retired with an audiobook and eventually an afternoon nap!  

Exam results: no changes to my prescriptions, no significant changes to my eye pressure, and very slight (basically insignificant) increase in lens cataracts, and there are also starting to be slight signs of age related macular degeneration. In six months it will be time for visual fields testing, which is also an annual exam, to check my optic nerve health, since that test and the exam that requires dilation can't happen at the same visit. The eye doctor was content with my current status, since what changes are occurring are part of the ordinary aging process, and not interfering with my daily life.

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Despite the heat today, it started cooling off before sunset, so it has been possible to turn off the heat pump and turn on the box fans. This is rarely the case in the summer, and is an unexpected treat. I also went out for an early evening bike ride, given the cooler air, which brought my "step total" for today to almost 10K, aka 3¾ miles. I use it so I don't lose it...

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Raven scroll	6 prs Beth pants	recycle bin
2	black floral scarf	prune² Wanda plum	greenwaste bin
3	4 jars strawberry- rhubarb preserves	mulch peartrees	greenwaste bin
4	sunblock mitts	Eames top	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- eye are healthy, given my age
- cooler-ish air this evening
- enough rest

Time of Isolation - Day 1820

Tuesday thoughts

in which our plucky heroine may have turned the corner...

It has been at least five days since I noticed I probably have a cold, and there are very slight signs of improvement today. I had enough energy to stay awake most of the day with only an afternoon nap, and streaming eyes and nose are much reduced.

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~ moss world ~

Currently limited in my range to merely walking round and about, the always delightful moss worlds never disappoint.

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In fragments of time between tasks, I intend to make some tiny pencils. And since I also have some tiny white pencil leads, I want to try and make some "art pencils", and sketchbooks using black paper to go along with them...Won't that be fun!!

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I don't know how I caught this (hopefully only a dreaded rhinovirus) whatever that is tromping all over me (it is rather classic, with streaming eyes and runny nose). I am wondering about the old notion about getting chilled. Last Wednesday when my bike broke, I had to walk several miles to get it home again, and it was clear and bitterly cold that day, before Friday when the weather shifted and we got snow instead. Still, if this is only a cold, and all goes well, it should be gone by the end of the week. I had a home medical self care book years ago, and it pointed out that healing from an ordinary cold takes as much energy as working 20 hours a week at a part time job. No wonder I am tired...

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	"wing it" vest	more broach handles	recycle bin
2	tiny valentines	black keyboard covers	-
3	heartfelt ornament	turtleneck collar	-
4	-	laptop drivers	-
5	-	rainbow fibulae	-
6	x	x	-
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. able to walk...
2. able to talk...
3. able to stay in contact with folks...

Time of Isolation - Day 1677

tiring Tuesday

in which our plucky heroine goes back and forth...

Today was chilly, but I am mighty, and I have a funky bicycle that lets me run errands without always having to take transit. Today, well over 5½ miles according to the pedometer.

Also gradually checking out which of the stores around here carry at least some of what I was formerly buying at New Seasons. (none of them have "bulk" bins, sigh...) Safeway has a decent Bobs Red Mill section, including sesame seeds, which I have not seen elsewhere. Freddies has Fage yogurt. Grocery Outlet has mixed organic greens in the big prepack. I will try and arrange a Costco run, and also check out Trader Joes, neither of those are anywhere nearby, Costco requires a friend with a car, and TJ is about an hour away by bus...

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~ clever recycling ~

This house in my neighborhood has most of the porch half-walls sided with carefully flattened aluminum cans, which give a "fish scale" effect. I love the way it looks, but since I never drink anything that comes in cans, would be hard pressed to duplicate it on something around the home place. When I had hens... would have been nifty roof shingles on a chicken house

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A standard steel tape measure is an awkward tool to measure the outdoor spaces here, but it is the only one available. Spent about an hour or so trying to hold down the wiggly thing with my feet, while stabbing a piece of rebar into the ground as a measuring point. When I manage to get the numbers all onto graph paper, it will help with outdoor garden space planning.

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Today I was able to get an appointment at the storefront express care that is close enough that I can ride my bike there. The PA agreed that my earlobe looked infected, wrote me a prescription for antibiotic, and told me what to look for that would mean further more immediate care would be needed. Fingers crossed that this first go round does the trick.

