it's magnetic

in which our plucky heroine slept well...

and this morning there were unfamiliar sounds from a flock of birds in the front yard tree, and I saw quite a few nuthatches clambering around?! Not something I've commonly seen around here. 

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~ kitchen algebra ~

(actual size 1¼" x 2⅛")

This was my laser cutting project today at the library workshop. My intention is to keep the formula readily available by turning it into a kitchen magnet. What I am particularly amused by is how the red acrylic and the cream color paint marker combine to give the artifact a "science lab" sort of appearance. Once I glue a magnet to the back, it will take pride of place as an aide-mémoire in the kitchen...

It remains Very Enjoyable to keep experimenting with the digital maker tools at the library, even though I'm not yet anywhere near being able to actually get more than one or two steps forward before calling for help in the design and setup stage. I spent some time today (after the algebra tag was engraved and cut) designing a very tiny sample as part of my ongoing wish to have more of the 1:12 scale trinket shelves to play with. Looks like barely over 1mm is possible when using 3mm plywood, and will do more design work at my next chance to play with the Glowforge. 

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In further magnetic adventures, I'd noticed after my most recent preserving session that the plastic lid lifter (used to remove lids and rings from the hot water when waterbath canning), washed along with all the rest of the paraphernalia, was missing its functional tip. This small tool is a necessity, so I was pleased to notice today that there was a small round disc under the kick plate between the sink cupboard and the cushion mat. Tiny magnet had fallen out and was hidden from view. Not sure what will be the best glue to reattach it, but very glad to not have to do unnecessary shopping.

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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	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- successful laser cutting experiments 
- had a good phone chat with Helga
- leek lentil barley soup cubes

Time of Isolation - Day 2258

Saturday snippets

in which our plucky heroine has been keeping busy...

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~ not yet flatpack time ~

The most amusing project of the week so far is part of preparing for the miniature RÅSKOG cart, bit by bit. I've carefully downloaded all the pages of instructions from the Ikea website, then resized them down to scale, and printed them out. While the actual 3D printed parts are waiting on more time at the library, there has been this small zippered bag keychain over on Tansu Terrace... 

I've no memory of it arriving here ages ago, or who may have given it to me; it was much too large for 1:12 scale (almost as big as Nandina herself), but it was excellent raw material: a seam ripper and scissors and some rather awkward time wrestling it under the presser foot of the sewing machine turned it into a tinyworld version of the iconic blue bag. (One more trip to the actual Ikea store will have to happen, so I can photograph the labels on the full size RÅSKOG box, to label a cardboard box to contain the wee flat pack pieces.)

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Turned all the tomatoes in the freezer into a double batch of Awesome Sauce, which came out a bit darker and thinner than last year. In the future will make two single batches instead, as the consistency is better. Still, having 16 jars to put on the shelf feels reassuring. Some for me and some to share...

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It took several attempts over the last few days, but eventually was able to properly seal all the connecting joints in the new handheld shower pieces, and the only place the water exits is through the shower disc as appropriate.  Very spa-like compared to the former unit, and a satisfying DIY job, even if it is also a "give a mouse a cookie" sort of project. There are other tasks in the bathroom that need done, like (nonexistent) decorative molding around the sink. 

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My left foot (outside metatarsal) has been sore on and off for months. No idea why. rather worried. Last night it was really bad.

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Almost finished with the batik popover dress, using the machine hemming stitch to complete the folded hemline (usually I edgebind everything, but not this one). Have had that little Bernette since I was in college, and don't think I've ever used that stitch before. 

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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	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -  
- that small sound that jars make when they seal
- new handheld shower
- stove grid overlay, very useful for canning, I can slide full kettles rather than try and lift them.
- the two mid/large cookpots from Acantha this year

Time of Isolation - Day 2255

Friday fragments

in which our plucky heroine is sore and sleepy...

Am still feeling wiped out after my first round shingles vaccine yesterday morning, slept poorly and still achy today... did all my usual pre- and post-vaccine actions (plenty of water, gentle movement, range of motion on vaccinated arm) but instead of my usual barely noticing it, my arm became more and more painful as yesterday progressed. The actual injection was also much more painful than usual too. Still tis better than having shingles, and worth it for also lowering chances of dementia... 

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~ boots in boxes ~

The finished three pairs of felt dolly boots are now packed into boot boxes made from grocery sack paper and folded with my standard masu box origami. It is quite fortuitous that the size happens to be just right for this project. I'll be making additional pairs of boots for my four tinyfolk, have already made a brown pair and have cut out a blue pair...

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All the bits ordered online for refurbishing the shower here have already arrived from the Showerhead Shop in two days! Impressed with both the speed of shipping and with the apparent quality of the pieces. Each piece is packed in drawstring or bubblewrap bags, and comes with plumbers tape and instructions for installation. Once back to my usual functionality will attempt taking existant shower setup apart and installing the new improved fixtures.

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Have made much progress on the batik summer dress. All the pieces have been attached together, the neckline bound, and the sleeves hemmed. Only glitch was that when the hemline was leveled, the whole dress is dang short, being just at knee height rather than my preferred calf length. There is no more suitable batik fabric here, so had to go hunting online to find something to add length.

