Sunday snippets

in which our plucky heroine tries to look forward...

Looked around the yard, which desperately needs mowed, but was too damp a day to do that safely. The apple tree, just barely thinking about leafing out, could be pruned, as it is obvious at this point that a lot of the tallest sprouting growth is not going to bloom and make apples. Removing these will let a lot more sunlight into the tree and help keep it "reachable". The quinceling is the only fruit tree with leaves and now showing signs of starting flower buds. There are a few tiny leaves on one of the fig trees. Plums, persimmons, and the elderberry are not fully awake yet.

The forsythia is glorious, the star magnolia is just past it's peak, and Euphorbia wulfenni is decorating the front yard with tall lime green banners. Here and there are a few pink violets just starting, and the small clump of grape hyacinths are in full flower, and the last of the hellebore flowers are a bit droopy but still visible.

There are sprouting leaves that promise lovage* stalks later this year, and I expect to see some growth in the bed of walking onions. Adding chives to the front yard would be a nice addition to "allium self sufficiency". Other perennial seasoning herbs here are rosemary, sage, thyme, and marjoram.

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~ both sides now ~

Final detailing on the new brown linen pinafore... brown chain stitch cloud motif, embroidered on a scrap of the same linen, then appliqued to the bib pocket. It was a little tricky getting the stitching done while making sure to only catch the outer layer of the pocket, and in fact there was one spot where it was necessary to clip a stitch and undo the thread back far enough to knot it off and restitch. Going forward, I'll be sure to add any and all of the pocket decoration before attaching the pocket rather than afterwards!

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Just about finished with the grey Chinese landscape print shirt. By piecing the few remaining scraps it was possible to cut out five of the seven peplum pieces, and some of the linen chambray subbed in for the rest. It felt a bit like some of those online no-waste videos, as all that was left was a literally small handful of tiny scraps. Once button locations are marked, machine buttonholes made, and the shell buttons stitched on, it will be done!

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Tamra mentioned the idea of finding an outdoor space to be social. This brought to mind my former idea of using the carport as outdoor living and crafting space, which would allow for more than one or two visitors at a time... Making that happen requires clearing years of junk from the carport, which is quite a challenge but doable, finding storage space for plywood and lumber (much more difficult), and finding tool storage space for yard tools. While I don't miss the moldy shed in the backyard, I do very much miss having some sort of garage-equivalent storage space. I've just been ignoring the issue for the last ten years, but bringing it back to the front part of my brain will hopefully eventually yield solution(s).

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March SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	ruffle pillow shams	cardigan length	recycle bin
2	clothespin bag	cardigan button bands	recycle bin
3	brown linen pinafore	cardigan ribbon facings	cracked tote
4	grey shirt	planted rhubarb	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- dental care as a child, which has made my adult life less traumatic
- new Charles de Lint story: ICE Out
- figured out that the reason my keyboard was being weird and some keys not functioning was that the batteries were almost dead, freshly charged cured the problem.

Time of Isolation - Day 2089

* it will be worthwhile to try out making "herbal salt" from the lovage leaves, as a way to preserve the flavor for wintertime use. It was originally planted a few years after moving here as a backup celery flavor source in soups and stews. It grows without trouble or fuss and creates a spectacular vertical display, and should supply chain issues arise, having multiple ways to season food is never a bad idea.

QID

in which our plucky heroine is still slightly off balance, but improving...

Not sure what waking every three hours does to one "proper" sleep cycles, and I've never timed how often my non-alarm-driven night waking occurs. There were no nightmares last night, though. And most remarkably, in my final dream before getting up today, I dreamed I could skip! Would that it were true, as I've been peculiarly disturbed by the loss of that coordinated ability, and have tried from time to time to re-learn it.

There was also a benign verbal interchange with an analog dreamland person (who was reminiscent in ways to both G and to B) concurrent with my skipping down a woodland pathway similar to but not OCF... (it most certainly wasn't OCF or analog OCF, as it was empty of any other human people)

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~ 3 color stenciling ~

My intent had been to stencil a patch for the pocket of the new brown linen pinafore with a cave horse, just like the one that is "worn to a ravelling" and past re-use. However, apparently my cave horse stencil set has been misplaced, alas... Fortunately I did write up the process used to create the stencil, and posted it to my blog years ago. Making up a new stencil likely guarantees that the missing one will show up soon; it will also be good to have a second stencil, albeit slightly different. Before long, there will be a new cave horse patch for the pocket, just requiring a few additional steps.  

