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

Tuesday tidbits

in which our plucky heroine has a tiny glimmer of creativity ...

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~ pebble kittens ~

Sometimes I bring home the small flat pebbles found while out and about on my walks. With the addition of a little bit of acrylic paint and  protected with matte Mod Podge, now there are a half dozen kittens no bigger than my thumbnail, to add to my collection of things for the "Advent of a Better Year" swap that I'm coordinating for the third time later this year. Hope that some folks will want to join in for the first time or return again for the fun. Contributions due in October, swap mailing in November, open a gift a day all December!

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managed to successfully deal with Mt Dishmore and with Mt Washmore today. The counters have no more dirty dishes, and the piled high dishrack will be emptied and everything put away tomorrow morning. It remains a neverending source of amazement that two days of cookery means that it is necessary to bring out the folding table to be an accommodating scullery spot. And the only gift of hot sunny weather is that laundry on the line dries really quickly; would that folding and putting away was as effortless!

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Raven scroll	6 prs Beth pants	recycle bin
2	black floral scarf	prune² Wanda plum	greenwaste bin
3	4 jars strawberry- rhubarb preserves	mulch peartrees	greenwaste bin
4	sunblock mitts	Eames top	greenwaste bin
5	catch tarp for porch	filter box legs	recycle bin
6	mini 3D plant stand	new house roof	greenwaste bin
7	7 pebble kittens	defrost chest freezer	recycle bin
8	x	repair garden hose	persimmon prunings
9	x	right eyeglass temple	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- seeing a total eclipse seven years ago
- seeing the northern lights several times
- a house full of art supplies

Time of Isolation - Day 1835

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

Friday fragments

in which our plucky heroine wakes up early...

This morning the sky was lemon yellow at 5:30am.  My plan for the month of May is outdoor daylight first thing, and preferably a walk as well. Cool outside in the early morning is pleasant, and I noticed that while tulips are ending, iris is beginning to flower...

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~ partially painted Pegasus ~

This week has, in part, been all about completing the heraldic painting project for Kateline and Dean. I've seriously underestimated the time something like this takes, which I will remember for future commissions. Have almost completed the final quarter, the demi-Pegasus. It is hard to see that what looks like grey in the photo is actually metallic silver paint, as my thought was that combining white with silver details and silver with white details would be effective. It really does show up well when the light hits it. The fern turned out quite well; my choice to outline all the foliage in black before filling it in with green really makes the leaves stand out. They remind me of the sort of botanical images one sees in some manuscripts.

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Helga came by this morning, bringing me bath tissue rolls from Costco that she kindly picked up for me. We had a bit of a chat about the various fruit trees, gardening, and overall health challenges. When looking at the persimmon in the parking strip, she was the first to spot the tiny future fruit, no bigger than my little fingernail, and as green as the new growth. We also noticed that the mystery apple next to the driveway, that bloomed for the first time ever this year, has a cluster of proto-apples.

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Sigh, did not manage to do string trimming today, it was too hot, and I was tired from getting up at daybreak. Might be able to do better tomorrow, as it is supposed to be cool and grey. I am going to log both morning daylight and daily string trimming in my BuJo, since I accidentally created an extra column on the page I record my daily health metrics. I know that ticky-boxes are a helpful tool, and my intent is to go on as I've begun.

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Our plucky heroine is much worried about the possibility that there will not be any effective safe COVID vaccines available this autumn, as there is much misinformation being promulgated from on high at the present.  My continued health depends on a combination of vaccination, isolation, and masking with a P100 mask when around people, since there is no external effort to create safer public spaces for less transmission of viruses. This is not the sort of timeline I'd hoped to spend my remaining years in; I don't even like reading dystopian fiction. (including this comment here as part of my own historical record of these unprecedented times... recent re-reading of my blog posts from the last five years has been most interesting, as a reminder of the many changes that have occurred both personal and social.)

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Month SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	heraldic fern painted	added pea trellis	greenwaste bin
2	-	-	recycle bin
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	-	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- the heraldic painting project is coming along nicely
- found a bit of scrap wire grating to use to start a trellis for the baby peas.
- faith is the ground, stubborn is the crop. I've faith in my determination to give my best effort, and my stubborness as a child is actually a strength.
- when attaching the trellis grating, I broke off two of the pea shoots and ate them, yum! I will be slightly thinning the peas, and eating the rest of the thinnings, pea shoots are delicious.

