taxtime Tuesday

in which our plucky heroine gets ready...

The next week is all about tax prep, and I have another several days of gathering assorted papers before actual arithmetical activity begins. Today several of the necessary pieces were found living in the container of postage stamps, current bills, and blank check registers. There are at least two forms that will need downloaded from online sources. Fortunately, last year Past Me cleverly subdivided the little desktop business receipts file into categories that match those on Schedule C, which should make that part of the process easier and faster. 

Once all the papers are collected together, it usually takes about a day or two to do all the math, make all the multiple copies of forms both for my own records and the various different pages from the national form that get sent in with the state and transit taxes. Then a trip to the bank for a cashiers check, and the post office for postal money orders, and finally hand carrying the packets to be correctly postmarked on April 15.

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~ storefront signs of spring ~

This particular combination is new to me, intensely pointed orange petals shading to sharp green. All of the other green and orange tulips I've seen have been either softly rounded or ruffled. Of course, I am not any sort of aficionado, but these were odd and lovely, and tempting 

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The kombucha culture living on my countertop is doing quite well these days. It has occurred to me, amidst my current cogitation about devolution of supply chains and economic collapse, that kombucha left to ferment too long for pleasant drinking is as sour to the taste as vinegar. While probably not safe it would be challenging to ensure the acidity/strength was at a safe level to use in waterbath canning recipes, it would likely work well as an ingredient for  everyday cookery, or for things like salad dressings.  

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Sadly, I've fallen way behind on my 100 day drawing project. But rather than berate myself, shall simply begin again once the taxes are out of the way. If I can find a large enough wall space, it would be both fun and encouraging to lay out the index cards as a ten by ten grid, so that making more drawings would fill in the spots. It would probably be as satisfying as ticky-boxes. There isn't much in the way of empty wall space here, though.

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As part of refurbishing and replacing my current wardrobe, it has become obvious that collecting together supplies for mending the same, whether it is the specific yarn or fabric or spare buttons, would be very helpful, and avoid massive rummage through all the supplies. My first thought was a shoebox, but there were none empty. Then my eye fell on the pile of picnic baskets. I've more than a few, as rectangular wicker lidded storage was very useful indeed for my (former) SCA camping. They aren't in use now, and could be return to active duty in a different line of work.   

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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

today's gratitudes -
- the organic Cara Cara oranges this year are really good: sweet, very flavorful, and juicy.
- in the process of clearing off the dining table to have room for tax prep paperwork piles, found the current electric bill (that was due 3/31!) and was able to pay it over the phone with no fee or late surcharge.
- using rectangular wicker picnic baskets to hold garment mending supplies.

Time of Isolation - Day 2098

Saturday snippets

in which our plucky heroine desperately needs a more regular sleep wake cycle...

...though unsure that Time Change Day tomorrow will help the situation.  Since there was much tiredness today and no napping, perhaps an early bedtime will ease dealing with the "lost" hour? Worth an attempt anyway...

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~ alteration ~

After removing both the crocheted button bands and a bit more than 4" of length from the middle of the body, the next step in reconfiguring the Icelandic cardigan will be grafting together the patterned lower edge to the now shorter upper body. In order to level the hemline, there needs to be about 1½" more length along the back than in the front, which necessitates creating "darts" on either side in more or less the underarm zone. Once grafted in place and the various yarn ends woven in they will be virtually invisible. 

When knitting cardigans or pullovers one often does this needful shaping (as the anatomical fact is that our necks are not centered on our bodies, but extend further forward than back) by knitting short rows much closer to the neckline. Once this section is dealt with, what remains will be replacing the button bands. In the past, it has worked very well to use multiple rows of I-cord, so I'll just park these two YouTube links here that have Useful Tutorials... This one is particularly good for turning corners... This one is also very clear. The last step, aside from sewing on the buttons, will be deciding what to do about the messy edges of the steek. Here are Kate Davies suggestions for various ways to finish them off. Here is some specific instruction for using ribbon on the steeked edges of an Icelandic cardigan from Hélène Magnússon

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There is a rabbit hole easy to fall into, of beautiful jacquard woven ribbons from Europe particularly the ones from KAFKA, some are pictorial, and some even organic as well. It is being difficult to pick favorites, and so very tempting to choose something compatible to finish the steek edges on the refurbished Icelandic cardigan. 

