Friday fragments

in which our plucky heroine is feeling scattered...

An assortment of small chores all day long starting by waking up early in order to do more fig tree hacking before wheelie pickup happened. Found a ripe fig hiding in the green fig tree that was actually yummy. Filled the bin with chunks of fig branches, and got it to the curb in time. Yay me! Still lots of pruning to do, but also managed to roughly cut back the forsythia, which seems to be trying to take over the sidewalk

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~ ongoing refurbishment ~
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The front door of Acorn Cottage, with a repainted screen door grille, but not yet fully refurbished and repainted. The other photo shows why replacing the screening is a good idea. Today I washed both the glass panels of the storm/screen door, which took more time than imagined, but along with cleaning the door itself, has made a big difference. My plan is to use the rest of the spray paint to paint it the same bronze color as I did the grille and the mailbox, which will coordinate with the dark brown future trim color. The actual door itself, currently purple, will be painted turquoise.

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All the Jill Barklem Brambly Hedge hardcopy books the library has are always checked out. Not surprising. Aside from the four seasonal ones, there is "Sea Story" where the mice travel downriver to the ocean to acquire several barrels of salt from their coastal cousins. I'd never read that one before, and it wasn't available as an ebook, so it was a treat once my number got to the top of the holds list. Rode my bike to the library this morning to pick it up, and it is now probably my favorite of all.  

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My adventure taking the free summertime shuttle to Pittock Mansion was foiled by the limited schedule; the idea of sitting there on the mansion grounds for several hours waiting for the next go round of the bus was not the best way to spend the better part of a day. Chores and work may not be as novel, but are also necessary, and since the weekend is forecast to be slightly cooler than usual, enameling is on the docket instead. Possibly interspersed with some sewing, since those happen in the same workroom... 

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August SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	2 Talenti shelves	Talenti shelf up	greenwaste bin
2	acorncap earrings	2nd pot lid rack	recycle bin
3	teaspoon earrings	painted mailbox	greenwaste bin
4	glass button earrings	Strombecker lamp	recycle bin
5	poppy pod earrings	reglue earrings	greenwaste bin
6	red cube earrings	porch storage	x
7	x	painted grille	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes - 
- did not break my toe when I dropped the clipboard on it
- woke up early enough to fill the greenwaste bin before the truck arrived to empty it
- zucchini stir fried with panko and lemon is really good

Time of Isolation - Day 2228

if you give a mouse a cookie

in which our plucky heroine recognises project creep...

The repainted mailbox, and replacing the grubby Rubbermaid tote bin with a new dark brown "deck box", seems to be inspiring other changes around the Acorn Cottage entryway... This morning I removed the aluminum grille from the front screen door and scrubbed it in the tub prior to spray painting. How did I never notice the very bad condition of the fixed screen underneath (hint: it was/is mostly obscured by the grille). It looks as if former tenants or owners had a cat, or a dog that really wanted outside, since there are various holes and scratched places in the screening. No wonder there are sometimes mystery insects in the house. 

I know how to replace normal (detachable) windowscreens, but this one is integral to the screen door and there is no visible way to detach it for repair. Bah! The only thing I can think of is to cut away most of it and hand sew in a piece of new screening without holes. That seems an excessively laborious and peculiar way to deal with the issue, if less of a faff than removing the door itself from the frame. I have been unable to figure any way to remove the screened section from the door, and all my online searching has been in vain. It also occurrs to me that if worse came to worse and I cannot correctly detach the old damaged screen I could even cut away the old screen and GLUE new screen in place using silicone adhesive. Again less than ideal, but possible.

P.S. Once the paint had dried and the grille been reattached to the screen door, the offending damaged screen is again much less visible, so must needs patiently wait until I figure how best to make repairs. The newly painted grille looks great!

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~ small and sculptural~

These small mare and foal charms weigh only 2 grams and are 21mm (¾") tall. Their blue/green patina, which coordinates with my most recent favorite colorway initially inspired ideas of yet more earrings. Though it occurs to me that these also are a great size to be a tinyworld artifact, an "antiquity"  to be sitting on a shelf or mantelpiece. They remind me somewhat of the little votive horse artifact in the very start of Coppola's "Black Stallion" film, before the shipwreck scene.

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Thursday mid-August throwbacks: Eighteen years ago Jen came to visit, time goes by in a flash, fourteen years ago G and I broke up, nine years ago there was a total solar eclipse, four years ago I began building Caer Cardboard... It is interesting to me to semi-randomly look backwards into the bits of the past captured by my writings here

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I found a few more of Perlenwunderwesen's beaded creature patterns.  I want to make salamanders for my friend Acantha, similar to the ones shes researched. I figure I can adapt the axolotl pattern, once I find beads of the correct colors...

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Sent a message to the Kickstarter I backed, asking them about converting the CAD files to STL files so I could take them to the library makerspace and print them, and got a reply the next day saying that they would send me STL files, once they were ready, maybe even later this month. (The pillboxes won't be ready until much later this year) I'll need to take another workshop at the library to remember how to use the 3D printers, but learning new things and practicing new things is always good. Maybe I can use the larger size model to make one for a friend who needs more space for their meds?

