Monday miscellany

in which our plucky heroine enjoys the serendipity of randomly finding "follow the crows" rather than methodical collection...

~ #1 "Be Kind ~

One of the brightest spots on Saturday morning was finding another beautiful painted crow standing in the dry fountain sculpture

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Was able to easily paint the tiny faux-casters black just with craft store acrylic. Got so excited fitting/gluing together the various pieces of RÅSKOG that I forgot my plan to create a photo essay. Must needs print out a second set. The ends of the curved framework pieces fit into the openings in the tray piece, making it unnecessary to create a jig to hold those parts in place. There is enough vertical space remaining in those openings to be able to glue the thinner sticks in an upright position. Very well designed, once I sussed out how it was all meant to be assembled. Just like the flat pack it is!

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At long last, after years of seeking, I've found an affordable "Micro-Go-Round", marked down several times over ($50 to $19.99, and finally to $5) on the marketplace of FB. The gizmo was first made decades ago, for rotating food in a microwave that doesn't have an automatic carousel. They are, by this time, difficult to find, and often spendy ($50 to $70 +). I've got my fingers crossed that it is in working order, to be a good helper for my venerable tiny microwave.

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On Sunday the T. Kingfisher story "Packing" was my read-aloud volunteer contribution to the SAC presentations this quarter. Was not sure how it would be received, but there was a good discussion afterwards, which went off in a most unexpected direction with many folks rambling in the neighborhood of is there free will? I myself find the tale a requiem and a challenge, and think instead of how every doorway gone through is both an opening and a closing.

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September SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	8 sm jars plum sauce	plums in freezer	greenwaste bin
2	3D print Dala horse	extension cords coiled	recycle bin
3	3D print plant stands	wind chime suspension	recycle bin
4	3 pr dolly boots	more plums frozen	greenwaste bin
5	12+ jars elderberry syrup	new handheld shower	-
6	16 jars Awesome sauce	screen door painted	x
7	kitchen algebra tag	x	x
8	RÅSKOG pieces	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- found a Micro-Go-Round for sale for $5
- I think I set up my 3D print file correctly, which will be helpful in the future.
- The Taco Bell (near the Clackamas Mall bus transfer station) had a bathroom, and after two hours on transit, grateful does not even begin to cover how happy I was that they were open, the door unlocked, and no one in there. Then I walked the mile further to where my medical apppointment was.

Time of Isolation - Day 2263

Tuesday tidbits

in which our plucky heroine is feeling marginally better...

being finally past the various side effects of my shingles vaccine, and thereby also with less sleep debt... Also this morning while looking in the mirror realised that although there are lines on my face, they are pretty much all lines of smiling. Much better than the alternative.

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~ makerspace miscellany ~

On Monday there was an introduction to the Glowforge (laser cutter) workshop at the library. The "beginner" project suggested was to make a keychain, but instead this aide-mémoire for the 3M abrasive bristle wheels was my choice. With this next to the workbench, it will be easy to pick the correct color, and not require tracking down some random scrap of paper which was my former strategy. Not entirely sure what all else I might want to laser cut (other than it would be a great way to make a set of tablet weaving cards, if there is ¹⁄₁₆ plywood) but it is worth further thought.

This afternoon, remembering the earlier suggestion that there are sometimes no-show spaces, and since my usual Tuesday afternoon social time was cancelled, I headed over to the library again, in the hope of getting more time on the Bambu 3D printer. In luck, was able to start learning to print out the miniature RÅSKOG cart. It is a challenge in part since all the interfaces are Apple rather than Android, but perseverence is a given. My overarching goal is to learn enough to remember how to do the steps necessary to print. 

The first attempt to print out RÅSKOG failed, through no fault of mine... the parts at 1:12 scale are so small that they were not sticking to the base plate and ended up in various spots around the interior of the printer. Fortunately I noticed that most of the pieces were not there after only about 15 minutes, so we could stop the job and start over with some changes to help the bits stay attached. There was not enough time to print the entire set though, so that will have to wait until a different future workshop.※※※

Experimental cookery - shrimp rice paper waffle bites... had read somewhere online about this idea, but rather than spend much effort looking it up, decided to wing it. chopped up half a dozen frozen shrimp with a bit of seasoning (powdered ginger, garlic granules, sesame oil, and tamari) Heated up the tiny waffle iron. Moistened a rice paper disc, added half the shrimp, and enfolded it into a small rectangle. Added a second layer of rice paper and popped into the waffle maker. Took a bit, but it gradually cooked and partially crisped. Did it again and had a very yummy snack! and well worth repeating in the future

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Well dang, trade issues mean it is no longer feasible for me to re-order my longtime of many years favorite planning calendar pages from the Etsy seller (who happens to be located in Germany). Not their fault that the shipping+tariff cost has skyrocketed to over 60 USD since my previous purchase. Guess I shall have to DIY my own option, since there is nothing at all similar domestically available. Sigh and Grrrr... I hate this timeline.