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March SMART goals (x=extra)

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

today's gratitudes -
- unexpected tiny porch visit from Meagn
- the first singlar forsythia flower
- alterations on the Icelandic cardigan proceed apace and well

Time of Isolation - Day 2067

Monday microclimates

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

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

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

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~ day 61 ~

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

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

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

Objects of Affection - a 100 day drawing challenge

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

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~ alteration and repair ~

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

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

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March SMART goals (x=extra)

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

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

Time of Isolation - Day 2062

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

one two three many

in which our plucky heroine does assorted handwork...

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

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

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

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

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~ so many... ~

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

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

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~ more is better ~

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

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

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

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

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

Time of Isolation - Day 2053

end of an era

in which our plucky heroine considers colors...

This morning I met Gersvinda and Ursel at the MetroPaint outlet. After over 30 years, the facility is closing down; they are selling all the remaining paint at 75% off: gallons are $4, quarts are $1, and some colors are already completely sold out. It seemed like a good time to pick up enough of this excellent paint for the Acorn Cottage exterior. Deciding from what colors were still available, (and what didn't match my immediate neighbors houses) the new future outdoor wall color will be "Pebble Path" a sort of warm taupe/grey. I also chose an assortment of their other colors for various uses inside the house; a total of 8+ gallons (and two trim brushes) for less than $45 total cost.  At that price for most of the paint, I can justify the future expense of acquiring a brighter color for doors and dark brown/black color for the trim. 

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~ days 14 to 17 ~

More delightful advent trinkets in the last few days: a translucent penguin?, a color changing ring, a sealing wax bas-relief, and a tiny jar of "cosmic pickles" no bigger than my thumbnail that will be a perfect addition to the tinyfolk's larder shelves.

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Last night I noticed that the stitching holding the shoulder straps on my denim daypack were coming loose, so I transfered the contents to the other one. Backups are useful. This evening I opened up the seams to get access to the attachment points, and stitched all the loose bits back in place. Both of my daypacks are looking "well broken in", not surprising since one or the other get used every day. The denim one was made about two years ago, and the black twill one was made back in 2019

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Gradually working my way through the assorted produce on hand, turning it into ingredients for dinners, freezer meals, or shelf stable preserves for the pantry. The kale will become more kale bulgur feta salad. The remaining quinces will be turned into 4 oz jars of sauce. The persimmons are being dried to last the year. There are cooked greens to be added to either a rice bake or a crustless quiche. All that remains is some carrots, and cabbage which will be added to the chicken broth made earlier along with some yard herbs and the drumstick meat to make a good soup...

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December SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	2 pairs underwear	vegetable steamer legs	fridge science experiments
2	knitted shrew	shrew eyes	yard waste bin
3	1 pair undies	Gamma bucket lid	recycle bin
4	2 alphabeast  drawings	one page of the embroidery transfer	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- Gersvinda and her trusty truck, who drove me and my gallons of paint back home from MetroPaint.
- a particularly timely break in the stormy weather
- I know how to cook, have a kitchen and all the tools needed

Time of Isolation - Day 1999

wistful Wednesday

in which our plucky heroine thinks forwards and backwards...

and feels a bit overwhelmed by memories of various prior harvest holidays, when the biggest challenge was getting the turkey thawed, or finding enough spots for overnight guests to sleep... I don't expect to live to see those kind of celebrations come again, but remain grateful that they did happen and that I have them to look back on...

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Yesterday afternoon while chatting with Karen there was much thinking about how to store my pantry items, and various ideas about kitchen reorganizing. One new idea is to remove most of the random contents of the hall closet and use that space for the backstock food, canned preserves, and assorted dry goods currently overflowing the small pantry shelves. That closet would need the righthand side reconfigured, as that half was set up as a coat closet by Former Owners, but it would be much more useful for food storage than just for storing replacement furnace filters and leftover bubble wrap!

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~ so many! ~

The small blue folding table, occasionally used when organising kitchen tasks, is currently entirely covered in not yet ripe persimmons. This makes working in my tiny crowded kitchen even more challenging. Once they are a bit further along they can be sliced and put into the food dehydrator, to become tasty dried fruit that several friends get every year as a holiday gift.

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Two bits of minor mending happened recently: the detached foot of the air filter unit was glued back on with RTV silicone, a most handy adhesive... and my reverse applique horse kerchief had some simple (additional) embroidery done to make the horse legs more visible, ditto mane and tail, which has greatly improved it.

