Thursday thoughts

in which our plucky heroine runs some errands...

Today was lovely, as the weather shifted to a soft grey sky and the temperature dropped about 30 degrees. Time to enjoy bike-riding and getting a few errands done. Returned a library book, then decided to splurge by getting a coffee shop bacon/cheddar scone, which was just as delicious as the former time months ago. Hunger is the best sauce, and I'd forgotten to eat breakfast!

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~ better now... ~

The bag shoulder strap repair begun Tuesday is now finished. It was a bit tricksy getting all the stitching holes lined up once the Barge contact cement was ready, but the final re-stitched effect is quite tidy. It's good to have another small (indoor) task crossed off the to-do list!

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Made several attempts over the last few weeks to turn cottage cheese and almond flour into pseudo-bread and it just isn't something I like. Maybe try something else with cottage cheese, these crackers from cottage and cheddar or parmesan might be a better choice? Or I could rummage around and find the recipe I used ages ago for cheddar biscotti aka waybread (that was not gluten free, but was tasty and filling. Hmmm...

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Other chores got done prior to the rain arriving: the laundry (Mt. Washmore) was mostly dry on the line, and is now indoors to finish on the drying rack. And a bit more yard work to help fill up the greenwaste wheelie bin with more deadheaded sage and almost all the bunches of unripe grapes (which get removed before ripening to prevent the Invasion of the Danger Bugs) 

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Looking back on late June in years past: 2008 teaching cloisonne, 2010 Tigress Can Jam (strawberry rhubarb), 2012 saw the King Tut exhibition in Seattle, 2014 tiny Anglo-Saxon enamels, 2016 a sleeping hood for camping warmth, 2018 returning to tablet weaving, 2020 Nandina made her first appearance, 2022 a tinyworld Norse long-tent, 2024 in a world where everything falls apart, there is still beauty to listen to 

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Thought about getting an S-hook extension from the garden store so as to be able to hang my new cookpot to the pot-rack, then realised it would be useful to have measured the necessary distance first. Next time, or maybe get one of my blacksmith friends to custom make one that will be Just Right.

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Babs brooch	thinned apples	greenwaste bin
2	5th god lino block	add under elastic	recycle bin
3	5th god corner block	white scarf hem	recycle bin
4	enamels for John	add more elastics	greenwaste bin
5	tie-dye pillowcases	Viking bag strap	greenwaste bin
6	x	x	recycle bin
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- the pixel world lets me still hear music
- that very tasty bacon and cheddar scone
- today was cool, and not-sunny... my kind of weather perzactly

Time of Isolation - Day 2176

Thursday thoughts

in which our plucky heroine has been keeping busy...

Probably the best thing this past week was Sunday when I gave an online presentation about "Objects of Affection - a 100 day drawing project". As it is a topic I'm quite familiar with, I sat down at the worktable Sunday morning to turn my outline (and summary of the talk I gave three years ago "what is a 100 day project and why you might want to do one") into six pages of coherent notes, then gave talk at noon. It was well received and generated plenty of discussion, which are my goals...

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~ Eryngium giganteum? ~

despite my attempts to identify what variety of plant this flower belongs to, it is still a mystery, though the internets did let me know it is some flavor of Eryngium aka "sea holly" My best guess is Eryngium giganteum based on the light coloring. It is in fact very spikey, though unrelated to holly the tree.

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This morning managed over two hours of yardwork effort in the backyard, including pruning hacking back feral grape overgrowth, (which made obvious how prolific the grape bunches are this year) and more string trimmer effort around the apple tree. Also managed to pull up enough of the huge really tall weeds to fill the remaining space in the wheelie bin. The grass pollen was so bad that despite my "yard armor" (knee high boots, leggings, long sleeves, denim pinafore, gloves, hat, and P100 mask) and immediate shower and hair wash when returning indoors, compulsive sneezing was the result.

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a new Becky Chambers book will be released this coming October

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All the experimental unders have now have supplemental elastic added to their waistbands, and are much more secure than they were with only cotton lycra. (probably jersey with a stronger lycra content would have worked) Have added a note to the pattern about the best length to use for that particular type of elastic, and it might be worth checking out what other elastics WAWAK has on offer...   

