Thursday tidbits

in which our plucky heroine is baffled...

this morning I found a brand new and stillshrink wrappedreference book on my shelves, with no idea of how it arrived!?! "Codices Illustres", a Taschen art book about illuminated manuscripts. It wasn't with my other scribal reference books, and there have been no house guests that might have "planted" it as a surprise. Mysterious indeed!

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~ homegrown tree fruit mid-July ~

These are the fruits currently ripe here at Acorn Cottage... European black elder, and some variety of black fig (sold to me as Negronne) I picked a fair amount of the elderberries yesterday morning, before it got too hot, and spent time carefully plucking them from the stems. Ended up with 10 oz which are now in the freezer. Plan on picking as much as I can manage and then cooking them as immune support syrup. There are new safety guidelines for elderberry preserving, here from OSU, and from Penn State Because they can vary in acidity, it is necessary to use tested recipes, and because raw elderberries can contain cyanide compounds (that are deactivated by cooking) they must be cooked before consuming... 

The figs are easier. They can be eaten directly from the tree, or in combination with goat cheese or other savory things, or cooked into various treats. I plan on using some of my harvest to make a wee little fig and blueberry crisp, combining and smallifying some of these two recipes: Sticky Fig Blueberry Crisp and Fig Crisps with Buttery Nut Streusel. I like the idea of adding the small amount of remaining homegrown blueberries and some lemon from the former, and the latter idea of swapping out chopped nuts for the rolled oats in the topping. I suspect that the proportions of Apple Crisp for One will work well

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Last night's thunderstorm was very loud, full of thunder, some lightning, and almost no rain... I miss the damp thunder-n-lightning storms of my childhood on the other coast, when there was no fire season.

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good news on the garden front: the mock orange start, that seemed to have died, so was cut back but left (forgotten) in the pot seems to not be dead after all, as there is new small green growth showing. When it is no longer the heat of summer and the ground rock hard, I will find it a good spot to plant it in the ground... 

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

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

today's gratitudes-
- mysterious surprise reference art book
- mock orange is not dead
- somewhat cooler than yesterday

Time of Isolation - Day 2200

wishful Wednesday

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

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

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~ another warm day ~

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

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

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

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

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

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

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

Time of Isolation - Day 2193

Saturday snippets...

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

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

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~ a bit overgrown ~

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

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

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

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

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

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

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

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

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

Time of Isolation - Day 2189

somewhat less than ideal

in which our plucky heroine has eye trouble...

I woke up this morning with my right eye very swollen and painful, burning and gritty feeling, and have booked an express care medical visit. The first available appointment was at 8:40 am... And with my right eye so wonky/painful it means I can't do anything at all as sewing, knitting, embroidery, workshop tasks etc all require binocular vision (Last night it didn't feel quite right, so I used extra of my regular before bedtime eye drops).

There seems to be not only an eyelid infection, but it may be spreading to the eye socket, so the plan is for both antibiotic eye drops and daily pills (for the whole system) for a whole week. Yogurt will be a daily necessity, and my sleep wake will become very wonky indeed as every three hours I will be either medicating, or, alternately ingesting probiotic substances, as the pharmacist said to eat with medicines, but not dairy, and then to eat yogurt after a three hour window. Lather rinse repeat.  

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~ was a sunny day ~

The westside esplanade, where the Willamette River bisects Portland, has a short season of springtime when the cherry trees bloom. Usually I only notice this when riding transit over one of our many bridges, but since today was both not-raining, and not-cold, and since I could do none of my usual preferred activites with only one fully functional eye... it seemed that a local "adventure" was a good plan. It turned out that what seemed like half the city also thought it was a good plan! There were dogs, and kiddos, and young families with babies on blankets, new lovers and old ones, folks on wheels: bicycles, and chairs, and skateboards, and rollerblades. There were buskers, and the venerable Saturday Market handcraft tents. It was far more crowded than our plucky heroine prefers to subject herself to, but in this world of trouble and turmoil, it was actually quite lovely and benign.

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The last week has been a challenge in various ways. Never a good sign when I stop writing here, and stop contacting folks. The nightmares that in the Before Times could more often be left at sleeps door when they awakened me in the wee small hours are now far too similar to current events, and have several times made further sleep that night impossible. Fortunately being semi-retired/work from home means that while it isn't ideal, rearranging the daytime to allow for an afternoon nap is at least possible. Reminders from beloved if faraway friends that my being in their lives is helpful and a treat for them, helps my equilbrium. May the week ahead bring, if not fewer daytime horrors, at least some peaceful dreams.