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I put up various foods in shelf stable jars all year long, as a way to have things otherwise unobtainable, or just for the frugal pleasure of storing local bounty. The few apples from the backyard tree, and the quinces from the side yard often end up as "sauce" for pantry storage, and are usually brought out as a special treat for dessert from time to time. This week, however, those jars are a necessity. Antibiotics four times a day ie every six hours, that are best taken with food, but not with dairy. The dairy, in the form of live culture yogurt, is also every six hours, on an alternating schedule. (My phone alarms every three hours 24/7 for the next week, sigh) Other than the doses that line up with mealtimes, food with pills seemed a bit challenging, as string cheese or cottage cheese are my snack of choice. Turns out that a few spoonfuls of applesauce, or in my case quince-apple sauce is both easy to deal with nocturnally, and light on the tummy. 

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Today there was also a midafternoon trip to the store to get some crackers, and Toby's Tofu Pate, which will work well for another speedy middle of the night micro-meal option. I rarely keep crackers in the house, and rarely eat soy products, so ditto for Toby's, and they are spendy for how "easy to eat" they are. I tend to forget though, how delicious they are. Somewhere I have a recipe for DIY tofu pate that is very similar to Toby's, and it is likely time to return to making my own version of "Goddess Dressing", which has completely vanished from the local grocery stores One recipe lasts me for about a week of everyday salad dressing, and is also delicious instead of mayo for use in tuna, egg, or noodle salads:

Tahini Goddess Salad Dressing

⅓ c oil 2¾ T tahini 2½ T cider vinegar 2 t tamari 2¼ t lemon juice ¾ t salt 1 T minced parsley 1 T minced chives 1 minced clove garlic (or ¼ t garlic granules)

Mix together the tahini and the oil first, to allow the tahini to be smoothly incorporated. Then mix in all the other ingredients. You can add some water at the end, if the dressing is thicker than you prefer.

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March SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	ruffle pillow shams	cardigan length	recycle bin
2	clothespin bag	cardigan button bands	-
3	brown linen pinafore	cardigan ribbon facings	-
4	-	planted rhubarb	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- homemade apple-quince sauce
- a useful and useable search box on my blog
- single use bandage scissors turned into kitchen scissors, still going strong ten years later
- the metal lid I found at Goodwill that fits venerable crock pot perfectly  

Time of Isolation - Day 2082

keep on keeping on

in which our plucky heroine struggles...

it is hard to feel as if my isolated handcrafty life has any relevance in this world of deepening horror, but I am determined to not let despair swallow me. If we give up, they win.

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~ daily drawings ~

day 23 - Shrek's Ears miniature live succulent; just the right scale for a specimen plant in the tinyworld... it is now about two inches tall, having doubled in size since my pal Karen gave it to me. I drilled a hole in the bottom of the tiny ceramic condiment dish to turn it into a planter. 

day 24 - a lampwork necklace of beads made for me by Ariadne in various assorted designs: smaller beads in turquoise and cream, some with trailed feathering or dots and several larger focal beads with raised and flat dotted patterns, more elaborate feathering, and one very long thin oval with multiple feathered stripes. 

day 25 - small but pleasing, this Japanese (sewing) tape measure feels good in the hand, and sees almost daily use here

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Only a little sewing progress this weekend, but I did notice that while I didn't actually mirror the sleeve pieces, they are only about ⅛" off from each other, I suspect that I might be the only one to notice, once the shirt is done. Looking forward to making a sample sleeve placket next.

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While sorting out and putting away "Richard Scarrys Great Big Bucket O Beads"(TM) which I had unpacked all over the worktable seeking possible tiny bits for a not yet finished tinyworld project, I saw these teardrop shaped beads that were an interesting turquoise/light brown irridescent glass... which reminded me that of my pair of earrings made from some vintage acorn charms that combined a textured metal bead cap with a round bright green glass bead. I never wore them, as while I have an assortment of acorn and oak leaf earrings, in this case the shape only vaguely resembled an acorn, and bright green is not one of my wardrobe colors... 

However, these teardrop beads are a great coordinate for the teal and chocolate brown colors of the current wardrobe sewing I'm doing, and the shape was much more acorn evocative. It took longer for me to unearth some headpins than it did to disassemble and reassemble the earrings. I suspect they will be in regular rotation as an accessory now.

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I'm not sure what to do about my tech troubles, as it is unclear what the cause(s?) are. Video chat with my friends has become, in the last few years, a vital tool to maintain my sanity. And recently, as in the last several weeks or so, it has gone from occasional glitches of video or audio, to being almost unuseable, particularly the video transmission, in both directions.

At first it was just Zoom, but now it is also other platforms I've been trying as alternatives. The occasional glitches one becomes used to, when a message pops up that says "your internet is unstable", but now I can't share my video from the laptop at all, though I can see other people most of the time. Sometimes I can share video from my phone, as long as I don't use the wifi.

It would be very useful to have some sort of a diagnostic flow chart to use to figure out what to change or what to do, as there are multiple systems and bits of hardware, and the problem could be in any of them. Is it in the Very Old Modem? The router?? If it wasn't an intermittent problem I would wonder about my internet connection, but it worked just fine up until earlier this month... Maybe somewhere in the wires that connect everything? Are there too much junk files inside the laptop? Does something need to be updated that I have not done so? The laptop itself is fairly new, so itself shouldn't be a problem. I am looking to find "the end of the string" so I can begin to untangle this difficulty.