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Babs brooch	thinned apples	greenwaste bin
2	5th god lino block	replace elastic	recycle bin
3	5th god corner block	replace more elastics	-
4	enamels for John	-	-
5	tie-dye pillowcases	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- cold air from heat pump
- brine fermented pink daikon pickle: tasty and really pretty!
- Podiatry as a new closer location, so will be only one bus line away instead of two starting in September

Time of Isolation - Day 2169

throwback Thursday and Friday fragments

in which our plucky heroine remembers the past...

It is an ongoing challenge to remain in some sort of balance, but can do no less than make the attempt. Ten years ago had recently returned from Egils, where I'd both taught a simple leatherwork project and enjoyed the opportunity to take a workshop from Jarl Sir Styrkarr on a beautiful esoteric metalworking skill (Damasquinado de Oro - applying precious metal foil to steel, to create decorative motifs), and basically spend the long weekend camping with friends as had been happening for almost 20 years. The last time I camped was in June 2019, in July 2019 instead of more camping, there was a trip to the ER the day before and an unexpected appendectomy.

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~ incremental progress ~

Now that carving the lino block for the border of the dancing rats and crows is complete, I am starting on the design of the square corner block with the sigil of the 5th god. I found another scrap of the thin plywood that works so well to back the linoleum, and have glued it down and left to dry overnight under weights. I will cut away the extra backing and can start on the carving once the glue is dry . Eventually the plan is for a border around the edges of a new square cotton lawn headscarf; it will also take time to hand stitch tiny rolled hems on the fabric prior to printing.

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Thursday was warmer than yesterday, but not so hot that being outdoors was unbearable. I managed to get a good chunk of the backyard apple tree thinned, as well as a small amount of the water sprouts cut back, and a tiny amount of the beyond shaggy grass hacked off (enough to get to the apple tree) This time I remembered to wear my P100, so am not going to spend the rest of the day sneezing compulsively! Maybe it could be possible to find someone to mow "the back 40" for me, since my neglect has made it almost beyond the capability of my string trimmer.

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The leafy batik popover dress project remains problematic, it looks dowdy and hangs crookedly despite my effort yesterday recutting and re-sewing the bodice. Feels a bit like a sunk cost at this point, as I lack any suitable fabric to do more alterations... Very sad as that "Lake-Gardenista" batik colorway is lovely but out of stock. I shall put the whole thing aside for now awaiting further inspiration... 

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Always another missing item... now the box full of tiny origami boxes for future Advent Swap treats is missing, along with "The 31 Owls"... Doesn't that sound like the title to a YA mystery novel! My long range goal is to have the house tidy enough that things don't get misplaced. Of course, that has been my goal for years now. With luck and effort, might be possible to get there in this lifetime, or at least to find the box of owls before the end of this year!!

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Babs brooch	thinned apples	greenwaste bin
2	5th god lino block	-	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- getting most of the apples thinned before wheelie bin day
- Muji pill container
- cooler weather

Time of Isolation - Day 2156

Monday musings

in which our plucky heroine wakes up early...

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

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

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~ hams and bacon ~

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

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

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

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

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

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

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

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

Time of Isolation - Day 1952

just a few Friday fragments

in which our plucky heroine has a basically good day...

Moderately productive, modestly social, and still enthusiastically mulling over the possibilities suggested by yesterday's 3D printing class. Why are there so few Craftsman-style/Arts and Crafts era/Bungalow type files... Wondering how difficult it would be to learn to use Tinkercad, which was recommended if we want to make our own files for 3D printing

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~ whimsical wall ~

Paying attention... sometimes is rewarded with something lighthearted!

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Managed to get the most egregious watersprouts pruned away from the parking strip persimmon, in time to get them into the greenwaste wheelie bin before Friday morning pickup... next up is tackling the very overgrown backyard apple tree. Pruning is an ongoing task here at Acorn Cottage. It would be useful to start a reference notebook of care suggestions for the various fruit trees and plants.

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It was challenging to find information online about best practices for painting PLA printed objects, particularly since I've no desire to buy a big "rattle can" of spray primer, which seems to be the common suggestion. A trip to the local art store turned up a different suggestion, albeit one that was currently out of stock: using Golden Hard Modeling Paste to smooth and prepare the surface. While I'm now on the "notify when arrives" list, I also asked about just using acrylic gesso as a primer... Since it could work, that was the work of less than an hour to try out this afternoon. After wiping down the plastic with some alcohol to remove any oils from handling it, the gesso adhered well and left a nice matte surface that will be given a sort of faux wood grain finish with several colors of brown paint to add to the Craftsman-style fumed oak effect... Fingers crossed! 

