Monday miscellany

in which our plucky heroine finds shopping exhausting...

Costco trip today, with Helga, who came and picked me up after my medical appointment. TP, a Tillamook (sharp) brick, 4# butter, 2 bags of pecans, and I splurged by adding a bag of frozen blueberries and some rolled oats. Total at the till was over $125, but I won't need another Costco run for months, as I usually go only two or three times a year at most. 

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Eight tiny blue plastic dragons were attached to a strand of beads with loops on each end, so they can be sent to Mud Bay for Kestrel's tinyfolk; a decorative garland for their tiny house. I'm not sure how or why there were 8 tiny blue plastic dragons here on my dining table, someone obviously sent them to me??

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Another day with howling wind and rain... very glad I had work done on the front yard trees last year, or there would likely have been arboreal mayhem. When the weather calms down, I have various ideas, like meeting with Kate to pick up the envelopes for the Art Exchange and hopefully some walking and visiting time. Like heading over to the art store to get a piece of linoleum big enough to do my planned print. Like doing some pruning and yard clean up, and putting the several missing bulbs I found into a planter pot (though I may do that sooner if I can manage to catch a sunbreak) Like re-potting tiny rhubarb, which is starting to unfurl and could use larger quarters!

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Tomorrow I plan on cooking some lemony goodness. Lemon Potatoes, and maybe some Lemon Crinkle Cookies. Also took two talenti tub out of the freezer, one of rhubarb chunks, and one of strawberries, and they will be turned into sauce, and seasoned with the blood orange I found in the produce drawer of the fridge.

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Here, have some heartfelt music for Monday...

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	"wing it" vest	more broach handles	recycle bin
2	tiny valentines	black keyboard covers	recycle bin
3	heartfelt ornament	turtleneck collar	-
4	dragon garland	laptop drivers	-
5	-	rainbow fibulae	-
6	x	bucket handle	-
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. Helga is always good company, so kind and helpful. Plus she cleverly went to TJ prior to picking me up for our Costco run, so that meant that it only took a few minutes waiting at the medical building before she arrived
2. My cooking ahead meant that today I need do no cooking at all, just heating up tasty food. Which is good, since I was completely exhausted after getting up at o'dark thirty...
3. napping when tired, with Brother Cadfael audiobooks to push this timelines troubles away temporarily

Time of Isolation - Day 1683

savory Saturday

in which our plucky heroine continues slow but steady improvement...

In the interest of making good use of the foodstuff on hand, have been gradually cooking up various items and turning them into either immediate meals, or into prepped meals or ingredients in the freezer. One of the larger of the mutual aid squash was baked last week, but not quite as delectable as I had imagined - turns out it only needed to be more fully cooked! I steamed the chunks for another half hour or more, until they could be mashed really well, and divided the puree into silicone freezer cubes, save my lunch portion, which I drizzled with some of the quince syrup! So yummo!!

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~ venerable stork scissors ~

I'm not sure how young I was when I was gifted these little embroidery scissors, but was still living at home with my parents... I am guessing maybe 14 or 15? In my early 20's when I was working at the leather shop in Harvard Square, I made them this small decorated case of calfskin skiver, and it has kept them safe and sound all these decades. Perhaps at some point I shall pass them on to one of my youngest friends, if they remain interested in handcrafts...

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Wednesday night placed an order online for two Bigg Grip bucket handles, and a garden kneeler from Lee Valley. Today (Saturday) there was a large box on my front porch. Cannot fault their speedy service, color me impressed!! I was already impressed with the very helpful interaction I had with online text customer service person Christopher, who did their best to answer my questions, and even emailed me afterwards with more information that might be useful. I need to remember to write to Lee Valley to commend the good help I received.

The aftermarket bucket handles seem excellent, easy to apply to the wire bail, and while robust, are not too large for my wee paws. The garden kneeler/seat is a good size, is easy to fold and unfold, and will work well for seated tasks. For kneeling tasks some additional padding for tender knees will be good.

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Currently thinking about if I want my next block print to be just black and white counterchanged, or if I want to add color

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The package from Lee Valley was packed so thoroughly padded with brown paper that I have probably more than enough for multiple paper mache projects... cardboard taped into shapes and covered with layers of brown paper and glue makes sturdy containers and shelves. I have been wishing for some small dividers/shelves to organise my kitchen storage containers, not finding something of a suitable size online, and don't have the right sort of thin but sturdy lumber to make something out of wood. But I do have cardboard, and now plenty of midweight brown paper, and glue... 

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	"wing it" vest	more broach handles	recycle bin
2	tiny valentines	black keyboard covers	recycle bin
3	heartfelt ornament	turtleneck collar	-
4	-	laptop drivers	-
5	-	rainbow fibulae	-
6	x	bucket handle	-
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. vanilla rose quince syrup - so red, so fragrant, so delicious drizzled over some Greek yogurt, or stirred into mashed winter squash
2. Lee Valley is an excellent business, and a source of Very Useful tools and supplies, with thoughtful customer service people to answer queries. 12 out of 10, highly recommended.
3. Lots of medium-weight brown paper

Time of Isolation - Day 1681

not entirely woeful Wednesday

in which our plucky heroine is less than pleased...