The batik shop rayon is all out of both the original color and motif, and the alternate one I added later (after it was obvious the garment had gone awry). This dress is very much an example of getting caught up in sunk cost, all because of being so terribly fond of the first choice batik rayon colorway and motifs.  

Ordered some different rayon batik at a different online shop that should work for a 3" hemline extension band.  It is lighter and a bit more green than the teal/turquoise/taupe of my original fabric, but I figured that using rayon (to maintain the drape) rather than quilting cotton (to maintain the colorway) was a better option going forward. 

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I've attempted to set up a Discord server, so I can use that for Advent Swap and other creative connecting with folks. I still haven't figured out how to set up the various internal divisions, and will have to ask for help on that, once I feel better. Today is rather a bit of a nothing happening other than time to rest and not do anything that requires mental or physical exertion. Easy stuff like washing dishes or folding laundry is okay though...

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September SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	8 small jars plum sauce	plums in freezer	greenwaste bin
2	printed 3D plant stands	heavy extension cords properly coiled	recycle bin
3	printed tiny Dala horse	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- shower fixtures from Hammerhead appear excellent
- plums, plums, and more plums
- online shopping

Time of Isolation - Day 2247

Harlequin Glorybower and other delights

in which our plucky heroine breathes in a paradisical scent...

Around twenty years or so ago, I drove out to a plant nursery on a country hillside, and brought home a young Clerodendrum tricotomum (common name Harlequin Glorybower) They grow as well here in Portland as in their native Far East, and in early autumn their flowers smell heavenly. Later in the year they have very decorative metallic blue berries surrounded by red sepals; the berries can be used as a dyestuff called in Japan "the other blue".

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The tree is planted just outside the front porch, has filled in to the edge of the porch roof, and even flowers underneath the eaves! Walking out the front door one is enveloped in the fragrance of the creamy white flowers, followed almost immediately by the greatly expanded hardy fuschia with lovely (if unscented) red flowers. 

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This last week I learned a good recommended way to coil heavy extension cords, the "figure 8" or "roadie wrap". Ostensibly it creates less of a chance for the cords to tangle when uncoiled for use. And it makes for a much tidier and flatter coil in storage than either of the three different ways I previously used.

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Noticed a few days ago that the cord holding up my wind chimes was quite frayed in one spot, so took them down and carefully replaced it with fresh braided nylon cordage. No way to know how old they are, since I found them at a resale shop, but now they should be last a while longer. 

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A few weeks ago Young Kestrel asked me for shoes for her tinyfolk. Since we are on the downhill towards cooler weather, felt boots seemed like a good option. Plus boots tend to stay put on tiny feets. So three pairs of boots in three different colors, one each for Hazel, Zinnia, and Xanthy. Here next to the Acorn Cottage keyboard, I've been stitching away over the weekend during assorted online meetings, with Nandina keeping me company. We decided that some origami shoeboxes would only add yet more fun to the project, and brown paper squares cut from grocery sacks will look almost like shoebox cardboard!

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Being interested in creating more 3D printed items for the tinyworld, and not wanting to be limited to just purchasing other folks designs, it will be necessary to learn some new skillsets. It has been suggested that both Tinkercad and Inkscape will be a way to eventually be able to make instructions for some simple objects. There are, of course, many free or affordable SVG files, and I have in fact been tempted and purchased a file to create a miniature version of my beloved Ikea RÅSKOG cart. With that in mind, there will at some point be a tiny box of flatpack pieces, including a miniature version of the Ikea assembly instructions delivered to Caer Cardboard. Our plucky heroine had a bit too much fun with Photoshop this evening, after Karen suggested the idea earlier today.

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September SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	8 small jars plum sauce	plums in freezer	-
2	printed 3D plant stands	heavy extension cords properly coiled	-
3	printed tiny Dala horse	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- former me made some good plant choices
- many informative videos on the University of YouTube
- almost 15# of plums in the freezer

Time of Isolation - Day 2244

Monday miscellany

in which our plucky heroine sees improvements...

Tomorrow appears to be very autumnal and cool temperatures forecast, and later in the week there will be rain! It has been feeling and smelling much less summery despite the heat, and there has been wasp activity that makes any eating outdoors subject to the Danger Bugs. The apples and plums will need to be picked in the cool of the early morning and dealt with.

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~ time for a change, at last ~

Helpful Badger handyfolk were here for about an hour this morning, removing the decaying porch boards*, replacing them with new treated lumber, and installing a new kitchen faucet. I am very glad that the porch is no longer dangerous, and plum delighted with the new faucet, which is a vast aesthetic improvement that has graceful visual form and is tactilely pleasant. It should be easier to keep clean as well. As I had suspected, the feeble water pressure was a function of the old faucet or lines being partially blocked; now with this new faucet water pours out much more quickly, which will improve all sink-related chores.

a reminder of the former kitchen faucet
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The enamel Pelican peerage medallion is finished, just needs final touches and will be ready to post tomorrow. I'd been worried the whole time that there might not be quite enough gas left to finish all the soldering, but thankfully it was not an issue. I'll next be finishing up the settings for (very patient) Ian Jameson's two small award medallions, and in addition find someone to give me a ride to get the propane refilled. 

The other finished project is the knit TabbyCat bandana cowl (as it is for me, and not a client) much less fraught and less timebound. It has been my handwork during online meetings project for almost two months. I'd been worried that there might not be enough of the dark brown yarn to complete the I-cord bind off, but there was more than enough! Winning at yarn chicken and at propane chicken!!