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August SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	2 Talenti shelves	Talenti shelf up	greenwaste bin
2	acorncap earrings	2nd pot lid rack	recycle bin
3	teaspoon earrings	painted mailbox	greenwaste bin
4	glass button earrings	Strombecker lamp	recycle bin
5	poppy pod earrings	reglue earrings	-
6	red cube earrings	porch storage	x
7	x	painted grille	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- blogging is an ongoing hobby and useful aide-mémoire
- Vera of Perlenwunderwesen generously shares her genius patterns for beaded creatures
- some large cardboard pieces that worked well to support the grille while I was spray-painting it

Time of Isolation - Day 2227

NFS

in which our plucky heroine cogitates...

and continues to make a modicum of progress. Mt Dishmore is diminished though not gone. Mt Washmore is almost dry on the clothesline and will be put away before bedtime. I figured out that making the beaded dragon in two halves and joining them together is easier than having very long loose wires flopping about, and lets the wire ends be neatly tucked inside the dragon tummy.

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~ better ~

The mailbox has been successfully repainted to a dark hammered bronze. It is an improvement that probably only I will notice, but it makes a difference to me. And once (eventually) when the house and trim are repainted, it will look quite suitable indeed. I first removed the mailbox and attached it to the clothesline in the side yard for the first coat of paint. Once that was dry it needed to return to the front walkway. The 2nd coat of paint was applied in situ the next day, after taping many old newspaper sheets all around to catch any overspray. 

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Now that the smoke has temporarily cleared, it will be good to order replacement filters for my portable air cleaners, for the house, and for my P100 as well. Bought some white duct tape to reconstruct the Corsi-Rosenthal box.  No way to know if the winds will bring the smoke back this summer, but nothing wrong with being prepared.

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Many many years ago after some trading circle or barter fair I came home with some small pieces of mammoth ivory. Looking through my supplies and materials for something to complement some vintage bone buttons, a few of the fragments seemed almost Calder-esque, and created a very appealing sort of dynamic symmetry.

The challenge is how best to neatly attach such tiny pieces together while still allowing independent movement. My first thought yesterday was to use jump rings, but rings large enough to function that way looked too clunky. My new idea is to form very small wire arched "staples" to be glued in place and somehow interlinked. There will need to be experiemtation.

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I just discovered this brand new magazine "Purl" all about knitting techniques. I've just ordered a copy of their first issue which has just made it into print. The theme of the first issue, very appropriately is "cast on" and it appears that it will be a Useful Reference.

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August SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	2 Talenti shelves	Talenti shelf up	greenwaste bin
2	acorncap earrings	2nd pot lid rack	recycle bin
3	teaspoon earrings	painted mailbox	greenwaste bin
4	glass button earrings	Strombecker lamp	recycle bin
5	poppy pod earrings	-	-
6	red cube earrings	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- Past Me made corn pancakes and froze them
- spray paint is easy
- my dear friend Mischa

Time of Isolation - Day 2222

throwback Thursday and other thoughts

in which our plucky heroine spends a good chunk of the day gallivanting...

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~ on the trail ~
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After seeing a post online about one of the crows being near the oncology building, decided that this morning would be a good time to continue my quest. Crow #13 "Back Alley Flora" was at the intersection of N Flint and N Broadway nowhere near the listed N WIlliams location at all. Of the three crows I ran across today, this one was my favorite, being painted with delightful illustrations of often found alley and vacant lot plants, complete with both common and scientific names.

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Throwback to former Augusts: five years ago recovering from jaw surgery, creating Alamandine, scribal art enthusiam, ten years ago making popover summer dresses, noticing earlier ripening of tree fruit, decluttering workroom, grinding enamels into painting enamels. Fifteen years ago was Handfix™, and being not-single, (and waiting in the wings a yet unknown dire diagnosis.)

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Since tonight is wheelie bin night, it seemed wise to fill up the greenwaste bin first thing, before the heat of the day, so picked up the loppers andstarted cutting back the green fig. It is a vigorous grower, and keeps trying to trespass on the neighbors garden bed. There is a lot more of that fig that needs pruned out, but the most egregious branches are now in the bin, along with the ones that were literally dragging on the ground. It will take at least two more full bins before that fig tree is less rowdy, and there are other trees (hello quince, and apple, and black elder, and persimmon) that also are waiting for me to get to their summer pruning.

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My new 7in7 idea is to combine vintage bone underwear buttons with a few precious mammoth ivory fragments to create "mobile" earrings. By drilling some holes and some wire bending of jump rings, two slightly dissimilar assembleages might become a pair of earrings.  

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August SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	2 Talenti shelves	Talenti shelf up	greenwaste bin
2	acorncap earrings	2nd pot lid rack	recycle bin
3	teaspoon earrings	painted mailbox	greenwaste bin
4	glass button earrings	Strombecker lamp	-
5	poppy pod earrings	-	-
6	red cube earrings	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- recipes that bring back long gone memories
- free newspaper to mask overspray (2nd coat of mailbox paint)
- Hutch's Peanut Sauce*, delicious enough to make almost anything edible, and easy to mix up to dress a cold summertime salad

Time of Isolation - Day 2221

~ Hutch's Peanut Sauce ~

1½  T nut butter
2 ½ T oil (or coconut milk)
2 T tamari
2 T brown sugar
2 t vinegar
½ t cayenne
1 T chopped green onion
1 T minced cilantro

notes: originally served over cold poached chicken and iceberg lettuce as a dressing. I use either peanut butter or almond butter. The frozen chopped cilantro since it already is mixed with oil needs less additional than the recipe calls for. Make as spicy or mild as desired.