Today my bike broke. Made a horrible sound and wheels stopped. The rear derailleur body was broken into two pieces and part of it was jammed into the rear wheel!I managed to get it apart from the wheel, otherwise I'd have had to just leave the bike there abandoned by the side of the road, as the rear wheel would not turn at all until I disentangled the metal chunks and chain from the wheel spokes. Instead I walked it home, slowly, as the rear wheel is also damaged. I was about two miles from home when this happened. Now tis necessary to find someone with a truck (or a large van) to get it and myself to the bike mechanic.

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~ paint it red ~

further progress on the spun cotton hearts... Two layers of alizarin crimson gouache, and a coat of matte Mod Podge has made a big difference.

The caption brought to mind the advice given by Neva Hansen, my 2D design professor back in the 70's : "If you can't make it good, make it big; if you can't make it big, make it red..."

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I think it would be fun to make tiny books with button covers... and the artist has a blog with good tutorials. I myself prefer to read and see photos or drawings rather than watch video, but some folks prefer visa versa...

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Made some yamitsuki to have with dinner (meatloaf) again, this time without any garlic. I'd like to try some slow roasted garlic next, as that would probably give the garlic flavor without the bite. Need to try roasting garlic in parchement paper instead of foil...

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	"wing it" vest	more broach handles	recycle bin
2	tiny valentines	black keyboard covers	-
3	heart ornament	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	-
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. flannel pillowcases are a small constant wintertime comfort 2. the strand of origami butterflies that Ursel sent as part of Advent Swap hang in the south window, and make me smile every time I see them when I draw open the curtains
3. I was able to find some Soothing Touch lip balm locally, and while it wasn't my favorite "vanilla rose" variety, it was, at least the "unscented" one. (better no scent than a dreadful one)

Time of Isolation - Day 1672

progress here is always incremental

in which our plucky heroine perseveres...

One of the things I did today was to transfer my rudimentary measurements of the front and back yard here at Acorn Cottage onto graph paper. (once I figured out that one of the composition books had quad-rule instead of wide-rule, since the actual pads of graph paper have gone walkabout) If nothing else so far, it makes it apparent the difference in size between the front and back yard!

My goal is to begin to think more clearly about how best to use and care for the outdoor spaces here. There are some things I really really like (my assorted fruit trees) and other things that could be very much improved. (less lawn, more mulch, more food growing, better laundry drying.. and someday, if it is ever possible to do it safely again, backyard hens, sigh)

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~ be free, little hearts... ~

The second layer of spun cotton applied to the hearts today, and once that was dry, they were cut away from the remaining armature. Then more cotton applied to the cut surface; the pins are to provide a bit of a handhold while continuing to work on them. Am using some of the 100% cotton balls originally from the dollar store, which once unrolled can be torn into small bits of fiber that work really well for this process. Next step, paint!

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Somehow I misplaced a whole folder of computer bookmarks yesterday?!? Not sure how, didn't know that was possible. Surely did not simply delete them, but since I have a very cluttered bookmark section, it will take some time to find them. Fortunately it was a folder of "shopping suggestions" so not at the moment mission critical. Time to declutter online...

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Rather than purchasing various pipes and tools etc to dislodge the current squirrel nest, it has occurred to me that using some multiple worm gear clamps to attach long sticks together to created a very extended pokey-tool would probably work just fine. All that would be needed were six or eight clamps, I already have many long sticks of bamboo and other possible things (pole pruner, fruit picker, etc). Time for a trip to the hardware store, after looking over the stick stock and figuring out what size clamps will work best. 

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	"wing it" vest	more broach handles	recycle bin
2	tiny valentines	black keyboard covers	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	-
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes  -
1. Dinner was excellent, and tomorrow will be even better, as meatloaf is always better on the second day. (I'm planning on making Smitten Kitchen's Lemon Potatoes, and some more yamitsuki cabbage to go with)
2. figured out a probable way to create extra long pokey-tools using worm gear clamps
3. tiny spun cotton hearts are looking good so far

Time of Isolation - Day 1669

is it origami?

in which our plucky heroine folds some food...

I tried a new idea seen online, a pseudo-sushi-wich. While it was possible to make, it does not make the repeat list. Maybe using canned salmon was less than ideal, and fresh or smoked would have been a better choice?

Basically you use a big square of rice paper as the outside, then a layer of nori, then half gets some salmon salad, sliced cucumber, avocado, and the other half gets cooked rice (everything in thin layers) The whole shebang gets folded into quarters and sesame seeds on the outside. Pan fry until crispy on the outside.

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~ well begun, not half done ~

The best way I could think of to get the sleeves close to a good size and length, was to lay the partially finished cardigan atop one already finished that fits pretty well. A few more rows have been completed since the photo, but it is a slow slow process. No one local seems to have any wood size 7 double pointed needles, and 4.5mm is not a standard US dowel size.

