Thursday thoughts

in which our plucky heroine enjoys the sunrise ~

Getting up and out the door while it is barely dawn is a challenge, but the benefit is a very pretty light show in the eastern sky. Always different, always worth seeing...

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~ e is for experimental ~

The STL file to print this cute trinket shelf has been unavailable for over a year, and the shop owner hasn't responded to my queries, so I decided to find out if I could create my own interpretation using the laser cutter... The first experiment was to see how narrow a structure could be cut, and it was a pleasant surprise that 1mm spaces between the cuts worked well and feels surprisingly sturdy! Definitely will continue with this (albeit rather rudimentary) designing process and create my own SVG cut file. Creating rectangles of specific sizes in the Glowforge interface, and placing them inside a larger specifically sized rectangle might not be rocket science, but one must needs begin somewhere.

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Baby bears portion: the meatball sundae at Ikea. By the time I made it out there, found the Raskog cartons, took photos of the labels, and started back towards the exits it was after 3 and there had been no lunch. Hot dogs or pizza rarely appeal, but then I noticed the handwritten sign at the bistro "meatball sundaes return"... a modestly sized ice cream cup but filled with a scoop of what tasted like actual mashed potatoes, and topped with 3 Swedish meatballs and gravy. It was a treat to be asked if I wanted lingonberry jam. I did. Before Ikea, it never would have occurred to me that jam was a suitable condiment for meatballs, although many folks in the USA eat red jam (aka cranberry sauce) with turkey.

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Today I went to the 3D print workshop at the Holgate Library, instead of Albina. Having done so this once, Albina will continue as first preference since the meeting room there is much more pleasant, being larger, with room to spread out and a whole wall of windows. Now all the pieces of tiny RÅSKOG are printed out. The next steps are to paint the tiny (faux) caster wheels, to figure out what glue to use to attach the extremely small PLA printed bits, and make to make jigs to hold the various parts in proper alignment. All of which was covered in the instructions that came with the print file with two words: "glue together"

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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 -
- early morning sunrise sky
- makerspace instructor Gretchen is a good communicator
- I have all the pieces for tiny RÅSKOG

Time of Isolation - Day 2259

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

suddenly it isn't summer

in which our plucky heroine notes the changing season...

wasn't sure about waking up early enough, but it was still barely drizzling and quite cool, so picked plums before breakfast. Then it started to rain in earnest while I was online chatting with sister. Very glad to have finished the Pelican and got it in the post yesterday, as I don't ride my bike in the rain, because spectacles don't have wipers.

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~ time to preserve ~

My friend Wanda gave me plum starts twenty years ago. Before it really began raining this morning, I picked almost 2½ pounds of nicely ripe plums from that small tree, which are now washed, cut up, and put in the freezer. Future breakfasts will be very tasty!

In addition, as for what to do with the too-early-picked alley plums, they have become 8 small jars of "spicy asian plum sauce"* a good homegrown answer to hoisin sauce. Three weeks ago, after the alley pirates plucked all the not-ripe-but-purple plums they could reach, my good neighbors wanted to pick the tall ones using their ladder, and I offered them the use of my fruit picking tool as well. They sweetly left me a bowl full of what looked ripe on the outside but was very much still green and tart inside. Plums do not ripen off the tree, they soften, but their flavor doesn't really get any sweeter or more complex. After three weeks, some were getting too soft to use at all, so since there were just about 2 pounds, it was a perfect fit for plum sauce, and my pantry condiments can start getting refilled. 

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Yesterday was the 3D printer event at Albina Library. It was so much fun to try and wrap my brain around something different, and I want to learn more so as to be able to create my own objects for the tinyworld. But since that complex skillset isn't mine (yet), just used some of the free files from Printables, and made two little mission style plant stands, and a tiny Dala horse. The brown plastic, makes the Dala horse look as if it was made of milk chocolate, a peculiarly large not-Easter-bunny. (in 1:12 scale at 1" tall it is about 12"). I'm wondering if I can scale it down even further and print it in color. 

