Monday musings

in which our plucky heroine proceeds incrementally ...

The first waterbath preserves of this harvest season - there have been a few windfall apples already... Once the undamaged parts are cut away and peeled, they were combined with an equal amount of last years quince chunks from the freezer and simmer/steamed until well softened and the small amount of water mostly boiled away. My preference is for "chunky" sauce, so only slightly mashed, and after adding a just tiny spoonful of rosewater to each jar, the fruit sauce was processed for 15 minutes. Once cooled, there are three new jars on the pantry shelf. I think the portion of the backyard tree that survived has Gala apples, they are very flavorful, slightly golden color inside, but hard and crunchy - good for cooking

※※※

~ pay attention ~

This looks like a protective roadside shrine. Black maneki-neko are thought to ward off misfortune, and the mirror may bounce bad luck "away"...

The other interesting thing seen recently while out on my bike was what appeared to be an unlabled painted breadbox on a post in front of a house, in the sort of position often seen for Little Free Libraries, or Free Little Art Galleries. Curious about the contents, it turned out it was a potters "honesty box" with several mugs and a set of plates, and a request to post the pay-what-you-think into a box on the house porch. I'll have to see if I can find it again, somewhere between Acorn Cottage and the post office

※※※

The last time I was at the hardware store, picked up a pair of the smallest NiteIze S-biners they had, with the intention of replacing the straps on my kitchen apron. The apron washes up less entangled in the laundry without long straps attached, and some lengths of the twill tape from Beth and Karen was just the thing to turn into a pair long-enough straps with a loop on one end of each. All these sorts of assorted minor improvements and repairs will make life here just a bit easier to navigate... 

※※※

Two ideas for largess projects: some more of the triangle pouches (using scrap fabric), and making block printed trim for garb (using 2 yard lengths of twill tape). There is already a good assortment of tiny stamps and blocks for printing trim, and of fabric printing inks on hand, though it isn't really a suitable craft for doing during online meetings. Sewing the triangle pouches is, though... and I do want to make one from the pink jungle background fabric for Kestrel's little toy "fishlet" who apparently loves pink!

※※※

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	dried basil	indigotiger popover  hem extension	recycle bin
4	3 jars apple/quince rosewater sauce	bike rear wheel	window AC
5	-	new apron straps	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- Past Me cleverly stashed leftover quince chunks in the freezer
- one of the four admin tasks for this week is done
- some of the gifted twill tape is just right for new apron straps

Time of Isolation - Day 1855

there and back again, once again

in which our plucky heroine returns from a long journey...

I went to visit my Aged Parents, who live just outside of Boston. It has been several years since we last saw each other - I'd planned on a visit in the spring of 2020, and we all know how that year unfolded.

I had* to fly, since there have been no roomettes available on Amtrak between here and Chicago for months now.  Air travel has not improved since the last time I was on a plane years ago.  Also, the number of people I saw who either purposefully did not wear their masks properly, or who removed their masks to eat or drink and then just didn't bother to replace them was very disheartening.

I was gone for ten days, and am now completely exhausted. Each day was spent with my family, primarily time with mom and dad during the day, and then at the hotel with my sister each night. I was able to spend one day visiting my brother and his wife, which was a special treat and a bit of a respite from the challenge of seeing how much more frail my folks are, and doing what little they allowed us to do to help them, as well as trying to sort out various needful paperwork such as getting medical proxy forms in place and suchlike. The good part of the trip was several chances to hear stories from my parents earlier lives together, and from when they were children. My older nephews and my sisters husband flew in for a long weekend, and made video recordings of the storytelling. I enjoyed the chance to connect with the nephews a bit; I never really spent any time with while they were growing up, since we all live so far from one another.

I wish that there had somehow been time to do a few "just for fun" things on this trip. I'd have loved to drive around and look at the various places I spent so much of my growing-up years, and compare and contrast the nowadays with the memories. I'd hoped to get to the MFA with my sister-in-law, as she suggested that seeing the Fabric of a Nation exhibition. It would have been a delight to take a few hours and drive up to Lowell to the New England Quilt Museum, and see the Salley Mavor  "Bedtime Stories" exhibition. I've never seen her work in person, though I own several of her books, both the ones for children, and the ones detailing how to create wee felt folk. One of those purchased by my mom in 2010, and signed by the author, as seen in this photo from the previous Salley Mavor exhibition. But there was no time. Museums and exhibits will, with luck, continue to happen. Time with parents is more specifically finite

Aging is hard. My dad will be 90 in January, and my mom is 87. Both are more than somewhat frail, both have multiple health issues, and my mom basically can't walk any more, and seems to be affected with some form of cognition issues. The basic activities of living take longer, and use more of what limited energy they have available. My parents are refusing most assistance that would make their lives easier, as having in home caregivers did not work out well for them. They have finally  at least agreed to have a once a week housecleaner. My dad is doing all the cooking, shopping, as well as all personal care for my mom, and his love for her is palpable. This will not end well, but is their choice. Even were I to tear up stakes and move across the country, I doubt they would not accept my aid.  My heart is breaking over and over again. I am glad I made the trip, despite the difficulty, as their situation could change in the blink of an eye... 