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	final alphabeast drawing	painted mini tree	recycle bin
2	calendar master pages	new bin for  cedar shakes	orangeflower water
3	5+ jars fig mostarda	drawstring cords	large broken bin
4	page 2 resipei	workbench tidy	2 bags paper
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

Friday's gratitudes -
- a simple dinner: stir frying some baby bok choi with green onions, and throwing a few (frozen) shrimp in at the end. Having already made Thai peanut sauce and already cooked purple barley in the fridge made it an easy complete and tasty meal
- I am really enjoying the 15 minutes drawing 100 day project, it is like daily gratitude in a different mode
- Karen brought me a different wall mount land line phone, that is grey and white instead of green (so it looks like it belongs in my kitchen), and that has a clever way of keeping the handset from falling off. I like it a lot more than the previous phone
Saturday's gratitudes -
- a house full of all sorts of bits and bobs suitable for creative reuse, and the tools and knowledge to do so
- half-size oil filled radiators... one under the computer desk, and one in the bathroom 
- refurbished acorn earrings
Sunday's gratitudes -
- sunny and dry (if cold) so I was able to ride to the store and get another dozen half pint jars
- the store clerk kindly scanned her magic card for the shopper discount (I've misplaced the card I had fifteen years ago, and rarely shop there, so never bothered to replace it, as almost never are the sale prices on what I might want to purchase.
- mmmmm... blood orange marmalade! There was a 2#bag of organic blood oranges in the produce box this week, and while I did eat a few out of hand, most were turned into preserves. I still remember the very first time I tasted a blood orange, on a trip Mr Dawson and I took to West Kingdom 12th Night many years ago.

Time of Isolation - Day 2036

appealing rather than appalling

in which our plucky heroine is almost ready...

My first intention of the day was to steadily if intermittently make progress on getting the guest futon suitable for hosting guest(s) ... considering how untidy that room started out, my goal was to clear space on both sides of the bed as well as the multitude of textile scraps, yardage, cardboard, and yarn from the surface. Now with fresh bedding, and space to move around the room, it looks appealing rather than appalling!

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~ day 15 ~

This lovely handmade ceramic pitcher was a gift from Achaxe quite a few years ago. It is sturdy and well balanced, and I use it as a flower vase. The glaze is darkest inside, a blue almost black. The exterior is mostly varying colors of indigo blue, with the carved leaves at the base being mostly shades of greyish neutrals.

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I've tried making a new to me condiment "Fig Mostarda", using the frozen figs harvested last year from the trees in the front yard. It is sweet and savory, a little sour and a little spicy. I think it will be very nice with goat cheese (or riblets, if ever they were available), or other rich and savory things. I did add an extra glug of vinegar, and about another ⅛ teaspoon of cayenne, as it seemed to want more intensity to balance the sweetness.

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Some strange bird flew into my porch, and was roosting on the back of the chair. I wonder if it could have been some small raptor as it was bigger than a songbird, more the size of but definitely not a corvid. As soon as I opened the curtain it flew away, faster than I could get any identifying data other than "mid size bird, sitting upright, variegated coloring"... looking up raptors found in Oregon, it may have been a Coopers or a Sharp Shinned Hawk??

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	final alphabeast drawing	painted mini tree	recycle bin
2	calendar master pages	new bin for  cedar shakes	orangeflower water
3	5+ jars fig mostarda	-	large broken bin
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- tidied and decluttered the futon bed, with most of the stuff getting put back on shelves or into boxes, and a good two grocery sacks to discard. Now it looks a lot nicer in there
- Fig Mostarda, a new to me condiment, that is going into the keeper recipe book. I actually like it better than the fig/lemon marmalade I was going to make.
- mysterious bird visitation to the front porch, possibly a raptor

Time of Isolation - Day 2027

Saturday snippets and bits

in which our plucky heroine goes to the farmers market...

The last market day of the year, and there were fewer food vendors and more handcraft vendors, not surprisingly. I had been hoping for some leeks, but got there too late in the day. Instead, I brought home what looked like skinny leeks but was actually young garlic; I'm guessing the farm was thinning the garlic crop? I also brought home some locally grown Purple Karma barley to try; it is whole rather than pearled, so takes longer to cook, and has a very different texture than the mucilaginous pearl barley...

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~ not bigger than a breadbox ~

But in fact it started out as just that... but now is in the process of being converted into a studio apartment for Opal. Not really set up yet, just some of the Caer Cardboard furniture moved in temporarily. Kenya and Sequoia are visiting while Opal puts her feet up for a few and thinks about what to deal with next... I'm thinking maybe a worktable, at least one bookcase, maybe an armchair instead of the couch, and a single bed insted of the big double clothespin bed. The flooring is contact paper on bristol board, and will anchor future color choices. Opal really likes "Danish Modern" MCM style, which isn't surprising given her heritage.

