Thursday thoughts

in which our plucky heroine makes small improvements...

This morning, after putting away the now dry dishes from last night, it became apparent that my long time method of using a towel under the dish drainer to catch extra drips was less than ideal for the crap formica countertop. Usually I remember to pull the towel out after it has done the job, which lets the counter dry out overnight as the damp dishes do the same. 

In the interest of not creating a mold farm, instead there was an Ikea excursion. They had VÄLVÅRDAD in stock, a powder coated metal catch tray large enough to (probably) fit the dish rack here. While I'd cleverly cut a piece of kraft paper the size of the bottom of my dish rack to take with to check the size, when tray and rack were in the same place it turned out I'd not accounted for the thickness of the wire legs. Fortunately, I have tools! There was good use made of the rawhide mallet and the stump; with crashings and bashings the legs were bent just enough to fit neatly inside the tray edges.

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~ very very sharp ~

Last night, inspired by this Instagram post, I finished making a sharpener for fabric marking chalks, from an old carved wooden box, hardware bits, and some new double edged razor blades (surprisingly cheap!). While my sharpening box didn't turn out quite the same as those others, it works eversomuch better and faster than scraping away at the edge of the chalk with a knife or scissors blade. The wooden box itself is at least fifty years old, maybe more, and likely came from an "import store" when I was young, and this will be a way of using it for something that will see more frequent use than tucked away on a closet shelf holding random smaller trinkets. 

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Well that was a bit of a perturbing minor memory fail... One of the several times living in the Lexington house with friends, the year after the Allston household broke apart, some of us moved there and kept living together. I've very few memories of those not particularly happy years. At my sisters husbands class reunion, one of the men (Doug Weston) from way back then ran into her and sent his regards. I'm embarrassed to not remember him, by face or by name, perhaps he was more Gary's friend than mine??.

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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	-	-
4	boro basket 3	-	-
5	boro basket 4	-	-
6	sharpening box	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- mostly functional public transit
- when an Instagram inspiration actually works
- the stump Bill gave me

Time of Isolation - Day 2134

sociable Sunday

in which our plucky heroine leans into her current obsession...

It seems that lately all I want to do is refurbish my worn clothing, sew a few new garments to replace those too worn to mend, and plan out how they all will interact nicely. In this time of multiple systemic collapse, why am I focusing on such a frivolous thing. It isn't all I focus on or take action about, but it is the only thing that brings me any delight, pleasure or even satisfaction. I can't make there be snow in the mountains for summertime water, or sanity in the halls of power, but by golly I can have clothing that pleases me to wear and amuses and delights random folks out in the world. 

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~ is grey okay? ~

The finished stripey shirt finished, plus details... As currently existing, the fabric reads as light grey from any significant distance, with the handmade glass buttons definitely and defiantly taupe and black. While am still tempted to overdye it, so as to let it join with the brown sector of the wardrobe, that color group already has multiple shirts and blouses, while the grey/black group is quite sparse (and also missing any pinafores in good condition) Alternatively, a taupe overdye would let it play happily in both colorways.

... I tried on the finished shirt today, and discovered that I have two (2!) different and unmarked sleeve pattern pieces in my pattern envelope. One is for a three-quarter sleeve, and one for a full length. Guess which one was used to mark out the shirt fabric... Yup... a significant oops!... the shorter one, which makes the sleeves about two inches too short. Fortunately, there are fabric scraps remaining large enough to cut two wide strips, which will be given a bit of embroidery decoration, then used to lengthen the sleeves. A bit below the intersection of armscye and side seam the entire sleeve will be sliced open and the additional fabric will make the sleeve the correct length in the least disruptive way.  And, two new sleeve pattern pieces will be cut, and each one will be labeled with RED magic marker as either "full length sleeve" or "three-quarter sleeve"

 . 
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The beets that came in my produce box still had their tops. I remembered to cook the beet greens while they were still in good condition: first melting some butter in a saucepan, adding some of the Ethiopian spice alternative that the aunties gave me, then some green onion and the chopped up greens. It was, when mixed with a scoop of cottage cheese, just enough for a single lunchtime serving. I miss life in the Before Times when we could safely eat in restaurants, but at least the savory flavors can still be enjoyed. 

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Today was alarmingly warm, for the beginning of April. It was almost 85°F on my front porch this afternoon. This does not bode well.

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April SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	glass button shirt	apple tree pruned	recycle bin
2	-	tiny beaded star>	greenwaste bin
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
-Sunday is the day of the week when I get the most social contact, usually three zoom meetings with different groups of people. - faux ayeb begomin for lunch
- Bartlett pears are so delicious
- being able to share a few sewing tips online
- most of the time, I've enough colors of embroidery floss for the projects that I want to make

Time of Isolation - Day 2096

baby bears chair and other miscellany

in which our plucky heroine makes plans...