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The Ultimate"Leopards Ate My Face" rendition
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There is quite a bit of aluminum wire of various gauges in the "big wire" box, all leftover from making masks back in 2020. Some of it was coiled around a dap and turned into stitch markers for the stripey sleeve sweater today. Particularly good since there is no real other use for that wire currently.

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	blood orange marmalade	bike headlamp	yard waste bin
2	heraldic enamel	passport photo	recycle bin
3	crayon roll	crystal necklace	recycle bin
4	xp2 undies	pattern longjanes	-
5	pot lid rack	passport applied for	-
6	aluminum stitch markers	pear tree planted	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's (and yesterday's) gratitudes -
1. Woke up before the alarm went off on Wednesday, and had an odd adventurish dream set in a Dreamlands analog of my teenage neighborhood, all about sidewalk wedding parties, and a horse drawn cider wagon giving out free samples
2. Managed to sort out the confusion about my prescription coverage
3. So many suggestions for favorite invertebrates! Who would have guessed at what folks liked? I will have to make more than one volume!
4. Managed to not burn up the entire pot of candied pomelo peel, and most of it is salvageable
5. Almost a quarter of the way done with the stripey sleeves.
6. I tried a new food idea seen online, a pseudo-sushi-wich of filled rice paper, layered folded and pan fried. It was tasty, but does not make the repeat list...
7. Some stitch markers made from aluminum wire leftover from 2020 homemade cloth mask making.

Time of Isolation - Day 1652

Monday miscellany

in which our plucky heroine does chores...

With one eye on the various weather websites, it seemed an ideal day to do laundry, being (comparatively) mild, sunny, and even a bit breezy. When I put the clothing and kitchen towels out on the line in the backyard, I could actually see the moisture evaporating! Later in the evening, the thinner kitchen tea towels were even dry, and most all else will likely be dry by morning, even the heavy flannel shirts and pinafores.

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~ world keeps turning ~

not sure if all three of the narcissus bulbs are going to flower, but this one is, adding a heady scent to a corner of the kitchen.

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the "Small Art Exchange - Spring 2025" idea I shared seems to have touched the right spot, as there are already fifteen folks that probably want to play along. This will be such fun!

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Today was so sunny and mild that I took a walk to Walgreens to attempt a better passport photo than what I got from FedEx, which was just dreadful... well, the new one is somewhat less scary anyway. Eyebrows helped, a little. Not much I can do about not being particularly photogenic, but normally my personal style is such that the overall look is pleasing, remove all that and the result is more "mug shot" than "urban hobbit". Still, the task is accomplished now...

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There were still some turkey thighs at the store,  so I got two, one to freeze and one to bone and brine to cook later in the week. AND they had some 18/egg cartons for under $6!! I got a carton to try freezing eggs in the silicone cupcake liners, since my silicone cubes are as much a failure to unmold as the ice cube tray was.

Also, adding salt to the stirred eggs is problematic, even the little bit added made them noticeably salty, which is not a treat. Eleanor de Bolton says that just stirring the yolk and white together is enough, so I will try that. Maybe do science and try some plain, some with sugar, and some with salt? It occurs to me that the salt would be less obvious in a recipe with other constituents, such as a quiche or casserole, as opposed to scrambled eggs, which I normally do not salt before eating.

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	blood orange marmalade	bike headlamp	yard waste bin
2	-	passport photo	recycle bin
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. sun and wind at just the right time
2. Small Art Exchange is something folks want to do
3. Ursel may come by tomorrow for a porch visit.
4. the store had turkey thighs, and 18/egg cartons under $6!!

Time of Isolation - Day 1635

it's a start?

in which our plucky heroine seeks clarity...

maybe I have a high torque engine, since it is really taking a great deal of effort to develop any forward momentum. So slowly and gradually, intentions for different areas of focus in 2025 will surely solidify, from the amorphous swirls currently drifting.

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~ rabbit rabbit rabbit ~

Given that this year needs all the charms it can gather in, I started the first day of the month with the traditional words...

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One of the drawbacks of January is the loss of structured actions (such as opening each day's advent treat) that fill the previous month. I may see if following some suggestions from "the prompt pot" for daily drawings will turn into a thing that feeds my creativity. I know I really wanted to not get to the end of today without doing something creative, even it it was just some pencil drawing on a page in my bujo. I'll share my drawing tomorrow... too tired tonight to take and process photos.

from tabby.booth.artist on Instagram
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I managed to turn canned black eyed peas into something tasty, even though it required substituting bratwurst for ham hock, and served with some carrot coins and greens it made the requisite first day dinner. I'd intended to also make Sister Gigi's Corn Cakes, but will save that for a different day, like maybe tomorrow...