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Lastly, hand stitching ribbon facings to cover the (slightly wonky) steek edges inside the Icelandic cardigan really added a finished look. This was a technique I had seen in some vintage knitwear, but never tried. I found some chocolate brown 1" wide rayon petersham ribbon on Etsy, and the instructions shared by Hélène Magnússon on her blog made the process really clear. It turned out quite pleasingly tidy, and was not difficult. Should I make another steeked cardigan, this will be good to remember...

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Last year a wee baby Victoria rhubarb came to live here, from the plant store at the end of the street. It survived in a pot on the porch next to the front door, where it was very visible, and hence watered often enough. After winter dormancy, it sent out some pencil thin stalks with leaves smaller than my palm, and surely it needed a bigger home. Earlier this week it moved to the raised bed in the backyard. That bed still needs quite a bit of topping up with good soil, but after shifting some all to one end, and adding a few shovels worth of compost, the rhubarb has a new home, where it will get good sunlight all day, and has good rich soil to send roots into. My hope is that if I can manage to care for it well, and feed it richly with compost and worm castings, in a few years I may have homegrown rhubarb. Fingers crossed and notes made on the calendar to keep it watered.

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March SMART goals (x=extra)

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

today's gratitudes -
- I walked five miles today
- cherry blossoms along the esplanade
- being able to get medical attention for my eye, and having the medicine needed be available
- zoom with Jen and a bit of Cathy
- baby rhubarb remains alive and well
- making it back from my doctor visit in time to have some Sewing Nomads zoom this morning

Time of Isolation - Day 2081

wishful Wednesday

in which our plucky heroine has lots of wishes...

most of all that this was not the timeline we were in, or as it has been said "where am I going and why am I in this handbasket"...

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Just figured out that instead of the kitchen timer, I can use "work through the next x-number-of-songs in the set" as my way of keeping self on task! I've been listening to recordings of Grateful Dead concerts via Internet Archive, and they have notated how long each song runs in that particular recording. The Internet Archive (also home of the Wayback Machine) has all sorts of very interesting things to listen to; Dead shows make up only a tiny fragment of their audio collection.

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~ day seven ~

This is my stainless steel chain mail pot scrubber, that moonlights as a paintbrush drying clamp (or is it the other way around)... It normally hangs from one of the drying hooks over my kitchen sink, and one day it occurred to me that I could weave the handle of my just washed paintbrush through the gaps in the mail, and the brush could hang there point down until dry, which is the best way to keep brushes in good condition.  This was a  Useful Gift from Britta's husband Karl, from back when he was making chain mail, and I was renting their spare room. Boy howdy is this thing difficult to draw! I tried to give a sort of impression of the way the links catch the light. Makes me really appreciate the skill that goes into scientific and archaeological drawings. 

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Today I cleaned up under the pantry shelves, where yesterday a bottle of orangeflower water fell from an upper shelf to the concrete floor and shattered. The little vacuum did most of the work, fortunately most of the broken glass landed on some cardboard, and at least the broken jar contained something that had a pleasant, though in this concentration rather intense, scent.

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To balance between what is happening in this country and the bandwidth to continue daily life; we need both to dig in our heels and stop the slide towards fascism and be the sand in their gears, and find what joy exists and build whatever better world for all beings that may still be possible within the ashes of the current debacle.

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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	-	-	orangeflower water
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- Just figured out that instead of the kitchen timer, I can use "work through the next x-number-of-songs in the set" as my way of keeping self on task!
- began a massive declutter project
- the Internet Archive

Time of Isolation - Day 2019

Friday fragments

in which our plucky heroine wonders...can she do it?

After chatting with Ursel last night, I realised that there are actually (at least) four folks I really want to send a "bonus" Advent of A Better Year box to, not just the two initially thought of. (We did this last year, as a pleasant surprise for two different folks who whose year had been really challenging. It didn't just make them happy, it made everyone involved happy) So am wondering if by the end of the month I can come up with a good assortment of additional sixty-two tiny treats. I made 5 more lunaria canal rose ornaments already. If I make/find/buy/forage on average five things every two days, it could happen before the October 31st deadline.

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~ "Le plus ça change" ~

Arlo Guthrie song from 1974 (50+years ago) ..."Nobody elected your family, and we didn't elect your friends; No one voted for your advisers, and nobody wants the men...