There are eversomany projects here that need done or that would be desirable. The next few days I'd like to finish the flannel shirt, and finish sampling the raincoat toggle spacing (for my personal projects) and finish the tiny bezels for the Babs brooch project... Maybe find the tarp pieces intended to bridge the gap between the porch and the walkway; getting that built will be very helpful.

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~ the past brought forward ~

This small Chinese rug holds some of my very early memories. It was originally my Nana's, possibly a wedding gift a hundred years ago, and now warms the floor next to my bed, one of the few objects salvaged after my parents demise that made it here to Acorn Cottage. The colors are vivid yet subtle, and looking at it carefully to draw it today, I also was surprised to see that some of its shapes and patterns that still reverberate in my own artwork. 

This is the only sewing machine I purchased new. Prior to this Bernette 330, once I left living with my parents, I had assorted machines from yard sales or thrift stores, none good enough to put money into repairing them when they broke down. I have been using this machine for almost 40 years now, and while it isn't fancy, it is wonderfully reliable, and has sewn everything I've asked it to, from a canvas tent to lightweight lingerie. Past Me was clever enough to buy a walking foot for the machine at the same time, and that attachment is in use several times a year at the very least

The furniture in my home comes from four different places... there are a few pieces that I've had all my life, two small bookcases and two chests of drawers, all rather battered by now, but full of memory. I believe they were bought from one of those "unfinished furniture" stores back in the 50's and furbished by my dad. I have a fair amount of "Ivar" and various other solid wood pieces from IKEA. I have a table, several small shelves and most especially my wooden bedframe that were handmade by friends. 

However, at least half of the furnishings here at Acorn Cottage are vintage or salvage of some kind. When I found this chair at the local resale shop, I could tell it was something special, firstly because it was just my size. Most chairs are too tall, and the seats are too deep for my petite self. On closer examination, the graceful shaping, and the beautiful through wedges of the legs were very worthy of notice. It had at that time a label on the back of the back rung that said "Ercol", a manufacturer uncommon here that I was not familiar with. I feel lucky to have found this unexpectedly affordable gem in a shop where it was not appreciated. It is my favorite chair.

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The switch to my bedside lamp stopped working on Monday.  I headed out yesterday to the hardware store in hope that they might have a replacement switch. Fortunately, they did. In the process of taking the lamp all the way apart to replace the broken switch, I noticed that the harp framework that holds the shade to the light socket was falling to pieces, with three of the four welds broken.

While I have a lot of skills, welding steel isn't one of them. But I do have a useful assortment of chemical bonding agents aka glue. It seemed like a good job for "Milliput", a very superior sort of epoxy putty, and that proved to be the case. After mixing up a tiny batch, I used it to sandwich the broken pieces together in the correct position, and after a few hours the putty set stone hard, and once the lamp was reassambled, it was back in service.

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Our winter weather is being odd. Nowhere near as much rain as would be ideal, and not as cold as previous years, though still plenty cold enough for wooly cardigans and layered leggings. And, as we head towards February, the patch of snowdrops in the front yard are blooming, and I saw two honeybees busy there.

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Today I happened to see a newspaper, a NYT business section lying on the table at the floral counter of the grocery store. The headline was something like "Gold tops $5000/oz". Of course I had to look more closely, for while I don't use gold, I have been using silver in my metalwork for many years. Probably not so much going forward, since silver too has skyrocketed in price. A few months ago it was under $30/oz, but it is now over $100/oz! I don't ever keep metal on hand, but only purchase just enough for a project if a client commissions me and pays a deposit, because silver has always been volatile in price, but in all my many years, I have never seen fluctuations or prices like this. I suspect I shall have to learn a new way to work, for the most part without silver. This will create serious technical challenges, as enamel behaves differently and changes colors depending on the substrate. 

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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	-	bedside lamp	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

Monday's gratitudes -
- a beautiful Chinese rug that graces my bedside floor
- a very tasty Thai dinner
- Mikki is patient and kind

Tuesday's gratitudes - 
- finding out what is probably causing my tech trouble, and incidentally also finding out it is NOT my laptop
- early bedtime
- unexpectedly saw Helga at the grocery store, and she was able to give me my eye drops from Costco.

Wednesday's gratitudes -
- one major admin task is finally completed
- got over 8 hours of sleep due to early bedtime last night
- found some tiny alder cones for the miniature trinket shelves

Time of Isolation - Day 2029

Friday fragments

in which our plucky heroine mends and makes do...

Finished the decorative refurbishment/mending of my beloved ChopShop cardigan yesterday evening. Given that it was created from pieces of old wool sweaters cut and pieced into a new form by my pal Karen, from time to time it has developed holes or parts of the hand stitchery come loose. I love it and wear it often when the weather turns cold. Most recently it wore through at the center front, where the back of the I-cord button loop rubbed against the body next to the placket.