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Last night Mischa helped figure out the difficulty I'd been having with the layout of my new Discord server... Turns out it is possible to edit "categories", which was the largest missing piece in my conundrum. Now need to decide how to arrange the space, what to call the various sections, and where to put the sub-groups I already know will be helpful.

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September SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	8 sm jars plum sauce	plums in freezer	greenwaste bin
2	3D print Dala hrse	extension cords coiled	recycle bin
3	3D print plant stands	wind chime suspension	recycle bin
4	3 pr dolly boots	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- Mischa helped answer my Discord server setup questions
- there was space in the 3D printer workshop today
- complimentary words from the person who received the medallion I made earlier this month
- managed to get the 5 Talenti tubs of elderberries out of freezer, simmered on the stove for a suitable length of time, and they are now hanging up above the sink in a cheesecloth bag dripping into a large bowl overnight. All part of the plan to turn freezer contents into shelf stable stuff, so as to make room for more plums

Time of Isolation - Day 2251

just a few Friday fragments

in which our plucky heroine has a basically good day...

Moderately productive, modestly social, and still enthusiastically mulling over the possibilities suggested by yesterday's 3D printing class. Why are there so few Craftsman-style/Arts and Crafts era/Bungalow type files... Wondering how difficult it would be to learn to use Tinkercad, which was recommended if we want to make our own files for 3D printing

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~ whimsical wall ~

Paying attention... sometimes is rewarded with something lighthearted!

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Managed to get the most egregious watersprouts pruned away from the parking strip persimmon, in time to get them into the greenwaste wheelie bin before Friday morning pickup... next up is tackling the very overgrown backyard apple tree. Pruning is an ongoing task here at Acorn Cottage. It would be useful to start a reference notebook of care suggestions for the various fruit trees and plants.

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It was challenging to find information online about best practices for painting PLA printed objects, particularly since I've no desire to buy a big "rattle can" of spray primer, which seems to be the common suggestion. A trip to the local art store turned up a different suggestion, albeit one that was currently out of stock: using Golden Hard Modeling Paste to smooth and prepare the surface. While I'm now on the "notify when arrives" list, I also asked about just using acrylic gesso as a primer... Since it could work, that was the work of less than an hour to try out this afternoon. After wiping down the plastic with some alcohol to remove any oils from handling it, the gesso adhered well and left a nice matte surface that will be given a sort of faux wood grain finish with several colors of brown paint to add to the Craftsman-style fumed oak effect... Fingers crossed! 

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Ordered a new seat for my bike, since the current seat was purchased well over 20 years ago and has not just lost a good deal of the fabric cover but a substantial amount of the foam underlayer. The VSEAT is a different sort of design, intended to support you on your "sit-bones" and without the long nose that most seats have. My hope is that a seat that doesn't stick out as far towards the front will allow just a bit more room between the seat and handlebars. Our plucky heroine has short little dinosaur arms, so the seat must needs be set quite forward, and at every stop when I jump down to standing, my torso is squashed between the point of the seat horn and the handlebar post. 

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Raven scroll	6 prs Beth pants	recycle bin
2	black floral scarf	prune² Wanda plum	greenwaste bin
3	4 jars strawberry- rhubarb preserves	mulch peartrees	greenwaste bin
4	sunblock mitts	Eames top	greenwaste bin
5	catch tarp for porch	filter box legs	recycle bin
6	mini 3D plant stand	new house roof	greenwaste bin
7	x	defrost chest freezer	recycle bin
8	x	repair garden hose	persimmon prunings
9	x	right eyeglass temple	x

today's gratitudes -
- talking with Mischa
- my box full of gesso and acrylic paints
- leftover bulgogi rice bowl for breakfast

Time of Isolation - Day 1831