Saturday snippets

in which our plucky heroine returns to the workbench...

My video chat last night with Mischa was wonderful and wide ranging, as it often is, and in response to one of the topics we talked about, my day began with setting up my workbench zone to tackle the setting for Babs' heraldic regalia brooch. Of course, before that could happen, there were other morning chores, but turning on the shop pickle pot first of all meant that later, it would be ready for dealing with soldering or annealling... 

And before returning to the workshop, there was adding fresh food and bedding to the worm habitat, and dealing with laundry. Washing the duvet cover means first taking it outside to untie it and remove the inner duvet, since there are always bits of downy feathers that come loose, which is better outdoors. That washed while breakfast happened, and as today was going to be chilly and sort of damp-ish, a quick bike ride to the laundromat (+ 75¢) spun the cover warm and dry, ready to tied back on the duvet...

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~ third time is the charm? ~

Truth be told, this project has been sitting on the workbench for more time than clearly remembered, as there were first one and then another failure. The brain weasels of Imposter Syndrome had more than one field day. The first enamel had to be redone (which happens occasionally, sometimes for unknown reasons), and then my initial attempt to fabricate the complex setting failed when about halfway done. Ugh! And it sat in a box on the workbench for months and months, sticking its tiny little tongue out at me...

Yesterday, when it turned out that there would be an unexpected porch visit today, Karen suggested that if one or both of the Olympia projects were done, they could courier it back north. Well, that suggestion combined with the "Do One Thing Different" conversation was enough torque for a restart. While it may not look like much, and being only 1" x 1½", the setting is really complicated. The upper layer has the serrated bezel to hold the enamel, and will be riveted to the lower layer through the four lugs on each point of the diamond shape. The lower layer, which is not yet completed, has four additional lugs centered on the sides of the diamond shape, which now have "pearl cups" attached. That soldering task was nerve wracking, as possible failure then was at the highest point, until all four were well placed and not melted. It still needs to have the pin findings soldered to the back, holes drilled for rivets and pearl pins, the upper and lower pieces riveted together, the setting polished, the enamel set, and the pearls attached. Fingers crossed that all goes smoothly.

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When Beth and Karen stopped by today, they dropped off some interesting potential pinafore fabric for me. Cotton herringbone in medium blue warp and light blue weft, so the overall color is sort of pale denim-ish, and the herringbone stripes are really wide, like 1⅜". While it isn't perzacktly my color, it is adjacent, and I'd been wishing for a wide stripe to play with seamline zigzags on skirt gores. I'm taking this as the universe delivering just such a thing!

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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	teal long janes	long jane borders	recycle bin
7	lots of drawings	removed 2 ferns	greenwaste bin
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- starting the day differently yielded different results
- a porch visit from Beth and Karen
- more than halfway done with Babs brooch
- the worm bin appears to be thriving

Time of Isolation - Day 2060

Monday miscellany

in which our plucky heroine feels somewhat less wobbly...

And as a way of warming the kitchen I've started pre-baking the quinces... 20+ minutes in the oven at 350°F and they are much easier to peel and cut into pieces. Then they can be frozen or cooked further as desired, and the cores and peels added when making quince or other jelly.

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~ hopeful ~

Garlic, iris, hyacinth, and tulips... planting bulbs is a statement that there will be a future. These are a statement of not just bare survival but also of beauty in the world. Thank you Acantha for sharing this hopeful gift, and when they bloom, or come to full growth, I will think of you!

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This is a fascinating article about the garnet and gold metalwork found in the Sutton Hoo archaeological site.

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~ getting ready ~

This is the second year I have coordinated the (secular) "Advent of a Better Year" swap, where everybody gets 31 tiny wrapped gifts, one for each day in December. Everyone gets a random assortment from all the other participants.

There are 20 sets on the table currently, five more sets I've not yet made a box for, there's a package of goodies for the swap out for delivery today and one tomorrow, someone driving up tonight with their set, and I am still waiting to hear from one more person, but I've turned my worktable into Advent Swap Central so that once all the goodies arrive (hopefully in the next day or two) I can do the mix-n-match, and seal up all the boxes and take them to the post office...

*Notice: next year our plucky heroine is moving the deadline for tiny treats to arrive here back two weeks, from October 31 to October 15, to better allow for "shipping and handling" time.