Time of Isolation - Day 1747

tired on Tuesday

in which our plucky heroine wishes for garden helpers...

Mostly there has been a fair amount of outdoor refurbishment in the last week or so: primarily but not exclusively of the mowing variety, as well as removing older debris, or relocating it for future use. It is time to somehow create a pea trellis, and get things transplanted or just plain planted. There are various "caches" of used bricks here and there, which will all be useful for anchoring the mulch/cardboard/sidewalk interface. This is all part of the plan to reduce the lawn and create mulched "pathways" around the front yard and more garden space in the back yard.

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~ maidenhair fern transfer ~

Unsure at what young age the "rub pencil on the back of a drawing to transfer it" was learned, but that technique has stood me in good stead for decades. After carefully sketching the motif on tracing paper in a way that fits well in the rectangular space available, the sketch was first inked in with a fairly wide Micron pen, and then the now visible lines were well covered with soft pencil on the reverse, and finally taped in place before being re-outlined with a small stylus, yielding what appear as thin pencil lines on the painted substrate. Half of Kateline's heraldry is a maidenhair fern on a white background, and the only transfer paper on the shelf here is itself white, but fortunately there are plenty of pencils, and the design is now ready for painting. Tune in tomorrow!

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My broken glasses have been delivered to *eyewear, and hopefully will be ready later this week. Fortunately, or dangerously, there is a art store right next door to the optical shop...

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From the time of year in the spring when it warms up enough to start the grass growing, to when it becomes hot and dry enough in summer for it all to become dry and dormant, mowing the lawn is my nemesis. But if it doesn't get done, that is a bigger problem. I no longer have the stamina to do the whole thing in a day or two, so have divided the yard into six zones: the parking strip, the outer front yard, the south strip and porch areas, the backyard near the house, the plum thicket zone, and the south lumpy zone. All were starting to get almost too shaggy to cut, and the plum thicket area was almost knee high, so I've vowed to do one zone each day that it isn't raining, 'cos extension cords + rain are not a good idea! My guess is that by the time all six zones are done it will be time to start again, and just go round-y-round for the next umpteen weeks. By doing a smaller amount more frequently, it should be at least a bit easier on the shoulders, and may increase strength at least slightly.

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Whilst cleaning up the back yard, realised that the funky partially broken plastic trash bin that had been intended for a compost bin really needed to just be discarded entirely. While it had several long cracks, it proved most recalcitrant to being cut apart. Not with a box knife, not with tin snips. Ended up using the folding pruning saw and elbow grease. Managed to somehow snag a fingertip on one of the almost razor sharp saw teeth right at the end, but NewSkin and some paper tape came to the rescue

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April SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	blue skirt Opal	shipova planted	yard waste bin
2	2 pr undies toiles	smoothed half of side gate base	recycle bin
3	model for F.L.A.G	got TDaP vaccine	yard waste bin
4	painted Dean heraldry	persimmon mulched	recycle bin
5	-	pruned figs	2 arborvitae
6	x	2024 taxes	plastic trash bin
7	x	hip joints for tinyfolk	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- Past Me cleverly acquired some of the Xero shoes that actually fit my peculiar feets, (said shoes are no longer being made) and stashed them away, so I can put off for a while longer figuring out footwear...
- once in a while, fancy dinner is fun: steelhead in butter lemon caper sauce, roasted beet vinagrette with goat cheese and pecans, and asparagus
- managed a second day in a row running the string trimmer, and thereby made more progress in hacking away at the lawn. My intention is to do some modest amount every day until the lawn goes heat-dormant, thereby hopefully not wrecking my shoulders
- New Skin liquid bandage, combined with paper bandage tape works really well

Time of Isolation - Day 1744

Saturday snippets

in which our plucky heroine is still recovering...

There was a flicker, this morning, busy at the intersection of the siding, the concrete foundation, and the basement window frame of the House Next Door. It eventually also rummaged around on the ground there, before flying up to the top of the boundary fence, then up to the gutter of our carport. At first I thought it might be building a nest, but I suspect it was hunting bugs? It was close enough to see the red underside of the wings, particularly as it flew upwards...