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The resipei embroidery project is perfect handwork to take with me when on transit. I get to fill some otherwise useless time with satisfying progress, and it isn't so absorbing that I miss my stop!

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Note to self (and to share)... do not use or purchase again "Anchor Hocking" brand lids for waterbath canning, even if they are $2 cheaper (and what is usually a reputable brand). Of the 12 lids in the box, tried using them with several recipes, more than half the lids did not seal. All the "Ball" brand lids used at the same time sealed properly. I have been canning for years, and never had this kind of problem before. Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action...

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Yesterday when I was chatting with the B's about food over the phone, Barb described her "Green Soup" which sounded so appealing that I had to pick up some broccoli and some potato just to make a version of it myself. (she was telling me how she had to adapt due to them having an all day power outage; she used Mom's hand food mill instead of a stick blender) 

I had made some good strong chicken bone broth earlier in the week, and used that as a base. Added the broccoli, the yellow Finn potato, and all the other greens from the fridge (spinach, garden mix, and the remnants of bok choy). Cooked a small onion and half the bunch of green garlic then added that as well. Seasoned with some of Penzey's "Justice" mixture and a good spoonful of chicken better-than-boullion. Once it was all cooked and softened, the stick blender turned it into a fragrant green-flecked pot of delicious dinner (and several future meals). Since it was originally a broccoli-cheddar soup in theory, I added a few cheese cubes for garnish and was happy.

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This evening my laptop started behaving in a most peculiar way... it repeatedly threw up a banner across a quarter of the screen letting me know it was trying to "cast", while not allowing me to do anything else. I have never seen that before, and AFAIK had not told it to do so or pushed any new buttons?? Fortunately I was able to call Karen, and ask if John was free and could help with my computer problems. Once he called me back, he was able to talk me through poking around in the settings folder and turning off a bunch of stuff I never use, which seems to have at least stopped the giant banner from obscuring the screen, and lets me type again. It is a bit alarming how dependent I've become on the pixel world to keep in contact with the human world.

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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	recycle bin
5	-	daypack mended	recycle bin
6	x	cleaned keyboard	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- my sister in law is wonderful, I would be her friend even if she wasn't married to my little brother!
- John was able to do remote tech support on the phone, and we got my laptop to stop filling the screen with peculiar messages
- asking for help instead of panicking, and getting help 

Time of Isolation - Day 2002

Thursday thoughts

in which our plucky heroine attempts to plan her day...

It is really raining hard, and forecast for all day and at least two inches of precipitation, so outdoor time isn't really going to be a thing. Let's try something different, and start off the day with an assortment of intentions, and see if that helps, and how many can be checked off the list before bedtime:
☑ excess (indoor) cardboard boxes into wheelie bin
☑ put up 4 oz jars of diced quince (that cooked overnight)
☐ add waistband to flower undies
☐ pack up cotton lycra (to clear sewing table)
☑ wash dishes
☑ cook: kale bulgur salad, chicken soup,roast carrots
☑ 15 min resipei embroidery
⇓ vacuum living room and put vacuum away
☐ make bed

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~ take small stitches ~

This slow beginning of the "resipei" embroidery project continues to please me very much, both in the doing, and in the resulting linear quality of the chain stitches...

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As I was craving some movement yesterday evening, went out for a bit of a neighborhood walk. Stopped by the drug store while out and about, and brought home a pack of 100 ordinary index cards for the hundred day "Objects of my Affection" drawing challenge that starts in two weeks. My intention is that by making it "not precious" it will remove that particular mental barrier. I figure I can use any sort of not-paint mark making tools, but will probably just use my regular EDC 0.9 SumoGrip mechanical pencils.

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This evening I noticed that the amaryllis on the windowsill has finally showed signs of life, there are leaf tips emerging from the center of the bulb. It probably took all that time to generate some roots, since it had none obvious when it first arrived here... It will be exciting if it actually grows a flower stalk and blooms!

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There are only three more partially baked quince in the produce drawer in the fridge, probably enough for another batch of quince sauce. Today's batch, cooling on the card table, became 9½ 4oz jars of quince rosewater sauce, suitable to complement something savory (like cranberry sauce does), or as an ingredient in a sweet dessert of some sort.

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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	recycle bin
5	-	daypack mended	recycle bin
6	x	cleaned keyboard	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- the scent of quince, while ripening, or while cooking...
- Cathy shared both a short Kestrel video and 8 pages of another story the kiddo wrote, about cats, that had me literally LOL
- while hunting excess cardboard boxes tonight, found the lost knitting stitch markers, and the miniature embroidery I did several years ago to begin a decorated tiny armchair like the one I made for Ånni!

Time of Isolation - Day 2000

Monday miscellany

in which our plucky heroine is mostly pleased...