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The Pelican medallion in a simple setting with beaded wire edging.

actual size 1½" diameter
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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	-	-
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 -
- homegrown tree fruit
- free tech programs at the library
- Joan Huntley, Britta Hall, and the year of Tigress's CanJam, whereby I was introduced to home canning and encouraged to make it be one of the skills I practice every year  

Time of Isolation - Day 2238

* One of my kitchen tenets is to put effort into making high-flavor condiments that can then be used to add savor to simple meals throughout the year; plum sauce takes the place of things like ketchup, and hoisin sauce, and if homemade, has no weird ingredients that require a chemistry degree to decipher, just things like tamari and garlic and vinegar and cayenne, and plums...

Spicy Asian-style Plum Sauce:

2lbs. fresh plums - pitted and quartered 2½C sugar ½C vinegar 3T soy sauce 1T ground ginger 2 minced garlic cloves 1/8tsp cayenne

Combine all, and bring to a boil, then simmer til the fruit is very tender. Puree, then cook till very thick It will take some time to cook down... Keep watch so it does not catch and burn When suitably thickened, jar and process ≈4 8oz jars - ¼" headspace - process 10 minutes

recipe can be multiplied

workable Wednesday

in which our plucky heroine hopes for improvement...

I ordered a kitchen faucet from Home Despot, and also an actual "deck box" to replace the tatty plastic tote that lives on the front porch and has magic marker instructions to the postie written on top. While the faucet isn't my ideal dream option (which doesn't exist, apparently) it seems to meet enough of my criteria, and after months and months of looking I remind myself that done will be better than perfect. Progress on my goals for this summer is proceeding.

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~ a distant memory ~

At some point when I was young there was assorted Strombecker dollhouse furniture. The images I've seen of various pieces of this distinctive wooden furniture are peculiarly resonant, though I've no idea when I played with them, or where they ended up over distant years and many many moves. There once was a table lamp similar to this one, but with a green base, so when I found two for sale on Etsy at an affordable price I clicked "purchase"... 

Unfortunately the interface had already sold them to a different buyer but didn't tell the seller, who was most apologetic, and offered me this yellow base one instead, at a discount. It was in "as-is" condition, and it was obvious on arrival that the lamp base had at some point met up with teething, either a puppy (or maybe a child?) 

My first stage repair was to fill in the multiple divots with wood putty, and once that solidified, carefully sand it back to smooth with 400 grit abrasive paper. While I was originally going to repaint it a solid color, it is tempting to just leave it as is; the variegated color reminds me of a large pottery lamp we had back in the 1960's

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Today began the process of spray painting the mailbox dark bronze. Every exterior side has been sanded with fine sandpaper, washed, and dried, as per the 0.7mm tiny instructions on the back of the can of Rustoleum. The mailbox has been removed from the wall and is currently attached to the clothesline next to the chain link fence and propped in place to allow each surface being painted to be vertical. 

Astonishing how something so quick makes such a difference. It still needs at least a second coat all around, but the hammered finish dark bronze is already so much more attractive than the former patchy appearance. The second coat should deal with the one spot where I touched the paint before it was fully dry; I'll spray it in situ (after the mail is delivered tomorrow) instead of removing it to the the side yard, and tape up plenty of newspaper around the area to protect against overspray. Then it can sit there overnight until truly dry. 

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Still mulling over the 7in7 earrings challenge since #7 has not been made (and I also missed #1). This afternoon while chatting with Mischa I remembered bells! I have two different tiny sizes, stored for some reason in the in the drawer of washi tape?! that might be perfect components for a pair of dark brown earrings. Hmmm...

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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	painting mailbox	-
4	glass button earrings	-	-
5	poppy pod earrings	-	-
6	red cube earrings	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- chainmail pot scrubber, also can hold paintbrushes to dry vertically
- Home Despot has free home delivery
- homemade kombucha

Time of Isolation - Day 2220

Monday miscellany

in which our plucky heroine...