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~ bed sitters ~

My tinyfolk were tired of only ever standing, so they have all had "hip replacements". Their leg seams were opened up next to their body, and some of the stuffing removed, leaving an unstuffed area that has been stitched across at the top and bottom, to allow their legs to hinge enough that sitting is also an option. Some cloth dolls are made this way initially, and future Tiny Rag Dolls made here at Acorn Cottage will also be...

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Broke my spex, or rather a weld snapped in the left side temple piece.... Looked everywhere for the missing part once it became obvious that it was gone, only to eventually find it tangled in the hair on that side of my head. Most peculiar! Shall have to plan an excursion to *eyewear next week when they are open.

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Still not all the way better from my fall on the 15th, sigh and alas... the older we get, the less we bounce back, and my shoulder and elbow are complaining. I am grateful that I can still walkabout, and still bike ride.

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Creativity update: made further good progress on the heraldic painting for Kateline and Dean. The golden spider and crossed axes are now filled in; painting with metallic acrylic is a bit tricksey, but it should show up really well...  Tomorrow one of several tasks I plan on working on is painting the pegasus, and drawing the maidenhair fern. Still haven't come up with a fun idea for the half dozen advent swap items to be made for April, if I can find my pom pom maker, that is an option...

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April SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	blue skirt Opal	shipova planted	yard waste bin
2	2 pr undies toiles	smoothed half of side gate base	recycle bin
3	model for F.L.A.G	got TDaP vaccine	yard waste bin
4	painted Dean heraldry	persimmon mulched	recycle bin
5	-	pruned figs	2 arborvitae
6	x	2024 taxes	x
7	x	hip joints for tinyfolk	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes - 
- there is a shop in the city that repairs spex
- today was cooler than yesterday, and tomorrow will be cool enough for yardwork
- line dried laundry, the treat on days that are sunny
- I have a spare pair of prescription spex! (given potential supply chain issues, would be a good idea to get a second backup pair. Pretty sure most cheap spex come from China)

Time of Isolation - Day 1741

not Michaelangelo

in which our plucky heroine is awake much too early...

The sun rises well before 6am. It really is time for the mylar window fill in the eastmost window. And time to finally remember to contact the awning company and ask for a copy of the installation instructions, to get a sense of how difficult it might be to add those outside the east and west windows.

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Wednesday night I filled the anchor screw holes in the kitchen ceiling with rolled and glued paper, and just before bedtime put on the first layer of spackle so it would dry overnight. The next morning I smoothed that with a damp sponge, and added a thin second coat. Once that dried, I added a bit of primer over those spots, and it is ready to paint the large central circle. I realised when up on the step ladder that the "rectangle" is not actually a missing layer of paint, but just a sort of dirty discoloration; when I used the sponge to smooth the spackle, some of the grey came away on the sponge! I cleaned the circular area, once I primed the spackle, and before painting.

After looking over the Metro Paint I have on hand, I was glad to see I had a pail full of "Mountain Snow" which is basically either white or off white, and will be just right for the task. After lunch, I brushed in the first layers of paint. First a sort of primer coat over the central rectangle and spackle spots, then carefully freehand painting along the circular line I penciled in. The ceiling already looks a lot better. I think one more coat of the white paint will be all that is needed.

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I really like that we have a municipal paint recycling facility that makes the resulting paint available and affordable. Consequently I have quite a few different color gallons, acquired at random over time, tucked into in the storage cupboard here:

"Missisippi Mud" (dark brown)
"Lambs Ear" (almost duck egg blue)
"Storm Cloud" (medium grey)
"Crater Lake" (dark blue)
"Summer Sky" (light blue)
"Pebble Path" (taupe)
"Mountain Snow" (white)

and in addition, I have two quarts of their specialty colors (which are only ever available at Swan Island): one each of Turquoise, and Black... Maybe this year I will get around to doing a bit more of the wall painting here. The kitchen walls are so much nicer than when it was just white, maybe it is time for the bigger bedroom, one wall at a time?

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~ anodyne ~

spectacular poppies are blooming all over the neighborhoood right now, in various colors from deep red through sunset to even some pink or lavender ones... Later on in the autumn, once the flower stalks are sere and brown, the pods can be salvaged for miniature bottles and flasks and flower vases.

a poppy pod vase is about 1" tall

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Stopped at the art store to hopefully get some of the round sponge brushes for the ceiling project. Found out that they are discontinuing the 10% discount for seniors and for teachers, which makes me sad. But if it lets them stay in business I don't begrudge them at all. I would rather have a local worker owned store than have to order online.