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Ordered a new seat for my bike, since the current seat was purchased well over 20 years ago and has not just lost a good deal of the fabric cover but a substantial amount of the foam underlayer. The VSEAT is a different sort of design, intended to support you on your "sit-bones" and without the long nose that most seats have. My hope is that a seat that doesn't stick out as far towards the front will allow just a bit more room between the seat and handlebars. Our plucky heroine has short little dinosaur arms, so the seat must needs be set quite forward, and at every stop when I jump down to standing, my torso is squashed between the point of the seat horn and the handlebar post. 

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Raven scroll	6 prs Beth pants	recycle bin
2	black floral scarf	prune² Wanda plum	greenwaste bin
3	4 jars strawberry- rhubarb preserves	mulch peartrees	greenwaste bin
4	sunblock mitts	Eames top	greenwaste bin
5	catch tarp for porch	filter box legs	recycle bin
6	mini 3D plant stand	new house roof	greenwaste bin
7	x	defrost chest freezer	recycle bin
8	x	repair garden hose	persimmon prunings
9	x	right eyeglass temple	x

today's gratitudes -
- talking with Mischa
- my box full of gesso and acrylic paints
- leftover bulgogi rice bowl for breakfast

Time of Isolation - Day 1831

Monday miscellany

in which our plucky heroine takes another nap...

The temperature is going to be rising for the next few days at least, so I managed to get outside first thing, and used the string trimmer on most of the front yard. My goal is to cut back the shaggy "lawn" areas, in addition to getting at least one more outdoor chore done each day. Today there was some pruning on the quince tree. Two more mornings will see the backyard mostly done, and then another two days for the bits like the parking strip and the worst of the edges. I was so exhausted after the time spent doing yardwork, that I was compelled to nap away the middle of the day

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~ Eames refurbishment... ~
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Back in 2019 two Uniqlo tee shirts became a long sleeve knit top. (I don't wear tee shirts, but intriguing graphics make excellent embellished sleeves, and sleeves are visible when worn under a pinafore) For some reason, at that point I gave the top a simple scoop neck, but now it has a double layer turtleneck collar, which will be much more cozy in winter. Sleeve cuffs now have a crenelated edge in matching cotton lycra jersey.

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Kestrel's recipe for strawberry ice cubes turn out to not just be pretty, but also add a subtle flavor to ice water, most welcome this time of year

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I suspect that as long as there are blueberries to pick, I will remain grateful that the plant is doing well enough to give me fruit, and remember decades ago in the Before Times, when Larissa was still in the bright world...

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Raven scroll	6 prs Beth pants	recycle bin
2	-	prune² Wanda plum	greenwaste bin
3	-	mulch peartrees	-
4	-	Eames top	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- additional blueberries for breakfast
- the one good thing about dreadfully hot sunny weather is that laundry dries really quickly
- Alabama Chanin, via Natalie Chanin, that inspired a whole different approach to using cotton jersey fabric

Time of Isolation - Day 1813

throwback Thursday

in which our plucky heroine has a day of upsandowns...

Starting to enjoy the early morning walkabout, and have noticed that by seven, there are many more folks out and about than even half an hour earlier, so my intention of as early as feasible is being reinforced! It also seems that my mental state is subtly improved by this small change in routine? Hard to tell, but is will be interesting to find out how a month of this activity affects me...

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~ Polygonatum multiflorum ~

This was happily growing across half a shady alleyway planting strip, all a tangle of green foliage and strands of doubled white floral bells... turns out to be a European/Asian native plant: "Solomons Seal" (my ever curious self loves being able to look up "what is this" online, in the reference library that never sleeps)

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Fell asleep last night only to be awakened just before midnight by the sounds of some very angry man yelling and cursing in the street, repeatedly and loud enough to hear through closed windows. It was a challenge after that to calm enough to return to dreamland...(fortunately I did manage)

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Gradual progress with placing salvaged cardboard around the yard to help block grass, then covering with wood chips. It occurred to me that saving some of the bigger pieces of cardboard to place underneath the mulch around the new trees will be a big help in keeping grass and morning glory from growing up through. Of course that will require raking away current mulch in order to place cardboard barriers, but live and learn...

