a pint's a pound the world around

in which our plucky heroine heats up the preserving kettle again...

Yesterdays simmered quince pieces became just under two pounds of red gold fragrant quince juice. Since the ratio of sugar to juice for this particular confection is ¾ to 1, it required 23¼ oz of sugar to turn 31 oz of juice into jelly.

※※※

~ counterchanged ~

Just couldn't resist making a second hat with the orange and black counterchanged... Now I guess I need to make something festive for Kenya to wear, as neither Nandina or Almandine want to give up their Halloween holiday wear!

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adding phone pockets to older pinafores - Part of an old corduroy skirt, originally black but faded to dark grey, still had both large patch pockets attached. Those will be an ideal and quick way to create a way to hold my phone; my newer pinafores have a center front chest pocket to keep it handy when I am out riding my bike, but some of my clothing pre-dates carrying a phone when out of the house. So, some time with the seam ripper, and they should be easy to attach to the old black corduroy and black vertical rib pinafores. It is all about getting the longest possible life from my handmade wardrobe, it pleases me to be able to pull from my scrap stash to repair and refurbish, and the faded fancy corduroy will not only be useful, but about as good a color match as possible for the also faded garments...

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This time of year was, for a long time, when the new rules for Stitchers Guild annual Sewing With A Plan (SWAP) would be announced. Well, though Stitchers Guild is defunct, I've been thinking about how to modify the rules I created back for Your Perfect Vision - the 2020 SWAP challenge. That was going to be my first year as a moderator, and I put a lot of thought into the plan for that year; as we all know how 2020 unfolded, that SWAP never really happened... I certainly do not need 11 new garments, but there are still a few gaps in my curated wardrobe, so maybe I need to create a "missing pieces" SWAP. Food for thought...

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	8 jars applesauce	AC taken in for winter	my favorite hat :(
2	leather work gloves	hat toile xp3	yard waste bin
3	10 tiny books	prune arborvitae	some grapes
4	Corsi Rosenthal box	assemble Luggable	recycle bin
5	4 jars blackberry quince	snaps on duvet cover	yard waste bin
6	Ethiopian spice blend	picked quinces	recycle bin
7	spaceship pillowcases	phone pockets	yard waste bin
8	2 mini witch hats	x	recycle bin
9	x	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 gratitudes -
1. useful scrap fabric saved works well for utility mending
2. another sunny dry day which meant I could use the clothesline... those days get rarer as the year wends on. It looks like tomorrow will also be dry, so washing the bedding would be a great plan. Nothing smells better than line dried sheets...
3. there are more participants in the Advent Swap than I had feared, we may have enough (15, maybe 16?) that it will only be necessary to double the gifts each person gets. I had been hoping for at least 30 or 31 to join in, but I guess that since this is the first time for the swap, even this many is good... if it is a success and folks have fun, maybe there will be more participants next year. It is already a success for me, as two different folks that are not actively doing the swap have messaged me about how much they enjoy "watching along" (and of course the cost of out of country postage would preclude my more distant friends from playing)

Time of Isolation - Day 1217

nice hat, and other Sunday snippets

in which our plucky heroine is sleepy, but determined...

Given how scrambled my sleep wake times are lately, it is surprising that I still manage to function and make slow if steady progress on various projects...

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~ very nice hat... ~

Joining in with my friends in Tiny Rag Doll World, I decided that knitting a witch hat for little Nandina would be a fun addition to this upcoming holiday season. The Decorative Witch Hat was so quick and easy, particularly since I already was familiar with knitting in the round. I had never done Latvian Braid stitch before, but the instructions made is really clear, and the results looked great. The only modification I made was to decrease at the end to just three stitches, and continue on just a few more rounds with a three stitch I-cord, for an extra pointy tip...

※※※

I must say that it never occurred to me that the arrival and unboxing the various sets of Advent treats would be such an ongoing delight. Even though they are all wrapped, and I am merely the transitional host, it is bringing me so much joy each time I hear the postie clump up the ramp to the mailbox and I find another package from one of the Swap participants. Each person found a different creative way to wrap their little gifts, and my hope is that all will be equally delighted when the return box, filled with an assortment of presents, arrives in their mailbox later in November!