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Mikki challenged me with the question "what are you looking forward to in 2025?" While after much struggle all I could come up with was facilitating the next advent swap next winter. Then later this evening, I remembered that the art museum is free all day long on the first Thursday of each month.They've an exhibition of poster art from the Psychedelic Era that I really want to see, and depending on the weather, am considering to mask up and try to get there when they open. Hopefully the museum won't be too crowded first thing, and can always turn back if necessary...

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While putting laundry away, realised that there are several whole categories of basic clothing that are in need of not just mending, but several entirely new additional garments made. Long janes are wearing out, as is basic lingerie. So, once the raincoat toggles and edge bindings are done, it will be on to some useful if not challenging stitchery.

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Month SMART goals (x=extra)

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

today's gratitudes -
1. enough seasoning and significantly extended cooking times made the canned legumes tasty and tender.
2. There was a funky little painting in the Free Little Art Gallery, just right for spooky season in October.
3. found the missing brown yarn, and started the sleeves of the stripey cardigan, finally!

Time of Isolation - Day 1630

It was only a matter of time

in which our plucky heroine has concerns...

Today at the grocery store, most of the eggs in the cooler were not there. There were still some few cartons of what I call "bougie" eggs, the ones that are $9/dozen, which had been spread out across the empty shelves in a vain effort at semi-normality. There was a little sign taped up that mentioned bird flu, and supply chain issues. So later today I rode my bike over to Grocery Outlet, and while they did have eggs, the price doubled from what it was last week, and is now $7/dz .

Somehow, some time, when I wasn't paying attention, dry legumes have almost tripled in price, and are now between 4 to 6 dollars a pound. Being high in carbs to protein ratio, they aren't a major part of my meal planning, but there are things I like to cook with beans or lentils. And for New Years,  black-eyed peas are a requirement. But when I looked in the bulk aisle at the store, the bin was empty. And when I found and asked a store clerk, they said that not only did none of their stores have any in bulk, but their warehouse was equally lacking, and their supplier had said "maybe in mid January"...

Every year since I first heard of the tradition, that one must eat black-eyed peas for luck on New Years so that the coming year would not suck pond water, there has not been a year I've missed... Early on, I cooked up the beans with a small chunk of ham hock, the crock pot sending out a savory aroma, and the results delicious. For a long time now the grocery store meat counter hasn't been set up any more to break down large pieces, so instead I've taken to adding a small chunk of other savory smoky meat, or just adding smoked paprika to the seasoning mixture.

This year I am reduced to a can of cooked black-eyed peas, which I will garnish with some discs of bratwurst from the freezer, and grateful to have that much. I will still cook at least some of the other foods that to me symbolise a bright and hopeful year to come, remembering that prosperity does not necessarily mean money. Carrot "coins", and some fresh leafy greens for "greenbacks", and maybe even a half batch of Sister Gigi's spicy savory golden corn cakes.

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~ day 30 ~

A garland of origami butterflies; these will be so much fun for summertime decorating in the tinyworld...

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It was getting very worriesome how the kitchen sink was draining more and more slowly. Thankfully, it turned out to be an easy fix, since clever past me installed a "Handi Works Majic Drain" gizmo when we were working on the plumbing a year ago. (both the bathroom and kitchen sinks here at Acorn Cottage sport this Very Useful hence no longer available adaptation, that substitutes for the ordinary P-trap, with an easily detachable under half that also holds a grid to keep small things from being flushed past the trap and into the pipes and sewer system)

When I thought to pull it out and take a look, the obvious problem was that a. there was quite a bit of detritus stuck in the internal grid, and b. I had somehow managed to install two grids instead of one, which had reduced the flow through... Once those issues were dealt with, the sink has returned to the free flowing drain is should have, and I have added "check Majic Drain" to the every six month list of tasks...

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mulling over thinky thoughts about how the parts of 2024 that I could affect could have been improved, (bearing in mind that most aspects of the year were far beyond of my pay grade) and I suspect that I will still be thinking about that tonight as I head for sleep. There is a good reason why I write down my SMART goal achievements all year long, 'cos otherwise by this time of the year, I am pretty sure I accomplished nothing at all, but my month and year charts tell me otherwise!

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December SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	rainbow cowl tassels	more clothesline	recycle bin
2	85 origami squares	cardboard down	random book parts
3	heraldic potholders	set up paperwhites	recycle bin
4	pine needle stars	grey linen pinafore	yard waste bin
5	solstice sweets	bandana hem	yard waste bin
6	2025 calendar	calendar pages	recycle bin
7	flannel pillowcases	keyboard key cap	recycle bin
8	x	kitchen sink drain	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. Majic Drain installed under the sink made it really easy to solve the slow drainage problem! (unsnap, clean it out, snap back in) Yay Past Me!
2. made really tasty sauce which can now become lasagna for several future meals, and pasta tonight for dinner
3. most of the 2025 calendars are mailed out today, and I had the rest printed today and will cut them out tonight.

Time of Isolation - Day 1628

throwback Thursday

in which our plucky heroine appreciates a sunny day...