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November SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Halloween cushions	repot spider plants	recycle bin
2	applesauce	harvest persimmons	yard waste bin
3	cat head graphic	moar pruning	recycle bin
4	6 jars to ferment	grape pruning	yard waste bin
5	lime curd	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. a great porch visit with Ashe this weekend, when they drove down here to drop off Advent Swap goodies from their family
2. learned a new origami box fold
3. I don't know how they end up there, but there were three! spiders in my bathtub this morning! Fortunately for them, I keep a spider catching cup and a postcard in the bathroom, so I can remove them safely and without harm to either of us
4. Acantha sent me flower bulbs as well as garlic to plant

Time of Isolation - Day 1589

little engine that could

in which our plucky heroine finally gets moving...

I've spent a number of hours at the workbench, finished a tiny charm pendant to warm up, and begun the regalia settings that will be in the post ASAP... My mind is filled with ideas for the various aspects of life here at Acorn Cottage that want shifting

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~ souvenir ~

this is what I did to warm up before building the larger regalia setting...  Years ago Bill gave me a tiny disc stamped with the OCF peach, from when he made logo coins for Fair. Of course, I enameled it, and it then sat in my box of oddments for quite a few more years. Now it is a charm I can wear. Who knows, maybe someday in the future I may get to go to Fair again, if the world and my circumstances change...

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I finished the setting for the 1-wire Laurel medallion today, and will be putting that in the post as soon as I know the shipping address, and I will be making the setting for the companion Pelican medallion tomorrow. I rather underestimate how long it takes for the settings, though that may become a bit faster when I am less out of practice. And I really miss sharing a studio space, it was like having a body double, but for work, and made everything just that much easier...

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~ Advent Swap day 19 ~

today there were these tiny mushrooms, with sparkles on their caps, that also glow in the dark!! They will need to have their own autumnal diorama in the advent shadowbox in 2024.

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December SMART goals (x=extra)

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

today's gratitudes -
1. muscle memory and tool use memory that remains strong
2. there were a number of years where I got to share studio space with my friend and colleague Bill. I learned so much, and it was such a good thing for my growth as an artisan
3. I've some good ideas for how to do some simple-ish transformations of the bathroom here, so it will be a nicer space, that will begin there once I finish my current work projects

Time of Isolation - Day 1265

Tuesday tidbits

in which our plucky heroine moves forward in assorted and varied directions...

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~ 4cm x 2cm ~

I was answering a friends query about how some Roman buttons may have been made, and remembered that years ago I carved a bronze die matrix of a Scythian running dog, and used it to make decorative plaques from very thin gauge sheet silver and bronze and copper. Still have one finished piece left; created by layering the annealed sheet metal next to the matrix, and then stacking up several layers of thin leather, and hammering it hard enough to drive the metal into the die matrix. It is possible to get multiple copies of the same design, and the fineness of the detail is only limited by ones ability as a carver, and the tools available for carving.

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current audiobook "Eight Flavors" by Sarah Lohman, in the chapter on vanilla, TIL that vanillin is found in some lignins as well as other natural sources, not just within the vanilla bean.I wonder if that is part of why the tree Child Me thought of as the "ice cream tree" (that I now know was the ponderosa pine) has a distinctive scent of sweet vanilla...

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that was unexpected... The fortnightly grocery delivery did not end up on the front porch as usual (and as it has been for the last several years). Instead, it was delivered to my pothead neighbors front porch! I am just glad that I happened to be online, noticed the email confirmation, and went outside to see there was no familiar box of produce. Fortunately there is also a photo in the email, showing where the box had been left. If I hadn't seen that, the result might have been no groceries at all, but I was able to retrieve them. I also called the delivery company to let them know of the mixup. Acorn Cottage has large clearly marked house numbers visible from the street. I am guessing a different driver this time?

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Today I figured out a way to begin the cosplay clothing my friend Tullia wants me to make for her. I will have her try on the innermost layer later this week and see what changes need to be made. Hopefully not too much. I also happily found a bundle of former pavillion shade sides, made from an old Ikea sheet, which are perfect for use as sewing "muslin"

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

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

today's gratitudes -
1. the missing grocery delivery got found, in an odd place but before the frozen food thawed!
2. the tiny lino blocks were hiding under a chair cushion, no idea how that happened, but now I can move forward with the F is for fun project...
3. I can mail an assortment of home canned treats - salsa and sauces and jelly, as well as some masa and the recipe for corn cakes, to my brother and his wife as a gift.