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May SMART goals (x=extra)

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

today's gratitudes -
1. The local art store had some of the inexpensive round sponge brushes that I intend to use for painting the dotted border on the kitchen ceiling
2. University of Atlantia (SCA) is still offering free online workshops, and I've registered for two scribal art classes next month
3. Boxes of treats for the Solstice miniature swap have arrived for the folks that are participating. I've put my little goodies in the advent box ready to open the first package tomorrow.

Time of Isolation - Day 1423

some scribal shenanigans

in which our plucky heroine had a go at something new...

~ Celtic style Pelican Scroll ~

This is the custom Pelican scroll that I worked on last month, for the 48 hour scribal challenge I've been mentioning. It was a bit of a stretch for me, both to return to scribal activity after quite a sabbatical, and to attempt a very different style than my beloved Gothic artwork. The challenge image for this year was "March Hare" and the challenge color was "heraldic Azure"...

I was inspired by Insular and Anglo-Saxon artwork and artifacts from the 9th to the middle of the 11th century. I decided that the best way to incorporate the "March Hare" theme would be to add interlaced running hares to the side borders of the scroll, and incorporated heraldic "Azure" by being sure to include plenty of blue gouache in the borders and backgrounds of the decoration, the hares will also either be blue, or on a blue background, when painted.

The scroll is made on a Bristol board backing, painted with Holbein gouache paint and calligraphed with Calli ink. I added a small amount of metallic golden Finetec mica paint as accents. These are all modern materials.

What has worked well for me on this scroll is that I was able to create a pleasing composition in a style I never attempted before. I was also able to figure out a new variation on Roman Rustic calligraphy appropriate to the period, based on the Stone of Odda. In addition I was also particularly inspired by some of the minor imagery in the Book of Kells, and by various Anglo Saxon garnet jewelry.

In the future, I will return to my former practice of seeking out specific pages of manuscripts to use as my exemplars, and writing down where I found my ideas. In this case, I did not do so, and I sorely regret my lack of good documentation. I think this piece would have benefited by being made on Perg rather than Bristol, and will attempt that in the future.

The new to me thing I did was to use pictures of an existing artifact, The Odda Stone, as a source for the calligraphic hand on this scroll. The carved stone, which dates from the middle of the 11th C, has an inscription in Latin lettering. Since that hand is similar to Roman Rustic, which I recently learned, I was able to adapt my writing to this new variation. The other new thing I learned in my reading was that the Book of Kells used line-fillers. Those small graphics have always been a favorite of mine, and I did not know that they were used so early on. Therefore I added those to this scroll as well, where needed.

Sources I looked at for inspiration:
"Odda Stone" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Odda_Stone.jpg)

The Book of Kells"; Bernard Meehan; Thames and Hudson; 1994
 

"The Golden Age of Anglo-Saxon Art"; ed. Janet Backhouse, DH Turner, Leslie Webster; British Museum Publications Ltd; 1984

  .... 
A celtic style Pelican, and the heraldry of the recipient
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May SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	4 tiny books	half front yard mowed	yard waste bin
2	10 tiny books	more front yard mowed	recycle bin
3	-	replace cloudlight bulb	dead rosemary
4	-	clean large paper lantern	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. The KAMsnaps setting tool is sized such that even my wee paws will be able to use it. This is very much not always so!!
2. The new house stepladder arrived today, and it makes a huge difference in what I can reach, for obvious reasons. While it doesn't feel quite as secure as my lower one, the extra foot of height means I can easily reach the ceiling in the main part of the house, and actually, if not quite so easily, reach the ceiling in the workroom
3. I was able to cut away the dead portions of the rosemary, which fortunately was only about half the entire shrub.

Time of Isolation - Day 1398

glue that sticks around...

in which our plucky heroine appreciates adhesives...

The half full jar of "Yes Paste" in my box of glue is apparently at least 35 years old! The store tag on the side of the jar is from a shop in Olympia where I bought art supplies when I was in school. The adhesive is still completely useable, as it worked perfectly to adhere the fancy Japanese paper to the foam core. Color me impressed.