Tuesday tidbits

in which our plucky heroine gets an unexpected wake up call...

The smoke alarm just outside the bedroom chose this morning to let me know it was hungry for a new battery. Since there were no 9 volt batteries on hand, it meant an after-breakfast shopping trip. Which was also a chance to acquire a threaded wooden handle for the nylon boat hook, acquired to raise and lower the future insulated curtains on the west facing window. Imagine if you will me riding my bicycle, one basket lined with grocery sacks to prevent the end of the 5 ft dowel from sliding backwards, and the front end poking out beyond the handlebars. Must have looked rather like jousting!

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~ follow the crows #30 ~

Early this morning it was cool enough that a bike ride to the St Johns Library was pleasant. Starting my "Follow the Crows" excursions with the one painted by Carson Ellis seemed very appropriate. Am currently re-reading Wildwood to renew my acquaintance with the story and locations, and also looking forward to rambling around to find as many of the 30 crows as possible in the next few months... (This blog post comments about a few of the crows the writer found)

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Today it feels like I have used up all my earring making creativity in the last five days. That isn't true, of course. But the small wooden wall cupboard that holds my earrings is already much more crowded now. Rather than force a design, I'll continue to trust in my good  brain and gently wait a bit while tackling housey chores. (grey/taupe earrings, and a dark brown pair as well, would still be welcome) 

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After a rack of dishes gets washed, a bit of a beadwork break is in order, to start on the tiny tricolor guinea pig for Ashe. It is a lot smaller than the fox or the dragon, so might be quicker to finish. It would have made sense to pick up some more of the thin brass wire while at the hardware store this morning, but I forgot... With luck there will also be time to make some of the purple sparkly beaded dragons this week to mail out as gifts to various friends.

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August SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	2 Talenti shelves	Talenti shelf up	greenwaste bin
2	acorncap earrings	2nd pot lid rack	recycle bin
3	teaspoon earrings	-	-
4	glass button earrings	-	-
5	poppy pod earrings	-	-
6	red cube earrings	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- search function on blog, that let me find a precious recipe somehow no longer in my hardcopy recipe box
- hardware store had an inexpensive threaded wooden pole handle
- My friend Leslie found a buyer for her house, so she can move forward with life changes.

Time of Isolation - Day 2219

wishful Wednesday

in which our plucky heroine is wishing for a different timeline...

... as I sit inside Acorn Cottage with both my air filters running and think: "this is the coolest and most healthful summer we will ever have". The light outside is the yellow-shifted color that our screens get when the late night filter is applied. Awake just before sunrise and the sky appeared a pleasant overcast cool day, until the sun rose

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~ old dog new tricks ~

Recently figured out that the small block anvil has yet another use. Being squared on all sides, it is a great help for accurately aligning brackets that need to be all the way to the edge of something that needs to attach perpendicular to the wall.  ideas. Never saw this concept elsewhere, but perhaps this small anvil is uncommon? 

This is part of gradual progress on assorted housey improvements, a 2nd pot lid rack for back of door. Yesterday cut out and glued up the layered wood support blocks, then woodfiller smoothed and sanded them. This morning marked the door and painted the blocks. Once they are securely bracketed to the door, another vintage yardstick will be cut to length and attached, and et voila the larger lids will have a better (out of the way but still convenient) home. Voila!!

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Handcraft progress: my Tabbycat Cowl continues to slowly grow as each day gets a few more rows of stitching done.  Noro Kiri yarn has such pleasing subtle variegation; Noro yarns were the first mulitcolor long shift yarn I ever saw years ago at Canvasworks in Olympia.

Laid out all the various recut pieces of bluegreen batik rayon for this year's summertime popover dress. Third time is the charm, fingers crossed it works well and hangs properly. It may be possible to add big "teacher" pockets instead of patch pockets (with care in how the remaining fabric is cut); this would be a worthwhile improvement.

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The mason jar self-watering inserts to grow pea microgreens arrived today. I grew pea shoots in trays back in 2020, and this looks to be a slightly easier way to get the same results. Worth a try anyhow...

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This was my yesterday: woke up early, put on mask to go outside in the peculiar light, poured water on plant babies, added water to the hydration station, hacked back the overgrown fern from next to the heat pump machinery (as indicated from research online it needs several feet of clearance, who knew?). Will check the air handler filter and order more if needed, also for auxiliary air filter and a new set to rebuild my homemade Corsi-Rosenthal after this current AQI uptick. I hate that we have fire season now, and barely any real summer anymore. Today another whole day indoors, attempting to remain sane by making progress on several projects.

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4am is for certain when the brain weasels are at their strongest, and not the best time to return to the bright world from dreamland. Sometimes the worst nightmares may be those not filled with active evil and direct horror, but the ones that instead are a torment of missed opportunity and wrong choices, the ones that are thoroughly marbled with waking life. A good strategy for the former is useless against the latter.

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August SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	2 Talenti shelves	Talenti shelf up	-
2	-	2nd pot lid rack	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- electricity, which runs the equipment that make summer bearable
- Past Me bought a Very Small drill press, which is just right for some tasks
- 5 flavor eggplant, so tasty. 