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Lunch today was a delicious improvised egg drop soup. A few chicken thighs were defrosted overnight, then were poached while I washed dishes and did a bit of kitchen cleanup. The cooked meat, mostly intended for dinner options, went into the fridge, and the poaching liquid had a concentrated broth cube added to it (those get made and stored in the freezer whenever there are enough leftovers to warrant it). Next some finely chopped green onions, some Microplane grated frozen ginger, and a about a tablespoon of the cooked chicken chopped small. Since I've a surfeit of carrots currently, I dug out my julienne peeler and tossed in some finely cut orange shreds; they cook in a jiffy! For more protein, a single beaten egg was drizzled in for the egg drops. Lastly, a slurry of cornstarch and water was stirred in and cooked, to thicken. No recipe needed, just appetite!

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~ mistsy moisty morning ~

Euphorbia covered in spiderwebs and spangled with heavy mist. Today was partly damp, and partly grey, and even had a few sunbreaks.

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Back in 2023 I made an improved duvet cover, with the underside from a flannel sheet, and internal corner ties. It is a really simple sewing project, basically two identical rectangles sewn together with an opening on one edge fastened with snaps. The internal corner ties keep the actual duvet properly spread out inside the cover, and with one side flannel side there is no need for a separate top sheet.

This year the plan is to make a second one to make laundry rotation a bit easier. My current duvet cover features a whimsical foxes patterned flannel sheet my friends Beth and Karen found at the bins. Last night was chilly enough that switching to the duvet instead of coverlet seemed wise; it made clambering into bed ever so much more cozy, and the cloud-like down puff duvet really tempted me to stay in bed just a little longer this morning. Some people really like heavy, even weighted, blankets. In case it isn't obvious, I definitely am in the opposite group.

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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	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- that first night switching to the wintertime duvet is so cozy!
- my julienne vegetable cutting tool
- Friday evening chats with Mischa

Time of Isolation - Day 1937

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

Saturday surprise and other snippets

in which our plucky heroine heads into harvest season...

After looking up the recipe for fig and lemon marmalade it occurred to me to check if there were any more figs on the trees. Much to my surprise, there was almost a pound of ripe 2nd crop figs*! As there is about a pound and a half of figs, and the store only has organic regular lemons, no organic Meyer lemons, it will be necessary to make a few adjustments. Math for a proportionally slightly smaller amount of sugar, and substitute orange for some of the lemon (Meyer lemons = cross between oranges and lemons). The pears currently residing in the maslin pan had better get peeled, cored, and sliced onto dehydrator trays, as the pan is needed for making preserves

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~ cool tool ~

Right before the end of last week, just before the de minimius exemption was removed, I lost my mind a tiny bit and ordered this agate burnisher (item G in photo) from a UK supplier. Wasn't sure if it would even be able to be delivered, but much to my delight it arrived safely in the front porch mailbox this week! It is a beautiful and well made tool, with a curved angled stone tip, and a solid metal ferrule and wooden handle. I'd been much inspired by the traditional manuscript gilding demonstration by my friend Raven Qara Ton, and while I had been given a kit of gilding supplies many years ago, it didn't include a burnisher. Perhaps in the months ahead, I'll return to scribal activities...

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This simple knitted pony toy seems like additional handwork (which I am always looking for), and something I can make and donate for SCA childrens toys largess; it calls for a relatively small amount of worsted yarn, plus thicker yarn for the mane and tail, and I've both yarn and stuffing.

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It has been a bit of a struggle bus week, so it really is time to get back to daily daily gratitudes. That simple practice makes a huge difference in my everyday well being.

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Most of the bark cloth purchased last month has become 4 new tea towels for kitchen use; leftover fabric can be pieced to make a kitchen apron, later on this year when that sort of faffing about seems like it would be fun...

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I lack equanimity about some of the changes in our local neighborhood. When I first moved here, one of the corners of the shopping street a few blocks away was the sort of site I refer to as "cursed", it held a building intended as a restaurant, with some off street parking, but just a bit too big and with what I imagine just a bit too high of a rent for the folks who tried to make a go of it. Over the years, there were many attempts made, but the various restaurants soon closed. Then in 2013 Green Zebra opened there, as a sort of natural food corner grocery convenience store. They did really well, adding greatly to the mix of our neighborhood, expanded out into several other neighborhoods as well, but were finally done in by the supply issues of the pandammit, and closed in 2023. I shopped there purposefully and often, as the way to have good useful local business is to "vote with your dollars". 

Once they closed, the site remained empty and "for lease" for the next two years. Now it is surrounded by fencing, filled with builders and machinery, and is being turned into a McDonalds. The fruit trees planted by the Green Zebra owners are being cut down. There is a local burger place a block and a half away, a little Mexican restaurant, a Thai restaurant, and two different bars-with-food, and there is another McDonalds three miles west down the same road.