Time of Isolation - Day 1126

gravity is a harsh mistress

in which our plucky heroine fall down go boom...

I was on my way home from an appointment this morning when an irregularity in the street pavement caught my foot and I went right down flat in the crosswalk. Painful mortifying hollering great big nauseating ouch... I landed mostly on my left hand first of all, and I suspect that my P100 kept my face from being second of all. An elderly man helped me back up, and found my phone that flew out of my pocket, and walked me over to the MAX stop - all I could think of to do was to go to the doctors office, which was only a stop away.

Although I wasn't really thinking clearly, this course of action turned out okay, as there was a gap in the schedule they fit me in with less than an hour wait. Four xrays later I was sent home with a couple of cold packs, and told that the radiologist would review the images. The doc I say said it was possible but unlikely that there was a crack in the bone, and to just take it easy, take tylenol, and keep it elevated and iced several times a day. Not my best morning ever.

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Banged up wrist is going to play hob with my work week. I intend to keep working, but to take it very slowly. The enamel Pelican is the highest priority, and I will be starting on that today. This week I will also be building the settings for the other regalia pieces. Everything else can be put on hold, all the textile and handcraft and I was specifically told to avoid anything with vibrations, so no using the string trimmer at all.

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It has been years since I made beaded fibulae, but it occurred to me Saturday night that it might be time to start up again... now with rainbow beads! I made these type of tiny ancient style pins when I was doing a lot of SCA merchanting in the before the Before Times, since it was good to have some impulse purchase items on the table along with the various pieces of regalia.

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July 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
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. I probably didn't break my wrist
2. I got to the Office of Aging on time with my paperwork
3. Help and humor from a stranger... who told me that I fell down really gracefully!

Time of Isolation - Day 1107

wishful Wednesday

in which our plucky heroine considers replication...

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

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

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Time of Isolation - Day 1074

Friday fragments

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

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

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

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the wedding ring project:

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

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

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

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

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September SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	7 tiny sunflowers	6 pants for Beth	yard waste bin
2	poppy pod vase	4 box fans clean	recycle bin
3	grey canvas hat	heraldry painted	yard waste bin
4	4 jars pickled onions	M skirt waistband	recycle bin
5	wedding rings	-	yard waste bin
6	x	x	recycle bin
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. being able to go to the dentist! for so many years dental care was beyond my resources, with the expected results. Much pain and dollars later I am finally back at maintenance level care. My visit today confirmed that the self care protocols I am doing at home are enough to keep my mouth healthy and in good condition.
2. the kindness of strangers! After my dental visit on Wednesday I took P out to lunch at XLB, where we enjoyed the eponymous soup dumplings and other delights... I somehow managed to forget my phone was sitting on the table. Fortunately we had only gone a few steps away when two folks noticed it and called out to us asking if it was ours/mine. Whew!! it would have been a very bad thing to lose!!
3. my life allows me to take naps when needed.

Time of Isolation - Day 946

Monday miscellany

in which our plucky heroine takes joy in the arrival of autumn...

Somehow, even though it is still hot during the day, the cool and lengthening nights provide respite. As the year turns away from summer, my spirits and energy rise.

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trying something new... top bulbs of walking onions currently in brine, on their way to becoming a few probably 2 small jars of pickled pub-style onions. Later they'll go into spiced malt vinegar and a round in the preserving pan before resting for a month or more in the pantry.

I grow walking onions for allium self sufficiency backup. They take almost no care, and mine are a link to my beloved Mud Bay pals, who gifted me with the initial starts. I've only ever used the leaves before, but, in a British cookbook found in a local Little Free Library, found a recipe that mentioned Dorothy Hartley recommended using the top bulbs in this way. These are the largest I'd managed to harvest, being rather smaller than marbles, and quite a bit of work to peel. It will be interesting to find out the hopefully tasty results of this experiment later this year...

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stepping outside my ordinary comfort zone this past weekend, I gave a short online zoom presentation, on "Using SMART goals to counter imposter syndrome"... I'd been asked if I was willing to give a five minute talk on a "topic of interest" to a group I participate in, and after mulling it over for a while, decided to a. countradict my automatic no by agreeing to do it, and b. realised that my untraditional use of the SMART goal concept might be suitable. While I am the first to state that I am a professional artisan and a maker and in no way a mental health professional, the way I use this easy technique has made a huge difference in my state of mind. I was quite surprised that my presentation was very well received, with more than one attending telling me that I had given them a new perspective on a tool that is more often insensitively used as more of a bludgeon by administrators than a help to individuals...