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The Juliet tomato is done for the year. There were a few remaining partially ripe ones still on the plant, but  they had also split open due to excess water pressure from the recent rain. Nonetheless, that was a valiant plant, as any homegrown tomatoes in this late in the year is a truly amazing feat!  

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Seems like a doable goal to clear everything off the dining table, and begin to sort papers into recycle or keep, and to put anything else currently in residence there back where it belongs. It would be a treat to sit down to my "festive" meal with a pretty table setting, with maybe some of the hardy fuschia flowers in a little vase, rather than perching my dinner on the edge of the table after having pushed aside the detritus. So far an entire grocery sack of papers have been put into the wheelie bin for recycling, and there is a tiny handful of papers to put in the filing cabinet.

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November SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	clothespin bag	horse kerchief dots	greenwaste bin
2	5 jars pickled beets	more chopshop repair	recycle bin
3	1# hand weights	printer connection	greenwaste bin
4	a dozen owls	black knit slip	recycle bin
5	many jars of Awesome Sauce	15 origami giftwrap	-
6	24 more owls	case for phone	x
7	7 jars of Awesome Sauce	horse kerchief details	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- the hardware store agreed that the canning jars were faulty, and refunded my charge card the purchase price, despite my not having a reciept.
- There was a less expensive model of electric toothbrush at the drugstore, that uses actual rechargeable batteries instead of needing to sit on a charger overnight. Since my current toothbrush handle is disintegrating and can't be repaired, finding one that doesn't need plugged in every night is an additional plus, since it will open up one of the limited number of outlets, and save space on the already very overcrowded countertops. And the handle is thankfully almost all hard plastic, not the "soft plastic" that is prone to sudden disintegration.
- the grocery clerk kindly opened one of the large packages of brussel sprouts so I could purchase just a few, a more appropriate amount for both my tiny fridge, and for my festive dinner side dish tomorrow (probably to be oven roasted with lemon/butter/capers)

Time of Isolation - Day 1979

a parliament of owls

in which our plucky heroine makes more than enough...

Yesterday what I thought was the final box of treats sent here for the Advent Of A Better Year swap arrived on my front porch. Now I can have the fun of doing the mix-n-match of all the gifts to give all the thirty participants (and bonus boxes) the widest assortment possible. So much dopamine! Then two additional Advent Swap packages arrived today, which brings our official total up to 32!! I am astounded and pleased!

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~ full of personality ~

I love how different each of the owls looks, the slight variations in how the eyes are drawn, and how their feather tufts/horns turn out, really adds so much character... Once they all get their legs-gripping-twigs added, they will be all set aside until next years Advent of A Better Year Swap gifts.

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11 more jars of Awesome Sauce, done before midnight last night, but there were three jars that failed to seal. Sigh, that rarely happens, but I was using a different brand of jar lids (Anchor Hocking) than usual, perhaps that was the cause? Going to start on a single batch using white vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar, so it will be Ashe-safe (my friend has a really bad apple allergy)

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Samsung S9 my nephew sent me was activated, and while as he told me it does indeed need a new battery but is nonetheless totally useable, holding a charge for at least a day (much less problematic than Moto-E had been, which required being recharged several times a day) 

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I seem to have misplaced the clamp that attaches my yarn swift to the table in a useable position. While surely the clamp must be somewhere in Acorn Cottage, it is not with the yarn handling tools, which all were perzactly in their designated home. This is perplexing, as well as a minor challenge, since the swift is useless without the clamp. Draping the skein of yarn to be wound into a ball over the back of a chair, while rather old-school, did work okay. With luck, hopefully the swift clamp will show up again at some point, as it is a lovely useful tool that does one job, but does it really well  ...

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In the process of sorting through my wardrobe to see what is worn out enough that needs to be replaced, I realised that I never wear the black knit slip with embroidered hemline, as the shoulder straps are much too long, which makes the waist too low, as well as the neck. It was not too difficult to cut away excess and hand stitched the added seams neatly.

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Apparently mid-November is much too late to be harvesting persimmons, as at least half the crop has been destroyed by squirrels. Must remember to start harvest next year once the fruit begins to be golden yellow, and not wait for tree-ripened, as the rodents will not wait anywhere near that long before beginning their depredations. If only they ate all of one, then on to all of another, but instead they take several bites from many. 