And yes, I do have a box with an assortment of different kinds of glue, everything from 5 minute epoxy, to multiple types of PVA, to the aforementioned jar of paste. It really helps when creating artifacts to be able to choose how to attach things, and were mechanical fastening is not appropriate, what we called "chemical bonding" might do the trick. For those who might find it useful, there is even a website "This to That" which offers advice on what adhesive to use in specific situations

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as we get closer to the deadline for the Advent swap, I've started to decorate the advent shadowbox Acantha sent me last year. The little drawers are now painted, and still need to have their numbers and details added. The outside of the box, and the inside edges of the central portion need to be painted.

I've cut and covered a piece of foam core to make a removable center panel, and will glue two ribbon handles to the bottom edge in case I want to change it out for seasonal decor. Lastly I will add hanging hardware to the back, as there is no fireplace or mantel here at Acorn Cottage... 

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Last night I baked almost all the quinces, in preparation to cutting them into pieces to make more quince jelly and quince paste. Of course, I managed to do this far too late in the evening to also start on the cookery, so the slightly softer fruit are now filling up the produce drawer in the wee fridge. And also most of the bottom shelf. Did I mention that the fridge here is only a bit bigger than a shoebox (really is about the size of two dorm fridges)...

While rummaging around online for "things to do with quinces, I ran across this recipe for panforte. A few of the quinces I currently have are going to become candied quince, which would be splendid in holiday baking. I have never had this particular confection, but given how much I love fruitcake, it sounds interesting. I would (of course) leave off the cloves, and substitute pecans for hazelnuts, and probably cut the entire recipe in half to make a smaller cake to try it out.

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Yesterday I started cutting out the pieces so I can make an embroidered felt brooch of Elphinore, the eponymous character from "Elf Dog and Owl Head". I like having an assortment of small "kits" on hand for pick up work, either embroidery, hand sewing, or knitting.

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I've begun sewing the raincoat lining, and in conversation with my pal Leslie, have figured out best a possibly workable option for dealing with where the lining meets the facing and the outer layer, and for where the lining meets the back neckline. Fingers crossed it all works out. The raincoat project is probably the most complicated thing I have done in years, and it will be in immediate frequent use once completed.

The rest of the sewing I plan for the next year is rather too lopsided to be called SWAP; filling in wardrobe gaps is what is really needed. I want some new lingerie, including several new slips and a few sports bras. I want to replace my lost dark denim hat, and might also make a brown hat and pinafore from the length of chocolate brown linen. It would be great to have a few more pairs of winter leggings, in the interest of moving some knit fabric from the resource shelves into the dresser drawers. And, after almost spilling the can of F&B paint on my lap, it occurs to me that either an apron or a smock to wear when doing messy chores might be useful

November SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	6 jars quince jelly	glove thumb re-knit	-
2	tiny tiger stripe dress	persimmon pruning	-
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. an art store in my neighborhood, that I can walk to, where I have been there often enough that they recognise me...
2. the amazing lifespan of Yes Paste!! (35 years and counting)
3. I had no bad reactions at all to my flu vaccination

Time of Isolation - Day 1225

blue roses on toeses...

in which our plucky heroine follows a wild hair down an internet rabbit hole...

I had a sudden desire to add British canal boat style roses to the toes of my just-painted-blue canvas shoes. The blue roses remind me of the 1978 Winterland Grateful Dead poster*, and I hope that these shoes will remind me to keep whimsy in my heart as I continue down the path...

The shoes themselves were originally a (boring) beige canvas, and I painted them blue last week. (The previous pair I painted blue lasted 4 years before they fell apart, but the paint was still in good shape. Just plain ordinary craft acrylic paint is surprisingly durable, unlike whatever the microfiber is that they use for shoe linings.) I found some good step by step tutorials and images online which helped me get the style of rose I wanted, and I used ordinary blackboard chalk to mark out where I wanted to paint the roses, because it wipes away with a damp cloth after the paint is dry...

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Saturday I took a small adventure and went to see my friend's display at an outdoor "art picnic" in one of the local parks. It was a treat to see them, and their artwork in person, as well as to get a sense of the hyperlocal and mostly youthful art scene. There was a wide range of media and imagery, of course, and it rather reminded me of my youth, when folks would gather on Cambridge Common on Saturdays to vend and be social.