※※※

beauty in the time of isolation:

New England in the autumn, even past the peak, still has such natural beauty

※※※

November SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	roses kerchief	-	-
2	-	-	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	-	x	-
7	-	x	x
8	-	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitude - the EMT folks from 911, who have more than once been called to pick my mother up from the floor when she has fallen, and returned her either to her bed, her wheelchair, or when needed, transported her to hospital.





* I prefer to use rail travel both for philosophical/ethical reasons and for safeguarding my health by not subjecting my lymphedema to the challenge of air travel

scavenger hunt Sunday

in which our plucky heroine has fun...

A friend organised "The Epic Photo Scavenger Hunt", which will take place between August 1st and October 31st, as an amusing way to share images and learn more about how to use our cameras, and to comment in ways that may help us to become better at photography. A camera or at very least my clever phone is part of my EDC, and it occurred to me that the images could be shared here on the blog, as well. There are 67 items on the list, so getting started right away seems like a good plan. So far I have six:

10. a barn

August 2 2017. While I forgot my digital camera, as well as several other desired things, when I left Portland very early Wednesday last week to escape the worst of the heat wave, I did have my phone with me... and attempted to catch several of the barns visible from the train heading north to Olympia. This image was my most successful.

21. a closeup of an insect

August 6 2017. a Grey Hairstreak (Strymon melinus) feeding on wild mint nectar. I was actually in the driveway attempting to photograph the many different species of bees also enjoying the mint nectar, and then noticed this wee grey butterfly that was moving quietly along one horizontal blossom spike.

28. a passenger train

August 4 2017 - one of the passenger platforms at Union Station in Portland, Coast Starlight on the left, Amtrak Cascades on the right. I happened to unexpectedly take a train trip up to Olympia this past week, and on my return to Portland the very chiaroscuro lighting on the platform caught my attention when we returned...

30. a team mascot

August 2 2017. OMNIA EXTARES! This is a beautifully artistic interpretation of the mascot of my alma mater (The Evergreen State College), our native geoduck. We even have a fight song "Go Geoducks Go"

37. a pet

August 2 2017. Toshi, canine guardian of the Mud Bay folks, paw in hand with Maeva... because Toshi, although very photogenic, is averse to having his picture taken, I decided to go with the more conceptual image, to illustrate his connection to the people he loves.

64. P is for... pea vines

August 2 2017. Also for peascods, and peasblossoms, in the backyard at the Mud Bay House. (we get to choose what "P" is for, and I thought these beautiful enough to be worth sharing)

Friday fragments

... in which our plucky heroine is moderately pleased...

It has been a busy week, with some real progress happening with studio work - I have been making a set of small heraldic enamels, but since they are currently part of a "sekrit project", there are no photos yet posted... those will come later. In addition, Bill and Jen stopped by on their way south, and I was able to hand off some of the raw materials for the Wastekeep project to Bill, and in return the quatrefoil medallions that need enameled are now here, and waiting on my test samples. That project is a big one (two elaborate coronets) and I am glad that so far it all is moving smoothly forward.

※※※

Earlier this week, Drusa and I were rambling round an unfamiliar neighborhood up in NW, whilst waiting for her vehicle tires to be replaced. We ended up walking all the way up to 23rd, and the fancy paper store, and on the way back, found this amazingly muscular tree! This is only part of it...

※※※

Euphorbia wulfenii... there are some of these at Acorn Cottage, all the descendants of one small plant in a 4" pot that I brought home years ago. None have quite so picturesque a backdrop as this one a few blocks away! I am a big fan of sturdy plants that do not need to be coddled. Some might call euphorbia a thug, but it has these amazing chartreuse flower bracts every springtime year after year, and I never have to water it in the summer heat...