Time of Isolation - Day 2213

Thursday thoughts

in which our plucky heroine remains stuck in a rabbit hole...

... somewhat obsessively perusing online options for kitchen faucets or mailboxes, without much success. Apparently the way I think about material objects, and what I want/require, is peculiar. So much so that most online descriptions do not even mention those aspects. Of course, I would be equally frustrated if I was trying to purchase my wardrobe instead of making my own; while I have a rather wide ranging skill set, I do not have my own foundry, or sheet metal shop, so am at the mercy of what is commercially available, the quality of which has degraded greatly over the last several decades. Karen's suggestion was to modify my current mailbox to be less ugly, since (a.) it has actual hinges rather than flimsy tabs and pins and (b.) it is already here... So now I am wondering if time spent grinding off the rivets to allow removing the stupid fancy brass curliques on the front, and time spent sanding the patchy tarnished lid, and maybe then repainting the whole thing so it is all one color might make it less of a daily visual ouch. This might be a job for Rustoleum.

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~ wonderfully small ~

took a break yesterday to go see local artist Maggie Rudy's delightful "Mouseland" dioramas at  Green Bean Books. So kawaii and even more precious in person than in online photos.

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Finished cooking and eating dinner by 7pm yesterday (always a goal but not always achieved) Am all caught up on Mt Washmore, and Mt Dishmore, and prepared two different batches of future meals: spinach rice bake, and shrimp stir fry. Yesterday I steamed spinach, and cooked rice so it could sit in the fridge overnight to convert the starch before further combining/eating. As a change, instead of just cheddar cheese, a mixture of half cheddar and half feta worked well; the feta "crumbles" I tried from the store were a bit too strong and dry as salad topping, but added additional savor to the bake. I nibbled a very small portion as a starter while finishing up the shrimp and bok choi stir fry. I sat down to eat my dinner portion of the stir fry and finished off the meal with the one remaining mango. Yum!

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Earlier today checked on the mock orange, which continues to develop new green foliage, and thankfully it hadn't grown down through the pot drainage, so I was able to move it closer to the front door for careful watching and watering.  It needs a good permanent spot (it prefers full sun, so somewhere in the front yard?) Observing where and when the sunny spots are will help, and hopefully later in the year when the earth isn't rock hard a planting hole can be dug. A "floor plan" of the yard would be a design help, since my ideas from 20 years ago have changed, as have the plants over the years...

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Insomnia has some uses, though I predict there may be was a nap later today as waking up just before 3am is not ideal. When further sleep was not happening decided to instead do some simple tasks: finished painting the primer layer on the small kitchen shelves, so they can be painted later today. cut out some of the new mesh to make a larger laundry washbag for the shirt with the glass buttons, which led to my organising the zipper storage drawer before putting that away. By then the sun was coming up, and I started preparing breakfast then went outside to do pruning and fill up the greenwaste bin while it was still nice and cool out. Hacked away some of the pesky ferns along the north walkway, then did much cutting back of enthusiastic Feral Grapevine. I think I managed to remove all the grape clusters, and most of what overhangs the neighbors yard. The wheelie bin is full. Securely packaged up the bundles of porcupine quills promised to Tammie, to be sent off by post later today

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	15 tiny masu boxes	earrings recombined	greenwaste bin
2	black scarf hem	replace C O alarm	recycle bin
3	Brambly Hedge slip	painted pony spots	greenwaste bin
4	5 more bead frogs	-	overgrown lovage
5	"Cats Invade" books	-	greenwaste bin
6	all the bead frogs	x	recycle bin
7	two beaded dragons	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- I made a really tasty dinner last night, with lots of leftovers for Future Me to enjoy
- my pony earrings now have white appaloosa spots
- Ursel had a possible suggestion for handyfolx
- seeing Mouseland was delightful

Time of Isolation - Day 2207

wishful Wednesday

in which our plucky heroine knows that you don't know what you got till it's gone...

I miss so much of what was good and easy in the Before Times in the summer. I miss there not being "fire season". I miss being able to "go swimming". I miss being able to cook without worrying about dangerous parasites in our food. 

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~ another warm day ~

"Hot Town, Summer in the City"...I miss access to water. Seven years ago we had a city pool a short bike ride away from Acorn Cottage, but that pool has been shut down ever since the beginning of the pandammit.When I was a child in Los Angeles, most of the places we lived had a swimming pool in the backyard. It was a different world all those long (or short) years ago. While I am grateful for running water at all, I do very much long to submerge my body and just float for a bit...

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Went to the copy store for hardcopy of the knitting graphs for the Murano Squares pattern I'm using for the Tabby Cowl and also the Acorn and Oakleaf Sweater pattern and charts. While I don't intend to make that sweater as shown, I want to really be clear about knitting the acorn and oak leaf cable, as my intention is to make that part of my future Aran-style cardigan sometime this winter. It is good to have some ongoing knitting. The cowl is first, because small and fairly light. Soon I'll also start on the Northern Lights cardigan, as that gets knit in several pieces (sleeves first, and then the lower body) before they are all joined together for the fancy colorwork yoke. That should work out really well coordinating with the probably weather over the next few months. 