Rather than sew on a patch centered at chest level, which would be an unfortunate focal point, I instead made a virtue of necessity and created an extended decorative motif running down each side of the center front adjacent to the placket which incidentally also covered the hole. I used some two color horizontally striped grosgrain ribbon, couched some handspun dark brown wool, and folded some of the wide twill tape into little triangle shapes that tucked behind the ribbon and yarn. Once the whole long pieces were appliqued in place, the final step was to add a bit of fern embroidery stitches on each of the triangles: darker brown on the tan and lighter blue on the navy, in a sort of counterchanged effect. The whole combination references "folk art" in a non-specific and urban fantasy sort of way, which is just right for my personal style. 

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~ proto kweepeergelei ~

Since yesterday was dry and clear, seemed like the best time to harvest the quinces... while not as much as last year, still twenty-four pounds is a hefty haul. Will take a bit of doing to convert these into shelf stable foodstuff, but in the meantime, the house smells wonderful!

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Eeeee! This Ursula LeGuin exhibition is close enough that I can bike there!

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Very much enjoyed the presentations from Block Printing Fest, as I was able to fit in watching a wide assortment of both project and interview based videos. "Studio Visit : Making Friday" video interview with Heather Moore was a treat, as I remember reading her blog many years ago:

"Skinny laMinx is the pattern-filled, colourful brand of Cape Town designer, Heather Moore. Heather retreats to her studio every Friday, where she plays with cut paper, stencils and block printing to come up with her fresh and delightful prints and patterns."

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My intention today had been to make the tarp gutter to span between the porch roof and the walkway roof, before the "atmospheric river" arrived. The rain is begun, and surely playing hob with the children's Halloween, but my gutter project is nowhere near finished. Placing screw hooks overhead on the rafters of an angled porch roof is more challenging than initially thought, particularly when they need to line up with the screw hooks that are more than a foot away and on a different axis. These are the sorts of challenges that tend to stop me in a paralytic way, which isn't useful. At this point, all the holes are drilled, all the screw hooks on the walkway side are in place, and most of the ones on the angled porch side are at least started (those being much more difficult to screw into their spots)

When it was obvious that the project wouldn't be completed, getting the part done that required the electric drill took priority, as our plucky heroine will not run outdoor power tools in the rain, much less clamber about on stepladder ditto. If I cannot find a tarp on hand that is at least 8 ft long, I will kludge the tarp aspect and overlap two smaller tarps like flexible shingles. My plan is to make a sort of gradual trapezoid shape with grommets on the edges to connect to the ceiling hooks and hold the tarp gutter at enough of a slant to guide the water out to the front yard. At least that is the concept. Which I have only been trying to figure out for years and why there are at least two boards on the porch that need replaced. Incremental progress is still progress.

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	6 lunaria pod ornaments	wheelbarrow tire	greenwaste bin
2	5 more lunaria ornaments	cardigan cuffs	recycle bin
3	5 golden origami dragons	reattach wheel to wheelbarrow	recycle bin
4	5 mini amanitas	vegetable steamer leg replacement	recycle bin
5	18 penny luck envelopes	leather scissors sheath	LFL books
6	10 holly&bells ornaments	chopshop cardigan mended	recycle bin
7	more penny luck envelopes	x	greenwaste bin
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- I bravely spoke to the appliance repair man in the shop near St Johns while I was out on my bike yesterday. He phoned me back with more information, once I was able to tell him the make and model number of my broken dryer. They can get parts, but given the age, the parts are hard to get and spendy; his advice was my money would be better put towards a new used dryer rather than an expensive service call. Food for thought.
- new chapter of Super Supportive to read today
- I learned about two new block printing techniques 

Time of Isolation - Day 1956

Monday musings

in which our plucky heroine wakes up early...

and while sitting looking out the living room window, enjoys seeing juncos foraging amongst the weeds and undergrowth in the front yard. They may be common, but they are so delightful.

This afternoon I moved some wood chips from the driveway pile to front yard, using refurbished wheelbarrow. Also reconfigured the mulch around the future pear thicket, to keep it from right against the young tree trunks (which is not healthy for them), and moved some bricks into circular edging to keep the mulch in place. Then I was tired. Picked up the not currently needed watering buckets and moved them next to the back door, rather than leaving their uncharming selves in the middle of the front yard. Considering getting this "bubbler" from Lee Valley, and timing how long it takes to fill a 5 gallon bucket. Could instead of repeatedly filling plastic buckets in the summer, just set a timer to remind self to move the gizmo from tree to tree once the right amount of hydration has been delivered to each one, which would have the added benefit of encouraging intermittent movement

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~ hams and bacon ~

I've been thinking about overlays, the way that history leaves traces, the way that memory adds a veil over what remains or has changed... when I was young, encyclopedias or even sometimes dictionaries would have visual diagrams where there was information printed on a transparent page that would show the locations of body parts, or of the interior of plants, and suchlike. Now it may seem quaint, but it is a resonant concept. When I walk around the downtown, or in places from my past life, my mind populates the spaces with what no longer exists. There is no "Powells Technical Books", no "Daisy Kingdom", and Winks Hardware is now across the river.