Spent enough so much time Sunday combining the various "cats invade" images into a single page printable image, that by the time I finished the local copy shops were all closed. My plan is to make a miniature "large scale art book", at 1½" tall it would be about an 18" full size book. It will be an edition of at least two, since my miniature library needs a copy in addition to the one I plan to send to Kestrel

Guess a miniature coffee table will also be needed! For some reason I've been imagining something midcentury style with a partial mosaic tabletop, (maybe using the colored eggshells I've been saving) Time for more image research, maybe Sunset Magazine's "Furniture You Can Build" will have something inspiring?

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~ well worth it ~

I rode again to the St Johns Library this morning, inspired by the most recent post in "Slowpoke", Carson Ellis' substack journal. She mentioned that there were coloring sheets available, which sounded like fun. Her post has much better photos and information about the mural in the children's room as well.  While the librarian was busy tracking down where the coloring pages were, I looked carefully at the other details of the remodel I'd missed on my first visit, things that my pal Ursel (the architect) had mentioned, like the ceiling treatments in the transition hallway. Overall I am really glad seeing "our tax dollars at work" as refurbishing and making more accessible and beautiful such a needful public good as libraries makes me happy.

(photo above is of a small detail on one of the two new colorful outdoor sculptures at the St Johns Library)

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Discovered Adam Cleevely's conversation with Xandy Peters a wide ranging interview. I'm going to have to check out more of Adam's podcasts. I was a tiny bit familiar with Xandy Peters since knitting their renowned pattern Fox Paws back in 2014...

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My old overalls pattern has some very mysterious leg gusset pattern pieces that it isn't clear to me perzactly how they join the rest of the legs. My original overalls made from this pattern are long gone, but hoping that the oldest pair of overalls I made for Beth years ago will maybe have helpful information. Karen and I plan to look tomorrow during our regular Tuesday video chat.

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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	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes- 
- an almost two hour phone call with dear friend Rois
- beautiful beads for future froggies arrived today 
- I found some Japanese-style printmaking paper at the art store today that should work well for pages in the "Cats Invade" tiny book

Time of Isolation - Day 2191

a colloquia of corbies

in which our plucky heroine slept better than expected...

The holiday explosions started before it was even full dark, but it seemed less dense than last year? The windows, which are usually kept narrowly open for fresh air were all shut tight last night. The rarely used white noise app helped partially mute the thumps and bangs. Turned that off sometime in the wee small hours as it was no longer needed. The closed windows also allowed me to sleep until not tired; hungry corbies were still there when I woke up at around 8, quite a few gathered in the lilac, and on the garage roof next door! 

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~ cats invade the garden for catnip ~
.

One project started this weekend has been to begin converting all of  Kestrel's very delightful "Cats Invade" drawings to a format suitable for making tiny books for the tinyfolk that live at her house and also here at Acorn Cottage. I plumb adore the whole series of pictures, of which these are the first two...

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One of the early garden addition here was a little Nandina domestica, (now almost 7 ft tall); a shrub I loved as a child, and tinyfolk Nandina Ogidni's namesake. I nowadays remove the berries that form, as they can be toxic to birds and mammals, but apparently the flowers are very attractive to bees... Today, despite the lack of a breeze, I noticed quite a bit of foliage movement, and there were many bees of several different species  going from flower to flower.

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The 5 gallon bucket of beads is now slightly less disorganised, as I took part of today to sort through it organising beads by color. Mostly the beads that were already in hanks or bags of one color, if randomly distributed. There still remain several large ziplocs full of assorted mixtures, individual beads, trinkets, and artifacts, but now specific colorways are much more accessible. Also it is curious that there seems to be an overlap between taupe, purple, and grey, which I suspect has to do with the chemistry of creating glass colors. 

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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	-	replace 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 -
- did not wake up at 5 AM from hungry noisy corbies
- Maeva sent me more Kestrel drawings today
- internal collywobbles seem to have dissipated
- Nandina flowers attract bees

Time of Isolation - Day 2184

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

Friday fragments

in which our plucky heroine reaches for bootstraps...

The warm weather on Monday was a fluke, as going forward throughout the week the weather returns to the more usual for this time of year. It has been grey, and drizzly and not particularly warm. Which is fine. 

