"Si moriturus es, morere plenus tortae"

in which our plucky heroine remembers the days of "if you are going to die, die full of pie"

and made another delicious and new to me dinner: cottage pie... The (slightly too dense) meatloaf leftover was chopped into dice, combined with a rich brown sauce well seasoned with onion and celery and herbs, and tucked under a covering of yellow Finn potatoes mashed together with Greek yogurt. Once baked to crisp the mash it was a homely savory treat!

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Second proof print of the current linocut block; the repaired lettering was totally successful... needs a bit more clean up around the outer edges of the block, to have it better fit the post card stock on hand, and might want to also try out adding color to the background, but I am calling this a success.

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Didn't get as much done in the yard today as originally hoped for, due to extra sleeping combined with extra extra rainy day. I did start moving the big pots in the back yard to make space for the Friends of Trees "dig a hole" crew, and will do more of that tomorrow irregardless of rain, since it needs to be done by Monday. (also found a good temporary pot for tiny rhubarb)

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Indoors today the first layer of paper mache on the wastebasket project was completed. Not entirely happy with the outcome, using corrugated cardboard as the substrate means that the appearance is NotFlat surface, but visibly ridged. Reminding self that it is only a wastebasket and not a precious object. Wondering about laminating on a layer of medium weight cardboard over the surface before adding more layers of paper. If there is some of the Costco cardboard still around... hmm...

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March SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	6 dozen cookies	grey pinafore	art exchange
2	lino block carved	pruned marjoram	many dead weeds
3	tiny faux patchwork quilt	slipper soles	recycle bin
4	quince pie	bicycle derailleur	yard waste bin
5	-	"a-y-a" replaced	recycle bin
6	x	worm bin bedding	recycle bin
7	x	cleaned hallway air grilles	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. leftover poached quince made an easy addition to my morning museli cereal
2. Mud Bay zoom time
3. cottage pie for dinner, something I've never made before, but will definitely add to the repertoire

Time of Isolation - Day 1701

savory Saturday

in which our plucky heroine continues slow but steady improvement...

In the interest of making good use of the foodstuff on hand, have been gradually cooking up various items and turning them into either immediate meals, or into prepped meals or ingredients in the freezer. One of the larger of the mutual aid squash was baked last week, but not quite as delectable as I had imagined - turns out it only needed to be more fully cooked! I steamed the chunks for another half hour or more, until they could be mashed really well, and divided the puree into silicone freezer cubes, save my lunch portion, which I drizzled with some of the quince syrup! So yummo!!

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~ venerable stork scissors ~

I'm not sure how young I was when I was gifted these little embroidery scissors, but was still living at home with my parents... I am guessing maybe 14 or 15? In my early 20's when I was working at the leather shop in Harvard Square, I made them this small decorated case of calfskin skiver, and it has kept them safe and sound all these decades. Perhaps at some point I shall pass them on to one of my youngest friends, if they remain interested in handcrafts...

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Wednesday night placed an order online for two Bigg Grip bucket handles, and a garden kneeler from Lee Valley. Today (Saturday) there was a large box on my front porch. Cannot fault their speedy service, color me impressed!! I was already impressed with the very helpful interaction I had with online text customer service person Christopher, who did their best to answer my questions, and even emailed me afterwards with more information that might be useful. I need to remember to write to Lee Valley to commend the good help I received.

The aftermarket bucket handles seem excellent, easy to apply to the wire bail, and while robust, are not too large for my wee paws. The garden kneeler/seat is a good size, is easy to fold and unfold, and will work well for seated tasks. For kneeling tasks some additional padding for tender knees will be good.

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Currently thinking about if I want my next block print to be just black and white counterchanged, or if I want to add color

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The package from Lee Valley was packed so thoroughly padded with brown paper that I have probably more than enough for multiple paper mache projects... cardboard taped into shapes and covered with layers of brown paper and glue makes sturdy containers and shelves. I have been wishing for some small dividers/shelves to organise my kitchen storage containers, not finding something of a suitable size online, and don't have the right sort of thin but sturdy lumber to make something out of wood. But I do have cardboard, and now plenty of midweight brown paper, and glue... 

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

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

today's gratitudes -
1. vanilla rose quince syrup - so red, so fragrant, so delicious drizzled over some Greek yogurt, or stirred into mashed winter squash
2. Lee Valley is an excellent business, and a source of Very Useful tools and supplies, with thoughtful customer service people to answer queries. 12 out of 10, highly recommended.
3. Lots of medium-weight brown paper

Time of Isolation - Day 1681