I was totally wearing my P100 the whole time, and the middle of the day on a Saturday afternoon the bus was not terribly crowded. It felt fairly safe as the location and layout meant that there was plenty of fresh air, and enough distance between folks for comfort. Almost no one these days seems to be wearing masks, which makes me sad though.

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~ 100 day stitch book project - day 94~

Day 94/100 (page 19) - Sunday added some more subtle hillocks to the landscape, with stem stitch and a bit of French knots, and I began adding stars to the sky at the top to better balance the geology at the base... Today I plan on finishing up the starry sky, which will complete this colophon page.

(Saturday) Day 93/100 (page 19) - finished stitching the various hillocks in place...

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Saturday I took a small adventure and went to see my friend's display at an outdoor "art picnic" in one of the local parks. It was a treat to see them, and their artwork in person, as well as to get a sense of the hyperlocal and mostly youthful art scene. There was a wide range of media and imagery, of course, and it rather reminded me of my youth, when folks would gather on Cambridge Common on Saturdays to vend and be social.

I was totally wearing my P100 the whole time, and the middle of the day on a Saturday afternoon the bus was not terribly crowded. It felt fairly safe as the location and layout meant that there was plenty of fresh air, and enough distance between folks for comfort. Almost no one these days seems to be wearing masks, which makes me sad though.

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well dang... making haste slowly would have been better! Trying to clean up the kitchen by carrying all the jars of quince jelly to the pantry shelves, and I dropped one. Glass shards mixed with jelly are a Big Mess. I hope I got it all; wiped repeatedly with damp paper towels until I couldn't see any more "sparkle"... And I still have the rest of the putting away and washing dishes left to do.

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April SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	page 15	taxes done	jars to Mud Bay
2	custom Tullia daypack	shoes painted blue	recycle bin
3	page 16 and 17	shoe elastics transferred	extra plant pots
4	page 18	roses on shoe toeses	yard waste bin
5	-	-	grapes to compost
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 roses for my shoes turned out just fun as I imagined them
2. Avgolemono (aka demonology soup)... always good
3. The person I hand embroidered a label for their quilt was quite happy with my efforts. And I learned how to better estimate how long it takes, and managed to get a successful result on double gauze, which is not trivial.

Time of Isolation - Day 1041



* This is the concert poster I had in mind...

a sunny day

in which our plucky heroine appreciates the weather...

'tis a lovely "first day of spring"... the weather is moderate, at least for today. I noticed that the ornamental plum trees in the front yard are beginning to be dusted with pink, as their buds open. Every day the nubbins on the quince tree get larger. And, best of all practical changes, it was dry and breezy, which meant that I could hang todays laundry out on the clothesline!

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~ 100 day stitch book project - day 61 ~

Day 61/100 (page 13) - picked up two scraps that had fallen to the workroom floor, and after a bit of judicious snipping and moving around, et voila... (I may add more clouds as just outline stitched motifs in white against the turquoise background)

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Put in several hours this evening painting in the background of the scroll for Raven. I've almost finished the first layer of underpainting, and dabbed a bit of the Finetec metallic paint on the Scythian beast for better contrast. Once I figure out the details that underlay the beasts' head and antlers, I can get the rest of that layer completed. There will be at least two more layers of painting on the background, and probably three more on the beasts ..

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Yesterday I found the larger part of a very empty animal skull in my driveway. Based on the size, and the shape of the teeth still present, I am guessing cat rather than rodent. It was a little baffling, but also interestingly shaped, so I picked it up and moved it to the front porch. When I returned from my bike ride, the skull was not where I left it, though I found it again in one of the empty planter pots nearby, with some of the bone around the eye sockets chewed away, and a rather pissed off squirrel (now named "Skullbiter") staring at me from the tree branches.I moved the skull inside one of the salad table cages, where it should be safe from further depredation for the time being, until I can find the time to draw it.

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March SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	page 9	chore jacket snaps	recycle bin
2	5 strawberry needlekeeps	rain capelet neckline	yard waste bin
3	page 10	Stanley power strip	ceiling fan blades
4	page 11	pruned elderberry	more ceiling fan blades
5	7 lotus star booklets	rebedded worms	yard waste bin
6	x	x	recycle bin
7	x	x	crocs of slip-n-fall
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. air dried clothing, the first of this year
2. Firesign Theater, courtesy of YouTube
3. leftovers for dinner, so yummy!

