try-it-out Tuesday

in which our plucky heroine gets experimental...

There are a whole bunch of modest projects at various stages of their process, but nothing is completed today. And there are also some new ideas germinating...

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~ day 18 ~

two jars of jam: fig, and plum. Both ones that could have been made from the fruit that grows here at Acorn Cottage, which makes them extra appropriate!

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Remind me to not order a 2# package of (a dozen) nectarines online again... They were unripe, of course, so I put them in a paper sack (with an apple for the ethylene), and after about a week they were ripe enough to eat. A day after "about a week" some of them began to get moldy. They never keep well, being luscious but fragile, and when I buy them in shops, I only ever get one or at most two at a time.

What to do? When in doubt, get jammin'! Seemed the best option was to turn the fruit into preserves posthaste. I cut up the remaining nectarines and stirred them into a small amount of sugar, then put them in the fridge to macerate overnight. Today, I will add some lemon juice, and cook them down a bit, then put up in small jars for later on.

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~ oaken backplate~

I've been wanting a wall hook right next to the shower, so as to maximise comfort and ease. Hooks need anchored, and this one has the screw holes so close together as to preclude using wall anchors. Wall anchors are a necessity in the parts of the wallboard not directly backed with wall studs. So, as I have done in many other places and times, I thought: wood backing plate.

Then it occurred to me to make the backing plate decorative as well as functional, and I decided to cut the scrap of oak into a sort of escutcheon shape.

I've always wanted to try "ebonising" oak - turning it black using a stain created by soaking steel wool in vinegar, which can react with the tannins in the wood to change the color. It won't be done today, since it takes some time for the vinegar/steel wool preparation to be ready to use, but I am eager to see what happens! Stay tuned...

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well dang, the Heather Ross print fabric I bought online is not quite identical to the fabric of my horses blouse. The pattern motifs are the same, but the substrate is more like quilting cotton while the original fabric is more like cotton lawn. And the background color is, of course, a different "dye lot" so the blue is not a pale blue but more of a light blue. Now I'm not really sure how best to incorporate it to lengthen the sleeves... On the advice of my pal Leslie, it is going to be sent to Coventry; I've folded it up and hung it on the crossbar of the hanger with the blouse, while I wait for inspiration...

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	musk ox print	horses blouse edge	yard waste bin
2	green linen Jedi tunic	kitchen light fixture	recycle bin
3	Nandina floral dress	Luxo plug	dead box fan
4	2 tiny knit skirts	plaid flannel slip	-
5	tiny knit cardigan	-	-
6	Salish wooly dog print	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes-
1. I remembered reading somewhere about soaking rice noodles in boiling water to soften them, so I gave it a try. While they were a bit more al dente than my preference, it really helped, and was more economical than cooking them all the way on the stovetop.
2. another beautiful day today, perfect for bike riding and taking walks, and fortunately I have the ability to intersperse my day with some physical activity...
3. getting closer to the whole set of Textile Livestock prints. This week the creature is "sheep" (a classic).

Time of Isolation - Day 1440