backalley blackberry bounty

in which our plucky heroine continues to enjoy having a destination...

however random, and occasionally prickly. Blackberries are gradually ripening, and while not abundant or common (unlike other places I have lived in the PNW), I head out daily with a Talenti tub in my pinafore pocket, and have been managing to find enough to harvest, one or two berries at a time, that there will be at least a few small jars of syrupy goodness for future delectation.

※※※

~ 100 day creativity challenge - day 44 ~

transfered the completed design for the next print in the series:  "EQUITY". The lettering will be counterchanged where it crosses the arm, and carving the lettering is going to be quite a challenge, considering the scale of the block, at just under 3" wide. For those who can't read backwards, the quote is "Justice is what love looks like in public" - Cornel West

※※※

This excellent article really clarifies the current state of mind here at Acorn Cottage, as well as what various friends and family are experiencing...

“If you stay in the rational when nothing else is rational, like right now, then you’ll just stress yourself more,” she says. “What I say with ambiguous loss is the situation is crazy, not the person. The situation is pathological, not the person.”

※※※

beauty in the time of isolation - day 154:

Most of the places with flowers currently are the yards where people water their garden beds; this striped phlox is very eye-catching! I enjoyed the contrast between the subtle lavender/white striping, and the red/black of Nandina's stocking feet...

※※※

Frog and Toad Tentatively Go Outside After Months In Self-Quarantine  by Jennie Egerdie

※※※

August SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	scribal sketchbook	light bulbs replaced	yard waste bin
2	scroll for Countess E	box fan cleaned	recycle bin
3	tiny knitting bag	box fan cleaned	-
4	tiny tote bag	rosemary pruned	-
5	Nandina handknit	box fan cleaned	-
6	Nandina sunhat	organise new paint	-
7	tiny knitting book	x	x
8	Nandina clothing	x	x
9	tiny basket	x	x
10	another tiny rag doll	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitude - "faith is the ground, stubborn is the crop".... this was one of my several self-created touchstones as a young person, always rebuked for my stubborn ways... I chose to believe that someday somehow, Future Me would be happier. I didn't give up, and in many ways I didn't give in. And there have been happy times scattered amongst the everyday. Perhaps those precious few shine the brighter for the difficulty surrounding them. And perhaps at the end of life, this current conflagration will not be the finale, and I can only hope some additional gems of joyful times lay sleeping in the arms of the yet-to-be...