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It will likely be safe to use boxed spinach in my crustless quiche. Not only do I first wash it well, but then it gets thoroughly steamed, cooled and chopped to bits, then mixed into the quiche ingredients and it all is baked at 350°F for a half hour. By the time it comes out of the convection oven the entire casserole is bubbling hot, so surely over the 158°F for 15 minute requirement.

I have some ideas for a substitute for raw celery, which is a required ingredient in egg salad and potato salad. Mischa suggested water chestnuts, which have the advantage of coming in small quantities. A not-huge jicama root might also work, if cubed up small, or a rather bland apple? Also wondering about peeled Persian cucumber cut into cubes? Or maybe just not try to replicate what once was easy. 

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	15 tiny masu boxes	earrings recombined	greenwaste bin
2	black scarf hem	replace C O alarm	recycle bin
3	Brambly Hedge slip	-	-
4	5 more bead frogs	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes- 
- always grateful for the heat pump cool air
- Past Me has been good about putting extra portions in the freezer, so there are usually meals that can be put together when I don't feel like cooking
- chatting with Mischa

Time of Isolation - Day 2193

Saturday snippets...

in which our plucky heroine is a bit scattered...

There are a number of projects currently making it into the bright world from the world of ideas. The only one finished so far is the conversion of the grey stripey dress into a Brambly Hedge style slip. Karen suggested using some lightweight linen for the bodice as an alternative to my struggles to modify the dress bodice, and that was an excellent idea. It also let me double check the alternative pinafore pattern last used for the black vertical pique back in 2012. The bodice of the pattern still fits, so it'd be good to think about sewing up a replacement pinafore, as after 14 years, it is sadly worn to a raveling. I wish there was some way to get more of that beautiful and durable fabric!

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~ a bit overgrown ~

The hardy fuschia is really enthusiastic this year, taking over part of the front door walkway! As it is full of various bees, and sometimes hummingbirds, I'm loath to prune it back...

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If I still lived in New England, I would surely make the trip to the Society of Illustrators museum in NYC just to see this exhibition "All Around Us: The Art of Carson Ellis" that opens August 15th. It is a bit far to travel from here. I shall attempt to acquire a show catalogue once they are available

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As gradual decluttering of the kitchen countertops happens, I've been thinking about better ways to organise supplies that are used often. Some shallow shelves for talenti tubs holding small quantities of bulk dry goods would be both handy and tidy. A scrap of wood once intended as workroom baseboard is just the right width to become such shelves. 

Making another pot lid rack for the kitchen door would be good, there is another vintage yardstick (and some small scraps) that can all be cut to size, glued together, and mounted on the door above the one already there... also finding a good spot to store new cookpots is needed, maybe move rarely used appliances off sideboard into the pantry or a storage closet? The dehydrator is only used in autumn for persimmons and pears, and the rest of the year is taking up a sizeable chunk of kitchen real estate. Eventually inside the cabinets will be decluttered as well, freeing yet more space.

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Rummaging in the chest freezer, a large ziploc full of last years homegrown plums will be a good addition to morning museli. There are still a few ripening blueberries on the bush outside the living room window. Given the increase in cases of parasitic cyclospora infection of unknown source(s?) it seems wise to be cautious of any raw produce not grown in my own yard. So, more cooked veggies this summer, and any grocery store fruit will become compote or sauce. 

Washing produce does not remove the parasite enough to make it "safe", not plain water, not vinegar, or chlorine, or other produce wash additives. It is not killed by freezing. Heat over 158 F will kill it... Washing hands both before and after handling raw produce is highly advised.

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	15 tiny masu boxes	earrings recombined	greenwaste bin
2	black scarf hem	replace C O alarm	recycle bin
3	Brambly Hedge slip	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes- 
- tasty eggs from Drusa's hens (saving the green eggshells for some miniature mosaic)
- found a big ziploc full of last years frozen plums... safe homegrown fruit to eat without cooking it first!
- today was not beastly hot, managed to get by without AC
- Alice Starmore's "Aran Knitting" (ordered from Alibris on Tuesday) arrived today.

Time of Isolation - Day 2189

Thursday thoughts

in which our plucky heroine runs some errands...

Today was lovely, as the weather shifted to a soft grey sky and the temperature dropped about 30 degrees. Time to enjoy bike-riding and getting a few errands done. Returned a library book, then decided to splurge by getting a coffee shop bacon/cheddar scone, which was just as delicious as the former time months ago. Hunger is the best sauce, and I'd forgotten to eat breakfast!

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~ better now... ~

The bag shoulder strap repair begun Tuesday is now finished. It was a bit tricksy getting all the stitching holes lined up once the Barge contact cement was ready, but the final re-stitched effect is quite tidy. It's good to have another small (indoor) task crossed off the to-do list!

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Made several attempts over the last few weeks to turn cottage cheese and almond flour into pseudo-bread and it just isn't something I like. Maybe try something else with cottage cheese, these crackers from cottage and cheddar or parmesan might be a better choice? Or I could rummage around and find the recipe I used ages ago for cheddar biscotti aka waybread (that was not gluten free, but was tasty and filling. Hmmm...