After picking the antibiotics up at my regular pharmacy, I then decided that getting my backup prescriptions filled would be a good idea, so rode back home, picked up that paperwork, and headed off to St Johns.

The pharmacy there was really backed up, and told me to come back in about two hours... and since there the library there is still closed for renovations, I rode home, not wanting to wander around outside for several hours in the cold if sunny weather. Back home, took the dog out for a walk, and then back on my bike and back to St Johns, where the pharmacist said it had been so busy that my order was not yet filled, and I could come back later?

It was past sundown and the temperature really dropping, so when I found out that everything would be held there for almost two weeks, I decided to head back home, and return on a different day, (unlike tomorrow, when the forecast is for it to be snowing, or freezing rain) This is why our plucky heroine is tired; the number on my pedometer app says just over 15K steps

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	"wing it" vest	more broach handles	-
2	-	black keyboard covers	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	-
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. Got it together to order three months worth of backup meds
2. 15 K steps today (some of that on my bike). I am tired, but not destroyed... this is good
3. Decades ago, as a college student, one of my goals in life was to grow up to be an eccentric old lady. Today I was thinking about how I just may have been successful, without purposefully trying to, but just by continuing to be myself!

Time of Isolation - Day 1665

cognitive dissonance

in which our plucky heroine boggles...

Nowadays, during my quick glance online to check for any messages and skim quickly through social media, it feels a bit like whiplash. The postings jump between adverts that make it seem as if there are no viruses rampaging through the population, and the biggest concern is how best to remodel your kitchen, to gentle handcraft posts from artisans I follow, to alarming information about the latest shenanigans that are deconstructing the world as we knew it. I am appalled, and also grateful I have decided to put more of my immediate focus on the analog world, with just enough digital contact to keep me informed but not doomscrolling.

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~ sweetly scented ~

one thing I really love about being able to access the internet is being able to often track down the name and information about plants and flower I find while out and about... What I came across while out walking the dog, and was calling "sweet pink February fleur" is actually probably Pink Dawn Virbunum

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Some things were completed recently... Added additional Milliput handles to the rest of the broach set, for comfort and visual consistency. Very Happy with the results, and will be making a little wooden stand to hold them upright on the workbench.

The "wing it" cardigan turned vest is finally in the wardrobe instead of in the knitting bag. It is a warm boxy little vest now, and I adore that I now have the venerable wooden toggles (that lived for decades in the button box) down my front. Whenever I get around to making some new pinafores, this will look well with both the brown and the teal linen.

There was the better part of a bunch of very purple carrots in the fridge, so it seemed fun to start another lactoferment project. This time, grated carrots. Fingers crossed for a good result; there are carrots mixed with the cabbage and beets in my favorite commercial sauerkraut, so I know I like the texture much better than carrot sticks.

I also ordered a small digital scale, the one recommended by Wirecutter as "almost as good, but less expensive", so as to better be able to measure the right amount of salt for the fermentation brine in the future. Like anything else, practice makes progress... fingers crossed for good results!

※※※

My left earlobe is still Not Okay (slightly swollen and slightly warm), but is not any different than it was yesterday, when I noticed it was sad. No idea at all what set this off, but I can't put my earring into that ear! There were no appointments at either of the Express Care storefronts local to me, so I decided to just give it another day of intermittent hot compresses.

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On Sunday, there was a several hour long zoom with Sharon Astyk, about "survival gardening", which turns out to be a myriad of various sorts of gardening depending on what your objective is. I came away from that with a tiny modicum of hope, a plan to order a just a few garden seeds and Try Again, and gratitude for the things I have done so far to make Acorn Cottage just a bit resilient, at least in the fruit trees and herbs aspect.

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	"wing it" vest	more broach handles	-
2	-	black keyboard covers	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	-
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. my second batch of yamitsuki turned out better than the first 2. managed to sneak in a batch of line dry the laundry between rain showers; it was breezy enough that it will dry the rest of the way indoors overnight
3. finished knitted vest
4. excellent "survival gardening" zoom
5. started lactoferment with purple carrots, and my palms are now dyed a brown/purple color
6. the fruit trees and herbs I planted here over the years
7. Today I bravely asked my good neighbor if she might be willing to give me a ride out to One Green World so I can purchase a shipova tree.