Two blocks west on the shopping street, the moribund Arby's site is being turned into yet another Starbucks. On the same road there is already a Starbucks two miles to the west, and another one a mile to the east; it seems that every three miles isn't enough of that particular caffeination corporate saturation. The local coffee-and-pastries shop saw the writing on the wall and relocated to a different neighborhood.

Struggling to find anything positive at all in this situation at least a walking distance Starbucks means that acquiring bags of free coffee grounds for garden compost will be easy to do on a regular basis. On the other hand, I cannot find anything positive about McDonald's.  Green Zebra made our neighborhood a much better place to live. McDonald's adds nothing at all.

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Carson Ellis is one of my favorite illustrators, so when her 2026 calendar showed up on social media feed this past week, it went to the top of my list for next year. I'll visit the BuyOlympia warehouse next week and pick up a copy. And, this reminds me that it'd be a good thing to get busy and finish up my own 2026 calendar, which will revisit the theme of "AlphaBeasts".

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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	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- independent mobility - our plucky heroine is still able to ramble around reasonable distances on foot, and indeed plans to do more of the same
- adequate public transit, to access a new to me part of the city
- I saved the tiny shiny screw found in the carpet, which turned out to be the one that fell out of the box fan grille!

Time of Isolation - Day 1903

*Yet more proof of climate shift, but the figs are welcome even though the extra heat and dryness isn't

somewhat Seussian

in which our plucky heroine wishes for a different timeline, one where the people on the planet all worked together to ameliorate the human-caused damages to the biosphere, instead of infighting among ourselves...

Now and again, while I am riding my bike around parts of the peninsula this time of year, there is a whiff of something delightfully floral. I am suspecting summer jasmine, which I see blooming nowadays. I could go over to the part of Karla's fence covered in jasmine and have a sniff, to check my surmise.

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~ unfolding ~

being as short as I am, and with my rubbishy memory I vastly overestimated the height of the agave stalk previously mentioned, it is probably about 12 feet tall, rather than 20+. Still quite impressive, and now much closer to flowering...(not sure if these are flowers or buds, so it will be necessary to keep checking it to find out)

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I think our culture ought to have a word for the meal between lunchtime and supper/dinner, in the similar vein to "brunch" in the mornings. I usually have my later in the day primary meal ideally sometime between 4 to 6 pm. which puts in in the UK category of "afternoon tea" or "high tea", though if I took tea as a beverage that late in the day, there would be no sleeping.

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Making good progress today on the Laurel enamel project, the disk is all laid out for engraving and stamping, and the outlines for the leafy wreath cloisons are all drawn out as well. I think I can... I think I can...

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A few just right things or ideas... I picked up a lid for wide mouth jars that has a capped pour spout, and it seems to work well. This will let me store the finished kombucha on the fridge shelf in a quart Mason jar instead of in the door baskets, as the heavy Grolsch bottle currently in service is so tall as to only fit in one spot.

I've an idea about the lower kitchen cupboards, many years an aggravation due to their extreme depth. Because the kitchen fittings are steel, attaching anything structural to them is challenging. It recently occurred to me that plywood, cut to fit the narrow but deep shelves, could have a shallow box also made to fit, with pull out extension slides on the bottom between the box and the plywood... This would make much better use of the spaces, which currently require crouching down and removing whatever things are in front. Then all that would be needed to make that whole side of the kitchen happier would be removing and replacing the countertop (and removing entirely the "stupid L") rather than removing the entire vintage built in lower wall. I shall be researching possibilities...

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	2 amanita softies	planted sprouty taters	yard waste bin
2	-	dyed yarn brown	recycle bin
3	-	replace clothesline	danger bug
4	-	new smoke alarm battery	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- bats at dusk, fluttery silhouettes against the sky along the bluff.
- street sweeper = less broken glass in bike lane. Yesterday the pavement was still damp where it had passed along the roadway.
- My bike did not get stolen! (night before last I was foolishly tired when riding to the grocery, and simply went inside the shop without locking my bike... was shocked to find it sans lock when I came back, with the lock in the basket where it usually lives when I'm riding. Surely Dame Fortune was smiling in my direction !!)

Time of Isolation - Day 1788

wishful Wednesday

in which our plucky heroine is grateful for connection...

Hard to fathom that May is almost over! Hoping to get more accomplished tomorrow, as it will be cooler, and I have a long list of to-do items for the next few weeks. I wish the world was such that I could have in person time with the folks I love, but am grateful that we have electronic connection options. I miss the days when we could gather and work on projects and tasks together, or cook meals, or preserves for the pantry. 