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~ creativity challenge ~

Starting over. First step is to create a deeper and sturdier bezel, and I decided to join my favorite serrated bezel wire to a strip of fine silver. In order to hold them in place while soldering, I used titanium strips, for the first time, as clamps. I was surprised at how simple it was to bend the strips into a roughly useable shape, using a bench vise and rawhide mallet. The bezel cylinders were straightforward to create. Next step is to mark the sheet silver needed for the actual rings, form and solder them. Once the ring blanks are made, I can begin the process of fitting the bezels. I am making notes of all the incremental steps needed to bring this concept to the material world. More steps than I realised, more than my norm for sure!

I also discovered a handy chart that shows how long to cut a band to make rings of various sizes, using various gauges of metal. This made making up the initial ring blank a bit more straightforward than I initially thought it would be.

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September SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	7 tiny sunflowers	6 pants for Beth	yard waste bin
2	poppy pod vase	4 box fans clean	recycle bin
3	grey canvas hat	heraldry painted	yard waste bin
4	-	M skirt waistband	recycle bin
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. The right tools - titanium strips, bench vise, rawhide mallet
2. allium self sufficiency
3. several web sources for ring length charts

Time of Isolation - Day 942

Friday fragments - #olddognewtricks

in which our plucky heroine makes an incremental leap...

I just noticed I am being increasingly and frustratingly tangled in negativity, and took some time and was able think out a different perspective on the situation, and also think about a different approach to the particular current project that is being so challenging. More important still is if I can maintain my better attitude. I've been noticing how much I complain, like all the time... and it isn't useful, or pleasant for me or for anyone I interact with... making an effort to change that behavior... #olddognewtricks

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I am quite looking forward to painting a set of 1" parchment discs for my pal Karen. They will be components of a decorative Renaissance hatband for her SCA hat, with the images representing most of her various awards. This project will be an interesting departure from my more usual scribal activity, and a chance to play with gouache on real parchement. This will be one of my rewards for finishing the wedding rings...

One of the images called for a birch leaf shape, and I was able to find a birch tree whilst out on my bike ride yesterday, so that one was sketched from life. Everything else came from online images, as the likelihood of my finding a falcon, or a lion, or even an out of season daffodil, is rather small. Grateful for the reference library that never sleeps aka the internet...

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~ creativity challenge ~
the wedding rings project

day 1 : make the tiny stars for decoration, stamp/cut/file/repeat x 4, make granules
day 2 : make the bezels to set the stones, add beaded wire decorative border
day 3 : after consultation, attempt to shape the bezels to fit curved rings...
day 4 : scrap day 2&3 and start over with thicker bezel wire and deeper bezels

I'd been asked to make a pair of wedding rings for friends. There are complications, as the pretty Oregon sunstone cabochons they chose are larger than anything I have set on a ring in the past. My initial efforts were based on soldering everything together before bending the ring shank round, which if I had thought about the topography, I would have realised was Not Going To Work out. Fortunately this was pointed out to me before I went too far.

Instead, I added a bit of 18ga silver to the base of the bezels and began to grind, file and shape one to fit the curve of a ring shank. This did not go well. The 8mm bezels are hard to hold on to, and also delicate. Grinding makes the metal get hot really quickly, though one can only remove the metal a small bit at a time, lest grinding too far changes the shape past fitting in place. Switching to sandpaper (over a suitably shaped dowel) is helpful, but after several hours of sanding my shoulder hates me, and the first bezel still isn't deeply shaped enough.

I then spent about a day several additional hours beating myself up for both wasting time and materials, and for ever agreeing to take on the project in the first place. I give up for the night and go to bed.

I wake up with the realisation that sometimes the best way to move forward is to scrap  the project what isn't working and start over. (two days work into the scrap bin, but I'll hopefully have more success) fitting bezels to a curved surface is not trivial and this is new technical territory.  Very glad I've got some extra silver, and some extra days. Take deep breath and move on. Today I am going to make a deeper, thicker bezel to start with, using the unsuccessful xp1 bezel as a gauge for how deep to make it. Fill the bezel (temporarily) with dowel for support while shaping. Continue forward momentum...

