project or process...

in which our plucky heroine can take a hint...

While I went riding out to the Tiny Gallery in St John's earlier, I also stopped at most of the little free libraries I saw, so I could measure their height (between 38 to 42 inches average). In one of them, much to my great surprise, I saw a few assorted oversize books about jewelry making and metalwork. Not the usual LFL content. I took several of them home with me for further perusal, and there was one, "Soldering Demystified" that is going to be added to the Acorn Cottage reference collection. I've only started to read it, but there's practical information in there I've never read about before. Perhaps it is time to return to the workbench...

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I've been doing some sketches for how to re-do the backing under the kitchen sink. My intent is, once all the sink repairs have been completed, to put in place a similar (removable) undersink to what is under the bathroom sink. Modified, of course, to fit the different space and configuration. I've been mulling this over for weeks now, and finally have a few ideas that may be possible. There will be rather a lot more sketching done before any plywood gets cut; ideas on paper are much less onerous to re-do.

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~ tinyprint Tuesday ~

getting there... this weeks tinyprint for the textile livestock series is a sheep (obviously). I'm right pleased with how my use of several different sizes of tiny drill bits create a texture that evokes "wooly". I still need to carve llama, and silkworm, and maybe yak and vicuña. Then it will be time to print my second miniature handprinted book...

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Being rather taken with the results of my bathrobe hook project, it occurred to me to attempt something similar with my handtowel holder, which is also oak. Not as amenable to the treatment, since it apparently has some sort of resistant finish. First I tried gently sanding it - nope. Then I tried wiping it down with denatured alcohol - nope. Much more vigorous sanding allowed the ebonising fluid to access the oak in patches. I'm going to continue attacking it bit by bit, as there is no visible way to tell if the surface has been sufficiently abraded. When completely ebonised, it will look rather wonderful, just getting there will take more time than hoped.

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I continue to play with the tiny doll wardrobe challenge, because a gal has to get her dopamine somewhere...; Tomorrow we find out what the garment for week two will be. So far, I've played around with a simple stitched skirt (modified from the pattern given) and added a simple knitted skirt as well. I'm probably always going a bit off plan, as the difference in size and favorite textile techniques require. Our plucky heroine basically doesn't crochet, and a fair number of the upcoming patterns will have me happier if I can substitute in either a knitted garment, or something completely different but more to the taste of my tinyfolk. These link to both the wardrobe plan for the 2024 Summer Mini Doll Wardrobe-Along challenge, and the "13 piece Whatever's Clean" wardrobe plan from The Vivienne Files, that the former plan is inspired by. I intend to dance somewhere in between, as the whim takes me, and the supplies I have on hand allow.

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	musk ox print	horses blouse edge	yard waste bin
2	green linen Jedi tunic	kitchen light fixture	recycle bin
3	Nandina floral dress	Luxo plug	dead box fan
4	2 tiny knit skirts	plaid flannel slip	recycle bin
5	tiny knit cardigan	oak wall hook ebonised	-
6	Salish wooly dog print	x	x
7	bathrobe hook	x	x
8	tiny batik skirt	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. an excellent reference book on soldering showed up in a little free library on my bike ride Sunday evening
2. I can still see well enough when I take my glasses off to be able to do most of the sorts of close work I enjoy. (And if more is needed, I do have a big LED magnifying light)
3. Starting to learn about role playing games, in a very simple "dipping my toes into the water" way. With two of my faraway friends, who are also experienced gamers, we are going to be playing Golden Sky Stories. This is adding another online video connection time to my schedule, which gives me a something to look forward to. Four years is a long time to be in this spaceship. 

Time of Isolation - Day 1446

unexpected rainbows

in which our plucky heroine is surprised...

Today I managed to walk over to the pharmacy to pick up medication, and whilst walking back home, noticed that the art store had a tent setup outside the store with "Demo Today - Tie-Dye!" on a sign.... I had forgotten that this was going to happen this weekend, and once I dropped the meds at home, speedily returned on my bike with a piece of undyed linen and an Indian blockprinted voile headscarf that was mostly white... Spent some time dyeing, they were wrapped up in plastic so I could bring them home, and after 24 hours have passed, late tomorrow I will be able to rinse out the dye, remove the rubber bands, and unfold them to see what sort of effects were created. I love the anticipation...

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A bit of effort every day for quite a while, and my denim daypack is finished. I am right pleased with the results, and hope it will prove as durable as my black Eames daypack I made back in April of 2019. Decorative patch created by Cada Johnson, day pack adapted from the Range Backpack pattern by Noodlehead.