Time of Isolation - Day 1664

more Friday fragments

in which our plucky heroine looks backwards just a bit...

I don't for even a moment wish we were back in 2020, with all the uncertainty, trauma, and deaths, with nothing other than some scraps of cloth and wishes to protect us from the pandammit. But I sorely miss the sadly short-lived feeling of "we are all in this together"...

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In 2021 I made a 1:12 scale patchwork quilt. Most (but not all) of the fabric squares were scraps leftover from making cloth masks, so it is a bit of an artifact of the times. I cut ninety-nine 1" squares,  stitched with a ¼" seam, made believably small patches. There was no need for quilt batting, or even for actual quilting... I lined the patchwork rectangle with some very thin cotton lawn and called it good, the seam allowances give it enough substance without extra layers.

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Today I just heard that dear Ariadne and Young Kestrel have caught Covid, while they are out of country in Guatemala on their language intensive course. This is in addition to the five people I know who are sick and have tested positive just this week. They have been being so careful, and even the kiddo is so good about masking. My heart is full of concern for them, and hope they can get helpful medication where they are.

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

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

today's gratitudes -
1. so far this summer it has been cool enough, and not smoky, so that in the early morning, box fans can bring fresh air into the house and I don't need the heat pump til afternoon
2. I happened to stop by the grocery store when they were having a "one day only 50% off the bulk aisle" sale. Yesterday I had noticed how my big jar of rolled oats was getting really low. Synchronicity for the win!
3. My impromptu indigo scarf turned out rather well, given that I had no plan at all. The local art store (Artist & Craftsman Supply) was doing a hands on indigo dyeing demo, so of course our plucky heroine couldn't stay away...

Time of Isolation - Day 1469

The Quintarian Project

in which our plucky heroine begins a new 100 day challenge...

not a stitch book this time, but rather a set of 5 of the pyramid pouches that I've been so very charmed with recently, inspired by the World of The Five Gods novels and novellas, written by Lois McMaster Bujold. Once again I will be limiting myself to using materials I have on hand, various fabric scraps and other crafty bits, maybe some beads or charms, certainly buttons, and whatever techniques feel like they will add meaning...

~ well begun ~

I'm starting with the Mother of Summer. Her color is green, obviously, and I didn't have much in the way of green scraps. I could have used some forest green as the backing, but since in the book, that is a color of mourning, I went in the other direction. To me the scattered patches evoke a sunny field of wildflowers; the backing fabric is from a much loved and worn out bandana from OCF years ago, and the squares combine floral cotton bits leftover from sewing masks in 2020, some tiny fragments of the tie-dye shirt my friend Aeolus made, and silk from a sample book. 

I'll be working at least 15 minutes each day until August 3rd. The timeline allows me twenty days to complete each one; if I finish before then, maybe creating a container to hold them.

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"I think that... when I die, I can breathe back the breath that made me live. I can give back to the world all that I didn't do. All that I might have been and couldn't be. All the choices I didn't make. All the things I lost and spent and wasted. I can give them back to the world. To the lives that haven't been lived yet. That will be my gift back to the world that gave me the life I did live, the love I loved, the breath I breathed.”

~ Ursula LeGuin
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Today I made good progress on my idea to get access to the Kaiser dental clinic, which is close enough to Acorn Cottage that I can walk, or ride my bike. First, I went there to find out if they were accepting new patients, and if they took folks who were on OHP. Yes to those, but I have the wrong dental plan, as they only accept Kaiser Dental, and they do not accept people paying out of pocket either.

So, I decided to ride my bike to the Office of Aging and Disability to talk to them about changing my dental plan. That was a pretty long ride, but I figured it was better than the two buses I would have needed. I was able to talk to someone there, but their office only gets folks signed up for Medicare or Medicaid or both, and doesn't handle anything past that point, as that is the bailiwick of  "HealthShareOregon", a different organization entirely. So I called them...