I mentioned that my bicycle was in need of some professional help? This morning I found a bike shop that was only a little ways on the other side of the highway, and after speaking to the proprietor on the phone, rode over there to have it looked at. It was satisfying to hear that my diagnosis of what was wrong was basically correct, and I was just delighted when they offered to fit my small repair in right away, which let me avoid spending several additional hours on the bus going home and then back again. Fingers crossed that this bike shop remains in business for a while longer.

It only needed a new spoke and being re-trued; I was told it should give me a fair bit more good service, but warned however that the wheel itself is not in great condition, and that should it do this again, it is probably due for replacement. This doesn't surprise me, given the bike is probably thirty years old.

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~ day 19 ~

another lovely crocheted bookmark, this one is the perfect size to fit my Leuchtturm 1917 dot-grid journal that I use every day

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Kat and Grendel stopped by around lunchtime for a porch visit, and she brought over some of the quick breads she made recently, including one using some of the persimmons I had given her earlier...

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~ a venerable gadget ~

I have our ancestral one of these, the one from when I was a child back in the LongAgo. We didn't live in Hawaii, but rather in various places in New England and Los Angeles, and we just called the neat rounds "toas-tites" and ours were mostly filled with just plain cheese,... they were particularly tidy for school lunches, and my very favorite was when Mom included some bacon along with the "American cheese". I dug it out from the bottom of the cupboard and gave it a try for making lunch today, and though I was lacking the correct bread, and substituting sharp cheddar and a slather of mustard as filling, it worked just as well as I remembered.

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I've finished the rolled hem, so the bandanna is now ready to be overdyed. I also finished up my pine needle stars. I suspect that type of weaving really is easier with willow shoots, as the larger scale would be much easier to handle and less fragile!

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December SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	rainbow cowl tassels	more clothesline	recycle bin
2	85 origami squares	cardboard down	random book parts
3	heraldic potholders	set up paperwhites	recycle bin
4	pine needle stars	grey linen pinafore	yard waste bin
5	-	bandanna hem	yard waste bin
6	x	x	recycle bin
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. found a good bike shop close enough to ride to (even though on other side of I-5), and they offered to fit my repair in right away, so I could avoid a fairly long bus ride home and back again to pick up the bike. Extra plus - friendly dog.
2. Porch visit from Kat and Grendel
3. breezy and partly sunny day meant that laundered bedding got mostly dried.
4. my experimental weaving pine needle stars was a success.

Time of Isolation - Day 1618

Saturday snippets

in which our plucky heroine is relieved ...

※※※

~ day 7 ~

two delightful miniature resin? fossils: a fish, and starfish. I will be adding them to the curio collection my tinyfolk keep on their mantelpiece. Might need to make some tiny wire easel stands to hold them upright...

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Drama last night = No phone and no photos! Well dang, leaned over the sink and my phone fell out of my pocket and into the rinse water! I immediately grabbed it, tried to dry it, and also shook it out really quickly. Then turned it off. I don't have silica crystals, so it is sitting (on top of a piece of paper towel) on top of dry warmed rice in a container. Going to leave it sit for two days before I try turning it on again and charging it.

(edited to add: drowned phone seems to have dried out after 12+ hours on warmed rice bed, as it apparently just turned itself on... note to self: going forward, do not keep phone in pinafore chest pocket when doing things that involve water!)

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I'm more than halfway done with turning the slowly ripening persimmons into shelf stable dried fruit. A dozen of them fill the dehydrator trays full, and after a day or two, it will be time for more peeling and slicing... I saved out the smallest ends from the slicing to add to a lunchtime salad today, along with greens, some feta, and avocado.

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Finally figured out something to create for my sekrit pal in Duchess D's Sekrit Santa Swap... now to get busy making it! (hint: it's heraldic)

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December SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	rainbow cowl tassels	more clothesline	recycle bin
2	-	cardboard down	-
3	-	set up paperwhites	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. Several digital visits to friends today, zoom is my lifeline.
2. The lemon braised chickpea recipe turned out really tasty. Next time I will add the full complement of rosemary, when it isn't dumping down rain which makes gathering herbs less fun.
3. Phone did not drown the final death.

Time of Isolation - Day 1606

Friday fragments

in which our plucky heroine remains discombobulated...

...with my sleep wake times all in disarray. Could not readily fall asleep last night despite my assorted "go to sleep hacks" and hence ended up sleeping far too late in the morning as a result. Bah! Still managed to get some tasks done today...

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~ Day 6 ~

I am totally charmed that someone else (my dear pal Acantha) was inspired to make a block printed tiny book! and it will be an excellent addition to the Tansu Terrace library!!

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Vesta sent me a link to this BBC short about the art of sashiko... 

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I was thinking about making this recipe for Lemon Braised Chickpeas for dinner tonight*, but decided to first get out and about on my bike while it was still sort of daylight, and definitely not raining. One stop at the art store as I needed some red and blue fabric paints for my Sekrit Santa project. One stop at the post office to get the official forms for the passport project, and they were so empty at that moment, (which never happens) and the cute counter clerk was there and he was really helpful with my questions about what the next step would be, looking up the correct location to drop off the forms downtown.