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~ columbine ~

Maybe I ought to do a tinybook of seasonal flowers, since I never tire of finding them to photograph... It'd be a pleasure to go back through the years of my photo archives and pick out possibilities

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Haven't gotten as much work done in the last few days, but have spend a lot of time on the phone... I found out on Sunday (via a phone call from one of her aides) that my elderly auntie had a very bad fall on Friday and was in hospital with a broken right hip and a damaged right shoulder. According to the doctors, surgery is not a possibility, so she is being discharged to a rehab facility, I still don't know where.

Since all this is taking place thousands of miles away, there is nothing effective I can do other than wait for more information. So, in the interest of keeping as much of our small family circle informed, I then phoned my sister-in-law, and also my sister. We do our best to keep connected by phone, and sometimes video.

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Ugh. Last night I had a horrible nightmare that started in analog Powells with seemingly innocuous shopping for charming trinkets, miniature animal figurines and containers for cooking spices, then couldn't find my friends and decided to take the bus back to where I'd come from, but I got on the bus and realised I'd forgotten my mask back at the bus stop and then the driver took forever to respond to my signal to stop so I could exit and try and get back to where my mask was, and let me off the bus somewhere sketchy and when I asked where to catch the bus back told me the routes didn't run that way, and I'd need to walk back... and it wasn't safe and there were sketchy boys in cars and dark woods and ravines and no residences or shops and it was nighttime and then I woke up. The transit route was part of the Dreamlands I'd not visited before (I've been to analog Powells before...) The tone of the dream was menace-impending rather than run-and-hide, and self-caused danger rather than external-imposed. The embedded outer layer of meaning is obvious to me, but I am not really up for currently teasing apart the inner layers. Indeed, when I took a nap later in the day, because 4am = not enough sleep, I woke up 20 minutes later after another nightmare.

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I've been dropping in on one or two of the MakingZen 2025 free crafting video presentations this week, despite the annoyance of not being able to watch them on my laptop, but only on the phone?! I've downloaded instructions for a mushroom softie, for a sashiko "mindful mountain" biscornu, and taken notes on some additional techniques. There is a box construction video tomorrow I am hoping to see and download the instructions for. The interesting thing is being able to watch and learn from teachers in other countries, I'm grateful that they have a free (if limited access) option, as well as a spendy permanent access option, and enough folks seem to sign up for that one that they can (hopefully) compensate the teachers well...

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May SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	heraldic fern painted	added pea trellis	greenwaste bin
2	XP2 sun protection	planted Seckel pear tree	recycle bin
3	heraldic plaque	Juliet tomato planted	recycle bin
4	spicy peanut sauce	marigolds planted	greenwaste bin
5	3 prs undies	pear branchlets weighted	-
6	pendant for Cricket	turtleneck to Eames top	x
7	2 more prs undies	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -

- my friend Jen Walker introduced me to the music of Richard Shindell
- managed to figure out how to watch the MakingZen videos (only possible on my mobile phone, not on laptop?!?)
- kombucha culture is working well, creating new scoby layers and converting tea syrup to probiotic drink over the course of several weeks
- a good long phone conversation with Mikki
- instructions for a sweet mushroom softie with pleated gills - looking forward to making at least one of those...
- My pal Ursel just got offered a job ♡

Time of Isolation - Day 1773

wishful Wednesday

in which our plucky heroine does more yard work...

This morning after breakfast, it seemed like a good idea to reinforce the border edge between the sidewalk and the front yard. My first attempt, a few weeks ago with cardboard and wood chips was too flimsy, and grass already had begun to grow through. So, now the plan is to rake away the chips, add a doubled layer of cardboard, and place used brick along the sidewalk edge, and pile more mulch up atop and behind. About half the sidewalk length of edging is completed.

After dinner my daily string trimming got most of the way around the rest of the front yard and down the south side of the house. Also (carefully) cut back where the Japanese maple was impeding the walkway, and trimmed a few more wayward fig branches. Tomorrow will be time to water the baby trees, and hopefully get some of the things that need planted into larger pots

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~ so tasty ~

Yesterdays "salad": roasted beets vinagrette with goat cheese and pecans. The beets were inspired by our favorite beets from Barbur World Foods, which are in an oil and vinegar dressing with onion and parsley. Sister Gigi suggested adding goat cheese and walnuts, but since I had some of the Trader Joes dry-roasted pecans on hand, those were a better option. This was a delicious treat, and would have been even better had I let the beets marinate overnight. I'll be adding this to my list of deliciousness.

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I meant to figure out something suitable for tiny advent swap creations in April, to keep up with my plan of six items made or found each month, but somehow got obsessed with the idea of making tiny figural pom poms, but could not find my pom pom maker tool anywhere. That idea needs to go on the back burner, and something different (x 2) will be necessary for May...