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a better shoelace knot ... will have to try it out for myself

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The oldest of my Fiskars spring loaded snips, the pair that lost its orange little closure toggle several years ago, has been kept shut ever since by looping the handles closed with a hair tie, which is less than ideal. Instead, a scrap of upholstery leather, a bit of time with the lacing punches, and a dab of Barge Cement et voila, there is a little narrow sheath that the snip blades slide into and are held in place by the pressure of them trying to open. Much safer and more tidy.

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went to Pearl Hardware to buy some of the special candles that fit in the camping candle lantern. Used to be able to get them at REI. Not that it is camping season, but after The Way Forward this weekend that went over some of the ways to be prepared for Unknown Future Challenges, one of the topics was emergency lighting. I have a lantern for the windowless bathroom, of course, but a second lantern with the correct acoutrements seems like a good idea

Walking east across downtown to get transit home again, stopped in at Dick Blick, and while window shopping, found that they carry a vast array (the full line?) of DMC floss, and also Cranfield Caligo Safe Wash printing ink, two needful handcraft supplies that it is excellent to have available locally. Especially the floss, so difficult to judge the colors accurately online.

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	6 lunaria pod ornaments	wheelbarrow tire	greenwaste bin
2	5 more lunaria ornaments	cardigan cuffs	recycle bin
3	5 golden origami dragons	reattach wheel to wheelbarrow	recycle bin
4	5 mini amanitas	vegetable steamer leg replacement	recycle bin
5	18 penny luck envelopes	leather scissors sheath	-
6	10 holly&bells ornaments	x	x
7	more penny luck envelopes	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes - 
- leatherworking tools and the knowledge of how to use them
- the varied vivid gradients of maple leaves this time of year
- I splurged on a small bit of black cod for my dinner. It is my favorite fish.
- 'twas a minor adventure: Pearl Hardware + Dick Blick. Adding minor adventures at least once a week might be a way to increase well being.

Time of Isolation - Day 1952

so bright such delight wow

in which our plucky heroine appreciates autumn ...

and the last few days have been very autumnal indeed. Well mixed with cool grey mornings and crisp clear afternoons, the leaves turn colors and fill the edges of the streets. We will have a few more days like this, before rain.

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~ maple aflame ~

so difficult to capture the way these vivid maple leaves were glowing in the angled light of late afternoon... Fortunately I'm usually riding on the quiet side streets, since the color stopped me in my tracks.

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One of the three legs of my venerable vegetable steamer somehow fell apart. It appears to have been bent aside at an angle enough that the leg slipped through the attachment hole in the base of the steamer. The legs on this one are riveted in place, and so difficult to easily reattach. So, though my initial thought was to somehow make a replacement leg from wire, my second thought was the hardware store. Indeed, the bulk aisle of the local Ace Hardware had a modest but sufficient number of drawers of stainless steel bolts, screws, nuts and misc. While not perfect (the 1" bolt is about ⅛" too long) combining a bolt, a split lock washer, and the matching nut the steamer can now stand on three legs again, albeit a tad tilted. Fortunately that makes no difference at all to the items being steamed.

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Saw Dr Breeze today instead of my usual PCP. I'm glad that he took my concerns seriously, and said that he thought it was good I was not ignoring the issue(s). I am less than thrilled at the idea of going on prescription antacid for two weeks as an initial diagnostic, particularly with the many caveats attached to it, and also that some of the side effects are the very same symptoms I am concerned about. How would one know if it is effective in that case? Apparently there is a progression of testing, which echos the saying "when you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras"

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Decided to go ahead with making five "star books" for the Advent Swap. It turns out that the metallic origami paper is tricksy to use for pages. There will certainly need to be instructions included along with the tiny book/ornament: "Open and unfold all the way, placing the book covers back to back. Tie the cords in a single overhand knot, then use the rest of the cord to hang the star book up as desired. Adjust the pages evenly distributed, with each side forming a five pointed star. To put away, reverse the process"

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	6 lunaria pod ornaments	wheelbarrow tire	greenwaste bin
2	5 more lunaria ornaments	cardigan cuffs	recycle bin
3	5 golden origami dragons	reattach wheel to wheelbarrow	recycle bin
4	5 mini amanitas	vegetable steamer leg replacement	-
5	18 penny luck envelopes	-	-
6	10 holly&bells ornaments	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- our local hardware store had what I needed in the bulk aisle
- had a nice long chat with my pal Wanda
- was able to see alternate doctor today, who took my concerns seriously.

Time of Isolation - Day 1948

Saturday snippets

in which our plucky heroine gets an unexpected visit ...

It has been well over a year since I last saw my dear friend Tullia, a far cry from the days when she lived closer. This afternoon she came over for an outdoor visit, and as it was not actively raining, we could walk around the neighborhood and chat. And, she thought of me on her recent trip to Japan and brought back two tiny maneki-neko for my collection, which with these additions now numbers 23, all different, and most under 1" tall.