That office was shut down for the day for some kind of employee training? or some such, so I took a look at their website, which then referred me to calling my medical plan instead. Which I did, and talked to Moira, who was very personable and wanted to help. But unfortunately the medical plan is not able to change any of the other two plans that are part of my OHP access. At this point it was just about 5pm, so tomorrow morning bright and early I will be calling the HealthShare office, to beg ask if I can change just my dental plan. I am sure it would be more acceptable were I to change to all Kaiser, but I have been using Providence for my medical care for years, since before I had OHP, and the office of my primary care doctor is about two miles away, so an easy bike ride. My goal is to have my various care teams be easier for me to access ie closer to home, so I am not dependent on cadgeing rides or taking multiple buses to get there. We shall see what ensues tomorrow...

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April SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	tiny angora print	computer zone lamp	persimmon prunings
2	5th God bag	blog template	forsythia prunings
3	scroll calligraphy	grey turtleneck collar	yard waste bin
4	Pelican scroll	indigo bunny art	recycle bin
5	grey rose brooch	taxes done	front plum pruning
6	pyramid pouch	redone bag ties	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. I am brave and mighty, tackling the dread bureaucracy on the phone and in person.
2. I made a tasty salad for dinner, and used up some of the veggies before they needed to be sent to the compost bin
3. I didn't let the rain keep me from going out and riding my bike.

Time of Isolation - Day 1390

with my little eye...

in which our plucky heroine breaks the day into two acts...

I had quite an early morning ophthalmology appointment today, which necessitates an even earlier wakeup time, and over an hour each way on public transit. I'd been messaged to be aware that eye dilation was scheduled, so my plan for the day was to basically do nothing that required focusing my eyes (dilation drops last basically a whole day, for me), which is to say basically do nothing at all until Friday...

Fortunately and unexpectedly they did not need to dilate my eyes for the exam! (note made in journal to expect that on the next visit instead).

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~ eye spy small flowers ~

April showers bring springtime flowers... picked in the front yard of Acorn Cottage today: plum blossoms, wood hyacinth, pink violets, grape hyacinth, fritillaria, and a few sprigs of salad burnet for greenery

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Spent rather a lot of time today making a structure to attach to the computer zone to hold the LED light bar... which as you may recall was acquired and kludged in place back in January. It just seemed like the right time to change out the C-clamps, hair elastics, yardstick, and clothespins for something a bit less wobbly.

I cut several pieces of narrow lumber to suitable lengths. Then needed to visit the hardware store since nothing I had worked for holding the attachment clips to the wood. A hammer and small anvil set on the stump in the workroom was just the right thing to modify 90° brackets to a much wider angle, so the lamp would not shine directly into my eyes. Diffusion of some sort may be needed to avoid glare on the screen(s) and increase comfort; the former kludged setup needed multiple layers of white paper clipped between the lamp in both directions...

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I have a known weakness for various sorts of Useful Pouches of Holding Things. Bookhou has provided a tutorial for yet another type of small container I want to try making...

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April SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	tiny angora print	computer zone lamp	-
2	-	-	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes - 
1. the folks at the Eye Associates remembered my desire to mask, so they had the technican be masked already. And she also had a fresh N95 for me to transfer into for the part of the exam that requires my face to be pressed into the machinery, which is impossible with my P100. And I was very pleased with the good fit and comfort of that particular brand of N95, so I will be looking into getting some of those to have on hand, for similar occasions when my regular mask is unworkable
2. I may be slow, but I do get various things done, albeit in a somewhat fearless and somewhat desperate way. Or maybe I am not giving myself enough credit, as I am inclined to compare myself to some of my (male) friends who were encouraged to be tool users practically from birth, and who were raised by folks who were mighty handy themselves. I think I should be grateful for my ability to respect but not fear the various tools I do have access to, and that I can find ways to adapt my environment to my intentions.
3. Years ago, when I was living in Idahell, my pal C's son gave me a screwdriver kit, with a vast number of different types of bits. And somewhere over the years, I acquired a funky bit holder that looks rather like a a billiard ball and a racheting screwdriver had a love child... it isn't pretty, but compared to many tools it is a comfortable shape that doesn't cause wrist pain. These two items live in the immediate access shelf of one of the several tool zones here at Acorn Cottage, and not a month goes by that they are not in my hands for one thing or another...

Time of Isolation - Day 1369