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I so wish I had a dearlove who liked to do yard work and gardening, who would relieve me of the necessity. Still, I've managed to stick to my vow of spending time every day in close contact with the string trimmer. Acorn Cottage may have the shabbiest yard on the block, but at least it will not also be impossibly shaggy.

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This recipe for "single serve lemon cookie (small batch)" which made two rather large cookies that were darn near perfect... tender and highly lemon flavored. I used fresh lemon zest and juice, and gluten free baking mix instead of wheat flour. Next time I make them, I will divide the dough into 4 parts instead of in half, as I prefer more "dainty" cookies

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April SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	blue skirt Opal	shipova planted	yard waste bin
2	2 pr undies toiles	smoothed half of side gate base	recycle bin
3	model for F.L.A.G	got TDaP vaccine	yard waste bin
4	painted Dean heraldry	persimmon mulched	recycle bin
5	-	pruned figs	2 arborvitae
6	x	2024 taxes	plastic trash bin
7	x	hip joints for tinyfolk	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes-
- managing to continue my every day with the string trimmer vow
- today was cool in the morning
- found another perfect lemon cookie recipe

Time of Isolation - Day 1745

wishful Wednesday

in which our plucky heroine is determined...

I like a yard that functions well, grows food and pretties, and is at least somewhat kempt. I do not enjoy doing yardwork, but the desired results require effort. There were a few pre-pandammit years where there was a wonderful trade of labor with friends who liked my sewing skills and who themselves found satisfaction in garden improvement. We both were very happy with this exchange, but those days are gone forever, and are forever missed.

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Seen while walking along Glisan in Laurelhurst, this admirable owl sculpture carved into a dead standing tree trunk in the parking strip.

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WTF?!? yellowjackets fascinated with wheelie bins? Research online said that they are repelled by the scent of peppermint, and remembering that there were a few Dr Bonners mint liquid soap samples in the cupboard; filled a spray bottle with water and added one of the packets. While armed with the sprayer, from a safe distance I gradually doused the wheelie bins with soapy minty-fresh smelly water. Several hours later there is no sign of the danger bugs, here is hoping that continues, but just in case, mint Dr B's is going on the shopping list...

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Rode to GrocOut this morning, and while the body is painfully cranky after yesterday, it was also willing and able. Picked up a Juliet tomato start, my favorite, which is like a miniature Roma style tomato, and plan on getting it planted in the yard either in one of the raised beds or in a large pot. Finding the wall-o-water while sorting through some random stuff last week seems most providential.

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well that was strange, or as Vesta calls it "adventures from my sleeping brain"... in dreamland I was in a room with a few folks listening to some recorded music, and as the song came to an end, I spoke up and said that there were two different songs I thought that might be perfect to follow it. One was "Chestnut Mare" and the other I was trying to remember the title of... when the phone rang and I woke up. So annoyed that the junk call blew away all memory of what song had just been playing inside my head, as well as what song I had almost managed to remember. But how odd that somewhere inside my brain I can hear music in dreamland but not silently inside my head when I am in the bright world

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Garden news: not a lot to report today, as all I've managed to do so far is move 9 buckets of mulch to create a ring of mulch around but not right next to the trunks of the baby pear and shipova trees (this helps suppress weeds and hold water near the root zone over the summer) This makes still barely a dent in the mound-o-mulch. Tomorrow afternoon Honl will be coming to take down and chip up both arborvitae that are growing next to the house, so there will be moar mulch. This is not a bad thing.

Also have been gradually straightening out the short "extension" hoses found at Fred Meyers, by leaving them in the sunlight in the side yard, and incrementally uncurling them with the chain link fence as anchoring points. Now once the correct quick connectors are acquired, and maybe a hose nozzle?, that part of garden work will be a bit easier.

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I've managed to briefly (ha ha!) get back to the homemade undies project, just a tad. Still working out a TNT pattern, but getting much closer, the next one will likely be "just right". Because of wanting to just use fabric bands of cotton lycra jersey instead of actual elastic (more comfortable), and because of drafting my own pattern from what currently fits rather than using a commercial pattern, there have been several wearable muslin efforts, and so far have been able to salvage them. Not "pretty" but still wearable once modified. It turns out that stretchy waistbands need to be significantly smaller than actual waist measurements, in order to hold the garment in place. Live and learn... 