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~ more tiny treats ~

so far, doing well on track for the increased timeline of 12 more groups of five trinkets or treats for bonus "The Advent of A Better Year in 2026" Swap boxes. Item 1: five more painted lunaria decorations, item 2: five golden origami dragons, and have started but not quite completed item 3: five very small amanita ornaments made from acorn caps and q tips... While it is easy to choose complex tiny treats, the big challenge is figuring out 12 different simple-to-make options before the end of October.

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After my computer spex broke, I was (thankfully) able to order a new ones from eyebuydirect. Since there was a BOGO sale, two backup pairs. Both arrived today, and now I need to order some replacement nose pads. My skin reacts badly to the soft silicone most nose pads are made from, so it is off to "NosePads.com", niche shopping for hard plastic ones in the correct size and configuration. All their nose pads are also two pair for the price of one, and having some extra on hand is not a bad idea. My intention is to put together a spex first aid kit (tiny screwdriver, extra screws and nose pads, lens wipes, loctite, etc) to store in the medicine cabinet.

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Suddenly, in the last two days, the bay nuts have begun to fall from the bay laurel trees. It would be good to gather some this year, enough to share with my friend Mr Dawson who enjoys them... The nuts do require a fair amount of processing; husking, drying, then roasting. (I've also always thought about a version of Almond Roca toffee with roasted bay nuts...)

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	6 lunaria pod ornaments	wheelbarrow tire	greenwaste bin
2	5 more lunaria ornaments	cardigan cuffs	recycle bin
3	5 golden origami dragons	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- new computer spex
- a visit with Tullia
- two new tiny maneki neko

Time of Isolation - Day 1938

heart on my sleeve

in which our plucky heroine appreciates the everyday...

...starting with somehow managing to get 8 hours of sleep. A very rare occurrence, probably related to the 6½ miles of walking yesterday. Around the autumnal equinox is when the summer percale sheets get folded away and the cotton flannel sheets take their place. It is almost time to switch from the coverlet to the duvet, the last step before turning the heat pump to warming the house instead of cooling it.  

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~ stacked skeletons ~

These are more horrific folded on shelves than ever seen in folks yards...

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Among today's errands, a stop at Kitchen Kaboodle to get a new gasket for one of the small glass Fido jars. Those sorts of jars are not hard to find, but replacement parts are difficult, and after the fermented onion experiment, that jar definitely needed help. Was also able to pick up a wooden citrus reamer to replace the crumbling plastic one that is no longer useable, and ended with a satisfying conversation with the clerk who had just signed up for a library card. She hadn't known about accessing films through Kanopy  via library, which is a free source for a wide assortment of documentary, vintage, foreign, and modern films...

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A few days ago, the rear left stove burner started not lighting correctly, and then burning with yellow instead of blue flame. Odd, and a bit scary. Went as far as phoning a few places about a service call. I do keep the beloved stove as spic and span as possible, so figured it was something mechanical. For some reason, it seemed like a good idea to double check the moveable lid of the burner, thinking maybe there had been a splash from a spill or??  On closer examination, looking into the small deep central opening where the gas jet is, there seemed to be what looked like spiderweb?... so, with great care, a toothpick, and a tiny brush, our plucky heroine removed the detritus without actually touching any of the mechanism. Yay! The burner now lights and burns correctly, and there is no need to spend over $100 only to be told that apparently cobweb patrol isn't just for ceilings!! 

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Almost done mending the chopshop-style cardigan. It has all new cuffs made from neckband ribbing. There are a few holes still to patch, though some buttonhole stitch, blanket stitch, and stem stitch embroidery turned the largest one into a heart, most appropriately located on the sleeve.

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	6 lunaria pod ornaments	wheelbarrow tire	greenwaste bin
2	-	cardigan cuffs	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- the back stove burner didn't need repair, just needed me to (carefully) remove the spiderweb from inside the mechanism! 
- got my flu jab today, of the special high dose version for seniors. My arm is more sore than it was from the covid jab earlier
- varied layers for bedding comfort, changing with the seasons

Time of Isolation - Day 1936

wishful Wednesday

in which our plucky heroine gets her wish...

In the middle of the day yesterday, the dial tone returned to the phone, and the internets returned to the tech. There was happy dancing!!

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~ even smaller lunaria ornaments ~

So pleased with how the miniature painted canal roses turned out. These lunaria pods are just about an inch across. They will get a silver floss cord for hanging them up, and a second layer of light blue wool felt backing. Since they are mostly flat, these will get wrapped in origami envelopes instead of origami boxes. I've found a quilters square ruler is a most useful way to turn discarded magazine pages into "origami paper.