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Friday I defrosted my chest freezer. The actual defrost was pretty easy, only took about an hour, once I removed all the food. Putting all the food back took much longer, as I did my best to put like things together instead of just tossing them into the maw. Also, best to label each package of frozen cubes immediately. Many required tasting, scraping a bit off their edge to determine contents. Rather than make a digital inventory, which would have required time learning a new program, a map of location and general type of food was a quick way to notate what is in there. A more carefully detailed inventory can happen later on, my goal was to get all the food back in still solidly frozen. 

What I discovered was that in order to have any room at all for the plums that are now ripe on the tree, I need to use up at least some of the freezer contents. No need to cook for a while since there are many portion cubes of various home cooked things: soups, and stews and veggies. There are enough tomatoes and peppers to make a batch of awesome sauce and put it up in jars. There are 5 talenti tubs full of elderberries that need cooked and turned into immune tonic "juice" that can be put up into jars. I still have a fair amount of blueberries, and should continue eating those up as well. 

The good thing is no ancient surprises at the bottom of the freezer, though I had forgotten until this defrost the two large containers of bone broth from Heather (last year?). Those are still frozen solid, will get turned into soup later on. Not needing to cook meals for a while will save time for all the other current projects I want to do, as well as make space for plums.

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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	greenwaste bin
6	red cube earrings	porch storage	greenwaste bin
7	Pelican enamel	painted grille	downspout tubes
8	x	defrosted freezer	x
9	x	2nd Talenti shelf	x
10	x	front porch	x
11	x	kitchen faucet	x

today's gratitudes-
- winning at yarn chicken
- winning at propane chicken
- 3 new porch floorboards
- new kitchen faucet

Time of Isolation - Day 2236

*it was really interesting to see underneath the porch decking, and how the floorboards were supported. The porch is on wooden joists and concrete foundation blocks, and the ramp is supported on the original front concrete walkway. Thankfully the underlying wooden structure was not decaying, so all that was needed was replacing the three 2x6 boards. The two long corrugated plastic tubes, unneeded since disconnecting the downspouts years ago, were also removed from under the porch.

if you give a mouse a cookie

in which our plucky heroine recognises project creep...

The repainted mailbox, and replacing the grubby Rubbermaid tote bin with a new dark brown "deck box", seems to be inspiring other changes around the Acorn Cottage entryway... This morning I removed the aluminum grille from the front screen door and scrubbed it in the tub prior to spray painting. How did I never notice the very bad condition of the fixed screen underneath (hint: it was/is mostly obscured by the grille). It looks as if former tenants or owners had a cat, or a dog that really wanted outside, since there are various holes and scratched places in the screening. No wonder there are sometimes mystery insects in the house. 

I know how to replace normal (detachable) windowscreens, but this one is integral to the screen door and there is no visible way to detach it for repair. Bah! The only thing I can think of is to cut away most of it and hand sew in a piece of new screening without holes. That seems an excessively laborious and peculiar way to deal with the issue, if less of a faff than removing the door itself from the frame. I have been unable to figure any way to remove the screened section from the door, and all my online searching has been in vain. It also occurrs to me that if worse came to worse and I cannot correctly detach the old damaged screen I could even cut away the old screen and GLUE new screen in place using silicone adhesive. Again less than ideal, but possible.

P.S. Once the paint had dried and the grille been reattached to the screen door, the offending damaged screen is again much less visible, so must needs patiently wait until I figure how best to make repairs. The newly painted grille looks great!

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~ small and sculptural~

These small mare and foal charms weigh only 2 grams and are 21mm (¾") tall. Their blue/green patina, which coordinates with my most recent favorite colorway initially inspired ideas of yet more earrings. Though it occurs to me that these also are a great size to be a tinyworld artifact, an "antiquity"  to be sitting on a shelf or mantelpiece. They remind me somewhat of the little votive horse artifact in the very start of Coppola's "Black Stallion" film, before the shipwreck scene.

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Thursday mid-August throwbacks: Eighteen years ago Jen came to visit, time goes by in a flash, fourteen years ago G and I broke up, nine years ago there was a total solar eclipse, four years ago I began building Caer Cardboard... It is interesting to me to semi-randomly look backwards into the bits of the past captured by my writings here

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I found a few more of Perlenwunderwesen's beaded creature patterns.  I want to make salamanders for my friend Acantha, similar to the ones shes researched. I figure I can adapt the axolotl pattern, once I find beads of the correct colors...

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Sent a message to the Kickstarter I backed, asking them about converting the CAD files to STL files so I could take them to the library makerspace and print them, and got a reply the next day saying that they would send me STL files, once they were ready, maybe even later this month. (The pillboxes won't be ready until much later this year) I'll need to take another workshop at the library to remember how to use the 3D printers, but learning new things and practicing new things is always good. Maybe I can use the larger size model to make one for a friend who needs more space for their meds?

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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	porch storage	x
7	x	painted grille	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- blogging is an ongoing hobby and useful aide-mémoire
- Vera of Perlenwunderwesen generously shares her genius patterns for beaded creatures
- some large cardboard pieces that worked well to support the grille while I was spray-painting it

Time of Isolation - Day 2227

wishful Wednesday

in which our plucky heroine gathers estimates...

