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 feeling tired...

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

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~ kitchen motto #2 ~

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

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

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

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

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

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

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August SMART goals (x=extra)

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

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

Time of Isolation - Day 2225

NFS

in which our plucky heroine cogitates...

and continues to make a modicum of progress. Mt Dishmore is diminished though not gone. Mt Washmore is almost dry on the clothesline and will be put away before bedtime. I figured out that making the beaded dragon in two halves and joining them together is easier than having very long loose wires flopping about, and lets the wire ends be neatly tucked inside the dragon tummy.

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~ better ~

The mailbox has been successfully repainted to a dark hammered bronze. It is an improvement that probably only I will notice, but it makes a difference to me. And once (eventually) when the house and trim are repainted, it will look quite suitable indeed. I first removed the mailbox and attached it to the clothesline in the side yard for the first coat of paint. Once that was dry it needed to return to the front walkway. The 2nd coat of paint was applied in situ the next day, after taping many old newspaper sheets all around to catch any overspray. 

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Now that the smoke has temporarily cleared, it will be good to order replacement filters for my portable air cleaners, for the house, and for my P100 as well. Bought some white duct tape to reconstruct the Corsi-Rosenthal box.  No way to know if the winds will bring the smoke back this summer, but nothing wrong with being prepared.

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Many many years ago after some trading circle or barter fair I came home with some small pieces of mammoth ivory. Looking through my supplies and materials for something to complement some vintage bone buttons, a few of the fragments seemed almost Calder-esque, and created a very appealing sort of dynamic symmetry.

The challenge is how best to neatly attach such tiny pieces together while still allowing independent movement. My first thought yesterday was to use jump rings, but rings large enough to function that way looked too clunky. My new idea is to form very small wire arched "staples" to be glued in place and somehow interlinked. There will need to be experiemtation.

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I just discovered this brand new magazine "Purl" all about knitting techniques. I've just ordered a copy of their first issue which has just made it into print. The theme of the first issue, very appropriately is "cast on" and it appears that it will be a Useful Reference.

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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	-	-
6	red cube earrings	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- Past Me made corn pancakes and froze them
- spray paint is easy
- my dear friend Mischa

Time of Isolation - Day 2222