※※※

April SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	pottery buttons	-	yard waste bin
2	soap dish	x	paper recycle bin
3	painted bowl	x	-
4	geometric flower holder	x	-
5	3 enamels for E	x	x
6	-	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x

※※※

to the Lan Su Chinese Garden

in which our plucky heroine takes an excursion...
(earlier in the week, on Wednesday, before all the snow and ice)

Somehow, there is always more beauty to be seen inside the Lan Su Chinese Garden. It is a wonder of design, in whatever season of the year... that takes up an entire city block downtown. This month they celebrate "Nine Free Days" where for the price of a donation of shelf stable food for the Oregon Food Bank, you get free admission to the Garden that day!

only the good die young - there were still a few pomegranates hanging on to the branches in the first courtyard. so beautiful in the winter sunlight, but they won't live to ripen into edible fruit this late in the year

winter camellias in a courtyard, viewed through a wooden screen

The curved window in the wall allows a view of the banana tree and more pebble paving, in a narrow private space. I hope that the tree was warmly wrapped up prior to last night's deep frost

layers and layers of pierced screens of wood, and layers and layers of decoration...

Their hachiya persimmon tree was laden with vivid orange fruits

roof tiles and end caps, with just a bit of mossy greenery glowing in the winter sunlight

Was quite grateful to Brigitta for calling the 9 Free Days to my attention, and was fun to go there with her, and to share my love of Sushi Ichiban, where we walked over in the cold winter sunshine and had lunch afterwards...

a bit of breathing room

in which our plucky heroine is grateful for a chance to spend time with friends...


Last weekend was An Tir Collegium, a new educational SCA event, which was held in Pasco, WA.. I had already decided to attend, but not do a presentation (I was honored to have been asked, but my travels earlier this autumn precluded my also having enough prep time for a lecture and handout/bibliography). It was definitely useful to see various ways that other folks put their presentations together, and I have ideas for what I can do next time. A very nifty innovation was that the site token for the event was a tiny thumb drive the size and shape of a credit card, with all the handouts from the event, so that even for the classes (there were nine tracks, some with six or seven classes each) we did not attend we still got some data.

while traveling, we stopped both outbound and return at Maryhill Stonehenge... I love this view (two states and the Columbia River between)

The view in the opposite direction. I'd never been here before at this time of year, and the bits of autumnal color were a delight. Plus windmills. I love the windmills.

Driving across eastern Washington on the way home, the power lines formed a cohort of giant electric cats marching alongside the highway

Back at Stonehenge, the day was heading towards sunset, and the sky was much more dramatic

And, my excellent traveling companions... Marya, Ursel, and Mea

:::

Alas, I think that the cold, that I have been attempting to fight off since the weekend, is winning... I feel like crap, and a return to bed is seeming more and more like a good idea. I am too wobbly to keep trying to solder bezels. Seems like every time I stay in a hotel I come home sick... time to go put the chooks to bed and then do the same for myself

via the train - between here and Chicago

in which our plucky heroine shares a travelogue...

It took a while to get all the photos off my camera and into the computer. My cross-country trip last month was all via Amtrak, and covered over 6400 miles and four time zones. One good thing about train travel is that there is no jet lag. The first leg of the trip was aboard the Empire Builder from the west coast to Chicago; I left from Portland's Union Station on September 7th.

my carry-on gear is stacked on the seat opposite me: daypack, soft suitcase, and my elegant black straw hat with the silk chiffon scarf acting as a hatband. My rolled up memory foam is stashed atop the two provided Amtrak pillows, which are sitting on the "stairs" used to get into the upper bunk in the roomette.

As on my previous cross country excursion two years ago, the plan was to travel in (relative) style, ensconced in a first class roomette, aka "bunk bed with a door". Being able to lie down to sleep at night makes the long journey mostly relaxing rather than grueling.

Eastern Washington sometime on the first evening...

Multiple reflections, somewhere I think in Glacier... the observation car windows above and a fragment of sky down in the river.

Many horses in Montana. While I love seeing the varied landscapes outside the train windows, I often wish there was some way to know more about what I am seeing - given the spacious landscapes with few animals visible for most of my travels, looking at all these horses penned up in one place was not reassuring as to their future destiny, though one friend suggested it may have been part of a mustang roundup.

Montana really is the big sky country!

big sky, tiny cows...

big sky and rolling hills... I love the quality of the light in the prairie heartlands

sunset on the first night, looking west from my seat in my compartment, hence the blurry edge as I focused outside the train

passed through most of North Dakota and Minnesota while I was sleeping, and in the morning caught a few glimpses of Minneapolis/St Paul after breakfast...