Then I decided I wanted something not-leguminous for dinner, and rode all the way out to Groc-Out, since I am continuing to boycott NS. Dinner turned out to be roasted chicken thigh, green salad, and a bit of the spinach rice bake, with applesauce for dessert. All yummy, and there are at least two or three more meals from that package of chicken. I pulled all the meat off the bones, then put the bones back into the pan with the remaining juices and a bit of boiling water for further roasting. That will form the base for another iteration of chicken stock...

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December SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	rainbow cowl tassels	more clothesline	recycle bin
2	-	cardboard down	-
3	-	set up paperwhites	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. my small Japanese teapot with an integral strainer, just right for a warm drink when doing online tasks
2. a tasty dinner of many parts!
3. My advent swap treat for the day was the tiny block printed book from Acantha... I had been hoping I would get one, after seeing it in someone elses photo a day or two ago!

Time of Isolation - Day 1605

* It occurrs to me that I could cook the chickpeas after I do the first round of kitchen cleanup and dishwashing tonight, and they would be a new, different, but possibly very appetizing part of breakfast tomorrow...

a start on the shadowbox

in which our plucky heroine is cooking and crafting...

This will be the fifth Thanksgiving* holiday I have spent far from friends and family; so I spend the day attempting to focus on what I am grateful for and making myself a slightly fancier meal than my everyday cuisine. I miss the Before Times...

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~ redecoration ~

I've started changing out the shadowbox diorama on my advent calendar... Instead of last years "woodland" theme complete with my Playmobil badgers, this year I'm going with a "cozy library" theme, making use of some of the furnishings from Caer Cardboard. Visible are my entire collection of miniature books, (almost all of which have readable interior pages), as well as the "miss thistle society" fireplace made from painted egg carton cardboard. I've had the tiny Dala horses since I was a young thing, the artworks are from various Free Little Art Gallery sites, and I made the moth orchid a few years ago from a kit. I made the strand of bunting from golden origami paper, and I want to try making an LED tea light into a fire for the fireplace. December will be here in the blink of an eye!

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I've started cooking my small if somewhat elaborate meal... The turkey thigh came out of the freezer on Monday, thawed all day in the fridge on Tuesday, and Wednesday it was boned, brined (1c buttermilk: ½T salt) and went back in the fridge... Next it is rolled up with a bit of homemade stuffing inside (which provides another opportunity for the homegrown, as I add sage, thyme, marjoram and rosemary, all from the yard), tied into a neat bundle, and then roasted in the oven at 350°F for about an hour and a half, until it reaches and internal temperature of 165°F. I first made turkey roulade in 2020, and it is a nice festive treat, just big enough for one meal, and often sometimes a bit left over for the next days lunch.

The rest of my meal takes less faffing about to make. I'm going to make a little green salad to showcase my final (of four) homegrown tomato, steam some green beans and reheat a sweet potato slab I baked last week. I think I am also going to make a Very Small quince crisp in a custard cup for dessert, to further acknowledge my gratitude for the homegrown

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Interesting food for thought: Science and Storytelling

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this just makes me smile...
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November SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Halloween cushions	repot spider plants	recycle bin
2	applesauce	harvest persimmons	yard waste bin
3	cat head graphic	moar pruning	recycle bin
4	6 jars to ferment	grape pruning	yard waste bin
5	lime curd	mailed advent boxes	recycle bin
6	quince jelly	long jane hems	x
7	Sidewalk Joy books	renew worm bin	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes - 
1. As weird as the weather is being, yesterday was dry and cold, and I was able to get in a few miles of bike riding
2. As the posted boxes of Advent Swap goodness continue to arrive in folks mailboxes, I keep seeing the folks who got "surprise" boxes sharing the joy on their social media... which makes me all kinds of happy, to have helped facilitate adding brightness to the world, even in such a small way
3. Enough is really as good as a feast... I cooked more than enough, because leftovers are wonderful, but only ate part of today's cookery. There is enough roulade for at least two more meals, and half a custard cup of quince crisp is just right. Homegrown goodness in the meal today: tomato, herbs, and quince

Time of Isolation - Day 1597

*There are valid issues with with what is basically taught and presented as a celebration of colonialism, and one thing to be thankful for is more information, and that alternative ways to honor the indigenous side of the story are available

Wednesday whatnots

in which our plucky heroine is determined to persist...

I intend to behave as if there is a future. This includes planting the flower bulbs and garlic starts that Acantha sent me, as future savor and future beauty are a thing to look forward to. This week in Anni's box of goodies for the Advent Swap, she included several paperwhite narcissus bulbs, which add sweetly scented indoor beauty in the dark season of the year. It has been a long time since I forced some indoors, but this year I will. There is a clever trick to keep them from getting all etiolated, which is to add a certain percentage of alcohol to the water they are grown in. I learned about that years ago, and it worked like a charm.