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September SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	7 tiny sunflowers	6 pants for Beth	yard waste bin
2	poppy pod vase	4 box fans clean	recycle bin
3	grey canvas hat	heraldry painted	yard waste bin
4	-	M skirt waistband	recycle bin
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes - progress on a better attitude - focus on three good things each day

1. a shift of perspective
2. the internet is a reference library that never sleeps
3. some spare supplies

Time of Isolation - Day 939

Friday folderol

in which our plucky heroine has a day of bits and pieces...

eeee I get to be a beta reader for a friend/favorite author who has a new novel in the works...

sorted out the details for the wedding rings I am making for two friends getting married next month. It will be good to get back to the workshop again after so long, and particularly for such a happy reason.

I've finally begun making scribal progress on the Scythian scroll, the one in my own list that is furthest back in the An Tir backlog queue. Taking advantage of zoom time with other crafty friends, I've transferred the design motifs to the Bristol substrate, and have inked the guidelines with a .005 Pigma Micron pen which will make the eventual painting a lot easier. Next up will be some practice with Roman Rustic calligraphy, before I add the scroll text as an outer border around the pictorial design. I always always do the calligraphy first.

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time in the tinyworld:

this months SCA Miniaturists challenge is "Art...specifically art in mini scale. Perhaps a tiny painting? A minuscule scroll? A little sculpture? A wee portrait? An itty bitty embroidered piece? Imagine a tiny museum, and make something a tiny person might find in it." Inspiring and tempting... my first thought is a book with a jewelled cover, tiny gems and cloisonne. Also tempted to make a museum glass case with artifacts inside...

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~ creativity challenge ~

I seem to be seriously lacking in mojo currently... so I decided to start small and mess about with planning a new hat. My everyday hats are quite a few years old. The denim hat was new in 2010, and the brown twill hat in 2012

I'm considering pattern hacking a new hat... I have always made the Green Pepper "Norwester" hat albeit a pretty heavily modified adaptation of that useful pattern. I love the size and shape of the brim, but rather want to try a different hat crown, which should be a fairly easy hack... With that in mind, I went ahead and bought, and downloaded this PDF vintage hat pattern, which I had saved in my Etsy wishlist for quite some time. I am quite enamored of the folded pleated bias crown of the hat. I then realised that my new printer here does not handle 11 x 17 paper. Now I am perhaps foolishly thinking about riding my bike to the local copy store, except it is almost 90F outside, ugh.

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September SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	-	-	yard waste bin
2	-	-	recycle bin
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitude - It was cool again in the morning, even if it doesn't last, it is a reminder that soon the hot yellow daystar will not dominate the sky...

Time of Isolation - Day 924

interrupted naptime

When we left our plucky heroine yesterday, she was still waiting for a callback from the consulting nurse hotline......

It has been a day. Starting at a quarter to 2AM when the phone ringing jolted me out of the sleep I had finally found. I leapt awake as always fearing that middle of the night call meant some dire family emergency. Instead, it was the nurseline calling me back, fourteen hours after I joined the queue. Since I had already made an appointment to see a practitioner at the closest micro-clinic at their earliest morning time slot, the callback was actually not necessary. There was no way I could have contacted them to cancel my request, and quite frankly, I had given up on hearing from them, and never occurred to me that I would get a call in the wee small hours of the morning.

So, after only a few additional hours of sleep I ready to ride my bike to one of the local Express Care to see a doctor (well actually a nurse-practitioner)... Since it was forecast to be another excessively hot day, my plan was to get my oddly reactive bug bite examined, and go hide at home away from the hot yellow daystar. It turns out that the little storefront almost but not quite Urgent Care clinics are just the right sort of thing. I was mightily impressed with the option of making an appointment online for that day/next day, and certainly the care was good. Being able to walk in with no waiting for hours in a room full of people, being seen quickly and then on my way (to the pharmacy) This seemed a good model for things not overly complex, of a level of care just below the big urgent care or ER, but quicker than getting an appointment several months later at primary care. Would that all neighborhoods had something similar. (This is part of the Providence system, so ties in directly with my other medical care)

Tomorrow I will put together a bid for Vasalisa, who would like me to create an enamel medallion for her husband Bjorn, who recently was awarded membership in the Order of the Grey Goose Shaft, in recognition of his activity in the archery community. I have never made that regalia, so it will be a challenge. I have also had a few other contacts today, one about an unusual sewing job, and one about helping a friend repair a particularly significant ring. Never dull here at Acorn Cottage!