As we travel from Minnesota through Wisconsin, the landscape changes yet again. I liked the contrast here between the concrete highway understructure, the stacks of railroad ties, and the wild greenery on the embankment

more industrial scenery the further east we go...

highway megalith

we passed through Milwaukee sometime after lunch (lunch was tasty barbecue pork shanks with mashed potatoes and salad and Greek yoghurt cheesecake for dessert)

A very colorful bridge in downtown Milwaukee

and some matching highway spaghetti, also blue and gold... just looked this up online and it is part of the Marquette Interchange, a new redesigned multi-freeway intersection in downtown Milwaukee

...and this concludes the first leg of the trip photos, taken over the almost two days between home and Chicago.

weekend wanderings

... in which our plucky heroine is continuing to dedicate a portion of the before breakfast think-and-design time to the pieces for the art show this April....

It has been a long time since I made pieces of art "just because" instead of just for work.  My "brilliant" concept for the necklace portion of this piece turned out not so brilliant... using bone and mother-of-pearl buttons will be far too visually solid (plus uncomfortably heavy to wear)... back to square zero and rethink that part of the design. This pendant necklace is only part of a larger composite artwork, and will be detachable from it, so it will need to work with the larger composition in addition to as an independent art object.

:::

Saturday my pal Ursel came over, and we went on a St Johns ramble round for an afternoon excursion, with lunch at Anna Bannanas, and then a walk down to Cathedral Park and back, which resulted in not only a weary if plucky heroine but 8230 steps (almost three miles) logged into the pedometer today, a personal best so far this year! I get tired, and have to stop and rest, but I am determined to rebuild my stamina. And truly 'twas a lovely temperate day for a walkabout and looksee...

This wee cottage has another house or shed back behind it, and a lovely Arts and Crafts color scheme of rusty red, deep sage green and lots of natural wood.

Looking up at the underside of the iconic St Johns Bridge, from the dock on the river in Cathedral Park.

At the start of the walk back up the hill, the lowering light made amazing shadows along the sidewalk...

.. and Ursel was captivated by the mossy landscapes on the parapet

Couldn't resist another hellebore portrait, these were outside of Burgerville... We finished up our ramble with a visit to St Johns Booksellers which is always worth a treasure hunting visit, and then headed back home for some beadwork before Ursel left for home

:::

Since my Le Beguinage swap partner is far more organised about getting things mailed out… my package arrived before the deadline for mailing! She included some of my favorite and always somehow gone missing tools (yarn needles and pocket tape measure), some fun note taking supplies, chocolate in the form of mohair, a Very Useful set of vintage interchangeable needles, origami paper that will be most welcome at this years Honor Feast (our guest of honor has a Japanese persona) and a fun knitted crown. The crown is charming, though will admit that at first was a bit baffled about the “odd sort of knitted collar”, and then it dawned on me what it was… plus I suspect that when my two young friends Ellie and Laurel come to visit, it will be a lovely prop for imaginative play.

it's a sign...

... in which our plucky heroine keeps her eyes open whilst rambling round and about in our fair city...

← This is always a good idea... didn't stop in the shop to see what they were purveying, but it surely was a day for uncommon signage

:::

In case you were looking for a place to park, saw this sign up along on NW Flanders...

:::

Y'know, they seem to happen all on their own, without any additional input... do we really need to generate them??

:::

There are still figs on the Violette tree in the front of the house. Not at all sure if any are forward enough to be edible, but they are a lot larger and darker than usual at this time of year, and our plucky heroine shall hope that at least one or two of them will be... black figs are my favorite. This tree might move to the backyard, there is more sunlight there, and a different way to shade the front window can be figured out...

ATW 2013

in which our plucky heroine has a wonderful time traveling to AnTir/West War and back... (along with about 1300 other folks from up and down the west coast)

We left Portland at by around 9 on Thursday last. I had sent my camping gear south already, on Monday, with my friends Ulfred and Elfrida who were heading down early to help with site layout for the event. I was riding down with Ayla, who I'd not met before, and my friend Ursul. There was much chat along the way, as Ayla was relatively new to our particular group, but she seemed to have an extremely varied set of interests and skills, so will soon find her way.

when we finally got near the coast, it was necessary to take a small break, walk around, and feel the cool wind

every bend in the highway had something else lovely to look at... had we not wanted to get to the site in a timely fashion, it would have been a real treat to actually hike down to the beach

There is such amazing scenery along the Oregon coastline; if fortune favors me with the chance, I would so love to spend some time there again, with more chances to explore and take pictures

the bridge over Coos Bay, came up almost too quickly for me to get the camera out of the daypack...