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~ wtf ~

a surprise and not a treat! I had been using this "Valley" brand rubber mallet to help "persuade" the knife through the raw quinces today, when much to my surprise, the head and handle parted ways quite suddenly... I can't remember where the mallet came from, but now it is useless. It appears to be so poorly made as to be more of a prop than an actual tool; the handle barely goes halfway through the rubber head, and the less than robust tine was only glued in place. Surprised it lasted as long as it has, and it will require of me some research to find a better version as a substitute. I am old enough to miss the days when Sears "Craftsman" tools were both decent quality and lifetime warranted

※※※

There's been a bit more experimental cookery involving minor substitutions, all of which have worked well. My "Leftover Lasagna" included layering in the remainder of the Ethiopian greens and veggies from earlier this week, as well as adding in the sauteed mushrooms, and chopping the remains of the roasted pork shoulder to add some extra protein to the sauce. And I noticed part of a log of goat cheese that had been in the fridge for everso long, and decided that adding it to the spinach rice bake could enrich the flavor and be sure it would be used while still good. Now there are two very different casserole dishes that can be portioned and frozen for future meals on days when cooking is a low priority and other tasks need done.

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	8 jars applesauce	AC taken in for winter	my favorite hat :(
2	leather work gloves	hat toile xp3	yard waste bin
3	10 tiny books	prune arborvitae	some grapes
4	Corsi Rosenthal box	assemble Luggable	recycle bin
5	4 jars blackberry quince	snaps on duvet cover	yard waste bin
6	Ethiopian spice blend	picked quinces	recycle bin
7	spaceship pillowcases	x	yard waste bin
8	mini witch hat	x	recycle bin
9	x	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 gratitudes -
1. unboxing the Advent Swap treats for redistribution brings me small hits of dopamine joy almost every day.
2. cooking meals ahead, for future convenience, I am getting better at creating things I will enjoy.
3. All day the house was wonderfully scented with the perfume of quince cooking, as I took advantage of the extra low simmer burner on the stove - low and slow brings out the red color. I chopped up the unbruised parts of the few quinces that were damaged, and will turn the juice into jelly tomorrow. There are still POUNDS more of unblemished quince for more delights

Time of Isolation - Day 1216

throwback Thursday, tunes, and the gifts of the Quinceling

in which our plucky heroine picks out an old memory...

A long, long time ago, long before any of these* songs**, a little girl sat on the side of the hill behind the house, the hill that was such fun to roll down, the hill with the apple tree at the top, with the tire swing. One of her parents had showed her that if you wrote the year (1961) down on a piece of paper, you could turn it upside down and it would read the same. There aren't very many numbers that do that, and it made a memory that stayed.
I remember it still, the sky back then will be blue forever, and the world still full of amazing things. I remember thinking about how old I would be when the years turned from 19-- to 20-- and how very old that seemed, much older than my young parents were then. Now when I think of that, my throat gets tight, and my eyes tear a bit, and I am grateful beyond all words that there was a time when I sat safe on the grassy bright hill and marveled at the wonder of numbers and time...

※※※

After reading Elf Dog and Owl Head, which Ariadne mentioned was bedtime reading for Kestrel, and after seeing the very inspiring Instagram video that Salley Mavor posted of making the Mongolian pony for her "My Bed" picture book, it occurred to me that I could make a brooch of Elphinore (the Elf Dog) for Kestrel... I have been making sketches in my bujo of various dog poses, and tracking down felt, pipecleaners, floss, and pin backs. There will probably also be one for me, because I need a new assortment of brooches for my current and future hats.

※※※

During a break between the rain showers, I picked almost all of this years crop of quinces, which turned out to be 22.5 pounds*. Quite wonderful, considering that the tree was only planted five years ago! The largest one of the bunch, seen here, was 1.25 lbs all by itself. The plan is to turn them into quince paste, and some quince jelly, as I did last year.
* 2 earlier quinces were added last week to blackberry jelly, so the total amount was probably just a bit more

※※※

Very clever Past Me bought an extra furnace filter last year! Since a frost advisory has temps tonight forecast down near freezing, I decided it might be time to turn on the furnace. Which means also giving the accessible parts a clean, and replacing the filter. Since it takes a size not available from the local hardware shop, I was all "Oh no, I will need to order one online... and then I looked to see if there was any useful substitute in the closet where I keep the ones for fire season and lo and behold, in the back was one for the furnace! (I am still going to order a backup filter now anyway, because if I did something smart and repeatable, repeating in again would be smart!