Time of Isolation - Day 1007

outside the box

in which our plucky heroine may have solved a dilemma...

The universe gave me grapes this year instead of plums. Plums are so easy to process - gather, cut in half and remove the pit, put on trays in freezer, tumble into ziplocs and store until needed. (and they become an everyday addition to my breakfast museli) The fragrant if very seedy grapes from Feral Grapevine however, have resisted my efforts to turn them into anything edible, due to the seeds, and also the abundance of tartaric crystals that form.

Last night before bed I had what may be a way to get around the seed difficulty. If I acquire the tomato press, and the concomitant "grape spiral" (needed because grapes have huge seeds), then I will have a way to de-seed the grapes without going to cuckoo land. Not to mention that the tomato press will also be useful for processing... tomatoes! Several of my friends recommended it previously, so I decided to go ahead and order one to add to the Acorn Cottage infrastructure. Should arrive in a little over a week. In the meantime, I will be making space in the freezer to store the grapes, since they will not hold on the vine for that long.

I wonder if the skins will slip off frozen grapes as easily as they slip off frozen tomatoes? Ifso, then grape jam might be a possibility. My former attempts at grape syrup, or at grape jelly, were marred by an overabundance of the tartaric acid crystals, despite my leaving the juice for 24 hours in the fridge to let them settle out. Would jam not have the same problem? Another option might be  simply freezing the now de-seeded grape pulp in ice cube trays or in Talenti tubs to add to breakfasts or for use as a sweetener, or an ingredient in quick bread. Inquiring mind wants to know, and will share experimental results once the equipment arrives...

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I have been watching various doom-scenarios since I was a schoolgirl, with fewer and fewer options for personal survival as the years pass. The currently elaborating pandemic, combined with the various other ways our species seems hellbent on destroying itself and massively altering the biosphere, do not bring me hope. I wish that there was less of my mental processing power given to compartmentalising all that away in order to go about my daily life in as personal and planetary a functional and helpful way, but that is what I attempt anyway. Every day doing a tiny bit to make the world kinder, more beautiful, and more creative. It is antinomy in action.

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~ creativity challenge ~
.

13 little circles of parchment, painted for Elanor, representing most of her SCA awards. They are just over ¾" diameter, painted with gouache paint on real parchment. She will be using them, once they are placed in bezel settings, as a decoration on a Renaissance era hat band, in combination with freshwater pearls and other gems. Boy howdy is painting a lot faster than enameling, but even so this took me the better part of a day and a half.

. .
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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	smoothing board	replaced glue cap	some planter soil
2	wee needle case	re-container black gesso	crawling fuschias
3	mini birchbark	indigotiger popover	yard waste bin
4	fig lemon preserves	re seal preserve jars	windfall apples
5	miniature comb	grapevine pruning	recycle bin
6	13 painted discs	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 aunties stopped by to visit on their way to the wedding tonight, and brought me fresh organic masa from the co-op... now I can make tortillas!
2. today was the 1 year anniversary of the Sewing Nomads group meeting on Zoom once a fortnight, Huzzah for connection across time and space!
3. the better sewing pins I bought a while back, so very sharp and thin and easy to use, with pretty real glass heads. Having good tools for the activities I do makes a huge difference.

Time of Isolation - Day 961

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

year of the Water Tiger

in which our plucky heroine considers starting with art...

As it is also the start of Lunar Year of the Tiger, I found this ancient artifact posted by the British Museum to start my month off well and fiercely... I've decided that my February challenge will be to do some paper based artwork every day, as my first thing in the morning activity. Start the day with art. It might be drawing, or painting, or collage or ??... If I don't feel a specific inspiration, I have bookmarked an entirely unrelated set of February prompts to set my mind in motion.

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Since I gave the first miniature bedroom stove away to the neighbor girl yesterday, I started making another one today for use by my own tiny friends. I am also thinking of Nandina's mother Kenya Ogidni, if I can find the brown fabric I have set aside...

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	tiny bedroom stove	-	-
2	-	-	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
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 - I'm going to have an Asian inspired supper: homemade pot stickers, some bok choi stir-fried with shrimp, and rice, all with things currently on hand in the house. I am grateful to have both enough and a variety...