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Other chores got done prior to the rain arriving: the laundry (Mt. Washmore) was mostly dry on the line, and is now indoors to finish on the drying rack. And a bit more yard work to help fill up the greenwaste wheelie bin with more deadheaded sage and almost all the bunches of unripe grapes (which get removed before ripening to prevent the Invasion of the Danger Bugs) 

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Looking back on late June in years past: 2008 teaching cloisonne, 2010 Tigress Can Jam (strawberry rhubarb), 2012 saw the King Tut exhibition in Seattle, 2014 tiny Anglo-Saxon enamels, 2016 a sleeping hood for camping warmth, 2018 returning to tablet weaving, 2020 Nandina made her first appearance, 2022 a tinyworld Norse long-tent, 2024 in a world where everything falls apart, there is still beauty to listen to 

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Thought about getting an S-hook extension from the garden store so as to be able to hang my new cookpot to the pot-rack, then realised it would be useful to have measured the necessary distance first. Next time, or maybe get one of my blacksmith friends to custom make one that will be Just Right.

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Babs brooch	thinned apples	greenwaste bin
2	5th god lino block	add under elastic	recycle bin
3	5th god corner block	white scarf hem	recycle bin
4	enamels for John	add more elastics	greenwaste bin
5	tie-dye pillowcases	Viking bag strap	greenwaste bin
6	x	x	recycle bin
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- the pixel world lets me still hear music
- that very tasty bacon and cheddar scone
- today was cool, and not-sunny... my kind of weather perzactly

Time of Isolation - Day 2176

weekend wanderings and wonderings

in which our plucky heroine makes it to the library...

... and picks up 2 relevant to one of my current rabbit hole reference books to greatly enjoy. The more I read, the more possible it seems to design my own variation on an Aran style cardigan. Alice Starmore's "Aran Knitting" and Norah Gaughn's "Knitted Cable Sourcebook. By also combining the information in these with the "Twisted Stitch Sourcebook" (also Norah Gaughn's). I forsee much pleasurable time spent sketching ideas, and studying my "favorites" list from Ravelry.

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~ Brambly Hedge? ~

Vestia sent me a whole box full of pieces of fabric, assorted blue plush upholstery scraps, a length of very fancy trim, smaller bits of gingham and stripes, and a six yard piece of cotton, in an allover print of leafy foliage in blue on a white background. Not sure what the various bits will become, other than the generous length of blue and white botanical printed cotton is asking to become a Brambly Hedge dress. That has long been a fantasy of mine (dress, petticoat, apron, and flower trimmed hat); perhaps it shall now have a chance to become real. 

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A while back the Magic Pants pattern came across my radar, and the idea of nether garments that don't bite the waist or tummy is really appealing (that discomfort being why there is such an significant gap in my wardrobe. Given the current yardwork challenge of dealing with the back yard, this project is heading to the top of my priority list. Obviously there will need to be a toile made to check the fit, but somewhere in their wide size range ought to be something suitable. Once I unearth some muslin fabric, it will be full steam ahead. There are YouTube tutorials from the designer, and also multiple positive reviews such as this one online...

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Freezer with no fridge is better than fridge with no freezer... This afternoons' discussion during the Sewing the Way Forward meeting, about someone who unplugged their their fridge to turn it into an icebox, by freezing containers of water, and transferring them to the fridge, which had been adapted with insulated containers or some kind of liner flaps to help keep the cold air from falling out when the door was opened. Also talked about regional variations in what foods are stored "cold" at the grocery store. Very interesting topic.

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Saturday headed out for assorted errands and discovered my Hop card (transit pass) was empty. It was unexpectedly difficult, though ulimately possible, to refill it at the grocery store. Once back on the pleasantly air conditioned bus I wanted to check out the White Lotus Market set up in the parking lot behind Fubonn. Was not as much of a treat as I had hoped: a few rows of albeit interesting food booths and some crafts booths that mostly offered plastic trinkets. 

Takoyaki is not something I'm likely to make at home, so a tray with a few of those was my lunch, and I headed over to the far end of the parking lot where there were trees, hence shade, and no people to unmask and enjoy. I'd never had it topped with shaved bonito before, which added another layer of flavor and texture. 

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Babs brooch	thinned apples	greenwaste bin
2	5th god lino block	add under elastic	recycle bin
3	5th god corner block	white scarf hem	recycle bin
4	enamels for John	add more elastics	greenwaste bin
5	tie-dye pillowcases	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- blue leafy calico from Vestia
- takoyaki, a rare treat
- my Moody Blues summer coverlet

Time of Isolation - Day 2172

Friday fragments

in which our plucky heroine reads and naps, and does chores, and cogitates...

Today I washed the grids and cleaned the blades of the box fans, and remembered that after three weeks of taking my allergy meds, the pollen should no longer be incapacitating. I've not needed it in the summer before, but usually have managed to keep the backyard less of a jungle. So, start the meds now, and make a note in the bujo for next year about being better about yardwork once the grass starts.

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Read two different post-change books this week. Ariadne had recommended Station Eleven, and though I can only sometimes bear to read post-viral post-apocalyptic tales, this one was richly told and well worth reading.  Libby links from that novel led to Arboreality, set in a future Vancouver Island. I'll be recommending that one back to her the next time we chat.

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Doing a rolled hem on the black cotton voile headscarf is even more tedious than on the white one, since it is more difficult to see clearly, might be worth adding an extra lamp while working on this one. Am about a quarter of the way done, probably by the end of next week it will be ready for blockprinted decoration. If it didn't make such a significant difference in appearance (to me) I would machine hem them.  Current plan is for opaque white printing of 5th god motifs on the black scarf, and the white scarf will be overdyed first with either pale brown or pale blue, and I'll revisit the breeze block print design in chocolate brown printing.