※※※

... here's a bit of tuneful delight ...

※※※

After backing the patchwork coverlet with the space ship flannel sheet, there was a bit of excess flannel left over, just enough to make a few small pillowcases. My buckwheat hull neck rolls were most in need, and it is lovely to have some new fluffy flannel as a change from the black rose pair, which are so very venerable that their nap is almost completely worn away. 

I also took some time to cut down and hem the edges of the opening of the duvet cover, and sew snaps to the edges to hold it closed. This is a more functional solution than my previous idea of simply folding the "tubular" opening flap inside when in use, which never worked well. I'll be making a second duvet cover later this winter, as Beth and Karen brought me yards of navy flannel. (there may be enough for a new bathrobe as well, which would be welcome)

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	8 jars applesauce	AC taken in for winter	my favorite hat :(
2	leather work gloves	hat toile xp3	yard waste bin
3	10 tiny books	prune arborvitae	some grapes
4	Corsi Rosenthal box	assemble Luggable	recycle bin
5	4 jars blackberry quince	snaps on duvet cover	yard waste bin
6	Ethiopian spice blend	picked quinces	recycle bin
7	spaceship pillowcases	x	yard waste bin
8	x	x	recycle bin
9	x	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 gratitudes -
1. a backup furnace filter bought last year
2. central heating (of a sort...) and little oil filled electric radiators, which between them both, can keep the house at a tolerable temperature.
3. there is plenty my memory neglected (and neglects) to keep filed, some things it does save are well worth remembering.

Time of Isolation - Day 1213

*


**

a pleasure long delayed

in which our plucky heroine has guests...

My dear friends Beth and Karen came to visit this last week, arriving on Thursday night and staying over until the middle of the day on Saturday. There was much friendly chatting, walking around the neighborhood, more chatting, we watched the 1995 Jane Austin film "Sense and Sensibility" and indulged in some delicious takeaway Ethiopian food (yum) from Enat Kitchen for dinner on Friday, and stayed up way too late chatting some more...

It has been literally years since I had the pleasure of the noble virtue of hospitality. In the Before Times, my greatest joy was hosting guests, whether for a party, as a teacher of various handcrafts, or in the guest space overnight or longer. Sadly the ongoing pandammit mostly precludes that still, at least for me. But my dear friends were willing to self quarantine for a tenday before coming to visit, which care, combined with my improved air filtration, meant I could safely host them and we could return at least briefly to that most necessary of human connection, which is eversomuch more satisfying than the useful compromise of the pixel world... My gratitude is extreme.

※※※

~ out and about ~

What a pleasure to walk around the neighborhood with friends. They see what has become all too commonplace to me with new eyes. I have been walking in circles in the one mile radius of Acorn Cottage for the last 3+ years, and while I always manage to find small joys, it has become basically mundane. We were all amused by the trees in their Halloween costume, so simple and effective.

※※※

Taking advantage of their being here with a vehicle, and also taking advantage of the end of season 40% sale at Fang garden center, I now have a large bag of potting soil. I had noticed when watering my spider plants that they were in desperate need of refurbishment, and carrying home garden supplies on my bike is rather a challenge.

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~ Moody Blues ~

The final part of this coverlet is completed, as the edge binding is done. I chose to fold over and hand stitch it after machining the bias in place first, to keep the edge fairly soft. It is a colorful addition to the bedroom decor, and turned out just as I had originally envisioned it lo these almost twenty years ago...