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November SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	clothespin bag	horse kerchief	greenwaste bin
2	5 jars pickled beets	more chopshop repair	recycle bin
3	1# hand weights	printer connection	-
4	a dozen owls	black knit slip	-
5	many jars of Awesome sauce	-	-
6	two dozen owls	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

Yesterday's gratitudes -
- was able to activate the phone my nephew sent me yesterday, so am back in the land of the smartphone once again, albeit learning a new interface, but very glad it is thankfully Samsung and not Motorola...
- my "clunky" venerable Keen workshoe/oxfords with the massively thick soles - when I caught my foot on the support for a moveable street sign, not only did I not trip-and-fall, but I didn't harm my foot at all either! These shoes are getting old, and the join between the sole and the shoe is starting to crack, but I will keep wearing them as long as possible, since Keen no longer makes this style of shoe.
- Jen's box of Advent Swap treats arrived on my porch this afternoon, after its "scenic route" excursion from Olympia to PDX via Anchorage AK
today's gratitudes - 
- have managed to salvage some persimmons, at least enough to yield some dried fruit for the year ahead
- being able to read e-books again via Libby
- Ånni sent me an amaryllis bulb, in with the most recent box of advent swap treats. I have always wanted to try growing one of them.

Time of Isolation - Day 1970

not quite just right

in which our plucky heroine seeks better digital tools...

Today I decided to download GIMP, which is highly recommended. It is, however, much newer and much more elaborate and complicated than my venerable fairly simple copy of Photoshop. I think I need something simpler than GIMP, but not as limited as Photoshop Express. Plucky heroine wants "baby bear's image processer", the one that is not too fancy, not too plain, but just right! 

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~ rabbit rabbit rabbit ~

May the month of November bring us all some bright spots of kindness...

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After another night of insomnia, all I managed to accomplish today was sewing a cross-body clothes pin bag, inspired by one I saw online. I used assorted remnants of corduroy bias strips, twill tape rug binding, the pink floral tiger fabric leftover from mask making in 2020, and part of a worn tiger stripe flannel pillowcase.  It is quite fun and silly to look at, though not my best ever stitchery as I was making it up as I went along. Still, it will function far better than carrying clothes pins in plastic containers that are wedged into my pinafore pockets, my previous strategy.

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for Carol in Denver who asked about it... This is the cardigan center front. I had no difficulty using my digital camera and transferring the photo to the laptop, but am still trying various options for image processing. 

It clearly shows the wooden buttons and I-cord knitted button loops, as well as the new decorative trimmings that are also patches and reinforcement. Trim is made from triangle folded colored twill tape rug binding, stitched first to the striped grosgrain ribbon, then appliqued to either side of the center front. Then a strand of dark brown handspun is couched down to cover and reinforce the join between ribbon and twill tape triangles, and finally each triangle is embroidered with a few stitches in contrasting DMC floss. 

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One great blessing is that I've not been having nightmares, but oddly social adventure dreams. But waking into the bright world when it is still dark before dawn outside is not very helpful. Maybe an early bedtime tonight.

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Month SMART goals (x=extra)

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

today's gratitudes -
- tried brining* pork chops, which really improved them. Next time try a bit less time than 8 hours, as they were a bit salty. Not dry and tough though, but toothsome, and mixed with unsalted vegetables it worked well.
- my digital camera(s) may be old, but work quite well
- using remnants and scraps to make a useful clothespin bag, and remembering that done is better than perfect...

Time of Isolation - Day 1957

* 2c water, ¼c sugar, 3T salt...

Friday fragments

in which our plucky heroine mends and makes do...

Finished the decorative refurbishment/mending of my beloved ChopShop cardigan yesterday evening. Given that it was created from pieces of old wool sweaters cut and pieced into a new form by my pal Karen, from time to time it has developed holes or parts of the hand stitchery come loose. I love it and wear it often when the weather turns cold. Most recently it wore through at the center front, where the back of the I-cord button loop rubbed against the body next to the placket.

Rather than sew on a patch centered at chest level, which would be an unfortunate focal point, I instead made a virtue of necessity and created an extended decorative motif running down each side of the center front adjacent to the placket which incidentally also covered the hole. I used some two color horizontally striped grosgrain ribbon, couched some handspun dark brown wool, and folded some of the wide twill tape into little triangle shapes that tucked behind the ribbon and yarn. Once the whole long pieces were appliqued in place, the final step was to add a bit of fern embroidery stitches on each of the triangles: darker brown on the tan and lighter blue on the navy, in a sort of counterchanged effect. The whole combination references "folk art" in a non-specific and urban fantasy sort of way, which is just right for my personal style. 