We decided to stop for lunch in Coos Bay; when the sign for the Blue Heron Bistro, promising German food/seafood called to us. It was an excellent choice, the homemade sausage I had for lunch was an excellent example of the genre, and my companions seemed to be equally satisfied. Happy the day when a new good road food spot is found, and should fortune ever send me back through Coos Bay hungry, there will be another stop there...

:::

Friday

most fortuitously, the spot I set up camp was just to the west of this small stream, which meant that I had the soft sounds of water to grace the start of day, as well as morning shade on my tent, which is a great treat (means not being rousted out of bed by excessive heat at daybreak)

This was the view looking south when I stepped outside my small tent in the morning. This is the most beautiful and best site I have ever been at for an SCA event; there are forested hills like this in all directions, relatively flat pasture to camp on, apparently new this year the site owner put in an abundance of piped potable water taps, and basically no visible intrusion of the modern world.

Whilst visiting with my friends Marya, Lawrence, and Freydis, (who kindly shared their morning kasha with me) I found out that Marya has made birchbark boxes! I get so enthused to see the recreation of uncommon techniques!

After breakfast, it was time for those who came here for the martial activity to head to the war field...

...there was an impressive equestrian presence...

...our Royalty on horseback, riding across the war field

riding round the camping neighborhoods...

a knight and his horse share a quiet moment before the war
:::


Here is another perspective from the SCA event West/An Tir War,
held in Gold Beach, OR on July 4-7 2013
:::

Vasilisa is a woman of many talents, she wove the headress she is wearing. My friend Idynthrysis created the bronze temple ornaments.

a closeup of the temple ornament, and of the weaving...

Friday evening as the sun is low in the sky, shining across the hills above the encampments...

As the sun set over the hills, and dusk settled gently over the encampments, the nighttime stars came out... Never in my everyday life is it possible to witness this, as the sky darkens the stars come into view almost one at a time at first in the gradually darkening sky, till at full dark the sky is ablaze with stars... Such beauty, hidden from sight forever in the city, is so exciting to me, as rare and precious a gift as travel itself...

:::

Saturday

on Saturday morning, in the Arts and Sciences pavillion, a "salon"... Mistress Mathilde Hadebyr and Meistara Kathlin in Storradthaa demonstrate Norse whipcord braiding. In addition HL Gersvinda Gaeslinger shared her knowledge about applied viking knotwork and mica embellished decoration from the Birka finds.

Saturday afternoon, for the first time ever, I dyed at the War! Marya was teaching a class on "Mostly Madder". and we got to experiment with several different dyepots, and ended up with a beautiful assortment of colored yarn. This picture shows tumeric, which yields a vivid golden yellow.

Here is Marya with her jar of madder roots... madder is a dyestuff that yields an assortment of different reddish orangish colors

Cooks from several kingdoms gather at the War for the "Cooks Playdate". They spend the days creating all sorts of wonderful period foods, and in the evenings they set up an enormously long series of tables and have a feast. The food tables, barely visible on the right side of the picture, are only halfway to the far end of the feast tables...

passers by are encouraged, if hungry, to sample the various dishes and I was more than happy to oblige, when called across the field by several of my friends. I needed no extra encouragement to give the ritual compliment that "period food is yummy!"...

Here you see part of the long series of tables set for feasting by the participants in the Cooks Playdate. When seen across the field, they look very much indeed like the illustration in a manuscript, with the bright colors, the decorated table, the pavilions in the background with banners waving in the coastal wind

Couldn't fit all the tables into one picture... this is the other end...

Yseult of Broceliande, at evening court, shortly before being called forward to be recognised as a Companion of the Order of the Laurel.

Drum, violin, and hurdygurdy... On Saturday night, there was yet more merriment, and the camp of the Kingdom of the West was filled with revelry and music. Though I toddled off to sleep in my little tent beside the stream, the sound of the drumming sent me off to dreamland...

:::

Sunday

On the way home I rode back to Portland with Ulfred and Elfrida. We stopped in Bandon, and after a short visit to the local cheese factory, we ate a late lunch/early supper at Tony's Crab Shack. Another memorable roadfood meal, I had rock cod broiled with garlic butter, yum! Very local, very fresh, very tasty...

soon we were back on the road, heading back over the Coos Bay Bridge, then up along the Umpqua River and back to I-5...

Driving through the Willamette valley, heading north to return to our everyday lives, with tired feet and happy memories.