※※※

On Saturday, we reheated the Ethiopian leftovers, which combined with some home cooking gave us almost another Ethiopian style meal. There is always plenty of delicious injera bread leftover froma the takeaway food, which is the part that would be more complicated to make at home. But cooking up some carrots and cabbage and onions with Ethiopian spices, and some greens with slightly different spice mix (ginger and a pinch of cinnamon, and onion) and adding a bit of cottage cheese with the greens to evoke Ayib Gomen... I was so taken with the spice blend that Beth had made, which manages a very Ethiopian taste while also being nightshade-free! that I asked for her recipe.

2 t cumin seeds
1 clove (optional)
¾ t cardamom seeds
¼ t whole allspice
1 t fenugreek seeds
2 t whole peppercorns
 ------------ toast these whole spices in a dry pan until fragrant and slightly browned, the fenugreek will just begin to "pop". Then grind until finely ground, and add:
¼ t tumeric powder
¼ t ground cinnamon
1 t salt
1 t ground ginger.
 ------------ mix well and use to taste...

It took about 15+ minutes to grind up the spice blend in the mortar... not sure if it is finely ground enough but I used my finest kitchen strainer to size it. I plan on cooking with it tomorrow, to find out if it is finely ground enough... toasting the spices does seem to make them easier to grind

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	8 jars applesauce	AC taken in for winter	my favorite hat :(
2	leather work gloves	hat toile xp3	yard waste bin
3	10 tiny books	prune arborvitae	some grapes
4	Corsi Rosenthal box	assemble Luggable	recycle bin
5	4 jars blackberry quince	-	yard waste bin
6	Ethiopian spice blend	x	recycle bin
7	x	x	yard waste bin
8	x	x	recycle bin
9	x	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 gratitudes -
1. my dear friends Beth and Karen, who went out of their way to be able to spend time with me safely... we enjoyed the visit so much that another one is planned for sometime in February!
2. Tasty tasty Ethiopian food, and how sharing food with friends, and cooking together the next day, has inspired me to try cooking the standard trio (onion, carrots, and cabbage) in some new ways in the future. One thing I really appreciate about Other People's Cooking, is that it expands and shifts my food repertoire.
3. an online visit with Jen et al, she is feeling well enough that a bit of video chat was possible. I was able to hear about Kestrel's visit to the land of 1000 pumpkins, and Jen shared the title of the YA book they are reading (Elf Dog and Owl Head), which is now next up on my audiobook queue...

Time of Isolation - Day 1209

Thursday thoughts

in which our plucky heroine begins the next step in fruit harvesting...

We are having a bit of a warm-ish spell, with a few days of temperatures in the low 70's in the midafternoon. I need to pick the quinces, which are beginning to over-ripen, and also start picking the persimmons as they become closer to being ripe and start turning orange bright enough to be visible from the street.

※※※

I've started on the glove repair project, the very narrow gauge 4/0 knitting needles and combining two colors of mending yarn are getting me pretty close to the correct texture and color. I can only do a few rounds before my hands cramp from having to hold such tiny needles and knit so tightly, but the progress is happening... I will try and remember to take a photo tomorrow.

※※※

Had another rough night last night with tummy collywobbles, not sure what is causing it, but may check in with PCP if it continues into next week. Consequentially I am very very tired right now though it is only 8pm.

※※※

I thought my sewing iron was broken, as water leaked out last night onto the ironing board. Turns out one is not supposed to store water in the iron between uses. I guess I should have read the manual (blush). After several rounds of the cleaning cycle it stopped spitting out discolored water, and I carefully made sure to leave it to sit with the "lid" open for several hours so any remaining moisture could evaporate. Hopefully it will continue to function and give me more years of useful service.

※※※

While I was in the parking strip cutting persimmons from the tree today, someone stopped and asked if I wanted the fruit?!? or if they could have them?? I simply shook my head, and used hand gestures to indicate that the fruit was used for "our household" and thanked them for asking. (point in a circular fashion to the tree, and then to the house, then smile and do the two hands together "bow" of gratitude for their asking instead of just taking...) If there was no pandammit, I would have cut a cluster off and given them some, but I couldn't figure out how to do that safely...