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~ proto kweepeergelei ~

Since yesterday was dry and clear, seemed like the best time to harvest the quinces... while not as much as last year, still twenty-four pounds is a hefty haul. Will take a bit of doing to convert these into shelf stable foodstuff, but in the meantime, the house smells wonderful!

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Eeeee! This Ursula LeGuin exhibition is close enough that I can bike there!

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Very much enjoyed the presentations from Block Printing Fest, as I was able to fit in watching a wide assortment of both project and interview based videos. "Studio Visit : Making Friday" video interview with Heather Moore was a treat, as I remember reading her blog many years ago:

"Skinny laMinx is the pattern-filled, colourful brand of Cape Town designer, Heather Moore. Heather retreats to her studio every Friday, where she plays with cut paper, stencils and block printing to come up with her fresh and delightful prints and patterns."

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My intention today had been to make the tarp gutter to span between the porch roof and the walkway roof, before the "atmospheric river" arrived. The rain is begun, and surely playing hob with the children's Halloween, but my gutter project is nowhere near finished. Placing screw hooks overhead on the rafters of an angled porch roof is more challenging than initially thought, particularly when they need to line up with the screw hooks that are more than a foot away and on a different axis. These are the sorts of challenges that tend to stop me in a paralytic way, which isn't useful. At this point, all the holes are drilled, all the screw hooks on the walkway side are in place, and most of the ones on the angled porch side are at least started (those being much more difficult to screw into their spots)

When it was obvious that the project wouldn't be completed, getting the part done that required the electric drill took priority, as our plucky heroine will not run outdoor power tools in the rain, much less clamber about on stepladder ditto. If I cannot find a tarp on hand that is at least 8 ft long, I will kludge the tarp aspect and overlap two smaller tarps like flexible shingles. My plan is to make a sort of gradual trapezoid shape with grommets on the edges to connect to the ceiling hooks and hold the tarp gutter at enough of a slant to guide the water out to the front yard. At least that is the concept. Which I have only been trying to figure out for years and why there are at least two boards on the porch that need replaced. Incremental progress is still progress.

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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	recycle bin
5	18 penny luck envelopes	leather scissors sheath	LFL books
6	10 holly&bells ornaments	chopshop cardigan mended	recycle bin
7	more penny luck envelopes	x	greenwaste bin
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- I bravely spoke to the appliance repair man in the shop near St Johns while I was out on my bike yesterday. He phoned me back with more information, once I was able to tell him the make and model number of my broken dryer. They can get parts, but given the age, the parts are hard to get and spendy; his advice was my money would be better put towards a new used dryer rather than an expensive service call. Food for thought.
- new chapter of Super Supportive to read today
- I learned about two new block printing techniques 

Time of Isolation - Day 1956

heart on my sleeve

in which our plucky heroine appreciates the everyday...

...starting with somehow managing to get 8 hours of sleep. A very rare occurrence, probably related to the 6½ miles of walking yesterday. Around the autumnal equinox is when the summer percale sheets get folded away and the cotton flannel sheets take their place. It is almost time to switch from the coverlet to the duvet, the last step before turning the heat pump to warming the house instead of cooling it.  

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~ stacked skeletons ~

These are more horrific folded on shelves than ever seen in folks yards...

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Among today's errands, a stop at Kitchen Kaboodle to get a new gasket for one of the small glass Fido jars. Those sorts of jars are not hard to find, but replacement parts are difficult, and after the fermented onion experiment, that jar definitely needed help. Was also able to pick up a wooden citrus reamer to replace the crumbling plastic one that is no longer useable, and ended with a satisfying conversation with the clerk who had just signed up for a library card. She hadn't known about accessing films through Kanopy  via library, which is a free source for a wide assortment of documentary, vintage, foreign, and modern films...

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A few days ago, the rear left stove burner started not lighting correctly, and then burning with yellow instead of blue flame. Odd, and a bit scary. Went as far as phoning a few places about a service call. I do keep the beloved stove as spic and span as possible, so figured it was something mechanical. For some reason, it seemed like a good idea to double check the moveable lid of the burner, thinking maybe there had been a splash from a spill or??  On closer examination, looking into the small deep central opening where the gas jet is, there seemed to be what looked like spiderweb?... so, with great care, a toothpick, and a tiny brush, our plucky heroine removed the detritus without actually touching any of the mechanism. Yay! The burner now lights and burns correctly, and there is no need to spend over $100 only to be told that apparently cobweb patrol isn't just for ceilings!! 

