two tiny friends: Hazel and Zinnia

in which our plucky heroine remains amused...

it is tempting, but not possible/sensible, to dive into the rabbit hole of miniature creation. I did however, bring small bits with me on the bus whilst going to and from the farmer's market today (fresh peas! and strawberries! and rhubarb!! yes it is that time of year...) and finished up the second Tiny Rag Doll.

Made from scraps leftover from my blouse fabric (brown/cream linen chambray), and I decided to try a slightly different hairstyle. Apparently her name is "Zinnia" and her somewhat old-fashioned friend is named "Hazel". They will require clothing, more than just their wee felt shoes. I am tempted to make them some Viking Age clothing, since our big SCA event is next weekend, or more likely, take some fabric scraps with me and stitch some up while I am there...

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I'm worried about my computer, the power switch on the CPU/tower (don't laugh, I know it isn't state of the art, but it works) has started behaving badly. Half the time when I push it to start the computer it doesn't start "all the way" but begins to start and then stops. Are there some kind of springs inside the button that could stop working? I am a little nervous about taking the whole thing apart to find out... and, I still need to finish the Big Project of Importance, and have FIVE gorram tween undergowns to complete before Friday, so taking apart the computer zone will just have to wait its turn. I can, at least, simply use the power strip to turn it on and off, until I get the time to disassemble the whole spaghetti wire mess...

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May SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	earbud case	replace button patches	chicken house
2	Ursa pullover	pruned parking strip	chicken waterer
3	raspberry sauce	renewed raised planters	lots of yard waste
4	tiny rag doll	plant salad table	paper recycling
5	2nd tiny rag doll	plant tomato starts	random garden plastic
6	x	grapevine pruned	paper recycling
7	x	green onions planted	-
8	x	I-cord edging	-
9	x	x	-
10	x	x	-
11	x	x	-
12	x	x	-
13	x	x	-
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitude - the double yr EBT program at the farmer's market, which makes buying produce a little more affordable...

an evening in the cathedral

in which our plucky heroine has an unexpectedly lovely evening...

I fell in love with Ann Wood's pattern for "the tiny rag doll". I thought it might be a great thing to do with my young friend Ellie, who is clever with her handcraft, and about the age I was when I fell in love with miniatures. Ann Wood has assorted other tutorials for miniature clothing and other miniature items (dishes... a bed made from clothespins...) on her blog as she gradually adds items to the small world she creates.

But first I needed to try it out for myself... The pattern pieces are so small it is perfect for hand stitching, and the instructions are really clear. I am eager to make some tiny clothing, and a few tiny friends. She is just over 5" tall. This kind of hand stitchery is perfect for interstitial time, I did most of it while riding the bus or waiting for appointments. ..

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Well that was wonderful!! Late this afternoon got an unexpected phone call, inviting me to join friends at the In Mulieribus concert tonight at St Mary's Cathedral... While this video isn't from the concert, it gives a sense of the type of music we heard tonight: exquisite a capella womens voices singing music inspired by the 12th C Hortus Deliciarum manuscript. What a special treat!!

My favorite tonight was "Primus parens hominum", one of the pieces from the manuscript that survived complete with music...

(different musicians, but gives an idea of what it sounded like)
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May SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	earbud case	replace button patches	chicken house
2	Ursa pullover	pruned parking strip	chicken waterer
3	raspberry sauce	renewed raised planters	lots of yard waste
4	tiny rag doll	plant salad table	paper recycling
5	x	plant tomato starts	random garden plastic
6	x	grapevine pruned	paper recycling
7	x	green onions planted	-
8	x	I-cord edging	-
9	x	x	-
10	x	x	-
11	x	x	-
12	x	x	-
13	x	x	-
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitude - a delightful concert of beautiful medieval music, and the kindness of friends who thought of me when an extra ticket became available.

brought to you by the letter B

in which our plucky heroine takes advantage of unexpected bounty...

Currently the yard has many beautiful things to see, and in the workroom, progress on The Project is proceeding apace; if all goes well it should be done by tomorrow. This is good, since there five garments for the tween girls that need sewn in the next six days. Bizzy buzz buzz here at Acorn Cottage!

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While there are many tools and supplies that would be good/useful additions to the workshop space here, what was needed was a wee saucepan that could be dedicated to non-food use. Yet another reason to be grateful for the Goodwill near Acorn Cottage. There was a gap in the rain, and a spectacular sunset, when I rode my bike over there and perused the shelf of kitchen equipment, which while sadly sparse in the metal zone, actually had exactly that, for $3.99.

Why, one wonders, is a saucepan desired for the workshop? There is a somewhat larger pan for fabric dyeing, but the current project in the works has some dimensional characteristics that seemed to be retaining tiny amounts of citric acid pickle which were drying in place. Not ever a problem with forms that have no hollow spaces, but unusual projects call for unusual measures. The solution is a solution... of baking soda and water. Simmer the piece in the liquid to neutralise any remaining citric acid before doing any finish work. And, obviously, kitchen pans for workshop use is a bad protocol (though technically both citric acid and baking soda are food safe).

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European black elderflower is blooming now in the parking strip... The persimmon tree, pruned again this year, is showing signs of future blossoms. I still need to prune the new quinceling, as well as the backyard apple tree. Summer pruning keeps fruit trees within bounds, winter pruning encourages growth, both are useful...

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Today the Church of Free Bread had raspberries! So in addition to the tasks for today, most of the 12 oz package will get bottled up for the pantry, because raspberries are super perishable... but some will end up on a bowl of yoghurt as an afternoon snack was delightful. The bottling was an experiment, and it will be curious to find out if the jars seal, since a lot of the liquid siphoned out when I removed them from the canning kettle. Usually I cook down fruit into a sauce or jam, but decided to try the raw pack hot syrup method, using the Very Light Syrup from the Center for Home Food Preservation.

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May SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	earbud case	replace button patches	chicken house
2	Ursa pullover	pruned parking strip	chicken waterer
3	raspberry sauce	renewed raised planters	lots of yard waste
4	x	plant salad table	paper recycling
5	x	plant tomato starts	-
6	x	grapevine pruned	-
7	x	green onions planted	-
8	x	I-cord edging	-
9	x	x	-
10	x	x	-
11	x	x	-
12	x	x	-
13	x	x	-
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitude - the universe gave me raspberries... nothing more need be said!