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	8 jars applesauce	AC taken in for winter	my favorite hat :(
2	leather work gloves	hat toile xp3	yard waste bin
3	10 tiny books	prune arborvitae	some grapes
4	Corsi Rosenthal box	-	recycle bin
5	4 jars blackberry quince	-	yard waste bin
6	x	x	recycle bin
7	x	x	yard waste bin
8	x	x	recycle bin
9	x	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 gratitudes -
1. Libby (the library e-book and audiobook app) which allows you to read or listen to a sample before "checking it out". This lets me know if the writing style, or reader voice is one I will enjoy spending time with
2. The Book of the Gear
3. My friends Beth and Karen are coming to visit me.
4. I just found out that all injera at Enat Kitchen is teff injera (this means we don't have to put in a special request ahead of when we order takeout Ethiopian food tomorrow night)
5. I filled the greenwaste bin (for pickup tomorrow) with more dreaded arborvitae, and my new work gloves worked like a charm
6. I picked a good amount (maybe about a third) of the mostly partially ripe persimmons to let them finish ripening indoors, and be less of a temptation to other humans.

Time of Isolation - Day 1206

tasty Tuesday

in which our plucky heroine takes on a few more housey tasks...

Last night I made up a bunch of gyoza and froze them, and also a small batch of quince/blackberry jelly.

Today is also about clearing the space in the guest/sewing/storage room, as my friends Beth and Karen are probably coming here later in the week, and I want to make the room both passable and welcoming.  After a few attempts to use video call time to keep me company while I was moving piles of fabric etc around, Karen and I decided to try just using phone contact, which let us have conversation while not impeding my walking from room to room. There are a few more things to move, and I plan on some damp mopping and dusting, but most of the space is now cleared, some things are back on the shelves, (and some in my room instead). I vacuumed the floor, did cobweb patrol, and feel very pleased at today's progress.

※※※

~ so crispy! ~

Today I tried out a new technique for cooking gyoza, based on information from The Wok by J Kenji Lopez-Alt. I was tired of needing to scrape the too often soggy and stuck in place dumplings from the skillet, but it never occurred to me that there was a different way.

One of the suggestions he offered in the book was to first steam the gyoza until they are fully cooked, then let them dry off, and then pan fry them to crisp the bottom. (Up until now, I have done the opposite, pan frying them before adding water to the skillet to steam and cook them, then attempting to allow the extra oil in the pan to "recrisp" them.)

It wasn't all that difficult... I gave four frozen pieces from last night's batch ten minutes in the steamer basket, which I lined with parchment paper so they wouldn't stick. Then I let them dry off for about that long, turning them from one side to another once or twice until they were visibly no longer moist on the surface. This time, pan frying them for a few minutes gave me the best ever results in my years of gyoza-making - a nicely browned, slightly bubbled "crust" on the bottom that if I was into recording, would have had that oddly distinctive scratchy-scrapey sound that many Instagram food videos include to let you know how crisp and tasty something is. I call this a win!

※※※

... again with the plum torte recipe, but this time using the torte cake as a base for something rather a cross between a cake and a crisp. The cake is the base, which is then topped with a jar of canned plums from the pantry (rather than fresh plum halves), which is then topped with some rolled oat based crisp topping. I lined the pan neatly with parchement paper, which worked really well. The tart canned plums were a good balance for the sweet cake, and the Fiori di Sicilia combined with some almond extract was a nice flavor for the cake portion. I suspect that the whole think will be even better tomorrow, once it is fully cool and the gooey plum topping has a chance to soak into the cake layer.

※※※

So far there are nine confirmed folks that are participating in the Advent Swap... I do hope that more will turn up as it gets closer to time, as it will be nice to have a wider variety of tiny treats in everyone's parcel

※※※

Last week the fancy extra-quiet air cleaner kit I ordered arrived, and is now assembled and completely functional. But I wanted more than just the one for later in the month when (hopefully) my good friends Beth and Karen will come and visit for a day and a half. I want to have one air filter for my bedroom, and one that can be moved between the guest room and the living room. So I also put together a simpler though very effective "Corsi Rosenthal box air cleaner" using a box fan to pull the air through the filters.I will be keeping this one in my bedroom when I have guests, as it is rather more noisy.