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Almost done mending the chopshop-style cardigan. It has all new cuffs made from neckband ribbing. There are a few holes still to patch, though some buttonhole stitch, blanket stitch, and stem stitch embroidery turned the largest one into a heart, most appropriately located on the sleeve.

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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	-	cardigan cuffs	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- the back stove burner didn't need repair, just needed me to (carefully) remove the spiderweb from inside the mechanism! 
- got my flu jab today, of the special high dose version for seniors. My arm is more sore than it was from the covid jab earlier
- varied layers for bedding comfort, changing with the seasons

Time of Isolation - Day 1936

wishful Wednesday

in which our plucky heroine gets her wish...

In the middle of the day yesterday, the dial tone returned to the phone, and the internets returned to the tech. There was happy dancing!!

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~ even smaller lunaria ornaments ~

So pleased with how the miniature painted canal roses turned out. These lunaria pods are just about an inch across. They will get a silver floss cord for hanging them up, and a second layer of light blue wool felt backing. Since they are mostly flat, these will get wrapped in origami envelopes instead of origami boxes. I've found a quilters square ruler is a most useful way to turn discarded magazine pages into "origami paper.

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Feeling really good to return to repairing. My favorite cardigan, made by Karen in the "sweater chopshop" style, has been worn so much that the cuffs were completely worn to a ravelling. So, time to replace the worn bits with newly cut scrap ribbing from one of the former garments that were used to make up the cardigan in the first place. Hand stitching soothes my spirits as well as fixes material problems.

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My HOP transit pass card informed me when scanned yesterday that it was "low on funds". Two different stores where I formerly was able to add funds were unable to have their newly updated machinery interface with my card which is several years old. One offered to sell me a HOP gift card instead, (which carries a $3 surcharge per gift card in addition to the actual money for fares) Let's see what I can find out... So, the consumer support persons I spoke with were less than useless. One told me that the managers at both stores were lying to me about problems with the machines! The other told me that since my transit pass was several years old it was necessary to buy a new one! Untrue and not helpful. So, decided to actually go to the TriMet office and seek in-person help. But while partly on the way, but before transferring to take the MAX all the way downtown, stopped to try yet a third grocery store, the Fred Meyers adjacent to the transit center. Huzzah! Their machine was able to load funds onto my card with no problem, which saved me several hours of transit and bureaucratic foo. 

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Best thing today was that the new tire for the refurbished wheelbarrow finally arrived at Les Schwab, and I was able to fit the old axle + wheel + dead tire into one of the rear baskets on my bicycle. While there was a bit of a wait to get the new tire mounted on the old wheel, it is now ready to be installed. They needed to put an inner tube in, which added a bit to the cost, but will also make it more durable. Tomorrow's tasks will include reassembling the various wheelbarrow parts into a functional garden tool.

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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	-	-	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- the internet has returned!!
- new wheelbarrow tire
- was able to refill transit pass at Fred Meyers
- the first box of advent swap treats arrived today
- today I walked almost 17K steps (almost 6½ miles)
- the Xero shoes ordered in September arrived on the porch today

Time of Isolation - Day 1935

Monday musings

in which our plucky heroine proceeds incrementally ...

The first waterbath preserves of this harvest season - there have been a few windfall apples already... Once the undamaged parts are cut away and peeled, they were combined with an equal amount of last years quince chunks from the freezer and simmer/steamed until well softened and the small amount of water mostly boiled away. My preference is for "chunky" sauce, so only slightly mashed, and after adding a just tiny spoonful of rosewater to each jar, the fruit sauce was processed for 15 minutes. Once cooled, there are three new jars on the pantry shelf. I think the portion of the backyard tree that survived has Gala apples, they are very flavorful, slightly golden color inside, but hard and crunchy - good for cooking

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~ pay attention ~

This looks like a protective roadside shrine. Black maneki-neko are thought to ward off misfortune, and the mirror may bounce bad luck "away"...