Yesterday there were multiple phone calls made to various tradesfolk, in an attempt to garner information about costs of the two most urgent repairs: replacing the kitchen faucet, and dealing with the rotten boards on the front porch. For obvious reasons, most of the places cannot give actual estimates over the phone, but several of them have a substantial and non-refundable fee just to show up and look at the problem; some of the price ranges for "labor to replace faucet" seemed rather boggling (ie 350 to 400 dollars for less than an hour of effort). When I happened to mention to one person I was asking about the porch repair that we were also needing a faucet replaced, they mentioned that though they weren't an actual plumber, they could legally do that job as well. So, tomorrowthis morning they will have a look-see and talk about options.

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~ This will be fun ~

I recently re-read the first book of the Wildwood Chronicles to refresh my memory of the story. In our current world where so much content is put out there generated by text prompts fed by stolen art, the splendid efforts of Laika studios are worth much appreciation and support. I enjoy learning about how the myriad artists and artisans create the animation, and turn the story and artwork (also made by local human people) into something really special. 

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A number of the items ordered online have begun arriving. Best is the new kitchen faucet, and thankfully it is as pleasing to look at and touch in real life as it appeared in the tiny shop photos. The "deck box" ordered at the same time arrived a day later, and for something made of six plastic panels is both remarkably sturdy (I can sit on it, though wouldn't use it to replace a stepladder) and looks surprisingly acceptable. It was, in addition an absolute doddle to assemble. No tools or excessive strength needed, the parts just lock together with integral wedges. This will look better on the porch than the old blue Rubbermaid tote. The several bags of dark brown sugar from Wholesome, a small changeable rainbow time-timer, and a few more beads for making foxen and assorted equines (unicorns and horses oh my) also arrived.

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Since there is more of the bronze spray paint left in the can, it ought to be possible to use tape and newsprint to carefully mask away around the screen doors and paint them a nicer color than their current trashed and scratchy white. Careful examination of said doors made me realise that both the exterior, and with care the interior sides could both be painted.

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There is nothing to concentrate the mind and engender tidying like knowing that someone other than myself will see the house. In the Before Times, this happened regularly as part of preparing for my monthly Crafternoon social gathering. Since the pandammit began, the tidying, not so much. 

Between yesterday and this morning, I turned Mt Dishmore into clean dishes, moved the assorted canned goods and home canned jars of food off the counters and into the pantry, cleared the dining table, and vacuumed the kitchen and living room. Also put the usual under-the-sink into a different area so as to make the faucet guts visible, and cleared away the barriers currently keeping the bad wood zone of the porch from being stepped onto. The piles of papers have all been consolidated into one so they can be sorted, and the obvious recycling put in the bin. The difference it makes is huge. The time it took was less than I'd have guessed. 

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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	porch storage	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

yesterday's gratitudes -
- 5 flavor eggplant, always good, plus I managed to remember it was on the stove and I didn't burn it.
- the new faucet looks as good in person as it did online
- I was brave. I made multiple phone calls. It is less traumatic than it was ten or twenty years ago.
today's gratitudes -
- the deck box was astoundingly easy to put together, and looks acceptable
- my mother first introduced me to Miyazaki films
- we never get over grief, with luck we learn to live with it. I miss mightily my dear friends and family that are gone from the bright world, and do my best here as long as I remain

Time of Isolation - Day 2226

Monday miscellany

in which our plucky heroine is full of plans ...

One fun weekend activity was figuring out Perlenwunderwesen's small beaded dragon pattern... It isn't on their YouTube, or in their Etsy shop. I saw their quick video tutorial on the book of Face, and also found their diagram of the beading structure. It is a great deal more complicated than the tiny frogs, but makes a quite lovely little 3D creature. In 8/0 beads it makes a dragon about 1¼" tall and just over 2" long. As soon as the first one was done, the remainder of the frog beads were turned into a second dragon, friend to the first, and they are now both on the way north to live with Kestrel. I'm quite tempted to try making one from 11/0 beads (a more common, if smaller, size that I've in a plentiful assortment of colors...)

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Ordered a mailbox delivered from Home Despot, that looked quite nice in the online photos, and had overwhemlingly good reviews. It arrived on Sunday and with great hopes of easily replacing the old rusty crusty mailbox, I opened the box. Alas it was not to be. The new mailbox was suffering a fatal lack of Quality Control from the factory. The lids were barely attached at all, one hinge pin entirely missing, and the other partially detached, missing any kind of lock washer to hold it in place and the inner and outer lids were rattling long enough in transit to scratch up the edges of the mailbox.  They don't carry that one in any of the local stores, so no chance of exchanging it, or seeing if a different one is in better shape. Instead, there was a long bus trip to Jantzen Beach to return it directly. Sigh. Searching online for a mailbox built rather more structurally sound as well as aesthetically inoffensive is going about as well as my search for a new kitchen faucet. Picky plucky heroine is picky...

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~ a working sketch ~

Just a very rough sketch of my current thoughts for the black "twill corduroy" pinafore; wanted to catch the idea before it vanished. After washing and a trip to the launderette for their extra hot dryers the fabric washed up nicely with almost no shrinkage. Since this like all corduroy has a nap, it cannot be cut as usual... Information from a sewing book read as a girl still clear in my mind, a with-nap layout means all the pieces need to be laid out with their "heads" all in the same direction.  

