Monday miscellany

in which our plucky heroine is feeling tired...

Though insomnia has got its claws into me, am doing my best to notice the good, appreciate kindness, and manage what self care is possible these days. More sleep would help, though.

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~ kitchen motto #2 ~

Made this ages ago, when I was first learning enameling and taking classes from Oma Michele at the Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle and it has graced my kitchen spaces ever since. The sentiment "when in doubt, add onions" still rings true, all these years later.

For those who may be curious: kitchen motto number one is "never argue with a woman with a knife in her hand"...

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The earrings I made earlier, from acorn caps and miniature mushrooms, already needed repair. The tiny loops I glued into the acorn cap to attach to the earwires began slipping out of place. Superglue is both strong and brittle, so not the right adhesive for the task. Fortunately it happened while I was at home, so no pieces lost. Epoxy was used to reattach the loops, and once it hardened after several hours, a few minutes with a 3M bristle wheel on the flex shaft dulled the shine to match the rest of the acorn cap. I'll use a bit more of the epoxy to reinforce the other tiny loops that hold the mushrooms in place, for security sake, and all will be well. Glad to have figured this out prior to my Calder-esque earring project.

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Was thinking earlier about how so many of my age peers are getting various body parts replaced with better functioning aftermarket options. So far I have managed all original body parts (with some missing, and greater or lesser amounts of  wear and tear). I suspect that giving up my car, which forced me to walk and ride my bike more, have been of more help than annoyance as far as my mobility. I am remembering what Dr Rockstar (Dr Winter) my oncology surgeon said to me when I asked him how best to recover from my surgery and he told me: "use it or lose it, walk as much as you can manage to". I continue to take that approach as best I can, knowing that luck as well as determination have both helped

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Learn something new every day. Friday when I turned the corner there was a flicker right on the sidewalk about ten feet away from me. It seemed to be eating ants. Apparently they are mostly ground feeders and ants are a preferred food! The photos from my phone aren't that great, but the first one shows the flicker digging into the cracked sidewalk and the second one is most identifiable as a local flicker... 

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Well dang insomnia has come for an extended visit and my usual strategies are not helping. Been going to bed before 11 and  waking up anywhere between 1245 to 3am in the deepest of gloom. I plumb hate that. Even in the BeforeTimes 3am was always a Bad Thing full of bad thoughts, and now that waking life is not always an escape from that, it is an ongoing struggle.

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August SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	2 Talenti shelves	Talenti shelf up	greenwaste bin
2	acorncap earrings	2nd pot lid rack	recycle bin
3	teaspoon earrings	painted mailbox	greenwaste bin
4	glass button earrings	Strombecker lamp	recycle bin
5	poppy pod earrings	reglue earrings	-
6	red cube earrings	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- epoxy is more robust than superglue. Remember this and don't use superglue on earring components
- Not having a car for the better part of 20 years has forced me to remain more physically active. This is a good thing.
- I chose well when picking my neighborhood when I moved here. That remains the good thing about living here, that it is walkable with much of what I consider necessary. Groceries, a library, a post office, and bus lines. (The art supply store arrived later but is an unexpected benefit)

Time of Isolation - Day 2225