outside Acorn Cottage the weather is currently "wintery mix" which while it always sounds like some sort of party snack like Chex Mix, is instead a sloppy slushy swirl of rain and snow. Not my favorite for walking, and I will wait till later in the day to attempt a sanity stroll and thereby avoid slip-sliding away.
※※※
time in the tinyworld:
This last Sunday, after an intensive multiple day enameling project, I chose to take time off from work and just play. I've been saving these small sturdy boxes that my hand lotion is packaged in, and realised that they were an excellent size for tinyworld bookcases. There was much measuring and cutting of a scrap of davey board into suitable shelves, followed by careful use of Tacky Glue.
More fabrication made small drawers to fit the extra space. I was able to use a scrap of mini plywood leftover from refurbishing the bakers rack to make the drawer fronts (which still need handles). Not sure what color to paint the bookcases, so for now I will leave them as large scale black and white floral, and plan on choosing a color when I have built an actual room for them to live in! Also quite pleased to find out that there is now a LOT more room for at least a dozen or two additional tiny books and trinkets
※※※
Woke up this morning to everything covered in inches of wet sticky snow. Not at all our usual mid April weather, and with all the trees beginning to leaf out or starting to flower, this isn't good. Large chunks of my big front yard "ornamental plum" trees are broken off and hanging, and I'm just grateful they didn't fall on my roof.
"The last time our area had this much snow on this date was in 1890. The last time we had measurable snow on this date (0.3") was in 1972. This is so unusual." - from a local friend
Pete from next door dragged two of the biggest tree chunks away from my front walkway, and there is one more large chunk still hanging off the other tree. (My small sideyard and backyard fruit trees, well pruned, are okay, though I don't know how this will affect pollination, our local bees, and fruit set, or if the buds and flowers will simply freeze and die)
This is what I saw looking out my front door today
a big chunk of tree, out of place
wet snow tore the tree apart
actually three large chunks of the tree were broken off
※※※
Last week I did a spot of refurbishment on the miniature bakers rack I was gifted. As the "butcher block" counter was a bit smaller than the metal framework, I removed it and cut a fresh piece of wood to size. Painted the entire rack with black model enamel, I wanted matte paint but all the art store had was glossy. There are many gaps in the displays there, as I suppose supply chain issues are not just for grocery staple food. I also looked up online to check the hours of the little hobby store that is a few miles away, and found that their store had been closed for over a year now. I guess not enough customer base to keep their rent and costs covered.
※※※
in preparation for my next scribal project, I am putting in some small amount of time every day working on learning Roman Rustic style of calligraphy. I will be making a Scythian inspired scroll, and as they had no writing (that we know of) my friend suggested Roman as at least a contemporary time period. Calligraphy is not my strong suit, so it will require a fair amount of practice to get an acceptable result. I did find an online tutorial that breaks the letters down into groups of similar structure, which will be helpful...
※※※
TAXES, ugh! Time to spend a few days doing arithmetic and filling out paperwork. And then send off bootles of dosh. I love being self employed, except in mid April.
※※※
It would be fun, I think, to carve some tiny erasers to blockprint a miniature faux Marimekko "Unikko" blue poppies fabric for use in the tinyworld.
※※※
Yay me, I did the hard thing I have been avoiding for a week now, and called the dentist to schedule my extraction of CrankyTooth. Still unhappy of the necessity, and still scared about the procedure, but it needs to happen.
※※※
This "exciting" weather has me thinking about wardrobe planning, though there will be no major sewing projects until my taxes and the current crop of peerage regalia project are completed. That said, it is all about summer and winter: a few pairs of winter leggings would actually be welcome, and a new summer popover dress, because this cold snap will not last long. All of these I have fabric on hand to make up: dark grey lycra knit, and a navy and white printed lycra knit for new leggings, and the lovely "indigo tiger" rayon for the summer dress.
I am also thinking about replacing my venerable sunhats which would allow me to use some smaller fabric remnants, and maybe a pair of long desired washable bed socks, to allow me to use lotion on my poor feet which are as dry as the Sahara. It has also occurred to me that making trim bands as more decorative visible lower edge for the bottom edge of winter leggings would be an excellent handwork project, being both small enough, a simple shape, and a way to explore different techniques and motifs.
※※※
Tried using the 120 grit diamond hand file I acquired prior to pandemic for grinding down the enamel before flash firing... still a slow process, but much easier, since the file portion has a handle (unlike an alundum stone), and much less messy, since I don't end up with a dishpan full of alundum sludge.
※※※
April SMART goals (x=extra)
| # | THINGS MADE | THINGS FIXED | THINGS GONE |
| 1 | tiny Euphorbia | jacket snaps added | - |
| 2 | tiny moth orchid | moar wood chips in planter | - |
| 3 | Countess scroll | - | - |
| 4 | Laurel enamel | - | - |
| 5 | sunflower enamel | - | - |
| 6 | x | x | - |
| 7 | x | x | - |
| 8 | x | x | - |
| 9 | x | x | - |
| 10 | x | x | x |
| 11 | x | x | x |
| 12 | x | x | x |
| 13 | x | x | x |
| 14 | x | x | x |
| 15 | x | x | x |
today's gratitude - This last weekend, my good neighbors filled up the big planter in the back yard with wood chips from their pile, so it is ready for me to begin adding garden soil.
Time of Isolation - Day 757