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~ not buttons but tiny shelves? ~

There are many tutorials online about turning avocado pits into buttons, and how sturdy the inner seed becomes as it dries. Out of curiosity, decided to slice up the most recent one... These little semi-circular slices, while they could be trimmed into small discs and drilled with holes, rather call to mind miniature wall brackets, and could without much difficulty be repurposed into 1:12 scale rustic decor for the tinyworld. Hmmmm....

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With my focusing on completing unfinished projects, the ruffle-edged pillow shams have been completed, and hopefully soon be on their way to their new home, and the bank account a bit more pleasantly enlarged.

The Icelandic cardigan has been ungrafted into pieces, and is getting marked center back and either side in order to better line up the upper and lower sections. Sister made the sweetest interpretation, that once it is altered to fit me, 'twill be like "a warm hug from Dad".

While there are more of my own personal wardrobe projects eagerly awaited, my immediate next effort is to finish Bab's heraldic brooch. Maybe the experimental abalone inlay project will get its turn not too long after that (to replace the lost Mexican silver horse brooch), that is, once I finish with the small enamel award pendants for John. Those enamels are the last thing in the workshop line, my queue is almost empty.

Time to experiment as well with what sorts of enameling I can do without using silver. I switched to a fine silver ground over four decades ago, for technical reasons. Copper has always been less spendy, but much trickier for cloisonne. Now that silver (never inexpensive) has more than tripled in price, it is really affecting the choices artists must make, and it is probably time to switch back to copper... I'm considering moving away from  my beloved cloisonne to limoges style enamel for regalia, as one example.

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The last week or so have been particularly rough. Aside from the multiplicitous dumpster fires that are our current timeline, which are more than enough for anyone who is paying attention, there is no obviously immediate personal reason. Doing my best to seek and pay attention to small joys and bits of goodness is sometimes enough to contradict the brain weasels. But not always; recently the weasels are winning. Plucky heroine is Very Stubborn about not giving up, though. I seem to remember an idea of making an actual ARTifact of anti-brain-weasel serum, maybe time to revisit that idea. I think Acantha had some relevant ideas...

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It is always a small thrill when my internal database tosses out a word that fits my writing perzactly, and the spell check says nope, but double checking several online real dictionaries says yes, and then that dopamine moment of clicking "add to dictionary"

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Month SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	ruffle pillow shams	-	-
2	-	-	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- Super Supportive - Chapter 274 !!!
- using chevre as a feta substitute (not quite the same flavor profile, but an improvement on a bike ride in the cold rain)
- quince rosewater applesauce
- that dopamine moment of clicking "add to dictionary"

Time of Isolation - Day 2066

Saturday snippets

in which our plucky heroine keeps warm...

on another cold and blustery day. Wearing all of my newly made and recently refurbished garments all at the same time, and also the multi-fabric flannel and batik slip from last year. I'd rather wear layers indoors than turn the heat further up. The new long janes (cut out yesterday) only took about an hour to stitch together, other than the elastic waistband which I am going to tackle after eating dinner. Am tempted to also add a strip of simple decorative Alabama Chanin style hemline trim for them, but that can be done afterwards, as a handwork project...

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~ if I fits, I sits... ~

One of the several maneki-neko from this year's Advent Swap has found their spot, inside one of the origami treat storage boxes...

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The final relic of the end of an era. Whilst clearing through a pile of random papers, found a cut out article from the NYT Style magazine "The Magicians Flight" dated 12/5/21, about Miyazaki the animator/filmmaker. For most of my adult life, once I was no longer living in my parents home, they would clip articles they thought would interest me, and mail them to wherever I was living at the time. I remember that my mother first introduced me to Miyazaki's works by taking me to the movie theater, certain I would enjoy Spirited Away! Somehow, finding this cut out article left me with a lump in my throat, remembering all the years of them both reaching out to me in what way they could, saying "we see you, we know you, we appreciate who you are..." and now knowing that those days are gone forever.

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It has been a while since I last read Super Supportive, which is now up to chapter 272 (I stopped at 269, when I lost internet access). Twice I've gone back to reread it from the beginning, as it is pretty complex and really long. Well worth reading, despite not being my usual preferred sort of tale.