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Feeling really good to return to repairing. My favorite cardigan, made by Karen in the "sweater chopshop" style, has been worn so much that the cuffs were completely worn to a ravelling. So, time to replace the worn bits with newly cut scrap ribbing from one of the former garments that were used to make up the cardigan in the first place. Hand stitching soothes my spirits as well as fixes material problems.

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My HOP transit pass card informed me when scanned yesterday that it was "low on funds". Two different stores where I formerly was able to add funds were unable to have their newly updated machinery interface with my card which is several years old. One offered to sell me a HOP gift card instead, (which carries a $3 surcharge per gift card in addition to the actual money for fares) Let's see what I can find out... So, the consumer support persons I spoke with were less than useless. One told me that the managers at both stores were lying to me about problems with the machines! The other told me that since my transit pass was several years old it was necessary to buy a new one! Untrue and not helpful. So, decided to actually go to the TriMet office and seek in-person help. But while partly on the way, but before transferring to take the MAX all the way downtown, stopped to try yet a third grocery store, the Fred Meyers adjacent to the transit center. Huzzah! Their machine was able to load funds onto my card with no problem, which saved me several hours of transit and bureaucratic foo. 

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Best thing today was that the new tire for the refurbished wheelbarrow finally arrived at Les Schwab, and I was able to fit the old axle + wheel + dead tire into one of the rear baskets on my bicycle. While there was a bit of a wait to get the new tire mounted on the old wheel, it is now ready to be installed. They needed to put an inner tube in, which added a bit to the cost, but will also make it more durable. Tomorrow's tasks will include reassembling the various wheelbarrow parts into a functional garden tool.

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	6 lunaria pod ornaments	wheelbarrow tire	greenwaste bin
2	-	-	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- the internet has returned!!
- new wheelbarrow tire
- was able to refill transit pass at Fred Meyers
- the first box of advent swap treats arrived today
- today I walked almost 17K steps (almost 6½ miles)
- the Xero shoes ordered in September arrived on the porch today

Time of Isolation - Day 1935

wishful Wednesday

in which our plucky heroine feels more isolated than ever...

Rabbit rabbit rabbit! Here's hoping October has some bright glimmers.

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Still no land line, which means no phone and no internet, other than the miniscule access on the mobile phone screen. And the phone company switched the repair ticket from Thursday to Friday. I'm not amused.

progress on the wheelbarrow project: even with ordering a brand new tire, refurbishing the barrow from Karla is a lot more frugal and less spendy than buying a new one. And I'd rather reuse and repair than buy new plastic.

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today's gratitudes -
- new bolts and nuts for wheelbarrow axle brackets from hardware store in St Johns
- ordered a new tire for wheelbarrow from Les Schwab, which should arrive on Monday. (for an extra fee they'll mount the new tire on the wheel)
- BLT salad
- the good metal clothespins that Acantha gave me

Time of Isolation - Day 1928

do you know where your towel is?

in which our plucky heroine is uncertain but does her best...

Whilst out and about on my bike this week, my brain came up with an alternate idea for the Babs brooch project - to use flat back bezels for the pearls instead of pearl cups! That project has had me stymied for months. When I mentioned this idea to Bill last night he agreed it was an idea he had used more than once, and gave me a few additional suggestions. I miss the days when we shared studio space and could bounce ideas back and forth so easily. Indeed, I miss a great deal from the Before Times and Days Gone By... but that world is gone forever, and it is up to us to make the best of the world we do live in.

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~ back in service ~

In the last week or so, ever since it rained, there have been bees again at the hydration station. I don't know if they need more water this time of year, or if it took them that long to find it again, but it makes me happy to see them drinking. And in other buzzing news, while out walking Wellington this morning, we passed a wall covered in ivy, that was all abloom, and so full of bees that the buzz was audible half a block away. On days when despair dogs my footsteps, the life of the natural world lifts my heart.

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Noticed yesterday that one of the few remaining bath towels are getting a bit threadbare in places. They must be almost forty years old now. The first one acquired in 1988, and the others made from fabric bought in Idahell a few years later. 

Years later on one of the trips to West 12th Night, there was some fabric shopping in Berkeley and in Oakland. There is still a length of black waffle weave cotton on the fabric resource shelves, originally meant for a bathrobe, but now it will probably become as many bath sheet size towels as can be fit into however much yardage is there. And if needs must, fabrics-store.com also carries a very nice linen-cotton waffle weave.

Even more years ago than that, a waffle weave towel was a surprise and a delight in the hotel we stayed in in Rome, being eversomuch nicer and more functional than terrycloth. My travel companions thought it very odd that my souvenir was a towel, which took a good deal of effort to find a shop that had them for sale.  