In the interest of focusing on a small good, rather than the wistful (or the horror) now there is a batch of Awesome Sauce for Ashe & Co cooling on the countertop overnight, made using white vinegar instead of my usual cider vinegar, because of their apple allergy. As opposed to my previous failed attempt earlier this month, timely checking and stirring kept the thickening condiment from scorching, and there are at least five sealed jars ready to share when they visit later this week...

That said, the Anchor Hocking jar lids continue to be unreliable, two of the jars didn't seal. Buying that brand was an experiment that will not happen again. And much to my dismay, of my recent purchase of a dozen half pint mason jars, eleven of the twelve have flawed glass! I shall have to return them to the hardware store; have never before seen suchlike. 

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~ just before dawn ~

sometimes, to be out walking before the sun actually rises can be really lovely, the streets are still quiet; the quality of the light is extraordinary...

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Since the new-to-me mobile phone is not a current model, it was necessary to search aftermarket sites to find a protective case. I've been pretty happy with various Otterbox cases over the years, and managed to find one on Ebay, which arrived today from the east coast. The "Pursuit" series is a bit more "rugged" than cases I have had in the past, but I am most particularly pleased with the integral plugs to cover the access ports when they are not in use. Past phones picked up frelch when carried around in my pockets, which caused all sorts of problems. Also, this phone case has a clear back, which means that at some point a decorative paper insert can be added. 

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Very incremental tidying turned up an additional expansion rod, the sort commonly used for shower curtains. My other spare expansion rod, used to drape the shower curtain so it dries out between uses and doesn't get all moldy along the edge where it touches the tub, has also been used to create  a clothes drying rack over the bathtub. Now there will be twice as much space for heavier things that overload the drying rack in the laundry zone.

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November SMART goals (x=extra)

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

today's gratitudes -
- phone case ordered via Ebay is much better designed than any case previously used, with integral plugs to keep frelch out of the access ports
- found another expansion rod, which will add considerably to my ability to hang-dry clothing over the bathtub
- this charming late 19thC graphic of helper angels in the kitchen, found online by my pal Ursel... it reminds me of the whole set of Mary Azarian helper angel ornaments, found in a catalog of her work long ago, that I cut out, colored in, and have been in my kitchen for many many years now.

Time of Isolation - Day 1977

not quite finished

in which our plucky heroine feels right foolish...

...in the do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do fashion. While I did create two extra sets of Advent Swap gifts so we could offer more "bonus boxes", I plumb forgot to make enough origami gift wrappings to go with. Can you guess what my fidget task during zoom online has been for the last several days?

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~ ask Vesta ~

Wondering if this is the same curious fruit that Vesta was describing last week, that she called "the strawberry tree"... and is (apparently, according to various foraging websites) edible.

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I started a batch of special no-cider vinegar Awesome Sauce for Ashe & Co, but in the time while I was waiting for it to thicken up, distraction got the better of me and it burned to the bottom of the pan, alas. The condiment was not salvageable, and the pan probably will be, with substantial effort.

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spending time yesterday and today sorting tiny gifts into the various boxes for the Advent Swap participants, doing my best to give everyone a good assortment. Then there will be a bit of additional paperwork (addressing the boxes, and making a list so as to be able to give folks their tracking numbers) to prepare for the several trips to the post office to send them on their way. The weather forecast looks as if the next three days will be my best opportunity to ride my bike there without getting soaked...

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Started knitting Claire Garland's tiny shrew. I tried my thinnest yarn, but did not want to knit something I would have to do the entire project under the magnifying glass, so moved up one weight to "light fingering", using my 4/0 needles (1.25mm), which give a gauge of 8st/in. My gauge math says that the finished shrew will be about 3 1/4" tall (thank you Karen for assistance with proportional percentages). Have some places where after reading through it I do not really understand the pattern, but there is a lot of knitting yet before I get to that part.

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This season is so fleeting, yet beautiful. The falling leaves twirl and touch my head in what feels like benediction. The ginkgo tree near the post office has laid down almost but not all of the bright leaves on the ground around the trunk, as if it just stepped out of a golden gown. And there ought to be a word for that very ephemeral pattern that fallen leaves create on the rain wet sidewalk, almost like shadows, that remains for a few days after the leaves themselves have blown away

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November SMART goals (x=extra)

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

yesterday's gratitudes -
- yarn tool swift will be a gift to me from Karen
- connected a bit online with dear Rois
- giant leek from farmers market made into ancient Roman lentil barley leek soup, for dinner
today's gratitudes -
- found missing checkbook and missing property tax paperwork
- my concern about peculiar bill from Walgreens was valid, the pharmacy manager said it was a scam, and he reported it. I also reported it to the FTC online this evening.
- found a lovely plant pot at the Goodwill store (two-toned "dark and milk chocolate marbled pottery, and just the right size) for my gifted amaryllis and it was even the "color of the day - 50% off", so only cost me $1.99! (Now I need to look up how to grow and care for amaryllis, our plucky heroine is not a particularly knowledgeable houseplant mother)

Time of Isolation - Day 1972

a parliament of owls

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

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

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~ full of personality ~

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

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

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

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

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

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

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November SMART goals (x=extra)

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

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

Time of Isolation - Day 1970

Tuesday tidbits

in which our plucky heroine is tired but busy ...