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time in the tinyworld:

I ran across a British TV series that may be of interest to folks here... "The Great Big Tiny Design Challenge"... teams of miniaturists compete to create rooms, it is fun to watch in the same overall style as Great British Baking shows. Access online is difficult but I have found a few full episodes here and there. Here is a preview:

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The worst part of the day was that several hours after a perfectly calm phone conversation* with my mom, I was almost asleep for a very needed nap when the phone rang again and it was Mom calling me again, agitated, angry and threatening self-harm. (Mom has dementia and is in a care facility thousands of miles from where I live) While this is the first time she has called me in the middle of one of these "storms" apparently this has been a daily occurrence for both my sister and my sister-in-law. It was awful, because since she is no longer rational, there is no way to calm her, especially over the phone. Eventually the nurse arrived on the scene there, called by Mom's caregiver, and I was able to hang up. Later messages let us know that situation had been defused. This is heartbreaking. Dementia is an evil set of diseases that steals those we love.

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~ creativity challenge ~

Sewed small snaps onto squares of muslin, and then sewed the squares on the tent canvas in a way that allowed the cloth to anchor around the dowels that form part of the tent frame. Trying to decide if my tent also needs tiny toggles and loops to hold the doors closed... I found some thin silk ribbon that could become loops. Maybe attempting to make tiny toggles would be a start? but what to try and make them from?? Three more days until the end of the Tiny Pennsic Shelter Challenge.

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Kestrel's friends clothes	replace clothesline	yard waste bin
2	tiny green flannel dress	repair Nandina overalls	recycle bin
3	individual cheesecake	sew buttons on blouse	yard waste bin
4	shirt for Kestrel	old mattress off bed	recycle bin
5	Kenya tiedye top	bed slats shorter	yard waste bin
6	baked custard	Nandina overall pockets	yard waste bin
7	tiny giraffe	move towel holder	recycle bin
8	three tiny mattresses	bedrails attached	x
9	x	slat mat completed	x
10	x	pinafore front pocket	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitude - dear M had the time to listen to me for a good long time and help me come back to myself after the awful phone call. And sister is going to send me a whole packet of Mom's writings (poetry and essays) that I will be archivist for. Over time I will sort them out both chronologically and by topics, in the hope of printing out some small pamphlets of her work to share with siblings and their children. My hope is that in reading through these I will be able to remember Former Mom, before dementia stole her away. I miss her dreadfully, her sense of whimsy and the absurd, and her kind and thoughtful interest in all of us.

Time of Isolation - Day 830

fragmentary Friday

in which our plucky heroine is scattered but stalwart ...

In the process of getting ready to do some actual studio work, it became apparent that I am in need of propane, since the torch flame was rather obviously feeble, and it took far too long to anneal the disc. Fortunately, kind Gersvinda is willing to give me a ride to get the tank refilled, as I am loath to try ride to and from the refill station with the tank precariously bungee-corded on the back of my bicycle! Since I plan on spending all of the weekend that I am not in zoom meetings finishing the regalia project, with the goal of getting it in the post on Monday morning, having the gas to create the setting will be very necessary. Enameling requires electricity, but soldering requires the torch.

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~ creativity challenge ~

"food" -  Our plucky heroine is not the only one who loves some tasty sushi . This, on one of the new blue and white china plates, should tide Almandine over until dinnertime!

Yesterday's word was "low light" - A surprise package on Thursday with gifts for Almandine included a china tea set and this extraordinary and mysterious beverage set.

It appears to be for making hot coffee or tea, and consists of a tall brazier, a tall cylindrical pot with a moveable handle, and a sort of footed kettle, all of which stack cunningly atop one another as seen here. I suspect it may be from the middle east? I'm going to do some more research... it doesn't look *quite* like a coffeepot or a chocolate pot... maybe a little like a samovar but not quite... better photos eventually...

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My coat project is on very minor hold, just until my enamel project is completed. I cut out the main pattern pieces from the grey canvas, and then decided that making cardboard templates of them before sewing it all together was sensible. Unfortunately, I have used up all the pieces of nice thick cardboard that I salvaged from Costco, so will be reduced to taping together some of the few brown paper grocery sacks. The Costco cardboard, salvaged from between the stacks of TP or paper towels, is just the right thickness.... easy to cut with scissors, and robust enough to be easy to trace around. I have been gradually transitioning all my TNT patterns to this material. Eventually someday, I will be able to shop safely at Costco again, and will beg a lift from one of my friends, but for now, needs must make do!