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	plaid flannel shirt	rice bags	greenwaste bin
2	23 postcards	INTERNET!!	recycle bin
3	teal linen pinafore	hydration station	greenwaste bin
4	bedroom shelves	grey felt slipper	recycle bin
5	tiger pocket	teal turtleneck	greenwaste bin
6	teal long janes	x	-
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- Mikki took some time today to explain, in a rough and ready fashion, a bit about how electrical current flows, all in reference to my conversation about using extension cords and or power strips. I'm feeling reassured about safe useage.
- the very last article cut from the NYT and sent me by my parents
- new teal long janes

Time of Isolation - Day 2054

not the sparkle you desire

in which our plucky heroine wakes up to scintillating scotoma...

I've gone for many years at a time without seeing any of these, but this is the second one in as many months. Fortunately only annoying and distracting, and by the time I was done with breakfast, it was mostly beyond my peripheral vision.

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~ tiny trinkets ~

The compartments in these 3D printed trinket shelves are only a bit taller than ⅛", small enough that finding suitable denizens has been quite challenging. The littlest of seashells, turquoise chip beads, some very tiny alder cones, and fragments of a crystal geode are some of what fits. It is tempting to try and create a tiny sculpture of some kind; tried to use some of the leftover Milliput, but couldn't manipulate it well at that scale. Wondering about Very Tiny mushrooms? 

I'd really like to get the file to print a few more of these shelves, but just a bit larger. My friend Sam printed these for me last year, and if he can share the instructions, the library has 3D printing...

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Found an online source to get charging cables for my phone that have a right angle bend where the plug joins the wires, which will make a big difference in how easy it will be to use.

Spent over an hour on the phone trying to get some help from Century Link re the problems with my (albeit ancient) wifi modem etc. The repair tech person insisted that everything was working just fine, and that the only problem was that I hadn't signed a subscriber agreement?! (despite my having had an account for over twenty years) and that they would send it to me as a text. Only problem with that is that my account with them is for a land line, not a mobile. So called the customer service person, to try and get that sorted out. Still SNAFU'd. after almost another hour talking to them. Will try again in the morning. Dunno how "never having signed a piece of paper" would cause my wifi to suddenly stop working properly a few weeks ago, after years and years of more or less okay service.

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Not exactly "Swimming Rama", but combining leftovers with some various frozen cubes made a tasty dinner: there were two cartons of extra rice from the Thai takeaway food Mikki and I had for dinner, so a bit of that, plus a frozen cube of chopped cooked power greens, one of cooked mashed yellow squash, and one of spicy thai red curry sauce... If I had thought to cook up some chicken or shrimp it would have been even better, but it was fine! 

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2026 calendars are cut up, holes punched and cords threaded... all the envelopes are counted out ready to be addressed and stamped. I keep thinking of more folks who might enjoy one, but want to get these at least in the mail before the end of January. Better late than never... 

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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

today's gratitudes -
- just as I suspected, chevre is a fantastic companion to the fig mostarda made earlier this month
- a wide variety of freezer cubes of veggies, sauces, and suchlike
- I like how this year's AlphaBeast calendar looks more than I did at first. The style has a very different look than my previous ones, but still distinctively my own. Which is sort of the point.

Time of Isolation - Day 2030

fragments and snippets

in which our plucky heroine does a bit more than the last few days ...

Still not quite back to proper sleep wake, but is improving. Had fun introducing my tinyfolks to Mischa's salon guests. Mt Dishmore is significantly eroded though not yet gone. Rode out to St Johns to the post office, and then out to check on the Free Art Gallery. The gallery is gone!! there is nothing there any more other than the post and the QR code for Sidewalk Joy. Very sad.

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~ day 2 and 3 ~

I have a number of handmade ceramic bowls, this one is my favorite. The inside is glazed a soft green-blue , and the outside is unglazed, with little sgraffito motifs around the middle. My friend Acantha made it back in the Before Times. It is just the right size, a bit bigger than a custard cup, and has the perfect shape for preparing my breakfast museli. I can soak the rolled oats overnight, and the double curve of the sides holds them in place while I pour off the excess water.