So... cut strips from selvedge to selvedge that are the height of the skirt gores, then cut away between each one to create flare, which will look more graceful than a dirndl style gathered skirt. Since there is rather a lot of this fabric (our plucky heroine having placed the order forgetting it was 56" wide not 45"), it will be possible to cut all the bodice and pocket pieces from the remaining fabric and have enough plenty leftover to cut edge binding from. There may even be enough to put aside more bias strips for other future projects.

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A care package full of special kindness from my Mud Bay pals was on my porch today. There are 4 big skeins of taupe Fishermans Wool, so I can start on swatching fancy cables for a future Aran-style sweater. There is a small bag full of walking onion bulbs, so I can find a new spot or two to restart allium self-sufficiency. And there is a glorious miniature print of the tiniest watercolor artwork of a hawk perched on a sewing machine (intended as a gift for tinyfolk Kenya Ogidni) that will eventually grace the wall in a Tansu Terrace sewing and crafting space. The artist Jaimee Lee Gentile will be at Art In The Pearl in September, a chance to see her work in person...

※※※

adapted from "Du Iz Tak"  by Carson Ellis

※※※

this is silly, but it is also me: The Sugarcoated Sisters - Aphantasia

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One unexpected benefit to not being good about pulling out the weeds, is that when they go to seed, goldfinches are delighted with the buffet! There were many of them right outside the bedroom window this morning, more than I have seen so close before... 

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	15 tiny masu boxes	earrings recombined	greenwaste bin
2	black scarf hem	replace C O alarm	recycle bin
3	Brambly Hedge slip	-	greenwaste bin
4	5 more bead frogs	-	overgrown lovage
5	"Cats Invade" books	-	greenwaste bin
6	all the bead frogs	x	recycle bin
7	two beaded dragons	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- goldfinches outside the bedroom window this morning
- tiny beaded dragons are delightful
- yarn, and walking onion starts, and a glorious miniature artwork gift were in my care package from Mud Bay

Time of Isolation - Day 2204

Thursday thoughts

in which our plucky heroine is confused...

No idea why there was no recent message about today's cancelled medical appointment, but after getting out the door a little after 6 and arriving at just before what I thought was my 8 AM clinic visit, it was a surprise and not a treat to find out that the doctor wasn't there. Since I'd skipped breakfast to get there on time, the ground floor cafe was an option for a bowl of take-out real oatmeal, then ate outdoors on the not really sekrit second floor patio. In all the years of various medical visits I've never seen anyone else in that space, though there is occasional evidence by way of food wrappers in the trash can

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~ well worth seeing ~

It was surprisingly difficult to successfully photograph the Carson Ellis mural at the St Johns Library children's room, really seeing it in person is the best option, but this fragment gives a hint at the delight.

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Started converting the stripey dress into a Brambly Hedge slip. It was time consuming attaching the eyelet to the hemline edge, the only "difficulty" being the length of the hem. The dress sleeves were cut off to salvage fabric for bias strips to finish the enlarged neck and armsceye edges, which is the next step. This will be a rare slip indeed with the large pockets of an everyday dress, but somehow seems quite suitable for the aesthetic. Lastly, the large machine sewn patch (that never quite disguised the ink spot) will be removed, the stain cut away and repaired with a smaller and less obtrusive patch.

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A while back was online chatting with Acantha about my idea of adapting the WonderBag concept to use the mylar bubblepack leftovers from grocery orders to create an insulated cozy for off-stove cookery. She found a somewhat larger than needed (5 qt) but excellent cookpot and sent it up here to PDX via Gersvinda, and it recently arrived on the front porch. A good scrubbing tonight and it will be ready for use, will allow me to retire my other large pot for textile dyeing instead, and shall inspire experimentation to create insulated "containers" from various salvaged materials...

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	15 tiny masu boxes	earrings recombined	greenwaste bin
2	black scarf hem	replace C O alarm	recycle bin
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes- 
- cooking pot from Acantha, transported by Gersvinda
- sleeping when tired
- had a delightful conversation with Mischa yesterday about the small god of lost things, or more accurately the god of things lost and found, and what sort of shrine offerings would be most suitable. While this pertains to the game we are working on restarting, it also seems pertinent to Actual Life. There are art projects in mind...

Time of Isolation - Day 2188

recombinant refurbishment

in which our plucky heroine takes time to play...

Today decided to refurbish and reconfigure two pairs of earrings into one. Back in 2013 dear Ariadne gave me these lampwork beads she made, knowing that I enjoy wearing grey and black together. I turned them into earrings of course, but the floss tassel finial wasn't quite right.

Even earlier, sometime back in the 90's at OCF, I acquired some black porcelain horse charm earrings... they were quite heavy, so in 2009, some "time with the wet grinder thinned them to no more than 3mm thick; while some of the whimsical sculptured detail was lost, they are now light enough for comfort"... A vintage whiteheart bead and tiny sky blue enamel coordinated with my (OCF trading circle) turquoise beads, but still for some reason they were rarely worn.