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I hate it when my body does this, gets stuck in pain mode and interferes with my ability to move about in the world. It hurts the least when I am standing up and walking around. Transitioning from standing to sitting or lying down, or just sitting, or just lying down are dreadful. Riding my bike is bearable, and feels like is is almost doing gentle ROM exercise. Mostly I hate that I don't know why, and that scares me, and always makes me wonder if it is cancer somehow returned and attacking my bones instead of my now missing uterus. I will never be free of that fear, until I am no longer in the bright world.(and lack of sleep doesn't help with my mental equilibrium at all)

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~ FAFO fragments ~

A small Viking-esque festoon made from a combination of amythest beads and some faux granulated beads, to be worn with my FAFO/Pride Viking Age set of clothing, at some unspecified future date. This is my nod towards adding a bit of purple accent color...

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	some quilt squares	tea rose temperature	rose and grapevines
2	tinyprint fox	partial backyard mown	some grass
3	arm protectors	Acantha cereal bowl	some more grass
4	moar quilt squares	-	recycle bin
5	tinyprint fan	-	yard waste bin
6	denim daypack	x	yard waste bin
7	x	x	recycle bin
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
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes - 
1. serendipitous art demo of the rainbow tie-dye variety
2. delicious Soom tahini from my friend Jenna made the most excellent baba ganoosh.
3. a precious few random moments today when the pain abated

Time of Isolation - Day 1091

more upson downs

in which our plucky heroine flails about seeking bootstraps

I need to do better at sleep hygiene. When I don't get to bed at a suitable time, or if I eat food too late in the evening, it exacerbates my already not particularly helpful insomnia. Then if I need to get up early, for some reason (most commonly a medical appointment) I not only spend the day exhausted, but get all entangled in negative thoughts, which sets of an unfortunate downward spiral.

I woke up after nowhere near enough sleep all enmeshed in thoughts of failure. If this is my life now and going forward what is the worth of making any efforts. If as I believe the task of Making A Difference on the Great Scale is vital, then I have not made a success of my life, not by my own efforts, not through children, and no more through teaching. I do realise that this is only one of many perspectives, and on a better day, I view my life with different lenses. Today, however, was hard. And lonely.

I dragged myself through the morning routines and on the bus to my physical therapy appointment. When there, J pointed out to me that I could, on days when it was difficult to do the whole set of exercises all in one go, more simply do a few at a time, each hour or so when I was up and moving around, which never occurred to me. I do have more mobility than when I began this course of self-care, and want very much to continue in that direction. 

By the time I made it home, with a stop at the pharmacy to refill a prescription, I was ridiculously exhausted, and decided that napping was the better part of valor. I woke up three hours later in a much better frame of mind, able to remember the small ways I do make a mite of difference, fragments of assistance I have been able to render, and that even though I rarely see my dear ones it is obvious that I am surrounded by their lovingkindness.

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out and about:

I like autumn leaves almost as much as I like moss worlds. This one had to come home with me earlier today, that I found on my walk from the physical therapy office to the bus roundabout. Between the wind and the advanced season, there will not be many more fallen colorful remnants to bring home.

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Just before bedtime yesterday I was able to finish attaching the new LED undercabinet light fixture to the wooden support bracket, and place it above my kitchen sink. Huzzah!! It is probably at least two to three times brighter than what I had set up before. Of course, the new one will not serve as well as a "nightlight" in that space, but that is a different design problem; I can come up with a different solution for nighttime "safety" lighting.

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December SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	skull collar #2	over sink light	recycle bin
2	baprons for Liam	-	-
3	8 jars strawberry rhubarb	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	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
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. I can walk, I can stand, I can move comparatively freely about in my life. While I feel inconvenienced by the removal of bus shelters, and the austere decision to have fewer bus stops altogether, I can still use the system. I will continue to make my concerns of how these systemic decisions affect those who have less physical ability known to the authorities.
2. It was unexpected brightness to have a short conversation with a young man in the PT waiting line, who turned out to be learning garment sewing, a most unexpected activity for someone in that demographic. I was so happy to be able to give him the tip about starching fabric that is wiggly but also washable in order to make it easier to handle.
3. I am an excellent designer, good at thinking about how to adapt spaces using minimal resources. Bit by bit my home will continue to improve in function and beauty.

Time of Isolation - Day 1007