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April SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	blue skirt Opal	shipova planted	yard waste bin
2	2 pr undies toiles	smoothed half of side gate base	recycle bin
3	-	got TDaP vaccine	yard waste bin
4	-	persimmon mulched	recycle bin
5	-	pruned figs	-
6	x	2024 taxes	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- homeostasis, feeling pretty awful, but should feel a bit better tomorrow
- something to look forward to: adventures with The Aunties on Friday and Saturday
- GrocOut had organic Juliet (my favorite variety) tomato starts

Time of Isolation - Day 1731

wishful Wednesday

in which our plucky heroine wants a better timeline so badly I can taste it...

... but this is the timeline we have, for better or worse. So will keep on doing what incremental bits are still possible to try and make it a better one, however Sisyphean that feels.

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~ white not pink ~

I've no idea why this year the garden bed next to the front walkway ramp has been overrun with these sweet white violets... Up until now, each spring it has been full of pink ones, and there have been only one or two Very Small clumps of white violets out in the lawn on the other side of the front yard. I am delighted, but baffled.

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Baked the first two small loaves of quince bread today... The quince flavor gets much diluted in the baking (compared to the very strong flavor of bananas), so I will add greater spices to the next batch, and maybe some fiori di sicilia. I've pulled the next portion of mashed quince out of the freezer to thaw, so I can start on another batch first thing in the morning.

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This was a pleasant interaction. I occasionally get calls asking about sewing jobs, and most often they are not something in my skillset, but today I got a call from someone whose rescue dog had chewed a hole in their comforter, and wanted to know if I could mend it. I offered to take a look-see, and did my usual "need to meet on the front porch, and need to be masked" commentary, and received polite acknowledgement of my sensible precautions. I was very glad as well that the damaged comforter was something that I will be able to repair for him, with some hand stitching and a tidy patch.

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March SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	6 dozen cookies	grey pinafore	art exchange
2	lino block carved	pruned marjoram	many dead weeds
3	tiny faux patchwork quilt	slipper soles	recycle bin
4	quince pie	bicycle derailleur	yard waste bin
5	multiple lino proofs	"a-y-a" replaced	recycle bin
6	quince bread	worm bin bedding	recycle bin
7	x	cleaned hallway air grilles	x
8	x	hem long janes	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. denatured alcohol does a good job of cleaning off the keyboard
2. no hail today
3. I had someone ask me questions today regarding the future Advent Swap. This signifies that some folks enjoy it enough to be thinking about it in advance.

Time of Isolation - Day 1705

progress here is always incremental

in which our plucky heroine perseveres...

One of the things I did today was to transfer my rudimentary measurements of the front and back yard here at Acorn Cottage onto graph paper. (once I figured out that one of the composition books had quad-rule instead of wide-rule, since the actual pads of graph paper have gone walkabout) If nothing else so far, it makes it apparent the difference in size between the front and back yard!

My goal is to begin to think more clearly about how best to use and care for the outdoor spaces here. There are some things I really really like (my assorted fruit trees) and other things that could be very much improved. (less lawn, more mulch, more food growing, better laundry drying.. and someday, if it is ever possible to do it safely again, backyard hens, sigh)

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~ be free, little hearts... ~

The second layer of spun cotton applied to the hearts today, and once that was dry, they were cut away from the remaining armature. Then more cotton applied to the cut surface; the pins are to provide a bit of a handhold while continuing to work on them. Am using some of the 100% cotton balls originally from the dollar store, which once unrolled can be torn into small bits of fiber that work really well for this process. Next step, paint!

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Somehow I misplaced a whole folder of computer bookmarks yesterday?!? Not sure how, didn't know that was possible. Surely did not simply delete them, but since I have a very cluttered bookmark section, it will take some time to find them. Fortunately it was a folder of "shopping suggestions" so not at the moment mission critical. Time to declutter online...

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Rather than purchasing various pipes and tools etc to dislodge the current squirrel nest, it has occurred to me that using some multiple worm gear clamps to attach long sticks together to created a very extended pokey-tool would probably work just fine. All that would be needed were six or eight clamps, I already have many long sticks of bamboo and other possible things (pole pruner, fruit picker, etc). Time for a trip to the hardware store, after looking over the stick stock and figuring out what size clamps will work best. 

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	"wing it" vest	more broach handles	recycle bin
2	tiny valentines	black keyboard covers	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	-
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes  -
1. Dinner was excellent, and tomorrow will be even better, as meatloaf is always better on the second day. (I'm planning on making Smitten Kitchen's Lemon Potatoes, and some more yamitsuki cabbage to go with)
2. figured out a probable way to create extra long pokey-tools using worm gear clamps
3. tiny spun cotton hearts are looking good so far

Time of Isolation - Day 1669

Thursday thoughts, just a little bit

in which our plucky heroine has intentions...