※※※

October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	8 jars applesauce	AC taken in for winter	my favorite hat :(
2	leather work gloves	hat toile xp3	yard waste bin
3	10 tiny books	-	some grapes
4	Corsi Rosenthal box	-	recycle bin
5	4 jars blackberry quince	-	yard waste bin
6	x	x	recycle bin
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	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 gratitudes -
1. Fiori di Sicilia
2. duct tape
3. Fiona and Cake
4. super useful phone call with Karen, that worked like body doubling...
5. almost halfway through stitching down the edge binding on Moody Blues
6. eat when hungry, sleep when tired, goodnight now...

Time of Isolation - Day 1204

Saturday snippets

in which our plucky heroine has a textile sort of day...

This morning during the zoom meeting with my Sewing Nomads pals, the last twenty four yarn ties were added to the patchwork coverlet, and now all that is left to do is apply the bias edge binding. This video seemed to be a useful summary about how to make neat mitered corners, which is not something I often need to ask my edge bindings to do, so a helpful reminder was in order. Lastly I will turn and stitch the folded binding in place by hand, for appearance sake (and also, I will admit, to have another handwork project to do during online meetings).

※※※

~ spiders for spooky season ~

This is a fun option to make some spiders to holiday decor, instead of plastic, make some to save year to year from cotton, wire, glue, and paint... I have a "doorway spider" I made from an old doily and some wooden spheres and pipe cleaners quite a few years ago, but might need to make that one some little friends!

I find many of the cartoons of Nathan Pyle, like this one from earlier this month, to be very amusing indeed!

※※※

The new 4/0 knitting needles arrived today and they are sooo tiny! I have tried them out, and they are definitely small enough to do the job of repairing/re-knitting the mangled glove, but it is like knitting with really long sewing needles! Gives new meaning to the old term "knitting pins"!

※※※

Missed the partial eclipse this morning, as we were A. outside the zone of maximum coverage, B. having a lot of cloud cover, and C. it was right in the middle of my fortnightly Sewing Nomads zoom meeting. 

※※※

October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	8 jars applesauce	AC taken in for winter	my favorite hat :(
2	leather work gloves	hat toile xp3	yard waste bin
3	10 tiny books	-	some grapes
4	-	-	recycle bin
5	-	-	yard waste bin
6	x	x	recycle bin
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	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 gratitudes -
1. sautéed mushrooms are a great addition to lamb barley broth
2. I've learned several useful cooking tips while listening to The Wok by J. Kenji López-Alt, and I am only halfway through the audiobook.
3. the little grey bird of persistence, ie repeated phone calls, finally had the tiny 4/0 knitting needles show up in my mailbox today. I think that after many decades, I am becoming somewhat more able to cope with better and more effective at making phone calls to strangers. I still have to "gird my loins" but the process is less daunting...

Time of Isolation - Day 1201

don't blink

in which our plucky heroine feels time passing swiftly...

My current focus is towards completing various projects, and on activities that prepare for winter. Some things have been completed, others are well underway, and some are patiently waiting their turn.

※※※

~ ten tiny books ~

my first edition of "F is for fun" is finished: ten hand block printed books, just over 1" square, with floral origami paper covers

※※※

Soon it will be time to pick the quinces, and turn them into quince paste and quince jelly. Now that I have tried the hack of partially roasting them first, preparing them is much less of a trial. The 20 to 30 minutes in the oven softens them just enough that they can be cut to gobbets without using a mallet and a cleaver. And baking the quince paste in the oven is genius!

※※※

Apparently my webcam has stopped working. Percussive maintenance is no longer helping. Fortunately they are quite inexpensive, which means that replacing it won't be difficult but which also may be why it stopped working, though it did work for three years.

※※※

Other things accomplished were -
1. filling the greenwaste bin with yet more arborvitae;
2. chatting with Karen about painting the walls*, which gave me the idea that it could be done "wrong" (as in simply mask and paint around the large bookcase, instead of moving it away from the wall, which would necessitate removing all the books!),
3. I finished and mailed off the xp3 version of the hat for Cathy, hopefully this one will be "baby bears" version and be just right as far as head size
4. about halfway done with the yarn ties on the Moody Blues patchwork coverlet, I am now doing the interstitial ties between the first set. Then all that will remain is stitching the edge binding in place, once I decide what to use. This might be the longest undone project, since I started it at least sixteen years ago. I am not a quilter...
5. The new air cleaner kit that arrived on Wednesday turned out to be less difficult to assemble than it appeared at first. And it is amazingly quiet!