I was rescued by friends and taken to their beach home to escape the dreadful heat dome in 2021; 116°F+ (46.6°C+) temperatures melted trolley cables, buckled streets, and killed over 250 people in the PNW. This chunk of waveworn bone, so pleasant to touch and so difficult to draw, is a souvenir of time spent walking the beach, and a reminder that our connections are the true wealth.

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Further experiments with my iron gall ink project. I divided the liquid into two pint Talenti tub containers. Into one, I poured the rusty iron water from the tiny cauldron. The gall water looks maybe a bit blacker, but not much. I tried applying it to paper, and it is a pale greyish brown, not very different than before adding rusty water. Neither of the gall water samples are anything like what I could call ink. I am wondering if I had too little gall to too much rainwater to begin with. I only have about 1 oz. of oak galls remaining. Am considering a course of further steeping, adding the final ounce of oak galls to only one pint of gall water, before then trying any further additions of ferrous sulfate (hopefully available at the local garden store) and the gum arabic (already purchased last year from the art store).

some links about making ink:
from The Huntington
from The Axbridge Museum Artist's Blog
from Ian the Green (mka David Roland)

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Somewhere I'd acquired a turned wooden evergreen tree, about 4" tall. Probably meant for a holiday ornament, as it still has a drilled hole in the very top. It now has painted foliage in three shades of green, and a base in black bordered with red dots, very festive, and intended as tinyworld seasonal decor, if a bit late for this year. It fits neatly on an end table in Opal's studio apartment, and I plan on making a star topper for it from the Advent Swap "gold star"

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Today got another scam prescription bill purporting to be from Walgreens. It is identical to the one that arrived here in November 2025. Again I was worried at first, then noticed the same date and data. Took it to Walgreens today and they concurred. 

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	-	paint turned holiday tree	recycle bin
2	-	-	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- 3 days so far where I kept my promise to draw, and kept my promise to go outdoors and move my body
- video chat with Jen, and very glad I am that she is starting to recover
- delicious leftovers (why do I only remember to make black-eyed peas once a year when they are so good?!)

Time of Isolation - Day 2015

these are not the colored lights you are looking for

in which our plucky heroine sleeps in...

Last night my sleep was interrupted with about a two hour long visual migraine. While it is a blessing that it is only the visuals and not the pain that so many of my friend experience, it is very distracting. What it looked like (irrespective of if my eyes were open or closed) was what started out as a flashing star shaped hatch mark in one corner of my peripheral vision, and gradually spread out in an ever expanding curve across my entire field of vision, looking very much like multicolored flashing lights of a carnival or fun fair. It was impossible to return to dreamland until the neuro-storm had finally finished and drifted away beyond the range of sight. 

It is a peculiar phenomenon, that only happens very rarely, maybe once every five years or more. The first time it occurred, back in the mid 80's, I had no idea what was wrong and why I suddenly could not see anything in my surroundings. The school nurse was convinced that the sudden flashing blindness was caused by my "hyperventilating" (which was her diagnosis for almost everything other than active wounds). I am grateful that my first migraine happened in the classroom and not as it did for my mother, who first had one while driving on the freeway in Los Angeles!

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~ sparkle in snow ~

The ditsy printed design on the oldest of my knit turtleneck tops is apparently meant for christmas; it took me a number of years to notice that scattered amongst the wintery scene, here and there a few of the ¼" conifer trees have colorful decorations. 

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As planned yesterday, today's dinner was an Eastern European-esque version of spinach rice bake: barley, cabbage, mushrooms, onion, cheese, eggs. It was tasty, but as suspected, would have been improved with a different cheese. Maybe kashkaval, maybe chevre, or some combination of the two. Tillamook was too bland.

this recipe from my childhood is become a staple breakfast dish, or equally well as a potluck contribution, should we ever have social gatherings again...