...currently making a double batch of Awesome Sauce, aka British Chili Jam; the kitchen smells amazing! Though truly, should know by now better than to begin such a project after dinner, as it takes several hours for the sauce to cook down enough that the pectin in the tomato thickens. With luck, I will be abed before midnight. (this condiment is worth it, though next batch shall start earlier in the day!...)

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~ wonderfully warm ~

A most delightful gift for me arrived today from my friend Ånni: these handknit fair trade embroidered wool fingerless mitts (lined with fleece for extra comfort and warmth) The colors of the embroidery and the style are a great addition to my Urban Fairytale flavored wardrobe. Also they are just the right thing for riding my bike this time of year, and the dense knitting + fleece creates extra padding between my hands and the handlebars, which is very welcome

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well this is a first... Ariadne sent her advent swap package from their town  to here (about a two hour drive) and it has been delayed. As in "go home postal service you are drunk" delayed. When first we checked the tracking number on Saturday last week, it appeared to have arrived in PDX and for some reason not made it to my satellite post office yet. This sometimes happens. Checking again when it still wasn't here over a week later, it seems that instead of sending it across town to our local post office, it was sent to Anchorage Alaska on Sunday?!? WTF?!?

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November SMART goals (x=extra)

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

today's gratitudes -
- maslin pan is the best for cooking things down
- Joan Huntley, for first showing me one could put up food for pantry storage, and Cheryl, and Britta for encouraging me further. Also "Tigress in a Jam" for sponsoring CanJam, which year long challenge really allowed me to become comfortable with waterbath canning.  
- Ånni sent me a beautiful and useful gift - Nepalese embroidered lined wool fingerless mitts, with blue and white flowers on a black background, so pretty and so right for my wardrobe!

Time of Isolation - Day 1966

waterbath Wednesday

in which our plucky heroine has been feeling a bit of a Brambly Hedge vibe...

as this time of year, every week involves transforming fresh food in various ways to be ready for wintertime, either shelf stable jars, or prepared in the freezer, or dried for pantry storage. Today was all about little 4oz jars. The small amount of frozen strawberries and diced rhubarb were turned into strawberry/rhubarb sauce, seasoned with grated orange peel and a bit of cinnamon. The bowl of windfall apples became spiced (cinnamon, nutmeg, and star anise) extra chunky applesauce, which could be used later in the year for an individual crisp or cobbler. I've never made a fruit cobbler, but Mikki's description was tempting, and this recipe looks simple enough. With any luck, the vendor with the organic stone fruit will be at the market again on Saturday... but if not, there are still apples on the backyard tree.

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~ conudrum completed ~

This morning, my final hand stitching closing both sides of all four of the corner seams completed the set of pillow shams. It did take a bit more than double the six hours of my initial estimate. V, who came to pick them up this afternoon, was really pleased with how well they fit the pillows, and with how closely they turned out to look like her initial concept.

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Today was another very warm day, perfect for tackling Mt Washmore. By lunchtime, the laundry was dry and getting folded and put away. Mt Dishmore has been almost dealt with as well, despite the repeated need to wash canning funnels, ladles, and saucepans, and one more round tomorrow will have all the remaining unwashed containers and dishes on the rack and drying. Since I forgot to set my alarm, didn't wake up til 7, which only gave me an hour to put in time raking under the plum thicket. More weeds and crushed overripe plums into the wheelie bin. Took the shears and loppers to some of the dead branches inside the thicket, which always try and grab my hair or poke my arms. I wish it was possible to prune plums in the winter, when they aren't full of fruit and leaves, but will try and do what I can while it is still hot and dry before the rainy season starts.

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Cat ladders - who knew?

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September SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	4 barkcloth tea towels	box fan grille	greenwaste bin
2	yellow triangle pouch	needle gauge herb stripper	greenwaste bin
3	knitted pony	pruning elderberry	recycle bin
4	8 jars quince apple  rosewater sauce	pruning nandina	-
5	6+ jars fig lemon marmalade	picked moar figs	-
6	dried pears	picked plums	x
7	4 jars pickled beets	small radiator foot	x
8	11 jars salsa verde	x	x
9	5 jars strawberry rhubarb	x	x
10	5 jars spiced applesauce	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- the tink noise that canning jar lids make when they have cooled down enough to seal
- Wellington is here for a few weeks
- some extra bananas from D&N will get turned into banana bread

Time of Isolation - Day 1921

a long and busy day

in which our plucky heroine sets her alarm for early...

because the current garden task is raking up the plums on the ground under the thicket, which task has to be done in the coldest part of the day, just around dawn, before too many danger bugs wake up. It is satisfying to rake everything out onto the burden cloth time and again. It usually takes at least four or five mornings to gather it all up, but just with today's rakings the greenwaste bin is almost half full of windfalls and weeds.