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~ turning ~

the colors of autumn... as the leaves fall and thoughts turn to preserving harvest bounty. There were pounds of quinces on the tree this year, which will become jelly, and membrillo (quince paste), and maybe a jar or two of quincemeat for holiday tartlets... I've collected some quince recipes and hints here in this blog post

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making great progress on the Advent Swap... two of the remaining three participants boxes are here, so only one is still in the postal system. I've addressed and stamped all of the outgoing boxes; my next step is the Grand Mix-n-Match, when all the gifties get redistributed... (then the boxes will be sealed up ready to take to the post office, but first I will probably take some photos...)

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This summer I attempted to grow a Juliet tomato plant, which is a favorite, but accidentally killed it by transplanting into a pot with no drainage (bad plant mother, no mini Roma tomato for you) Then I found an Oregon Spring start, which is small and very tasty, and figured to make an attempt even though it was already well into summer. I got three tomatoes by the end of the season, only partly turning from pure green to dull yellowish, but left on a cool windowsill, they have gradually ripened, and I have one left. Debating if I should eat it now, or save it till next week for Thanksgiving? I'd say that fresh tasty tomato in deep November is something to be grateful for!

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November SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Halloween cushions	repot spider plants	recycle bin
2	applesauce	harvest persimmons	yard waste bin
3	cat head graphic	moar pruning	recycle bin
4	6 jars to ferment	grape pruning	yard waste bin
5	lime curd	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. was a clear day, which meant several bike rides were possible, one to the grocery store in the morning, and one to the post office in the afternoon to get stamps for advent boxes.
2. speaking of which, we made it to 31 participants, if we count the doubles and the extra gift boxes, which do count!
3. the skein of Danish rainbow yarn intended to decorate my rainbow linen cowl scarf has made it across the great water, and is currently in a post office in Los Angeles
4. several homegrown tomatoes in November

Time of Isolation - Day 1591

when did that happen?!?

in which our plucky heroine is feeling a bit like Rip Van Winkle...

Biokleen Free and Clear laundry powder is completely gone! As in I went to the store and there was none on the shelf. And there was basically no dry powder laundry detergent any more. Not at New Seasons, not at Freddies, not at Safeway...  From what I have been able to glean online, using powder laundry detergent is no longer popular in the US?!  (re Biokleen, which I have been using for well over twenty years, the company had been bought out several years ago; the new owners decided to discontinue that product, which has been gradually hence disappearing from retail shops.)

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~ just needs a cover... ~

My latest miniature book is almost ready, the block is done and the spine reinforcement is attached. All that yet remains is to create and attach the cover, and this "edition" of nine copies is complete. Most will be part of the Advent Swap, with a few going to special individuals. Wondering if I ought to make a second edition...

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in the park yesterday, as I was riding past, I saw a woman calling crows, standing under the big trees with a pan full of food...

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~ the Brian Duncan Memorial Tree ~

Not raining today, and the fragrance was perceptable when walking past the Quinceling, so it was time to harvest. I filled the Japanese tote bag three times over, each time weighing self + fruit and subtracting selfweight to get the final total of 39.2# of fruit! That will make a lot of quince jelly and membrillo, and possibly other preserves...

Just harvested 39+ pounds of quince from the little tree in my side yard. Tree was planted in 2018, and in six years has grown from a wee little knee high thing to about a (pruned) height of six feet, and a robust producer of delicious fruit

an assortment of quince recipes:
easy peeling and cutting tips
Pliny's quinces preserved in honey
Quince-o-rama part 3 The quest for Membrillo
Membrillo and quince squares
Tartine's panforte with candied quince
Quincemeat

~ when the Quinceling was new... ~
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I am being tempted by Last Homely House Kate to make a rainbow colorwash pin board for the Emporium door. While she makes some amazing patchwork including English paper pieced hexagon quilts, I know myself too well to go down that particular rabbit hole. I might, though, be willing to piece squares into a cover for one of the reconfigured pin boards...

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	ScribeTober 1	removed frost	yard waste bin
2	blue wolf enamel	prune persimmon	old light crap
3	shibori scarf	tidy walking onions	recycle bin
4	robin and holly acorn cap ornaments	string trim parking strip	yard waste bin
5	Kenya skirt	long jane waistband	recycle bin
6	pumpkin overalls	black winter slip	yard waste bin
7	x	harvested quince	recycle bin
8	x	pruned apple	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. the Quinceling has had a fantastic crop this year
2. for some reason, the cool weather made yard work feel good today, and there was much pruning...
3. Ursel shared a really fun way to make a dragon ornament

Time of Isolation - Day 1564

Wednesday whatnots

in which our plucky heroine tries not to worry...

The major Florida hurricane "Milton" made landfall just about on top of where my elderly auntie lives. I have been somewhat obsessively checking the weather, despite that there is nothing at all I can do at this far remove. I did call her yesterday, and let her know I was thinking about her and that I love her.