I'd been hunting through my bucket of beads recently looking for frog materials, and cogitating for quite some time prior about what might combine well with the Ariadne lampwork beads, when my black horse earrings caught my eye. Aha! and it was the work of a few minutes to deconstruct them. As a way to further embellish the horses I decided to add a few spots to each in decorative triangles, carefully grinding away with the smallest round diamond burr in my little box from Harbor Freight. Once they dried (always grind under water for safety) the tiny dots were subtle, but visible. Wirework combined beads and horses into a pleasing pair of new earrings! Photos tomorrow when it is daylight...

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~ 1⅜" x ⅞" ~

Between other errands downtown, stopped off at Clay Commons yesterday afternoon and could not resist bringing home this exquisite hand painted ceramic vessel. An addition to the tinyworld art gallery.

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Excellent news about the knitting pattern quest... Cocoknits very generously sent me a PDF copy of the Oakleaf Family Tree pattern complete with all the charts. Huzzah and vast gratitude!

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Initially my thought was that the carbon monoxide alarm needed a new battery, but when replacing that made no difference at all to the chirping beeps, I thought to read the VERY small print on the back of the battery door... Oh, five chirps in a row means "end of life" (not for the humans) but the gizmo itself. So off to the hardware store this morning. I forgot to bring my monthly discount flier, but asked the cashier if it was possible to look up online, and so she tried, but that didn't work. When I said, "well then, I guess I will come back again tomorrow instead" she generously offered me a $5 off coupon, which being the same as the flyer coupons was just as good!!  Now all I need to do is decide where to install it; the old one plugged into the wall, but this one does not. The internets say 12" below ceiling in the hall outside bedrooms, but not too near a bathroom, or air vents, which makes me think most people have bigger houses than Acorn Cottage. 

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"Happiness is excitement that has found a settling down place, but there is always a little corner that keeps flapping around."

~ e. l. konigsburg

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	-	earrings recombined	greenwaste bin
2	-	C O alarm	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- Cocoknits sent me the knitting pattern I've been seeking
- mango slaw (modified from smitten kitchen)
- kindly cashier at Ace Hardware
- the man at the hardware store wearing silver and black dotted knee socks with black bike shorts and a silver brocade jacket... there is whimsy in the world!

Time of Isolation - Day 2181

Thursday thoughts

in which our plucky heroine runs some errands...

Today was lovely, as the weather shifted to a soft grey sky and the temperature dropped about 30 degrees. Time to enjoy bike-riding and getting a few errands done. Returned a library book, then decided to splurge by getting a coffee shop bacon/cheddar scone, which was just as delicious as the former time months ago. Hunger is the best sauce, and I'd forgotten to eat breakfast!

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~ better now... ~

The bag shoulder strap repair begun Tuesday is now finished. It was a bit tricksy getting all the stitching holes lined up once the Barge contact cement was ready, but the final re-stitched effect is quite tidy. It's good to have another small (indoor) task crossed off the to-do list!

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Made several attempts over the last few weeks to turn cottage cheese and almond flour into pseudo-bread and it just isn't something I like. Maybe try something else with cottage cheese, these crackers from cottage and cheddar or parmesan might be a better choice? Or I could rummage around and find the recipe I used ages ago for cheddar biscotti aka waybread (that was not gluten free, but was tasty and filling. Hmmm...

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Other chores got done prior to the rain arriving: the laundry (Mt. Washmore) was mostly dry on the line, and is now indoors to finish on the drying rack. And a bit more yard work to help fill up the greenwaste wheelie bin with more deadheaded sage and almost all the bunches of unripe grapes (which get removed before ripening to prevent the Invasion of the Danger Bugs) 

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Looking back on late June in years past: 2008 teaching cloisonne, 2010 Tigress Can Jam (strawberry rhubarb), 2012 saw the King Tut exhibition in Seattle, 2014 tiny Anglo-Saxon enamels, 2016 a sleeping hood for camping warmth, 2018 returning to tablet weaving, 2020 Nandina made her first appearance, 2022 a tinyworld Norse long-tent, 2024 in a world where everything falls apart, there is still beauty to listen to 

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Thought about getting an S-hook extension from the garden store so as to be able to hang my new cookpot to the pot-rack, then realised it would be useful to have measured the necessary distance first. Next time, or maybe get one of my blacksmith friends to custom make one that will be Just Right.

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Babs brooch	thinned apples	greenwaste bin
2	5th god lino block	add under elastic	recycle bin
3	5th god corner block	white scarf hem	recycle bin
4	enamels for John	add more elastics	greenwaste bin
5	tie-dye pillowcases	Viking bag strap	greenwaste bin
6	x	x	recycle bin
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- the pixel world lets me still hear music
- that very tasty bacon and cheddar scone
- today was cool, and not-sunny... my kind of weather perzactly

Time of Isolation - Day 2176

Monday miscellany and memory

in which our plucky heroine remembers...

There are never very many, since I only have the one blueberry bush, but this morning I realised that what had been all green clusters of berries were scattered with some dusky blue. Picked still warm from the sun they will grace my breakfast yogurt, and remind me of longago in the Before Times, when I first moved to Acorn Cottage, when my friend Larissa was still in the bright world and she and her husband Gryphon brought me future blueberries all in a garden center pot to plant in the yard. I think of her with every bite of the tart sweetness, and miss our younger selves.