This year I left picking the plums a bit late, so while a bit more of the year's harvest has been lost than usual, the available freezer space is almost full, and there are enough frozen plums to last the year. Have made a note in the journal to start picking early in September rather than mid-month

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Betwixt and between working on the conundrum project, the tomatillos from the weekend trip to the farmer's market have turned into eleven+ 4 oz jars of salsa verde. This is a savory/spicy addition to the pantry, although the jalapeno peppers bought at the same time were not spicy at all! I added about a quarter teaspoon of cayenne to the triple batch which added zing without adding pain. Peppers are so variable in their capsicum content

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While I may have missed Karla's yard sale, the remnants were on her lawn today with a sign: "FREE"... and there was a big old wheelbarrow. The only thing wrong with it was the tire was a mess. I think I can swap out the tire from my own wheelbarrow (the one with the damaged handles) and create one whole functional garden tool from two dysfunctional ones.

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Just about done with the flat piping pillow sham conundrum project. Had I left the salsa verde for a different day, the final pillow would have had all the corners hand stitched tonight, but since it is too late for V to pick up the finished pieces, it may as well have the final stitching done early tomorrow. Sigh and alas, despite increasing my estimate, the total hours worked are double what I allotted and charged her for, (even without including all the time spent figuring out the tiny mitered corners, which I had no idea was in store for me). Each sham takes about three hours apiece, between cutting out the pieces, basting, sewing, pressing the piping, then hand stitching down both sides of each corner. Live and learn.

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September SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	4 barkcloth tea towels	box fan grille	greenwaste bin
2	yellow triangle pouch	needle gauge herb stripper	greenwaste bin
3	knitted pony	pruning elderberry	recycle bin
4	8 jars quince apple  rosewater sauce	pruning nandina	-
5	6+ jars fig lemon marmalade	picked moar figs	-
6	dried pears	picked plums	x
7	4 jars pickled beets	small radiator foot	x
8	11 jars salsa verde	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- burden cloth is one of the best ideas I had and made, years ago, and use regularly
- WD-40
- free wheelbarrow, hopefully to make a Frankenbarrow.

Time of Isolation - Day 1920

Monday meandering

in which our plucky heroine wakes up before dawn...

Saturday morning the sky was all golden to the east when I was on my way to one of the bigger farmers markets, with the intention of getting there right when they opened. It was "senior day", which apparently happens once a year towards the end of harvest season, with unlimited $1 off every $4 purchase coupons for everyone over 55. To my great delight, there are now waiting on my kitchen counter enough organic tomatillos to make three batches of salsa verde, and an appropriate amount of jalapeño peppers

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~ harvest season ~

Seven gallons of ripe plums have been added to the chest freezer. Now I need get busy raking up the windfalls for compost, bit by bit in the cool early morning before the danger bugs awaken. 

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My treat for figuring out the flat piping shams conundrum was to order from Alibris a copy of The Ashley Book of Knots. This everso useful and encyclopedic manual was not in my collection, and adding a reference book or tool after solving a challenge and/or finishing a commission is my way of giving myself a bonus. (Trying to look up the instructions online for Mr Dawson for how to lash a fiberglass brush made me realise this particular gap in the library shelves here at Acorn Cottage.)

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Sleep/wake is returning to a more functional schedule, though it would be even further improved would my cranky SI joint decide to be cooperative again instead of seceding from the rest of my structural components. Am currently setting an early morning alarm in order to get yardwork done, or prep for preserving. My hope this week is to turn the 15# of tomatoes in the freezer into Awesome Sauce in the pantry, plus fig lemon marmalade, and salsa verde. That will free up some sorely needed freezer space  

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September SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	4 barkcloth tea towels	box fan grille	greenwaste bin
2	yellow triangle pouch	needle gauge herb stripper	greenwaste bin
3	knitted pony	pruning elderberry	recycle bin
4	8 jars quince apple  rosewater sauce	pruning nandina	-
5	6+ jars fig lemon marmalade	picked moar figs	-
6	dried pears	picked plums	x
7	4 jars pickled beets	small radiator foot	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- a phone conversation with Mikki
- figured out a way to do the mitered flat piping, albeit requiring lots of hand stitching, sigh
- The Ashley Book of Knots
- an almost new and very affordable pair of Arizona Birks on Ebay 

Time of Isolation - Day 1919

Friday fragments

in which our plucky heroine perseveres and preserves...

The last few days have been a bit of a struggle, as my body is not being cooperative despite my best attempts at nourishment and hydration. Despite that, there has been some progress made on both the dealing-with-harvest-season and on the flat piping conundrum.