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~ elaborated lunarias ~

Earlier this month my original idea was to paint decorations on the lunaria pods. Even after a coat of nail polish on both sides, they were still really flimsy, and a backing of bright purple felt somehow wasn't just right. So each one was embroidered with a border of beads, and another layer of lighter purple felt attached, with a ribbon for hanging sandwiched between

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One side of my blue computer spex broke apart at the temple hinge. Since there is nothing to lose by trying to DIY repair it, given the expensive repair the last time the other side broke, I'm trying some JB Weld epoxy. They can sit on the workbench overnight and shall hopefully be somewhat solid in the morning. Fortunately my shop glasses serve almost the same function, and tis probably time to order another computer pair from "eye buy direct".

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At my yearly well woman oncology exam on Friday, found out that all the eastside facilities are moving to single new building, that is unfortunately a lot further away. Currently it's a single twenty bus ride from home; the new building isn't even in Portland, though thankfully still can be accessed on transit. I am not relishing the idea of spending over an hour and a half each way (two transfers/three different buses) plus a fair bit of walking in a location that is not intended for or amenable to pedestrian access. Grump!!

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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	greenwaste bin
5	6+ jars fig lemon marmalade	picked moar figs	recycle bin
6	dried pears	picked plums	x
7	4 jars pickled beets	small radiator foot	x
8	11 jars salsa verde	spex temple	x
9	5 jars strawberry rhubarb	x	x
10	5 jars spiced applesauce	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x

several day's gratitudes-
- the Hydration Station is in use again
- passed an ivy-covered wall that was humming, covered in bees
- waffle weave towels
- back up spex
- former shared studio with Bill was both educational and encouraging.
- unexpected old friend showed up at Crafternoon
- there were bead needles at the art store, and the set came with a very thin needle threader; for such tiny needle eyes, the tool wins!!
- after much rummaging, may have managed to find the vital bit of paper this afternoon after my unsuccessful attempt to get the jab this morning. (I've never needed it in the past for vaccination, only my insurance card...)

Time of Isolation - Day 1925

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

※※※

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

※※※

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.

※※※

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

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

sleep hygiene

in which our plucky heroine attempts to readjust...

I am making good use of the alarm function on my phone to re-train my sleep-wake cycle. Yesterday was a sort of total mess, with much too long a nap from about 11am to 8pm. Then cooking a much too late dinner, finally sorting out the marmalade, which finally finished up past midnight. So I set my alarm for 7:30 this morning. Then when I was tired by around 3 in the afternoon, I set the alarm to only let me sleep for an hour.

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~ tangy ~

Eight jars, six half pints and two quarter pints. Since I forgot my intention to use part lemon and part orange (to better imitate the flavor of Meyer lemons in the original recipe) the finished marmalade is very tangy. This is not a bad thing. The texture is really good, cooking the lemon+peel first in water (suggested in Kevin West's chapters on marmalade) keeps the peel tender, and tiny fig seeds add just a bit of unexpectedly pleasant crunch. 

※※※

Rode my bike to the hardware store just before lunch, though it was already getting quite hot out. The main street intersections were full of students heading out for lunches at fast food or food carts, so I needed to ride extra carefully; usually I have already done my out of the house errands long beforehand. Picked up some super glue to begin fixing the floor bracket for the little oil filled radiator. The bracket cracked in half, so once stuck back in the correct configuration with glue, I can reinforce and strengthen it with some of the Milliput epoxy putty, and it will be back in service this winter

※※※

One of the housewarming gifts years ago were some cyclamen starts from my friend Kat. They survived underneath the sage and the hardy fuchsia, and have also somehow scattered around the front yard. Originally pink, they have mutated? reverted? to white, and seeing the little butterfly shaped flowers here and there brings happy thoughts about my friend. 

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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	-	-
3	knitted pony	-	-
4	8 jars quince apple  rosewater sauce	-	-
5	6+ jars fig lemon marmalade	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- cyclamen are blooming in various places around the front yard, courtesy of a few starts from my friend Kat many years ago
- the bag of latex gloves I got from Nicole years ago is almost but not completely empty; I use them for when I have to deal with hot peppers, or for things like epoxy.
- there is a new episode of the Great British Sewing Bee to watch today, and Kim once again shares a link that works for those of us on this side of the pond...

Time of Isolation - Day 1906

the sweet scent of late summer

in which our plucky heroine takes an appreciative sniff...

This is one time of year when there are some of my favorite flower scents drifting on the air. I remember the first time I smelled Clerodendrum, on a trip through the city... we'd stopped for dinner at McMenamins Barley Mill Pub, and parked a few blocks away, and there was this amazing floral perfume that just overwhelmed me. Took me months, and librarian helpers, in those pre-internet days, to find out what the plant was.

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~ Clerodendrum trichotomum ~

Common names Harlequin Glorybower (or/also "peanutbutter plant") it has the most sweetly scented flowers, which turn into small metallic blue berries surrounded by bright red sepals. If you crush or rub the leaves, they smell sort of like peanut butter. The berries make a dyestuff known in Japan as "the other blue"...

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Progress on the elderberrry tincture: after freezing the elderberries for a day or two, they have been transferred into a mason jar, covered with 100 proof vodka, and stashed in the pantry for the next month and a half... the jar gets shaken up at least several times a week as alcohol and water extract healing compounds from the berries.