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~ fearless mending ~

Ten years ago I made this purse, inspired by Viking Age wooden artifacts thought to be bag components. The cross-body strap has always been a few inches too long, and it finally occurred to me how best to shorten it. Some excess length was removed, and the strap layers separated and enough stitching and the now inner layers cut away to allow them to just meet, and the outer layers overlap. Had the two ends simply been overlapped and stitched it would make a clunky 4 layer join, but by trimming out parts of the straps it takes the thickness down to 3 layers instead, which will give a somewhat smoother final result. The strap will all be re-glued and re-stitched using the original punched holes and fresh waxed linen thread, and now ride on my hip at a more comfortable length.

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Babs brooch	thinned apples	greenwaste bin
2	5th god lino block	add under elastic	recycle bin
3	5th god corner block	white scarf hem	recycle bin
4	enamels for John	add more elastics	greenwaste bin
5	tie-dye pillowcases	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- my assortment of Acantha-made pottery bowls
- ripe sun warmed blueberries from the plant Gryphon and Larissa gave me years ago as a housewarming gift
- handmade goat milk soap from Drusa

Time of Isolation - Day 2173

Thursday thoughts

in which our plucky heroine makes small improvements...

This morning, after putting away the now dry dishes from last night, it became apparent that my long time method of using a towel under the dish drainer to catch extra drips was less than ideal for the crap formica countertop. Usually I remember to pull the towel out after it has done the job, which lets the counter dry out overnight as the damp dishes do the same. 

In the interest of not creating a mold farm, instead there was an Ikea excursion. They had VÄLVÅRDAD in stock, a powder coated metal catch tray large enough to (probably) fit the dish rack here. While I'd cleverly cut a piece of kraft paper the size of the bottom of my dish rack to take with to check the size, when tray and rack were in the same place it turned out I'd not accounted for the thickness of the wire legs. Fortunately, I have tools! There was good use made of the rawhide mallet and the stump; with crashings and bashings the legs were bent just enough to fit neatly inside the tray edges.

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~ very very sharp ~

Last night, inspired by this Instagram post, I finished making a sharpener for fabric marking chalks, from an old carved wooden box, hardware bits, and some new double edged razor blades (surprisingly cheap!). While my sharpening box didn't turn out quite the same as those others, it works eversomuch better and faster than scraping away at the edge of the chalk with a knife or scissors blade. The wooden box itself is at least fifty years old, maybe more, and likely came from an "import store" when I was young, and this will be a way of using it for something that will see more frequent use than tucked away on a closet shelf holding random smaller trinkets. 

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Well that was a bit of a perturbing minor memory fail... One of the several times living in the Lexington house with friends, the year after the Allston household broke apart, some of us moved there and kept living together. I've very few memories of those not particularly happy years. At my sisters husbands class reunion, one of the men (Doug Weston) from way back then ran into her and sent his regards. I'm embarrassed to not remember him, by face or by name, perhaps he was more Gary's friend than mine??.

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May SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Rosa sketch	Bad Smell gone	greenwaste bin
2	boro thread basket	dishrack tray	recycle bin
3	boro basket 2	-	-
4	boro basket 3	-	-
5	boro basket 4	-	-
6	sharpening box	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- mostly functional public transit
- when an Instagram inspiration actually works
- the stump Bill gave me

Time of Isolation - Day 2134

sociable Sunday

in which our plucky heroine leans into her current obsession...

It seems that lately all I want to do is refurbish my worn clothing, sew a few new garments to replace those too worn to mend, and plan out how they all will interact nicely. In this time of multiple systemic collapse, why am I focusing on such a frivolous thing. It isn't all I focus on or take action about, but it is the only thing that brings me any delight, pleasure or even satisfaction. I can't make there be snow in the mountains for summertime water, or sanity in the halls of power, but by golly I can have clothing that pleases me to wear and amuses and delights random folks out in the world. 

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~ is grey okay? ~

The finished stripey shirt finished, plus details... As currently existing, the fabric reads as light grey from any significant distance, with the handmade glass buttons definitely and defiantly taupe and black. While am still tempted to overdye it, so as to let it join with the brown sector of the wardrobe, that color group already has multiple shirts and blouses, while the grey/black group is quite sparse (and also missing any pinafores in good condition) Alternatively, a taupe overdye would let it play happily in both colorways.

... I tried on the finished shirt today, and discovered that I have two (2!) different and unmarked sleeve pattern pieces in my pattern envelope. One is for a three-quarter sleeve, and one for a full length. Guess which one was used to mark out the shirt fabric... Yup... a significant oops!... the shorter one, which makes the sleeves about two inches too short. Fortunately, there are fabric scraps remaining large enough to cut two wide strips, which will be given a bit of embroidery decoration, then used to lengthen the sleeves. A bit below the intersection of armscye and side seam the entire sleeve will be sliced open and the additional fabric will make the sleeve the correct length in the least disruptive way.  And, two new sleeve pattern pieces will be cut, and each one will be labeled with RED magic marker as either "full length sleeve" or "three-quarter sleeve"

 . 
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The beets that came in my produce box still had their tops. I remembered to cook the beet greens while they were still in good condition: first melting some butter in a saucepan, adding some of the Ethiopian spice alternative that the aunties gave me, then some green onion and the chopped up greens. It was, when mixed with a scoop of cottage cheese, just enough for a single lunchtime serving. I miss life in the Before Times when we could safely eat in restaurants, but at least the savory flavors can still be enjoyed. 