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As a child in Los Angeles, I saw many vivid mosaics on the fronts of banks, and while I loved their beauty, I also took them for granted as being part of how the made world existed, it was decades before the internet allowed me to seek out any information about their design and creation... It turns out that Millard Sheets studio created many of these architectural mosaics It would a treat to someday travel to see such beauty with my own eyes...

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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	-	Juliet tomato planted	-
4	-	marigolds planted	-
5	-	-	-
6	-	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- being able to access online information about the natural world
- napping when tired
- architectural conversation tonight with my pal Ursel sparked memories of mosaics seen in my childhood. Beauty that resonates still in corridors of mind

Time of Isolation - Day 1753

Tuesday tenacity

in which our plucky heroine persists in doing incremental yardwork...

For those curious about how the improved sidewalk edging turned out, it looks quite nice. If grasses start sneaking through under the bricks, it should be possible to just run the string trimmer along that edge and zip them away.
If enough additional bricks could be found (doubtful but possible), another course could be laid atop to allow for deeper mulching, but any additional bricks found in the yard are more or less earmarked to edge more mulch zones...

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~ wall 'o water ~

Although this photo reminds me a bit of Georgia O'Keefe, it is actually looking down from the top of the protective water surrounding the new Juliet tomato plant. The theory is that the cylinder consisting of water tubes moderates the temperature around the plant, protecting it from cold by absorbing excess heat by day to then release it as the air cools at night. There was just one of these, unused and stashed away, from years ago when I successfully managed to grow an eggplant; hopefully there will be equal success this year with small tomatoes.

Juliet is a small tomato, barely bigger than a cherry tomato, but very much unlike... you can imagine a flavorful little Roma style tomato instead, meaty and dense rather than seedy and juicy. Once we are into summer rather than this changeable late spring season, the Wall 'O Water will be removed and a proper tomato cage put in place instead. Going to look around for some small marigold starts to plant around the base, and am hopeful that the large planter will prove a suitable size, since it is almost 2 feet across at the top, and 17 inches deep. The pot sits just to the side of the new Fuyu persimmon tree planted in the backyard, and they are visible from the bedroom window

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Managed to complete a sketch (still needs to be inked in) for a future possible Laurel medallion for Laeriel: a fairly complex setting with some challenging design choices for the enamel. We will need to continue our consultation soon, to allow for enough time before the event...

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~ XP1 vs XP2 ~

Last year I made myself some "sun protection/bike riding mitts" from white cotton jersey; I used the pattern for decorative mitts from one of the Alabama Chanin books, but sans any fancy decoration. This concept worked well, as it kept my forearms and most of my hands covered, but the actual design had seams in places that were less than comfy when holding the handlebars, and the palm area bunched up into annoying wrinkles when in use...

The upper mitt in the photo is the initial attempt, it is a flat pattern made from two identical pieces, stitched on each edge, so one seam goes down the side of the palm and thumb, and the other two seams go down the sides of the arm... The lower mitt in the photo is a partially finished second attempt. My thought was that if I could avoid having a seam along the inner edge of the palm, and of the thumb, but transform that area into a simple fold, the whole mitt would be more comfortable to wear, with only one seam that crosses the thumb palm intersection)

I took one of the first mitts and literally drew on it to locate the base of my thumb, then cut apart the pieces and traced them onto some paper. There was a bit of "wave hands make magic happen" in my smoothing out some of the curves into seamlines that could match up (well actually there was a lot of holding bits of paper next to my hand and thumb, and thinking about where adding or subtracting bits might help, but starting from something that mostly fit, but changing the seamlines as I did is straightforward flat pattern manipulation)

The pattern pieces may look rather peculiar, and are much less sparing of fabric, but these shapes create a more anatomical mitt. It also looks slightly like some traditional glove patterns. Of course, anyone trying something similar would need to fit their own hand/thumb/arm proportions. I think am certain that this will be a Very Useful item for my lifestyle, though I've never seen anything like it for sale. As a skin cancer survivor, I want to have as little exposed skin as possible, and being able to avoid applying sunscreen to my hands means I won't get sunscreen in my eyes!

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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	recycle bin
3	-	Juliet tomato planted	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	-	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- sun barrier mitt pattern XP2 seems to be successful: fits well and feels comfortable. (need to make up a second one so I can try them out while actually riding my bike)
- managed to use the afternoon zoom body double time to get the pencil sketching done for Laeriel's medallion design
- laundry washed and line dried, including duvet cover, because today was very hot and sunny

Time of Isolation - Day 1751