... to generate and maintain forward momentum. "Life is change, how it differs from the rocks"; "little bit further just a little bit more, little bit further than we've gone before...

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~ day 1 ~

Is it ironic to draw colour in pencil? I took my first thought for yesterday's prompt - how "coloured" horses are the ones that have a particular patterning of colour, though by no means the only coat pattern other than solid. In a similar mode to how the 100 day stitch book took form improvisationally, it feels right to go with first thoughts for these drawings. And maybe to go with 100 days of casual drawings would be a good thing for me... today's prompt is "favorite song", and I already know what I want to try and draw.... (Box of Rain)

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I tried going to the art museum. Or rather I managed to go to the art museum, but after maybe ten or fifteen minutes, it was much to much with all the unmasked people. Of course, with there being only 12 free days per month, it will probably be always really crowded, even as it is on a cold soaking wet January day. The "most busy" graph shows that the first hour of the day is the least, so perhaps that would be better to attempt. Would that I could find some appealing and mask-required events or locations here in PDX, sigh...

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Today I stopped at NS on my way home from my attempt to visit PAM. They had regular eggs for $3.99/dozen. I decided to buy an extra dozen and prep them to put in the freezer as a tiny amount of backstock. (It requires mixing in either a little salt or a little sugar to not have the texture of the eggs become difficult to use.) I have yet to try out flaxseed meal instead of eggs for baking, though it is on my list to try this year.

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This is a relief. I've been concerned that for many weeks now, I've had no enthusiasm for reading, or rather, it has been very difficult to find new things to read that draw me in and feel at all worth the time I spend reading. As a lifelong reader for pleasure, this was worrying, particularly since as my mom descended into dementia, she became unable to read. Now, having had to tear myself away from reading all the way through Robin McKinley's "Deerskin" in one galloping gulp of hours, it is apparent to me that the problem is not in my comprehension, but rather in finding books that engage me... Whew!

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Month SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	-	-	yard waste bin
2	-	-	recycle bin
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. I found a new to me book I enjoy reading
2. never get tired of hot running water, I doubt anyone who has lived without it ever would...
3. there were eggs at the store today, at an affordable price. I bought an extra dozen to put in the freezer.

Time of Isolation - Day 1631

liminality

in which our plucky heroine appreciates looking backwards and bravely looks forwards...

The truth is, we don't know what 2025 will bring. I know no one over the age of reason who is looking ahead with delight. That said, we do our best to find at least glimmering crumbs and connections to light our way. I shall endeavor to do what small part I can, while life and breath continue.

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~ always ~

"The verses are a roadmap of how to live a good life and be a good person, each of them punctuated with that rousing chorus:

Ring the old year out
Ring the new year in
Bring us all good luck
Let the good guys win "

- Charles de Lint

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My experimental shortbread, using browned butter and brown sugar, failed. It did, however, make a very tasty crumble atop a few spoonfuls of quincemeat. I suspect that the small amount of water boiled off in making browned butter was functional in having the shortbread hold together... I shall try again. Maybe instead of browned butter, if I add some almond extract and rosewater (the flavor profile of Shrewsbury cakes), I will end up with something just right?

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~ day 31 ~

The last of the advent swap gifts was these two tiny original artworks by Deb, signed and dated, that will be much enjoyed by my Tansu Terrace tinyfolk as well as myself...

I must say that the advent swap as a whole has been a great pleasure. The creativity of our participants is really impressive, and the outreach this year to some folks who otherwise would not have been part of the project warmed my heart. I have great hopes that the Advent Of A Better Year swap will continue into the future, and look forward to sharing ideas and plans throughout 2025, leading to an excellent Advent Swap for 2026...

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We are gradually building the first glimpses of the world we will be traveling through in Wanderhome, each week just a little bit more. I had no idea that my imagination could even function in this sort of way, and am so pleased to have become friends with Stef and Mischa, and have them let me explore.

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December SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	rainbow cowl tassels	more clothesline	recycle bin
2	85 origami squares	cardboard down	random book parts
3	heraldic potholders	set up paperwhites	recycle bin
4	pine needle stars	grey linen pinafore	yard waste bin
5	solstice sweets	bandana hem	yard waste bin
6	2025 calendar	calendar pages	recycle bin
7	flannel pillowcases	keyboard key cap	recycle bin
8	62 masu boxes	kitchen sink drain	x
9	x	appletree pruning	x

today's gratitudes -
1. good folks near and far
2. all the blessings the bright world still offers
3. hope, the gem at the very bottom of the box

Time of Isolation - Day 1629