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Today was alarmingly warm, for the beginning of April. It was almost 85°F on my front porch this afternoon. This does not bode well.

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April SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	glass button shirt	apple tree pruned	recycle bin
2	-	tiny beaded star>	greenwaste bin
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
-Sunday is the day of the week when I get the most social contact, usually three zoom meetings with different groups of people. - faux ayeb begomin for lunch
- Bartlett pears are so delicious
- being able to share a few sewing tips online
- most of the time, I've enough colors of embroidery floss for the projects that I want to make

Time of Isolation - Day 2096

baby bears chair and other miscellany

in which our plucky heroine makes plans...

There are eversomany projects here that need done or that would be desirable. The next few days I'd like to finish the flannel shirt, and finish sampling the raincoat toggle spacing (for my personal projects) and finish the tiny bezels for the Babs brooch project... Maybe find the tarp pieces intended to bridge the gap between the porch and the walkway; getting that built will be very helpful.

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~ the past brought forward ~

This small Chinese rug holds some of my very early memories. It was originally my Nana's, possibly a wedding gift a hundred years ago, and now warms the floor next to my bed, one of the few objects salvaged after my parents demise that made it here to Acorn Cottage. The colors are vivid yet subtle, and looking at it carefully to draw it today, I also was surprised to see that some of its shapes and patterns that still reverberate in my own artwork. 

This is the only sewing machine I purchased new. Prior to this Bernette 330, once I left living with my parents, I had assorted machines from yard sales or thrift stores, none good enough to put money into repairing them when they broke down. I have been using this machine for almost 40 years now, and while it isn't fancy, it is wonderfully reliable, and has sewn everything I've asked it to, from a canvas tent to lightweight lingerie. Past Me was clever enough to buy a walking foot for the machine at the same time, and that attachment is in use several times a year at the very least

The furniture in my home comes from four different places... there are a few pieces that I've had all my life, two small bookcases and two chests of drawers, all rather battered by now, but full of memory. I believe they were bought from one of those "unfinished furniture" stores back in the 50's and furbished by my dad. I have a fair amount of "Ivar" and various other solid wood pieces from IKEA. I have a table, several small shelves and most especially my wooden bedframe that were handmade by friends. 

However, at least half of the furnishings here at Acorn Cottage are vintage or salvage of some kind. When I found this chair at the local resale shop, I could tell it was something special, firstly because it was just my size. Most chairs are too tall, and the seats are too deep for my petite self. On closer examination, the graceful shaping, and the beautiful through wedges of the legs were very worthy of notice. It had at that time a label on the back of the back rung that said "Ercol", a manufacturer uncommon here that I was not familiar with. I feel lucky to have found this unexpectedly affordable gem in a shop where it was not appreciated. It is my favorite chair.

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The switch to my bedside lamp stopped working on Monday.  I headed out yesterday to the hardware store in hope that they might have a replacement switch. Fortunately, they did. In the process of taking the lamp all the way apart to replace the broken switch, I noticed that the harp framework that holds the shade to the light socket was falling to pieces, with three of the four welds broken.

While I have a lot of skills, welding steel isn't one of them. But I do have a useful assortment of chemical bonding agents aka glue. It seemed like a good job for "Milliput", a very superior sort of epoxy putty, and that proved to be the case. After mixing up a tiny batch, I used it to sandwich the broken pieces together in the correct position, and after a few hours the putty set stone hard, and once the lamp was reassambled, it was back in service.

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Our winter weather is being odd. Nowhere near as much rain as would be ideal, and not as cold as previous years, though still plenty cold enough for wooly cardigans and layered leggings. And, as we head towards February, the patch of snowdrops in the front yard are blooming, and I saw two honeybees busy there.

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Today I happened to see a newspaper, a NYT business section lying on the table at the floral counter of the grocery store. The headline was something like "Gold tops $5000/oz". Of course I had to look more closely, for while I don't use gold, I have been using silver in my metalwork for many years. Probably not so much going forward, since silver too has skyrocketed in price. A few months ago it was under $30/oz, but it is now over $100/oz! I don't ever keep metal on hand, but only purchase just enough for a project if a client commissions me and pays a deposit, because silver has always been volatile in price, but in all my many years, I have never seen fluctuations or prices like this. I suspect I shall have to learn a new way to work, for the most part without silver. This will create serious technical challenges, as enamel behaves differently and changes colors depending on the substrate. 

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	final alphabeast drawing	painted mini tree	recycle bin
2	calendar master pages	new bin for  cedar shakes	orangeflower water
3	5+ jars fig mostarda	drawstring cords	large broken bin
4	page 2 resipei	workbench tidy	2 bags paper
5	-	bedside lamp	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

Monday's gratitudes -
- a beautiful Chinese rug that graces my bedside floor
- a very tasty Thai dinner
- Mikki is patient and kind

Tuesday's gratitudes - 
- finding out what is probably causing my tech trouble, and incidentally also finding out it is NOT my laptop
- early bedtime
- unexpectedly saw Helga at the grocery store, and she was able to give me my eye drops from Costco.

Wednesday's gratitudes -
- one major admin task is finally completed
- got over 8 hours of sleep due to early bedtime last night
- found some tiny alder cones for the miniature trinket shelves

Time of Isolation - Day 2029