The other interesting thing seen recently while out on my bike was what appeared to be an unlabled painted breadbox on a post in front of a house, in the sort of position often seen for Little Free Libraries, or Free Little Art Galleries. Curious about the contents, it turned out it was a potters "honesty box" with several mugs and a set of plates, and a request to post the pay-what-you-think into a box on the house porch. I'll have to see if I can find it again, somewhere between Acorn Cottage and the post office

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The last time I was at the hardware store, picked up a pair of the smallest NiteIze S-biners they had, with the intention of replacing the straps on my kitchen apron. The apron washes up less entangled in the laundry without long straps attached, and some lengths of the twill tape from Beth and Karen was just the thing to turn into a pair long-enough straps with a loop on one end of each. All these sorts of assorted minor improvements and repairs will make life here just a bit easier to navigate... 

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Two ideas for largess projects: some more of the triangle pouches (using scrap fabric), and making block printed trim for garb (using 2 yard lengths of twill tape). There is already a good assortment of tiny stamps and blocks for printing trim, and of fabric printing inks on hand, though it isn't really a suitable craft for doing during online meetings. Sewing the triangle pouches is, though... and I do want to make one from the pink jungle background fabric for Kestrel's little toy "fishlet" who apparently loves pink!

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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	dried basil	indigotiger popover  hem extension	recycle bin
4	3 jars apple/quince rosewater sauce	bike rear wheel	window AC
5	-	new apron straps	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- Past Me cleverly stashed leftover quince chunks in the freezer
- one of the four admin tasks for this week is done
- some of the gifted twill tape is just right for new apron straps

Time of Isolation - Day 1855

Wednesday wishes

in which our plucky heroine is a pluviophile ...

It rained today... not just a bit of drizzle in the morning, and while there was a long stretch of time in the middle of the day when under the grey sky it just felt moist, in the evening I realised that through the sound of the fans was a different and rattling noise of rain on the window awnings, and stepping out onto the porch the wonderful scent of petrichor

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~ so colorful! ~

Decades ago, some yards of this bright rayon came home with me from the fabric store, and became a graduation tunic... Quite a few years later, parts of that tunic joined with other fabrics to become a pieced dress for festive occasions. Back in 2022 a further transmogrification of that now too small garment turned it into what is probably the most colorful garment I own, a sort of huipil/popover top... Currently undergoing a bit of width addition to bring the sleeve hem edges a bit further down my arms; using the last bits of remnants cut into strips, pieced and inset on either side of the neckline. If the world was different, this would still be something to wear to a street fair or festival, but even now it can brighten a video screen, or bring a smile to someone who crosses my everyday path. Long strange trip isn't over yet....

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That was the last jar of pickled beets in the pantry... put up back in 2022, but still very delicious. The Fishwife restaurant's green salads first inspired me to try this; as store tomatoes are so often less than stellar, they garnish their salads with a slice of house-made pickled beet instead. It will soon be time to see if there are good beets at the farmers market, and look up the recipe, and put up at least a half dozen jars for future enjoyment 

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Currently reading "Elderhood" by Louise Aronson, and thinking that there must be ways to be more engaged with the exterior world. Scribal activity comes to mind, as something I once enjoyed and have mostly given up on, but that would reconnect me to the SCA culture that has/had been so much a part of my life for decades...

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"In this life you don't always get what you want, you get what you get..."

~ Cher

I remember this quote from some magazine interview article, and maybe had it posted on a cabinet door in a former studio? During my conversation with Mikki earlier this week, I talked with her about my heart's desire, that I don't get to have in this lifetime. Maybe due to poor choices, or just ill luck, or as a result of some past lifetime where I whinged about not getting to have the things I do have in this lifetime, so I get instead time to be an artisan, but without the responsibility, joy, and effort of being in a family, being part of a household. I'll never know, and like all great griefs, you don't get over them, but learn to live with what isn't there...

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August SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	-	tiger block	greenwaste bin
2	-	bright rayon top width	recycle bin
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- Past Me made pickled beets, yum
- an intensive lengthy conversation with Mikki earlier this week
- becoming accustomed to my new bicycle seat

Time of Isolation - Day 1843

throwback Thursday and other thoughts

in which our plucky heroine does her best to cope...

Today is being a fairly busy day, and the middle of the day only a little bit cooler than previous weeks. Fortunately I headed out first thing (before 8am) on my bike, with the intention of picking up some chicken legs at Grocery Outlet, and it was pleasantly cool. Most everything will be shut down tomorrow for the (ironic) holiday. 