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Riding my bike on Thursday morning, and heard a sort of strange ping noise, which turned out to be a broken spoke, which sent the rear wheel enough out of true that it was dragging on the rear brakepad as well. Since I was out and about on errands, stopped at the re-opened bike shop in Kenton, dropped it off to be repaired, and headed for home on foot. Turned out that the wheel needed replaced due to age and former broken spokes. Not that bad, considering the bike is over 25 years old.

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Yesterday there was an instagram post from the St Johns Little Free Art Gallery, with photos of their current group show that just refilled the box, so was tempted to take an evening ride (fingers crossed it didn't rain on me)... there, as well as all sorts of 2D artwork was this adorable little 2" ceramic rattle/bell ornament shaped like a the love child of a gyoza dumpling and a grumpy goldfish. This reminds me of my intention to eventually create a sort of blank wreath that I can add the various trinkets from the advent swaps; this little fish would be a great addition...

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Insomnia bit hard last night, and then waking up from a nightmare at 3am didn't do me any favors either, so a long afternoon nap was inevitable. My planned chores and activity for today mostly didn't happen, though I did hang the laundry on the line before succumbing to magnetic bed attraction. First task on waking up again was to water the treelings. Then it occurred to me that the basil surrounding Juliet-the-tomato could be trimmed and the leaves set to dry for wintertime use, the kitchen smells wonderfully of basil.

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August SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	4 jar storage trays	tiger block	greenwaste bin
2	4 jar storage lids	bright rayon top width	recycle bin
3	-	indigotiger popover  hem extension	recycle bin
4	-	bike rear wheel	window AC
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes - 
- Ariadne mentioned Piel de Sapo melon, so when I saw some at the market, had to try it... so yummy!
- we didn't get much if any rain, but it has cooled down a little bit, and is a bit less muggy
- two delightful treats from the Little Free Art Gallery

Time of Isolation - Day 1853

Tuesday tidbits

in which our plucky heroine does a little bit of this and a little bit of that...

Zoomtime with friends - Leslie in the morning, and Karen in the afternoon was probably the best part of my day. Also picking almost 4 ounces more blueberries early in the day after making sure all the young trees were watered, so they can go into the dreadful high heat tomorrow well hydrated.

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~ silverwood ~

The (20+years at least old) roof here at Acorn Cottage is being replaced this week. The lightest color of shingles available from my roofing contractors. Given that shingles are made from asphalt, they can't be solid white. Given my budget (and my own expected life span) this was the best option...

※※※

Other garden news, the peas are basically done. Next year I will try and plant them earlier than I did this time. On the other hand, the tomatoes are getting really close, the two largest ones were a pinky orangey color, and fell off the vine into my hand. They will continue to ripen on the counter.

※※※

Minor repairs to the air cleaner, which had two of its four little conical rubbery legs fall off. Carefully removed all the not very good sticky adhesive from the legs and the case, and reattached them with some RTV silicone. One of the buckwheat hull pillows made a flexible adjustable cushion to accomodate the handle on the top; balanced bottom side up and level meant the legs stayed put until the RTV cured.

※※※

The other rather kludgy project of the day was transforming a plastic tarp into a narrower version of itself by folding into thirds and sewing around the edge on the machine. The walking foot was helpful. It isn't pretty, but doing it this way meant I didn't need to set rivets into the corners to attach it. Why is this needed? There is a gap between the porch roof and the house roof. It would be less than ideal if debris from the roof tear off fell down onto the front walkway, particularly since that is where I intend to have the cooler(s) and ice for the workers on Thursday. One of tomorrow's tasks is  attaching each end of the thicker narrower tarp as high up as possible. Will need to add at least one more heavy hooks into one of the porch rafters near the house, the other three corners have something already in place to tie off to. Wish I had thought of this earlier, before the heat rolled in... 

※※※

Further adjustments of the sunblock mitts today, they were slashed more than halfway up the forearm end, and the edges overlapped an inch on each side, tapering away to nothing near the wrist. Much better fit was obtained, and the pattern will be adjusted appropriately. It didn't take more than an hour or two to redo the hand stitching on the edge bands, and double stitch the new additional seam.

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Raven scroll	6 prs Beth pants	recycle bin
2	black floral scarf	prune² Wanda plum	greenwaste bin
3	4 jars strawberry- rhubarb preserves	mulch peartrees	greenwaste bin
4	sunblock mitts	Eames top	-
5	catch tarp for porch	filter box legs	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- managed to get to the store first thing in the morning and last thing at night, when the outdoor temperature was less than surface of the sun, to acquire two bags of small ice for cooler use on Thursday; if I need more, can acquire Thursday evening
- Good Neighbors are lending me an extra cooler for Thursday
- All the dishes are finally washed

Time of Isolation - Day 1821