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~ a worthwhile experiment ~

This year, not only did I manage to keep the Juliette tomato alive and happy in a big pot in the backyard, but as decoration, bought a six-pack of basil and a six-pack of marigolds, and planted them in a circle around the edge. So pretty to look at, and the basil grew well enough that I picked quite a bit earlier this summer and dried it for wintertime cooking. Today, noticed that even where it had been cut back, it was still putting on more growth, so another basket full went into the dehydrator today.

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Since there was a bunch of beets... well three big beets... in the produce delivery this week, and there were no more jars of pickled beets in the pantry, my mission was obvious. (abbreviated recipe for future reference)

1½# beets, 2c 5% ACV, 1c sugar, ¾t pickling salt, ¾cH₂O, 1cinnamon stick, ½t whole allspice, ¼t peppercorns. Boil beets a half hour until totally cooked through. Let cool, slip off skin and trim, then cut into slices or cubes and set aside. Mix all together syrup ingredients bring to boil, add beets and bring to simmer. ½" gap, process 30 minutes

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The detachable stabilising foot for the tiny underdesk oil filled radiator snapped in half ages ago, run over by my desk chair. While it works just fine sans foot, repairing it turned out to be feasible. Super glue held the plastic pieces together, and the break was reinforced with the Milliput epoxy putty acquired earlier this year

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Hopefully one of the farmers markets this weekend will have some organic tomatillos for less than the $7# that they are asking at the grocery store. This recipe for salsa verde is a good one, and every few years another batch or two needs made to replenish the pantry storage...

1# tomatillos ¼ c chopped onion 1 large green jalapeño ¼ c chopped cilantro 1 small clove garlic 1 t salt 2 T lime juice

Remove husks, wash, and simmer tomatillos till softened and color changes. Blend them with all the other ingredients, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. five 4oz. jars - ½" headspace - process 25 minutes

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September SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	4 barkcloth tea towels	box fan grille	greenwaste bin
2	yellow triangle pouch	needle gauge herb stripper	greenwaste bin
3	knitted pony	pruning elderberry	recycle bin
4	8 jars quince apple  rosewater sauce	pruning nandina	-
5	6+ jars fig lemon marmalade	picked moar figs	-
6	dried pears	picked plums	x
7	4 jars pickled beets	small radiator foot	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- picked more plums and am gradually filling gallon ziploc bags in the freezer with frozen plum halves
- Milliput epoxy putty
- the scent of basil

Time of Isolation - Day 1916

Thursday thoughts

in which our plucky heroine notices that the season is shifting, as the daylight hours grow less. Still hot in the afternoons, but it cools down at night now, and this morning's ride to the hardware store was cool enough that a cardigan would have been useful...

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~ a dream of pie ~

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It may have been a bit better to start picking the plums last week, as far too many of them are either windfalls or partially eaten by birds or squirrels, and it wasn't really a good crop this year to begin with. Still, I've been going out early in the cool of the morning, before the danger bugs wake up, and filling a bucket or basket with what I can reach. They get washed, and cut in half, pitted, and frozen to be part of my daily meals for the rest of the year. It might be necessary to deploy the fruit picking stick this year.

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~ pear candy ~

Filling and running the food dehydrator twice means that the big Fido jar is now full of dried pear "candy" (slices and bits). There may be enough pears still to do as much again...

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Another thing that happens this time of year, is the annual invasion of arachnids. I've learned to check the tub before showering... Three times in the last two weeks there have been rather large spiders  in the bathtub. Fortunately, spider-catching stuff lives in the bathroom and the combination of transparent solo cup and postcard is usually enough to catch and release. 

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~ conundrum ~

Our plucky heroine is baffled. Promised to make a set of four pillow shams with inserted ¼" flat piping around all four edges... which I thought would be straightforward, (though I've never done flat piping on outside corners). Turns out to be a technical challenge for which I've been unable to find any diagrams or instruction online or in my reference books, yet ready-made shams have that edge?!? My first idea, tried last night, didn't work well. 

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I'm trying to make homemade mustard, but unsure of eventual success. Despite soaking for over 24 hours, neither my mini food processor and/or my stick blender made much progress actually grinding the softened seeds. Maybe soak for another day and try again? The appliances may just not be robust enough for this task? The mortar and pestle worked well, but only a spoonful at a time, so not going to attempt the whole cup and a half! 

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September SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	4 barkcloth tea towels	box fan grille	greenwaste bin
2	yellow triangle pouch	needle gauge herb stripper	greenwaste bin
3	knitted pony	pruning elderberry	recycle bin
4	8 jars quince apple  rosewater sauce	pruning nandina	-
5	6+ jars fig lemon marmalade	picked moar figs	-
6	dried pears	picked plums	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- eight hours of sleep
- multiple spider catching cups
- plum thicket

Time of Isolation - Day 1915