※※※

October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	8 jars applesauce	AC taken in for winter	my favorite hat :(
2	leather work gloves	-	yard waste bin
3	10 tiny books	-	some grapes
4	-	-	recycle bin
5	-	-	yard waste bin
6	x	x	recycle bin
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	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 gratitudes -
1. today there was no rain, and so it was easy to fill the greenwaste bin with more arborvitae.
2. Very quiet air cleaner with MERV 13+ filtration.
3. Enough different decorative "fancy" origami paper that I was able to find some suitable for tiny book covers.

Time of Isolation - Day 1198

(I am so very tired of most the walls in Acorn Cottage being white)

Monday misc very misc

in which our plucky heroine visits the land of medicine...

In for some periodic maintenance, and apparently a nine AM appointment is much too late, as the office is already backed up for over an hour before I am seen. Waiting that long in an exam room whilst stuck in an extremely uncomfortable procedure chair had me wishing it was a recliner and I could take a nap, since I had been up since six, sigh...

Still, I remain grateful for being able to finally get this dealt with, grateful that I have some medical coverage, and grateful that I can stop at a grocery on the way home and get an apple to munch on while waiting for bus number two, since there had been no time for breakfast before heading out to catch the first of two buses this morning... By the time I get home it is after lunchtime, and I am starved! So, I guess I am grateful as well that I made spinach rice bake a few days ago and some left in the fridge to heat up...

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I am still really sad about losing my denim hat, though I have a number of projects that need completed before I can even begin to think about replacing it.  Today while over in Medical-land, I checked again to ask if my missing hat had been turned in, but no joy. I also have started collecting what information I have about the various things I made years ago that became hat decorations, with a thought to maybe recreating some of them, if possible...

Here is a photo of a (several iterations previous) hat, showing some of my textile flowers. I made a number of felt roses in various shades of blue, using this pattern from Purl Soho. (the larger felted knitted flower was from a now defunct free knitting pattern website, that I can no longer remember the name of)

I embroidered this bird on the front panel of a pinafore years ago, and when that garment wore out, I reconfigured the embroidery into a brooch... There were also a number of small badges from various events and those round ones with slogans, which cannot be remade or recovered... but new things will eventually take their place

parking a few additional possible hat decorations: felted flower pin or knitted flower pin, or a different knitted flower or maybe some denim feathers?

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I started making some blackberry-quince jelly last night, with some frozen berries and the first two quinces from the tree this year, and put the juice in the freezer, because there wasn't time to finish it before bedtime. It will be a treat for topping yogurt. Two quinces together weighed about two pounds!

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	8 jars applesauce	AC taken in for winter	my favorite hat :(
2	leather work gloves	-	yard waste bin
3	-	-	some grapes
4	-	-	recycle bin
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	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 gratitudes -
1.both the air filter kit and the filters for it have both been shipped, and should arrive, if all goes well, before I need them
2. the hot weather is being helpful to cure the block printing ink on my tiny book project
3. I had a wonderful talk with Mischa Saturday
4. phone call from my pal Wanda who I'd not spoken with in months
5. The activity director where Mom lives sent us a photo of Mom stringing beads, with help from an aide. (while my feelings about this are rather antinomous, it is good to see that Mom is participating in activities)

Time of Isolation - Day 1195

eye spy with my little eye

in which our plucky heroine has a good and bad yesterday at the same time...

So, a very early Wednesday morning eye exam that involved the visual fields exam and then the regular exam complete with eye dilation. Which makes me not be able to focus my eyes for the rest of the day. Which precludes my doing many productive activities.

The good news is that all the markers they check my eyes for haven't changed since the last exam, so no worries about degeneration. The bad news is that somehow between leaving the office and getting halfway to the bus stop, I lost my best most favorite hat?!? As soon as I noticed it wasn't on my head I turned around and did my best to carefully look around to try and find it. Not on the sidewalk anywhere, not in the building restroom, not in the office treatment rooms. Today I called again, and no joy, not turned in to the lost and found.