Five years ago I was immersed in the dreadful new normal of 2020, committed to a "100 days of creativity challenge", and waxing enthusiastic about growing some vegetables in the yard...

Ten years ago it was all about trying to keep cool, and to keep my trio of Black Australorp hens (Boneclaw Mother, Granny Weatherwax, and Nanny Og) cool, as the weather approached triple digits

Fifteen years ago I first adapted the Japanese Nani Iro dress pattern into my iconic summer staple, the popover dress.

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~ strongly sweet scented ~

Linden flowers are not particularly photogenic, but had we some way to capture and share scent, these might be overpowering. There is a chunk of early midsummer when I ride my bike from scent cloud to scent cloud...

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Today's work is to repair a half dozen of pairs of pants for a patron, all of which have places where the seam joins have blown out. Lightweight rayon, and gauze are lovely to wear in hot weather, but are not usually manufactured in the most durable of construction techniques.

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This morning Braden (estimator) came over to double check the details of replacing the roof here at Acorn Cottage, and once that was confirmed, a contract was signed and a deposit was transfered. Later today Trevor (project manager) phoned to set up an appointment for his walk through of the roof and attics next week. If that goes as expected, work on replacing the roof will start the following week. Fingers crossed it all goes smoothly.

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Apparently the new Albina library will have at least some "makerspace" equipment, and are offering access to 3D printing. Talking to a librarian this afternoon, it will not be limited to just youth, but will have at least some time or instruction allocated to adults. Albina is also a LOT closer than Rockwood!

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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	-	-	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- a phone call from my SIL 
- new library makerspace not limited to youth
- roof contract signed, will start in two weeks
 

Time of Isolation - Day 1809

Tuesday tidbits

in which our plucky heroine makes random progress...

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~ a thing with feathers ~

The final details on the heraldic panel painting are finished. When it occurred to me to image search "bird wing feathers" there were plenty of examples of how to combine and layer the motifs to get a stylised, yet effective design for the Pegasus wing. Always a good day when you learn something new, and K seems quite pleased with the completed panel.

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Yesterday afternoon was the scheduled in person Urban Foraging walk, led by someone from the "Always Masked PDX" group. There were two other folks there in addition to the presenter, but by the time we were through the introductory talk, the dark clouds were no longer to the west, but were overhead and it was absolutely dumping rain, with no signs of stopping. It was a unanimous decision to try again next month, when the weather will hopefully be more cooperative. I'm proud to have stepped outside my comfort zone to attend something new, with people I have never met, even if it was rather washed out by precipitation. I plan to attend next month.

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Have been gradually modifying all my knit tops (that weren't already so) to be turtleneck knit tops, as if it is cold enough to want a second layer, keeping my neck and upper chest warm is a good idea. Tonight finished up the last of them, the pinky/peach color top with the Eames motifs on the sleeves and center neck edge. There was, of course, no more of the base fabric, as any scraps of those Uniqlo tee shirts were long gone. Instead, some scraps of a soft light grey knit fabric were pieced together and set in place; since the stencil motif and some of the printed sleeve motifs, as well as the decorative hand stitching was all in grey, it should look at least semi-intentional.

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Somebody not-human has been dunking some bread or something into the hydration station in the front yard... the last few days when I check it, which I do every day to refill/clean/etc, there were crumbs in the water, which was all murky! I'm suspecting maybe one of the local corbies, rather than raccoons, as whoever it is is a daytime creature... there was one day when I put it out fresh and clean in the morning, and by late afternoon it was already in need of more attention!

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May SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	heraldic fern painted	added pea trellis	greenwaste bin
2	XP2 sun protection	planted Seckel pear tree	recycle bin
3	heraldic plaque	Juliet tomato planted	recycle bin
4	-	marigolds planted	-
5	-	pear branchlets weighted	-
6	-	turtleneck to Eames top	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- reused the marinade from Korean-style ribs to flavor chicken thighs, which became part of a tasty dinner, along with green salad and yams
- found some scraps of light grey knit fabric to add a turtleneck to my Eames knit top, now all my knit tops are modified for more warmth.
- being able to watch youTube videos of Dire Straits/Mark Knopfler, the musicians look like they are having so much fun, and his guitar playing is epic
- my miniature Shreks Ears plant is surviving/thriving in the east facing bedroom window. The reddish color on the leaves is, according to the internets, a sign it is happy and getting enough sunlight.

Time of Isolation - Day 1758