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Whoops I forgot that B&K were getting ready to leave for Junefaire and therefore no video chat this morning. Zoomed home from the launderette (shrink-drying the new rayon batik fabric) only to look at the crossed out note on my calendar. Sigh... Multiple nightmares last night so didn't manage to get up early enough for yardwork, shall have to check on temperatures in the crepuscular evening and maybe get some done then? (early evening note: 90°F/32°C at 6pm on the front porch, so no yardwork tonight, it won't be cool enough until it is too dark for yardwork)

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Unearthed the missing utility bill hiding under origami paper?! Since today the post office is closed for Juneteenth, tomorrow's chores will include taking all the bills to the post office and then the library as a treat.

Several of my holds are in, including the Alice Starmore book of Aran knitting. It seems contrary to think about knitting this time of year heading into even hotter weather, but planning a future textured cardigan for later in the year is on my mind. Between Knitting In The Old Way, several Elizabeth Zimmerman books, Norah Gaughn's book of textured patterns, and what I hope to harvest from Alice Starmore, it might be possible to assemble my favorite parts of Aran style knitting into a future cardigan. I mostly knit colorwork, but greatly admire the textured knits my dear friend Ariadne makes for her family. I've been perusing Ravelry and tagging my favorites in that genre to gather ideas about what best pleases me...

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Babs brooch	thinned apples	greenwaste bin
2	5th god lino block	add under elastic	recycle bin
3	5th god corner block	white scarf hem	recycle bin
4	enamels for John	add more elastics	greenwaste bin
5	tie-dye pillowcases	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- ebooks 
- the scent of linden, and of summer jasmine
- remembering that I still have friends

Time of Isolation - Day 2170

throwback Thursday and Friday fragments

in which our plucky heroine remembers the past...

It is an ongoing challenge to remain in some sort of balance, but can do no less than make the attempt. Ten years ago had recently returned from Egils, where I'd both taught a simple leatherwork project and enjoyed the opportunity to take a workshop from Jarl Sir Styrkarr on a beautiful esoteric metalworking skill (Damasquinado de Oro - applying precious metal foil to steel, to create decorative motifs), and basically spend the long weekend camping with friends as had been happening for almost 20 years. The last time I camped was in June 2019, in July 2019 instead of more camping, there was a trip to the ER the day before and an unexpected appendectomy.

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~ incremental progress ~

Now that carving the lino block for the border of the dancing rats and crows is complete, I am starting on the design of the square corner block with the sigil of the 5th god. I found another scrap of the thin plywood that works so well to back the linoleum, and have glued it down and left to dry overnight under weights. I will cut away the extra backing and can start on the carving once the glue is dry . Eventually the plan is for a border around the edges of a new square cotton lawn headscarf; it will also take time to hand stitch tiny rolled hems on the fabric prior to printing.

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Thursday was warmer than yesterday, but not so hot that being outdoors was unbearable. I managed to get a good chunk of the backyard apple tree thinned, as well as a small amount of the water sprouts cut back, and a tiny amount of the beyond shaggy grass hacked off (enough to get to the apple tree) This time I remembered to wear my P100, so am not going to spend the rest of the day sneezing compulsively! Maybe it could be possible to find someone to mow "the back 40" for me, since my neglect has made it almost beyond the capability of my string trimmer.

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The leafy batik popover dress project remains problematic, it looks dowdy and hangs crookedly despite my effort yesterday recutting and re-sewing the bodice. Feels a bit like a sunk cost at this point, as I lack any suitable fabric to do more alterations... Very sad as that "Lake-Gardenista" batik colorway is lovely but out of stock. I shall put the whole thing aside for now awaiting further inspiration... 

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Always another missing item... now the box full of tiny origami boxes for future Advent Swap treats is missing, along with "The 31 Owls"... Doesn't that sound like the title to a YA mystery novel! My long range goal is to have the house tidy enough that things don't get misplaced. Of course, that has been my goal for years now. With luck and effort, might be possible to get there in this lifetime, or at least to find the box of owls before the end of this year!!

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Babs brooch	thinned apples	greenwaste bin
2	5th god lino block	-	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- getting most of the apples thinned before wheelie bin day
- Muji pill container
- cooler weather

Time of Isolation - Day 2156

Sunday snippets

in which our plucky heroine cogitates...

"don't die before you have to..." This concept showed up inside my head this morning. Have been thinking rather a lot lately about how small my life and my world have become in the last six years, and how my response to that has been a greater and greater "not doing-ness", a curling up and shutting down. I don't deny the effect of the ongoing micro and macro external dumpster fire in exacerbating the situation.

It also seems true that with the passing of time most folks are faced with a lessening of stamina. Thankfully my mental capacity seems to be fairly stable, and am quite grateful that riding my bike and walks around the neighborhood are still within my capacity. It has however become more and more difficult to push myself to be social, when any option now for in-person connection is so very limited and fraught...