While I can make another denim hat (feasible although time consuming) I am really sad about losing all the decorative felt and wool flowers, souvenir trinkets, and embroidered bird brooch attached to the hatband. I wish I was not such a flake, but there is nothing that can be done now except let it go and move on...

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autumn is here, despite the warm temperatures forecast for this weekend, and the leaves begin to change colors and decorate the sidewalks and streets...

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Went rather bonkers yesterday afternoon when I figured out that I could use the pruning shears without needing to have detailed close vision, while my eyes were still useless and dilated from the eye exam earlier that morning. Filled up the greenwaste bin with chunks of one of the arborvitae. At this rate, it will take about another six weeks to have cleared away as much of the foliage and branches that can be reached while standing on the ground. Which is the first step in getting those unfortunate trees removed. (I might be able to remove more by standing on the small stepladder, but first things first.)

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	8 jars applesauce	AC taken in for winter	my favorite hat :(
2	-	-	yard waste bin
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	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 gratitudes -
1. that was a perfect Bartlett pear...
2. my neighbor Carla has a front and back yard filled with all sizes, shapes, and colors of inflatable dragons. Combined with the other multicolor light show decorations, it is a fantastic and delightful nighttime spectacle!
3. having Wellington visiting has upped my daily walking numbers greatly.

Time of Isolation - Day 1193

tinyprint Tuesday

in which our plucky heroine observes incremental improvement...

F is also for finally... as I begin printing the first edition of "F is for fun". Now the ink needs to cure for at least a few days before I can assemble the books. A few of these will be included in the tiny Advent treat assortment, as we are getting close to the deadline to begin collecting and collating the swap.

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	8 jars applesauce	AC taken in for winter	-
2	-	-	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	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 gratitudes -
1. encouraging creativity zoom with Leslie this morning
2. a zoom conversation with Karen this afternoon clarified what I need to do about the gorram arborvitaes. They are too big to take down other than by professionals, but I can remove the brushy lower growth as far as I can reach. Indeed, I can do this every week. I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier, but can't start it any sooner than right now
3. Nicole picked up seven gallons of free Metro paint for me last week!

Time of Isolation - Day 1191

a modicum of miscellany

in which our plucky heroine takes a breather...

Sunday, I made applesauce (8 jars) and now the kitchen counters are no longer covered with bowls and bundles of backyard and windfall apples in varying states of disrepair. Soon enough it will be time to deal with the Gersvinda pears filling the produce bin in the fridge, but I will give that a day or two, so I can enjoy the (comparatively) tidy kitchen.

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Today a different package arrived on my doorstep. Some Icelandic gifts from Sister Gigi's excursion earlier this year: skeins of Lettlopi in a dark teal and a bright turquoise, and a new kitchen tea towel with Icelandic ponies.The yarn will probably become part of a new cardigan, now that the weather is cool enough that knitting will be a pleasure, and the new tea towel is already brightening up the kitchen!

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I just found out that Laika Studios is currently working on a stop motion film of Colin Meloy's "Wildwood

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Tonight, tired of just plain steamed broccoli as a dinner veg, I decided to try and make broccoli fritters. Not something I would make on a regular basis because all that oil, but it was very very easy, and very tasty... I riffed on the Smitten Kitchen recipe, but used grated cheddar jack from the freezer instead of parmesan, and smashed up the broccoli up quite a bit more. I think if I try this again, I will substitute almond flour for the wheat flour.

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	8 jars applesauce	AC taken in for winter	-
2	-	-	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	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 gratitudes -
1. my neighbor Carla has a large and beautiful patch of Michaelmas daisies in her yard, that are beloved of an assortment of pollinators...
2. I really like the Caligo Safewash block printing ink. And the scrap plexiglass leftover from my porch light repair last week is just right for rolling out ink for printing, as you will see tomorrow in "tinyprint Tuesday"
3. good neighbor Pete came over today and helped get the AC unit out of the window - so it can be stored indoors until next summer.

Time of Isolation - Day 1190