I was also disappointed that the Easy Guide to Sewing Linings book I ordered this week from Alibris turns out to have been already sold. I am reordering a different copy, not in quite as good condition, but hopefully readable ("Good" vs "Very Good") There has been quite a lot of good suggestions on Sewing Nomads about ways to attach a temporary lining, and good links, so between that and my own online research, I have much to mull over, and am becoming excited about the project! It should be both fun, educational, and useful...

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	blue Almandine trousers	pruned feral roses	yard waste bin
2	tiny dominoes	mended turtleneck	recycle bin
3	tiny domino box	cleared dining table	-
4	Almandine ragg pullover	third jacket toile.	-
5	-	ironing board cover	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitude - I am accumulating quite the useful assortment of miniature accessories, and will soon need to find a tidy way to store them! I am also eager to start building the cottage kit!!

monday music and miscellany

in which our plucky heroine continues catching up, bit by bit...

Each day I've been trying to get at least some housey tasks done, trying to get progress on some of the long delayed commission work, and trying to make a modicum of progress on some of the creative projects that will bring pleasure to my friends and family. It feels like all I do is whinge, to no particular result.

We are all in this situation together. Some of my friends have begun behaving as though the plague is over, returning to former social behaviours. I wonder how many people during the real plague did so. Of course, though this is a pandemic, it isn't quite the same. A different disease, and we do have vaccines.

I just don't feel okay with going to indoor gatherings, with being physically adjacent to people even if everyone is masked. My friends in Seattle are going to send me a new kind of respirator mask, with replaceable filters, that promises a better fit than the duckbill N95s, which should make things like going to stores and riding transit much less fraught.

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~ creativity challenge ~

I really like this English style of half-timbering, and am gradually collecting exemplar photos, as my plan is to begin assembling the dollhouse after New Years, and rather than follow the suggested instructions slavishly for the cottage, I will instead follow my own tune and make some stylistic changes to customise it to my own tastes...

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I realised today that I needed to renew my drivers license, which expires later this month. Since I no longer have a car, I only think about it when I need to show that sort of ID, and I somehow forgot to put that on my to do list for the month... Fortunately, it is apparently possible to simply do the whole process online, without having to set foot in a DMV office, and if all goes according to plan, a new card will "magically" appear here at Acorn Cottage.

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All the assorted winter holidays are galloping towards us at a rapid pace... and while there won't be a lot of festivities here at Acorn Cottage it probably isn't too soon to start enjoying some traditional music:

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Some of what I've done lately: made liquid cooked starch from kitchen cornstarch (1 part cornstarch, 2 parts cold water, and 4 parts hot water, cook till clear), and used it to starch silk, made the now stable (and cardboard-y) silk into bias binding, used the bias to edge-bind the silk top for Debs project. She has two more garments for me to make for her project, a plain wool pique top (self bound) and a naturally dyed jersey pair of pants.

I also cut out and polished the bronze Minoan horns for Tamras project.  So far a good start to the week. Next up is the very last bits for the pockets project, and graphics for Dad's birthday. After that, I really want to make up a toile for the raincoat project, though I've no idea what to use for trial fabric. I'll just have to pick something not too flimsy, that I don't mind if it doesn't turn out a "wearable muslin"

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December SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	carpenter pockets	pruned Japanese maple	yard waste bin
2	3 jars spiced pears	pruned persimmon tree	recycle bin
3	some candied peel	reset back door latch	-
4	more mini papel picado	AC removed for winter	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	-
7	x	x	-
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitude - Tamra brought me Saint Lucia saffron buns today!

seeds of hope

in which our plucky heroine plants seeds, and perseveres...

Yesterday was so difficult, for reasons that have nothing to do with this photo. There were hours spent trying to deal with things, and finding out that a dear friend has been rehospitalised. I needed to just do something small and positive and most of all, possible.

I have been pulling my own self out of pretty dreadful pandemic isolation induced depression/languishing/dysfunction, and finally over the last month or so cleared off and refurbished my studio work stations, to allow for creativity to (hopefully) flourish again...

I picked up some small, fallen, maple samaras on my morning sanity stroll, to use as "models" for this simple fabricated pair of silver earrings. These were intended as a namesake birthday present for a tween-to-teen neighbor friend, and were a success both in giving me a much needed lift, and in giving her a bit of unexpected sparkle.

May seeds of hope take root and grow, and myself and others find the fortitude to continue...