Back in the Before Times I had managed, with effort, to create for myself enough of a social circle to almost balance my isolation. My mantra then was "my friends all have busy and complicated lives, they aren't ignoring me on purpose" and I saw folks at SCA events, was able to attend social gatherings, or invited them to visit Acorn Cottage for monthly Crafternoon time or occasional parties or shared meals.  I miss my SCA camping activities, and wonder if those days of being outdoors are now only to be memories. I miss all the various ways of connecting with people and the natural world, and have not figured out any feasible substitution.

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~ it's a big one... ~

not my spectacular allium, but isn't it lovely!

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Saturday my Mammoth flannel order arrived. The colorway "sepia" was darker than I expected, appearing almost like grey squares on a black background, but really is like a subtle gingham of black, off-black (sepia?), and grey. I can't wait to see how it looks once washed and dried, but that will have to wait until after the weekend when the local launderette is open so I can use their dryer. The household tumble drier died back in December 2024; as it is really needed only very occasionally just`for pre-shrinking fabric I've not bothered to replace it for the sake of convenience. (It would take quite a few trips to the launderette dryer at 75¢ to amortise the cost of a new appliance)

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Worm bin refurbishment... I keep "pet worms" in a small indoor habitat to turn my produce scraps into compost. When from time to time the tote bin they live in becomes mostly worm castings it's necessary to remove. out of that and start over with fresh damp shredded paper bedding, usually a few times a year.  This requires removing the entire contents of the worm home, including the worms!

I cover a folding table with a plastic tablecloth and make several mounds with the dark damp crumbly stuff. The worms dislike light, and the drier outdoor air, so they move towards the inner portions of the mounds. As I gradually and carefully remove the now wormless outer portions of the castings (aka worm manure) the worms keep migrating inwards. Eventually there are much smaller mounds consisting mostly of worms. They are now back in a freshly cleaned habitat, full of shredded damp newspaper and ready to transform my produce scraps and peels into castings to make the garden happy. Odorless and quiet way to keep at least part of the household circle turning.

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May SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Rosa sketch	Bad Smell gone	greenwaste bin
2	boro thread basket	dishrack tray	recycle bin
3	boro basket 2	paring knife	recycle bin
4	boro basket 3	cut back mint	greenwaste bin
5	boro baskets 4 & 5	mended pillow	greenwaste bin
6	sharpening box	scrubbed stove grates	x
7	8 jars pickled beets	worm habitat	x
8	7 jars strawberry rhubarb	x	x
9	ikat pinafore	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- Got most of the way through my morning walk before I noticed my left foot starting to think about being cranky. This is improvement.
- worms have been doing well in their bin, and I've well over a gallon of castings
- video chat with friends

Time of Isolation - Day 2151

I think I can I think I can...

in which our plucky heroine gets things done...

Over this last week I finally gathered courage, located boot straps, and have made significant progress on the Babs brooch project. My intention is to have finished it by the end of the weekend. The remaining steps are to solder the brooch findings in place, drill the various needed spots for riveting the layers, prepare the pearl pins, then assemble the pieces, polish the setting, set the enamel, attach the pearls and the brooch pin, and take a deep breath and call it done.

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~ aurora cardigan? ~

Earlier this week got caught up in playing with a photo of the Winter Night knitting pattern thinking it might be a good use for my collection of Lopi and Lettlopi yarn. Mostly I don't wear pullover sweaters, so a rough cut/paste helped me imagine it as a cardigan, possibly using the cuff band also at the hemline, and adding star dots to the body. There is just about enough yarn in my "Icelandic/Lopi" storage box to complete this with a striped varied dark color background, only needing to acquire a few light colored skeins for the aurora motifs, what decorative borders used, and the stars...

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wardrobe refurbishment update:
Found some scraps of medium blue interestingly textured silk from a thrifted camp shirt, a good if slightly darker color to edgebind the blue striped herringbone pinafore; with much piecing of binding strips, should be enough for all the edges. 

Foolish me didn't think to contact Bolt absolutely as soon as the post about deadstock velour showed up this past weekend. I headed over there Wednesday afternoon only to find that alas both the black and the teal had already sold out. My choice was between lime green and dusty rose, and the idea of lime green undies did not appeal... but since good velour is so very hard to find, a few yards of dusty rose and thread to match are now in storage here, likely enough to see me out, along with the venerable (gradually diminishing) black velour

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5th God printing block is almost complete, so of course I have finally unearthed the missing original block. Since it is not in as good condition as remembered, I'm not at all sorry to have worked on a new copy of that design. 

Having the lino cutting tools temporarily stored in the boro baskets is helpful, since the baskets keep the tools handy and their sharp ends protected. A taller narrower basket triad would be even better... shall look for have found a skinny jar (that formerly held capers) to use as a suitable mold for just such a possible future project.

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May SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Rosa sketch	Bad Smell gone	greenwaste bin
2	boro thread basket	dishrack tray	recycle bin
3	boro basket 2	paring knife	recycle bin
4	boro basket 3	cut back mint	greenwaste bin
5	boro baskets 4 & 5	mended pillow	greenwaste bin
6	sharpening box	scrubbed stove grates	x
7	8 jars pickled beets	x	x
8	7 jars strawberry rhubarb	x	x
9	ikat pinafore	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- leftovers 5 flavor eggplant and shrimp bok choi stir fry
- a pumice stone works really well to clean off the iron stove grates; not "like new", but no longer greasy/sticky despite regular washing
- determination finally kicked in

Time of Isolation - Day 2150