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~ embroidered edging ~

Since we are well into October, and I am sponsoring a "spooky season" challenge for Tiny Rag Doll Nation, I wanted to get started making a few prizes for the random drawing winner... The bias gored skirt is such a fun way to use striped fabric, and this time I decided to give it an embroidered border using chained feather stitch. I love how elaborate that embroidery stitch looks, and how easy it is to do! (description and tutorial)

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As part of my attempt to improve my health, and to increase resilience, I will be experimenting with making some brine-fermented veggies... With this intent, I went ahead and ordered some of the glass weight discs, as I'm pretty sure my previous effort(s) were foiled by not being able to keep the contents properly submerged. I want to try ginger garlic carrots, and also beet kvass, as both of those have been recommended to me as good to start with.

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Checking on the remaining tree fruit here... the quinces are not quite ripe, but getting close. The persimmons are nowhere near ripe yet, being mostly green. And the second crop figs are still quite hard; they almost never ripen. I really need to rewatch the Useful Video and make notes about how to prune figs for a better first crop. Indeed, I really ought to start a notebook about the various tree fruits here and how best to care for them!

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It occurred to me to try to remove the layers of frost from the upper sides of my chest freezer by sort of chiseling it off with a large screwdriver and a hammer. Carefully of course. It was possible to place the screwdriver "chisel" just past the actual edge of the freezer, and a few strong taps with the hammer had a surprisingly large "iceberg" break loose, without have any adverse effect on the freezer itself. It took eversomuch less time to work my way around the circumference than it would have to defrost the whole thing in the usual way!

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	ScribeTober 1	removed frost	yard waste bin
2	blue wolf enamel	-	-
3	shibori scarf	-	-
4	robin and holly acorn cap ornaments	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. My aged Florida aunties residence home facility is not in an evacuation zone, and is a designated "shelter in place" location, so I can only hope that she is okay...
2. I made a delicious vaguely red Thai curry inspired meal tonight with chicken, greens, and a mixture of carrot and sweet potato, and thought to put half of it in the fridge for tomorrow before actually eating dinner. Future Me will be happy
3. I defrosted the chest freezer by carefully using a very large screwdriver as a "chisel" and hitting it with a hammer
4. Did I mention how much I enjoy my Wednesday evening game time with Stef and Mischa?

Time of Isolation - Day 1549

double your pleasure

in which our plucky heroine wakes up before the alarm...

I've been meaning to get up early enough so I can ride the bus then walk to H-Mart; early = cooler temperatures. Today I woke up about as soon as the light started coming in through the east window, which meant I could also stop at Trader Joe's on the way and pick up some unsalted roasted almonds to add to breakfast museli.

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~ week 1 ~

Thursday was the beginning of the thirteen week 2024 Mini Doll "Wardrobe-A-Long", with a different garment suggested each week.  My intention is to make at least two of whatever the garment of the week is; when the challenge ends, send one of the two wardrobes off to Young Kestrel for her dollhouse dollies, who are relatives to my own tinyfolk. As is obvious, I finally added some stitched facial features to the "ghost girl", though she still needs a proper name. I've tried out several different names ("Chrysoprase"called "Chrys", or maybe "Euphorbia"), but at the last, it seems her name is "Opal"...

The first week our challenge garment is making a simple skirt... while the suggested instructions make a straight skirt from a slightly gathered tube of fabric, I can't do anything without elaborating it in one way or another. Opal is wearing a skirt made from a scrap of batik rayon, that also has functional patch pockets (cut squares from the selvedge edge so as to avoid having to make miniature pocket edge hems, fold under the other three edges and stitch to skirt). In addition, I realised afterwards that attaching the skirt piece to the waistband piece prior to turning the whole thing into a tube is eversomuch easier!

Nandina is wearing the simple blue handknit skirt that I started making prior to the beginning of the challenge, as a good possible option as well. I plan on a knitted cardigan of the same blue yarn for later in the challenge...

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Huzzah for getting my filling in the gaps shopping done. I never know quite what perishables I will find at H-Mart, so today I came home with a package of thin sliced pork roast perfect for stir fry, and just one skinny eggplant (most of the eggplant this time were sad). I know what tonight's dinner will be, and the rest of the meat will be portioned out and frozen. I'll also make up some faux cheescake from some of my formerly canned pear chunks, as a change from pineapple. Maybe season with some nutmeg, some almond extract, and a bit of vanila. Makes a good high protein breakfast in the heat.

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	musk ox print	horses blouse edge	yard waste bin
2	green linen Jedi tunic	kitchen light fixture	recycle bin
3	Nandina floral dress	Luxo plug	dead box fan
4	2 tiny knit skirts	plaid flannel slip	recycle bin
5	tiny knit cardigan	oak ebonised	-
6	Salish wooly dog print	x	x
7	bathrobe hook	x	x
8	tiny batik skirt	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. waking up early before the heat
2. tzatziki with dinner yesterday, there were some of the wonderful tiny "persian" cucumbers at the market...
3. I'm being able to use up some of my smaller amounts of leftover yarn to make dolly knitwear.

Time of Isolation - Day 1444