~ Spinach Rice Bake ~
1 C cooked starch (rice, kasha, bulgar etc)
1 C shredded cheese
1 c cooked veg, chopped
2 eggs
2 T melted butter
2 t chopped onion
⅓ C milk (or 1 T dry milk and ⅓ C water)
½ t Worcester sauce
½ t dried herbs (or such fresh herbs as seem pleasing)

10 x 6 baking dish, 350°F, 20 - 25 min

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I've found the missing miniature bed with the hand painted canal boat roses, in a "somewhere safe" that wasn't really deeply hidden, huzzah! Now all that remains missing from the tinyworld is shoes, Opal's birkies, and two pair of winter boots. Those can all be remade much more easily than furniture, so I am relieved. Just as I am thinking and planning for various human scale refurbishments and project for 2026, am also looking over how things stand in the tinyworld and what projects come next...

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wishing joy to all who celebrate:

























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December SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	2 pairs underwear	vegetable steamer legs	fridge science experiments
2	knitted shrew	shrew eyes	yard waste bin
3	1 pair undies	Gamma bucket lid	recycle bin
4	2 alphabeast  drawings	one page of the embroidery transfer	recycle bin
5	1 alphabeast  drawing	daypack mended	recycle bin
6	phone pouch	cleaned keyboard	x
7	x	undie waistband	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- reliable recipes, the cooking equivalent of TNT sewing patterns
- sewing machine walking foot
- Mischa reading "A Child's Christmas in Wales" aloud
- finding the lost tinyworld bed

Time of Isolation - Day 2007

tiara Tuesday

in which our plucky heroine is making plans...

Time to think about projects for 2026. Though there are several major categories that need my attention, today my daydreams were mostly about wardrobe sewing, as it has become obvious that some of my everyday clothing is becoming noticeably threadbare. While not yet unwearable, some will be better suited to yard and garden duty rather than wearing out and about in the bright world, once I stitch up fresh new replacements.

Back in the halcyon days of Stitchers Guild, the clever Dr E came up with the concept of a 6PAC, being multiple smaller groups of garments than SWAP, and spread throughout the year. I was not the only one who took this idea to heart, and over time used this concept to build my wardrobe.  With that thought in mind, my current intention is to use fabrics on hand in brown and teal, and make 2 pairs of long janes (brown jersey and teal jersey), 2 heavy linen pinafores (solid brown and solid teal), and two shirts (plaid and floral)

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~ rather rakish ~

When Sequoia saw the tiny tiara, he was certain that it had been meant for him, and none of the other tinyfolk had the heart to dissuade him... (also, new floral dog bed courtesy of Mackayla)

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Apparently I've somehow misplaced the whimsical tinyworld bed that I assembled (from a laser-cut solid wood kit), painted, and decorated with canal boat roses sometime in 2022 or 2023. I was even thinking last night for a while that I had simply imagined the whole thing, but found photographic evidence here on the blog. I hope to find wherever the "someplace safe" it was put away is, as all of the usual spots are coming up empty, and the kits were a limited run from an artist in the UK.  

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Took time today to work on the remaining unfinished calendar drawings. Wolf/wisteria is almost completely inked, which leaves only otter/orchid left to sketch and ink. Checked in at the copy store and the per page charge for not-color card stock copies is only about 40¢, which means I can probably send more folks calendars than I did last year (when I printed full color images from the 100 day stitchbook project) Yay!

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Discovered the online magazine "Craftsmanship" when I followed an article link to the essay: "Could Small Still Be Beautiful?" an interesting read. I am going to enjoy poking around and reading other available articles.

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December SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	2 pairs underwear	vegetable steamer legs	fridge science experiments
2	knitted shrew	shrew eyes	yard waste bin
3	1 pair undies	Gamma bucket lid	recycle bin
4	2 alphabeast  drawings	one page of the embroidery transfer	recycle bin
5	1 alphabeast  drawing	daypack mended	recycle bin
6	x	cleaned keyboard	x
7	x	undie waistband	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- some of my memory is preserved here in the blog universe
- according to UK gardening sites, one can still plant crocus bulbs on Christmas Day, though they may bloom later than usual. (since there was a crocus bulb in one of the advent swap gifts)
- the rainbow jingle-heart is an audible pocket reminder of connection

Time of Isolation - Day 2005