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Yet more dismal dental news... finally managed to get through to the periodontal clinic, and while they have left a message for Dr Adapalli to contact me at some point, they cannot treat me until I have a primary care dentist. Which is the clinic that has no openings for at least six weeks or more. Or unless I find and sign up with a private practice somewhere. I'd be tearing my hair out if I had enough hair. This is such a stupid system. I may just call the emergency dental clinic. I hate gambling.

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Yesterday was also weird, because there were many huge houseflies buzzing in the house - not one, but like six different ones, despite care to keep the screen doors closed. I loathe flies. Eventually managed to trap them all between the windowscreening and the glass, in various windows, but ugh! I use the trick of making everyplace else dark and that way they fly towards the lighted rectangle that is the window, and it is usually possible to carefully slide the window closed before they fly away again.

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My old friend S, recently recovered from brain surgery to deal with a large abscess, had finally returned home after weeks of IV antibiotic therapy... She is now back in hospital again with a newly diagnosed bacterial infection in her shoulder bones, cartilage, and bone marrow! Looking at weeks and weeks of treatment and no way to know if she will regain the use of her arm. (this sort of problem is part of the reason why I am so concerned about dealing with the systemic infection that is in my tooth and jaw)

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beauty in the time of isolation:

springtime colors

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May SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	teal knit tee for Nandina	repotted artichokes	-
2	teal knit skirt for Nandina	computer zone shelf	-
3	red/grey top for Nandina	cardboard back gate zone	-
4	red/print skirt for Nandina	pruned forsythia	-
5	setting for red Laurel	-	-
6	samara earrings	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitude - Today I petted a sweet ginger and white cat (with the most delightful gingery moustaches) while out on my morning sanity stroll. And I got a smile and a wave from a cute truck driver, when I bowed and flourished his truck past as I stepped out of the street to get out of the way. (I am still walking in the street, on all the side streets, for safety sake).

Tuesday twinges and tidbits - day 53 (year 2)

in which our plucky heroine is very worried...

AAAAAAhhhhh! I am so screwed. Called OHSU dental school to get back on track to resume the needed care, now that I am fully vaccinated. Since I have not been seen for over a year (since last March) I am considered a "new patient!?!WTF?? I've been going there for years now

Most crucially I left a message at the periodontal clinic to please call me back. I've needed the surgery since before the pandemic. They did the other, less problematic tooth last March, with the intention of doing the worse one in April. Last April. I am quite worried about the systemic infection that is eating away at the bone, since that kind of infection is a cardiac risk... No way to know yet if Periodontal Clinic has any appointments available.

As far as regular cleaning and exams, they have NO appointments available anytime, though there may be some possible sometime in June? (apparently appointments dropped yesterday for the month of May, and they are all full) Plucky heroine is worried, I've been putting off dental work for the last 13 months while isolated, but now that I'm more protected, this needs to happen soon...

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~ creativity challenge ~

Completed the enamel Laurel medallion and setting for Nicolin's elevation later this month, and mailed it out this morning. Fortunately the weather was cooperative for a bike ride to the post office.

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...just a tiny tip I figured out yesterday. For applying "silver black" liquid to a setting I used a toothpick instead of a paintbrush. Hammered the tip of the toothpick to make it more brush-like. I hate how silver black quickly destroys paintbrushes, and since I usually only need to put a little bit around the edges of bezel decoration before polishing the setting, the toothpick worked better and best of all I don't feel sad about discarding it afterwards.

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beauty in the time of isolation:

This was the pleasant surprise in my mailbox yesterday... a tidy tool roll as a thank you for participating in the StormMaker scribal challenge last month. Hlutwige made this, and chose my favorite colors for the leather. It will be most handy when transporting various tools (like the examples I placed atop it to show the size).

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Finally managed to add the shelf above the long power strip, so I will be moving the laptop over back into the computer tower and reclaiming my dining table at long last.

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May SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	teal knit tee for Nandina	repotted artichokes	-
2	teal knit skirt for Nandina	computer zone shelf	-
3	red/grey top for Nandina	cardboard back gate zone	-
4	red/print skirt for Nandina	-	-
5	setting for red Laurel	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitude - all the cardboard I've been saving is now laid down over the back gate zone that I had Alan cut away last month. There will likely always be more cardboard, but after looking at the overgrown backyard, getting that area safe from immediate weed encroachment was necessary. I'll be laying some of the chips down over the cardboard soon. Incremental progress, etc...