catching up...

In which our plucky heroine enjoys Useful Company... (Young Heather came down for the weekend and worked on the yard, while I sewed like the wind in the sewing room)

But let's back up a little bit. Thursday last was Chipdrop Day! At last, after signing up last spring, a load of wood chippings finally arrived. About the size of a small automobile, and I am glad it didn't arrive on October 31st, as it is currently sort of blocking the front walkway. Mulch on the hoof as it were... there will be much work with shovel and rake, burden cloth and wheelbarrow ahead!

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Thora's gown is finished! I am acting here as a dress stand, Thora is quite a bit taller than me, and there is actually also an underdress that has a wide band of the same golden printed fabric bordered in madder red linen, which will show below the hemline of this gown, which will be calf length on her... All the various decorated fabrics were hand printed in multiple colors, using blocks that I hand carved. This was a vastly complicated project, but the results seem worth the effort. Some of the motifs on the printed fabric reflect Thora's personal heraldry and the household badge, as well as various historical textile motifs and designs. The beautiful shot silk cuffs started out as fabric from her wedding gown.

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Isabel forepart apron is also completed, and she kindly agreed to bring the rest of her Viking Age clothing with her this weekend, and to act as a model so I could take a picture of her new forepart apron "as worn". The trillium flowers are part of her personal heraldry, and the new decorative apron will add  touch of elegant formality to her SCA wardrobe, just in time for some of the indoor events this winter.

Heather (Isabel) has done an incredible amount of work this weekend in my yard... She hauled 16 loads of chips into the backyard from Mt Chipmore in the driveway, raked and leveled them over the worst of the anklebending divots, thereby making the middle of the yard much safer for walking on... and carried each of those Really Heavy cement pier blocks from the side yard (one at a time, as they weigh over 65 pounds each) to create a raised platform for my planter boxes. The Earthbox planters, now raised up for ease of accessibility, are in the part of the yard that gets sun from dawnlight to midafternoon, the best part of the yard for gardening...

I am impressed and pleased! Sunday the planters were filled with fresh amended soil, so that they can become next year's garlic beds. Astonishingly all those wood chips barely made a dent in Mt Chipmore. It will probably be possible to really, if gradually. create a much smoother backyard zone It was worth waiting all those months for Chipdrop to finally get me some chips, and once we manage to get them all into the backyard and other areas that need mulched, I intend to put my name on their list again.

And we got a good start on the base of the new modular chicken house, so that I have both a plan for going on ahead with that project, and some of the components ready to hand. Heather sawed out all the diagonal bracing for the base, so really all I need to do is drill a bunch of holes, and carefully assemble the leg components. Well, and think about what will be needed to assemble the actual chicken house, and the complicated roof structure. (I've a clever idea about how to make the roof)

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Woe and alas, on my trip to the dentist on Friday, the nitrous did not help anywhere near as much as it did the first time. I had four shots of novocaine and I felt every injection, and there was much crying, and shaking from the pain, and even some small yelps screams. I Hate It SO Much, and I hate being so phobic and reactive about the novocaine (I've no issues with dental work in general). So, they only were able to clean about a quarter of my mouth this time, and there is a whole 'nother quadrant left to go. I don't think I could have held still for any more injections. And then all Friday night I had terrible nightmares about the same thing all over again.

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November SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Thora gown	Earthboxes filled	bag to Goodwill
2	Isabel gown	woodchips moved	-
3	x	x	-
4	x	x	-
5	x	x	-
6	x	x	-
7	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